Title: Wishes Are Free
Author: Cheza-chan
Rating: R
Pairing: KakaIru, SasuNaru, SakuOC
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto—oh, I wish I did—but I own Kan'you, all the characters of the Hidden Wave Village. I own the Hidden Wave Village because I created it! I own the Hidden Wave Village's special jutsus, etc.
A/N: Ohohohohoho! This chapter came out quick, didn't it? Also, thank you Bomb-O-Maniac for pointing out my typo. "Sandaime Godaime", "Sandaime Hokage"—it all seems the same to me. And— :;twirls;: —the only reason Kakashi left Iruka because he had to return home and Iruka was incapable of movement; he wasn't even conscious. Anyhoo, I hope this chapter is suitable for you all!
Chapter Twenty-Seven – Propositions
The lone figure stood in the barren field, basking in the blood-red moon while surrounded by lifeless bodies.
"Akuma…" his soft voice whispered from beneath the smooth porcelain mask. That's what someone from the ANBU squad he'd been leading yelled out before they all left him. Why? Because, in less than thirty minutes, this one man had taken out the four missing-nins assigned to the entire team. It was because of anger, the man mused, his blood-covered katana dragging along the ground behind him.
He glanced down at one of the bodies and noticed a significant change about it: it wore an ANBU uniform. Raising a hand, he pushed his mask up and knelt.
Umino Iruka rolled the body over and instantly recognized the animal mask. His brown orbs regained some life and widened even. It wasn't possible. With suddenly trembling fingers, he grasped the smooth edge and lifted the canine mask away. His throat constricted at the sight of Kakashi's pale face covered in blood, and he felt the bile slowly rising as he continued to stare into the dark and empty mismatched orbs.
"Uso… Uso!"
‡‡‡
Iruka's screams shattered the hospital's silence. His doctor yelled out for a nearby nurse to contact the Godaime of Hidden Leaf before rushing to his side.
The Chuunin's chest heaved as he greedily took in air. The oxygen mask had proven to be useless and had been ripped away and tossed aside. Wide eyes stared at the shifting ceiling—he thought it was shifting. 'Kakashi…' "I killed him…" he croaked in a hoarse voice. "I killed them all…" More images returned to him and he witnessed himself taking the lives of the entire Team 7.
Iruka's hand shot out to snatch the man's wrist and he turned his head slowly to stare at him. The doctor nodded slowly, understanding the silent message being told to him, and he was released. The Chuunin gave a shuddering gasp after being left alone and raised his hand. He clenched it into a tight fist and tried to rid himself of the visions that kept haunting him.
Atsuko's voice had also remained inside his head. "A killer with a fear of blood."
He doubted he would get a proper night's sleep ever again. Closing his eyes, Iruka waited for the doctor or even a nurse to return so he could tell them he wanted to go home.
Tsunade had arrived back at her village once everything had been straightened out, only to find that Kakashi had requested a meeting with her. She decided to see them later that day and sent out her reply. The Godaime Hokage was sitting with her back to the door when Team 7 entered. Her legs were crossed and arms tucked behind her head. She would string out the meeting as long as possible because she wanted Sakura to show some sign of still living.
The pink-haired Genin stood motionless between the two members of her team; it was a place she had often enjoyed being, but now, it hurt. Kakashi had allowed her heart to be pierced by arrows of regret. Sasuke had both arms available at this point, but only one hand was tucked into his pocket. He stared blankly at the floor. Naruto's bandages and patches were also lessening.
The Godaime nibbled her bottom lip then turned in her chair to face the team, a devilish smirk on her face. Kakashi rolled his eye at the cleavage visible between the folds of her top and wondered if the woman possessed even a shred of modesty. "Kakashi-sensei, you arranged this meeting for what purpose?"
'Finally.' "I came to request a temporary disbandment of my team." No need to sugarcoat it.
"What are you—"
"Kakashi-sen—"
He clouted both blonde and brunet in the head to keep them quiet. "As you should know," the Jounin continued. "I only work with students that can always rely on each other. Besides, they've gone months without my expert training. They're no good." His eye curved into a high arc. "I'll gladly take them back in a year."
