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 Eleven

"Kakashi-san?" Iruka questioned as the jonin panted harder.

"Just…need to sleep a little," Kakashi muttered, allowing himself to fall back, "Just for a little bit. Used a lot of chakra…need rest."

"Then rest," Iruka ordered, curling up to lay near the wall that divided him from Kakashi, "We'll rest together, ne?"

Kakashi nodded once and slipped into a dreamless sleep. He slept hard for what he felt was quite a bit of time before startling awake and sitting up with Iruka following.

Bakakashi-sensei, you promised!

Kakashi watched the glowing image of Naruto stomp his foot as he angrily swiped at tears. Iruka gasped and leaned forward to look at the youth closer.

You promised to come get me if my Iruka-sensei so much as twitched. You liar! Wake up so I can kick your ass!

"What have you done to Naruto?" Iruka railed as he turned to glare at the shocked jonin, "He's crying!"

"I…I," Kakashi stuttered, watching as Naruto continued to fuss, "I guess my body must be asleep while I'm here with you and couldn't follow through with the promise I made. How can we be seeing Naruto like this?"

Iruka glanced to his fussing, former student with affection.

"He's appeared to me like this since his arrival," Iruka answered, "I guess he's a big part of my life so I can see him better than most. Well…except for a certain jonin who likes to invade my mind from time to time lately."

Kakashi nodded with a smile before grunting as wild chakra roared around him and Iruka. The chunin groaned and clutched in misery at his chest. The Copy-nin held back a gasp as his own heart wrenched in pain as well.

Stop, Naruto! Your chakra is going to cause Iruka-kun to go into cardiac arrest. You are sharing too much too fast.

"That kid," Kakashi groaned, looking sharply to Iruka sitting hunched over, "The Hokage will deal with Naruto's form of helping. Are you okay?"

Iruka shook his head without looking up as Kakashi got nervous. He couldn't see the chunin's face due to Iruka's long hair hanging like a curtain to hide his features.

"Hurts so much," Iruka whimpered, shaking harder, "Trying to deal with the pain. Trying to regulate my emotions, but I hurt so much and it never seems to end. I'm a failure of a shinobi."

"You are not," Kakashi denied, banging on the wall as hard as he could to try and bring it down, "Breathe, Iruka. Try to get some air into your lungs. Look at me. Breathe with me. Look at me, Iruka. Breathe in tandem with me. Do it!"

Iruka blinked and finally looked up at the jonin. Panting softly, the chunin tried to match his breathes to the rise and fall of Kakashi's chest. Slowly, he breathed in deep enough to help lessen some of the pain in his chest. It felt almost right, matching his breathing with the Copy-nin. Almost soothing.

oOo

Tsunade watched over both Iruka and Kakashi in silence after having forced Naruto to go and get some rest. Three days had passed since Kakashi had fallen into the coma. What amazed her was that Kakashi's and Iruka's heart rhythms had matching beats. The two heart monitors beat as if one.

"Are you sleeping, Brat, or are you with Iruka-kun?" the Hokage thought as she stood to look down at the still Copy-nin, "Is there something I'm missing?"

Arguing voices drew the woman's attention and she stepped calmly from the room to see Koharu-san and Homura-san yelling at the silent Anbu stationed outside the room, denying them entrance.

"Lady Tsunade, you are to step away from that door and order the Anbu to leave," Koharu-san snarled, with lips turned up in disgust, "The care of Kakashi Hatake-san and Iruka Umino-san is no longer your responsibility as decided by Konoha's council."

"Incorrect," Tsunade denied as the councilors blinked, "I was given two weeks. Only five days have passed. I have nine more days to treat my shinobi."

"You lost those days when you allowed Kakashi Hatake-san to slip into a coma," Homura snapped, "His life is more important to Konoha than that of a mere chunin. The life support gets shut off today. Umino-san will be honored on the Memorial Stone for his sacrifice."

"You stupid morons!" Lady Tsunade spat, "Come with me now!"

Anbu stayed on guard and followed the two councilors as the Hokage led them into the hospital room.

"Touch Umino-san and die," Turtle warned, easing his taller form closer to the ill chunin, "His death will lead to Kakashi's, or can you not hear the truth?"

Homura glanced to Koharu as he questioned what was asked. The two councilors sniffed irritably before stilling as the glaring truth became apparent.

"Their hearts beat as one," Koharu-san stated in shock, listening to the dual rhythms, "How is this possible?"

"I don't know that yet," Tsunade admitted, frowning darkly, "Hatake-kun has anchored the chunin to this world. In doing so, he's enmeshed himself with Umino-kun. It is Iruka Umino-kun that is the key. His survival will determine if Hatake-kun will wake from his coma."

