Hello there! I hope you enjoy this. Here is the second chapter:
Ryuusuihada
Iruka did not know what to do. The Godaime had very effectively back him into a corner. The chuunin did want to help Kakashi, he really did. He had just hoped there was another way to do it. The brunette roughly rubbed the back of his neck, deep in thought. He really had no other choice.
"It's safe to say you read everything?" It was a bit uncalled for or rude, but he needed it know.
"Of course," she said, motioning for Iruka to come closer. "I want you to do this today, if possible."
The chuunin sighed, looking back at Kakashi. "Alright."
Tsunade smiled at him. She did not want to force the sensei into doing it. At least he co-operating and that made everything easier. "Thank you Iruka. I secured an area by a waterfall not too far outside of Konoha and ANBU will be nearby if anything goes wrong. The only have instructions to intervene and your say-so, they won't be monitoring you at all. You have my word."
Iruka knew he could trust her, but still, the entire ordeal made him feel ill at ease. "There are some things I need before I treat Kakashi-san. I will come back once everything is ready." Iruka bowed his head, leaving the Hokage and the jounin. Once he closed the door, the brunette slumped against the nearest wall. "What a mess."
The chuunin left the hospital quietly, making his way through the bustling streets, not really paying mind to his surroundings.
"Iruka-sensei" Just what he needed right now.
"Long time no see, Naruto." The blonde ran up to the brunette, smiling brightly. "I heard you came back some time last night. It's good to see you again." The chuunin gave Naruto a quick hug and a tired smile. "I know we usually have a Ramen after you come back from a long mission, but I am very busy."
"Aw that sucks." The blonde started to pout. "Then instead you have to come and have dinner with Sasuke and I some other time this week."
Iruka smiled. 'I'll be there."
Naruto returned the gesture and said his farewell, leaving just as quickly as he had come.
The chuunin continued on his way to his apartment and hurriedly put what he needed in his pouch and left to return to the hospital. He was outside Kakashi's room and knocked on the door before he went in. The brunette found Tsunade sitting in one of the chairs reading what looked like a mission report.
"Konichiwa, Hokage-sama."
"Ah, Iruka, come here there is still one last thing I want to tell you before I take the two of you to the waterfall." Iruka had a bad feeling about what was to come. "After you heal Kakashi, I am going to put him on a two week medical leave. During that time I want you to look after him and make sure he does not overexert himself."
The chuunin felt his jaw drop. "H-hokage-sama, why are you putting Kakashi-san in my care, when it would be better to monitor his conditions by keeping him in the hospital?"
Tsunade sighed. "Well firstly the brat hates hospitals, and I am not going to try and put up with him for two whole weeks. Secondly, you are the one doing this and you pick up any problems much quicker than the nurses."
She had a very valid point. "Very well."
"Good, now get over here so that I can take you and this brat out of here." The brunette walked over to the Godaime's side and before he could even blink he was blinded by the smoke a teleportation jutsu.
Iruka looked about them as the smoke started to clear. Lush green grass was beneath their feet. A wide waterfall was in front of them, the spray of the water misting over to them, creating a cool breeze. The chuunin looked around them and then back to the Godaime.
"I will leave you to it then," Tsunade wished him luck and left in a plume of smoke from a teleportation jutsu.
Iruka stared perplexedly at the place the Godaime had occupied just moments ago. The chuunin crouched down to look more closely at the comatose jounin. He prayed that Tsunade's soporific would hold out until he had successfully completed the jutsu. Iruka looked at Kakashi, bringing his hand up to brush away stray locks of silver that had fallen over his brow.
The brunette straightened himself and went to the lip of the river, just a few meters away from the waterfall. The chuunin walked across the water and stood as near to the centre as he could estimate and began a zazen*. Iruka's breath became near non-existent as he sat on the water, focusing all the chakra he would need for the first stage.
A steady flow of the chuunin's chakra began to flow into the water and give off a slight ethereal glow of cerulean blue. Iruka released a long puff of air once he was certain he had embedded the water with enough chakra. He stood and ventured back to Kakashi.
Now it was time to stage two.
Iruka hated this part of the justu, but he could not proceed without doing it. Methodically, the chuunin untied the white hospital robe and put it to one side. The brunette focused his attention elsewhere, anywhere, as long as he did not look at the bared jounin before him. The temptation was too much for him to resist and coyly let his chocolate brown eyes travel from one point down.
