Still own nothing. Nothing.

Epilogue:

"And then Zumo squealed like a girl!" Kotetsu cheered as Izumo choked and growled angrily while everyone else chortled.

"I did not, Ko!" Izumo challenged, slapping his near-twin upside the head, "Bastard."

Genma snorted in laughter from his place of honor in Raidou's favorite recliner during this impromptu get together. Asuma had declared that they were all here to cheer Gen up, but Genma knew they all just wanted to party. It felt good to feel at ease around everybody again. Plus, making all his friends and comrades grovel for forgiveness had been fun ever since Raidou had helped Genma pull himself back together.

"What exactly does a girl squeal like, Ko?" Kurenai huffed as Kotetsu flinched at the woman's hostility, "Don't start that 'like a girl' crap around me, Little Man!"

Genma shook his head at Kotetsu's babbling as he chewed on his usual senbon. He was healed enough to leave the hospital, but only under the strict condition of limited exertion and that he continued seeing a therapist twice a week to help him with some PTSD he was dealing with. This was fine by Genma since the therapist was truly helping and he certainly tired easily. Plus, it was kind of funny to watch Raidou fussing about. The older jonin had moved Genma in without question and watched over him with a scrutinizing eye.

"I really think all of this could have waited a little longer for Genma to strengthen more," Raidou complained as he covered Genma up with another blanket that the man didn't need in the least, "You all have to leave in five minutes."

"Sessle down ah ittle bitch," Anko slurred as Raidou turned and snatched the bottle of beer from her hands with a scowl, "Yer no funs, Rai."

Kurenai giggled and said her goodbyes as she led the tipsy kunoichi towards the door with Asuma following. Gai promptly stood to help too when Anko walked into the doorframe and wished everyone a "youthful goodbye" as he threw Anko over his shoulder and left. Raidou sighed in relief and turned an evil eye on everyone else.

"Maa, maa, Rai, calm down a bit. You know Genma's been bored out of his mind the past few weeks in that hospital. Look at him now. Gen seems to be enjoying himself," Kakashi mentioned as Raidou glanced at their friend.

"True, Kakashi," Raidou hummed, "But he's only been out of the hospital for a week and he still wears down quickly. Getting enough food in Gen is a real challenge. He's overly tired so he doesn't feel like eating, but not eating is causing him to be overly tired. Double edged sword."

"Two words," Kakashi snorted as Raidou glanced to him, "Iruka's cooking."

"Huh?" Raidou grunted and then turned back to Genma and beamed as Iruka sat talking animatedly to Gen as the chunin fed the man spoonful after spoonful of okayu, "Ah! That chunin is a blessing. I could kiss him."

"You'd make me jealous and I'm sure you don't wish to see that," Kakashi drawled and then walked away as Raidou gave him a double take.

"What?" Raidou thought as he watched Kakashi teasing Genma gently as Iruka continued to get more food into the weakened nin while all three seemed to be enjoying the moment, "It can't be…can it?"

"Rai, come try this stuff," Genma called as Raidou obeyed without question, "Ruka makes the best rice porridge. It is delicious."

"I can see by the way you're eating it," Raidou chuckled as he accepted a bowl from Aoba who had dished him up some of the porridge as Kakashi gave Iruka one of his famous eye smiles, "Thank you, Aoba. Oh. My. God. Iruka, you are hired."

"Hired?" Iruka asked, looking in question at Raidou.

"We need a cook," Raidou nodded out, "Two, shinobi like Gen and I certainly cannot be left to cook on our own. Why, Iruka, you would certainly not abandon us to starve on instant food when you make such nutritious and delicious meals like this, would you?"

Iruka winked at Raidou as he got the message. "Please cook. Genma's actually eating for once and needs healthy meals to grow stronger. Please!"

"Well, I certainly couldn't allow that, now could I?" Iruka played along as he got the last spoonful down Genma's throat, "We will negotiate terms and I allow nothing left on plates. Do both of you understand me? Because if you don't clean your plates…I don't cook."

"Sure thing," Genma snorted before looking at Raidou with amusement in his eyes, "Real smooth there, Rai. Subtle. Just like an expert jonin would handle. Didn't know what hit me, but I'd never turn down Iruka's cooking anyway so goal to you."

Everyone laughed as Iruka and Raidou blushed. Raidou sighed. He never could get much over on Genma.

"Good enough for me," Raidou chuckled as he continued to eat his share of the porridge while letting his mind drift.

