Hate for Love

By: Song

Description: Even in shinobi, homosexuality was frowned upon.

A/U: I have been meaning to write a fic centric on discrimination for sexual orientation for awhile, but due to some inconsiderate and derogatory comments about all yaoi/yuri (both in fanfiction and reality) being 'garbage', 'gold dipped shit' and 'morally wrong', I finally decided to write this fic. I've worked on it for a number of months. If any one is interested, read the poem 'The Cold Within' By James Patrick Kinney. Its about hatred, and what it does to a person. Think about what you are saying, words hurt.

I ask in advance for forgiveness on quality of the dialogue. My strong suit it is not.

Warnings: Touchy subject, OoCness to prove a point and bad language. Lack of yuri... not enough females for it. I would have Sakura/Ino but their not drinking age yet. And Anko/Kurenai..? Just.. no.

Umino Iruka was a teacher, and thus saw many things. Many things he saw and heard he could dowithout. He was also a ninja, and he had learned how to cope. However, as a human, a few- very few things got to him.

Shedding the flack jacket he fell to the couch, quietly sniffing as tears threated to breach his eyes.

"Iruka? 'Ruka? You back yet? Guess what? When I was out on my last mission I got some fresh strawber-" But his sentence was dropped there as he saw his lover collapsed on the fuuton. "Ruru? Ruka-koi, what's wrong?" the silver haired lover asked, gently sitting down.

"Bad day..." he mumbled.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow before pulling down his mask. It was a ritualistic motion between the two. Kakashi only took off his mask when 'snuggling' with him. "Iruka, when you have a 'bad day' you ususaly order me to bed, not cry on my sofa."

"'m not cryin..."

"Then what do you call the wet streams on your cheeks? Genjutsu?" Gently he wiped away the tears kissing his face.

Iruka exhaled loudly, resting his head on Kakashi's lap before starting. "There was a... a slight altercation during shuriken t-training..." Iruka trailed off, wanting Kakashi to stop him but knowing it would not happen.

"Go on." The scarecrow urged.

Gathering himself once again Iruka began. "Its close to graduation, as I'm sure you know. O-one of the students expressed his... attraction to another... who was also male."

Kakashi knew what this was about.

"Things just... snapped. The boy whom the other student confessed bolted, and the other students started target practice... On him. I took the shurikin, and protected the student before jutsuing to a safe place. I left him there, told him everything would be alright and explained that love was not wrong, no matter what anyone said.

"I went back to the other students, ordered the perpetrators into the classroom, and dismissed the rest... After I made sure the rest were well out of ear shot I gave them a thorough reminder of the fact that, had they been shinobi at that point they would be reprieved of their title. Team work and all that shit... I had them start working on a ten page report on why teamwork is so important. They were fine with that part... a little groaning, but nothing bad. Then I assigned them a fifteen page report on why discrimination- of any sort, is wrong... that's when it all went bad... worse rather." Iruka closed his eyes, gathering himself. "They went from sulking genin wannabies to demons hell bent on destroying some body else's happiness. They started screaming insults and curses, damning anyone who was homosexual... calling us pieces of shit, disgusting beings against kami and whatnot... Funny really, I didn't know ninja's believed in any kind of higher power." He tried smileing but only managed a sigh.

"I know they didn't know what any of it meant, and I'm fairly sure they were only repeating what their parents say and do... But to have such young minds tainted by hate already. That's what really hurt." Iruka steadied himself listening to Kakashi's strong heart beat. "What's the point of teaching them to be ninja, if they don't know respect?"

Kakashi blinked. "Just like back then..."

He nodded again. "Except this time the sensei helped the student instead of turning a blind eye."

"We are children of war Iruka-koi. This generation does not know the battle field. To them the betrayal of White Fang and the success of the sannin are but legend. They have not yet learned the will of fire or the honor in a death for their home."

"Some never do..." Perhaps it was cruel to remind him of the missing student but the thought left Iruka's lips before he could think.

Mismatched eyes were downcast. The meaning was clear enough; 'Another failure in my fucked up life.'

Kakashi grinned- or maybe it was a grimace. "Others are just about born with it."

"He really is his father's son."

"Hai..." Meaning 'Yet another shortcoming.'

The silence was thunderous.

"I teach them how hold a kunai, basic jutsu and throw shurukin, but I fail to teach them the value of life? Ninja don't get the luxury of learning from experience. We've have spent our who lives in the pursuit of happiness, and yet these children don't realize they already have it. A loving home, a promising career, and a life of relative content ahead of them? What more could anyone want? And why must they destroy what we have just found? They have nothing to gain from degrading us..."

