Synchronization
Love Naruto and thought I'd try my hand at a few stories with these amazingly rich and deep characters. I hope you enjoy and will review to let me know your opinions good or bad. I do not have one problem with yaoi, but this story will not contain that genre. I am only stating this for those that do not understand that love is simply love.
I own nothing. Nothing.
Chapter Six
Kakashi snickered as Yamato fussed after him as he exited the room. The Copy-nin stopped and listened as his friend began lamenting to Iruka that he needed to wake soon and put spoiled jonin in their place.
"Let's go," Kakashi heard as someone began to push him to his room with the damnable chair.
"I'm fine to get there on my own, Asuma," Kakashi reminded as his friend grunted behind him, "Why is this chair necessary again?"
"Maybe because of the nose dive you nearly took down those flight of stairs a week ago," Asuma snorted as Kakashi blushed, "You're lucky Kiba was close enough to grab your arm before you broke your neck. I saw how quickly that dizzy spell hit you, Kakashi. You had no warning and we've all seen these spells happen more than once. Lady Tsunade is thinking of making that ice jutsu a forbidden technique because of the drain it puts on a shinobi's system."
"Ah," Kakashi sighed as he was pushed to his bed and helped out of the chair, "This sucks…a lot, Asuma."
Asuma remained silent as he pulled the blankets over Kakashi's legs.
"Sucked more to see a comrade's heart stop," Asuma finally supplied as Kakashi blinked, "Hurts to see a friend convulse over and over again as Lady Tsunade tried to restart that heart with electrical pulses. Sucks worse to know that you were powerless to help that friend. I don't want to see that again, Kakashi. Not ever."
"Ano?"
Kakashi and Asuma looked up to see Izumo and Kotetsu in the doorway. The two chunin bowed as Kakashi nodded his greeting.
"Zumo and I came to bring you these," Kotetsu began, walking into the room to hand the Copy-nin some flowers and the newest edition of Ich Icha.
"Um…thank you?" Kakashi offered, feeling confused at the gifts despite being thrilled at the new book.
"No, thank you, Kakashi-sama," Izumo said, bowing deeply as Kotetsu did the same, "Thank you for helping Iruka-kun the way you have. Ko and I heard Lady Tsunade tell Shizune-san that we would have lost our Iruka without your timely assistance. Ko and I may still have a chance to make up for our bad behavior because you continue to work so hard to save a comrade. Thank you, Kakashi-sama, from the bottom of our hearts."
Kakashi blushed red as Asuma smirked at him before gently herding the two chunin from the room with a last order for the Copy-nin to rest. Kakashi grinned as he placed the flowers into a nearby vase that contained roses that Gai had brought him earlier. That green-wearing shinobi was odd…kind, but odd. He itched to open his new book, but knew he was truly tired and settled back on his pillow to sleep.
oOo
"For the love of Konoha!" Kakashi swore as he found himself within familiar darkness, "This dream has got to stop. I must need to deal with my guilt better."
The jonin sighed before looking up sharply at the sound of harsh coughing. Kakashi knew what he'd find around the corner. There was Iruka, still thin and pale with the horrible, hospital sleep clothes all patients were forced to wear.
"And here is the wall," Kakashi groaned, placing his hand on the invisible barrier, "Iruka-sensei, are you alright?"
"Go away," Iruka breathed, lowering his head so he could hide behind his unbound hair, "Let me alone, Jonin-sama. Let me have just a little peace from anymore hatefulness. No one deserves this much torment no matter how much you might hate the person."
"I have never hated you and you are correct…no one deserves being tormented," Kakashi agreed, sliding to sit next to the barrier, "I think all of Konoha knows that lesson very well now, Iruka-sensei, including myself."
Iruka didn't answer, but hunched his shoulders more as he coughed into his hands. The Copy-nin frowned. This dream was too realistic and seeing Iruka so close to that strange blackness made him nervous.
