Synchronization
Love Naruto and thought I'd try my hand at a few stories with these amazingly rich and deep characters. I hope you enjoy and will review to let me know your opinions good or bad. I do not have one problem with yaoi, but this story will not contain that genre. I am only stating this for those that do not understand that love is simply love.
I own nothing. Nothing.
Chapter Ten
"WHAT?!"
The yell even made the nearby Anbu flinch before jumping to catch Tsunade as she was shoved out the door while Jiraiya caught Naruto from clawing at her.
"Let me go!" Naruto howled as his eyes went red, "I'm going to kill all of you for hurting my Iruka-sensei! Let me go, now!"
"Stop, Naruto," Jiraiya hissed as the youth twisted and bit at him, "Calm down!"
Anbu and jonin alike stood ready to help, but most gaped in shock when it was Kakashi that came up behind Jiraiya and shakily stooped so that Naruto could look him in the face.
"Do not threaten that ever again," Kakashi snapped, forcing Naruto to look at him, "Calm down now. Are you a child or a shinobi? What has Iruka-sensei taught you? He'd be ashamed at your behavior."
"He…I…but they hurt my Iruka-sensei. W-why?" Naruto stuttered before sobbing and throwing himself at the jonin.
"There, there, Naruto," Kakashi sighed, holding the youth tight as the genin cried against his shoulder, "Just let it all out, okay? Let it out."
Naruto cried until he fell asleep. It didn't take a genius to see that the boy was exhausted. Jiraiya lifted the genin as Gai hurried forward to help Kakashi back up.
"You took out your IV," Tsunade fussed while an Anbu brought Kakashi's wheelchair over so he could get off his unsteady legs.
"Maa, maa, Hokage-same, but it seemed I had to rescues a lady," Kakashi teased while Tsunade replaced the needle for a fresh IV bag, "It also seems that Naruto knows the full story now and reacted just as I feared he would."
"He's exhausted and upset," Jiraiya defended, "Let me settle him in the room he showered in. The boy is distraught that his near-father has been so mistreated. His emotions are raw."
"Naruto has every right to be so upset," Tsunade groaned, "Where are you going, Kakashi?"
"To see to my student," the Copy-nin retorted as he wheeled himself after Jiraiya.
"I thought team seven was disbanded," Raidou spoke as eyes turned his way in shock and some anger, "What?"
"The team is just on hiatus until after Naruto's training," Tsunade explained, "Sakura and Naruto will always be Kakashi's students. There is no questions there so let that one alone. Kakashi has lost too much in his life to be told that he doesn't have a right to refer to Naruto as his student."
"Did anyone notice my rival's hands?" Gai said as most shook their heads, "They were trembling pretty badly. That wasn't trembling from emotions. Kakashi is getting worse."
"I know," Lady Tsunade hissed, "Gai, get Kakashi back in bed once he knows that Naruto is settled and give him some of your chakra. Genma, go get whatever it is that Kakashi wants to eat and make sure he eats every bite of it. I need to see to Iruka-kun. Iruka is the key to all of this."
oOo
Iruka sat alone and rocked gently against the invisible wall as he stared at the blackness in front of him. Times he wanted to step through that blackness and other times he feared the shadows. Sighing, he rubbed at the ache in his chest.
What a mess this is, Iruka-kun.
Iruka blinked at the voice. That was Lady Tsunade.
How in the world did I ever allow this to happen to you? I'm such a fool, Iruka. Please, please get better so you can rub my nose in the fact that you were one hundred percent right from day one.
Iruka gasped at the real remorse he heard in his Hokage's voice. So Kakashi was telling the truth?
Iruka, we need you. Naruto's here and he's so upset that he doesn't know his up from his down. I've disappointed Jiraiya and I deserve his anger and yours. Your other students are also upset and Kakashi is working so hard to help you that I fear for him. Take my chakra, Iruka, and fight to come back to us. Konoha is falling apart without you. You do realize that chunin are the foundation for our village, don't you? There is a piece of our foundation missing. Come back to us.
"I'll be damned," Iruka snorted, "So Kakashi really was right. I'm missed, but I still don't know if I can do as asked. And what did the Hokage mean that she fears for Kakashi?"
The mystery of the sentence left Iruka completely puzzled. How was Kakashi working hard to help him? Was visiting within his mind doing something to the jonin? Iruka placed his hand against the invisible wall and pushed to feel its strength. It didn't budge a bit so all he could do was wait within the darkness.
oOo
Kakashi watched from his bed as Naruto held to Iruka's sleeve while fighting tears. His student's heartbreak hurt to see. Both the jonin and genin listened as Anko told exaggerated stories to Iruka about all that was going wrong within the academy and mission room. Some were true and some were ridiculous fabrications.