The scarred jonin glanced to the clock a little later and startled to see that the "five more minutes" had turned into an hour. Raidou looked to Genma and smiled softly at seeing the jonin sleeping peacefully and reached to take the senbon that was about to fall from the man's hand.

"Hush," Raidou whispered as the murmuring quieted and he gestured to the sleeping nin while placing Genma's senbon on a nearby table, "Too much activity wears Gen out quickly. Thank you for coming to cheer him up, but get out."

The remaining shinobi chuckled, but left quickly and Iruka seemed surprised that Kakashi offered to walk him home as Raidou watched in interest.

"Here," Raidou said as he handed Iruka some monies, "Tell me if you need more, Iruka. You have no idea how good it felt to see Gen eating like that."

"I don't need this," Iruka answered, stuffing the money back into Raidou's hand as the jonin blinked, "Friends are worth any efforts, ne? I don't need to be paid to help a friend. See you tomorrow. I left the rest of the okayu in the fridge for your breakfast. Ja ne!"

"I'll keep his pantry stocked on the sly," Kakashi whispered to Raidou as the man slipped the monies into his pocket and waved his farewells as he ambled after the chunin.

Raidou nodded as the Copy-nin glanced back to him and then shut his front door. The scarred jonin watched Genma sleep for a moment. The younger nin was a pretty man. It was no wonder Ikko had noticed Gen, but Raidou was damned if anyone would touch Genma like that ever again. Not ever again.

"Out like a light," Raidou grinned as he slipped his arms beneath Genma's shoulders and knees and lifted him easily, "Let's get you to bed."

"Mm," Genma hummed, curling against the older man, "Rai?"

"It's me. Go back to sleep, Gen," Raidou instructed.

"Kay," Genma murmured as Raidou eased him down and tucked him into bed, "Like it here."

"Then stay," Raidou whispered as Genma's eyes opened fully to gaze up at him, "Don't leave. At least…please just for a while. I need…you have to be safe. What nearly happened…it scared me. I want to know that you are safe, Gen."

Genma smiled softly and tugged on Raidou until he was sitting beside where he lay and reached to grab a bag from the other side of the bed.

"Don't fall," Raidou warned, reaching to hold Genma's waist and then accepted the bag that was handed to him, "What is this?"

"I don't know," Genma smirked from his pillow.

Raidou opened the bag and pulled out a shirt that said "Raidou is a big, big ass!" The scarred jonin laughed hard and turned the shirt around and blushed as he read the back, "The big Ass belongs to Genma Shiranui-Back the hell off!" The two looked at one another and howled with laughter. Genma was good at gag gifts.

"When did you get this?" Raidou fussed as he hid the shirt in the bag.

"Anko ordered that for me and brought it to me tonight," Genma snickered as Raidou hung his head in amusement before startling as the other nin's face turned serious, "I had a lot of nightmares while in the hospital, Rai. I still get them and they are hard to deal with."

Raidou froze as Genma pushed through some trust issues to admit this to him.

"I want to stay here…with you," Genma continued, "Sometimes…sometimes I saw and still see in my dreams that man and feel his hands doing things that I can't stop even if I do know that you all kept him from doing what he planned. I wake up scared and that makes me so angry that I want to scream. Here with you near, I don't get the dreams that often. My therapy is helping me overcome what happened so I know the dreams will go away eventually, but…may I stay with you, Rai?"

"Forever if you'd like," Raidou agreed, taking Genma's hand in his, "You know I need looking after. Who would watch over me to keep me from cleaning the wood right off the floor, ne?"

"Ne," Genma beamed then he yawned and his expressive eyes slid shut.

Raidou watched as Genma's face smoothed out completely showing he was drifting back to sleep. The jonin brushed Genma's hair back from his forehead and smiled.

"I'm here," Raidou whispered to the sleeping nin, "And I'll only leave when you ask that of me, but no one will ever touch you without your permission. I will not allow it."

Raidou stretched and left for a moment to get what he needed to set up a futon next to Genma's bed. He'd be here to chase any nightmares away. Ikko could not be allowed to hurt Gen. Not even in dreams.

"You're silly," Genma chuckled the next morning as he looked over the side of the bed at Raidou, "Don't you dare start coddling, Rai. I'm fine to sleep on my own and you have your own room to sleep in."

"I like yours better," Raidou teased as his friend grinned and the older man could see a familiar light had finally returned to Genma's eyes, "Ohayo, Gen."

"Ohayo, Rai. What's for breakfast? I'm starving."

The end.

Thank you all so much for reading this. I enjoy these characters so much.