"We all miss you, Iruka-sensei," Kakashi began as the chunin glanced over at him, "Your old students have arranged shifts so you always have company while you heal. Many, many of your friends have rotated their schedules to be near so we can all let you know how much we miss you. Heck! Most didn't know all you did for Konoha. No one knew that it was you that always started the coffee pot in the academy and mission room and was shocked to know that you continued even after we all treated you so badly. You do so much and none of us saw the truth. You have us all worried."
"I doubt that," Iruka snapped, turning his back again to look into the beckoning blackness, "Liabilities are never missed, Hatake-sama. I see even my own mind chooses to torment me until the end. How I wish for this heat and pain to go away. I'm so tired."
Kakashi stood as Iruka leaned to reach towards the bleakness before him. Why that panicked him, he had no idea.
"Don't touch that!" Kakashi ordered as Iruka jumped and turned to face him, "That's not safe so don't touch it. Stay away from that. Iruka-sensei, I'm not here to torment you. I too want your illness and pain to go away. I know you're tired, but you've got to keep fighting. I don't know if this is a dream brought on by my guilt from mistreating you or I'm actually talking to the real Iruka Umino, but we all are beyond concerned for you. Naruto is on his way home and he can't come back to Konoha to attend a funeral. That would kill him, Iruka. That would kill a lot of people who care for you."
"Right, Hatake-same," Iruka drawled, "For nearly six months I've been abandoned by all of you except for Anko-chan who finally forgave me. I'd have all of two people at my funeral and a whole village celebrating the loss of their burden. Maybe it would be better that way anyway. Naruto would mourn, but get on with his life because he is strong and Konoha would be free of my presence."
"No one wants to be free of your presence," Kakashi insisted, "Not one of us."
"Ha," Iruka snorted, "Thanks, Mind, for playing such mean tricks on me. The Hokage, herself, told me that she was thinking of banning Naruto from spending time with me so 'my ways' wouldn't rub off on him more than what he's already picked up from me. Just leave me alone, please. Let me leave with some dignity intact. Don't take everything away from me."
"Iruka,…"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Iruka screamed, completely interrupting the Copy-nin as Kakashi felt himself thrown backwards until he saw and knew no more.
oOo
"Come on, Brat," Kakashi heard as he felt chakra flowing through him from someone else, "Come back to us, Kakashi. That's it. Come on."
That was Lady Tsunade's voice. What was this? What was going on and why did he feel so weak?
"What happened, Hokage-sama? Kakashi was fine when I brought him back in here."
"I don't know, Asuma. It's like he's been fighting a battle. His strength and chakra levels are depleted which is what sent him into the strange sleep Gai found him in."
"Senpai used some chakra to help Iruka-sensei cool down a bit, but Kakashi stated he used very little. Could that be what caused this, Lady Tsunade?"
"No, Yamato. I've not seen anything like this before. Anyone else seen Kakashi in a state similar this?"
"My esteemed rival has never done this before. I know that as a fact, Hokage-sama. Even when heavily drugged, Kakashi had some awareness about him. I had never seen him sleep so deeply as he was before I got you."
"Huh?" Kakashi choked, coming awake as his usable eyes flew open, "What? Hokage-sama?"
"There we go," Tsunade voiced, looking relieved, "Just lay still so I can continue to feed you chakra. Try not to speak yet."
Kakashi blinked and looked to see Gai, Yamato, Asuma, and Genma watching him with worried faces. Confusion filled him as his hazy mind tried to understand what he was seeing before a thought occurred to him.
"Why, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi demanded, still feeling fuzzy and not quite awake as Tsunade looked back to him in confusion, "Why would you even threaten to deny Iruka the right to be with Naruto? Naruto is practically family to Iruka. That was too cruel. You hurt him. I don't understand."
Lady Tsunade froze as he closed his eye.
