A/N:

Hi?

Ah I feel so miserable about posting so very late! SORRY!I really meant to update sooner, but I had decided for my own sake that I would only continue posting ifI had a beta-reader. But lucky Vicious-Loner came to my help! Thank you so much for beta-reading my story Vicious! ... erm... I should stop now before you can't hold the weight of my load of thanks -.-;;

anyway I hope to update now once every 2 to 3 weeks -nods-

now for the reviewers:

xCrAzYxGuRlx / jo: yaayI know, but I just get totaly weak for these drama thingies iiiieeeehh... forget that... and I luv KurenaiXAsuma so that's why they just have to be together haha. thanks about the vacation stuff and yes I had loads of fun ;;
shinycry : -cries along- I already said this, but yaayI know he's soooo poor! and you just have to keep reading my story to know what's going to happen next! I won't tell anything -seals mouth with strongest seal one can find!-
CuriousDreamWeaver : thanks for reviewing! and thanks for your compliment about my story -

last but not least: I just want to thank my grandfather cause he actually has gone to a publisher with my other story 'Frozen Time' andhe ordered about 10 books of it!
it's not really good at all, at least not the grammar and spellings and all but I love it anyway! I Love You Grandpa!

that said, now on with the story, enjoy!

Kuraku

Chapter 9:

The stated invitation

Kakashi woke up from his few hours of sleep when Iruka was trying to get out of his arms in his troubled sleep, murmuring and struggling forcefully.

Kakashi let his friend go and quietly got out of the bed.

It was still dark outside and when Kakashi looked at Iruka little alarm clock he understood why; it wasn't even six o'clock yet. He watched his friend tossing and turning and all kinds of thoughts stirred his mind.

One questionable thought stood out from all the others; what will happen to him now?

When he heard sounds from downstairs he decided to let his former thoughts rest for a little while until he knew what the noises were as he went down to look.

When he entered the dark living room he saw Dan sleeping on the ground and Nekita on the sofa. The noise he had heard was Dan snoring loudly. He had forgotten that the two adults were still in the house.

He felt a yawn coming up and while yawning he stretched his tense muscles.

When he heard a few of his bones give a cracking sound he let them fall down in satisfaction.

I should take a shower, now that I'm already up he thought and followed up his idea.

He knew that when Iruka would wake up, he would have to be there to support his friend, so he might as well be a little more relaxed than he now was.

He undressed in a slow pace and turned on the water, there was no to need to hurry, Iruka probably wouldn't wake up yet in a while.

As the hot water tickled his skin, he let his own feelings come to mind, his own sadness. After all, he had been closer to Iruka's parents than to his own. They were almost the parents he once had, but the days he had had those parents was long gone. Nowadays the arguments between them were starting to stir up again but with Taki, Kurai and Iruka supporting him, he never felt alone anymore. Though Iruka's parents didn't fully knew what truly was going on at his home, they did know he had some troubles with his parents and they had always been there for him, along with Iruka of course.

He smiled at the memories when they had been there for him and he felt pain sting his heart. The pain of loss.

Strangely enough, he couldn't bring up even one tear to flow. He had never lost anyone really close to him, but now, the loss just didn't feel real. Like it was some sort of weird nightmare. Like he would wake up any moment by his alarm clock screaming at him to get up, but he knew that that wasn't the truth. When the news got to him he had pushed all his emotions aside to survive that painful moment and to be able to support Iruka.

He couldn't even imagine how Iruka must've felt when the news struck him.

He himself was shocked to say the least, but for his best friend it had to been even worse. He had felt so obliged to support Iruka in this hard time, that without even thinking he had rushed off after Iruka, when he spurted away from the living room towards his bedroom.

The empty look in the deep brown eyes that he had seen only for a few seconds, were so different from before. He couldn't retrace any of his friend's cheerful self in them. Nothing, not even his shyness.

When he had washed and was a little more at peace, he turned off the water. He dried himself with a towel and got his old cloths back on, a loose white shirt, a pair of shorts and black jeans.

He dried his messy silver hair for the second time, just to make sure it wasn't too wet, so that the pillow he was gonna lie back on wouldn't get too soaked.

He didn't know what to do else, so he had decided to just go back to bed again, although he knew almost for certain that he wouldn't get any sleep. His body was aching for it, but his mind was set on Iruka and his parents and it wouldn't allow his body to go to sleep, since it had too many things to think about.

He silently entered the dark bedroom. The small blue rays of moonlight shone in through the window. The window wasn't covered by any kind of curtains, because the room hadn't been prepared for sleeping yet when Iruka entered last night.

Kakashi slowly reached Iruka's bed, as his own sleeping bag was still even downstairs.

He climbed in as carefully as he could, making sure not to wake his friend.

He laid down and began a train of thoughts about the events of last night, but was quickly interrupted.

Iruka had started mumbling and tossing and turning.

