Chapter 26: Silence
"Iruka!" Kakashi shouted in a startled yelp. He found himself pinned against the wall, two hands holding his arms awkwardly against the vertical surface and one firm knee pinned directly between his legs. This sudden strength was amazing, Kakashi found himself almost at Iruka's mercy, they were nearly equal now, or at lest close enough to look that way.
"Iruka! What's wrong with you!" Kakashi pushed against him as hard as he could, and Iruka did the same. Kakashi could feel Iruka's strength wavering a bit, he was still subtilty stronger and removing Iruka's leverage slowly, painfully slow. He found himself staring fearfully into those darker eyes, at the complete look of wildness or madness on the other man's face, and those fangs.
Iruka, who was easily strong enough to hold Kakashi there for at lest a little while, let out another hiss like growl and leaned forward towards Kakashi's neck with mouth wide. Kakashi flinched when he felt the fangs grazing his neck and the small, cool suction of Iruka pulling in a deep breath. Seemingly removing some unknown veil from the man with that small action, a smoky aura of light surrounded Kakashi, his Chakra.
And as soon as he saw it Kakashi realized what was happening 'He's gonna...I'm sorry Iruka.' Kakashi thrust his head forward painfully into Iruka, mentally wincing when he heard the sound of the black metal of his SDI inscribed forehead protector pounding into the other man.
Iruka reeled back slightly in pain, the beginnings of blood forming from the point of impact, then with a odd hiss that sounded like dispelling air and buckling steel, Iruka practically dived at Kakashi's neck. "!"
"Iruka!" Naruto came from out of nowhere, diving into Iruka's side and knocking the man painfully off balance. They both came crashing to the ground, Naruto landing atop the unexpectant Iruka. The blow only served to increase the severity of Iruka's dizziness, it became so bad that the man couldn't find the orientation to even sit up. "What's wrong with you Iruka!"
Kakashi pushed himself uneasily off the wall, looking down at Iruka who everyone was gathering around or in front of defensively. His eyes inanely drifted up to the Devil who stumbled backwards against the adjacent wall, clinching it's head tightly.
It moaned in pain, keeling over with clinched eyes. Slowly but surely the ivory horns atop it's head grew longer, curving backwards over it's head to just barely past the ears. It's already formidable muscles didn't grow mass as last time, but grew more tone, more definition, more density, subtilty increasing it's strength substantially. More surprisingly, short brown hair spawned atop it's, the same tone, the same color, exactly like Iruka's, it was Iruka's. Inside of it's mouth fangs grew, about to the length of Iruka's, extending just over it's bottom lip.
The Devil's wings fell open and the black feathers began to fall away, new, longer ones grew in their place. Nearly falling, the Devil flapped it's wings and lifted into the air, disorientedly bursting through the ceiling.
"Should we try to catch it?" Sasuke ran underneath the newly created hole, lifting his arm over his forehead to block his face from falling debris as he peered upward. He could see the sky.
"We have more important things to think about!" Naruto finally lifted himself off Iruka, taking a step back as he watched the man clinch his head and roll to his side almost nauseously. "What's happening to him?"
"I don't know." Kakashi knelt down beside the man and planted his hands on Iruka's shoulder, then he forcefully pushed Iruka on to his back. "Iruka, Iruka!" Kakashi struggled to hold him still and keep him on his back. 'Iruka...' Kakashi climbed on his knees over Iruka, staring down at him. He saw the fierce look, the aggressiveness in Iruka's face faded into the surprised, fearful expression he'd before, only it was more intense. Iruka's body began trembling beneath Kakashi, the burgandy, blood tented eyes wide and shaking, his breathing became little more then a desperate gasps. And Kakashi could feel his heart pounding though his pulse no matter where he touched him.
"What? What is it?" Konohamaru saw the fearful expression on Iruka's face and began looking around, he didn't see anything to be afraid of. "What are you so afraid of?"
"It's no use asking." Gaara shook his head, standing above Kakashi a completely dishartened. "He won't say anything."
