Tittle: Ikenie
Author: The Last Kitten
Disclaimer: I don't own anything affiliated with Naruto. I have no rights to any characters, story arcs, or decision making in any way shape or form. I don't even own any Naruto manga or t-shirts 'cause I'm broke. I don't know Kishimoto-san and he has not told me it is ok to put any of his characters in gay and or sexual situations.
If you sue me you won't get a damn thing. lol Unless you're a sadist, or you want my collection of Sailor Moon ice cream wrappers.
I have said my peace.
1
'Push', the young man thought. 'We're almost there....'
His boots slid in shifting sands as he helped push a large wagon full of their injured.
Ahead of him a tall scarred man blew an ivory horn.
"The forest is in sight," he yelled, and the trudging horde cheered.
They'd been walking for days, weeks, and many had worn their shoes through.
They were refugees, nomads forced from their homes into a desolate wilderness.
Many hundred had set out on the journey, leaving their dead and dying loved ones to be trampled by horses carrying men in blood soaked armor.
And many more had been picked off along the way.
The wrathful bloody men hadn't heard enough screams in the city. They followed the survivors, waiting for the cover of night to attack, spreading panic and confusion.
Men women and especially children were all targets, and the small number of people trained in the arts of war were all they had to hold back the tide of death.
The few men and women formed a line in the meadow when the first ambush came. Four older men and two younger, with three women spread among them.
The night before, they'd introduced themselves around a roaring fire.
"Morino Ibiki," a gravelly rough voice started. The man had very obviously seen battle before. There were two long diagonal scars running down his face. His black and silver headband, and black head scarf didn't help him look any less intimidating, but looking closer, there was a strange softness in his eyes. Though it was most noticeable when he glanced down at the light caramel fingers interlocked in his hand.
"Umino Iruka", the gentle eyed man breathed sleepily. His long chocolate hair fell past his shoulders even in the ponytail at the top of his head.
Ibiki pulled his thick blue quilt tighter around the two and held Iruka tighter.
"How long have you two been together...Haruno Sakura," a young girl gestured at the couple and then to herself.
"Almost seven years," Ibiki answered letting his fingers lightly graze Iruka's cheek.
"How bout you, do you have anyone special," another older man lifted his chin in acknowledgement of Sakura. "My names Yamashiro Aoba."
Sakura blushed, her eyes some how sad at the same time. "I did have someone...but she died in the first assault on the city."
Her blush faded quickly. "An arrow came right through the kitchen window...," she paused, eyes desperately searching the ground, a flash of pale hands arranging flowers in a shimmering crystal vase.
"She was hit in the neck...there was blood everywhere...and her hair. I use to tease her about how blond it was." The tears finally came. "But the last time I saw it...it was so...red." She covered her mouth to quiet her sobs, and the young black haired man next to her put a hand on her shoulder.
He wore green, well it was green. It's bright shamrock had been so repeatedly soaked with blood it'd become almost a completely different color. A dirty muddy green that only served to lighten the tint of his skin and dark eyes.
"Rock Lee", he stated with a sad smile. "My brother, Gai, fought bravely against the marauders." Lee looked over his shoulder at the twenty sleeping children. "He was the one who got those orphans out of the church before it burned down." His eyes began to water, "but there were just to many men to fend off." He shook his head. "He was cut down as the children and I crossed the bridge out of town."
Lee could still here the last battle cry of his brother as he ripped an arrow out of his side and stabbed through an opening in a horseman's armor.
There was a sword sticking out of his chest and a smile on his face when he flipped the switch on the fuses that blew up the long bridge. Lee watched the smoke and debris shadow his brother, but he held tight to is tears and hurried the frightened children away.
The group was silent for a while and then the last three introduced themselves.
"Ore wa Baki-des." He looked at the woman and shorter man to his right.
"Kurenai...I...lost my husband in the attack." She looked to her feet for comfort and the short man next to her sighed.
"Shigure...I...haven't lost anyone," he said, clearly keeping the rest of that statement to himself.
When the circle was quiet again, Ibiki spoke up.
"We have a long way to go before we reach the sacred wind village in the east. It's a miracle we've made it this far without an attack but we need to be ready for anything." He looked to Aoba and Shigure. "You two can take the first watch, Iruka and I will take the second, then Kurenai Sakura and Lee will bring up the rear in the morning."
In the following weeks the group suffered relentless attacks.