"And that is why Gai can no longer be allowed to teach pre-genins," Anko finished as Kakashi snorted softly, "Don't snort at me, Kakashi. Ru-chan needs to know this so he can fix the mental scars of his students once he wakes up."
"Please wake up, Iruka-sensei," Naruto whispered as Anko grew silent.
"He'll wake up real soon, Kid," Anko soothed as the youth looked to her with hopeful eyes, "Ru-chan would never leave his Naruto so suck up those tears I see in your eyes and let's go get something to eat."
"I don't want to leave Iruka-sensei," Naruto whined, holding to the chunin's sleeve tighter.
"Naruto, Iruka is sleeping deeply to heal," Kakashi offered as the blonde turned to him, "He won't wake today so go get some food with Anko. I'll watch over your Iruka-sensei and send someone to get you if he so much as twitches, okay?"
The youth bit his lip as he looked between the Copy-nin and Iruka before finally nodding and allowing Anko to herd him to the door.
"Anko?" Kakashi called as the kunoichi turned to him, "Thank you."
"No. Thank you for helping Ru-chan," Anko stated with a small smile, understanding what the Copy-nin was thanking her for, "You really do care under that frosty exterior."
"You're one to talk," Kakashi teased back as the kunoichi slipped out to follow Naruto looking smug.
Kakashi waved off the Anbu that looked through the window as he stood and sat in the wheelchair. Growling, he yanked the IV bag down to hang on the rod attached to his chair.
"All this fuss over being a little shaky," Kakashi complained, wheeling over to Iruka, "Sensei, these people are all crazy. I get out of here with missions, but how do you put up with it staying in the village as much as you do? You must have the patience of a sage."
Kakashi frowned when he reached to touch Iruka's hand. He then felt Iruka's forehead and cursed. The fever was back with a vengeance.
"Get, Hokage-sama!" Kakashi yelled as the same Anbu glanced inside before taking off, "Iruka, this has got to stop now."
The Copy-nin touched Iruka's forehead again and decided to screw Tsunade's rules as he stood and ripped the IV from his arm. The fever was beginning to boil Iruka alive. He flew through the seals and pushed cooling waves throughout Iruka's system with the ice jutsu. Again, he tried to find the source of the fever and hoped that Iruka's heart would hold out.
"Damn you, Brat!"
Tsunade snarled when Kakashi didn't answer while more Anbu arrived.
"Bear, share your chakra with Kakashi," Tsunade barked as she moved to Iruka's other side to help his struggling heart, "Give him as much as you can."
"Hai!" Bear snapped off as he placed his hands to the Copy-nin's back.
"Crow, get Yamato," the Hokage ordered as the Anbu disappeared like smoke, "Brat, regulate yourself. Don't push everything into the jutsu or your heart will stop. I hope you can hear me, Kakashi."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Mouse clipped out.
"Wipe Iruka-kun's face and neck with cool water," Tsunade gritted out, fretting over the erratic feel of the chunin's heart, "I see why Kakashi jumped into the jutsu. This is the highest the fever has ever been. Hurry, Mouse. Bear, how you holding out?"
"Being sucked dry," Bear huffed before nodding as Yamato raced into the room and took his place, "Do I get Asuma and Genma?"
"Yes," Tsunade breathed, "Yamato, see if you can get Kakashi to regulate the jutsu in a more stable pattern."
"He's pretty far in," Yamato mentioned, "I'll do my best, but the pull of chakra is stronger than I've ever felt from Senpai before. He's giving this his all, Hokage-sama."
Everyone grew tense and silent to focus on their tasks. Yamato quickly switched out with Genma once the jonin arrived followed by Asuma.
"Damn," Genma gasped, glancing down at Iruka, "Ru-kun looks worse than ever. I thought the extra chakra would help him heal."
"It is, but his heart is still weakened from the period of starvation he went through," Tsunade admitted as her medical jutsu reached to try and eliminate the fever, "That has a direct effect on all his other systems which is making it doubly hard for him to heal. How is Kakashi?"
"Draining me dry," Genma fussed, "It's like I'm throwing chakra into an endless pit and Kakashi is getting paler and paler."
"Move," Asuma ordered, reaching to share with the Copy-nin, "Come on, Iruka. Kakashi is giving you everything he's got. Show him your appreciation by letting that fever of yours break."
After a few more switching of jonin and Anbu to feed Kakashi chakra, the Copy-nin finally roused enough to step away from Iruka. A full hour had passed, but it felt like days.