"A year!" Naruto screeched. "But the Chuunin Exams—" His eyes widened as Sakura's hand touched his own and almost pulled away out of shock.
"Granted!"
The kyuubi used his other hand to point a shaky finger at the cheekily smiling woman. "Oi! You seem all too happy to grant his request, Tsunade-no-baachan!"
"You'll never make it to Chuunin anyway," Tsunade sneered.
It hurt so much to continue touching him, but Sakura didn't want their punishment to become any harsher. Naruto clenched his hand into a fist and bit back his scathing retort. He returned the squeeze the girl had given his hand and slowly relaxed. Sakura stared at the Uchiha's hand tightly gripping hers. Even though she had taken his first, it still surprised her that he would react with more emotion than he'd ever shown her.
Her eyes remained dull and indifferent, as did her body language, but the young girl somehow felt a year might be just what she needed.
After seeing his students off, Kakashi returned to the Godaime's office as she requested he do. He was not the disobedient type and always up for a mission, but the one currently being assigned to him was far from what he'd had in mind. His mission was to return to the former Hidden Wave Village—now just the Wave Country once more—and retrieve Iruka.
Apparently, there was reason to believe he was ready to come home. It had been almost two weeks since leaving that place and he wasn't sure if his heart would be able to stand the sight of it or Iruka again. "Hokage-sama—"
"You're going," Tsunade sighed. "He needs this closure as much as you do. He needs to see your face… whatever he can of it." She gave a sheepish smile.
The Copy-nin gave a slight bow before walking out. He stuck his hands in his pockets and started his lonesome, tedious journey. The walk across the Great Naruto Bridge seemed as though it took hours and it turned out stepping onto soil that had been familiar just four months ago was more painful than he expected. The silver-haired shinobi sighed deeply as he passed the two houses he slept, ate, and bathed in, realizing that he'd never once been alone. The Jounin gave a muted grunt as a rushing young woman bumped in her hurry to make a delivery.
"Gomen nasai—You!"
Kakashi scratched his head, staring at the young face closely. "Mai, was it?"
"Hai!" Her brown eyes sparkled and a blush quickly covered her cheeks. "How have you been? And where's Iruka-sensei? Risa can't stop blubbering… for… him… Sensei?" She had finally noticed the difference between the man before her now and the one she'd met at the festival: he was now a man of Konoha.
"He's in the hospital," Kakashi replied stoically.
The flowers in Mai's arms seemed to wilt right along with her. "Oh. Okay… I guess I have to lie to Risa. Wouldn't want her to keep crying." She smiled weakly and started forward once again, but stopped.
Kakashi knew she was struggling with a few dozen questions, but she obviously chose not to ask them and he heard her hurrying footfalls move farther and farther away. He sighed and touched the ring dangling from his neck. 'Iruka…' The remaining distance to the hospital was uninterrupted, but that only made his worries and doubts grow in numbers.
The nurses behind the reception desk bowed their heads as he walked in; the message there was "go on up". Kakashi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He slowly climbed the stairs to the fourth floor after disappearing down the hall, and used each flight to sort through his thoughts. With his sorting unsuccessful, he met an ANBU member outside the door of Iruka's room. At the sight of the Jounin, the masked figure disappeared.
Kakashi reached for the handle, then curled his fingers away, shaking his head. He took a deep breath, released it, and pushed open the hospital room's door.
The doctor looked up for a brief moment then returned his attention to the task of getting Umino Iruka to stand with the help of crutches. The brunet shinobi offered the man a weak smile, teetering a little. The Copy Ninja rushed forward, but stopped as the younger man captured his one-eyed gaze.
"His voice hasn't been fully recovered, so he can't say much, but he managed to convey his need to stop by the house before heading back to Hidden Leaf."
Kakashi took lights steps in reaching the men, self-conscious as he felt eyes that have seen much more than his have scrutinize him. "Iruka…sensei."
The Chuunin took a hobbling step and managed a grin at his own state of weakness. But like Tsunade said, he hadn't been trained to die. He notched his head toward the door and the scarecrow nodded. Kakashi bid the doctor farewell for them both and the pair stepped out into the hall. At the pace they were going, it would be a while before they reached anywhere—which meant unwanted encounters and questions—and offering help wasn't an option.