Aoba and Baki fell during back to back scuffles, the tattered women they saved being run through or shot only days later. Then, only two weeks journey from the land of fire, Kurenai died in Sakura's arms after a barrage of bullets arrows and kunai. She'd only managed to delay the deaths of a few panic stricken children, but she died with her husband's name on her smiling lips. "Asun...ma"
Lee wondered briefly, as they left her to the crows, if Sakura's tears would ever cease.
Out of the hundreds who fled Iwagakure, and the few drifters they picked up along the way, only seventy made it to the land of fire.
Lee's feet slipped in the wet sand of a stream but eventually he and a few other men managed to get the wagon back up.
He could here Iruka groan from inside the carriage and he peeked in to see a small dark skinned child dabbing a cool wet cloth across his forehead.
Yesterday, as the sun peaked over the mountains, a man covered in bandages lept out of the trees. His long sleeves and piercing left eye swung back and forth like a wild animal. And he was so fast no one could have seen him coming.
A kunai slashed for Iruka's throat, but he ducked and the blade caught him across his face instead . He didn't react to the pain, pulling out his own weapon and aiming for the mummy like man's stomach. He missed but managed to drive the man back to the tree line. They'd gone seven days without incident, nearly reaching the borders of the valley of kusa, and the bandits took the first opening in the groups laxity.
Shigure jumped in front of Iruka taking on the battle as Iruka grabbed for the off white horn clamped on his belt.
When the two short bellows rang out Lee and Sakura immediately took to the front and left of the group, leaving Ibiki free to join the fight at the rear. They knew that no matter the tole on the civilians Ibiki would never leave Iruka's side in battle.
Non-combatants rose quickly from their slumber, grabbing their few remaining possessions and provisions, and followed Lee and Sakura.
Another ninja appeared from nowhere and threw out a fist at Iruka, knocking him off balance, the trunk of a tree splintering with the force of his impact.
The man's large circular black eyes and black face mask looked menacing, but Iruka stood his ground.
"Why are you doing this!? Why are you hunting us?! You took over the city, leave these people in peace," Iruka yelled angrily.
"Dosu," the man with the black circle eyes began. "Kill that fly and be done with it. Lord Orochimaru is waiting for us."
Dosu could feel a thin line of blood on his chest begin to ooze as Shigure glared at him with his one good eye.
"Easier said then done, Yoroi," he countered.
Shigure drew the second of the three swords on his back and prepared to attack as Iruka drew a second kunai and the two men ran at their pursuers.
Ibiki approached his lover and comrade's yells and grunts with a war cry of his own, throwing himself first at Yoroi.
The hulking man's face mask flew off as he went flying in to a tree.
"Yoroi, you idiot," Dosu chuckled while dodging Shigure's swords.
Ibiki rushed to Iruka, looking him up and down for injury, before they stood side by side ready to finish the fight.
Dosu narrowed his eyes as another shinobi leapt from the tree line. "Kagari, it's about time you showed up."
Iruka glanced behind himself and then whispered to Ibiki, "Everyone's gone lets wrap this up quickly. Where there's one of these guys, there's three, and where there's three there's thirty."
Ibiki nodded but Yoroi laughed as he aligned himself with Dosu and Kagari. "We only want that man", he pointed at Iruka. "Hand him over and we will leave you be."
"Speak for yourself," Dosu grumbled.
The group went silent as a thunderous chakara began to flow out of Ibiki. "Iruka," he began, "leave. You and Shigure go protect the villagers rear. I will take care of these rats."
Iruka's eyes widened, not only was he their pursuers target, Ibiki was about to commit suicide to protect him.
"Ibiki no," Iruka hissed, grabbing at the taller man's arm. Ibiki would use every last drop of chakura in his body to keep him safe. Iruka's eyes darted from the trees to their rear. If they could just make it to the forest of Konoha.
He raised his kunai, "I will not leave your side. If you die...they might as well strike me down as well. Your ghost is to high a price for my life."
Ibiki glanced at Iruka and then together they rushed their enemies, Shigure bringing up their flank.
The battle was intense and at it's end Dosu had lost an arm and Kagari his life. Yoroi lay panting a few yards away from his fallen allies, glaring up at his target.
Ibiki breathed hard and fast pulling himself up off the soft ground with Iruka's help, as Shigure approached the couple, urging them to move on to their caravan as the sun was still at it's peek.
As the three turned to leave Iruka jerked forward into Ibiki's back.
