October 27

Vade mecum

Yume

2

Keepsakes

"Kiba-kun doesn't read Icha Icha," was the first thing Iruka said, somewhat predictably, when Kakashi pulled out an orange volume from under a replica of Kiba's cotton jacket.

He grinned, seated cross-legged on the other narrow bed in their rented room of the tiny town's only inn. "Well, I do."

"I know that," Iruka turned his head to regard him with a teacherish stare – that never failed to make him smile (and want to do several Icha Icha-type activities to his lover – though this point was likely irrelevant to the conversation at this moment – not to mention not particularly conceivable, in Iruka's current state. Probably. Maybe. But Iruka would likely object.). "Kiba-kun doesn't. And you're supposed to be Kiba at the moment, remember?"

"It's still several days, even on our best speed, to the Kanshin port," Kakashi said defensively. "Right now, we're still in Leaf country."

"Honestly, Kakashi," Iruka said, wearily, "You're already in enough…" A tightening of the jaw, that spoke of a painful jolt – either from the tremors, or a headache, Kakashi knew Iruka would never admit, "… in enough trouble."

"But I take it everywhere," Kakashi said, mildly, opening the book to the last page he had left it on. On the bed, Eishin-as-Akamaru rolled over with a grunt, paws splayed into the air, its tail wagging slightly. It seemed even summons could sleep and have dreams – though Kakashi had never asked for details. "I'll feel odd if I didn't."

"I could recommend you some normal reading material," Iruka muttered. This was a familiar argument, but familiarity distracted him from the unfamiliarity of muscles that would no longer quite obey him – or so Kakashi thought. Either that, or the increasing grip on the few rituals that characterized their relationship was a subconscious attempt to reassure himself that the illness had changed nothing. Either way, it wasn't particularly healthy, not mentally.

He played along, however, while considering what to do next. "I'm happy with this reading material, Iruka-sensei." A puppyish grin, that he would never be able to show anyone else in his life without ruining Sharingan Kakashi's carefully built reputation.

Normally, at this point, Iruka would laugh. So it was deeply disconcerting when all he got was a wry smile, and closed eyes. Kakashi bent over his book for a moment, tracing well-read lines without actually reading them, before tucking it back into his jacket. "It's not the only thing I carry around," he offered, deviating from ritual, himself.

Iruka's eyes opened – the arched eyebrow questioning. It had already been longer than Kakashi could comfortably count, or so it seemed, since the Midsummer festival, longer than he had felt was necessary to commit to numbers (after all, he had long-since decided to spend the rest of his life, with this person, with no heed to anyone else's say-so), and Iruka knew Kakashi was an intensely private person, who put out just enough curiosities about his habits (the Icha Icha, the tilted hitai-ate, the dogs) just so he wouldn't be questioned about anything else. It had been difficult for Iruka to pry any sort of personal detail from Kakashi – evasion had already become ingrained second nature.

For Kakashi to offer up any detail of himself was startling. Iruka's lips twitched upwards, briefly, as the chuunin tried not to look too obviously curious. Kakashi grinned, got up, walked over, and seated himself next to Iruka on the bed. "I want some consideration, though."

"What consideration?" Iruka asked, frowning slightly. This was another ritual, that usually led to play of the decidedly Icha Icha sort. "Kakashi… I can't…"

Kakashi lowered his head and brushed a gentle, chaste kiss over parted lips, flicking his tongue over teeth, then nipping at the tip of Iruka's nose, on the way back. There was a gasp, then a soft, breathy sound that would usually immediately trigger Kakashi initiating said play of said Icha Icha sort – his body at least expected it, tensing like a coiled spring – then a trembling hand rubbed over his flank, and Iruka sighed. "Don't."

He looked up. Closed eyes, and thinned lips. Kakashi shifted back so he could rest his chin on Iruka's chest.

"The other day," Iruka said, conversationally, as his fingers curled in the bedsheets, "Remember, when we passed that waterfall?"

Kakashi bobbed his head in a nod, not moving.

"That was my parent's favorite picnic spot," Iruka continued, his voice too neutral, "And when we passed it, do you remember what I…"

Kakashi nodded again. Iruka had stiffened, cried out, then when Kakashi stopped to see what was wrong, abruptly gone into convulsions. Sakura had almost panicked – after Iruka was unconscious from judicious application of fingers to pressure points, she had babbled something about convulsions being part of the final stage of the illness, that even for Iruka's current state, he should only be having migraines, the tremors, pain and hallucinations. Kakashi remembered being silent throughout it all, his mind refusing to absorb the words. Eishin – not even a dog usually given to sentiment – had whined, and rubbed its cheek against his master's knee.

