Chapter Eighteen: Homecoming
"You are doomed to make choices. This is life's greatest paradox."
- Wayne Dyer
Kotetsu was hung over. He shouldn't have let Izumo talk him into taking him out drinking last night. Well, not that in the course of their lives he had ever been able to say 'no' to Izumo. But Ko would like to believe that he could have tried to stem the force of nature that was his best friend and partner. He glanced over at the man. Izumo was cheerful even hung over. It wasn't fair. The man was sipping some sort concoction of his grandmother's - which he swore by - that smelled worse than a dog's ass.
"Want some?" Izumo offered his flask of hangover remedy.
Kotetsu made a face at it. In fact just the smell of it was going to make him puke; right here up in the guard duty box. And he really didn't want to do that because then he would have to clean it up. And smell it all day.
He turned and made a face at sour face at Izumo, which made the other man chuckle under his breath.
"Suit yourself." The bandana-wearing man smiled and took a sip of it as if it actually tasted good.
Kotetsu snorted and looked blearily out towards the horizon, hating both best friends and guard duty at that moment. He blinked rather stupidly when a group of four people just...appeared a short ways away from the gate. At first, he thought he had just imagined them, because, after all, he was quite hung over and he had a splitting headache. But then the group was walking towards the guard box. And Kotetsu realized he probably hadn't imagined this odd assemblage of people.
"Zumo." Kotetsu said, elbowing his friend in the gut.
"Whaa?" Izumo said grouchily, and then burped. Izumo had bent down to put his flask away.
"Damnit, Zumo, people are here!" Kotetsu said angrily under his breath, elbowing Izumo again.
Izumo's head jerked up to look.
"Is that...Iruka?" Izumo asked as got his first look at the group.
Kotetsu turned back to look at the group that was now much closer. He rubbed the back of his head and realized that it indeed was, Iruka. Umino Iruka. He was a little shocked to see the man. And surprised he hadn't recognized him for himself. Kotetsu blamed the hangover. But truthfully the man looked completely different. His hair was much longer, and he had...a lot of tattoos peeking out of his clothing. But that wasn't really what the biggest difference was – it was an air of confidence around the man. There was a power and vitality that hummed about him.
Iruka had always been a rather unassuming man before, Kotetsu supposed, when they were kids. He had been a part of their genin team; Izumo, Iruka and himself. They had always been good friends. Really good friends. Shared secrets and confidences. Until Iruka had seemed to grow apart when he quit being a pre-genin teacher and became a jounin. Iruka had stopped going drinking with them and hanging out, preferring instead to fritter away his time alone reading. That was when he befriend Uchiha Itachi, spending all his time training - then suddenly he left the village for no reason. That was years ago.
But he was back.
Kotetsu shifted his gaze to the other people in the party. His eyes bugged out a little. The man standing next to Iruka was...Jiraiya. Jiraiya. The Sanin. The Legendary Toad Sage. The man was awkwardly holding two large suitcases and juggling an ugly purple lamp that had an Icha Icha Paradise-logo lampshade in one arm and a typewriter in the other. He was smiling genially at Kotetsu and looking over at Iruka as if this was a normal occurrence. The other people in the party were strangers to him. There was a tall blond man wearing a green and white haori and hakama, who was also carrying a large array of boxes, bags and household items – most notably he was carrying what looked like a rice cooker in the crook of his arm. Next to him was a girl with blue pigtails and a pink kimono who was wearing a large backpack stuffed and overflowing with all manner of weapons. Kotetsu could see no less than two katana's, a set of nunchaku and three windmill shuriken dangling out of it.
"Moshi Moshi!" The little girl said waving to them. It broke the silence.
Kotetsu blinked. He held a hand up, waving back out of common courtesy. Izumo reached over and pushed his hand down.
"State your business!" Izumo said, said gruffly.
Again, Kotetsu blamed his hangover. He reached down and pulled out the clipboard and pen, trying to get into the swing of things.
"Really, Zumo, I think you know my name..." Iruka laughed as he walked up to the guard tower. He smiled and reached up to scratch the scar on his face.
Kotetsu watched the gesture – one he'd seen the man do so many times before. It was comforting almost.
"You've been gone a lot time, Umino Iruka." Kotetsu said, surprised at the bitterness in his own voice.