"I disagree," Homura denied, "Umino-san's life support should be shut off before Hatake-san is pulled in even further. We cannot risk losing one of our best shinobi for the sake of one individual."

"No," Koharu-san said before Tsunade could speak, "The Hokage is correct. If one heart falters the other will follow, Homuru. Why Hatake-san is willing to bet his life on this chunin is beyond my understanding, but the enmeshment is too involved now. Umino-san must recover so that Hatake-san can wake."

"This is foolish!" Homura growled as he stormed from the room, "Foolish!"

Lady Tsunade tensed as the council woman walked to look down at the Copy-nin's helpless form.

"Is this a bonding jutsu?" Koharu asked, reaching to brush some of Kakashi's hair from his face.

"No. Jiraiya has determined that this isn't a jutsu," Tsunade denied, reaching to adjust Kakashi's breathing mask and doing a quick scan to make sure nothing foul had just been done by Koharu.

"I'd not harm the Copy-nin," Koharu snorted, "Fix this, Tsunade. Have you tried to research some of the Nara clan's old archives? Sometimes old ways work better than chakra induced healing. Umino-san is shinobi. He can heal from his bout of starvation because he possesses the will of fire. It is the pneumonia you need to be fighting."

Tsunade gasped as Koharu stepped from the room with a final sniff. Leave it to the old bat to hit the nail on the head.

"Crow," Tsunade barked as the Anbu stepped forward, "You know what you and your son need to do."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Crow answered, "I'll have every volume on what the Nara know about pneumonia on your desk before noon."

"Hn," Tsuande grunted, "Turtle, I want you beside Iruka and Kakashi at all times, understood?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Turtle agreed as Tsunade stalked away before the taller Anbu looked towards the Copy-nin, "Worry not, Rival. I will keep you and Iruka safe."

oOo

Kakashi smiled at the voice. Gai was near. That shinobi would allow none past him. Good.

"Kakashi-san?" Iruka whispered from where he lay too weak to sit up anymore, "Why does Gai-san need to stand guard over the both of us?"

"I can reach you when I'm dreaming so I must be asleep," Kakashi deduced as the chunin closed his eyes for a second.

"You feel different," Iruka finally spoke, opening his eyes again, "More real. More here. Before you were like a reflection now…now it feels different."

Kakashi frowned. He'd picked up on that fact too. Actually he was wondering why he hadn't woken up yet. Usually his chakra's pull let him know that he was about to wake. He fretted that he felt the same drainage of strength that Iruka seemed to be going through as well. What was this?

"I feel you all around me," Iruka sighed, looking towards him, "I've realized I've felt that from the minute I remember waking up near that."

Kakashi glanced towards the blackness that seemed to be getting bigger and darker and then back to Iruka.

"Sensei, Lady Tsunade thinks that I've been anchoring you so you wouldn't pass through that blackness," Kakashi decided to admit, "I don't know how I did it, but I…I know there is no way that I can allow a comrade to die without trying to help. Whatever I did happened unconsciously, but I have no regrets."

"Regrets," Iruka echoed, closing his eyes again as he choked on a sob, "I have so many."

"As do we all," Kakashi soothed as the chunin fought to gain some control, "Iruka, take down this wall. Let me in. Let me help."

"Take down the wall?" Iruka repeated, "I…Kakashi-san, I didn't put up this wall."

"I think you maybe did," Kakashi pushed, "I think this shield is the way you protect your mind from outside hurts. I think you created this wall right after that mission and the more cruelty you endured, the stronger this wall got until you trapped yourself inside. You don't need this wall anymore. Your friends and comrades and Naruto are here to protect you."

"Why…why did you leave Naruto outside of the terms of 'friends and comrades,' Kakashi-san?" Iruka demanded feeling irritated at the slight against his most precious student.

"Because Naruto is not a friend or comrade," Kakashi stated as Iruka spluttered indignantly, "He's family and he needs his Iruka-sensei very much. Don't pass through that blackness and leave him, Iruka."

Iruka stilled as his mind digested what Kakashi had said. Naruto was family. Iruka's family.

"I…I don't want to leave him alone," Iruka gasped as the Copy-nin celebrated this victory, "I don't, but I'm so tired, Kakashi-san."

"Then rest," Kakashi urged, pressing his hands against the invisible wall, "When you wake, we'll figure out how to break this down, okay?"

"Kay," Iruka breathed, closing his eyes.

Kakashi watched the chunin grow still before hunching over to grab at his chest. The pain was getting harder and harder to bear.

"This is the pain you've been feeling this whole time," Kakashi hissed, looking to Iruka, "Tsunade, do something soon. I can help with chakra, but I can't help Iruka's heart. Hurry up."

oOo

"'-making his heart beat excitedly while she gazed into his eyes while her hands went lower,'" Turtle read as the man blushed hot behind his mask, "Rival, this isn't even an actual storyline. My youthful enthusiasm in trying to rouse you is waning with using this…book."

