Written for livruka, KakaIru Fest Fic Exchange

Pairing: Kakashi x Iruka

Rating: T

Warning: Violence, Shonen-ai vibes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kakashi and/or Iruka.

Notes: AU – Medieval. Italics means dream sequence.

The Rabbit Chase

A hound chased after him through the dark woods. He didn't want to run but to face it and fight, yet he feared the consequences of being caught by that beast. He would be ripped apart for certain. No matter how far he ran, the darkness continued endlessly before him, all hope for a sliver of light to guide him gone. The beast was hidden in the dark. If he only could hear him somewhere behind, paws swift against grass and dirt. If the dog would only bark or growl, then he would be able to assess the unfolding situation. Relentlessly he continued running, searching for his home, until he noticed that familiar tree stump and dived into the rabbit hole, leaving the dog behind.

"… bread?"

Iruka's thoughts were interrupted by the man's question and he found himself staring at the proffered bread. He accepted it without a word and ate his dinner. Kakashi's dark eye didn't leave him and another question lingered in the air.

"I merely recalled the strange dream I had, the same dream that appears to haunt me…" He explained.

"The one about the dog and the rabbit?"

"Yes..."

Kakashi said no more, only looked at the man sharing a table in his small house. His left eye was hidden behind a black eye patch, yet a scar ran down his cheek revealing the state of the eye that was covered. He went back to his meal.

Iruka stirred his soup absently, his thoughts still lingering on the strange dream. It all felt so familiar; like it was significant to him. Each night after reliving being chased by a hound, he would wake up with his heart beating in panic, trying desperately to understand why the dream persisted. Frustration gnawed at the man because he knew he had lost much of his past when he had fallen from a horse during a hunt and struck his head. Iruka tried daily to stitch back the pieces of his life and found himself hating the dream that seemed to mock him.

"It must be the hunt that you keep seeing in your dreams. A memory." Kakashi offered. This was the theory he kept repeating. And it was a logical one. Iruka had indeed been hunting rabbits on that fateful day. Yet he still could not shake the feeling that there was more to it than that explanation, not to mention that the rabbit in his dream was Iruka himself being chased.

"Yes. You are probably right." Iruka sighed. He gave his friend a smile, trying to lighten the mood and stop dwelling on what he couldn't fully grasp. It would only make his head hurt. It was a blessing having someone as reliable as Kakashi by his side to help him in this time of confusion. The man took care of his wounds, bringing a medic to check Iruka and reminding him of their past. Iruka had forgotten everything before the accident. Only glimpses of his early childhood, the faces of his mother and father that were both gone now, remained. Iruka had no one left, save for Kakashi.

A stranger would have deemed their companionship unlikely. They were opposites on many levels but there were still things that kept them close. Kakashi was a man of few words and had an aura of someone implacable, but Iruka never tried to prod. He knew from Kakashi's stories that he had been in the army from a young age. Such circumstances were bound to leave marks on one's body and soul. Now he ran errands and picked up any jobs he could find in town. Iruka, on the other hand, was a humble Latin and Mathematics tutor to whomever cared to hire him and light in spirit; a person that strove to be fair and honest. After the accident, he was left in Kakashi's care after the man had found him in the woods and was now living with him. It troubled Iruka to be a burden though he had no choice but to stay until he understood himself again, knowing it would take some time.

He cleaned the plates carefully and helped around the house by doing minor chores. It was all he could do in his state and with his injured shoulder. Kakashi would leave at odd hours of the day and even in the middle of the night. Iruka never asked why because he knew that his friend worked to support the both of them now. Iruka had offered to get a job, yet Kakashi quickly turned down his proposition, insisting he rest instead of exerting himself. Iruka found that he hated being locked up, depending on Kakashi, and he knew his friend was right. He would get headaches and feel dizzy when pushing himself too hard.

Readjusting his high ponytail with a wince as his shoulder ached, Iruka looked around the house. It was a humble home sparsely furnished with only the necessities; the home of a lonely man. Kakashi's house was located at the outskirts of the main town; away from the crowd. One needed a horse to get to the centre if one wanted to be back before dark. Iruka didn't dare go farther than just outside of the door for some fresh air, fearful of getting lost in the woods and of the nearby cliffs. He disliked how helpless he felt without Kakashi. Despite not actually remembering it, he was certain that he had always been capable and independed. It was selfish of him to think so, but some days he felt more like a prisoner than a guest.

The hound was catching up but he couldn't run faster. His body felt heavy and slow. Panic filled his being as he tried to weave and twist to shake the beast to no avail. The last thing he heard was a low growl before the dog bit into the rabbit and crushed his bones with his teeth.

