Disclaimer – If I owned Naruto, then Izumo, Iruka, and a few other choice shinobi would be assigned a mission to be underwear models…

Spoilers – This contains spoilers for the anime and manga. Spoilers up to MANGA chapter 228

This has been a broadcast of the scribbles alert system, we now return you to your regularly scheduled reading

Chapter Specific warning: This is as explicit as I think things can get under a 'M' rating. If anyone thinks it needs further censoring, please send me a message and it will be done. Thus warning, Male X Male sex scene (censored for FFN) but still there.

The unedited version of this can be found at http/ scribblesitm. livejournal. com/ 7351.html

Remove the spaces :)

Thanks to Chibinecco for the beta, all mistakes remaining are solely my own :)

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Water Runs Red – Chapter 29

Iruka followed Tsunade like a shadow to the hospital and sat next to her as she received preliminary reports from the medics sent to retrieve the injured. The medical teams started to stream in, and Iruka stayed at the hospital waiting for the group he needed to see. The genin were in bad shape, very bad shape. Evidently, there would have been severe casualties if the sand nins hadn't been there to back them up.

Finally, Kakashi arrived at the hospital with a battered, bruised, and nearly unconscious Naruto. Iruka led Kakashi to the room Tsunade set aside for Naruto before she disappeared into the ICU with Chouji. Once a doctor had proclaimed that the unconscious Naruto was going to be fine after his body had some time to recover, Iruka turned to Kakashi. Without a word, he took the jounin's hand into his.

Kakashi looked down into Iruka's brown eyes, seeing the obvious exhaustion. The man was wearing the same clothes he had made the return trip from Rock in, and looked much worse for wear. "You look like I feel."

Iruka tried to smile. "I was thinking the same thing."

That was when it happened. Iruka's eyes locked onto the hollow look in his lover's visible eye. The man was pale and getting paler. Iruka led him to a chair and helped him sit down, "Kashi, don't pass out on me." He kneeled in front of the jounin, gripping the man's hands tightly in his.

Kakashi nodded, "I need to get out of here."

Iruka took the jounin's arm and led him out of the hospital without another word. There was nothing more either of them could do in that place anyways. Keeping a hold of Kakashi's arm, the chuunin led him through near deserted streets. It was the middle of the night. Civilians were not out at this hour, so if they were to encounter anyone it would most likely be another ninja. He led Kakashi down narrow streets, past the academy, and up the three flights of steps before unlocking a door and leading the man into the living room.

They both toed out of their sandals, and Iruka kicked the two pairs of shoes over to the corner as he led Kakashi to the kitchen table. "Tea or something stronger?"

Kakashi blinked, as if just now realizing where he was. Iruka briefly reflected on the level of trust the other man had in him. Kakashi took a breath, and then replied, "Tea. Tea sounds good."

Iruka nodded and started to boil water. He searched through the cupboards to find something that was still edible, finally finding a box of unopened cookies. He set them on the table as he scanned for anything else still edible after not being in the apartment for almost two months. "Sorry the food situation sucks, I haven't been here in a while."

Kakashi nodded, "Not like my place is any better."

Iruka shrugged, "Yeah, I guess you have a point." He started to pour the tea and then brought two cups over to the table. Refraining from asking Kakashi how he was, the fact the man was not doing well was obvious, Iruka did not want to pressure him into confiding.

The two men sipped their tea for a few moments before Kakashi sighed, "I can't believe I failed them." Kakashi left his mask around his neck as he sat there frowning.

Iruka had been confident this was where things were going. "Sasuke made his own choice."

Kakashi shook his head, "Not just him, the other two. I should have done more for Naruto instead of letting him think he always had to catch up, and I should have paid more attention to Sakura."

"Teenagers are hard to figure out. You only had them for a few months -- I had them for longer. In the time you had them, they all grew." Iruka twirled his cup in his hand. "You showed trust in them, more trust than I ever did."

Kakashi looked across the table at Iruka. "I thought Naruto was dead when I found him. Sasuke could have finished him off; I don't know why he didn't. I can't believe I lost a student to Orochimaru that fucking snake bastard."

Iruka nodded, "Power is tempting and Sasuke isn't the first to fall for the lure of power."

"I should have been able to stop him."

"I learned the hard way, Kakashi, sometimes there really is nothing you could have done to change how things work out." Iruka stared into his cooling cup of tea, "I beat myself up for a long time after Anko left with Orochimaru, thinking if only I had done or said something different. If I had loved her more, then she wouldn't have gone." He looked over at Kakashi who was looking at him with a surprised look. "There was nothing I could have done to stop Anko, just like there was nothing you could do to stop Sasuke."