The first feature he noticed was how pale the jounin's skin was. Iruka looked at that relaxed face and ventured down. The thick muscle of Kakashi's neck was half covered by the remains of the black mask, but that did not make it look any less appealing to the chuunin. His shoulders were strong, yet slim and met defined biceps and down powerful curves of his arm that would have made other shinobi jealous. Iruka led his eyes back up to sharp collar bones and drank in the hard chest that gently rose and fell. Hard abdominal muscles packed over his stomach, and the brunette just let his eyes flow down to that slim waist.
Iruka stopped himself before he completely forgot about the reason behind stripping Kakashi in the first place. The brunette sighed and scooped the silver-haired man into his arms, one arm under the bend of the jounin's knees while the other was wrapped tightly about his shoulders. He was certainly heavier than what Iruka had originally thought, but fortunately it was only a little way to the water.
He gently lay Kakashi down onto the water, the chakra embedded in it keeping the jounin afloat. Iruka sat right beside him, crossing his legs and trying to get into a comfortable position.
It was now on to stage three.
The chuunin clamped his teeth onto his right thumb, drawing blood. Iruka let out a heavy puff of hot air and started writing small characters onto the jounin's pale body. Firstly he drew them into a circle formation around Kakashi's navel, and then started drawing out the first of the six arms. The brunette had started with the lower ones, two of the arms down each leg. While he drew them swiftly, he had to execute each one precisely; otherwise the rest of the jutsu would fail. The vine of characters wrapped around the entire leg and ended once they had coiled around the chakra pathway underneath the foot.
Iruka straightened his back for a moment then went to do an exact mirror image of the first leg. The brunette moved back to the origin of the characters and started with the third arm. Now Iruka had no choice but to look at the jounin's genitals. The brunette swiftly draw over those fine hairs that travelled south and as gently and quickly as he could, wrapped the characters over Kakashi's member like he had with his legs.
Iruka let out a sigh of relief now that what he considered the most difficult part of the jutsu was over. He started the three remaining arms, taking the first vine of characters up the smooth chest and then down his arm. Like the other limbs, he wrapped the red vine of characters around the muscle and turned Kakashi's hand up to coil characters tightly in his palm. He repeated the image onto the opposite arm.
Now there was just one arm left to complete. Iruka reached back into his pouch and withdrew a pair of scissors. The brunette glided the blades over the material, taking care not to cur any of the mask that his face. Really, all he needed was to expose Kakashi's neck, nothing more. Anymore and that would have been invading his privacy. Putting the tool away, he started to travel the characters up the neck, stemming it out six times, but never linked them. Iruka swept the character over the underside of the jounin's chin then drew back to admire his work.
The brunette inhaled the moistened air; the sound of the waterfall behind him relaxed him. Iruka put out his hands in front of him and waved through a whole series of hand seals. "Ninpo, Suiton, Ryuusuihada." (Ninja Art, Water Release, Dragon Water Skin) The chuunin sensed the water flow around him and respond to him.
Iruka placed his right palm against the cool skin of Kakashi's stomach, covering the origin of the character. Chakra flowed into the jounin, the red characters moving throughout the pale body, like snakes about a captured prey. With his free hand, Iruka formed more seals and from what he had heard, there was another that had the same ability. The boy, however – Haku was it? From what Iruka had heard, he had died and, but he died protecting someone that was precious to him. The brunette wished he would be able to protect someone precious to him. Naruto was on his way to becoming the Rukodaime Hokage, so the chuunin highly doubted that the blonde would ever need his protection.
Iruka shook his head and returned his thoughts to the matter at hand. He formed the more seals and thin columns of water twisted their way out of the river and search for their mark. The cool water glided over Kakashi's skin, like the touch of a lover. The chuunin watched as the water intermixed with the characters. The brunette made the final seals and closed his eyes in concentration. The water gave off the ethereal blue of the chakra inside. The water seeped into the jounin's skin and started to flow underneath that thin layer of skin, mimicking the pathways of the characters on the surface. The water stretched and flowed over the jounin's charka pathways.
Iruka focused on making the water shift to all the injured muscle and tissue, first repairing the damaged ones. Once that task was complete, the brunette collected the water where the muscle had been burnt away. Iruka focused some healing chakra on his palm and then injected it into Kakashi, making the water absorb the green chakra. He had to concentrate; if he manipulated his chakra with a millimeter of inaccuracy then it would permanently damage the silver-haired jounin.
Come on. Come on. Those words were chanted in Iruka's mind like a mantra. The brunette willed the chakra to be more flexible. Holding up a jutsu while trying to heal an entire body was taxing, but Iruka forced himself to see it through.