"Brat, how did you know that I threatened that when I got angry with Iruka-kun after that mission?" the Hokage asked, "No one was near to hear that and I know that Iruka wasn't talking to people about what he was going through. It was wrong of me what I said and I am ashamed to admit that I intended that comment to be a hurtful dig so that Iruka would listen better, but how did you know?"
Kakashi opened his eye to look up at the lady before drifting back asleep without answering.
"Lady Tsunade, what is going on?" Yamato questioned as the Hokage looked thoughtful.
"I'm still not sure," Tsunade admitted, pulling Kakashi's blanket over him more, "However, the only way for Kakashi to have known about my temper getting the better of me is if he was there or Iruka told him. The brat wasn't there and he would have challenged me sooner if he had known about that statement earlier so somehow…somehow he's been talking with Iruka-kun."
"But how?" Genma asked with a shake of his head, "Iruka has yet to regain awareness."
"Here on this plane," Tsunade muttered, "But somehow Kakashi is reaching Iruka on another plane of existence. Maybe that jutsu he is using or something else is connecting the two at times which could be what is draining Kakashi."
"WHERE THE HELL IS HE?! WHERE IS RU-CHAN?!"
The group turned to glance out the door at the commotion.
"Uh-oh. That's Anko and someone has already told her about Ru," Genma groaned, "I told you she'd be pissed. I didn't expect her back for another month."
"Well, she finished early," Lady Tsunade stated as the group left Kakashi to sleep and stepped out to see Ibiki trying to hold Anko back as she hissed viciously, "Calm yourself, Anko, this is a hospital and not a battle zone."
"Get your hands off me," Anko bit out, yanking herself from Ibiki's grip, "Where is he?"
"I'll take you to him," the Hokage decided as Anko calmed a bit, "He's not well, Anko. You must stay calm for Iruka to continue to try and heal. There is a lot of information you need to be filled in on, but no more yelling."
"Very well, Lady Tsunade," Anko agreed before snarling at Genma, "I'm going to gut you and all your thugs, Gen. You just wait."
"I don't have thugs," Genma snapped, following after the two women into Iruka's room, "I've been doing a lot to help Ru get better too, Anko. Don't take your anger out on me."
Raidou stepped out of Iruka's room to give the others privacy and glimpsed Gai looking in on Kakashi. The Copy-nin looked like he was deeply asleep which was odd for the usually much more alert man.
"Gai, is everything okay? You seem concerned about something," Raidou asked as Gai and he walked to sit with Ibiki, Asuma, and Yamato.
Raidou and Ibiki both were stunned to hear what happened with Kakashi once the story was told.
"Talking with Iruka-kun?" Raidou repeated with widened eyes, "Is the Hokage sure?"
"No," Gai said, leaning back, "But my rival knew of something he couldn't have known before Iruka's collapse. Kakashi is called the Copy-nin because of being able to use others' jutsu through his sharingan, but I've never seen him show this ability in the past. Whatever this is seems new and it nearly drained him dry of his chakra while he slept. A little longer and Kakashi's heart might have stopped again. I don't like this."
"So now what?" Ibiki asked as Gai looked lost.
"I will connect him to an IV while he sleeps that can help with his energy and chakra to avoid this draining," Lady Tsunade spoke as the others turned to her, "I'm thinking that the brat's mind must be reaching out to Iruka-kun while he sleeps when his is no longer quite so tied to his physical form."
"A different plane," Asuma blurted as the Hokage nodded, "Kakashi is reaching Iruka within a dream plane, but why?"
"Because my rival is blaming himself for Iruka's condition," Gai groaned, "Kakashi is trying to make things right again. I don't even think he realizes what he is doing."
"She's crying."
Everyone looked up to see Genma as he walked from Iruka's room.
"Anko never cries, but she is now. I never thought I'd see the day that Anko would cry like that."
"Can things get any worse?" Yamato spat.
"Just wait until the blonde imp shows up," Lady Tsunade said as everyone shivered at the thought, "I'm going to get Kakashi that IV bag now just in case he makes contact with Iruka again."
To be continued…