Iruka's shaking body began to grow limp and his trembling eyes slowly drifted close, the dizziness finally became overwhelming, the nauseous stirring in his stomach became too much, and he weakly blacked out.
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The morning hours passed and night came quickly today, time seemed to move fast, minutes turned to hours before anyone realized it.
Iruka lay unconscious in Neji's study, laying almost peacefully across the bed, under the warmth of the covers. Kakashi sat faithfully at his side, slumping lazily in his chair with an elbow resting against the top of the backrest behind him. He sat patiently, his forehead protector hiding his Sharingan eye while his visible one peered through the window.
At the moment he didn't feel too worried, maybe it was because it was three in the morning and he was tired. He didn't feel bored, despite the fact he'd been sitting here for hours with nothing to do. He simply watched and waited, and so far he was doing so in vain. Iruka hadn't made so much as a move since he passed out. The only good thing Kakashi could look too was that he was alive.
"I don't understand Iruka, why don't you speak to me?" Kakashi sighed, it had been a full day since he found Iruka in this way, the only time Iruka seemed to be at peace was in his sleep. "Why don't you say anything, why don't you want to talk?" The man buried his hand into his hair, shifting around his elbow on the back rest. He didn't understand any of this, "What's happening to you..."
It didn't matter if Iruka was awake or not, he wouldn't get an answer either way.
He was less worried about Iruka's non-speech, his main concerned was his behavior, which Kakashi was sure was related to Iruka's physical change. It wasn't a drastic one, or a big one like Kiba's or Naruto when the Kyuubi's influence took place. His eyes drew a tent of red, turning the soft brown eyes a burgandy color, and two fangs grew. He became so different, he looked as if he couldn't see out of his open eyes, they weren't even focused, but Iruka had pounced on him as if he could perfectly. And he attacked him, he was like a wild animal, and Kakashi was actually afraid when he looked into Iruka's unfocused eyes.
But who wouldn't be. And what exactly had Iruka been doing anyway?
"Iruka..." Kakashi looked away, tilting his eyes over to the window again. It was a clear night, not a cloud in the sky, the stars were bright over a blanket of dark blue."Things are never simple around here. I went on just about every mission with you, how could this have happened?" Iruka didn't go on as many mission as the rest of them, being the manger of a growing company occupied most of his time.
Kakashi glanced curiously at the door as he heard the knob turning and the door creeping open. Neji trudged in, upright as usual, but a visible slump was in his form from tiredness. Gaara was behind him, looking indifferent as usual, but he was used to not sleeping. "Kakashi, your still awake." Neji said with light surprise. "It's pretty late."
Kakashi pushed himself up strait. "Find out anything?"
"A few useful things." Neji sat down at his desk, pulling his chair around towards Kakashi. "I wasn't sure before, but after seeing Iruka's transformation of appearance, and the demon that most likely did this to him, I'm pretty sure Iruka has Type 3- Blood tainting."
"What does that mean?"
"The trembling is a symptom, anxiety too, that must have been why he started fighting when you tried to move him." Neji explained. "About 24 hours later comes muscle weakness, 36, nausea and dizziness, then loss of self control, and a sate described basically as insanity. The only resolutions are death and or irregular cell mutation, then after that drastic changes in behavior, tendencies, things of that nature."
"Cell mutation huh?" Kakashi leaned forward and glanced at the sleeping Iruka. "Like fangs and different color eyes?"
Neji shook his head. "I don't know, this is all coming on much too fast."
"That demon." Gaara said, his generally voice was a surprise between the two. "It was doing something to him."
"Yeah, it was wasn't it." Neji remembered, looking up through the dark room thoughtfully. "It said something about him changing, it obviously was talking about the blood tainting, and it also said it couldn't wait until it was done. Whatever it did must have sped up the process, he attacked Kakashi, that must have the insanity symptom."
"Or the change in behavior that comes after it's all finished." Gaara added.
Not a pleasant thought. "He hasn't said anything since last night, is that a symptom also?" Kakashi asked.
"Actually no." Neji shrugged. "I don't know why he hasn't said anything. It's not related at all."
