Now, now, after a really long break, here we finally got chapter 3. University life was keeping me busy, the chapter itself was easy and fun to get done.
Hope you guys like it! :
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Chapter 3 - Wounds
„Thank you, Iruka. I don't want to imagine what this job would be like if there was no you."
Sandaime's gentle smile made the adressed man's face freeze. His lips formed a happy grin while his eyes stayed untouched.
People were always grateful, friendly and calm when it came to how the chuunin was a great help to them. They looked at him in an appreciative way, as he was always politely smiling, in a very settled mood, and glad to be needed here and there.
Reality behind the mask was a lot different, but people, as superficial as mankind is, only saw what was obvious.
With a short, yet fitting gesture, Iruka waved Goodbye towards Sandaime before he turned and silently walked his way out the door.
Absentmindedly, the chuunin stepped into an all-too-brightly lit plaza, carefully retying the long tresses of brown hair that had slipped to his face and now blocked his sight. Sunrays drew fragile patterns all over his body, and Iruka's mood was about to lift a bit.
He didn't quite understand what had happened until he hardly hit the ground, his arms crashing into a mixture of rough sand and tiny stones that easily pierced his skin and got stuck within his soft flesh.
„Mah, you seem a bit unintelligent today, Iruka-sensei."
The low mumble reaching the chuunin's ear had him wincing in discomfort – it clearly belonged to the person Iruka had not wanted to meet today.
Arrogant, proud of himself, and with all the right to be all of that.
Why him, all over again?
„Kakashi-sensei", Iruka murmured, slowly pushing himself up and shooting the other man a sharp look before he set his typical smile up.
„I'm sorry", he laughed, brushing the sand off his arms.
Amazing.
Getting all those stones out of his skin would be a real joy to him.
Innerly Iruka snorted to himself, nevertheless keeping his polite smile up on the outside. He slowly got to his feet and offered one hand to the silver-haired jounin who was still stretching his probably aching arms.
Iruka was more than sure that a man like the infamous copy-ninja would never take a hand from a person like him, but again, he got surprised.
„Never mind it, your arms look a lot worse than I feel. Do you need help with treating that?", the man asked seriously while reaching out for the chuunin's hand.
Surprisingly gently, he squeezed his fingers, and Iruka withstood the urge to drag himself away from the touch, while Kakashi seemed to be carefully avoiding the bleeding areas of the brunette's palm.
The jounin easily got back to his feet.
Iruka had frozen within motion, his shocked gaze met the other's calm and he backed away, this time shaking off the other's hand.
„I don't think I need your help, Kakashi-sensei. You are a busy man, aren't you?", he replied, harshly shaking his head until several strands of brown hair started swinging in front of his eyes.
In fact, Iruka didn't want the man to be of any service to him.
He was the one who had suspected Iruka to have killed his own best friend whose death he was still grieving over. Maybe he hadn't been the one to initiate the observation – most likely it had been Sandaime's instruction -, but still, he was the one Iruka's anger was now directed at, and the mere imagination of letting that man into his appartment made him shiver in silently expanding fury.
One single silent movement and a hand that suddenly gripped Iruka's shoulder with chilly fingers made the chuunin let out a startled cry. His eyes widened in surprise as he noticed that the slender features of the silver-haired jounin, just having vanished right in front of his eyes, had popped up behind him and now executed a noteworty amount of pressure onto his back. Hand still lying on the brunette's shoulder, Kakashi was apparently trying to push Iruka out of the daily crowd's chatter and into an abandoned side road.
The chuunin's lips parted in helpless protest as he was pressed against a wall made of rough concrete, the jounin's second hand now covering his mouth.
„Shhh", came a surprisingly soft whisper while Kakashi's head snapped around as if there were enemies hidden in every corner of the quiet alley they had been entering just seconds before.
Iruka was staring at the man in tacit surprise, lips twitching here and there but remaining silent as the silver-haired man shot him a warning gaze.
There was a slight edge of fear in the atmosphere filling the alley, yet something familiar. Numerous shivers ran down Iruka's spine as he was trying to wrap his mind around what was the exciting detail he had yet been missing.
Kakashi rather seemed like a paranoid squirrel, somewhat overreacting in a way that made Iruka's eyes scan his covered face carefully. Why would someone pull him into an abandoned alleyway, obviously trying to get rid of any possible observers, while there was that faint taste of danger in the air?
The low dropping of what must be blood caught the chuunin's attention and let him turn his left arm far enough to see the area where several stones had perforated his skin, some of them still peering through the obvious wounds covering the tanned arm. Iruka's gaze locked on the warm red fluid running down his wrist, creeping through his also bleeding palm and finally trickling down his fingers to fall into a small pool of blood that had already assembled on the dusty ground.