"No more," Kakashi muttered, sinking to his knees as Yamato grabbed for him, "Have nothing left."
"You did good, Brat," Tsunade praised, feeling Iruka's cheeks, "The fever is low enough that it might finally break."
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he slumped as his whole body convulsed upon the floor.
"Dammit," Tsunade hissed as she bent over the Copy-nin while Asuma and Yamato tried to keep the man from banging his head on the floor with the force of the seizure, "Come on, Brat. Take my chakra. Take it, Kakashi!"
"What's happening?!" Genma demanded as Kakashi continued to convulse.
"His system is going into shock," Tsunade growled as she concentrated on her medical jutsu to try and soothe Kakashi's nerves, "Hold him down!"
For several long moments Kakashi continued to thrash until he finally went completely still.
"Get him on the bed," the blonde ordered as Genma and Asuma jumped to do as asked and stepped away so that Tsunade could shine a penlight into Kakashi's good eye, "No, no. Don't do this to me, Brat."
"What is it?" Bear demanded as Lady Tsunade went to check the sharingan eye and then back to the Copy-nin's normal eye.
"He's not responding to light," Tsunade whispered, going still before grabbing the man's hand as it seemed she was testing his movements, "Also abnormal reflexes. Shimatta!"
"And that all means exactly what?" Genma questioned.
"Which means that Kakashi has slipped into a coma," the Hokage reported with slumped shoulders as Genma cursed viciously, "He and Iruka-kun are so enmeshed that Kakashi's heart is nearly as weakened as Iruka's. The ice jutsu forced the brat's heart past what it could handle and his system has shut down to only vital functioning."
"What can be done to help them both?" Crow asked as Tsunade sighed while she began to hook different IVs and machines up to the Copy-nin to regulate his heart and help with his chakra-depletion.
"Iruka is still the key to this," Tsunade huffed, glancing to the still chunin while placing a breathing mask over Kakashi's nose and mouth a top his usual mask, "I bet the brat is already with Iruka-kun now. He won't stop to bring Iruka back to us so we won't give up on either of them, am I right?"
"Hai," everyone answered as Lady Tsunade nodded.
oOo
Iruka panted where he sat and watched Kakashi's still form that lie sprawled on the other side of the barrier he was trapped behind. The chunin had no clue when Kakashi had arrived, but was none too happy to see the unnatural stillness.
"Kakashi-san?" Iruka whimpered again, trying to get some strength behind his voice, "Kakashi-san, are you okay? Wake up."
Nothing. Iruka huffed in frustration that he couldn't get a look at the jonin's face since the still shinobi was facing away from him. This last attack of the terrible heat had drained him more than ever, but again a rescuing coolness had helped his suffering.
"Kakashi-san?" Iruka called, banging a fist on the invisible wall, "Kakashi-san, wake up. What is the matter? Are you okay? Kakashi, get up now! Wake up!"
"Uhn," Kakashi groaned beginning to stir slightly.
"Thank goodness," Iruka huffed, banging a fist against the wall again, "Get up, Laziness! Get up! How dare you enter my mind and fall asleep."
The Copy-nin snorted softly at that as Iruka smiled. His words were only to rouse the jonin.
"Maa, maa, Iruka-sensei, have you missed my pretty self that much?" Kakashi teased as he shakily pushed himself upright with what looked like too much difficulty for the usual graceful man.
"What has happened to you?" Iruka fretted before coughing hard into a fist, "Gah! That hurts. What's wrong, Kakashi-san?"
"You're here and need to be out there," Kakashi panted, sounding winded, "Had to use a jutsu to help you cool down. Used up a lot of energy. Just need to catch my breath."
"Cool down?" Iruka gasped, glancing sharply at the Copy-nin, "That's you? You're the cool breeze?"
"I've been called a tall drink of water, but never a cool breeze," Kakashi sniffed as Iruka smiled again, "Your fever was too high. Had to cool you down. Had to…keep you safe."
Iruka blinked and then frowned as Kakashi listed a bit.
"Kakashi-san?" Iruka questioned as the jonin panted harder.
"Just…need to sleep a little," Kakashi muttered, allowing himself to fall back, "Just for a little bit. Used a lot of chakra…need rest."
"Then rest," Iruka ordered, curling up to lay near the wall that divided him from Kakashi, "We'll rest together, ne?"
Kakashi nodded once and slipped into a dreamless sleep. He slept hard for what he felt was quite a bit of time before startling awake and sitting up with Iruka following.
Bakakashi-sensei, you promised!
To be continued…