Desperate Situations:
"He isn't doing so well. I think he's starting to get tired of fighting." Tsunade layed a gentle hand on Kakashi's shoulder as an attempt at comfort. Both of them knew however that no amount of comfort could stop the inevitable. "If he doesn't get this treatment soon..."
She trailed off, the statement didn't need to be said out loud. Iruka was dying, and they couldn't afford the treatment he so desperately needed. Kakashi couldn't help but feel that this was all his falt somehow.
The two had been together for almost four years now and they had been through a lot more hardships then either of them deserved. A little under two years ago Kakashi had lost everything. Jirahya's company had been taken over by Orochimaru and the lawyer had lost not only his job, but all of his money and possessions, even his house.
It was a hard time for Kakashi, he was left homeless and Orochimaru had convinced almost every law firm that Kakashi could not be trusted. He was sure that Iruka would leave him, but the lawyer was quickly reminded why he should never underestimate the teacher's heart.
The man had insisted that Kakashi move in with him and that he put to good use his military training and accepts the low laying job at the local dojo. Originally the dojo was run by their friend Guy as a hobby, but because of the takeover it had become the loud man's only source of income as well. Kakashi knew that Guy was doing him a huge favor and he was never more thankful to the crazy man.
When it seemed that the two had finally settled into their simpler life styles, Iruka had gotten sick. Kakashi had noticed for the past few months Iruka had seemed weaker and he had thought it was stress from the takeover of Jiraiya's company. When Kakashi had found Iruka passed out on the kitchen floor with blood coming out of his mouth, he knew that life would change drastically for them.
Treatments had started immediately, and they took a toll on the young teacher. He had lost all of his muscle definition and had become extremely thin. His long thick hair was gone, and was replaced with a bright orange hat given to Iruka by his favorite student, Naruto. The teacher was so weak from the treatments and the sickness that he could barely move at all some days. Throughout all of Iruka's new physical changes the man had become convinced that Kakashi would leave his sickly self behind, but Kakashi had reminded him that the younger man had never looked more beautiful and that he would never leave him.
Since he could barely walk let alone teach the man had lost his job at the local high school. Kakashi had tried his best by picking up random jobs throughout the city, but the medical bills ate up through most of their money. Soon his treatments were canceled, Tsunade had let him stay in the hospital, but could do nothing more for them than that. She had informed Kakashi that Orochimaru was now a huge influence at the hospital, and he had convinced the board to change their policies, and a lot of people were being turned down for medical care.
It seemed to be a hopeless situation.
"How long do you think he has?" It was a question he had been avoiding for almost a year now.
"If it was anyone else, he would have been dead a while ago, but Iruka is a fighter." Tsunade was avoiding the answer, and they both knew it.
"Tsunade, please I need to know." Kakashi needed to know to make preparations.
"At most, a month." It was less time than he had hoped for; then again anything less than 40 years was less.
"Do they know?" The question was directed towards the two occupants in the hospital room. Naruto had come over straight from his college classes and the two had spent the afternoon together. It was starting to get harder for Naruto to see his teacher so frail, but he came by every chance he got. The visits always seemed to make Iruka feel better and Kakashi was greatly thankful towards the blonde boy.
"Iruka knows, but he doesn't want to tell Naruto. It's understandable, the two are practically brothers." That meant Kakashi had to break the news, he wasn't even sure if he could do that. "I'll let you go in to see them. Iruka is having a good day today, so make the best of it." Tsunade left to do other work and Kakashi braced himself to walk into the room. No matter how long Iruka had looked frail, the older man had never gotten used to the site.
"Yo." The two occupants in the room turned and gave Kakashi bright smiles. "How's it going?"
"I was just telling Iruka how I beat that bastard Sasuke in the dojo today." Kakashi rolled his eyes at Naruto's competition with his best friend.
"Naruto, what did I tell you about language." Naruto froze and Kakashi let out a chuckle, it was good to know that no matter how sick the man was he could still strike fear with just his voice.
"Sorry Iruka." Iruka let out a small chuckle of his own and raised a shaky hand to pet the boy's blonde hair.
"Hey Naruto, why don't you head to our apartment, it's getting late and you have classes tomorrow." Kakashi saw the beginning if tears in Naruto's eyes and thought it might be a good idea to let the boy go before he broke down.
"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow Iruka. You could help me study for my literature exam." Naruto gave Iruka a gentle hug and practically ran out of the room. The action wasn't lost on Iruka who let out a sad sigh.
