Illusion's Folly
Chapter 15
Punishment
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"Unless you want to be covered in piss, I suggest you stop," Iruka spat out.
He was tired, bleeding, hungry, and most of all irritated. They had been on the move for well over six hours without a stop. Iruka figured they were near the village, but he had to pee. While he had been carried, he had drained his canteen. The wounds he had sustained were draining his body of fluids to replace the blood he had lost. His arms itched and his calf was on fire. He glared at silver hair.
"Kakashi!" Iruka screamed in the man's ear. "Put me down! I swear I'll piss all over your back!" Iruka hit his tormentor on the side of the head to emphasize his order. "NOW!"
Kakashi stumbled as the fist collided with his head. He was trying his best to get back into the gates before dawn and this pit stop wasn't going to help them get any closer. But it was either this or smelling of urine and itching for the next two or so hours. He hadn't talked much with Iruka since he had packed him onto his back. All he would get out of him were grunts. It sounded surprisingly like him when he refused to answer a question.
Coming to an unsteady halt, Kakashi set Iruka down. "Just hurry up," Kakashi muttered, rubbing the side of his head. Iruka shot him a glare and hobbled off a short distance. Kakashi felt a wave of guilt wash over him at the bleeding wound he had inflicted. He should change the bandage while they were stopped.
By his calculations, they were less than two hours from the village. He had used a huge amount of his chakra to keep them moving fast and keep himself awake. A soldier pill had helped replenish his strength when it had flagged a few hours before. Kakashi was running on no sleep, no food, and he had carried a full grown man for longer than he ever had. On top of it all, Iruka was not talking to him and had hit him. What had he done to deserve that?
Only ran off without telling him where you were going.
Kakashi blushed slightly at his runaway thoughts. True, but it was no fault of mine that no one had told Iruka.
That's because you left at three in the morning and no one was awake to tell him. You could have sent Cat back to him with a note.
Shut up! He screamed at the voice.
Iruka came back and spotted the dark scowl shadowing Kakashi's visible eye. He hoped it wasn't at him, but if it was he was more than willing to get rid of it. And not gently either. The man was a pain in the ass and didn't care if he was invading your private time. He could think of several occasions when the man would appear in the mission office on his days and torment him with his silence and that ever present hentai book. He wouldn't say anything, just lounge around the office and read. It had annoyed him to no end!
"What now?" Iruka snapped out, still irritated, though feeling better.
Kakashi snapped out of his foul mood and looked at Iruka. He was a mess. His hair was hanging in a limp ponytail, his face was pale, his clothing hung on him, and he was covered in bandages. His limp wasn't as bad, but he really should change the wrapping while they were stationary.
"Sit down and let me check that wound," he muttered. He took out a new wrap and waited as Iruka sat down. Discarding the old bandage into a side pocket in his hip pouch, he slowly bandaged the wound again. "Iruka?" he asked softly.
Iruka stopped glaring at the rock beside him. "What, Kakashi?"
Kakashi inwardly winced at the sting in the teacher's voice. "Why did you run off?"
Iruka scowled as his eyes came into contact with Kakashi's visible one. "I felt like it."
Kakashi narrowed his eye. "You felt like it? No one runs away without a reason."
"Does this include you, O Wise One?" Iruka snapped.
"I have my reasons, but they aren't for you to know," Kakashi spat back with equal venom.
"Oh!" Iruka stood, making Kakashi fall back or be run over. "I'm supposed to tell you, but you won't tell me anything, is that it?" He stalked over to Tomodachi and grabbed a spare canteen. "The great Copy Nin isn't afraid of anything or anyone. Big surprise that you have emotions to begin with." Iruka muttered before swallowing a mouthfull of warm water. He grimaced at the metallic taste.
Kakashi sighed tiredly. "Iruka, I don't need this or have time for it. We have to get back to the village. Now."
Iruka shot him another glare, took another drink from his canteen and placed it back into the pack. He petted Tomodachi's head and hobbled back to Kakashi. "We can finish this later. I still have some things to say to you." Iruka waited as Kakashi drank from his canteen and put it back in his pouch, before mounting his back again. Oh, yes. They would continue this when they got back.