Iruka nodded, biting his lower lip a little.
"Years." Kotetsu reiterated, his glance flicking back over to the assembled group. Why was Iruka here...with the Sanin of all people. And these other two people. They did not appear to be here for a short visit.
"I know." Iruka said with a soft sigh.
"State your business." Izumo repeated, hand down at his side.
"I'm back. For good." Iruka gestured, and then set down the large bag he had been carrying. "Sandaime will wish to speak with me, I'm sure."
Kotetsu swallowed and began to fill out the paperwork on the clipboard. "And...Jiraiya?"
The Sanin stepped forward the Icha Icha lampshade in his arms swaying back and forth with every step. "I'm moving back to Konoha as well."
"And who are...your friends?" Izumo asked pointing towards the blond man and the girl with the blue pigtails. But the way he said it, was kind of rude.
Kotetsu sighed. Izumo could really hold a grudge.
"That's is Ryuu." Iruka pointed to the tall blond man. "And this is Kokoro." Iruka pointed to the girl with the neon blue pigtails.
Kotetsu paused and frowned. That name sounded really familiar. Wasn't Iruka's dragon summon-creature named Ryuu...? He had met him at that party Iruka threw for Shisui all those years ago. They had played a marathon game of Monopoly with him. Damn dragon had cheated, too! Who cheats at Monopoly? "Wait...Ryuu?" He said squinting at the blond man.
The blond man grinned and winked at him. "It's just genjutsu, Kotetsu. I'm still a dragon."
"Genjutsu? Why not a henge?" Kotetsu asked curiously.
"Because it's easier to dispel a henge." Ryuu shrugged. "So I wrap the space around me with an area genjutsu. Crafty, ne?"
"Sounds harder and doesn't it use more chakra?" Kotetsu inquired.
"I have a lot of chakra." Ryuu answered with a flip of his hair.
"Who's Kokoro?" Kotetsu looked at the girl curiously. He still had to fill in that blank space on the paperwork.
"She's my love slave." Ryuu answered, looking at Kokoro and making kissy noises.
"Gross." Iruka groaned.
Jiraiya's laughter rumbled in his chest and the Icha Icha lampshade jiggled back and forth.
Izumo sighed. "No, seriously. Who is she?"
The old Sanin laughed again. Izumo glared at him. She was just a kid, for Kami's sake! What a pervert-!
"She is an orphan. I have taken her in." Iruka stated clearly.
Kotetsu nodded and filled in the blank: Umino Kokoro. "Where will you be staying while in Konoha?" He looked up into Iruka's brown eyes.
"The Uchiha compound." Iruka smiled at him, shifting the bag in his arms.
Izumo sounded like he was having a coughing fit. Or hacking up a hair ball. "Nani?"
Kotetsu thwacked Izumo on the back a few times for good measure. No, he wasn't getting him back for the hang-over or anything. Izumo shot him a dark look.
"The...Uchiha compound?" Kotetsu stated as he wrote it down on the paperwork. He shot Iruka a glance over the top of the clipboard.
"Yes." Iruka nodded a slight flush of pink tinting his tanned features. "I'm good friends with the owner."
Ryuu snickered and started to make a gesture but Kokoro stopped him by taking the nunchaku out of her pack, expertly wielding it in a whirl and smacking him in the face with one of the wooden ends. Her little blue pigtails barely even swished with the effort.
"Damnit, Kokoro that fucking hurt!" Ryuu groused, rubbing his abused jaw.
"Then don't tease Otousan." Kokoro said.
Jiraiya sighed. "Cut it out, you two. I'm getting too old for this shit. I don't know why we couldn't just blink into the damn house."
Iruka smiled at Kotetsu and pointed at the paperwork that he was having a hard time focusing on due to the drama taking place.
"Are we done yet, Ko?" Iruka scratched at the scar on his nose.
"Uhh..." Kotetsu frowned and looked at the paperwork. "Just one more question. What is your purpose here in Konoha?"
"To protect Konoha." Iruka stated automatically.
Izumo and Kotetsu looked at the tanned man curiously for a moment.
Jiraiya came up beside Iruka and nudged the younger man gently. "I think what they were asking, Iruka, is why you came back now? They need to tell the Hokage."