§§§
Kakashi hovered nearby as Iruka settled onto the single bed in the Jounin's home. Tsunade had ordered him to house the young man until he could once again manage on his own.
"Skilled ninjas are also human beings," she'd stated with a smirk. "You of all people should know that."
'Whatever that means.' Kakashi shifted from leg to leg with a soft sigh.
The Chuunin—'Can he still be considered that?'—had yet to say a word, or even try to. Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck and felt his way back around to the front of the chain, fingering the ring that dangled there.
Iruka turned his head slowly, eyes locking on the ring. He raised his left hand and stared at the bare finger. The doctors had removed it and placed it in an envelope to have it sent to Kakashi in case he hadn't made it.
The deep, dark blue eye widened. "Where's your ring?" the scarecrow questioned, a tone of worry seeping into his voice.
The brunet tilted his head, baring and stretching the muscles of his neck, and cleared his throat. "In… an envelope…" Because of the time spent being bed-ridden, his bones had lost a considerably amount of meat, so he pointed a bony finger at one of the bags that had been brought from the Wave Country.
Kakashi knelt and opened it, pushing things around until there was a soft crinkle that could only be made by paper. He pulled out the envelope and tore it open. The small object fell out with a soft clink and he removed the letter.
"The nurse who wrote… She said I babbled and tried to get everything… organized."
The Jounin stiffened and sat on the floor with his legs crossed and began reading the letter to himself:
Kakashi. In the throes of death, I managed to realize how badly I wronged you. I lied continuously and tried to get you to bare your soul to me. I was the man in the forest. I killed that boy. Kakashi, it hurts. Several things can cause pain. Love causes it pain. It took four blades buried up to my ribcage for me to realize… I love you, Hatake Kakashi. If I die, the ring you bought me will instantly be delivered to you, along with this letter. My only regret would have been not being able to see the real you. Keep it warm and safe.
Kakashi crushed the paper in his tight grip and stood with his head bowed. Iruka tilted his head as he followed the other man's movements with his eyes. The Copy Ninja noticed the ring and picked it up before storming out of his own room and out of his own house.
'Kakashi…' The dolphin lowered his head.
§§§
Kotetsu entered the conference room to drop off his share of completed paperwork and stopped, sniffling softly. He stared at the thatch of silver hair bent over a section of the circular table and scratched his head. "Kakashi-sensei?"
"Aa?" came the gruff reply.
The Chuunin always seen with Izumo dropped the papers on the growing stack and strolled over to the Jounin, sitting on the edge of the table. "What brings you here?"
He'd wanted, for once, to be able to escape the grim reality of life, but solitude and silence was definitely a good thing—alone with his thoughts would be a nightmare. Going to the Academy kept him from thinking too much, but he hadn't hoped on being bothered. "I'm concentrating," Kakashi answered, his brush strokes swift and angry.
"How's Iruka-sensei doing?"
The scarecrow's hand came to an abrupt halt, the brush snapping. The younger man raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Aren't you supposed to be running an errand for the Hokage-sama?" the Jounin snapped, glaring at the other.
Kotetsu sniffed and raised his hands defensively, then left.
Kakashi sighed, unconcerned about the murmurs around him, and slammed his hand down atop the table. The ink bottle flipped onto its side and covered his work with silky smooth, jet-black liquid. 'Iruka.' He curled his fingers into a fist. 'Iruka…!'
The woman standing in the doorway smiled, a sad and faraway look in her eyes. "Sakura's sleeping right now. She told me what happened after she came back and I'm sorry." She was relieved. At least for a year, she knew her daughter would remain alive.
Naruto managed a small grin, but Sasuke remained emotionless. "Can you tell her we stopped by?" Naruto requested, blue eyes brightening as his grin broadened.
"I will," the woman replied, stepping back into the house. She closed the door, her tired smile slowly disappearing, and looked back at the couch where Sakura sat. The young girl had her knees pulled up to her chest.