Iruka woke up with a shout that night, eyes darting around the room and crawling out from the bed clumsily, falling on his knee to the floor. He scrambled to get away from the dark bedroom; to find some light or comfort to ease his terror. Iruka had felt everything, how each of his bones had broken and the terror of knowing his death was assured. Kakashi had entered the house when he heard Iruka and hurried to the man. Seeing him acting frantic, Kakashi grabbed his arms and tried to calm him.

"Iruka calm down, I'm here. Take deep breaths." He willed his voice to sound firm yet made sure not to raise it. Iruka searched Kakashi's face, his eyes confused and desperate, looking as if he had a hard time recognizing his friend.

"Calm down. You are safe with me."

Those words seemed to have an impact and Iruka's shoulders relaxed a little. "Kakashi..." He exhaled and felt his heart slowing down to a normal pace.

Not letting go, Kakashi stood still and waited until Iruka was himself again before releasing his grip, albeit a little reluctantly. "... That same nightmare?"

Iruka nodded and wiped the sweaty strands of hair away from his forehead. He didn't want to relay the detail. It was unnecessary and he already felt embarrassed that he had to be soothed. A grown man behaving this way because of a knock to the head... It was shameful. It wasn't only his head that had been abused. His pride had taken a beating as well. Iruka licked his dry lips and turned to go back to his bed.

"Thank you. I'm all right now..."

Kakashi didn't stop him, instead only watched him as he walked to his bed and lay down. His fists clenched in irritation. Nothing could be done about Iruka and this situation. Shaking his head the man headed in to his own room.

Who am I? What am I? There were only the answers Kakashi would give to him for he himself did not know. His friend was patient and replied to his questions. But something was missing, he was certain. The idea occurred to him that perhaps there was something in his past which Kakashi didn't want to burden him with, showing him mercy and keeping any horrible truths from his knowledge.

"How did I get the scar across my nose?"

"... You only told me you tripped as a child yet was too young to remember any details."

Iruka's lips tightened. "You aren't keeping anything from me are you, Kakashi? I want to know about my past, even the darkest of sins that I might have committed."

Kakashi didn't reply. Instead he started walking towards the front door, thick black cloak covering his body and his boots heavy against the wooden floor. The door closed, leaving Iruka feeling like a caged animal longing for its freedom. Kakashi's fists clenched around the horse's rein before he steeled and pulled himself up. Anger boiled in his gut and he wished that Iruka would stop asking questions that could make life much more difficult for them both.

Days passed yet nothing changed. No matter how much he pondered and asked, Iruka was still left feeling incomplete. Iruka looked and felt haggard as he sat at the kitchen table browsing through a book Kakashi had purchased him. There were bags under his eyes and he spoke less and less. It stirred something in Kakashi, seeing the once bright man in such a state.

"How is your head? Do you still feel ill?" He asked as he sat down across him.

"It's better, I don't feel dizzy anymore. My shoulder is just a little sore..." Iruka's voice was low and tired. Not having anything to do except the occasional house chore drained him. There was no doubt that his body was used to an active life.

"I'm heading to town for supplies. Come with me if you feel better." Kakashi was taking a risk but he just couldn't watch the man wilt away in front of his eyes and all his effort would be for naught.

Iruka peered up from his book. A look of relief washed over his features.

"I would like that."

They shared a horse since Iruka's own had run away after the accident in the forest so Iruka had to sit in front of Kakashi, leaning against his chest as they rode to the city. The rain forced them to keep their hoods up and cloaks tightly wrapped around their bodies to ward off the chilly wind, yet he felt warm against the man behind his back. Kakashi held his arms wrapped around Iruka's ribs so he could reach the reins. Although it rained, being out of the house was like being able to breathe again and Iruka reveled in the fresh air.

"It's been a while since you've been out, hasn't it..." It wasn't really a question, Kakashi knew that the man had spent weeks in his home mainly alone since he was always occupied. His deep voice ghosted by the other's cheek and Iruka nodded in reply.

"Feels good to be out again... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound ungrateful-"

"A house exists for rest. It's not natural to spend all your time in it." Kakashi cut in, fully understanding Iruka's impatience.

A soft smile spread across Iruka's face. "You seem to be very capable at handling a horse while having a partner in front of you. Have damsels graced you with their company on this horse?" His words were colored by his good mood as he heard Kakashi snort to himself.

"Only those that didn't demand I marry them." He smirked.

"What an awful way to treat a lady!" Iruka sounded shocked yet couldn't hide the mirth in his voice.

"Are you trying to give me a lesson in proper conduct, dear teacher?"

"I wouldn't be a very good teacher if I didn't try to lecture the occasional ruffian."

