Disclaimer: Not mine.

The most popular choice for Kakashi seems to be werewolf/wolf-like creature. One person did suggest a dragon interestingly enough.

Chapter 2

Pakkun had done what little he could for the teacher without opposable thumbs but it wasn't going to be enough. Either the teacher needed to wake up or Kakashi needed to snap out of it soon. So he nuzzled and licked at a pale cheek, trying to rouse the young man. He stopped when he heard a warning growl from Kakashi and whined softly in response. Kakashi knelt beside Iruka and reached out a hand to touch his shoulder, revealing sharp claws to Pakkun's sight. Physical changes were not good though at least he seemed protective of the young chuunin rather than wanting to eat him or something. A low groan came from the dark haired ninja even as he head lolled on the ground.

Brown eyes slowly opened and struggled to focus. Iruka felt confused, his arms no longer felt like they were being ripped out, in fact he was pretty sure he was lying down. Shouldn't he be dead or something? He blinked as a blurry figure came into view. He got ready to try and fight, he would not tell and he would not go quietly. But there was something….silver hair, mask…..Kakashi-sensei! "Ka…." Iruka coughed and then curled up in a foetal position as his ribs screamed in pain.

"Iruka-sensei?" A gruff voice called and then the small form came into sight. Iruka blinked tears of pain out of his eyes and then reached out a shaky hand to touch the ninken. "Good to see you awake sensei. Did what I could for you but you need to try and move enough to bandage things." He explained and Iruka felt confused, wasn't Kakashi there? He'd been there, heard, didn't he want to touch the traitor's son? "He got his by a weird jutsu while getting you out so excuse the odd behaviour." Pakkun told him but something about the way he said it felt off. Iruka struggled to focus on the other ninja and found a single grey eye focused on him and did Kakashi just sniff at him? Kakashi shifted to fully sit beside him and then gently touched his face. Something inside Iruka relaxed at the touch, relieved that Kakashi didn't hate him. Then again from the look in Kakashi's eye he didn't seem all there so maybe it was too soon to relax.

Kakashi shook his head, pushing instinct back and found himself staring into confused, pain filled brown eyes. He blinked and then saw his hand resting just beneath Iruka's broken cheek bone. He swallowed shakily, just what had he done and what had Iruka seen? "Sensei." He croaked and then grabbed his canteen and downing some.

"O..kay?" Iruka asked and Kakashi nodded, glancing at Pakkun.

"About time you threw that jutsu off brat. Did what I could for him but he needs proper help." Pakkun told him and Kakashi nodded, relieved an excuse had been given for his behaviour.

"He's right, I need to see to your injuries. First…" He dug through his gear for his medical kit and then placed the pain killers to Iruka's lips. The younger man eagerly swallowed them down with some water. "This is going to hurt Sensei, no matter how careful I am. Do you want me to knock you out?" he offered, wanting to spare the man more pain.

"No." Iruka didn't want to be unconscious. What if he didn't wake up again? He wouldn't blame Kakashi after what his so-called father had done to the mans team. It was why despite missing the kid he was glad Naruto was away from the village for the next three years, he couldn't look at him without feeling a flash of guilt.

"Alright." Kakashi took out all the bandages he had plus some splinting material and antibacterial cream. He started with his limbs, gently cleaning, splinting and bandaging the various wounds and broken bones. He winced when he got to his hands, they were a mess. Hopefully they would heal well enough not to affect his hand seals. He paused when Iruka began panting from the pain and offered him more water. "You're doing great Sensei." He praised, then again he had only screamed that once that Kakashi had heard. He gently probed his cheek, getting a moan of pain. "The bone is broken but not out of place, I can try to speed the healing a bit but I'm no medic." He offered and Iruka managed to nod. He'd shown more care than most medics did, at least towards him. Kakashi flashed through some hand signs and then places a softly green glowing hand to the broken bone. Iruka winced as the bone began to knit together and then sighed in relief as the pain lessened and his vision improved as the swelling went done.

"Thanks." He whispered, throat raw from screaming over the last who knew how long.