Kakashi rubbed his hidden eye through the forehead protector, staring at Iruka "So..why?" He didn't understand this. "Why isn't he saying anything? Why isn't he talking..."
"I don't know, maybe there was something he didn't want to say, or he just didn't want to talk. " Neji shrugged. "The bad news is there is no way to really stop it, we could try to give him some medicine for the symptoms but..."
"What?"
"I don't know about that, we don't know what type of cell mutation is taking place, his body is changing and doing that could make any number of reactions happen to him that wouldn't necessarily have happened before." Neji told him disappointedly. "Even worse whatever that demon did to him it looks to be speeding up the process, it might be too late to do anything but wait."
"Wait for what?"
"A level of cell mutation has already taken place, the best we can do is wait and see if he wakes up."
Gaara's expression visibly downcast when he heard that, could Iruka actually die? And even worse, would he still be the same if he did? "If he wakes up...Will he be alright? He attacked Kakashi, he wasn't himself."
"I don't know." Neji could do nothing more now, that was all he knew.
"Are you sure it's this?" Gaara asked, a clear hope in his words. "Are you sure it's not something else, he's not talking at all, that has to be caused by something." Gaara hoped Neji was wrong, that it wasn't this, that Iruka had something more treatable, that would give him some chance of returning to normal.
"I wish it wasn't but, it is. There is no physical reason for Iruka not saying anything, I think he just doesn't want to talk."Neji told him.
Gaara sighed, his eyes drifting down to the ground. "I don't know...he looked like he wanted to say something to me..." Earlier when Gaara tried to talk with Iruka, he seemed somewhat normal for a while, and the look in his eyes. He seemed like he wanted to talk, like he wanted to say something but he just couldn't get it out.
"Then, I guess we can only wait."
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Kakashi lifted his hand over his mouth as a yawn made it drift open and inhale deeply. His eyes slowly opened to the familiar and sun soaked settings of Neji's study. "Mmm..." Kakashi pushed himself upright in his chair and sleepily gazed around. Neji was still sleeping, sitting across the room with his head resting on his desk. Gaara was still awake, sitting on the ground with his back against the wall and his arms resting on drawn up knees. He just sat there, watching Iruka faithfully.
Kakashi couldn't help but wondered what Gaara possibly did staying awake for that long?
"Gaara?"
Gaara didn't look at him, he just continued to peer at Iruka, barely even blinking. Kakashi debated if he was even paying attention to his sight anymore. "Kakashi." He said acknowledgingly.
He wondered what Gaara thought about for that long period of time, what else was there to do? "Any change?"
"None."
Kakashi sighed, maybe this would be longer then he hoped. 'Damnit..' He was starting to feel like Gaara, wishing he could do something more then wait. Usually he was rational enough to do it, but this wasn't exactly a ration situation. 'Iruka please wake up...'
"Kakashi?" Gaara said with some reluctance, his eyes still focused on Iruka. "What if he wakes up but he's not himself, what if he's still the way he was?" He didn't know what it would actually be like when Iruka woke up, was that state of mind just temporary?
"I don't know..." Kakashi could only shake his head unsurely, he hoped not, he really hoped not.
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Another day passed and nightfall came, with time still nothing changed, Iruka never made so much as a single move.
Naruto pushed open the door silently, peeking inside Neji's study from the library. He felt somewhat like a failure coming back in here, he was almost hoping no one else was in this room, then maybe they wouldn't ask.
Naruto slipped inside of the room, leaving the door open behind him as he walked across the dark area towards the sleeping Iruka. There didn't seem to be anyone else here, Neji and Kakashi had gone, for the moment at lest, and all that remained was Iruka... And Gaara, still siting in the same spot beside the door, seemingly with nothing else more important he needed to take care of.
"Naruto?" Gaara looked up at Naruto, then with remembrance his eyes gained some hope. "Did you find anything?"
Naruto sighed, he'd been looking for a day strait, and a good part of yesterday, for some thing that would remotely help Iruka. Something that would cure him, which was so unlikely that even Naruto could see that, something that would at lest slow whatever was happening, something that would ease the symptoms, anything. "Not a thing." He said, dropping his head with disappoint at his own failure. "Has...has he done anything yet?"
