Contingency
by
Tychos Kouros
...
Kisame pulled into parking lot of the coffee shop hours earlier than usual. He stepped out of the truck, looking through the window for Itachi. Itachi, who was working at the register, saw him. Kisame waved, rubbing the back of his head as he headed through the door. A customer left the counter with their coffee and headed for their table just as Kisame walked up.
"Hey," Kisame said, leaning on the counter.
"Hey. You're here early," Itachi said, reaching for a cup to pour Kisame's usual order.
"I got home and realized I still had your uniform. Lucky I checked here before I drove out to your apartment." Itachi nodded.
"Yeah. This is my spare. But... thanks," he said with a smile. Kisame reached for his wallet, pulling out a ten. As Itachi set the coffee down and reached for the ten, Kisame grabbed his hand, running his thumb along the back.
"I'm really sorry." Itachi looked in Kisame's eyes, smiling with a small shrug.
"Nothing to be sorry for. We didn't do anything that I didn't want, and it certainly wasn't your fault my brother walked in on us." Kisame nodded, staring down at the counter.
"I thought we could spend the day together again," Kisame said after a minute. "Go to the park or to a movie or something."
"I'd like that," Itachi said, getting Kisame's change. Kisame smiled, pushing off the counter.
"You mind if I hang out until your shift ends?" Itachi handed him the change and leaned on the counter with his head in his arms.
"I suppose not. Stalking me as a boyfriend is certainly better than stalking me as a stranger," Itachi said, smirking. Kisame grinned and nodded. "You're really just gonna sit there for four hours?"
"I can get a paper to read. I also need to find a movie, and I probably need to plan my dives for the weekend." Kisame leaned down, tilting Itachi's head up out of his arms and giving him a gentle kiss on the lips. He smiled, then grabbed his coffee and set it on a table. He went out to his truck and grabbed his bag, stopping to get a paper. Once he was back inside at his table, he pulled out his planning book and opened the newspaper, turning to the movies section first. He tapped his finger on the table, trying to find something Itachi might like. He turned his head to look out the window when he heard deep popping sounds in the distance. Not seeing anything, he looked back at the newspaper, glancing over at Itachi to check on him. He was turned around, doing something with the muffins. An airplane roared overhead. Kisame ignored it at first, until he heard the loud scream of the planes' descent. He looked up, just in time to see the plane – smoke billowing from the side, flames roaring out of the engines – falling straight towards them.
"Get down!" Itachi turned around just in time to see the plane slam into the parking lot and skid into the far end of the building. Heat swelled as glass broke, the ceiling crumbling above them. Kisame felt the table knock over on top of him, his bag landing by his shoulder, as rubble fell around and on top of him. He was quick to get up, pushing the rubble and debris off of himself as he coughed from the dust. Air sirens wailed in the distance. He tore open his bag and dug for his sidearm, running with it towards what used to be the counter. He jumped over the counter and dug into the crumbled plaster. "Itachi!" He grabbed the blocks of masonry and threw them off, using his hands to claw through the pile of plaster and feel for any part of Itachi's body. He felt the soft-yet-firm feel of an arm and worked as fast as he could to clear it off of him. When he found Itachi's head and shoulders, he worked to get his hands underneath Itachi's arms, trying to get in position to drag him out. A sheet of plaster feel down, and crumbled over his back. Shaking it off, he got above Itachi's head and pulled him from under his arms, relieved when his body slid out of the debris easily.
He pulled Itachi to a clear area and laid his head on Itachi's chest, choking on a laugh when he heard a heartbeat and felt the weak – but existent – rise of his chest. He slipped a hand up underneath Itachi's neck, and tried to feel for any serious injuries. He heard rustling, tables being pushed as the other patrons began to stir and help each other. A woman screamed, and Kisame looked up. A Russian soldier, unsteady on his feet and clearly injured, had his assault rifle aimed, almost as if trying to decide whether to shoot. Just as the Russian began to turn, he grabbed his pistol and fired three shots. One missed over the man's left shoulder, the second hitting his throat, and the third hitting his face. The soldier fell, blood spurting in the air. Kisame was quick to cross the cafe, checking to make sure he was dead and that no one else would be climbing out of the plane's wreckage. Sirens wailed in the distance as ambulances and fire trucks mobilized. Kisame rushed back to Itachi, carefully picking him up and taking him outside, where he laid him on the ground and knelt next to him. He let out a deep breath, and ran a hand down the side of Itachi's face. It was then that he noticed the stream of blood running down from Itachi's head, staining the dust coating his face. He wiped it away enough to find where the wound was, before leaning down and kissing it gently, shaking his head as he closed his eyes and waited on an ambulance.
Naruto held the heavy suitcase against his hip with both hands, taking each step at a time as he followed Iruka down the stairs, the helmet smacking the sides of his head with each step. Soldiers with assault rifles stood around the armored personnel carrier while two soldiers, one in front of and the other behind, escorted Naruto and Iruka. The soldiers grabbed the two suitcases Iruka and Naruto were carrying and threw them into the vehicle, "helping" Iruka and Naruto climb in quickly as well.
