For the Sake of My Lover: IV

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Green foliage and dark shadows interspersed with sunbeams flew by on either side, all blending into one large blur that drew almost no notice from the ninja running through it. Hatake Kakashi was too preoccupied to allow himself even a glimpse of the surrounding beauty of the forests near his town. He was on a mission of revenge, and nothing would stand in his way.

For years now, his brother had remained lost to him, a dim, shadowy figure from years in the past. But now, he had come back into the Jônin's life; suddenly and unexpectedly he had struck, much like lightning, and disappeared from underneath his older brother's nose once again.

They had never gotten along. It was a fact. The two brothers, though of the same blood, had lost their sibling affections as they grew older, as their viewpoints and beliefs had become clearer. What had once been petty little squabbles, now turned into all out brawls and what had once been simple disagreements now turned into rather loud shouting matches.

Had there been parents to stop them and guide them, things may have turned out differently, but as it were, they had grown up practically on their own. The concept of discipline by parents was foreign to them as was the concept of family and trust. The only real teaching they received in their lives was the teachings of the ninja. Anything and everything they had learned had come from the Chûnins at their school and was drummed into their heads by beatings and discipline spells.

And so it was that while Hatake Kakashi excelled at his ninja training and slipped more and more into the ways of ninja life, his younger brother fell further and further behind, lengthening the gap between them.

Now, he must find his estranged brother again. He must find him and exact his revenge. Iruka was his whole world now and nothing was going to ruin that for him. He had just been able to discover what it was like to have someone love you and had just begun to learn to open up once again to another human being. The Jônin was not about to let that be stolen from him; he was going to protect the man that was his salvation with everything he had.

But to do this, he first had to leave Konohagakure Village and the Land of Tree and Leaf. He had to leave the place where he had lived and toiled for the past nearly fifteen years to go back. Go back to the place that held the worst memories of his life, the ones he had tried for over a decade to forget. He had to go back to Kumo no Kuni, the Land of the Clouds. He had to go back home.

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With a large yawn, Iruka opened his dark eyes and waited until they came into focus, quickly shifting them away from the plaster ceiling above his head and to the room in which he lay. It was Kakashi's bedroom. Kakashi's…bedroom…why was he…

With a strangled sound, he sat up quickly and bit back a shout as pain lanced through his arm. The memories of the day before came flooding back into his sleep-muddled mind and washed away the last traces of the dreams and apparitions that had haunted his sleep. Glancing down, he took in the seeming miles of bandages that were wrapped around his left arm and groaned as he tried to shove away the reason for them being there.

Shaking his head and closing his eyes once more, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself and meditated for a few minutes.

The warm morning sunlight slid over his pale skin like water and splashed garish color over the rumpled blankets that covered the bed and his crossed legs. The birdsong outside reached his ears through the open window and the curtains around it rippled slightly with the gentle breath of wind that breezed through the open space.

Sighing as he felt the wind's caress, Iruka opened his eyes and smiled to greet the morning. It was a beautiful day outside and he was ready to take on the world with Kakashi by his side. Everything would be okay as long as the Jônin was by his side; his arm did not matter, so long as Kakashi was there with him to help him get through this.

Stretching his right arm as he swung his feet down to the smooth wooden floor, the Chûnin yawned again and grimaced as his stomach growled in answer. I hope Kakashi has breakfast ready…

His feet made soft noises on the steps as he went downstairs, sliding in and out of sunbeams like cat with a kind of grace that only came with being a ninja. A small smile played about his lips as the smells of warming food tickled his nose and he unconsciously quickened his steps, not wishing to wait another moment before seeing his beloved.

"Good morning, Kakashi!" He began, slipping through the doorway into the kitchen. But the greeting died on his lips as he saw another man standing at the stove; another man that was not Kakashi. This man was short and rather fat and not of ninja rank.

"No, I'm afraid I'm not Kakashi," the man said, turning around with a smile on his kindly face. "I'm Tazumi Akito."

"What are you doing here?" Iruka asked warily. Warning bells went off in his head as he felt another twinge in his arm and winced slightly. Could this be someone else intent on injuring him?! Was this person also here for an attack? "Where's Kakashi?"

Chuckling, the man took a small pot off of the stove and put the contents in a bowl, bringing it over and setting it on the table by Iruka. "Calm down for a moment and let me look at your arm, it appears to still be causing you pain. I'm a Healer, so I'm not going to hurt you."

Relaxing a little, but not much, the dark haired ninja sank into a chair and began eating with one hand as the short man examined his left arm. Wincing a few times as Tazumi prodded at his arm, he nonetheless managed to finish his breakfast in record time and waiting patiently for the Healer to finish.

"Where's Kakashi?" he asked again, after several moments of silence.

With a sigh the man straightened up and moved away, taking the empty bowl with him. "I do not know. I was instructed to look after you until you were well enough to do so on your own and went back to your own home."

"You mean he's gone?" Iruka asked in a strangled voice.

Catching the look in the younger man's eyes, the Healer turned quickly and moved over to the Chûnin's side. "Calm down, Iruka. I'm sure he just left to get something-"

Standing up, Iruka stepped away from Tazumi, shaking his head. "No, he said he wouldn't leave. He would have been here when I woke up this morning…" Trailing off, the young ninja moved to the window and looked out at what had been a beautiful morning only moments ago.

The sunbeams now seemed to mock him instead of enrapture him and the warmth seemed to leer at him, to tease him with its falsely comforting touch. Sighing softly, he turned back to the small kitchen area and stared off into space for a few moments more.

"He must have had a good reason…" Iruka mumbled under his breath, trailing off as his thoughts drifted.

A polite clearing of the throat from Tazumi brought him back down to earth. Starting a little, he gave the Healer a false smile and crossed the room to the doorway. "I'll be getting my things and going back to my house now," he told the shorter man. "I still need to make it to school today to teach, so I had better get going."

"Are you sure?" Tazumi began. "Your arm-"

"Will do nothing to impair my teaching," Iruka interrupted him smoothly and went back upstairs.

In truth, he would not be able to do some of the spells and more complicated incantations with only one arm, but with Kakashi run off to goodness knows where, he needed something to keep him occupied. Anything that would keep his mind off the obvious danger that the silver haired man was getting himself into.

Sighing once more, Iruka slipped into his vest and ignored the birds that he had enjoyed so much earlier. The world lost its luster when Kakashi was away and nothing would change until he returned.