"How was work?" Iruka patted the side of the bed and Kakashi sat down and carefully put an arm around the younger man's shoulders. Iruka sank into the warmth of his lover, with Naruto gone he finally allowed himself to look as tired as he felt.
"Work was fine. Guy was a little loud, but that's the usual." Iruka gave a weak laugh followed by a violent cough. Kakashi just patted his back and they sat in silence for a while.
"Tsunade told you I'm guessing. You don't have to stay you know." Kakashi had been having this conversation ever since Iruka had been diagnosed.
"I love you, and I would never leave you." Kakashi kissed Iruka's lips gently and brought him closer to his body.
"I love you too Kakashi." It was said in a whisper and the silver haired man knew that his lover was falling asleep so he rocked him in gentle motions. Tears were falling from his eyes; he didn't want to lose the man he loved so much. He was desperate, and a desperate man would do anything.
...
Every Thursday Kakashi and his friends would get together for a game of poker. Although no poker was ever played it was an excuse for them to see each other and drink.
Everyone seemed a little depressed this Thursday. They all had their own problems and no amount of cheap liquor was making them go away.
"I just don't know what to do, the baby will be born in a week and I have no idea how I'm going to support him." Asuma had lost his job in the takeover along with every other person in the room. His wife Kurenai was pregnant and they were desperate for money.
"Hey man, I'd give you the money if I could." Genma had been a body guard for Jiraiya and Orochimaru had fired him. His unique skills made finding a job almost impossible.
"Fuck you know we all would. Damn Orochimaru." Anko took a deep swing of her beer and gave Kakashi a meaningful look. "How's Iruka?"
"Worse. Tsunade says he has a month, tops." Anko had asked the question they all desperately wanted to ask, and now she regretted it. The group had accepted the teacher as their own and had been devastated by his health problems. "I'm getting desperate guys. I can't lose him."
"For this plan to work, we need desperate." Kakashi shot his head up towards the new occupant of the room. Jiraiya had gone into hiding almost two years ago and know was standing in Ibiki's small living room. He looked around and noticed immediately that he was the only one surprised by his appearance.
"What the hell is going on here?" To say Kakashi was pissed was an understatement. He never blamed his boss for losing control of his company, but when his mentor and family friend had just disappeared without any word, he had been furious with him.
"Kakashi," Guy stopped his next outburst by saying his name in a tone the man barely ever used. He sounded serious and it shut Kakashi up instantly. "Jiraiya had contacted all of us about a month ago, Iruka had just suffered through a health scare and we thought it best to include you later."
"We were hoping you wouldn't have to be involved at all, but we need you for this to work." Asuma had played a hand on his shoulder but Kakashi shook it off.
"Where were you?! I needed you, and you just disappeared! You promised you would never leave me! You're no better than him!" He had no idea why he was yelling, but it felt good. He had been holding it all in for the past year, and he didn't give a damn who heard him.
"Who are you talking about Kakashi, your father or Iruka?" Jiraiya's words took Kakashi off guard and he felt his control fall apart. He knew his peers were all there, but he didn't care who saw him cry.
This was the melt down that everyone had been waiting for. Kakashi was a strong man but he had a delicate heart. Anko knelt down next to her crying friend and brought him into a hug. The physical contact was comforting and soon he stopped crying all together.
"Kakashi, we're going to bring Orochimaru to justice. I've been working with Interpol for the past year and they have a man on the inside. They've agreed to give us everything we lost for our cooperation. I hired you all, because you're the best of the best. If you guys can't bring him down, no one can." Kakashi had calmed from his breakdown and he was listening carefully. His brain was working through everything at a genius level speed.
"I can hear you thinking from here Hatake, does that mean you're in?" Ibiki gave Kakashi a questioning look; he didn't want anyone on the team if they were going to break.
"I'm in." The atmosphere of the room seemed to lighten almost instantly. "Who is the mole?"
"Itachi. He's been working for Orochimaru since he started Interpol. The guy is good, and the moment this goes down his cover will be blown so we have one chance to get this right." Kakashi had certainly heard of Itachi from his brother and he couldn't help but smirk. This plan could work if they had him working on it.
"So how will this work. It's my understanding that the government has been trying to take down that bastard for years." Kakashi was skeptical, it was impossible not to be.
"The guy is getting a shipment of some pretty illegal stuff next Saturday. We need to make sure that the man is there to get the shipment his self. We already have people working on the ship; we just need our group to get Orochimaru there." Genma stated it like it was going to be the easiest thing in the world, but Kakashi was hooked. He missed the thrill of a mission.