Genma snorted from beside Iruka as he shared some chakra with the chunin.

"Betcha Kakashi is loving your plan, Turtle, but Ru-kun is probably cursing you a blue streak," Genma grinned out, "There we go, Ru. I hope this helps you a little bit more. We miss you, Man. We miss you a lot."

"That we do, Sensei," Turtle sighed, closing the book, "I can take no more of this smut. My rival's tastes are…interesting."

"I think he just reads that stuff to get a rise out of people," Genma huffed, reaching to feel Iruka's forehead, "I'm getting worried, Turtle. The fever keeps rising bit by bit and now Kakashi is down for the count. Without the ice jutsu…this isn't good. Has anyone asked Jiraiya-sama if he knows that jutsu? I've seen him fight with ice in the past."

"I've been asked."

Turtle and Genma glanced up to see the Sannin leaning in the doorway.

"I don't know that jutsu and neither does Tsunade," Jiraiya sighed, walking to place his hand on the Copy-nin's shoulder, "Kakashi, the Hokage has been reading through the night to find a cure for Iruka-kun. I think you can hear me. I think you are with Iruka-kun right now which is why your hearts are beating together. Try to untangle your chakra from the chunin. We need you out here. Without that jutsu, the next spike in Iruka-kun's fever will finish him. Wake up for me, Boy."

Kakashi didn't flinch. Didn't twitch. His face remained lax as those silvery eyelashes remained firmly closed. Jiraiya rubbed his face with one hand as he stroked his other hand over the Copy-nin's hair.

"Worth a try," Jiraiya breathed, pulling Kakashi's covers further up his chest, "Did I hear my books being disparaged?"

"Not at all," Turtle denied, hiding the gifted book Kakashi has received behind his back, "We continue to talk with Iruka, but it dawned on me that Kakashi might need some help in rousing as well. I had hoped to provide him with stimulus to wake."

"This can be stimulating," Jiraiys teased as he snatched the book from the Anbu, "Some find it very stimulating."

"Ru is not one of them," Genma snickered, "Perhaps we should wait for Kakashi to read that on his own."

The three turned to the still jonin, each in their own worried thoughts. An Anbu stepped into the room and strode quickly over to Jiraiya.

"He will read your book, Jiraiya-sama," Badger insisted, taking the book from the Sannin and gently placing it under Kakashi's limp hand, "He will wake and read his new book and be just fine. Senpai will not back down. He never has and he never will."

"Iruka-sensei!"

"For the love of a pretty girl," Jiraiya swore, stomping to the door, "Naruto, what have I told you about yelling in a hospital?"

"Shove it, Pervy Sage," Naruto snapped, hopping into the room and over to Iruka, "Hi, Sensei. I've been with your class and I've got you a bunch of pictures they drew for you. I'll hang it all up for you, but there isn't much room left with all the other stuff. Everyone misses you a lot and wanted me to tell you to get well soon. Oh, yeah! Look, Kakashi-sensei."

Naruto bounced over to place a card on the table beside the still jonin's bed.

"The class made you a get well card too," the blonde chirped, "I told them about how you're working to make Iruka-sensei better and they wanted to say thank you because they really miss him a lot. They hate their substitute and feel really bad that they were mean to Iruka-sensei, but I forgive them because they didn't mean to hurt him. Unlike some people!"

Naruto glared at Genma angrily.

"I'm sick of being blamed for everything," Genma snorted around his senbon, "Look, Naruto, I was wrong. We were all wrong, but please remember that we thought we needed to teach your Iruka-sensei a lesson. Most of us were trying to teach him this lesson to keep him alive during other missions, not to be cruel."

"You all were cruel," Naruto pointed out as Genma sighed.

"We were, weren't we?" Genma said, looking down angrily, "Being shinobi is complicated, Naruto. Sometimes we must follow our orders without question. Leaf and Mist were tricked good and the only one that saw that was your Iruka-sensei."

"He has good eyes," Naruto bragged, looking to Iruka with pride before sobering, "He saw me. No one else saw me for being Naruto. They only saw the kyuubi and all the eyes and the whispers and even the hands were hard to handle before Iruka-sensei. It hurts to feel hated and you all did that to my favorite person. You have no idea how hard it is to live like that. None of you do."

Genma swallowed uncomfortably as Jiraiya and the Anbu looked at one another feeling shaken.

"You'll have to teach us what Iruka-sensei did to help you feel better so we can do the same for him once he wakes up again," Genma insisted as Naruto blinked, "Can you help us be better comrades, Kid?"

"Yeah!"

To be continued…