A sudden hiss drew his attention back to the jounin that had abruptly squatted next to the brunette's thighs. Kakashi's visible eye was intently locked on the reddish pool while his whole mask seemed to be twitching in what looked like attraction.
Iruka was irritated.
His mind was spinning in confusion as the silver-haired man's fingers slowly grasped his blood covered wrist and pulled it further down.
Attraction.
There it was again.
Hadn't Kakashi declared how appealing he found the chuunin to be, in the night on Kurenai's balcony?
And again, the jounin's nose seemed to be twitching hectically.
This time, though, Iruka was sure to recognize a flash of obvious fascination in the other's visible blue eye.
It took the copy-nin several minutes to get a hold of himself.
Whatever it might have been that had kept him staring at Iruka's bleeding arm was now gone, and the jounin's intent gaze appeared apologetic.
Iruka was stunned.
His wrist was still caught in Kakashi's firm grip, and the chuunin's discomfort had only increased with the last minutes' incidents. He would have preferred to get going; dinner was yet to be prepared and the chuunin's stomach had started aching some minutes ago.
Only an instant later though, Iruka was absolutely grateful for what seemed like a coincidence to him – if his stomach had gotten what it was longing for, it would have been emptied by now.
A low murmur let the mask quiver in smooth waves of dark cloth, and Iruka's throat felt dry as his body started disappearing in a whirl of smoke.
„I'll be taking care of that arm of yours now. Be my guest for tonight."
And they dissolved into nothing.
Iruka's eyes had to get accustomed to the new conditions they were offered.
Dim light slipped through tensely shut curtains, fell on a reddish brown wooden floor and lit the paradoxical situation the chuunin had been thrown into all of a sudden.
First, only his toetips had met the ground, while he had been carefully adjusting his body's position to the new circumstances.
Then, slightly delayed due to a betrayal of his own senses, Iruka had noticed that the curtains in front of the windows were nothing less than thickly grewn branches, their twigs reaching out far enough to enter the living room he had just landed in.
Dark green shoots of ivy were climbing up the walls close to the window, partially covering the frame and tightly coiling around the strong branches of the acacias.
The chuunin's eyes widened as he processed to take in all the impressions he could get – several pieces of furniture, all of them of the same dark wood the floor was built of, covered in pillows and some comfortable looking blankets. These all lay spread on the couch and wing chair, and their covering seemed to be of a soft chocolate brown that made Iruka grow an urge to smell on every single one of them.
His mind was still spinning, trying to understand how he had gotten here, as chilly fingers wrapped tightly around his right wrist and pulled him aside towards a yet closed door.
„It's about time we clean you up, Iruka-sensei. Your arm looks awful, and it sure hurts a lot, doesn't it?", a quiet murmur danced through the seemingly heavy air that was dulling Iruka's senses. His answer was a short nod while his brain still seemed to be out of service.
Kakashi-sensei.
The alleyway.
How had they come here?
There had been smoke, and then nothing.
Smoke.
Wait.
Had Kakashi teleported them both?
Iruka's mouth just opened to ask where they were as his gaze fell on a pair of lazily folded pants which was just now accompanied by a thick, dark green vest. A gloved hand pushed both aside, and Iruka's look shot skywards just to meet a one-eyed worried glance.
Deep blue met liquid gold, and the chuunin's breath seemed to break off for a second.
There was a subliminal contact between the two of them, their distance seemed to be breaking apart and Kakashi's thumb brushed lightly across Iruka's hurting hand.
Then the moment was gone, and Iruka tried to remember how to suck air into his lungs as his chest started aching.
Confusedly, he followed the broad back that was now only covered in the same dark cloth Kakashi's mask must be made of.
This must be Kakashi's home.
But why...?
The incident from before must be gnawing at the jounin's conscience to make him drag a teacher into his very own living room, and it only now appeared to Iruka that mere remorse might be the reason for all of this.
As few information as there was about the infamous copy-ninja's private life, as fascinating was it to be walking along his hall now, carefully avoiding a wooden dresser and following the man towards his bathroom.
There was still a small part of Iruka's consciousness that kept objecting.
Something below the surface was simmering, and the chuunin's anger wasn't long enough gone to be forgotten.
His attention, however, lay on the man's back in front of him and his algid fingers that were still tightly holding the chuunin's wrist, pulling him into the bathroom.
It was just when the light was switched on that Iruka noticed how very different Kakashi's bathroom looked in comparison to his rather darkly arranged living room.
White tiles covered both walls and floor, light brown bathmats lay spread in front of a shower tray, and the windows in this room were free of any obstacles. Beaming sunlight flashed into the room, mingled with the artificial light and brightly lit the room.