"Next Friday we're going to 'rob' Orochimaru's personal lab. He tends to be a little on the paranoid side so he'll be sure to be at the docks Saturday night to make sure his shipment isn't compromised." Jiraiya gave his old employees a wicked grin. There was a reason why he hired them.
"So we are going to break into an impenetrable lab, and steal enough important stuff to make it seem like we mean business; all without being caught. Count me in!" Anko was pumped and so was the rest of the room.
The rest of the night was filled with conversations that would be had in a spy movie. It was exciting and for a short while they all forgot their troubles.
...
"Its troublesome but they want me to take another IQ test." Iruka laughed at his students familiar march phrase. He had been surprised when Shikamaru had come to visit him in the hospital since the young man attended college in another city. He was uncomfortable at first because he didn't want any of his old students to see him so sick, but that embarrassment went away quickly.
"It's good to see you doing so well. Your mother must be very proud of you. You've come a long way from sleeping in my class." Shikamaru let out a rare chuckle about his previous antics while at school, and Iruka couldn't help but smile.
"Who was that man that was in here earlier?" Iruka sighed in frustration; he was hoping that topic wouldn't be brought up.
"He was my lawyer; I had to update my will." Iruka had more energy than usual and he decided to put it to good use. If he were to die soon he wanted to make sure everyone that mattered got his possessions and not the government.
"Naruto said you were sick, but I didn't think it was this serious. I'm sorry I didn't visit you any sooner." Iruka hated the look on everyone's faces lately, they all looked sad and so full if regret. He took his former student into a gentle hug and rubbed his back softly.
"I'm glad that if I had to go, it's slowly so I have time to say my goodbyes and tie up loose ends. My parents never had that luxury; it's... its better this way." Shikamaru broke from the hug and looked at Iruka with an expression he had never seen before. It was sad, but full of understanding.
"I'm letting others now then; I'm sure Choji can get out of school and make you some good food for once. I'm sure Tsunade will allow it." Iruka was glad that his genius of an ex-student picked up on the queue to change the topic. He listened to his student talk about plans and hoped the odd tightness in his chest was from an upcoming cough attack.
"Ino will probably come with Choji anyways and Neji said he would be in town all of next week for a family function which means Hinata could also come..." When he realized Iruka was having trouble breathing Shikamaru's eyes widened in panic. The man started gasping for air and he seemed to be fighting a losing battle. He jumped off the bed and ran to find someone to help.
He had luckily run into Tsunade and she ran ahead of him with scary speed. She called for a crash cart and gave the genius instructions to call Kakashi.
While waiting for Kakashi to come to the hospital Shikamaru had run into his mentor, Asuma, and his wife, Kurenai. They had been there for an appointment about the baby and now they were all waiting outside the room together.
"I'm sure Iruka will be alright, he's a fighter." Kurenai was sitting on a chair and was rubbing her stomach softly. She had been hoping that Iruka would get better before the baby was born, but now she was just praying that the baby would be born before he died.
"Kakashi isn't going to take this latest attack well." Asuma was worried for Kakashi's sanity at this point. After the man's breakdown he had kept a close eye on his longtime friend.
"The situation is troublesome, but Iruka will live and Kakashi will be there this Friday night." Shikamaru had agreed to the plan against Asuma's wishes. They needed a hacker though and the lazy genius was one of the best. After Shikamaru was on board he had told Kurenai who would have been there if she wasn't due to have a baby within the next week.
"Where the hell is Kakashi anyways?"
"He's picking up Naruto, but he should be here any minute now." As soon as the statement was finished the trio saw Naruto and Kakashi running through the hall towards them.
"Is he alright?" They were both gasping for breath but Naruto had caught his first. The blonde had tears in his eyes and a worried expression on his face.
"We're not sure yet, I think they are still working on him. You two should rest a little and wait." Kakashi took a spot on the ground next to Asuma and leaned his back against the wall. He took out a familiar orange book but they all knew he wasn't really going to read it. Naruto sat down next to Kurenai and put his head on her shoulder. He was crying softly and Kurenai was doing her best to comfort him.
When Tsunade came out of the room all the occupants in the hall gave her their undivided attention. "He'll be okay but we almost lost him there a few times. Iruka probably won't be up to doing much for the next few days. I would make these next few days special, he doesn't have much time left."
"Thanks grandma, for everything." Tsunade gave Naruto a hug and ignored the insult just this one time. If Shikamaru had found anyone but her the sick teacher probably wouldn't have made it.
...
Kakashi watched the scene before him with sad eyes. Naruto and Shikamaru had gotten all of Iruka's past students together to visit their high school teacher. The room was full, but roomy since Tsunade moved Iruka to a larger room for visits.