And Asuma had looked at him – just looked, and Kakashi had understood, suddenly, why there had been no parties sent out after them – his clone and disappearance should have been noticed, by now. Because Asuma used to be a Leaf hunter-nin, long before he fell in love with a kunoichi, retired, and took up being yet another ordinary jounin-sensei who'd treat his team to steak, and Tsunade didn't feel that Iruka would survive the trip, let alone survive the wait while they somehow managed to get treatment. And if Kakashi 'lost' himself… well. The Sharingan was one of the Leaf's most important secrets; and also, if he took the violent path, Leaf could not at the moment, recovering from Orochimaru, afford a war with Mist.

He had nodded – and Asuma had stared at him, for just a heartbeat longer, before looking over at the waterfall. That was fine by him. If it had to be anyone in this world for that particular purpose, he didn't mind it being Asuma. With that settled, all unspoken, both jounin turned to the somewhat less complicated task of comforting a distraught kunoichi – Shino, at least, seemed blessedly non-hysterical, though his fingers curled a little more tightly than usual in his elbows.

"What I saw," Iruka said, very quietly, "Was my parents. They were splashing in the shallows, like they used to. I was about to tell you to stop, and then I saw myself – well, a child version of myself, with them. And, well, I guess I couldn't actually handle that," Self-deprecatorily, "I mean, I didn't…" Wry, helpless laughter. "Kakashi. I think it's not only my physical body that's becoming unstable."

Kakashi sighed, rolled up to his knees, then wormed under the plain blanket, spooning up behind Iruka and pressing his lips against his neck, shifting only when Iruka indicated that his weight was pulling a little painfully on loose brown hair. When more comfortably settled, he reached into a pocket of his trousers, and pulled out a tiny key chain with a porcelain pendant of a scarecrow, and dangled it before Iruka's nose. "Here's another that I carry everywhere."

Iruka stared at it, for so long that for a moment, Kakashi was afraid that he had possibly gone catatonic. "Iruka?"

"That… that looks familiar," Iruka frowned, slightly.

"The winter festival on the first year I became team seven's sensei," Kakashi tapped Iruka on the nose, with the pendant. "You took them to the festival and bought these from a stall, apparently because Sakura really wanted one… and as an afterthought…"

"Sasuke picked this one, actually," Iruka said, a little uncertainly. "Um. He said it fit your name. And well, you looked so bored when I gave it to you that well… well I almost wanted to apologize for being embarrassing, but then Naruto found that corokke stall and…"

Kakashi nipped his shoulder, and put it back into his pockets. "Actually I left it on a shelf and forgot about it, up until… that teacher's day play. It was a little dusty by then. But since it was the first thing you ever gave me…"

"Ah." An embarrassed cough – Iruka was blushing. "Um, I don't, myself…"

"I just take it on missions," Kakashi continued, as if he hadn't heard. "To remind myself what I have to come back for. Missing-nin – a lot of them – start off that way. They forget."

Iruka tensed, then shook his head, and brought a hand up over his eyes, watching it shake, then dropping it back on the sheets. "Kakashi. If I were to…"

"Won't happen," Kakashi said, firmly, nuzzling the ear. "You'll be cured."

"But what if… would you go missing, too?"

Kakashi smiled, very faintly.

"Kakashi."

Kakashi reached over, and poked his nose. "After it's over, I expect you to find something more appropriate for me to carry around as a keepsake."

"You're avoiding."

Kakashi sobered. "Do you really want to know, Iruka?"

"No." Iruka relaxed, with a sigh. "I suppose not." Dryly, "So, what do you want?"

"Eh?"

"Another keepsake. A soft toy? A lock of my hair? A…"

"A set of your underwear?" Kakashi suggested, very helpfully, then laughed, when Iruka turned bright red. "Maa. I'm joking," he protested, when Iruka began to struggle in his grasp, growling.

"I wouldn't put it beyond you," Iruka said, in a mutinous voice that implied that if he was ever cured and they returned to Konoha, he was going to carefully count all the underwear he had in his drawer.

"A photograph, I think," Kakashi said, soberly.

"Ah? Oh. Okay."

"Especially if you wear a yukata… ehh…" Kakashi held on tightly as Iruka began to struggle again.