"Well, sensei, we both came back to be a part of the village." Umino Iruka looked over towards the village gates where he could see into the town. "I've missed Leaf – I've missed home." His voice held unmistakable longing.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
To Iruka, Itachi had always possessed a disturbing beauty. His pale skin was just a touch too pale, his light charcoal eyes frequently giving way to his sharingan, which caused a shiver to course through his body. Even his hidden smile seemed to radiate an indefinable quality that made Iruka somewhat uneasy, but yet he was unable to force himself to look away. Strength and fragility, danger and safety, love and hate. The man was a mess of contradictions that in turn brought out a host of conflicting emotions in him. His lover, his one-time murderer. His savior. His everything.
He was a little in awe at the moment. Iruka was staring at his razor sitting next to Itachi's in the bathroom sink.
Itachi had casually asked him to move in with him a few weeks ago. They had been lying in bed and Iruka had mentioned that he was coming back to Konoha and he was going to need a place to stay. The Uchiha heir had just turned his head and shrugged, telling him to move his things in with him. He had said it so naturally as if it wasn't a big thing.
Iruka smiled again at the memory, stepping out of the bathroom and back into Itachi's bedroom. He pulled out his clothing, piling it into Itachi's dresser feeling a little foolish; a small fluttering in his stomach. He had never moved in with someone before – Kakashi had moved into his place in his previous life. This was new territory for him. And it also felt just a little...odd to be living in the Uchiha Compound. This reviled place held so many ghosts, ne?
After the last battle with Madara, it just seemed pointless to stay away from Konoha. The man knew he was Harbinger. The man knew about his love for Itachi, about his love for Leaf. What was the point in hiding now? Now Iruka's goal was focused on Naruto. So Jiraiya, Ryuu and Kokoro had moved permanently back. And he had given up Harbinger. Besides, the point of Harbinger was accomplished. He had warned the people – he had instilled in them the knowledge of the Jinchuriki. They were starting to ask questions in the towns and villages across the five nations. He knew that the various Jinchuriki around were already training; preparing.
Itachi walked into the room behind him and leaned against the wall. He gave him a look.
"Settling in?" Itachi asked.
Iruka gave him a crooked smile, pushing his underwear next to Itachi's. That was just weird. Nice, but weird.
"How do you do that?" he asked as Itachi's eyes swept over his body and left him blushing, "How do you just look at me and make me feel like...someone...I don't know, just not some foolish shinobi tool who has made too many mistakes, but...someone..."
Itachi was just there suddenly, pulling him into his arms.
"You are someone." Itachi whispered. He bit down almost painfully on Iruka's neck. "My someone precious."
"Nngh…" Iruka moaned throatily, burying his face in the crook of Itachi's, neck, thinking to himself that the younger man had gotten taller – they were now the same height. He drank in his scent. He dug his fingernails into those pale shoulders, almost to the point of drawing blood, leaving little half-moon crescents on his skin.
Itachi pressed Iruka against the front of the desk that was next to the dresser. He smiled slightly, in his manner and pressed him closer. Iruka felt a shudder run through his body.
"'Tachi...what are you doing?" Iruka asked softly, rolling his eyes to meet Itachi's.
"Welcoming you home." Itachi's lips pressed against Iruka's.
He moaned and kissed him back.
Itachi broke the kiss and smirked before turning Iruka around without warning. "I think I need to frisk you for hidden weapons, though." His hands slid down to Iruka's waist and unbuckled his belt then unfastened and pushed off his pants and boxers in one motion.
Iruka laughed lightly. "Izumo and Kotetsu already did that."
"They better not have." Itachi growled.
"Jealous?" Iruka teased, hands on Itachi's pants, unbuttoning them.
Itachi seized his lips immediately. "Mine."
The possessive sound of his voice tugged at something inside him, some animalistic, baser quality buried deep in his nature. Iruka felt his cock twitch at the words that tumbled out of Itachi's mouth, the sound of his voice triggered an automatic response in his body. A hunger. He was already heavy and hard. Itachi was pushing him against his table. Iruka's palms pushed flat on the table to support his weight.
"Yes." Iruka confirmed, his eyes closing. His body burned for this man.
