Title: Four Probity
Author: Sekiseishi
Rating: T
Pairing: Hatake Kakashi x Umino Iruka
Theme: Probity
c. Masashi Kishimoto
They fought. For the sake of the village, they killed. They gave their limbs, their lives, their minds, and their hearts. Many shinobi reproduced, for the sake of making mini-ninjas who would one day fight for the village as their parents did. Very few, however, found love. Too often were lives torn apart by death and madness for such a complex emotion to find a foothold. And what use was it in a village of killers anyway? Grow, learn, train, reproduce, fight, die. That was a shinobi's life. Love had no place there.
However, here they were now, fighting the enemy, but still loving each other. Perhaps it was what kept them from becoming insane like so many others in the light of the escalating war. Perhaps they were becoming insane, slower than most others, but still almost there, just brushing it with fingertips stained crimson. Or, perhaps they were already insane. Minds gone and bodies left to fight on autopilot with the knowledge that the other may not survive the evening.
They fought for the village. For their fellow shinobi. For their future generation. They fought for themselves. They fought for honor and for pride. They fought to live, some to die. They fought because it was all they had, or because they wanted to protect. But never for love. A shinobi fought for the integrity of his village and his Kage, but never for love.
Kakashi and Iruka, however, weren't really shinobi anymore. They were teachers, family, and lovers. They fought for the village, but not out of honor. They fought for what they loved most.
A/N: Yeah, I realize it's kinda sappy, and the theme seems to want to be love, rather than probity. Hopefully it worked out better than I think it did.
And, I'm not one to beg normally, however I really /really/ need a beta reader. Any takers? I'll give you a cookie and my eternal gratitude! And love! And lots of other stuff!