Ibiki turned, chuckling at the chuunin, when he saw the blood dripping from his mouth.
The light caught Iruka's hair as he fell.
'His hair always seems so shiny,' Ibiki thought briefly as he caught the coughing man in his arms.
The kunai was burred deep in Iruka's back, and from the looks of the blood making it's way out of his mouth, the blade had pierced a lung.
Ibiki quickly tore a large strip of his sleeve with his teeth and removed the kunai from his lover's back, causing a bloody choking sob to form in Iruka's throat.
"Stay with me Koi," Ibiki pleaded. "Shigure...."
Ibiki looked up just in time to see Shigure lop off Dosu's other arm and then his head.
"We need Sakura, hurry," Ibiki called.
"Sayonara...aishita taisetsu na hito...," the dark child sang. She looked down on Iruka with a sad smile and dipped her rag back in to the cool water. "Koboreta namidaga yuki ni kawaru...."
Lee felt Ibiki's since of urgency as he pushed at the cart, the last of the horses having been killed over two weeks ago. Sakura had only been able to heal a little of Iruka's wounds, the bleeding to intense for her depleted chakura levels.
It didn't help that the gash it's self refused to close. It wasn't a normal wound and it was far beyond Sakura's expertise to heal.
Lee thought back to the bright silver kunai.
Shigure said the weapon had a "dark ora", whatever that meant.
The wound was impossible to keep clean, and the smell of infection perfumed the air around the barely lucid man.
The dwindling band walked day and night now, to afraid to close their eyes, in fear that the darkness would be their last memory of life.
Ibiki, diligent as ever even after four days with no sleep, moved the group steadily over the narrow hills of what use to be Kusagakure.
The city was deserted, not destroyed, just empty. News of its neighboring lands had obviously reached it's elders and no doubt an evacuation to the sacred city had been the answer.
When the displaced reached the lush trees of fire country they stopped to hunt game, gather fruits and herbs, and drink from the clear cold streams.
Only Ibiki and a small child seemed somber.
Iruka was shivering when Ibiki climbed in to the back of the wagon. He was pale, his hair dull, and his eyes cloudy with pain. The child sat humming to him and holding his hand, her dark skin contrasting sharply with Iruka's ashen fingers.
"I...Ibi...bi...chan," he whispered, a half cough causing blood to trickle out of the corner of his mouth and the child quickly wiped it away.
Iruka held up a shaky hand and grinned, blood staining his teeth. "I...I can see the moon...."
Fat tears rolled down Ibiki's cheeks as he held tight to his other half. "We're almost there Ru-chan. I need you to hold on...alright. Konogakure's queen is a healer. She's gonna fix you right up."
His voice cracked on the last word and he almost jumped when the child laid a hand over his. It was freezing and he recoiled staring in to large black eyes. The child looked up at him expressionless then dipped her hand back in to the bowel of now room temperature water. Instantly it began to cool. She wrung the rag several times before dabbing it at Iruka's sweaty brow.
"Shi...shinigami...desu...ka?"
He didn't want to ask, he really did not want to ask. But, if this child was a god of death, that meant....
"Ryu...namae wa...Ryu Tsuki," the small voice answered.
Ibiki's eyes widened and he bowed as low as he could in the small space.
"Gomenasai! I had no ide...."
"I will not heal him," Ibiki flinched. "Lift your eyes," the dragon commanded.
Ibiki met the ebon eyes with tears.
"What would you give to save this man?" The small figure stood.
"Nandemo!"
"Anything?" She stepped closer. "I've seen many lovers regret those words." She cocked her head. "Are you sure? Nandemo...subete, anything and everything." She huffed, "Humans have so little since of time."
Ibiki looked at her confused.
"Love, true love, was not meant to last forever." Tsuki narrowed her eyes. "What would you do if you make it to the sacred city and the queen heals him...but in exchange for his life you must give up his freedom." She began pacing. "What if you had to spend the rest of your life without him?"
Ibiki thought for a long moment, his chest suddenly heaving with the weight of her words.
"Nothing is certain in this life," he looked down at the shaking man. "Except my love for him."
With those words, Ibiki knew. He had just signed his death warrant. No mystical transaction could take place without blood.
"You have three moons to reach the gates of Konoha."
Those were the dragon's last words before she disappeared in a swirl of wind.
When the sun rose on the third day no one in the camp could believe they'd made the two week long journey in three days. It was a miracle, and no one dared believe otherwise.