"No." Gaara shook his head.
Naruto could have almost been fooled, Iruka looked so peaceful that he could mistake him for just being asleep. Maybe this was a good sign? Maybe he was at peace, maybe whatever made him do what he did passed and he would wake up soon... On the other hand, maybe it wasn't a good thing when someone slept for so long and didn't even at lest make a single move. Maybe he was comatose, maybe he couldn't move.
"I can't do this..."
Gaara could just see Naruto rubbing his eyes furiously with the sleeve of his jacket before the other boy forced himself to lift his head. "What?"
"Maybe it's like Neji said and there's no use." Naruto turned around, his face tensely strait, but it could still be seen he had been crying, and still was fighting not to. "But I can't just wait around, I have to do something, I have to help Iruka."
"..." Gaara was obviously more accepting of Neji's news, despite the fact inside he felt the same way Naruto did. So he didn't say anything, he didn't contradict Naruto.
Naruto crossed the room with quick steps, pushing his way out of the door and back into the library.
"Naruto..."
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Morning came for the third time since Iruka's symptoms started, and it wasn't as bright as it had been in previous days. The sky was cloudy and overcast, a slate gray with even darker clouds drifting around on slightly stronger winds. Little light came through, leaving patchy with shadows anywhere the dim illumination from the window didn't reach completely.
Kakashi sat in his usual spot beside Iruka's bed, Gaara was gone though, he'd managed to pry the boy out of the room and made him find Naruto and go to sleep.
...Burgundy eyes drifted open with sleepy confusion, the last bits of sleep fading as their vision sharpened into place. Iruka laid there for a few seconds, while his mind compiled itself and he started to remember things... And he remembered everything, a chill shook it's way along his spine and he bolted upright with shock when he remembered the last thing he did. His mind stared to race and his heart pounded, he couldn't breath! He found himself gasping, struggling for air that only seemed to remotely reach his lungs if he breathed hard enough.
'?' Kakashi's eyes slowly opened, hearing the rustling of movement somewhere close. At first he thought it was Gaara returning, he was worried enough to comeback.
But after a few seconds he became more aware and realized what direction it was coming from. Kakashi pushed himself upright in his chair and looked around the room, no trace of Gaara... "Iruka!" Kakashi almost couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the man sitting up, it wasn't how imaged him waking up but he'd take it. "Your awake!" Kakashi quickly pushed himself on to his feet and ran over to the side of Iruka's bed.
Iruka flinched when he realized Kakashi was there, but he barely took notice even then, his mind was too preoccupied with the flooding memories of the events that transpired. "..." Iruka looked up at Kakashi, his eyes frantic with surprise and his body starting to tremble again, he looked as if he didn't know what to do. "..." Iruka winced slightly when he felt himself bite his tongue, he seemed surprised when he felt the same tongue in the same mouth brushing against something completely different. "!" He immediately clasped his hands over his mouth when he realized what they were...
"Iruka." Kakashi didn't know what to do, Iruka was afraid, frantic, like he didn't know where he was, all of this was new and frightening. "Iruka calm down, what's wrong?"
Iruka looked up at him like a frightened child, his eyes afraid and pleading, he seemed like he wanted to say something to Kakashi, but he was simply too scared to make a sound. "..."
"Iruka, please, just talk to me..." Kakashi half begged, he couldn't take this, Iruka was in such bad shape, he wanted to know what was wrong,what he could do. "Tell me, what's wrong?"
Iruka's movements became more frantic, his shaking body trying to articulate something that just wouldn't come out.
"Iruka, what is it?" Kakashi was starting to grow frustrated, he had to do something, Iruka just wouldn't let him know what, he wouldn't make a sound. "Say something, what's the problem?"
He...couldn't, he just couldn't, he didn't know why or how, but he couldn't."..." Iruka looked away, his hands clinching his head tightly as if this was all to much, silent tears forming in his eyes.
Kakashi felt like Iruka must have right now, wanting to say so many things but it just wouldn't come, Kakashi wanted to help, and if he only knew what was wrong... "Iruka..." Kakashi sat down on the bed beside Iruka and wrapped his arms the shaking man, pulling him into a strong embrace. "It's alright...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push you."
