For the Sake of My Lover: VI
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The sun shone through the clouds for a moment, splashing golden light across the path in front of Kakashi, then disappeared again, leaving momentary warmth in its wake. Sighing, the Jônin ruffled his hair and grumbled to himself—he had forgotten what it was like to live like this—half in the shadows and half out. He had gotten so used to the warm sunny days of Konohagakure that this half-hearted sunlight was almost depressing.
And then there was the fact that Iruka wasn't there. Things seemed brighter, the clouds less foreboding when the Chûnin was near. He had been gone a week and still nothing on the whereabouts of his traitorous brother. It was beginning to bother him…what if Saizou had returned to Konohagakure Village and gone after Iruka again…only this time…
Tossing his head to clear it off both the thoughts in his mind and the hair in his eyes, the 26-year-old Jônin sighed and made the decision to leave his hometown. True, his old friends and neighbors had been very warm and receptive, and Kakashi had even met his old Chûnin teacher once again, but this was getting him nowhere and all he wanted right now was to return to Iruka.
The farewells took him longer then expected, and as such, it was early afternoon before he was able to start his journey back home. As he walked down the rocky mountain path, he was reminded of one other place his brother might be hiding…but it was another place he hadn't seen in years, and now he doubted it was even still there.
And yet his feet took on a life of their own as they trod the path, turning off at the hidden entrance and slipping into a small crevasse that led to a hidden valley on the other side. Ancient trees and tall grass covered the floor of the bowl shaped indentation and Kakashi found that a small smile was trying to steal its way across his face.
'I wonder if it's still there…?' His mind raced as he tried to remember exactly which tree the tiny tree house had been built in. He counted the largest of the old trees, and upon coming to the third from the left, paused. Yet it was not memory that triggered his response, but something else…
The Jônin barely had time to summon up even a little of his own Chakra before a small blur flew past his field of vision and he was presented with a sight that had been absent from his vision for the past 15 years.
"Welcome, brother."
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Fidgeting, the students glanced around the room, waiting to bolt for the door the moment they were done.
Iruka was staring out the window listlessly, as he had often done the past week. His eyes were unfocused and his non-bandaged fingers drummed idly on the desk. The sun was slowly sinking towards mid-afternoon outside and he started upon seeing its position.
Turning back to his students, he forced a smile. "You're dismissed."
The thundering of feet faded from his ears less then 30 seconds later, and he found himself alone once again with his thoughts. Sighing, he pulled his tired body to its feet and headed for the door. There were no papers to grade because he had barely taught for the past week. There was no test to plan for because his students hadn't learned anything new. In short, class was at a standstill and though the man knew it, he couldn't do anything about.
Kakashi's plight weighed heavy on his mind, squashing all the other half-formed thoughts in his head before they could take root. The only thing on his mind was his beloved; there was simply no room for anything else. The fact that he might lost his job or worse never even occurred to him.
And for the seventh time that week, he returned home alone to his empty, dark house. Sighing again he shut the front door behind himself and slumped against it in misery. "Come home soon, Kakashi…"
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"It's been a while, Kakashi."
Whirling to follow the dark blur, the Jônin's lips twisted in a snarl beneath the black fabric of his mask.
The blur finally settled on the ground about ten feet away, shaping itself into the form of a man slightly shorted than Kakashi and slightly more muscular. White hair fell into eyes that were exactly the same as the older man's, dark and mysterious. Scarred hands rested on narrow hips and a sneer crossed a face that may have once been similar to the Jônin's, but was now so distorted by hatred it seemed the face of a demon.
"Saizou…" the silver haired man whispered, shifting immediately into a protective stance, preparing to fight.
A laugh as cold as his eyes left Saizou's lips as he saw his brother's actions. "I see you still do not trust me, brother, though I can't say I blame you."
"You hurt Iruka," Kakashi replied calmly, keeping his famous cool even when faced by the person he hated most in this world.
"Iruka? Oh, is that his name? You little cocksucker. I never would have thought my own brother would be a fag. You've managed to surprise me even after all this time…" The shorter man's voice was contemptuous and chill; no trace of brotherly love or family connection was found in it. "But I suppose it is none of my business who you sleep around with, be it man or woman. Either way, I would have tried to kill them, regardless of gender."
Kakashi ignored the insults spewing forth from his younger brothers mouth with ease; the two had taunted and insulted each other ever since they were old enough to talk. This was nothing new. But what the other brother didn't realize was that he trod dangerous ground by talking about Kakashi's lover. While he did not care what was said about him, if someone talked down on Iruka, the Jônin wouldn't hesitate to attack.
"Anyway, I was surprised once more to find out you came after me. It appears that man really did mean something to you…at that time I was merely wondering how much you were paying him…"
Fire raced through his body at the tone and words the younger brother used against the Chûnin.
"Ah well, even if you were just paying him to share your bed, I would have kept coming back and kept on hurting them to draw you out here…to bring you to me."
"And why did you want me to come all this way out here?" the Jônin asked, nearly shaking with angry energy.
Saizou blinked. "To kill you, dear brother, of course. To kill you."
The final straw was added to the camel's back, and it broke in a stream of chakra from both parties as they lept for each other's throats.
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Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Anyway, thanks so much for being patient. Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoyed it! Feedback is craved…
-SanoGirl
Oh by the way…I'm going to try and update this more regularly from now on. Hopefully I'll even have it finished soon! Once again sorry for the wait!