They were all sharing stories and laughing, trying to forget the fact that a man they all knew was wasting away to nothing.
Choji had snuck in a picnic basket full of the most delicious bentos that anyone had ever tasted. Ino had come with him and had brought a beautiful bouquet of flowers with her; they even included Iruka's favorite flowers, tiger lilies. Apparently the two had been dating since graduation and were already looking for an apartment together. Iruka had been happy about the news, saying he called it from the beginning.
Sai had shown up, even though he was never taught by Iruka, had come and given the man a small water color painting of the ocean. Iruka had tears in his eyes when he accepted it and gave Sai a shaky hug.
Shino, who just came back from Africa, told Iruka all about his adventures. It was the shortest conversation of the day, but somehow Iruka could understand every word like it was a book. Kiba was also there, he complained about not being able to bring Akamaru, but had showed Iruka a picture of him anyways. He was going to school to be a vet and Iruka had ruffled his hair and stated that he couldn't think of anything better for him to do.
Hinata and Neji arrived together in true Hyuga fashion. Iruka was happy that the two got along so well, and was proud that Hinata had finally broken out of her shell. The girl wasn't sure what she wanted to do yet, but was surprisingly very into her school's drama club. Neji was going to school to be a lawyer and had plans to open his own law firm one day. And even more surprisingly than Hinata acting was the fact that Neji and Shikamaru were dating. The fact wasn't stated out loud but the whole room could see it between the two. Kakashi knew that Iruka had something to do with it by the way Neji thanked him, and he made a mental note to ask the teacher later.
Tenten, Lee and Sakura had arrived a little later than everyone else but had brought their own stories to tell. Tenten and Lee were in constant competitions when they weren't taking classes and were training to be in the Olympics. Sakura had been doing well at medical school and was top of her class.
Sasuke had been there all day with Naruto and was staying in Kakashi's apartment for the week. He had also been doing well and was going into law enforcement. He wanted to become the DA one day with plans to clean up the streets. He had arrived at the hospital before anyone else and he had talked to his former teacher for almost two hours before Kakashi had arrived. He had no idea what the moody boy and his lover had talked about but he knew it was private and wasn't going to pry.
Naruto was also going to college, for what was unknown but the occupants of the room all knew his dream like they knew their own. Naruto wanted to be mayor of the city just like his father, and they all supported him. Kakashi knew that if everything went wrong for the next two days, that even if his biggest supporter died, they would do their best to pick up the pieces.
What Iruka didn't know was that everyone in this room but him was going to risk their futures over the next few days. Jiraiya had pulled them all into the plan with Naruto's help and Kakashi was glad for their support. He was surprised at first, but then he remembered that most of these kids had plans to work for Jiraiya before the takeover, and all of them wanted to help their favorite high school teacher.
Kakashi knew that if Iruka knew any of this, they would all be feeling his wrath, but it was worth the risk. They would rather have him alive and angry, then dead.
...
"What's going on Kakashi?" Iruka couldn't speak above a whisper and could hardly move today. Kakashi was glad that all of his students visit yesterday, when he could at least embrace them weakly. Tsunade said he would be weak like this from now on.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Kakashi had decided to spend Friday afternoon with Iruka. He wasn't sure what would happen tonight and he wanted to say goodbye without actually saying it.
"Please... I'm tired, just tell me." They were on the bed in their usual position, Iruka half laying on top of Kakashi with one of the older man's arms wrapped around him. It was comforting and warm, and sometimes it was the only thing that made him feel sane.
"I'm going to make everything better." It was a vague answer, but it was the only one he had to give to Iruka. He was asleep again, and Kakashi hoped he wouldn't be mad when he woke up.
He decided to hold his sick lover for a little longer till Asuma and Kurenai came for him. Asuma was taking him right to the check point, while Kurenai was going to spend the night with the teacher. She was on bed rest and could barely walk anywhere, but she said she wanted to spend some quality time with her friend.
Kakashi didn't realize he had fallen asleep till Asuma shook him awake softly. Kurenai took his place on the bed awkwardly, and started rubbing small circles on Iruka's back when he started to stir.
"You ready for this?" Kakashi looked at Asuma then looked at the person that mattered most in his life.
"Yes."
...
There was a fundraising ball being held at the Grand Hotel in the northern part of the city. Anyone who held any power in the city would be there, including Orochimaru. Itachi was there with him as his personal assistant; it was his job to keep him there.