Kakashi nodded, not bothering to replace his mask after his last sip of tea. "You're right, I think. It just, I guess I'm really tired and just…" he looked over at Iruka. Iruka for his part was sitting there, looking as patient as any human had a right to look. Kakashi half smiled over at the chuunin, "Thank you."

Iruka tilted his head at the thank you, "For what?"

"For listening to me."

Iruka smiled, "Anytime you need someone to talk to."

Kakashi stood up, "We should get cleaned up. I'm filthy."

Iruka set down his cup, "I haven't been back here in weeks. Why don't you grab a shower while I get the bed ready, then I'll get washed up real quick."

Kakashi was lost in thought as he walked into the bathroom and turned on the water for a shower. He was glad Iruka had taken him back here; he didn't want to be alone right now. He desperately needed sleep. Back to back missions without letting himself rest any more than needed to not collapse had worn him down. While he was washing his hair, he heard the door open for a minute and then close. When he was done with his shower, he saw that Iruka had placed a clean towel and a pair of boxers on the counter.

When Kakashi stepped out of the bathroom in the boxers with his forehead protector over his eye, Iruka smiled at him, "Lie down, I'll be right out." Without another word, Iruka walked into the bathroom and the sounds of running water resumed. Kakashi walked into the bedroom and sat down on the futon covered with fresh bedding. He was used to his bed, but the futon was comfortable. The bedroom was odd; it seemed like a place Iruka had never really made his own. Plain walls reflected against mirror squares on the other wall. He relaxed into the blankets, closing his eyes and listening to the sound of the running water.

He knew hunger would hit him in the morning, but for now, the tea and cookies had combined with the impression of being clean and somewhere soft to make him feel very relaxed. When the water turned off and he heard Iruka walking towards the bedroom, Kakashi couldn't help but smile.

Iruka walked in wearing a pair of boxer briefs with the kanji for 'Handle with care' written on them in several places. Kakashi smiled at that, "I didn't know you came with directions."

Iruka sat down on the futon next to Kakashi, "I'm not that complicated." He reached over and turned off the light on the short table next to the futon.

Kakashi looked around the room, suddenly surprised at how the place looked. The moonlight was streaming in through the window and hitting the mirrors on the far wall. The light off the mirrors reflected onto bare white walls bathing everything in soft moonlight. "It's beautiful."

Iruka just pulled Kakashi down next to him as he pulled a blanket over both of them, "It's relaxing." He touched his hand to a sharp spike on the back of the table and pressed the bloodied finger to a portion of the wall that previously seemed blank. A quick line of glowing blue spread out along previously unseen writing on the walls, glowing for a second until it faded back to nothing. "We're safe in here." He held his finger for a moment to stop the bleeding.

Kakashi exposed his sharingan eye for a second, seeing the protection seals encircling the room. He recovered the eye and gently ran his hand through Iruka's hair, "I think you are very complicated."

Iruka looked over at him, "Really?"

Nodding, his whispered into the other man's neck, "You're always surprising me." He wrapped his arms around the younger man, nuzzling into his neck. "I missed you."

With a purr, Iruka snuggled into the nuzzling, "I missed you, too." Strong tan fingers ran through pale silver hair.

Kakashi took a deep breath, whispering against Iruka's neck, "I had a talk with Sasuke before my last mission." Iruka didn't question him, he just brushed his fingers through Kakashi's hair, letting him talk or not talk at his own pace. "I tried to tell him that revenge destroys people." Kakashi moved to be leaning on his elbows looking into Iruka's eyes. "He asked if I would still feel the same if he killed the one I love most."

Iruka didn't say anything, just looking into Kakashi's visible eye, watching how the pale light flickered across his pale skin. "I told him those people have already been killed."

Iruka reached out his hand to brush across Kakashi's cheek, still not saying anything.

Kakashi placed a hand over Iruka's hand on his cheek. "You said you were falling in love with me."

Iruka nodded, "I am."

Kakashi sighed, "I think I might have lied to Sasuke. I kept thinking of you while I was gone."

Iruka pulled Kakashi down into a kiss, gently brushing his lips across the other man's, "Is it such a bad thing?"

Kakashi shook his head as he pressed his lips back into Iruka's, gently wrapping his arms around the younger man. "Are you sure that you know what you're getting into?" He backed off a few inches to look into the chuunin's eyes. "I am in the bingo books of many countries. I have many enemies, and I have it on good authority that I am rather fucked up."

Iruka just pulled him towards him. "Stop thinking, start feeling. How do you feel?"

Kakashi stayed motionless for a minute or two, his eye was staring into Iruka's brown eyes. "That I've spent every moment since I woke up and you weren't in my bed wanting to ravish you?"