When Kakashi chuckled, Iruka felt it on his back. The soft vibration ran through him and made Iruka laugh along as they neared the market.

Blackness seemed to want to swallow him. He could hear their mocking words and the hooves meeting the ground dully as they chased their prey. It all had gone horribly wrong and several of his brothers were now dead. He was on his own; alone with his horse as his only companion. Arrows shot by him, barely missing when he made a sudden turn before jolting heavily in pain and falling endlessly.

Kakashi checked his shoulder, spreading some ointment on the wound. His fingers ran gently across the gash. Looking at it sternly, he had to force himself to finish his work and cover it before standing up from the bed.

"It's healing well." He informed Iruka.

"Just my luck to fall on a sharp rock..." The man sighed and rolled his shoulder experimentally before sliding his thin linen shirt on and buttoned it up.

"I must travel out of town and will most likely return in a few days." Kakashi picked up the ointment and supplies, then searched the other's face. "Will you manage by yourself?

"Do not worry. Don't let me stand in your way of work." Iruka offered a gentle smile.

Kakashi hesitated for a second, then nodded. He didn't like the fact that he was leaving Iruka on his own unguarded but he knew that he had no choice. By declining the job, he would attract unwanted attention. He had to continue like he always did.

It felt like time went agonizingly slow when Kakashi wasn't in the house. The man would get up and leave whenever he had to but Iruka still had some company the few hours he would be with him. The house was eerily quiet and Iruka found himself sleeping more due to lack of activity though he went to bed reluctantly each night fearing what he might experience.

Finally Kakashi returned just before dawn. Iruka wasn't asleep this time so he saw the man come through the door, tired and stained with blood and dirt. He looked like he had returned from a battlefield and in his hand was a mask that Iruka instinctively recognized though he could not place the memory as to how he recognized it. Kakashi looked into Iruka's eyes, not hiding his state, and went further inside.

Iruka felt a cold in his stomach. The mask was painted with what looked like the face of a dog. He knew that he had seen it more than once in his life and he also knew that it wasn't from a fond association.

"Is that your mask?" Iruka pointed at the mask in Kakashi's hand, pressing his lips together while seated on a chair.

"Do you not consider me your friend?"

"Why are you avoiding the question, Kakashi?" His voice raised and temper flared.

"Answer my question first." The man's eye was hard and unrelenting.

Closing his eyes, Iruka ran a frustrated hand through his hair trying to calm himself. "I do consider you a very good friend-"

"Unfortunately I do not think of you as my friend." Kakashi interrupted with a cold voice. He had reached his limit. No longer would he continue this farce. Iruka opened his eyes and stared at the man in front of him, anger now mixed with hurt.

"You are everything but a friend to me; a stranger and an enemy that has tempted me to forget my true nature and turn my back on my brothers." He dropped the mask on to the floor and it landed with a sharp sound as he walked closer to Iruka, each step filled with menace.

"And so I will continue to dishonor my name by being honest. I will tell you everything." Kakashi was standing over Iruka who hadn't moved or even thought of moving. He could feel a headache starting to form but he didn't look away from Kakashi and met his gaze, refusing to back down.

"You and I are made of the same dirt; the sharp gravel that digs into each man's flesh no matter who they are or how much money they have. We both have only one reason to keep living and that is to kill whomever they send us to murder."

Iruka said nothing, continuing to stare while clutching his thin shirt until his knuckles became white. His heart beat to the point of pain at Kakashi's implication.

"... Does it please you? Does it satisfy your curiosity to know you are an assassin?"

The headache had turned into a throbbing pain, making his vision blur and thoughts heavy. Iruka's face contorted and he clutched his head, no longer able to face the man.

"You know I'm not lying. Perhaps you don't remember, yet your body does." Kakashi kept the edge out of his voice at seeing Iruka in that state. He was furious, his blood churning in his veins over the fact that he was so helpless when it came to Iruka. The man didn't even realize the impact he had on the once cold-blooded killer standing just inches away from him. He should have finished his job and moved on as he always had in life and yet... Iruka took shuddering breaths and fought to ease the tension by trying to relax and Kakashi's hand reached out as if wanting to smooth the pain away, but instead clenched into a fist in mid-air before dropping it to his side as he took a step back.

"So... we are... enemies... and not brothers." Iruka's voice was tense. "And I... was your target..."

"Yes. I was meant to kill you that night in the forest. The wound on your shoulder is from my arrow."

"You are the hound." Iruka whispered touching his injured shoulder blade as if confirming that he had indeed been hit.