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Tsuande yawned. It was to damn early in the morning for this shit. Scrolls were piled onto her desk, ones that hadn't been taken care of the day before. She had spent most of the day and all night worrying over Iruka's disappearence. She hadn't counted on him running away when his anger took him over. She yawned again. She could only hope that Kakashi had found him and was bringing him back. If he didn't show his masked face before the sun touched the horizon then she would have no choice but to send her Hunters out. She would regret it for the rest of her life to lose the Chuunin, but to protect her village, she would. She glanced over her shoulder at a rather dusty scroll spread open on her desk. She closed her eyes as she looked back to the main gates.
"Please, Kakashi, bring him back," she whispered.
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Asuma stretched the cramps from his shoulders. He shouldn't have fallen asleep in the trees, but it had been a long, boring night. He was still wondering why he had woken up when he felt a Chakra flare ahead. Whoever it was was moving fast and weakening. Kakashi! Gathering his Chakra, Asuma leapt away.
He found him a few minutes later with a sleeping Iruka on his back and Tomodachi trailing behind. The nin dog was carrying packs and a sword. He looked over the huffing Jounin and then over the bandages covering the Chuunin's arms and right leg. He glared at his friend.
"What did you do to him?" Asuma asked, taking Iruka into his arms. The smaller man didn't even bat an eyelash. What was wrong with him?
Kakashi slumped over, coughing. Tomadochi whined at him, but he waved the dog off. "He's lost a lot of blood. Unconcious. Fought off four Missing Wave nins and was injured."
Asuma sucked in his breath and hugged his other friend close. Iruka killed four Missing nins and Wave at that? How? "The calf?" he asked.
Kakashi drained his canteen before answering. Leveling a dead eye on Asuma, he stated, "Mine."
"What?" Asuma yelled, taking a step back and pulling Iruka closer. As if that would protect him, he sneered to himself.
The silver haired Jounin lay his head back on a tree limb. "He thought I was another Wave and I thought it was some rogue ninja. I couldn't see him very well in the shadows and I threw a kunai. His calf is the result of that. It's not my fault he didn't identify himself!" Kakashi said bitterly. "I've been carrying him this entire time and I'm near my limits. I've not had sleep and my stomach hurts. Take him to the Hokage, she needs to treat him." With the last said, Kakashi used what was left of his Chakra and transported himself home.
Asuma shook his head as the smoke cleared. He need a cigarette, but he would have to get Iruka to Tsunade quickly. Tomodachi looked at him and waited.
"Come on, 'Dachi. Let's get our little teacher to the doc," he muttered, looking down into Iruka's pale face. Tomodachi whuffed and followed the large Jounin to the Hokage's Tower.
When he came to a stop outside the tower, Tsunade was waiting on him. She quickly looked into Iruka's eyes and snorted. "Take him up to my apartment, Asuma. No one must know that he's been brought back unconcious."
"Hai, Tsunade-sama," he replied, following her up the stairs. Placing Iruka on a pallet beside her futon, he stood back. "Do you need anything else, Hokage-sama?"
Fussing with the badanges covering Iruka's arms, she said over her shoulder, "Nothing, Asuma. Thank you."
Asuma could hear something in that thank you that confused him. Relief. What was that about? "Not a problem, Hokage-sama." he hesitated before he asked, "Will he be alright?"
Tsunade looked over her shoulder and grinned. "He'll be fine. Just a little blood loss and hunger. Nothing more than that."
Asuma made his goodbyes and left feeling better than he had in three days. He had to tell the others that Iruka was back and safe. Kakashi was another matter entirely. He had some more choice words for the emotionless shinobi, but they could wait until Iruka was awake and listening. He liked Kakashi but his emotionless reply to hurting Iruka bothered him. Something wasn't right and he intended to find out, but first he wanted a cigarette and a bath.