Iruka laughed deep in his throat, "That sounds like a line from Icha Icha." With a seductive smile, Iruka purred, "Why don't you show me."

Kakashi pinned Iruka to the futon with a firm kiss, his lips pressing into Iruka's. Kakashi pressed his tongue against Iruka's lips, demanding entrance. He delved into Iruka's mouth, feeling and tasting the intoxicating kiss.

Iruka kissed Kakashi back with all of his abilities. Lips and tongues meeting. Teeth clicking when they got out of alignment. His hands held the silver haired jounin close to him, tasting all of the older man as they wrestled for control of the kiss, neither willing to be submissive.

Kakashi pinned the other man down, straddling his hips as he pressed Iruka's shoulders down. "I said I wanted to ravish you, and that's what I'm going to do."

Iruka smirked, "Oh, really?" His playful tone was obvious, "And what if I decide I should be the one doing the ravishing."

"I have you pinned."

Iruka partially closed his eyes and brought his hips up, rubbing himself against a very sensitive part of Kakashi.

The jounin gasped at the contact. In that brief moment, Iruka rolled Kakashi and himself over trying to get the top position. Kakashi gripped onto Iruka rolling over again so he was back on top, but somehow in the roll, Iruka managed to get his hand down to Kakashi's legs. The chuunin ran his hand up the man's thigh. Before the jounin could re-establish dominance, Iruka was licking at him in a way that made the older man unable to think, let alone move. His motivation to win the wrestling match was gone.

As Iruka ran his tongue along Kakashi, he looked up at the man, "Lover, this is my preferred arena. I might be outclassed on a battlefield, but in a bedroom…" He dropped his head back down and did a combination of sucking and purring that left Kakashi speechless.

Kakashi let out a low moan as his fingers entwined into Iruka's dark hair. He let himself be pushed back onto the wooden floor, concentrating on the feel of Iruka's mouth. He moaned, "Iruka, do that again."

Iruka laughed and redid the combination of sucking and purring. As Kakashi gasped, Iruka kissed up his stomach paying attention to each and every muscle across the jounin's chest mumbling against the skin, "Kakashi, You are incredible." He ran his tongue from the bottom of Kakashi's ribs up to his collarbone biting down on it.

Kakashi wrapped his arms around Iruka. "You are incredible, look at you." He rolled Iruka onto his back, kissing the other man's shoulders and chest. "You taste incredible, you sound incredible. You make me want to take you."

Iruka whispered into the jounin's ear, "I want you to make love to me."

Kakashi almost said something like 'that's what I said.' But then he saw the look in Iruka's eyes. Normally a shinobi would have defenses up and emotions hidden; Iruka didn't have any of that. His eyes were wide open, and in the reflection of the pale moonlight Kakashi could see this was not something to be trifled with. Iruka wasn't asking for sex, sure he was promising sex, hot passionate incredible sex, but what his eyes were begging for was more.

For a moment, Kakashi felt fear. It had been so long since he had loved anyone, no not physically -- emotionally. Then Kakashi realized, he didn't fear loving Iruka, it was something else making him scared. He wrapped his arms around the younger man, pulling him into a deep kiss. Carefully he picked him up and carried him back to the futon. Laying him down on the deep red blankets, Kakashi started to kiss down the man's neck. He tasted every inch of the tan skin. His lips worshiped the younger man, clothes tossed aside to let him not miss and inch of warm, tan skin.

Slowly, Kakashi kissed his way back up to Iruka's lips. He moaned into the younger man's mouth as their bodies moved in perfect rhythm. Iruka's fingers ran down Kakashi's back as the chuunin arched under Kakashi, causing another intense wave of feeling to pass through the jounin's body. In a breathy whisper, Iruka moaned, "Take me." The chuunin nipped at Kakashi's lips, his body tense with need.

Gently he kissed him, appreciating every whisper and moan. Iruka gasped and in a trembling voice almost begged, "Please, Kakashi. I need you." Kakashi's willpower ran out and he found himself unable to resist the man in bed with him.

Kakashi found everything except the man under him disappearing from his mind. It might have been hours or only minutes, everything just blended together as Kakashi worshipped his tan lover, bringing him as much pleasure as he was able before everything became too much.

As soon as the tension left his shoulders, Kakashi collapsed onto Iruka, panting as he tried to catch his breath. The tan skin under his pale cheek was wet with sweat and Kakashi couldn't think of anything that had ever felt better than being held by this man. Kakashi realized then that he had done exactly what Iruka had really wanted, that had been much more than just sex. As he snuggled into the younger man, "I love you, Iruka." The last thing he saw before falling asleep was the smile on Iruka's face as he completely relaxed.

-------------------- Notes ------------------------

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