The muscle started to regenerate and the chuunin felt slightly relieved. H stayed there until each muscle was fully formed again. Iruka let out a quivering breath. He drew his hand back from Kakashi's abdomen. The characters started to slither back into the circle about the jounin's navel and faded from view.
Iruka sat back and let himself rest for a moment. He was thoroughly drained. Iruka looked up at the sun. He had been there for a few hours and it was nearing sunset. Iruka felt the water wrap a tentacle about his hand, nudging his fingers into the water. It was as if the water had sensed that he was about to depart. He smiled and dipped his hand into the cool water. It brushed its currents against his hand, as if urging him not to leave. Iruka waved his fingers and created ripples on the water's surface. Small bubbles of water rose up and floated in the air like faery lights he had been told about as a child. The chuunin felt like he could sit there for eternity with the water and play with its shape, but he had a jounin to take care of.
Iruka pulled his hand out of the water, the small spheres of water falling back into the river. The chuunin straightened to sit on his haunches. The brunette took Kakashi into his arms again and walked back to the soft grass. Once he was there, he performed a teleportation jutsu with the last of his chakra.
The brunette sank to his apartment floor, taking Kakashi with him. He sat there for a moment, catching his breath. Minutes passed before Iruka finally got up and carried the jounin to the spare room that had once been Naruto's.
Iruka laid the jounin gently on the bed and left to go and find clothes for the man. The brunette raved through his closet and came upon a pair of black, baggy sweatpants and an over-sized white t-shirt. He returned to Kakashi, relieved that he was still unconscious. He started to dress the jounin and gently as possible before throwing a warm blanket over him.
The chuunin went back to his own bedroom, taking a quick shower and changed into a blue t-shirt that hugged every curve in his body and a similar pair of sweat pants that he had clothed Kakashi with. The brunette left his hair down and let the wet tresses dry by themselves as he walked into his kitchen.
He searched through his cupboards, uncertain f what to make for dinner since he had a guest. What did Kakashi like? Was he allergic to anything? His safest option had to be a soup of some kind and it was also the safest, considering Kakashi's overly sensitive body right now. He opened his fridge, hoping some sort of inspiration would come lashing out at him. Finding nothing of interest, he returned to the cupboards.
His chocolate brown eyes looked over everything and then settled on one packet tucked away in the corner. Dried wakame*. That could work, he told himself. The chuunin went over to his bookshelf, taking a recipe book that he had inherited from his mother. The book had a brown coarse cover and the pages were yellowed at the edges. The book was older than he was and was well used. Every recipe in it was hand written by his mother, making it all the more precious to him. Iruka paged through it, finding dough splatters all over the pancake recipe. His mother always allowed him to help with the coking.
Smiling to himself, he referred to the index at the back. Wakame soup*. Wakame soup. Iuka ran his finger down the page, finally finding the page number he was looking for. The chuunin walked back to the kitchen, putting the book down on the countertop, he searched for his ingredients.
Okay he needed: 2 chicken thighs, 1 clove of crushed garlic, half an onion, a pinch of sea salt, 1 cube of chicken broth, shiitake mushrooms*, and some ginger.
Iruka got everything he needed, putting the chicken into the microwave to thaw and started to crush the garlic, its sharp smell filling his nostrils. Taking a pot from the cupboard, he filled it with water and put it on the stove to bring to a boil. Once the chicken was thawed, he put the chicken, garlic, onions, and sliced ginger into the pot of boiling water.
Leaving that for the moment, he soaked a handful of the dried wakame in water for five minutes. Iruka cleaned the shiitake mushrooms and sliced them into thin slices and added them to the soup, as well as the now green wakame. He turned the heat of the stove down to allow the flavor of the chicken and wakame to richen.
Iruka was so too absorbed with his cooking that he failed to notice the grunts and moans of discomfort coming from the rousing jounin. Kakashi moved his arm, but found that difficult and somewhat painful. With effort, he sat up, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. The sound of cutting and low humming made Kakashi curious and got up on wobbly legs.
The silver-haired man looked at the clothes he was wearing. He knew he did not possess any of the items he was wearing, but to his relief found his mask still in place. Kakashi put his hand up against the wall for support, making his way over to the door. The jounin looked down the hallway and what he saw made him gasp.
Iruka heard something from behind and looked over his shoulder, only to nearly jump out of his skin. "Kakashi-san! You're awake?"