"No photographs!" Iruka pulled ineffectively with his lowered motor control on the locked arm.

"Why not?"

"I know your… your… with yukatas, and me…"

"Fetish?" Kakashi supplied.

"Exactly! So if you want a photograph of me in a yukata then the photograph can only be for… for…"

"Masturbation?"

"Don't say those sorts of things so easily!"

--

Sakura hummed happily to herself as he returned to her rented room – for propriety's sake, Asuma-sensei had said, she would have to have her own – Kakashi-sensei obviously wanted to share with Iruka-sensei, which left Asuma and Shino. Which was fine by her – she wasn't so sure she wanted to share a room with Shino-kun (despite his control over the bugs, they were, well, bugs), and as to Asuma, she didn't want to be killed by Kurenai-san, so…

While the boys were out buying food, she had found a dusty book of herbs in the town's only bookstore (still, a rare find!) not to mention the pharmacy was actually decently stocked, and the obaa-san in charge had been nice enough to show her the private garden, and allow her to pick (and pay, of course) on recognizing that she was a medical ninja. In exchange, she'd done something about the fluid in her joints, since she hadn't had enough money. Herbs, a book, and a job well done, all at once – Iruka-sensei would be proud.

"Kakashi!" Sakura froze, in the act of placing her paper bags of purchases and herbs down on the dresser. "I don't think I'm supposed to… oh Gods, Sakura-chan is going to kill you…"

That was next door. A little muffled, with the wall between them, but still horribly distinct.

"Maa, Iruka," That was definitely a moan, from Kakashi, "It's been days."

"I'm ill, you're a pervert… and I'm ill… and will you stop that… besides, I don't think it's safe for you to drop the disguise…"

"But when I carry you during the day I…"

"That's it! Tomorrow I'm going to insist that Asuma-san carry me instead!"

"Are you trying to make me jealous?" A purr. "That's sweet."

"Kakashi… I have Yume." Exasperation.

"It's not sexually transmitted."

"That wasn't my point!"

"I don't think exertion worsens it, either. After all, didn't Sakura-chan say you had to keep active?"

"I don't think she meant this!"

"It'll keep you from brooding."

"I wasn't brooding!" Further protest melted into a surprised yelp, then a groan. Suspiciously wet sounds.

Flushed crimson with embarrassment, Sakura debated between crawling under the bed and pretending the rest of the world didn't exist or retreating out of the inn where she would be very likely to run into Asuma-san… whom she now couldn't face in this state. Not to mention he would probably guess as to why, then she would never be able to face anyone again, least of all Naruto.

--

Asuma was arranging the various plastic containers of their dinner – of takeout from various stalls and snacks bought from the grocery-convenience-bakery store of the town – on the table while Shino lay out borrowed plates and cutlery from the innkeeper, in the corner of the taproom. Some early drinkers were already seated at the small bar, silent, ignoring them.

Sakura was the first one down, her cheeks oddly pink – she sat down without talking, and couldn't seem to meet his eyes.

Curious. Embarrassment? Asuma, with the experience of dealing with Ino, asked, offhandedly, "How was your day, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura flinched slightly, then smiled thinly. "It was… it was good. Yes. Good. I um, got some medicinal herbs, found an interesting book, and, um, helped an old lady with her arthritis."

"And you came back here after?"

Another flinch, and the flush deepened. "Um. Yes. I was tired. Hahaha! Please let me help you with that, Asuma-sensei!" The plastic container of soup he had been wrestling with was all but snatched out of his hands and attacked with a little more force than was really necessary.

Asuma couldn't help but be a little evil. He hadn't had a cigarette since the morning, what with the need to conduct some private business with an old friend in the town, and he was feeling somewhat twitchy. "Did you check in on 'Kiba' and Iruka?"

The blush now reminded Asuma of a tomato. He smirked, satisfied, and sat down at the head of the table. Shino's glance moved from Asuma to Sakura to the resisting soup, then he took it wordlessly from her and deftly popped the cover open.

Kakashi – again looking like Kiba – was next down, supporting Iruka heavily over his shoulder – Iruka looked exhausted, and sported a flush nearly as bright as Sakura's. He sat down and began to eat, with no comment or greeting, giving off an aura with a surprising amount of unfocused killing intent, for a chuunin schoolteacher. Kakashi, on the other hand, seemed happily oblivious.

Asuma grinned. "Itadakimas!" It was going to be an interesting trip after all.

-fin-