Itachi leaned in against him, pressing him against the desk almost painfully. "Mine." He murmured again against the tanned man's ear. He sucked on the lobe and then nibbled harshly down the side of the tanned neck while Iruka let out a moan.
Iruka suddenly felt a hand wrap around him and he let loose a throaty groan. "Yes...Itachi..."
Then Itachi was spreading Iruka's legs with his knees, his eyes heavy lidded and purposeful. He brought his fingers up to his mouth and eyed the older man while sucking on them. Then he inserted one of them inside Iruka making him whine in pleasure.
Iruka jumped when there was a knock on the door.
"Hey." Sasuke said from the other side of the door. "When is dinner?"
"Hn." Itachi said. "Ignore him." He inserted another finger in Iruka causing him to groan and roll his hips slightly as the man hit his prostate.
Iruka slammed his hand down on the desk and grabbed it for purchase. He moaned as Itachi kept up his ministrations, watching aloofly as the tattooed man writhed on his desk.
The knocking started up again. "Itachi! I know you're in there!" Sasuke yelled.
"Oh kami." Iruka shuddered. "Just tell him something. Make him go away, 'Tachi."
Itachi moved; slipping out of his pants and lubricating himself with precum and spit. It wasn't the smoothest entry, but there was just something needy about this. Primitive. He entered Iruka all the way with a low growl, his sharingan swirling to life. Vicious thrusting and moving in a way that made Iruka's knees buckle.
"Itachi!" Sasuke banged on the door again. "Damnit answer me!"
"Little brother, dinner will be in an hour or so." Itachi said finally, in a voice loud enough for his brother to hear.
Iruka could sense Sasuke's chakra fading as he walked away.
"Nngh-" Iruka's moan was muffled as Itachi pulled him in for a passionate kiss. He wrapped his legs around his narrow waist as the man continued to his deep hard thrusting without breaking the slow rhythm that he had set.
"Fuck, harder!" Iruka gasped.
Itachi had a hand on his waist to keep himself steady, the other up on Iruka's face to mash their lips together. He moved his head to the right and deepened their kisses. Iruka broke away panting while Itachi paused, breathing against Iruka's cheek.
"When you look at me like that…it's like I'm breathing for the first time…" Iruka whispered illogically. Kami, this man made him forget how to think! Those eyes! They were red, burning into his soul! He shuddered and he didn't know if it was fear or passion.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
"Oh, and just because I like humans, it doesn't mean that I like you personally." Ryuu stated, glaring at Kakashi. "You don't belong here, Scarecrow."
Here was the Uchiha compound. They were standing on the roof of the complex. It was late at night and the moon was covered by clouds. Ryuu couldn't sleep probably because Kokoro had kept him up with some crazy ideas with peanut butter and jelly and different body parts. He really loved that crazy demon.
Kakashi sighed.
"One moment until you are a red smear on the dirt." Ryuu threatened. He shouldn't, but he rather felt badly for Scarecrow. He seemed...lonely.
The silver-haired man nodded but didn't move, his hair fluttered in the breeze.
"Why are you here?" Ryuu inquired.
"Is...He really back?" Kakashi asked; hands shoved deep in his pockets. He shuffled his feet nervously. "I overheard Izumo and Kotetsu talking about it in the mission room."
The dragon fluttered over to Kakashi and looked at the man. Even through his mask, the pain on his face was clear to see. The man was...conflicted.
"Yes, he is back in Konoha permanently." Ryuu stated.
"And living at the Uchiha Compound?" Kakashi inquired. "With Jiraiya, Naruto, Sasuke...and Itachi?"
"Yes." Ryuu confirmed.
"Ahh." Kakashi nodded again.
Iruka would have to talk to the man obviously. Not now, but sometime. They hadn't really had any time to talk after the fight with Madara; he had pretty much rescued everyone and then sent them on their way.
"His old place was too small for all of us and he needed a place with room for Naruto to train." Ryuu inexplicably felt the need to explain. He cursed internally. Why was he sympathizing with Scarecrow? The man had hurt Dolphin; he shouldn't be feeling bad for him.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
They were enjoying a picnic lunch on top of the Hokage Monument. Iruka had cooked the bento and packed it carefully. It's not everyday one cooks a bento for the Hokage, after all. He was sitting respectfully next to the Hokage eating an onigiri and passing the umeboshi to Kokoro, who passed it in turn to Ryuu, who shook his head at the umeboshi, but picked up a few takoyaki with his chopsticks instead. Then Ryuu passed the bento to Itachi who picked out a few of the onigiri, some edamame, and hard-boiled egg slices. Then he passed it to the Hokage who sat it down. It was all very respectful.