"Load up!" The soldiers quickly clambered back inside the vehicle. Naruto started sweating from the heat that was swelling inside the dark, crowded machine, the only light being small vents that the soldiers looked out of for enemies. He felt an arm wrap around his shoulders and a hand rub his arm as Iruka pulled him closer and leaned his head on Naruto's. Naruto gripped Iruka's arm as the APC turned and pressed the passengers against each other, before he was pressed back into his seat as it sped up and charged down the highway, the engine drowning out the sounds of his own thoughts. He closed his eyes and pressed closer to Iruka, who moved a hand up to rub Naruto's head.
The APC stopped some time later, the sound of gates opening waking Naruto up more fully. A few minutes later, the soldiers were unloading, and Naruto was struggling to get out of the vehicle. He hit his head as he climbed out. He pressed on the back of the helmet as he was handed his suitcase and pointed in the direction of some steps that led down to a door. He entered the underground structure, Iruka close in front of him. White lights lit the hallways as footsteps echoed all around. They turned and entered a stairwell, and, after a few flights, entered a new hallway. They were led past three doors, before the soldier stopped and knocked on one near the end of the hallway.
"This is Mr. Hatake's quarters. If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to what I was doing." The man walked away as Iruka nodded, leaving him to wait as Kakashi could be heard walking towards the door. As it opened, a tired-looking Kakashi took a deep breath, pausing before he grabbed Iruka and held him close. Naruto looked down at the ground, leaning against the wall.
Kisame sat against the wall by the cot Itachi was resting in, running his hand through Itachi's damp hair. He looked over Itachi's half-naked body, his clothing removed when the medics first checked him out. Kisame had also been checked out, and had his shoulder bandaged. A medic walked up, a fresh IV bag in his hand, and began replacing Itachi's empty IV. Kisame leaned his head back against the wall, his eyes closed.
"Will he be okay?" The medic looked at Itachi.
"I don't know." Kisame nodded, turning to look at the man.
"So it's bad?"
"I don't know." Kisame clenched his jaw, lowering his head. "What I mean is, this could be fatal, or it could be nothing. It depends on more variables than I can think of. And it would be difficult for a well-equipped hospital to measure the various levels of proteins in the blood, yet alone for us here in this shithole. We're running low-tech until we can move above ground safely." Kisame stayed quiet, nodding to show he was listening. The medic shifted his weight from one foot the other, then leaned against the wall. "Basically, we're watching for rhabdomyolysis. It's a condition where widespread, severe muscular injuries cause the muscles to breakdown. The shit the muscle breakdown releases into the bloodstream can fry the kidneys, which is what kills people. On the bright side, he has a few things going for him... first of all, we were prepared. They know that crush syndrome – one of the biggest causes of rhabdomyolysis, which is when people are in buildings that collapse from bombings or earthquakes – is something we'll deal with a lot in national emergencies. So we're stocked with what I need. But it's just a waiting game. He might not even have any problems with it. It's just one of those things that you have treat with the expectation of a patient having, even though there's just as likely a chance that they won't. Does that make sense?" Kisame nodded, turning to look at Itachi while he talked.
"Do you know when he'll wake up?"
"No. I didn't see anything that looked too bad on his head. He got a nasty bump, but the worst it did was break the skin. His back and neck also feel fine, but there's only so much I can know from just feeling it. The techs are getting the equipment running and doing diagnostics, and I promise he'll be getting his head scanned to make sure there's not bleeding. I'm not seeing any signs of that though. All I know for sure is that his head has a nasty gash, which we stitched up, that his wrist is sprained, if not fractured, and that his shoulder is pretty fucked up." Kisame leaned his head against the cot, listening to Itachi breathe.
"Thanks." The medic nodded and walked away. Kisame watched Itachi's chest rise and fall, and reached over to grab a limp hand. "I'm sorry, Kitten," he said, closing his eyes, clenching them as they stung. He sat there in silence, until the heavy thuds of boots had him opening his eyes.
"I said I'm fine! Za—!" The whiny voice trailed off into a yelp and a grunt as he was dropped onto a cot, the larger man kneeling down and grabbing the younger man's wrist.
"Stop," the deep voice snapped, and the other's body went rigid, then limp. Kisame watched as the man bandaged the wrist, then stood. But the two thin arms reached out and wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer. He was still for a moment, before he snaked a hand up around the younger man's back and shoulders and pulled him close. They held each other, until the younger man looked up and smiled.
"Hey, Kisame!" The larger of the two stood up slowly, turning his half-bandaged head. He nodded towards Kisame, who nodded back.
"Hey Haku," he said, pushing off the wall to stand, and nodded towards Zabuza.
"Who's that?" Zabuza asked. Kisame turned and looked Itachi, staring. Zabuza frowned and nodded his head, walking up and putting his hand on Kisame's shoulder. "Sorry." Kisame kept staring at Itachi, until he sighed and gave a shrug.
"What happened to your hand?" Kisame asked, looking at Haku. Haku rubbed the back of his head, standing up.
"I was running when the sirens went off and tripped," he said with a small laugh. "I just got a little scrape. It's nothing to wo—"
"That reminds me. I need to check your knees and ankle." Zabuza said, moving toward Haku.