Iruka seemed to hide almost, holding his hands over his face as more tears came and more trembling made it's way through his body. His shoulder shook with soundless sobs, the only noise he made was of his heavy breaths.
Kakashi didn't understand this at all, if there was nothing physically wrong with him, then why couldn't Iruka talk? Even if he didn't want to say anything to Kakashi, not making a single sound when he was crying? There had to be something wrong...
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I should have realized something was wrong with you earlier, I never should have even let you fight that thing in your condition."
He didn't know if Iruka was hearing word of what he was saying. Iruka just shook in his arms, crying...
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"He's awake?" Neji could barely believe it, he didn't know why, but he didn't think he'd actually wake up so soon. "How is?"
"Terrified, shaken up." Kakashi said, leaning against the wall beside the door of Neji's study. " He's been awake for about an hour and a half, he hasn't made a sound or anything yet."
Neji sighed, rubbing the back of his neck softly as he glanced up to the second floor balcony where Naruto sat with his legs crossed and a book in hand. "He hasn't attacked you or done anything like that yet has he?"
"No."Kakashi denied. "He's sleeping again, your the first person I've told."
"I should go check up on him then." Neji grabbed he handle of the door and slowly pushed it open, trying to make as little sound as possible when he entered, watching the light from the larger room outside creeping into the shadowy area inside.
Neji walked over to the side of the bed where Iruka was laying with his back to them, curled into a fetal position like before. He'd moved, that was good. "..." Neji lent forward, planting an arm the bed to hold himself up as he pushed himself over Iruka, reaching out for his chin with his other hand. Just as he was about to check the man's pulse, Iruka slowly uncurled from the ball he was in and rolled over on to his back. They both found themselves staring curiously at each other. "Iruka?"
Apparently Iruka hadn't been as sleep as Kakashi thought.
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"Is he really awake?" Naruto nearly shouted, he immediately was filled with an overwhelming excitement. He woke up, then he was alright! "Is he ok?"
"Keep it down." Kakashi prompted. "He's asleep again."
"Can I go in and see him?" Naruto asked hopefully.
"Yeah."
Naruto's face beamed with a happy relief, Iruka was ok, he was ok. The release of all of that anxious tension was almost overwhelming, it brought on another type of anxious energy in itself, he could almost cry. Naruto forced himself to be calm when he pushed open the door and walked inside the room, he was even more delighted to see that the man was awake again.
"Iruka!" Naruto ran over to Neji's side, looking over the two carefully. "Iruka your ok!"
Iruka only looked up at Naruto and blinked, his eyes still holding the desperateness of a needy child as they had when he looked up at Kakashi. Like he wanted to say something.
"Iruka?" Naruto leaned forward and looked at the man curiously. "You look different, how do you feel?"
Iruka's face grew a dreaded curiosity when he heard those words, as if confirming a fear he hoped wouldn't be true. Iruka sat upright, staring down at his hands resting in his lap like he was searching for a change, then his hands slowly raised to his face and began feeling around. For the first time since Neji seen him in the last 4 days, Iruka opened his mouth and his fingers brushed against the fangs that resided there now. And his mind flashed with remembrance. "!" Iruka jumped, and with out warning he grabbed Neji by the collar of his shirt and pulled him downward roughly.
'!' Neji's first reaction when he saw the new fangs and felt Iruka grab him this hard without reason was the thought of when he attacked Kakashi. So he reflexively pushed away with one hand and threw a hard punch to Iruka's jaw with the other, forcibly making the man let go.
"Iruka!" Naruto didn't know whether to be angry at Neji or weary of Iruka, he looked franticly between the two for some clue of what he should be doing next. Neji wasn't any help, he was just as confused as Naruto was.
Iruka fell back slightly from surprise but came right back, this time he at lest had the rationality of mind to take hold of Neji's arms to keep him from hitting him again, and the speed to do so before the boy moved away.