"Iruka…" Kakashi whispered as he laid one arm over Iruka's chest to get him calm down, though this only made Iruka struggle harder.

"Iruka, please wake up…" Kakashi almost begged in a whisper.

It was no use.

"Iruka, please…" Kakashi begged the struggling Iruka again.

Iruka tried hard to get away from any touch in the haunted nightmare he was currently having.

Kakashi held his friend tight, as he got kicks and strikes from all sides. He wouldn't let go, he couldn't let go. Iruka had done so much for him and he had promised he would pay him back.

"Please, Iruka…" it was barely a whisper, but as desperate as it could ever be.

And Iruka woke up, his eyes wide, fear flowing freely through them.

"Iruka?" Kakashi whispered as he held the now limp body of his friend tightly.

"Kakashi…" Iruka murmured. He felt the pain from the events of the night before come back again and that on top of his horrible nightmare he felt like he couldn't bare with everything anymore, but then there was Kakashi.

The same Kakashi he knew so well, the same Kakashi he had stood up for when they had just met, the same Kakashi who was always where the fun was.

It comforted him so much to just be able to lie there, protected and safe in his best friends' arms, crying over the great loss last night had brought.

Old tears flowed, new tears formed. Sobs filled the early morning's silence. Blue light shone over them and made Kakashi's pale skin look like white silk on a gloomy background. His silver hair seemed to almost glitter in the fairy-like beauty of the blue light from outside. It just all seemed so unreal except for the pain burning deep within his soul.

The pain was overwhelming even though he hadn't even fully gripped the situation yet. The sudden realisation finally hit him; he had lost his parents and there was no way to bring them back.

His quiet sobs got shoved away fiercely and he cried his heart out. Not caring who watched, not caring he was still in bed with his best friend, not caring he was crying like a newborn baby.

"It's okay Iruka, I'm here" a soft whisper made it through his loud crying.

His wet eyes looked up from where he was clinging desperately to the shirt of his silver-haired friend.

Kakashi's gentle gaze locked onto Iruka's pained one and that's how they stayed for many minutes. Neither one looking away, neither one caring how foolish they looked.

Their gazes finally got distracted by loud stumbles from the stairs.

The door flung open and Dan and Nekita were standing in doorframe. They both suddenly felt very uncomfortable and were fast to let each other go.

"What happened? We heard loud cries" Nekita asked worried.

Iruka looked away and although Kakashi couldn't see his face, he knew Iruka got a slap right in face from reality that instant.

"Iruka?" Kakashi asked, worry written all over his face.

Iruka didn't move or talked.

"Are you okay?" asked Dan.

Iruka still didn't move or talked, the only noise was the duvet half covering Iruka and Kakashi, moving slowly up and down by their breathings.

Kakashi laid his hand on the shoulder of his friend and it finally provoked a movement out of Iruka, but not a nice one, as he pushed the hand violently away. He then whipped his tears away and stood up, throwing his part of the duvet over Kakashi's head. The boy silently made his way out the bedroom and in the bathroom.

Kakashi wanted to follow him, but stopped, as he knew that Iruka was going to need some time alone now.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked beginning to feel terrible now too.

"What do you mean?" Nekita asked confused.

"What happened to his parents, how did they die exactly? I have a right to know, as his parents are closer to me as my own are" he looked seriously at them.

They heard stumbles on the hallway and only seconds later water getting turned on. "They… well they were driving around and… well, there apparently was this car… and, um… they pushed Iruka parents' car against the side of the road and, um… the car crashed with it's full speed against the crash barrier… like I said, they died instantly" Dan answered harshly.

He didn't like to put up that tone against such a young boy and certainly not about such a subject, but it was the only way he was able to tell the boy.

It surprised him that the silver-haired boy hadn't cried when the news struck him last night and that the boy could still put up such a cold face now. No emotions were visible and as hard as he tried to read the boy, it was no use.

"Kakashi, are you alright?" Nekita asked him worried and in response only got a nod.

"I'm glad they didn't have suffer" he said and the two grown-ups simply stared at him.

"Will you excuse me, I'll get dressed up and come out in a minute" Kakashi said as he threw the door in faces of Dan and Nekita.

Kakashi stood with his back against the door and let himself slide down.

One single tear made it's way down his soft cheek, but that was all he could manage to let go.

He had given up on crying a long time ago. When he hadn't met Iruka yet, when his life was still a lonely hell, when he would cry all day or night long about his parents' arguments.

But he felt like that time was over, Iruka and his parents had brought peace to his troubled mind. He at that very moment promised that in tribute to Iruka's parents he would not let another tear drop down his cheeks.

He pulled himself off the ground and undressed from his old cloths into the new cloths he had brought along: a dark sap green pair of trousers, a black shirt and his dark sneakers.

He slowly moved downstairs and saw Nekita and Dan sitting in the kitchen.

The sight of the kitchen suddenly made his stomach grumble loud. He had totally forgotten he still hadn't eaten anything.

