Summary: Neji has a dream about a woman he recognizes. Kakashi comes home to a guilt-ridden Iruka and decides to change that.
Chapter 25
Neji could hear voices, faint and soft. They were whispering, taunting him from somewhere in the shadows of his mind. He turned towards them, but the people who spoke eluded his vision. Growling in annoyance, Neji glared at the swirling darkness that surrounded him. He clenched his hands, feeling his claws dig slightly into his skin.
"Hello?" he called out. "Anyone there?"
The voices had stopped, which annoyed Neji even further. He growled again, his lips pulling back from the sharp fangs.
"Neji."
Whipping around, Neji watched as the darkness receded, revealing a grass plain. He glanced backwards and then forwards again, frowning. It was like no place he'd ever been before. The tall grasses came up to his hips and swayed easily in a breeze so slight that not even Neji's thin hair moved. The plain stretched out as far as Neji could see in any direction and there wasn't a tree, building, or any sort of obstruction in sight.
"Hello?"
"Neji."
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a woman appeared. She was wearing a black yukata that was pulled tightly around her. Her arms hung at her sides, unusually thin. In fact, her entire body was slimmer than normal, even more than Neji's. Her dark hair was thick and curled slightly at the ends. Neji frowned. She resembled someone he knew well, although he couldn't figure out who it was.
"Who are you?" Neji asked.
"I was named Kemuri," the woman replied.
"Smoke."
The woman nodded, smiling.
"You're an Ookami," Neji stated, motioning to her ears and claws.
"I am. Kemuri Umino is my name."
"My bloodline."
The woman laughed, revealing her pointed teeth.
"Oh, Neji. I'm a lot closer to you than that," she said.
It dawned on the former Hyuuga, surprise flooding his eyes. The dark tan skin. The brown eyes. The wavy hair.
"You look like Iruka-sensei."
"Well, he is my nephew, though his dad wouldn't let me near him," the woman sighed.
Suddenly, the earth beneath them began to shake violently, making Neji almost lose his balance. Neji looked down to see huge cracks spreading through the ground, growing larger and longer. There was a loud crack and the earth under Neji's feet started to break apart.
"Bye bye, Neji-kun," the woman cooed as Neji fell through the ground into the dark chasm below.
With a gasp, Neji sat up in bed, drenched in cold sweat. A sudden pain ripped through his body and he grabbed his side, squeezing his eyes shut. He growled low as he carefully set himself back down on the bed. A door creaked open, but the former Hyuuga was too distracted by the pain to even open his eyes.
"Neji!" Gaara shouted when he realized that his lover was awake.
Rushing to the bed, Gaara leaned over Neji, trying to see what was wrong. He reached out and wiped the sweat away with his sleeve, leaving to soaked. Neji moaned loudly as he finally opened his eyes, still holding his side.
"Are you okay?" Gaara asked, worried.
"I-I sat up too soon," Neji groaned.
"You're lucky you didn't tear open your wound," Gaara sighed. "Be more careful."
"I'm sorry," Neji murmured, his mind wandering back to the woman in his dream.
Frowning, Gaara looked down at his lover, noticing the sad look on Neji's face. The pain that he'd originally seen had disappeared and was replaced with an emotion that was much more heartbreaking.
"Is there anything else?"
Neji glanced up at him, extending his hand out to Gaara, who took it. Squeezing his lover's hand, Gaara stared at Neji with concerned curiosity.
"I had a dream," Neji murmured.
"About what?" Gaara asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Kemuri Umino."
"I don't think I-"
"-Iruka-sensei's aunt. My mother."
"Oh."
Leaning over, Gaara rested his forehead on Neji's, covering the black mark. He brought Neji's hand to his lips and kissed it softly.
"I'm just glad that you're awake."
"That bastard beat me up good," Neji sighed, glancing down at the bandages.
"He's in custody. You stalled him long enough for Kakashi to get him," the Kazekage said.
"Kakashi got it?" Neji asked.
Gaara nodded and Neji grinned.
"Good. That mother fucker deserves it."
"Who?"
"Both of them."
Iruka sat on his and Kakashi's bed, alone. The room was dark except for a single sliver of moonlight that filtered in through the open window, illuminating part of the former teacher's face. It was silent. Shinobu had fallen asleep hours earlier in his lap and, after helping Iruka put the boy to bed, Naruto had promptly left.
Hearing a door open somewhere else in the house, Iruka raised his head, looking in the direction of the bedroom door. He could tell by the nearly soft footsteps that it was Kakashi. A few moments later, the bedroom door opened and the silver-haired Jounin slipped into the room, closing it behind him.