Unless imminent danger threatened the entire village, life continued as it normally would, leaving certain shinobi to wallow in their depression. Naruto stopped as he realized he'd unconsciously brought them to the bridge where they always waited for a certain Jounin who could never be on time. Now they would no longer have to wait. The blonde fisted his hands at his sides. "It was my fault," he hissed.
"Naruto," Sasuke sighed.
"It was all my fault!" the blonde yelled, punching the bridge.
The brunet grabbed the wrist and stared at the bleeding knuckles with narrowed dark eyes. The kyuubi child avoided the hard gaze and glanced at the ground. The Uchiha pried the bloody fingers open and pressed the hand against his cheek with a small smirk.
Naruto's head snapped up. "Sasuke…"
"Sakura's betrayal wasn't your fault. It was our fault," he added sternly as Naruto tried to interrupt. "Neither of us gave her the rightful attention that she deserved. As of late, we acted as if she never even existed."
"Demo! Iruka-sensei…!"
"He was protecting all of us," Sasuke stated softly. Naruto's fingers tightened against the brunet's face. The Uchiha tousled the spiky golden hair with his clean hand and gave a casual smirk.
One thing about where they stood was that it limited their chances of being seen because of its distance from the town. Another thing that would have to change was the fact that their relationship was a secret. Even if they were both shunned for the remainder of their natural life, Sasuke hoped that just being with each other would suffice. He leaned in, tilting his head to brush his lips over Naruto's, and sighed softly after pulling back. "I have a proposition for you."
"I'm not in the mood to sleep with you."
"No."
Naruto whimpered, rubbing his abused cranium. The ebony-haired Genin sighed and decided that was it; their relationship would be strengthened or broken. He moistened his fingers with spit and wiped the drying blood from his cheek, then took Naruto by the elbow with his much cleaner hand.
"Sasuke…" The blonde kyuubi shrunk against his lover's side as they slowly moved through Konoha to get to the Uchiha's home.
Sasuke's hold on Naruto's waist tightened and he turned his head to place a kiss to the top of the golden locks. "I'll never let you go," he reassured the boy.
The villagers didn't take too kindly to the scene happening before them.
"Isn't that the Uchiha boy?"
"It's so sad seeing him associate himself with that…"
Naruto tried to run, but Sasuke held him tight as he had promised.
"I think it's sick. Besides, they're two boys."
"Urusai na," Kiba drawled, irritating by the woman's idle and demeaning chatter. Also, their last statement had struck a nerve in him. "That has saved your ass tons of time. He respects you despite what you've done to him so you should learn to show him some respect," he snapped, canines bared. The Geniin walked out to join the pair, a broad grin now spreading across his face. The women scowled after him.
Shikamaru came from the other side of the street, shooting the villagers his own glare. In just a few short minutes, Sasuke and Naruto had the support of every shinobi they had been in class with.
Naruto raised his head and scrubbed at his tearful eyes with a grin. He blinked, eyes going wide, and followed the hand slightly tousling his hair to see it belonged to the Hyuga genius. Hinata waved from beside her cousin.
Friends. He had such great friends.
§§§
"Move in with you?" Naruto stomped over to where Sasuke calmly stood, fists clenched at his side. "When you said proposition—well, first I thought it was sex, but then you dragged me through Konoha. Now you want me to move in with you!"
Sasuke dropped his hands from his ears. "Why do you screech like that? You sound like you're being tortured by the Lord's wife."
The blonde remembered that stupid cat Tora they had to return and scowled, crossing his arms.
"Look," the brunet sighed. "You should know that the Uchiha was a big family. This house belonged to… my mother, father, myself, and… What I'm trying to say," Sasuke snapped. "Is… I get…"
"Get?" Naruto prodded, squinting at the other boy. A grin tugged at his lips.
"Lonely!"
"Sure, I'll stay!"
Dark eyes widened and Sasuke found himself falling after the blonde tackled him.
"Will you make me ramen?" Naruto purred.
"No!" the brunet yelled.
"Bakayero!"
"Urusai!"
Loneliness for the pair was no longer a factor now, and neither was silence.
