Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Can I keep You ? ❯ Part 1 : Breath Again ( Chapter 1 )

Can I keep you?

Sequel to Pumpkins and Ravens

Main Pairings: Kakashi/Iruka, Sasuke/Naruto and others

Part of my 100 themes challenge.

 

Part 1 - Breath again (10):

Iruka stood quietly in the doorway of his bedroom, arms folded loosely across his chest, shoulder braced against the wooden frame, as he watched the man currently asleep in his bed. It was odd to think he had never had anyone in his bed before and it was kind of ironic how the one man he had wanted to share it was currently half naked and sleeping in it without him. He stood for a few minutes longer, drinking in the sight of the unusually quiet man, his breaths were regular and even a far cry from the rasping sounds he had initially made when he had arrived at his home.

The chuunin hoped that the fever that had been plaguing the injured man was finally reaching its peak and would break soon - it had taken a lot out of the him and he had lost quite a bit of weight over the past few weeks. It concerned Iruka greatly but it was difficult to make someone eat when they never woke up. He turned his attention to the bandages securely wrapped around his well muscled chest - it had taken a few days for the bleeding to finally stop but with all the thrashing induced by the fever he feared that the stitches had popped again. The small marks would leave another scar on the already well decorated man, his pale skin hid some of the blemishes that had occurred months and years ago but the fresh pink marks showed how recently he had been hurt - and now this to would leave its mark.

Iruka unravelled his arms and walked to the bed, leaning in to take the now warm compress from the others fore head, pressing his wrist to the pale skin to assess the temperature and knowing it would still be far too high. He dipped and wrung out the sodden material before replacing it over the other mans brow. The chuunin couldn't resist sifting calloused fingers through the soft silvery strands of the jounin's hair, something he had been horrified by when he had first done it but had resigned himself to, it was a familiar and comforting action he'd adopted over the course of the last two weeks.

Iruka hoped the older man would wake up soon; he was becoming increasingly concerned that he may never wake up - even when the fits hit he was never truly conscious. He kept his fingers gentle as he moved them in the soft tresses, running fingertips along his scalp as he started to hum quietly in his throat. Iruka was surprised when he heard a quiet rasp escape the ninja's dry lips; he leant in close without a break in his ministrations hoping that the man would speak and eventually waken from his slumber.

The pale man's voice came out as a very hoarse whisper, “Okaa-san...” Iruka looked down at the delirious man, taking in the fluttering eyelids that refused to open. He was dreaming again, this had happened a few times now, he knew that he had caused the sensations that triggered the jounin's dreams. He began the quiet tune again, having stopped when the other man had spoken, in hopes of soothing the healing jounin. His fingers ran gently through the soft strands, as he shifted and changed the damp cloth again. He was pleased that his charge had said something other than the incoherent whimpers and groans of pain that had been the only sounds he had made for the past few weeks - he missed the annoying man's voice. But he worried that when he did awaken to find himself here that he would be angry at Iruka for breeching his privacy.

Iruka wasn't prepared for what happened next. The chuunin found himself pushed brutally back against the bedroom wall, his head slamming hard into the wooden panelling, he was pinned by weapon calloused fingers curled deadly tight around his throat. He felt his breath wheezing in through the chokehold, his eyes shuttering at the pain that was pulling him under. He struggled desperately to open his eyes, and when he managed it his vision was consumed by fierce grey and swirling red.

Iruka tried to take a full breath but the fingers tightened further and he gasped at the pain that radiated from both his back and throat. His hands curled around the bandaged forearms pulling and tugging at the limbs in hopes of loosening the strong grip but to no avail. He could feel his body start to tremble from the reduction of oxygen and he tried desperately to speak, “Hata...ke-san...st...op.”

When it didn't look like the jounin was going to listen, he tried again to use his hands to extract himself from the other nin's hold but it was ineffectual, he was growing increasingly weak as his oxygen supply was cut off. The chuunin knew that the famous ninja was in the throes of another fit, his eyes where wild and he was sweating profusely, his hands scalding around his throat as he clenched his fingers. Iruka made one last effort as his vision began to grey at the edges, taking a few deep gasps he croaked out, “Kakashi...san...please.”

He wasn't sure what happened next, he must have blacked out for a few minutes as he found himself on the floor, back against the wall he had been pinned to and an unconscious copy-nin in his lap. He carefully felt around his throat and winced at the tender skin, knowing he was going to be bruised after this. Iruka's breathing was back to normal now so he assumed that he must have been out for at least 10 minutes but it was still quite painful each time he took a deep breath. He returned his attention to the collapsed man and carefully took stock of any new injuries he may have incurred, thankful when there were only the two red marks where his own hands had tried to pull him free. It would seem even when unconscious the famous nin was a formidable man.

He rolled the pale man off his legs and stood slowly, cataloguing the new injuries he had sustained before reaching down and pulling the other man up into his arms, he felt his back pull at the added strain and was quick to shuffle across to the bed and put the ninja back in it. He sighed as he stood, methodically tucking the man back into the sheets and replacing the cold compress. Iruka had carried the other Kakashi before and it was quite apparent that the man didn't have an inch of fat on him he was all well honed muscle and sinew. He felt his cheeks warm at those thoughts, shaking his head to put them back in their place. But it was obvious in the way he felt when he carried him that the Copy-nin had lost some weight and it made him feel slightly guilty that maybe he hadn't been doing his best in caring for the other man.

He paced around the bedroom once more to check for anything else out of place before retreating to the living room, he picked up a scroll and wrote a quick message before summoning a crow to take the message to its destination. He just hoped the other man wouldn't rouse again before she arrived.