"How is Shinobu?" Kakashi asked as he sat down on the bed beside Iruka.
"He's as well as anyone could be in his situation," Iruka sighed. "I never should have forced him to go outside. None of this would have happened."
"Don't blame yourself, Iru. You didn't know there would be another guy there," Kakashi whispered, lying down on his side.
"I still feel horrible about it," Iruka murmured.
He lay down beside his lover, staring up at the ceiling.
"I'm his father. It's my job to protect him-"
"-And you were doing just that. There are things in this world that not even the most stubborn of Chuunins like yourself can control."
Iruka chuckled a little and crawled over to Kakashi, pressing his body against the Jounin's. Kakashi placed one arm at Iruka's hip, running his hand down his beloved's thigh. Almost purring, Iruka snuggled closer and reached around to Kakashi's back, holding him close.
"How are you taking it?" the former teacher asked.
"I'm not completely sure yet. When Naruto came and told me what had happened, I froze. I didn't know what to do. This was the last thing that I wanted for our son," Kakashi admitted, sighing.
"But no matter what we did, it came anyway," Iruka whispered, feeling guilty.
"And now, it is in the past. There is nothing we can do about it."
The couple fell into silence, the only sound in the entire room being that of Kakashi's hand running along the fabric of Iruka's pants as he caressed his lover's thigh.
"I'll start training with Shinobu tomorrow."
Iruka glanced up at his lover and tried to smile.
"I think it would be for the best," he said as he rested his forehead against Kakashi's neck. "I've taught him the basics, but it looks like its time for him to get a new teacher. What I know cannot house his power anymore."
Kissing the top of Iruka's head, Kakashi ran his hand up Iruka's side and under his shirt. He ignored his lover's whimper of protest as he moved his hand to Iruka's stomach, feeling the taught abdominal muscles. Slowly, his hand traveled higher to his lover's chest, latching onto a nipple.
"K-Kashi, what are you doing?" Iruka moaned as Kakashi's fingers twisted lightly.
"You're being too hard on yourself. Let me distract you," Kakashi whispered in his lover's ear.
"But Ka-"
"-You said it yourself: 'it came anyway'. You did the best you could Iru and I thank you wholeheartedly for that. It's not your fault. Now, be quiet."
Iruka groaned again as Kakashi rolled him onto his back, fingers still pinching his nipple. Reaching down, the former teacher quickly pulled off his shirt, exposing his chest to Kakashi's hungry eyes. With a smirk, the Jounin latched onto the untouched nipple with his mouth, biting at the skin. Iruka writhed under him, hands clenching the sheets of the bed.
"I promise I won't go all the way, just like we decided," Kakashi whispered, his hot breath tickling Iruka's ear.
The former teacher only moaned in response, his groin tightening as Kakashi kissed his way down Iruka's chest. He stopped just above the waist of Iruka's pants, licking at the sensitive skin. His tongue traced the healing scar, making his lover shudder. As he slid his way back up Iruka's body, Kakashi let go of the abused nipple to trail his hands up both of the former teacher's sides. Moaning loudly, Iruka grabbed Kakashi's shoulders and rolled the Jounin on top of him. He spread his legs, rubbing his groin against Kakashi's.
"Still so eager," the Jounin chuckled when he felt the hard bulge beneath him.
"Six years of waiting does that to a man," Iruka moaned as he grabbed the back of Kakashi's neck, dragging him up to his mouth.
Their tongues met before their lips did, tangling together in midair. Kakashi slid his over Iruka's before they crushed their mouths together, giving the Jounin access to the inside of his lover's. He traced the ridges of the roof of Iruka's mouth with his tongue, gaining him a series of desperate purrs that Kakashi wished he could wear as medals. He loved it when Iruka made any sort of lustful sounds, but purrs were his favorite.
The couple ground their hips together, pushing Iruka's ass back into the mattress. Reaching around, Kakashi grabbed the two cheeks through his lover's pants, spreading them. He ground harder against Iruka's hips while also pulling him forward with his hands, completely catching the former teacher in his grasp.
"Kashi," Iruka gasped as Kakashi nipped his collarbone. "Take your damn pants off."
Grinning, Kakashi slid his hands down to the hem of Iruka's black cotton pants, slowly and seductively pulling.
"You first."
Yep. I am stopping it there. Terrible, I know, but no worries. We'll see more of them later . In this story, Kakashi is very careful with Iruka (how sweet) so it won't get too dirty until he feels that Iruka's ready for it.
To answer nequam-tenshi's question: Shinobu means "endurance" or at least that's one reading of it. I picked it because Shinobu is supposed to be what kept Iruka going when he was stuck in the Land of Snow for six years.