Iruka's eyes met the floor. Taking another deep breath, he began once again. "I told them if they did not write a satisfactory report, they would be discharged as potential shinobi of Konohagakure, regardless of their grades. Then I left.

"Damnit Kakashi! What would they do if they knew their favorite sensei was - was a- a fag?! I would be labed as an incompetent teacher, parents would be afraid I would molest their children and I would lose everything I've spent my life working for! Why do they hate us? Why do they even care who is in some one else's bed? Its fine for 'normal' couples to cheat and have fuck-buddies. Who are they to say our love is wrong? What is wrong about our love? The fact that neither of us are lacking a Y chromosome? That neither of us can carry a child? If that's the case then so are all the infertile couples spattered about the world! Do they think that we chose to be regarded as scum? How are we any different from them? And if things ever change, when?"

He laughed bitterly. "I'll bet you tomorrow first thing on my desk is a 'S.A.F.E.' petition on my desk, sighed by all the students and their parents."

"Safe?"

"Students Against Faggots Everywhere" he bit out.

He blanched. Next thing you know they would be trying to do 'rehab' to make them 'strait'.

"Shh Ruka-koi... It'll be all right... They just don't understand... " He whispered, puling his partner as close as physics would allow.

More silent tears paraded over tanned skin, and Obito began crying. Kakashi could not begrudge him however, as a tear had escaped his eye as well.

Neither knew how long it it was as they sat their, but after awhile a knock upon the door broke their quiet contemplations. "Do you want me to cancel..?" He asked hesitantly.

Iruka shook his head, deeply inhaling Kakashi's sweet scent. "I think getting stoned might actually help right now..."

As Kakshi entwined his finders in Iruka's soft hair and invited their drinking buddies to enter.

First was Genma, greeting them and dropping the booze in the kitchen.

Next was Kotetsu, shortly after followed by Izumo.

The rest of the group including Raidou, Gai, Kurenai and Asuma straggled in after that. Anko even brought an expensive looking bottle of sake. Normal pleasantries were not exchanged as a subdued mood clung to the air. Instead they drowned the alcohol until life started blurring away.

"Bad day Iruka-chan?" Kurenai asked.

Iruka grimaced. He was still the baby of the group despite his position as the copy-nin's partner, thankfully said lover saved him from answering.

"We ran into some homophobes today."

Iruka was touched, though he didn't show it. 'We' he said. There hadn't been a 'we' since his disastrous relationship with Mizuki. Not 'I', not 'Iruka' but 'we'. Even though he hadn't been there... Kakashi was taking the pain onto himself and Iruka, for the first time felt truly like his equal. Chocolate eyes glistened.

Kurenai looked to Asuma who's cigarette was perched precariously on his lower lip. It was painful to see how their friends were discriminated against for their orientation.

For the third time that night silence reigned.

"Alas, my eternal Rival, if only the world did not hate for love." Gai said somberly breaking the sorrow filled chill in the room before drowning the glass of sake.

Anko held her glass to the dim light, toasting Gai's statement before too draining away the sake.

Genma scooted closer to Raidou, shame in his bowed face. It was better to be known as a man whore than a queer.

Riadou hugged his lover closer, ashamed that the world would never accept them as they were.

Kurenai and Asuma clanked their glasses together in agreement, sake sloshing over the sides.

Izumo tucked his head into Kotetsu's strong chest closing his eyes almost grateful they were both orphaned in the kyuubi attack. Sad that Konoha couldn't know that they were more than 'just friends.'

Kotetsu laid his chin on Izumo's head, forlornly knowing they could never act this way in public - like normal couples did.

Another tear slid from Iruka's eye.

"Amen to that." Kakashi whispered. "Amen to that."

Fin

A/U: 'SAFE' was(is) a real thing. It started out as a highschool petition against homosexual after school clubs in the late 90s. And yes, there are a number of 'rehab' programs to 'make' homosexuals hetero. If anyone can explain to me how homosexuality and bisexuality (and the right to pursue happiness) is wrong not using religious doctoring or a void argument (such as 'children aren't produced' or 'its unnatural' or 'it transits STDs more than het'), do so. PM me or review, please. If you want to learn any other information that I can give, feel free to PM me or review, please. I am trying to make sense of this insanity.