"Iruka-sensei?" the jounin asked in a gruff voice and noticed that he was extremely thirsty. He took a moment to realize he was in the chuunin's apartment. "What am I doing here?"
Iruka walked over to Kakashi, resting his hand reassuringly over the other's arm. "Please come and sit while I make some tea." He smiled lightly and guided his guest to a chair at the dinner table.
Once the jounin was seated, he finished the tea and brought a steaming cup to the tired looking silver-haired man. "You should drink it while it is warm, Kakashi-san."
The said man did not need to be told twice as he lifted his mask over his lips to take a sip. The jounin noticed that Iruka had his back turned to him and was fussing over something at the stove. The chuunin got clean plates bowls and put two of them beside the stove.
"I hope wakame soup is alright," he said. "I had no idea what you liked so…"
"It's fine. I haven't had it since I was a child." Kakashi answered, imagining just how worried the brunette must have been to prepare a meal for him. The jounin though it was a sweet gesture.
Iruka filled both bowls to the brim then took them to the table, putting Kakashi's down in front of him and then his across the table. The chuunin went back in the kitchen to get his own tea and chopsticks for the two of them. He handed a pair to Kakashi, casting down his eyes to avoid eye contact.
"Ah, Kakashi-san-" The brunette started.
"I thought I asked you to call me Kakashi?"
Iruka felt a small blush creep up his cheeks. "W-well Kakashi, you don't need to rush your meal, especially while you are recovering. I will keep my eyes cast away and allow you as much privacy as possible."
Kakashi's eye widened at what the chuunin-sensei had said. He was unlike any one the jounin had ever met, the rest just wanted to see what was underneath his mask. People took him out to dinner and such, just to get a glimpse of his face, but he was quicker and more intelligent than they were. He had successfully kept his identity hidden for years. Now he was in front of the man he secretly admired and loved. The fact that Iruka was averting his eyes made the jounin love him all the more.
"Thank you." Kakashi took his chopsticks in hand. "Itadakimasu. This looks delicious."
Iruka blushed at the compliment and started to eat as well. It did not taste right, not like the way his mother had made it. He wondered silently if she had added something more to it. The brunette looked grimly at his soup, shifting the shiitake mushrooms and wakame around with his chopsticks.
"Is something the matter, Iruka-sensei?" Kakashi asked. He could practically feel the somberness radiating from the chuunin. He also observed that the man had barely touched his food, only playing around with it.
"Gomen," the brunette said softly. Thankfully the older shinobi did not pry. Iruka ate his soup until the bowl was empty, but kept his eyes downcast as Kakashi was still eating.
"You can look now," the silver-haired man informed him, smiling as the other looked up shyly. "I really enjoyed the meal, thank you."
Iruka smiled, looking at that half covered face, though he kept his left eye closed and hidden behind silver strands. "It was no problem."
Kakashi was about to stand up and take his bowl in hand when Iruka was next to him in less than a second, telling him to sit down and relax while he did the dishes. The jounin watched as the brunette continued with his domestic activities as if he was not there at all. Kakashi wondered how he had landed up in the chuunin's apartment. Not that he was complaining so anything. But the last thing he remembered was blacking out in the forest outside Konoha. He remembered the red searing pain that jolted through his body, but all that remained now was a dull ache in his muscles.
"Iruka-sensei."
"Yes?" The said man turned his attention to his guest, drying his wet, soaping hands with a dish cloth.
"How did I get here, because the last thing I remember was passing out from pain? Unless I sleep walked all the way here." The jounin figured that Tsunade had healed him, but other than that he drew a complete blank.
"Well, Tsunade-sama asked that I look after you while you recover from your injuries." The brunette told him. "Speaking of Tsunade-sama, she will be coming over tomorrow to do a check-up on your condition."
Kakashi nodded. "Why was I not kept in a hospital like every other time?"
Iruka sighed, not knowing how to answer that without telling the jounin that the brunette was the one that had healed him this time. "You will have to ask Tsunade-sama tomorrow when you see her, I cannot tell you."
"Okay."
That was surprisingly easy, the brunette thought.
"Oh, Kakashi, could you tell me where you apartment is so that I can get you some clothes for the duration of your stay?" He was lying; the Godaime had already told him where it was but just going there without the jounin's consent did not sit well with him.
"It is easy enough to find." Kakashi gave him the directions.
"Is there anything specific you need?"
The jounin thought for a while. "Well, my clothes that got taken from me after the mission. They had my Icha Icha and a little note that I would like to have. Other than that, no there is nothing else I need."