"Zabuza, you need to stop worrying about me so much. I can take care of myself." Zabuza gave Haku a cold glare, until Haku finally sighed and sat down. "You worry too much."
"I worry just enough to cover your clumsiness."Zabuza said. Kisame smiled, watching Zabuza fuss over Haku's slightly swollen ankle. He sat on the edge of Itachi's bed, squeezing Itachi's hand.
Naruto sat on the couch in the living room of Kakashi's quarters, his suitcase open on the ground in front of him. He held a picture frame in his hands, running his thumbs along the wooden edges. In it was a picture of Sasuke, shirtless, as he leaned against a large rock in the shade of a tree, the valley a background behind him. His head was leaned back, his eyes closed, as he rested. Naruto remembered how pissed Sasuke had been when the camera clicked. Or, rather, how pissed he was once he'd had the energy to be. It had been Sasuke's idea to go hiking one weekend, something he did to clear his head when the stress of studying started to get to him. One day he'd suggested that Naruto go with him, a day of just the two of them, surrounded by nature. So, for the special day, he decided to take one of the more physically intensive – but highly rewarding – trails up to a particularly beautiful spot.
They'd spent hours sitting with each other in that spot, looking down at the trees. Until they'd stripped and cooled off underneath the waterfall. It was another picture Naruto kept of Sasuke – naked, standing underneath the waterfall. He kept it in the frame, behind the front photograph visible against the glass. The only reason Sasuke had let Naruto keep it was because it showed off his body, and because he'd promised to keep it hidden. He rubbed his fingers along the back of the frame, smiling as he thought about how wonderful that swim had been.
"Boyfriend?" Naruto whipped his head to the side to find Kakashi's face just inches a way, resting on the back of the couch. Kakashi only smiled when Naruto glared. "Iruka's told me a little about him. He sounds like a good man." Naruto looked back down at the picture, teeth clenched.
"He is." Kakashi nodded, looking at Naruto. As the silence pressed on, he could see Naruto stare into the picture, his mind lost in thought.
"If you know where he is, I could help get him here." Naruto turned and stared at Kakashi, studying his face.
"Why?" Naruto finally asked.
"Why what?"
"Why would you help me?" Kakashi stood and shrugged, walking around to sit on the couch next to him.
"Why not? You're a good kid. And on top of that, Iruka cares about you, so—"
"So you think helping me will get you in his pants?" Kakashi smirked, making Naruto even angrier.
"I already get in his pants without having to help you." Naruto opened his mouth to yell, but Kakashi cut in. "I know you're not comfortable with it, and I'm sorry for that. But I'd give the world to see Iruka happy, and you being happy makes Iruka happy. And like I said, you're a good kid. Not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but you compensate." Naruto glared. "And if nothing else, you'll be making sure that he's safe." Kakashi said, nodding towards the photo. Naruto lost all traces of anger in his face and lowered his head, closing his eyes. Kakashi put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"If I get you his address, you can send people to get him?" Naruto asked, his voice quiet.
"I can," Kakashi said, standing to get a pad for Naruto to write on. Naruto quickly wrote down Sasuke's address, and handed it to Kakashi, who looked at it and frowned.
"What's wrong?" Kakashi shook his head and began folding the paper to put in his pocket.
"Nothing. I'm sure he's fine," Kakashi said with a smile. Naruto watched him as he walked out, trying not to think too much into it. He looked down at the picture again and tried to get his mind on other good memories. Naruto heard Iruka walk up behind him, leaning back when arms came from behind and gave him a loose hug. That was when Naruto felt his eyes begin to burn, tears welling against the lower lids. Iruka pressed his cheek against Naruto's, holding him tighter.
Kakashi knocked on Asuma's open door as he stood in the doorway. Asuma looked up from his computer, various radio frequencies blaring behind him, with a pen between his teeth.
"Here's another pickup, if it's not too much trouble," Kakashi said. Asuma shook his head, waving Kakashi in as he picked up the phone. Kakashi handed him the paper and sat in one of the chairs in front of Asuma's ask while Asuma punched in a phone number. Then Asuma looked at the address. He took the pen out of his mouth and looked at Kakashi, then covered the receiver with his hand.
"You know this is a hot zone, right?" Kakashi nodded. Asuma looked at him, studying him. "What exactly are you getting out of this?"
"It's the kid's boyfriend, " Kakashi said. Asuma smirked.
"Nice. You got a photo?" Kakashi nodded again.
"I can get you one," he said. "So how hot are we talking?" Asuma turned to his computer and brought up a map.
"Come look. It was white hot when I checked in twenty minutes ago. They were trading artillery about then, and now it seems a bit cooler. Probably because there's not much left to fight over. There are a few evacuation teams in the area, so I can see if one will pick him up."
"Thanks," Kakashi said. Asuma nodded, talking into the phone to begin the pickup request. Kakashi started to leave the office, but Asuma called after him.
"Expect a call soon. They're already doing assessment for a counter-offensive, and you'll be involved." Kakashi waved his hand as he left, heading back to his quarters.