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Shadows. A blank white face. Flashes of silvered blade. Bright splashes of red, red blood. Screams filled the air. Rage poured over his soul and he hacked again. To feel the blade sinking into flesh and see the bright blood spurt out. He smiled behind the mask. It felt good. He barely registered the Stone hitai-ate as it fell away from the stilling features of the man he was kneeling on. His job was done. Time to go home. Time to be alone and act normal. Time to feel the pain left behind. Time for his heart to die again.
Iruka sat up with a strangled scream, the dream fading away into nothing. He was in the Hokage's apartment, next to her futon. He glanced under the covers and sighed in relief. She had at least left him his boxers. The cuts on his arms were healed, but had left scars. His leg ached, but was nearly healed, a small gauze patch over the wound to stop any blood from oozing onto the mat beneath him. Spotting a glass of water next to him, he drained it. Finished, he put it down, wondering where Tsunade had run off to. Hearing someone approaching, he pulled the covers up to his waist.
Shizune stepped in and smiled. "Feeling better, Iruka-san?" She hurried over to him and felt his forehead with her own. She pulled back and knelt down beside him. "No fever. Any aches or pains?"
Iruka blushed a litte, but replied, "None. Just thirsty."
Shizune smiled and poured him another glass of water. "Not surprising. You were dehydrated. Your body used all the fluids left to make more blood." She glanced behind her and stood.
Iruka wondered, but started when the Hokage breezed in. "Ho..hokage-sama!" He tried to stand, but she waved him back down.
"Good, you're awake, Iruka-kun," she smiled toothily at him. "I want to know why you came back to me broken, bloody, and unconcious."
Iruka blinked. "Excuse me?" He was a little confused. Broken?
Tsunade sat down on her futon and pulled a sake bottle from her pocket. She nodded to Shizune and waited as the dark-haired kuniochi left before turning back to Iruka. She looked at him and waited. When he still gave her a confused look, she sighed.
"I want to know why I have kill shots on my desk. I want to know why you came back unconcious. But most of all, I want to know why I nearly had to declare my best teacher Missing!" She nearly screamed the last. She wanted to get to the bottom of this before it became a problem.
Iruka blinked again and looked at his hands. "I ran away because I needed to."
"Not good enough, Iruka," she said without looking away.
"I can't, Tsuande-sama," he whispered. He blushed brightly.
Tsunade smiled gently at Iruka. Scooting closer she placed a hand on his. "I can guess why, but you still have to tell me. It doen't go past me, Iruka."
Iruka looked up at her from behind his limp hair. She was smiling at him like his mother used to, as if she could fix anything that was hurting or troubling him. Tears suddenly sprang to his eyes as he looked into her gently smiling, amber eyes. A tear slid down his cheek as he explained his and Kakashi's turbulent fights, the camping trip, Genma's words, and his adventures, outside the village. He sniffed as he came to the end. He was a little surprised at the handkerchief Tsunade used to wipe away his tears.
"Don't look so surprised, Iruka-kun. You are like my child. Just don't get used to it," Tsunade grumped, looking over her shoulder. "Shizune, stop hiding and bring that sake!"
Iruka turned bright red, but laughed as he heard a squeak, something break, and a red faced Shizune shuffle into the room. She had a rather large bottle of sake and two sake bowls. He raised his eye at Tsunade.
"You need it. Doctor's orders!" she snapped, steel behind her silky voice. She smiled and poured them a shot. Still smiling after their drinks, she poured another. "As for our resident dipshit..." Iruka snorted and spewed his sake over his bed clothes. He laughed as he poured another shot and apologized for the mess. "As I was saying, as for our resident dipshit, I think I can find something as a suitable punishment."
Both she and Iruka shared a fox smile. Shizune smiled hesitantly and wished she hadn't seen it. It reminded her too much of Naruto and the messes he ended up in. She groaned when they turned thier smile on her.
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A/N: Life keeps interrupting my writing. Bah! Anyway, a little anger, a little deviltry. I promise the next chapter will be funny. Enjoy this new installment.
As for Anko and Genma's little investigation...I ain't tellin'. Yet.
Ja!