Kakashi's skin, indeed, looked paler than ever, and it was only now that Iruka started wondering if the man had ever been tanned.
Probably not.
While Iruka's mind was still wrapping around pointless considerations, the jounin himself had let go of the brunette's hand to pick several first-aid supplies out of a mirrored bathroom cabinet. Cautiously, one after the other was adjusted on a white towel before the silver-haired man slowly turned around and pushed Iruka down onto the bathrub's frame.
For a short moment, Iruka wasn't able to help eyeing the man intently.
Clearly defined contours of muscle strands below the dark cloth that tightened over Kakashi's chest had the chuunin staring in silent admiration.
He had never been a sucker for men's bodies, not at all – this, however, was the image of a perfectly built and exercised body.
A low chuckle drew his attention off the dark cloth on the other's chest and up to the halfly hidden face that was, as he only now noticed, not anymore covered with a headband. The left eye was still closely shut, but Iruka was now able to have a look at the distinctive scar that crossed the left side of Kakashi's face and still remember of what had happened many years ago.
Iruka's curious gaze met the silver-haired jounin's look, and the chuunin sat back in surprise.
„You seem kind of impressed, Iruka-sensei", Kakashi commented with a smirk, and Iruka felt a familiar heat rising up to his cheeks. „Don't teachers have to be well trained, too?"
He chuunin's head shook while his lips formed an excuse that was only held back from a chilly index finger that was lightly pressed against his chin.
„Shhh, just teasing you. But honestly, your body looks just fine, Iruka-sensei."
Iruka's face felt like it was about to burst into flames. The chuunin cringed slightly as the cool fingers started brushing across his lips and along his jawbone.
Was the jounin trying to hit on him again?
There was a short moment of silence between the two of them before Kakashi carefully grabbed Iruka's wrist and started eyeing the areas that were covered in blood and dirt. His voice was serious as he started talking again.
„I'm going to clean this, Iruka-sensei. But it's going to hurt, so I hope you forgive me for causing you pain."
A wary look from the blue eye.
Iruka stayed still. His head nodded in silent agreement.
It took nearly half an hour for the jounin to treat Iruka's arm properly.
Neither of them felt the need to talk, and the brunette had closed his eyes after some minutes to prevent himself from giving the other man too sore a look. Instead, he kept his face calm and blank while his right hand kept hold of his vest. The pain was bearable but more than uncomfortable, and Iruka shifted his weight here and there to keep himself from letting out a pained outcry.
Kakashi, meanwhile, was giving his very best not to make things worse than they were anyway. His movements were clear and skilled, and it was obvious that he was trying to get the act over with quickly. He shot cautious looks up to the brunette's face whenever he could manage to, and Iruka's jaw was locked in place until he felt bandages getting wrapped around his forearm and hand.
It was only then that the chuunin slowly released a pent up breath.
His eyes opened up to see Kakashi intently looking him over.
A relieved sigh escaped Iruka's lips as he met the silver-haired's look.
„Thank you", he quietly said and watched the jounin's back as Kakashi bent down to put forceps, gauze, bandages and the now reddish discolored bowl of water away.
Kakashi nodded as he left the room just to re-enter it only seconds later. One of his hands held a small ice pack which he gently placed on Iruka's palm.
Iruka's lips twitched lightly skywards until he honestly smiled at the other man.
As angry as he had been before, as grateful was he now for the quick help and the treatment Kakashi had provided for him.
It took the chuunin by surprise as Kakashi suddenly lifted his chin with one of his now bare hands. The halfly covered face slowly approached Iruka's tanned features, and he surprisedly held his breath. Even when Kakashi froze in place, cautiously eyeing the chuunin, Iruka didn't dare to move.
A moment of silence fell between the two of them until the jounin, all of a sudden, left the room and got back in an instant, his vest neatly wrapped around his perfect silhouette and the shinobi headband in place again. His expression was unfathomable.
Quickly, one of the still bare hands grasped Iruka's sleeve and dragged him to his feet.
The chuunin stumbled for a second but got caught by one of Kakashi's arms. In the next instant, they seemed to dissolve into nothing again. Their silhouettes disappeared out of the bathroom and came back into sight in the same abandoned alleyway where they had vanished before.
Iruka's look must be more than confused. He still felt dizzy from the past treatment, and the jounin's behaviour didn't make any sense to him.
It took the brunette some minutes to calm down again, his head still spinning from the teleportation jutsu.
As he finally turned around to ask Kakashi about the point in all his contradictory behaviour, Iruka found himself to be alone.
Only a stray cat was roaming along the grey buildings' facades.
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Yeah, I know, it's rather a filler chapter than anything, but I considered it useful for the further story line – also, a bit more confusion is always appreciated, right? 3