Neji struggled against Iruka's strength, looking down fearfully down at the man that bound him "Iruka sto..." Until his eyes finally met with Iruka's and he realized the man wasn't doing anything else, he wasn't attacking him like he first thought. Just staring up at him with his mouth open slightly, just as afraid as he was. "Iruka..."
"W-What..." Naruto still was unsure of what to do, but he was relieved to see Iruka wasn't trying to hurt Neji...he thought at lest, he really couldn't tell. "Iruka what is it?"
"Iruka?" Neji stared at the man questioningly he didn't get it. "What is it?"
Iruka didn't make a sound, but the confused expression didn't fade, he still looked like he wanted to say something, even more so then before, like his life depended on it. "..."
Neji just shook his head and glanced at Naruto, who could only shrug. "What is it? What do you want me to do?" Neji asked. But of course he didn't get an answer. "Maybe...Maybe there is something else wrong with him..."
"I guess there's no use asking him things then..." Naruto sighed, standing up strait with a dishartened expression. "Oh man...Iruka."
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It had taken awhile to get over things, and to get Iruka to let go of Neji.
Iruka sat over the edge of the bed, leaning forward slightly with his arms resting on his knees and his head held down. Neji stood over him, Naruto sat in the chair beside the bed and in between the safe, while Kakashi leaned idly against the wall, watching.
"Iruka."
Iruka lifted his head and looked up at Neji.
Neji placed his hand on Iruka's forehead, the other one pressed against Iruka's throat and rubbed around softly. "No swelling...Feel any soreness?"
Iruka just looked up at him, but his facial expression remained as depressed as ever.
Neji took that as a no. "Open your mouth for me."
Iruka's burgandy eyes downcast, he couldn't seem to look at Neji or anyone strait anymore when he was asked this, showing some reluctance when finally did open his mouth, wide.
Neji lent forward slightly and peered inside of his mouth, 'Bakyugan!' His eyes gained a second vision as his blood line became active... "How's your breathing? Is it harder to breathe then normal?"
Iruka's face didn't change at all, and he made no action to make a gesture.
"Alright." He took a step back and Iruka quickly shut his mouth again, Neji would have normally said he was embarrassed about his new found transformation, but it seemed worse then just simple embarrassment, like he couldn't seem to express things completely anymore, or was too depressed to do so.
"Anything?" Naruto asked.
It had been about 30 minutes, and he'd given Iruka a full examination, and with it finished he disappointedly shook his head. "There are a few changes in his body, but there's nothing effecting his speech, nothing physically wrong with it at lest."
Naruto scratched his head. "So why isn't he saying anything?"
"It could only be Hysterical neurosis."
Naruto was even more confused, he wasn't even sure he'd heard it right. "Huh?"
Neji sighed, "A Conversion disorder."
Kakashi looked at Iruka and sighed, he didn't think of that. "Really?"
"Wait." Naruto started to feel left out, he was the only who didn't know what this was. "What is that?"
"It's a type of somatoform disorder, psychological problems produce physical symptoms." Neji told him. "It's usually very sudden and follows a stressful and/or traumatic experience, some psychological problem or problems he's dealing with causes loss of a physical function, and in this case, loss of speech."
"So all of it's in his head?" Naruto said, satisfied with his answer. "Alright, Iruka your just imagining it, just say something."
Neji shook his head, it seemed Naruto didn't get it. "It's more serious then that Naruto, it's a really serious problem, and it's not gonna go away just by him realizing it's 'all in his head'. The only thing we can really do is help him understand the underlying psychological conflict and hope it resolves itself."
"Oh man..." Naruto sighed, he still didn't get it completely but there was nothing he could even do about it. None of them knew exactly what the problem, or problems were. But he couldn't help thinking it was connected to the fangs in his mouth. It seemed to be the obvious connection. "What about his eyes, and his teeth?"
"That's a mutation from the blood tainting...That might be it all of the mutations but I doubt it, other symptoms are suppose to be present. But since he can't talk we don't know what they are." Neji folded his arms and stepped back, folding his arms disappointedly as he stared at Iruka, who was still looking down seemingly unaware of what they were saying.
