A/N:
Happy Birthday YAMATAO!

Apologies for the delay in updating, just been busy and have started writing other fics. But had to get something out for Yamato's birthday. By sheer fluke this story also started to overlap with the manga when I came to writing about Orochimaru. So potential spoilers alert in the next few chapters but not really my fault as I don't know how the manga will progress.

ALSO I'd like to thank you all for reading especially Rosebunse who has been bouncing ideas with me and encouraging me with her reviews. Appreciate it! Hope you enjoy the chapter :D

CHAPTER 10

Yamato awoke to a familiar speckled white ceiling. He was in the hospital again, he sighed. Least his head felt lighter and the pain had eased. "Sakura..." he thought remembering the collapse of the walk way and struggled to sit up. "Hey, hey…Yamato, it's OK." Iruka's soothing voice came as he looked down at Yamato with concern aiding him to sit up and then held him tightly. "Iruka…Sakura, is she OK? The walk way..." Yamato started a little panicked.

"She's fine; you pushed her out of harm's way. Am sure she'll be in to thank you soon" Iruka smiled comforting him. "She's got a bit of a fever at the moment but she's fine. How are you feeling?"

Yamato sensed the worry in Iruka's voice "I'm fine, I'm glad she's OK" he sighed. "Was anyone else injured?" Iruka shook his head. He noticed Iruka's arm was bandaged and there was someone else in the room behind Iruka.

"Wha…What happened Ruka, your arm?" he peered over his shoulder to look at the person in the next bed and saw unruly grey hair poking out. "Ka…Kashi? What happened?" Iruka and Kakashi shared a look; Yamato seemed to be OK but hadn't said anything about the cave. How much did he remember?

"Ahhh…chakra exhaustion" Kakashi replied uneasily.

"How?" Yamato asked.

"Well… you see on the way to picking you up I bumped into an old women…who lost her…".

"Arg" Yamato growled irritated at having to hear another of Kakashi's pitiful stories. "Let me guess her cat was stuck up a tree" Yamato interrupted frowning at Kakashi.

"No actually it was her cow and it got stuck between a fence, when I went to free it, it bucked and well Ruka came to help and…" Kakashi continued with his pathetic excuse as Yamato rolled his eyes not believing a word. He looked at Iruka for clarification and was greeted by a shake of the head. Iruka laughed at the two and saw Yamato gaze at him

"Erm… don't worry babe, we'll fill you in later. It's so good to have you back" Iruka answered smiling with tear filled eyes looking first at Yamato then Kakashi. Yamato was still worried, he glanced at Kakashi not being able to see all of his body as it was covered, but he was shocked at how beaten up Kakashi was. "Who did this to you Kashi? It's not like you…" he asked anger and concern in his voice before he was once again interrupted "We'll explain everything to you, but all in good time, OK?" Kakashi responded not letting the subject progress any further. "But now, you need your rest and so do I" he yawned closing his eyes before Yamato could protest Iruka had found pressure points in his neck sending him to sleep.

"Remind me not to argue with you" Kakashi nervously slid back on his pillow forgetting how powerful his partners were when they chose to be.

It was late afternoon when Yamato finally stirred feeling clammy and panicky. Some of the events of the previous day had come back to him and he had a bad feeling he was the cause of Kakashi's injuries. He sat up a bit too fast his world spinning and saw the worry on Iruka's face as he stood to help. "I'm fine, Ruka, don't...don't touch me right now please" he pleaded. "I have to do this".

He stumbled over to Kakashi's bed and pulled off the blanket and pulled apart his Yukata causing Kakashi to wince in pain and shock. "Yamato" both Iruka and Kakashi said in unison as Kakashi's battered and bruised body was exposed to the cold air. Yamato was in shock as he saw the purple markings wrapped around Kakashi's body knowing full well what had caused them. He then looked at Iruka's bandaged arm. "Yamato, what are you doing?" Iruka asked startled as he fought to keep Yamato from taking his shirt off. "Take it off!" Yamato said in a low growl, "Just take the shirt off Iruka! Let me see you!"

Iruka complied a little shaken. Kakashi muttered that he wasn't quiet up for love making at the minute, could Yamato wait a day when he had some energy back? Yamato glared at Kakashi "Kakashi, don't make light of the situation" he growled angrily. "Why didn't you stop me?" His frustration was growing "Why didn't you stop me damn it!" he screamed at the two as tears welled in his eyes. "Yamato..." Iruka soothed taking his hand into his, recognising the situation could get ugly. "Don't make it worse Ruka" Yamato couldn't look at their damaged bodies anymore and hung his head low. "Yamato, listen to me babe please" he lifted Yamato's hand to his face kissing it, "where fine babe."

"But I hurt you! Both of you, I tried to bury him alive Ruka! I tried to bury him alive..." The last bit was said with a whisper as Yamato felt his knees weaken with the shock of what he had nearly done hit home. "How many people did I hurt?" he asked looking at Iruka. Iruka saw the swirl of realisation and anguish in Yamato's eyes. He saw Yamato sway so stepped in wrapping his arms around him before he could protest and sweeped him of his feet laying him next to Kakashi.

