Betrayal Part One
It was the alarm that woke Iruka. Not the small clock on his bedside, but the siren like construction on top of the hokage's tower. It was a device used only in the most dire of situations. And if by some cruel instinct, Iruka knew what it meant this time :Jail break. The prisoners had been uneasy for some days now, and the ANBU had been planning on increasing the guard patrols. Now, it seemed, that such a plan was useless.
The academy instructor was dressed in an instant, gathering full weapons pouches and anything else he would need to subdue the more violent prisoners. His mind shied away from a certain silver haired prisoner…..no! Can't think about that! Thinking about Mizuki only lead to worrying about Naruto, and the other silver haired jounin in his life….
Iruka found said jounin a few moments later. Actually, said jounin found him. Kakashi tackled Iruka as the chuunin was leaving his apartment. The copy-nin's inspection was brief, and concluded after Iruka, grabbing his hands and looking directly into his eye, assured him that he was alright. They moved together swiftly, down the street containing the chuunin bachelor's apartments. Iruka kept an eye out for other shinobi gathering, Kakashi watching for criminals on the loose. When they reached the Hokage's tower, Iruka stopped. Kakashi stopped beside him, concerned.
" 'Kashi, I have to find him."
The jounin understood immediately. "Do you want my help?"
"No. I'm sorry, but I…"
"Have to do this yourself." Kakashi finished, understanding in his voice and eye. "Just be careful. See you when it's over."
With a deep and lasting kiss that probably did not belong in a public place, Kakashi was gone. Iruka watched him for a moment, strangely calm. Yes, Konoha was being overrun by psychotic, deranged lunatics and cold hearted villains, but that would be taken care of. Kakashi loved him enough to let him hunt Mizuki alone, and knew why. Lesser men would have been insulted if their lovers had insisted on hunting past lovers alone, but not Kakashi. And Iruka loved him dearly for it.
And there were darker reasons behind Iruka's hunt for Mizuki. Anyone who looked at him would have guessed that it was for revenge on his back, and for Naruto. Yes that was part of it, but Iruka had another motivation: Mizuki still haunted him. In the academy, on the street, memories of their life together taunted him. And the chuunin hated it. And when he leaned against Kakashi to steal a kiss or examine a picture (something Kakashi forced him to do on a regular basis, trying to decide which Icha Icha volume was more act out-able) that fly-away silver hair would remind him of the man now imprisoned.
And, in the end, Iruka did have feelings, shoved far away and hidden, for the prisoner. And that was the hardest of all. Yes, he loved Kakashi more than anything, but Mizuki had been the first. His first kiss, his first love, his first…everything. And that was something you just couldn't shake off. And Iruka was tired of it. He needed to look Mizuki in the eye, to be reminded of the hurt, the pain, and the eventual heart break between them. Mizuki's cheating, his complete assault on Iruka when he tried to leave the jounin. And of course, the attack on Naruto.
And when Iruka found Mizuki, the jounin would be sorry.