"No problem Sensei. Does anything feel wrong internally?" He asked in concern even as he gently pressed on Iruka's stomach.

"No. Didn't want me dying before done." Iruka told him tiredly.

"Okay. Almost done then you can sleep." Kakashi assured him, seeing the exhaustion. He felt along his ribs and Iruka bit his lip. "Feels like two are broken, not sure how many could be cracked." He gently helped Iruka sit up, supporting him even as he strapped them up, feeling him tremble against him. "It's alright Iruka-sensei, you're safe now." He whispered before gently laying him back down. Iruka lay there trembling from pain, exhaustion and lingering fear. Kakashi grabbed the blankets from his pack and wrapped the younger man in them. "Sleep, it will help."

For the next few days Iruka hardly saw Kakashi, he was almost outside, patrolling the area to ensure they were safe. He was around at meal times and then to help Iruka with his bathroom needs but other than that his only company was Pakkun. Even when Kakashi was around he wasn't talkative, he'd barely said a word since the first conversation. Pakkun did his best to reassure him that it wasn't due to his parentage but the longer the silence lasted the more sure Iruka was that the jounin hated him because of Orochimaru.

Pakkun let it go on a few more days before confronting his summoner. He found Kakashi nearby, eyes restlessly scanning the forest for danger even as he ate a dead but uncooked rabbit. "You collapse and I am not dragging you to the cave." He stated and Kakashi obediently covered Obito's eye. "If you don't speak to him soon he's going to do something stupid. Iruka-Sensei thinks you hate him because you heard Orochimaru is his father and he looks how you pointed out depressed humans do."

That got Kakashi's attention. He didn't hate Iruka but he was worried about being around him when his instincts were so strong, the strange jutsu excuse couldn't be used again after all. He sighed and finished his rabbit before standing and heading back to the cave. Hopefully the meat would help him keep calm. He ducked inside and waited for his eye to adjust before moving towards an again sleeping Iruka. Maybe they should have left for Konoha but he didn't like the idea of moving him while his ribs were so fragile, last thing he needed was to be dealing with a punctured lung when away from shelter and clean water, not to mention a hospital. He brought the fire back up and set about roasting the second rabbit and sure enough the smell eventually woke Iruka who refused to make eye contact. Once the meant was cooked he carried it over and helped Iruka sit, moving to support him as he ate slowly. "No one gets a say in who their parents are." He commented softly and felt Iruka stiffen. "He was a loyal shinobi once and if my math is right you were born during that time. But what about the Umino's?"

"He couldn't have children, an old injury. But he loved my mother and he knew how much she wanted a child. Ikkaku never treated me like I was anything but his son, I never knew differently until years after they died. He decided to find someone willing to give them a child and he knew Orochimaru, they had done some missions together." Iruka paused to get his breath back and Kakashi stayed quiet, not wanting to interrupt him. "Kohari, my mother, had very small chakra reserves which in a woman can be overlooked but in a male can end a shinobi career before it begins. So someone with good chakra levels was a must in the hope the baby would inherit them. And I do take after him more than her at least there. He approached a few people but Orochimaru said yes, apparently he wanted to continue his line but wasn't interested in marriage or raising a child. A perfect match really. She never cheated though, it was all done rather clinically in a hospital and they never had to touch each other. Nine months later…" Iruka shrugged slightly and then gasped in pain. Kakashi shifted his grip in order to support him better. "I knew him, a bit. He was like a very distant uncle who showed up on birthdays. I was still pretty young when he left though and I swear I haven't seen or heard from him since. I don't want to. I am Umino Ikkaku's son, not his."

"Calm down Iruka-sensei, I never thought for a second that you had." He assured the younger man. "No one is their parents."

"You really believe that?" Iruka asked softly and Kakashi shifted so they could see each other.

"I am not the White Fang and you are not Orochimaru." He stated firmly. Iruka swallowed but nodded shakily and gradually relaxed against him.

"Thank you." He whispered even as he closed his eyes.

TBC….