Unforeseen Problems
A reflection piece dedicated to my father and the troubles he's faced through life.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of them but the versions that live in my head. Kishimoto-sensei is a genius in my mind.
- One Shot -
The strong stand tall and hold fast. But it is the weak that must lead when the strong fall.
Pale hands trembled as they tried to hang onto the smooth porcelain made slick with sweat. His tired body wanted nothing more than to just lay down and go back to sleep, but he was reduced to holding it up till his stomach stopped twisting and wanting to be rid of all contents. There always seemed to be side effects to everything. Like having a stomachache just because you haven't eaten in two days do to not being able to digest food properly anymore. Than, as always, more problems follow when one starts.
His stomach gave another dry heave telling him it was finished, but it had left him too tired to drag himself back to bed. Coughing weakly he laid his forehead against a cold arm and closed his eyes to sleep there on the bathroom floor, propped against the toilet.
"Kakashi?"
He didn't bother to move or pretend there was nothing wrong; there was no point in it anymore. The medics already knew, and they would soon tell the Hokage. The secret was out. The whole village would probably know about his condition by the end of the week. He was going to be demoted again, if not retired early. Missing a week of missions would definitely not go over well with the elders, no matter what the excuse was.
Iruka slid in, wordlessly going through the routine of helping Kakashi up to where he could wash out his mouth and clean up before stumbling back to bed. Kakashi hated feeling like he was chained to the two places: bed and toilet. He was even unable to stand the sunlight for long periods of time anymore. It burned his skin.
"Get some rest." Iruka's smooth voice fluttered over his ear. "I'll pick up some Osuimono during lunch. Maybe that will help." Kakashi felt the touch of his lover's lips on his cheek. "Don't worry. We'll get through this together."
They were such simple words. It was hard to think that they could hold the tapering ends of his life together. But they were. In his mind if Iruka felt they could get through this, then they would. Even if there was no cure or complete relief of the symptoms, the least he could do was fight on like the stubborn person he use to be…no, the stubborn person he is.
Yes, once he was better he was going to take a day and teach Naruto about good nutrition. How could the boy get away with no problems while eating only ramen and milk for so long? That was one secret to life the jounin wished he could figure out. And then, maybe he could convince Sakura to quit her silly diets. All she needed to do was get out in the field some more rather then cut back on meals. He had always promoted a good diet, but now after experiencing the effects of low nutrients and going for days without food, he knew he needed to promote it even more. But they have choices he would never get again.
Kakashi slowly inched a hand over and hooked a finger onto his lover's vest. Iruka stayed put as if the one finger could stop him from leaving. They stayed silent for a long time before Iruka held the cold hand and untangled it from his vest before moving away. "I need to get to class."
"Iruka?" Kakashi called in a scratchy voice.
Iruka stopped at the door to look back at him.
"Thank you."
They would get through this, together.
The strength of body is such a fleeting thing, but the strength of heart can go on forever.
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Notes:
Osuimono – a clear broth. It's very good. At least I like it anyway. My Dad's not one to try new things but he usually eats a soup similar to this and jello. I would have used jello, but I wasn't sure if they would have that in Konoha.
This was a small one shot in response to a challenge posted on the KakaIru LJ Community by creepycrawly. Hope you all enjoyed.
My dad was diagnosed with a more sever case of Crohn's disease when he was 19. He's been battling it for over 20 years now and winning. Crohn's is an odd disease that some know about, but most don't know that it can be different for each victim. For my dad, he is restricted to a very small variety of foods and light exercise. The side effects are those of flue symptoms, being easily susceptible to other common diseases, weakness of the muscles and veins, and cause skin malnourishments. He's always smiling and acting as if it's nothing even though I know he's in a lot of pain. I am very proud of him.