The small straight path that took them to the gates was flanked with rows of wild flowers and trees. Purple and blue and white hydrangea, bright pink azulia, yellow treasures, and pink and white sakura. A dozen shades of roses, quince, camelia, snow willows, and unknown beauties. The crowd marveled at the clean breeze that swayed the flowers. This land was truly blessed and there would be no hardships here.
So enraptured, the travel weary drifters took no note of the pale black haired man riding full force towards them.
"...un," he yelled, still to far away to make since.
"What did he sa...," began an old man. His words were cut short by a splatter of blood across his face. An arrow was sticking, ridged and wet, out of his chest.
His granddaughter screamed before she too was hit, a large shuriken nearly taking her head clean off, spraying the flowers behind her with blood.
Ibiki, Lee, and Sakura took off toward the back of the caravan, weapons drawn, but they stopped in their tracks with wide eyes when they saw the number of shinobi at their rear. Through the trees they could see dozens...tens of dozens. All yelling with glittering weapons, running straight at them.
Ibiki looked back at the wagon where Iruka groaned loudly.
He looked to his comrades and smiled. "Go," he said simply. "Get these people to the gates. Get Iruka to the queen. And give him this," he said after a moments thought.
Lee's eyes darted around at the approaching enemies and fleeing villagers as Ibiki pulled out a tightly wrapped parcel in his pocket.
"Its a saki cup."
Sakura's breath caught as she took the small bundle of cloth with dampening eyes.
"Iruka and I were going to get married this fall." He closed his eyes. "His ring is in there too so please...don't loose it."
A tear managed to make it's way to her cheek as Ibiki shoved her towards the large red gates of Konohagakure. "Go!"
Lee grabbed her hand and began to run as more arrows began to darken the blue sky.
Inside one of the wagons Iruka stirred at the first spikes in Ibiki's chakura. 'No,' he thought. "I...bi," Iruka struggled to turn over, blood dripping from his lips at the effort. He slowly pulled himself to the edge of the wagon, his face growing paler with every inch. When he managed to pull back the rough fabric covering the opening an arrow came flying past his head. Instinctively he ducked, loosing his grip in the process. The pain of hitting the wagon floor was so intense it momentarily blinded him. When he could at least focus again he pulled himself up and peered out again.
Screams assaulted his ears, then explosions gunfire the whistle of arrows. Tears instantly broke free from his eyes.
"No," he sobbed. "Not for me.... This can't be because of me!" Iruka pulled himself to shaky feet and climbed, painfully, slowly, out of the wagon. He stumbled from wagon to wagon. "Stop! Please...," he yelled as loud as he could. "Please! Stop!" His legs gave out on him and he collapsed in a thick puddle of earth and blood. When he looked up he could see Ibiki fighting, a monstrous chakura bellowing out of him. Iruka reached out to him vision blurring slightly. A hand attached to a dingy green shirt grabbed hold of him and began situating him on a pink haired girls back.
"We've got you," the young man said, stopping for a moment to spin kick an enemy ninja in the head. "Sakura run!"
The girl took off toward the now open gates and Lee spun to run back to Ibiki's side.
"Where's Iruka," Ibiki asked when he saw the green blur.
"Sakura is fast and strong, she will get him to the queen in time. Don't worry. You just concentrate on getting back to him so you can give him that ring!"
Ibiki smiled and leapt at another enemy.
The two of them managed to carve out a hole in their assailant's line, splitting them in to two groups.
Suddenly a pale dark eyed man came galloping up.
"There are more reinforcements coming, but we need you two to hold this line," he shouted. "I am a knight of Konoha," he yelled at their attackers. "Turn and leave these people in peace! Or I, the last son of the Uchiha, will lay waste to you and damn your souls!."
Ibiki and Lee watched as some of the ninja stopped fighting and backed up.
Yoroi, the black eyed man who'd attacked them in the woods where Iruka was injured, stepped forward from the crowed and spoke calmly.
"You dare to come forward Uchiha Sasuke. You, a pawn of our master." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "We want three simple things. The brown eyed Umino, the green Rock, and yourself."
Lee looked shocked. 'They're after me too,' he thought.
There was a sudden explosion and a scream in the distance, and the three heroes turned to see a large cloud of dust bloom just a few yards from the sacred gates. When it cleared there was a tall green eyed man standing over a wounded Sakura and severely bleeding Iruka. The man wore a black mask over his mouth nose and head, a grey head slip accompanying it, and a black coat with red clouds finished him off.