"You know why I asked you for a meeting, right?" Sandaime asked at last.
"I have laid aside Harbinger." Iruka stated, not beating around the bush. "I am home."
There were four ANBU stationed around the top of the Monument guarding. Two of them had actually sniffed and taste-tasted the food for poison beforehand. Iruka hadn't complained. He understood the need. Although, it was slightly annoying to have all of his private business to be gossiped about by every shinobi in Leaf. Because this would be news in about two hours. That one ANBU over there was Tiger. And while he loved Genma, the man was the worst gossip. Probably why the Hokage had chosen him for protective detail. Testing Iruka's resolve.
The Hokage nodded. He picked up the onigiri with his chopsticks and ate it. He nodded approvingly. "Good."
Iruka smiled. "I'm glad you like it."
"So...Ryuu is wearing a genjutsu to appear human?" Sandiame stated, munching on a takoyaki.
"Hai." Iruka nodded. "It worked better for undercover work when I was Harbinger. We're both pretty good at genjutsu."
"And...this Kokoro?" The Hokage raised an eyebrow. "You told Kotetsu that she was an orphan you took in. But I am guessing that isn't the whole story, is it Iruka?"
Iruka looked down at his hands. He had never told anyone this story, not even Itachi and it seemed wrong somehow to tell the Hokage the story and not his lover. Could the Hokage sense what Kokoro was? He supposed it was possible that the Hokage was powerful enough to sense her.
"Have you ever heard of 'The Torii of Hidden Sands', Sandiame?" Iruka asked the Hokage...but he was looking over at Itachi.
"No, I don't think I have." The Hokage said and started to light his pipe.
"Well, it's probably for the best. Little known, impossible to find, painful and irreversible." Iruka ran ragged hand through his hair.
"Otousan..." Kokoro started softly. She reached a hand over and patted his shoulder gently.
"I did something probably foolish, Hokage. These irezumi; or tattoos aren't just for looks." Iruka's eyes were a little wild. He glanced over at Itachi and gripped his hand painfully. "They're my saiken, or bond forged between me and Kokoro. It was granted for more chikara, or power – chakra. She is one of the Enenra. I have a demon inside of me."
The Hokage looked surprised. He blinked a few times then puffed on his pipe.
"Okay." Sandiame said. "You're still...you, though?"
"Hai." Iruka nodded. "She is somewhat like a summon creature in that regard. Except that I gained chakra."
"We'll have to...run tests, of course." The Hokage said. "Ibiki..."
He nodded, understanding. It wasn't a small thing. He was asking to bring a demon into the village of course.
Iruka's heart was beating so painfully in his chest he wasn't sure if he was teetering on the edge of blackness. His head was held up high; he couldn't turn to face Itachi. He couldn't. He couldn't face the rejection. He knew he had lied to the man. His heart was immobile in his chest. Until he felt Itachi grasp his hand; and squeeze it back. He turned his head and gazed at Itachi, who was smiling at him in that slight manner that he has.
"We all have a little demon inside of us, Iruka." Itachi said quietly.
"But-" Iruka interrupted.
"So yours is an annoying little girl with blue pigtails." Itachi smirked. "I've got Sasuke."
Iruka grinned back, relief flooding him. "That was a joke, 'Tachi. I'm so proud of you."
A/N: Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! First chapter in the "Konoha Arc" (Yeah, real creative title, I know). Also, I have another fic that I am writing – do not worry, It will not effect this one – I always write two at a time. It's a KakaIru fic set in modern day Konoha – if that sounds interesting at all, give it a looksie. It's called "It's Always Sunny in Konoha". It's not serious at all – it's much more aimed at humor. (Which is my favorite thing to write!)
And MANY thank to my beta WhitenyRose for all of her hard work! And Fred-the-Moose for being my cheerleader and kicking my ass back into working-!
Please review! ^_^