"And you are my prey." Those ugly words were said in such a soft voice that it could have been mistaken for words uttered to a lover. Iruka opened his eyes, his face ashy and damp, long hair clinging to his cheeks. He was trembling, not from fear, but from the pain he was wrecked with. He did not fear Kakashi; the sense of betrayal was too deep.

Kakashi was as stoic as ever, careful not to reveal his inner turmoil. Observing; always watching Iruka with his one visible eye. Suddenly Iruka felt like a complete fool to have ever trusted a person as inscrutable as Kakashi.

Iruka stood up and faced the man, ignoring the dizzying feeling when he moved that followed. "Am I really worth that much that you had to hunt me?"

"Your clan was bad for business and somehow you always managed to slip away from my grasp." A sardonic smile stretched across his lips, yet never reached his eye. Kakashi raised his hand and removed his eye-patch, fully revealing the scar and closed eye that no longer served him. "You took my eye. My face is forever branded by your blade. Truly a worthy opponent."

Iruka's brows furrowed and mouth twisted. "And so you failed again? You've had plenty of opportunities since. Or do you prefer that your opponent fights back with full strength?" He asked with vehemence.

"Your brothers believe you to be dead, having fallen into a ravine. The same goes for my own brothers. As far as they are concerned, you don't exist anymore." Kakashi changed the subject, the lifeless smirk still on his face. "You are free to start over if you wish; however, were anyone to see you then we will both die. Enemies get shot or stabbed. Traitors lose their heads."

He didn't receive a reply. Was Kakashi playing with his mind again? Iruka's lip twitched up for a moment unsure of how to react. It pained him to hear this, yet what hurt him the most wasn't his past but the fact that he had been deceived.

"Everything is a lie. Everything you told me-"

"Even your name. Umino Iruka. We always just called you the Rabbit..."

"And your true name?"

He didn't respond. Only fastened the eye-patch to his face again.

"You are free to leave. But know that I can't help you if you do." There was something in the man's eye; a form of resignation almost, or maybe even sadness. Kakashi turned and started to leave the room, his shoulders tense.

"You kept me alive for your own amusement!" Iruka called after him with anger in his voice.

"Would you rather be dead?" The man softly retorted, not turning around, leaving the house and Iruka as he always would.

Iruka grabbed his head again, sat back on the chair and tried to focus and make sense of what just had happened, eyes tightly shut. Nothing came to him and after a few minutes he heard himself laugh, the sound empty and joyless.

The blade struck and connected with another blade. He was enjoying this. They both were, despite their intentions to kill. Black cloaks blended in well with the shadows that surrounded them where they moved among the trees. The masked man in front of him was no stranger, even if he had never actually seen his face. It was like a ritual that they always fought each other. However, their dance of death was cut short when his brother was caught and killed next to him. In a rage he lifted his sword and slashed towards the masked man intending to end him, yet only managed to cut his face, destroying the mask. Another of his brothers dragged him away from the battlefield and danger.

Sweaty and breathing hard, Iruka woke up with a jolt. He knew very well that it hadn't been just a dream. It was a memory. Kakashi had told him the truth and the familiar sensation of wrath reared its ugly head. Wiping his face, he got up and walked to the kitchen where he grabbed a knife before heading towards the man's bedroom. The door was unlocked and the assassin lay on his bed. Iruka almost wanted to laugh at his arrogance; to be able to return and act as if nothing had changed between them. Iruka went in; his steps light and swift, then straddled the man who opened his eye to see Iruka hovering above with a knife in his hand; holding him down with his weight.

"You have really taken me for granted." Iruka held the knife against the man's throat. With or without his memory, he was still capable of fighting and handling a weapon because his body still remembered everything. The man under him said nothing and didn't react.

"I have all the reasons to kill you for what you have done to me and my brothers. The fact that you took me in on some whim does not cleanse you of your crime." His lips tightened and he pressed the blade closer to the man's skin, forcing him to lift his chin so he wouldn't get cut.

"You are a liar and a cheat. The lowest of the low. A man that harms for personal gain..." Iruka continued.

"So are you. In the eyes of everyone else except your own. You are the only one that has forgotten your evil." The other replied, possibly staking his life on those words, yet he found the idea of death didn't trouble him.

Iruka was quiet for a moment, merely looking at the face in front of him. "The Rabbit has died. I am nothing like you." He straightened his back and removed the knife, then got off the bed in a graceful movement, his back turned to the man. Silence stretched and the air was tense.

"We have nothing left... Come with me."

The assassin was still lying down, awaiting Iruka's next move when the words caught him of guard.

"...go with you...?"

Iruka turned and looked at him with sincere eyes and held out his hand towards the assassin. "Your loyalty has already been dragged in the mud. Let us leave this place and wash our hands clean... Kakashi."

The end