The Assassin and the Dolphin

Author: jabotus

Rating: T

Pairings: Kakashi x Iruka

Warnings: AU – yaoi (two guys in a relationship)

Disclaimer: Don't own.

'…..' - thoughts

Chapter 5

Kakashi woke to the smell of smoke. Sitting up, he glanced around the cave until his eyes settled on a young man with dark wet hair crouching by a small fire. He racked his brain for a name, but found nothing. The man avoided looking at his face, which was nothing new for Kakashi because of his eye, but he also looked nervous and his face was flushed.

Kakashi studied him as he watched him add twigs to the fire. He did look familiar… Unexpected, the young man made a startled sound while simultaneously yanking back his hand. He stuck his burnt finger in his mouth, his eyes almost accidentally rising up to meet Kakashi's. He ducked his head in embarrassment. Kakashi chuckled softly. This young man was awfully cute.

Kakashi rose up from his bed of blankets, moving over to the fire, ignoring the stiffness of his injured shoulder as he did so. He sat next to the other man. Gently Kakashi grasped the man's left wrist and pulled the finger from his mouth.

"Don't do that. Do you have any fresh water?" The young man was really flushed now and when he tried to speak all that came out was a squeak. He settled for nodding to some bottled water lined up against one wall. They certainly have a little bit of everything here, Kakashi thought as he stood up to retrieve one. Kakashi poured the cool water over the burned finger, never releasing the other's hand. It didn't look bad at all.

"Did that girl…Sakura leave any medical supplies?"

Still tongue-tied, the dark-haired man only pointed with his free hand to a plastic box besides Kakashi's bed. Kakashi released his hand and started to stand, but the other man was faster. He set the box before Kakashi.

"You…you shouldn't move too much. Your stitches might come undone and I've bothered Sakura enough today."

"So you can talk."

"Of course I can talk," he snapped, but then immediately seemed to regret it. The guy was sure acting strange.

"I'm Kakashi." Kakashi offered his name as he rummaged through the box. There were more than the usual first aid objects in here. He caught sight of small knives and clamps; things a doctor would have. She had probably just used them to remove the bullet in his shoulder. The girl was too young to be a doctor though wasn't she?

Finally he found some antibacterial cream. He took the man's hand in his own and put some of the cream on it. Kakashi watched him as he blushed and again avoided his eyes. Maybe it wasn't because of his deformed eye that the young man couldn't face him. It had been a lifetime ago that he had affected anyone this way, he almost missed the signs.

"I know." The man pulled his hand away and moved back to the fire. "You didn't have to bother. It'll only wash off."

"What's your name?" For some reason, Kakashi couldn't remember though he was sure it had been said.

"Iruka." Oh yes.

"You were the one who saved me."

"I just got you out of the water. Sakura saved you."

"Maybe, but I would have drowned first." Iruka didn't respond, but he looked as if he didn't agree.

Kakashi then caught sight of the lobsters. "How are you going to cook them?"

"I don't know. I can't even get a fire going without burning myself. The others are better at this stuff."

Cooking?"

"I thought you would prefer them cooked."

"Prefer them? Maybe I like sushi."

"What's sushi?"

"Raw fish." Iruka frowned as he looked down on the lobsters.

"You eat raw fish? Would you rather I get fish?" Iruka took a step toward the pool, a bit too eager to leave. "I wasn't sure how you would get the meat out of the shell anyway. I usually just bash them against a rock." He paused a moment looking thoughtful for a moment. "Do you want a rock?"

"You don't cook anything do you?" Kakashi was perplexed by this young man. Only half of what he said made any sense. Bashing lobsters against rocks? That sounded a bit barbaric.

"It's hard to keep a fire going when you're surrounded by water," Iruka responded not really paying attention to his words. His eyes kept darting to the pool of water. He looked like a wild animal seeking escape from a predator. 'Do I upset him that much?' Kakashi felt a little sad at this thought, but what Iruka was saying distracted him.

"You and the others…live in the ocean?"

"Where else? In this cave? I doubt my village would fit in here."

"A village…in the ocean?" Okay, so the cute young man was off his rocker. Maybe he drank too much salt water.

"We're about six miles away." Kakashi could only look at Iruka, a peculiar expression on his face. Iruka glanced at him and seemed to realize what he had just been saying. His face clouded over and he seemed disappointed, but of what Kakashi couldn't decipher. Did Iruka realize he was crazy?

"Iruka?"

"Hmm."

"Who are you?" Iruka sighed and turned back to the fire. He spent a few long minutes tending to it. Kakashi wondered if he would ever receive an answer. If it bothered Iruka this much, he could let it go…for now. Leaning forward to speak up, he was then interrupted.

"Have you ever heard of merpeople?" That threw Kakashi off. Where in the world had that question come from? He didn't know how to respond to something so…so out there. Surely Iruka didn't think he was a…

"Do you mean like mermaids? The stories sailors used to tell about them singing while sunning themselves on rocks?"

"Sort of. The stores are not all true. Not all of us can sing and we rarely sun ourselves."

"Us?" Great, this settled it. He had been rescued a very delusional, albeit very attractive young man. "You're telling me you're a mermaid."

Iruka glared at him, probably sensing the disbelief in his voice. The glare soon melted away to one of disappointment and sadness. 'Like he had hoped I would believe his words,' Kakashi thought. Kakashi felt some of that disappointment as well. He almost wished he could believe Iruka's story if only so he wouldn't look so upset.

Trying to lighten the mood, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but you don't exactly look like a mermaid." And failed miserably.

"Merman," Iruka corrected. He turned his face back to the fire.

Kakashi tried to recall his high school psychology class. Did they ever talk about how to approach delusional people? Was it better to go with the delusion or did it do more damage?

"Iruka?"

"What?"

"Why don't you tell me the truth?"

Iruka laughed, the bitter tone reaching his ears all too well. "It is the truth. Why would I lie to you?"

Kakashi could think of probably a million reasons why he would lie, but didn't voice them. If that pool of water was the only way out and if once under water, it was a maze of tunnels, he was essentially trapped here. He couldn't afford to make an enemy of any of the handful of people who could lead him out. They could have been lying, but best not to take that chance. Then a new thought occurred to him, was it possible for all of them to share the same delusion? Or had they left the insane one to be his guard?

Iruka abruptly stood up and dashed to the pool, pulling off his clothes as he went.

"Where are you going?"

"To get fish." It was the only answer he received before Iruka dove into the water.

Kakashi stared at the pool until the ripples had gone. He wondered if Iruka would come back at all. He would probably send one of the others from now on. It was obvious he had offended the young man, but really who could believe something like that. Merpeople…a shame since Iruka seemed nice and even better, liked him. Nobody had liked him in a long time. It was a nice feeling to know somebody could like him…not that anything would ever come of it.

Stirring himself, Kakashi began searching through the 'treasures' for a pot to boil the lobsters in.