Kakashi and Naruto noticed Iruka's almost indifference too what was being said, they would have thought he couldn't hear them too if he hadn't responded to Neji's commands. "What's with him, he's not even trying to answer." Naruto sat beside Iruka and looked over him with a concentrated look, Iruka barely acted like they were here.
"The other symptom to Blood tainting is suppose to be a drastic change in behavior and tendencies right?" Kakashi asked. "Is this it?"
"I doubt it, they're not supposed to be like this... Hmm..." Neji lifted his hand to his chin and paused thoughtfully...he couldn't really tell just yet. "Not sure."
The door opened and the shadowy room was partially lit by the lights of the library. Konohamaru came in and kicked the door shut behind him, carrying a pile of folded clothing in his arms. "Iruka, I brought you some clothes, it's kinda cold in here." Konohamaru walked past Neji and held the clothing out before Iruka.
Iruka lifted his head and looked the clothing, and then Konohamaru, a sad expression coming on to his face when he looked at the boy.
"..."
"Huh?" Konohamaru was a little confused when he didn't get an answer, all he got was a rather depressing look. "What's the matter?"
"It's no use, he can't talk." Naruto told him.
"Oh..." Konohamaru's expression dropped visibly, he was really worried now. "Well, here anyway." Konohamaru set the clothes down in Iruka's lap, and quickly turned and left, the air was too depression, and he didn't know what was going on anyway, he'd just be in the way.
"Hey wait!" A streak of inspiration crossed Naruto's face and he stood up quickly, running over to Neji's desk and began abruptly began rummaging through it.
"Naruto?" Neji obviously didn't have a clue what Naruto was doing. "Naruto? What are you doing?"
"Hold on...Here it is!" Naruto emerged with a sheet of paper and pencil in hand and ran back over to Iruka "Write it down." He said proudly.
Iruka sat upright and took the pencil and paper from Naruto, his expression lighting a bit as he set the paper down on the clothes in his lap and began transcribing something. He seemed to be doing well, until his writing pace slowed and his face began to grow a horrified look. Finally his hand stopped completely and Iruka just stared at the hand holding the pencil. It was shaking subtilty, it hadn't stopped shaking since he woke up. It was noticeable now "..." Iruka held up the paper in front of his eyes...
"What? What is it?" Naruto took the paper from Iruka and looked over it, and just as soon as he saw it he tilted the sheet to the side. "What is this? It's just squiggles." He handed back to Kakashi who stared at it.
And Kakashi understood the look on Iruka's face now, the shaking made it too difficult to write clearly. "Iruka..."
Iruka threw the pencil on the ground and dropped his head, he nearly cried right then and there.
"I'm not sure if the shaking is apart of the conversion disorder or whatever is happening to him." Neji said. "If he can't talk, and his hand is too unsteady to write, then how do we find out what's wrong with him?"
Kakashi sighed, tossing the paper aside. "We'll figure something out until he get's better, just... Let me be alone with him for a while."
Neji and Naruto looked at each other, then Iruka. They'd never seen him like this, but they'd never anyone quite like this. "Yeah, ok." Neji nodded in agreement. "Let's go Naruto." Neji slipped out of the room, Naruto disappointedly trailing behind him.
Kakashi didn't move until he heard the door shut behind them, clearing the room of light from the library and shrouding it with the patchy shadows of light from the overcast skies outside. He watched as tears started to fall from Iruka's eyes, spilling on to the wooden floors in small drops.
"It's alright." Kakashi sat down beside Iruka and wrapped his arms around the man again. "I don't know what's wrong exactly, but you'll get better, your strong, I know you will."
Iruka laid his head on Kakashi's shoulder, more silent tears falling from his eyes. "..."
Kakashi closed his eyes and pulled him closer, he just wished he knew what he could do, he wish he knew what was going on with him. Iruka couldn't seem to catch a break, blood tainting had done something and as far as they knew still was doing something to him, and had a conversion disorder, not to mention he couldn't stop shaking. What was he suppose to do now?
Iruka slowly wrapped his arms around Kakashi and hugged him back, letting himself settled into the embrace.
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