He walked near the fridge and pulled it open looking inside for something edible.

"What are you doing kid?" Dan asked as he turned to look at the boy.

"Looking for food" he said irritated by the man.

"What for?"

"I haven't eaten anything since lunch yesterday."

"Oh" Dan said and turned back around.

"Can't you ever act like a normal living human instead of a cold zombie" Nekita scolded her companion as she stood up. "Here, let me make you something nice."

She walked over to Kakashi who walked away firmly, letting her show that he did not need any sympathetic looks or treatments.

If anyone needs some special care right now, it'll be Iruka, not me he told himself harshly as he sat down at the kitchen table.

By now the shower had turned into some kind of sauna as Iruka was overloading his body with the hot droplets coming from the showerhead.

His mind was empty, like his heart. It was like his whole damn world had suddenly decided to fall apart and all that right in front of his very eyes.

It was beginning to feel more and more realistic and less like a dream.

He let his head hang low and his wet hair followed the movement his head made. The hot water now trickled down his neck, his shoulder blades, spine, rear and further down his legs until it flowed away through the drain.

Iruka pulled his feet over the drain and the water couldn't drain away. It started to fill the bathtub, since the shower was built in the tub.

His wet hair was hanging around his face like a curtain and it made him feel a little better. He could see his mother's sad smile upon his own face as he looked at the reflection in the filling water below him in the tub. No matter where his parents had now gone too, they would always be there in his heart and within his genetic features.

He suddenly had enough of showering and turned off the water.

He slowly dried himself, got dressed but let his hair hang loose. When he exited the bathroom a familiar aroma filled his nose, the aroma of flapjacks. He followed the smell that led him into the kitchen, where Kakashi was about to begin on a whole pile of the small pancakes until he saw his pained friend.

Their gazes met and Iruka got lost in the dark eyes of his silver-haired friend, until Nekita spoke up.

"Um, would you like some flapjacks too Iruka-kun?"

Iruka looked up and nodded, lips a straight line.

She wondered how the two children could ever stay so cold, although she knew both of them must've been in horrible pains.

Iruka sat down and the boys shared Kakashi's pile of flapjacks.

After another shared pile of flapjacks, Iruka stood up.

"What will happen to me now?" he asked the two adults

"Um, we'll have to look if there are any remained relatives of you who wants to take care of you" Nekita answered, she looked worried at how cold Iruka was still acting.

"Don't trouble yourself, I know my parents will be happy to adopt Iruka" Kakashi suddenly spoke.

"Kakashi…" Iruka whispered out, as he was a little taken back by the words.

"I… well, I think we first have to talk that over with your parents"

"Fine, but as long as it takes to get Iruka a home, I demand he stays with me" he said firmly, letting Dan and Nekita know that there was nothing on the whole planet that could change his mind now.

Suddenly Iruka turned and began to exit the kitchen.

"Iruka where…" Dan began to ask but was cut off.

"I'm going to pack my stuff" he interrupted and with that he was gone.

Kakashi felt stronger now, Iruka trusted his judgement and was following his lead.

He left the kitchen to go look up his own bag, and although it was only just seven o'clock, there was nothing left in the house but memories. That was something neither of them needed right at that moment.

"I hope they'll be fine…" Nekita wished aloud, as she looked at the doorframe were only a second ago two pained boys had walked through.

"Me too…" Dan whispered in response, though he really was talking to anyone in particular.

"We can stay longer if you like" Kakashi whispered to his friend as they stood before the little cosy house of the Umino household.

"It's okay" Iruka turned as he faked a smile and Kakashi looked worriedly back at him.

With their bags packed they began to walk towards Kakashi's home.

Dan and Nekita had gone off because they still had important things to do, but not after the two boys had urged them to go and told them they would be fine.

They walked in silence, both lost in thoughts and with nothing to say it stayed quiet for about the whole trip until suddenly Iruka broke the silence with quite a pressing question.

"I-I…" he swallowed the new forming lump in his throat. "This morning I heard your question about my p-p… you know, how they died…?" Kakashi was a little surprised by the suddenly question.

"Yes" he looked down.

"Will you tell me?" Kakashi nodded, but in his mind he absolutely didn't want to tell, it was still so heavy on him and to tell his friend felt like a huge weight had settled itself upon his already burdened shoulders.

"They said there was this other car that pushed them to the side of the road and they crashed into the barrier" Kakashi said quietly in a guilty manner.

He hated the fact that his friend had chosen him to tell him this hard piece of information and therefore felt guilty that because of his words Iruka would feel even worse.

Iruka only nodded and though Kakashi couldn't see his face, as he was still looking down, he knew for certain that the news had hurt the brunet even more.

The rest of the way they stayed quiet and at Kakashi's house they just dumped their bags in the hallway.

For the rest of the day they stayed in the house watching TV, until the doorbell interrupted them.

A/N:

hope you like this new chappi, please review!