"Iruka," Ibiki shouted.
"Don't move," Yoroi commanded and Ibiki froze as the green eyed man quickly bent down, fisting his hand in ebony hair, and put a kunai to Iruka's throat.
Lee turned back to speak, but there was a tall blond man in the same black and red cloak, with a metal contraption covering his left eye, standing right in front of him with a kunai to his throat.
The men stood like that for a long while, everyone staring each other down, until a choking sound began coming from Iruka's throat.
"Kakuzu, we need to get him to Itachi," Yaroi said, and in that instant the stand off ended.
Enraged, Sasuke threw two kunai simultaneously at Kakuzu and the blond man. The two dodged but only the blond stood away from his target. Kakuzu only jerked Iruka's head to the right, but that imbalance was enough opening for Ibiki. He hurled a large shuriken at Kakuzu who jumped back laughing but releasing Iruka.
Lee threw out a series of kicks that pushed his blond opponent back and he turned to scan the area around them. Most of the villagers were safely inside but where was their calvary?
It only took him a second to decide and he was quickly removing the hundred pound weights from around his ankles.
"Deidara," a tall jowly dark haired man spoke haughtily. "Make a bird and fly Umino Iruka to Itachi and Kabuto's camp. Can you do that without screwing it up?"
"Shut up old man," Deidara yelled. He turned back to Lee only to see a puff of dust in his shape.
Ninja went flying all round the path and trees, and Sasuke watched in amazement for a moment before he too joined the fight.
Ibiki engaged Kakuzu, slashing at the black threads that appeared when his hands and arms detached and reached out for Iruka.
Sasuke galloped, still on his horse, at the dark haired man. "Dotou!" Sasuke screamed as he crashed his blade in to the mans metal covered forearm. "Where is he! Where is that bastard!"
Dotou laughed as he blocked the increasingly frantic attacks. "Why?! You're to week to fight him anyway," he barked, sending Sasuke off his horse to the hard ground.
Another large explosion sent Lee flying to the ground, and the sound of several trees breaking signaled Ibiki's defeat.
The large scared man managed to lift his head from the mud it had landed in to find Kakuzu staring down at a still Iruka.
His mouth and eyes were slightly open but no breath came out. Iruka's chest was still and blood mixed with the moist soil at his back.
"No...no," Ibiki struggled.
Kakuzu knelt down straddling Iruka's thighs and lifted the limp body, putting an ear to his chest.
"There is still life in him, we should take him ba...."
The birds were the first to flee. All mass. Nothing but wings could be heard as every bird in the surrounding forest made their escape.
Next were all the animals on the ground. Dozens of deer, rats, squeals, raccoons, foxes, everything that touched the forest floor thundered away from the gates of Konoha, but the ground didn't stop shaking when they were out of sight.
The earth beneath Lee's strewn body began to shift and turn to sand, and then he began to rise. Sasuke rose quickly from the ground and lept to his horse. He rode over to Ibiki. "Get on," he yelled extending his hand. "Hurry!"
"Iruka," Ibiki bellowed.
"He'll be fine! We have to get the hell out of here!"
The two rode through shifting sands but their horse was quickly overcome.
"Naruto..." Sasuke cried as the sand began to come at everyone in waves.
Several of the enemy ninja were swallowed by the sands but Deidara quickly made a large paper bird, and Kakuzu and Dotou lept to safety watching the hand of death wipe out their forces.
They made a sweeping dive for Iruka's sinking body, but a glowing white blade severed Kakuzu's hand.
The malicious men watched as a tall white haired man bounded through the sand on the back of a huge grey wolf. Lifting their unconscious target to his lap the rider headed for Konoha.
The three also watched as a large blue eyed fox carried Ibiki and Sasuke in to the city.
Their green target was still in reach though, asleep atop a lofty pillar of sand, and they dove for him as well, almost hit by a giant sand hand. Again they came up empty handed.
Retreat was their only option, and they argued into the distance about who was going to tell Itachi and Orochimaru that they had failed a ten month long mission.
*************
Sooo, let me know what you think.
And if you're really into this story I'll give a spoiler for the next chapter to the first person who can answer one of these two questions.
What Gackt song is Ryu Tsuki singing to Iruka in the wagon?
What is the little saki cup, that Ibiki was going to give to Iruka for their wedding, suppose to be used for during a Japanese wedding ceremony?