"Yamato, it wasn't me you were fighting. There was something, someone else there" Kakashi gave Yamato a pointed stare keeping him focussed on the conversation and out of his own head. Yamato blinked and looked at him in surprise "Orochimaru...it was Orochimaru" he looked at them hoping they believed him and he wasn't crazy. "I...I wasn't sure whether it was all in my head or not. Orochimaru's dead but when the shadow devoured me...I...I" he didn't want to explain any further and shivered remembering the moment. Both Iruka and Kakashi took his hands squeezing for reassurance. Iruka pulled the blanket back over Kakashi and covered Yamato too tucking them both in. "Yamato I know you don't want to talk about it, but you have to report it to Tsunade-Sama when you're ready, can you do that? Kakashi asked. Yamato nodded understanding the importance of the situation but he wasn't ready to think about that yet, he had nearly killed his lover and his body quivered at the thought. Kakashi felt him shiver and painfully moved his arm to hold Yamato to him.

"How many people did I hurt?" he asked again. He looked at the body in front of him "Kakashi" Yamato whispered shaking himself out of the daze, seeing the bruise around Kakashi's neck up close made it worse, his heart ached. "Kakashi..." He said through gritted teeth fisting his hands in Kakashi's Yukata the anger and emotion taking over "How many?"

Kakashi sighed "Just us two...and you may have bruised Sakura and Gai a little too". He shook his head not believing what he was hearing "Gai Sempai, Sakura are...are they OK" he asked not wanting to hear the answer. "There fine I told you, Sakura has a fever but she'll be in to see you soon and am sure Gai-San will too" Iruka assured him. "Why? Why didn't you stop me damn it! I hurt so many people! I could have killed you!"

"But you didn't" Kakashi laid his hand on Yamato's face wiping away the tears.

"You didn't even try did you…, why didn't you try? Why? Answer me Kakashi Damn IT!" he asked the anger rising. Iruka looked on, he wanted to know too but had a feeling he knew the answer already.

"Yamato, I love you…" Kakashi replied sighing and looking at him trying to calm him "I couldn't hurt you".

"That's not an answer damn it! We always said if it came to it you'd stop me and I would stop you when we lost our minds to the enemy. You didn't keep your end of the promise...and...and now look at you, look at Iruka" Yamato was getting more and more frantic with the knowledge he was the cause of their injuries and the tears kept coming blurring his vision.

Iruka rubbed the back of Yamato's neck trying to soothe him and wiped away the tears with his other hand. "Yamato...Yamato answer me this" Kakashi raised his chin to make eye contact. "Would you really have hurt me if you were in my situation?" he asked "either of you?" he looked at Iruka knowing he was upset about this too and was glad to see him shake his head in reply. "Yamato, I gave you my heart... and I am more than willing to give my life for you, both of you" he sighed looking fist at one and then his other lover. "Can we forget about this? Hmmm? It's going to take a while but I will get better" he smiled at them.

Yamato sniffed letting go of Kakashi's Yukata and stroked the silver hair out of his face. "I'm sorry…I Love you too but I can't forgive myself for the state of your body Kashi or your shoulder Ruka" he squeezed back on Iruka's hand that was resting on his own shoulder. "You should've stopped me" he still complained and let out a sigh hitting Kakashi's chest a little hard with his fist causing him to wince in pain. "AHHH" Yamato shouted in frustration seeing Kakashi squirm in pain. "Sorry! Am so Sorry! Why do you put up with me when I'm always hurting you" Yamato looked crestfallen "I just make things worse, I'll get a medic, can you move, how is the pain?" Yamato said flustered trying to get out of bed without hurting Kakashi again, still feeling guilty seeing his beautifully sculpted body grazed and bruised and his left arm bandaged in a splint.

"Yama I'm fine, really" Kakashi smirked watching his usually stoic lover flay all over the place. He loved the fact they got to see this vulnerable and lumbering side of Yamato in private. "In answer to your questions; No don't get a medic, I can move but it's better when I don't move" he reached out to stroke Yamato's pale cheek "You've done nothing but bring me happiness Yamato and lastly the pain is much better when you're both nearby kissing me" he smiled crinkling his one eye and pulling Yamato back to bed. Iruka smiled back and Yamato pouted further but leaned down to kiss Kakashi taking the hint and lay back down gently so not to disturb Kakashi. Iruka leaned over to take each of their lips in turn for a thorough kiss showing them how much they meant to him. He pulled back from Yamato's lips when he heard a stomach grumble and smirked, "I'll see if I can get you both some food and then I want you to rest, the quicker you both get better the quicker I can take you home". Iruka looked at the two in bed; he had them both again and let out the breath he didn't know he was holding as he left to get some food. He heard a whisper behind him "his got a sexy ass hasn't he?" Iruka turned to see Yamato blushing and nodding in agreement. Iruka winked at them laughing and left his lovers, they still had a lot to deal with but at least things were finally looking up.