Iruka smiled. Of course he could ask after that damn perverted book of his. "I'll ask Hokage-sama to return them to you when she comes and visits." The chuunin left for Kakashi's apartment, stopping himself before he left. "Make yourself at home and use this place as if it were you own."
The chuunin walked down the near empty streets to Kakashi's apartment. He went in, only getting what he needed and went back out again. He did not bother looking around when it was none of his business anyway.
He was back at his apartment within ten minutes and found the jounin lying on his couch reading one of his books. Iruka nearly choked on his own spit when he saw what he was reading.
Kakashi had taken the chuunin up on his word and had wondered over to the bookshelf in his absence. The jounin looks with mild interest, but took the one that had caught his attention. He flopped down onto the couch and started reading.
"Did you find it easily, Iruka-sensei?" The jounin asked, not taking his attention from the page.
"Y-yes, I did." Iruka stuttered a bit, trying to get over his initial shock. "I'm going to put your clothes in the closet."
"Hm." Was all the reply Iruka had received. The jounin was too absorbed in the book to take notice.
The brunette walked into the spare bedroom and put the older man's clothes in the closet neatly. He returned to the living room to find Kakashi where he had left him. Sighing, he wadded over to the kitchen and made some fresh tea. Taking the two cups in hand, he went back to the living room, putting Kakashi's on the low coffee table in front of the couch. Iruka sat on one of the cushiony arm chairs, sipping at his warm tea.
"Uh, Kakashi why are you reading that book?" the chuunin asked shyly.
The said jounin looked up from the pages and at the brunette. "It's not that surprising that I'm reading other books, now is it?" He answered with a question.
"It actually is, because the only book any one ever sees you reading is one of those dirty porn novels. To say that you are reading the Tales of Genji* is truly surprising." Iruka answered truthfully.
Kakashi smiled, and even though the chuunin could not see it, he could see that gentle curve of his eye as he smiled. Well, contrary to popular belief, I was not raised reading Icha Icha. I was raised reading a lot of classical literature, but the Tales of Genji was one I have yet to read."
Iruka looked at the jounin in disbelief, but the man gave him no reason to not believe him. The brunette had a smile on his face. The two sent the larger part of the evening talking about their mutual in classical literature and their views on the value and meaning of the works. Around midnight, both shinobi bid each other a good night and went to sleep in their respective rooms.
XxxxX
Morning came by swiftly and Iruka was the first to wake. He jumped out of bed, taking a quick shower and dressing. The brunette slipped past Kakashi's room quietly and started some breakfast. The jounin joined him a few moments later, still looking tired and leaning against any available surface for support.
The chuunin made some scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. It was a simple breakfast, but he did not have much time to prepare for anything more than that. Iruka told Kakashi to expect Tsunade around noon and told the jounin that he would be back before dinner.
The brunette left, telling Kakashi to leave the dishes well alone. The jounin was not willing to test the chuunin-sensei so he decided to take a shower once Iruka had left to the Academy. The silver-haired shinobi got some fresh clothes and went to the small bathroom opposite his room. It was small, but at least he could have a decent shower. Kakashi saw a fresh towel hanging on the railing for him and smiled at Iruka's thoughtfulness.
Phew. I was worried I would not be able to finish this chapter in time before I left to go back home. Well, I made up the name and everything for the jutsu that Iruka used. I had a hard time trying to get suitable name for it.
Also concerning the wakame soup, I was actually going to make Iruka prepare some ramen for Kakashi, but I was able to have some actual ramen myself a few days ago. I must say that now I understand why Yamato said it was such a heavy food and considering that Kakashi is recovering it would not be such a good idea to feed him some. I was browsing through my gran's pantry when I came upon a packet of dried wakame. (It was five years past its expiry date so I didn't get a chance to make some wakame soup.) The wakame soup recipe was thanks to The Art of Japanese Cuisine, a friend's cook book I lent.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because this all you are getting for a while. School starts again on Tuesday so I'll be busy with that. But, I promise to see you guys again soon.
Zazen – position taken when sitting to meditate
Dried wakame – dried seaweed
Wakame Soup – Seaweed Soup
Shiitake mushroom – an indigenous mushroom in Japan
Tales of Genji – It is famous novel written by Lady Murasaki in the 11th Century.
EDIT: There were some things I added and took out or rearranged nothing too major. The next chapter will come soon; I just want to fix some of the mistakes I did not pick up on previously before updating.