Also at the ball were several of the young teenagers who would keep an eye on him as well. Choji's family was hired to work the event so he would be there along with Ino who would be serving drinks for the evening. The Hyuga family was formerly invited so Hinata and Neji were there. Kiba's family was in charge of the strict security and Sasuke was working with him.
Shino had been preparing cameras for the events and had placed them all throughout the event as well on everyone in on the job. His base was in the center of the city which was a safe distance away from the action. Tenten and Lee were on lookout for the base and were in charge of destroying the evidence if things went sour.
In a van that was constantly moving were Raido, Anko, Shikamaru and Naruto. The van was set up with the most complicated computer system that only a genius could handle. According to Itachi the whole lab was run electronically and it was Shikamaru's job to hack into the system to make their job run smoothly. Naruto was there to give the genius anything he needed, Raido was driving, and Anko was the protection.
The group doing the actual stealing was the largest. Genma, Asuma, Ibiki, Sai, Sakura, Guy, Jiraiya, and Kakashi all had their jobs to do. Ibiki was in charge of the getaway van while Sakura was also there if a need for a medic arises. Genma could break his way into any vault, and had the job of taking out the guards. Asuma was an explosives expert and Guy was the strength of the group. Jiraiya was the intelligence; he knew what to steal for it to get noticed. Sai and Kakashi were the expert thieves; it was their job to take any items without leaving any evidence.
The guards changed shifts at all the posts at exactly 9:37pm. They would then have one hour to steal all the items Jiraiya told them to take. It was a short window, but the group had dealt with much worse.
"Okay Kakashi, the guard shifts change in three minutes. I've successfully taken over the network and I'm ready for further instructions."
With Shikamaru all set in action, it was time for the heist to begin.
...
The moment Sai and Kakashi had collected the last of the items was when it all turned sour. Raido had called in over the radio saying that the van was being followed and that he was having a hard time shaking them off.
The real trouble happened when the newest hire came to work at his post fifteen minutes earlier than scheduled. Genma had taken him out but not before the guard could call for backup.
The plan for when they were compromised was to blow the lab, it wasn't as subtle as they wanted it to be but it still got the message clear. Now they were getting all the guards out of danger all in keeping time to Asuma's countdown.
They were out the door when the backup came. They started to open fire, at the team and Genma and Jiraiya both ended up being shot. The group had gotten into the van when the place finally blew and Sakura was trying her best.
"Kakashi! I need more assistance; I've never dealt with this before!" Kakashi thought hard for a moment then yelled at Ibiki to let him take the wheel.
"Hang on everyone I'm gonna lose those bastards and get help!"
...
"Sir, there has been an issue with the lab's security." Itachi watched as Orochimaru calmly excused himself from Neji and walked to a private room available to the guests. Itachi braced himself when the door was closed and locked quietly.
"Status." The word was said with so much venom, that if it was anyone but Itachi he would have shivered.
"The lab has been destroyed, three guards injured, and items J17, B4, and M15 have been captured by unknown assailants." Itachi took note of the anger that the man was radiating and knew that the heist worked.
"Cancel my appointments for tomorrow. I want to pick up the shipment myself."
...
"Brat! Explain why the hell you are here at this time of night!" Kakashi gave Tsunade a hesitant look and took to note of her anger before answering.
"Maah, we might have run into a little trouble on the road of life." Tsunade rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.
"You know the drill, down the stairs. If any blood gets on my carpet you'll be sorry." She let the men and young women go in but stopped Kakashi from flowing. "Please tell me you got that bastard."
"Yeah. Interpol promised us that most of our money would be returned to us on Monday. If he's up to it, Iruka could start treatment as early as Tuesday." Tsunade gave Kakashi a warm smile and lead him inside her house.
"You did well brat. Your old man would be proud."
...
7 Months Later
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today, to morn a loved one."
"Are you idiots really wasting my time by having a funeral for a hat?!" Kakashi and Naruto exchanged looks of pure happiness before wincing in pain from the hits on the head they received.
"Maah Iruka, the funeral for that orange monstrosity marks a new chapter in our lives." Kakashi pulled his lover into a forced hug and buried his head into the teacher's messy brown spikes. Iruka was growing them out till his usual length and Kakashi had become obsessed with touching his hair.
"Hey! I gave him that hat." Naruto gave a fake pout and Iruka ruffled his hair and gave a warm chuckle. Naruto pulled him away from Kakashi and gave his teacher a bone crushing hug. The man was still healing, but he wasn't frail anymore and was growing stronger every day.
Kakashi couldn't help but smile at the scene. Iruka was getting better and he was looking forward to the next 40 years with the person he loved most.
fin
