Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ I'll Cover You ❯ Your Eyes ( Chapter 21 )

I'll Cover You, Chappie 21

 

I'd give it all up for you, Iruka.

 

Kakashi, my life is constantly in your hands. Just like my heart.

 

“What a week we've had!” Sakura huffed as Team seven entered the hospital.

 

“Week?” Naruto exclaimed. “More like, what a few months we've had!”

 

Sasuke, being Sasuke, “Hn-ed” good-naturedly.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Sakura smiled, patting Sasuke's hip affectionately. “At least we got the antidote!”

 

Naruto giggled and threw an arm around Sakura who, in turn, threw an arm around Sasuke who, in turn, looked like he wanted to murder them. All in all, it was all-good.

 

Tsunade emerged from a room ahead of them, followed closely by a small woman with lengthy black hair, her arm in a cast. They recognized the latter as Raven Aquirii, Iruka's nurse. Her normally cheerful face was drawn and sad, shadows lining the bottoms of her eyes marking a lack of sleep. Tsunade, more or less, was in the same state as her protégé.

 

“I had no idea,” Raven said mournfully, “that it would all turn out so badly.”

 

Tsunade gave a wry smile and patted Raven's head. “You're still quite young. If this...” she paused and gave a small sigh, “If this is the worst you ever have to face, be thankful Raven.”

 

“I don't want to be thankful. If I hadn't been so stupid, Mizuki would never have been able to trick me. I would've protected him!” Naruto felt his blood run cold. Mizuki!

“And the mistake we made in calculating the time that K-Kakashi's team had to bring the antidote back was my fault too!” Raven cried. “It's... It's all because--"

 

Smack.

 

Tsunade pulled her hand away from Raven's cheek slowly.

 

“If you're going to fall apart,” she stated, her voice filled with determined calm, “every time something goes wrong, then you're useless as a ninja.” Raven sniffed. “You can't help anyone in this state. Come on now, don't cry.”

 

“Oi! Tsunade-baa!” Naruto called, striding towards the two kunoichi. “If that's how you treat your employees, remind me never to work at the hospital!”

 

Raven and Tsunade both spun around to face Naruto as he walked up to them, Sasuke and Sakura trailing slightly behind. Raven hurriedly scrubbed at her tear-streaked face.

 

“Oh, Aquirii-san,” Sakura said sadly. “Did a patient of yours die? I've trained with Tsunade-sama, and I know that can be hard.”

 

Raven smiled tearfully at the girl. “Thank you...”

 

“Sakura Haruno.”

 

“Sakura-chan.” Raven looked at the rest of the team. “So, are you all safe? No wounds?”

 

“No, we're just fine.” Sasuke stated. “How is Iruka-sensei?”

 

“Yeah! Iruka-sensei! We brought back his antidote! Let us see him!”

 

“Naruto let me warn you,” Tsunade said, “Iruka-sensei was wounded seriously in battle with Mizuki. He... He doesn't look his best right now.”

 

“Wounded? Mizuki?” Naruto squeaked. He cleared his throat. “But... Iruka-sensei's alive isn't he? He has to be!”

 

“Barely.” Tsunade cracked a thin, stressed smile that didn't reach her eyes. “Come and see him.”

 

Iruka lay on a pale bed, two I.V.s hooked up to his arms; one filling him with water, the other blood. His face was pale. The only sign that Iruka was alive was the slow movement of his chest as he slumbered.

 

“We were lucky,” Raven said, accepting the antidote that Sasuke offered to her and injecting it into Iruka's arm. “An ANBU followed Kakashi when he went to save Iruka. That's the only reason your sensei is alive today.”

 

“What did that bastard Mizuki do to Iruka-sensei?” Naruto asked, horrified. “I'll kill him!”

 

“You'll have to get in line, Naruto.” Tsunade said grimly.

 

Naruto looked at her quizzically. “After you?”

 

“No. After Iruka.”

---

Light so bright that it hurt blared through Iruka's eyelids. He groaned and tried to bring his arm up to shield eyes. But he couldn't move any part of his body.

 

Wearily, he cracked open his eyes to see Naruto hovering over him on one side, Raven and Tsunade on the other.

 

“Iruka-sensei?” Tsunade questioned. “How are you feeling?”

 

“I... hurt...” Iruka croaked.

 

Tsunade nodded. “That's to be expected, you took quite the vicious beating. If Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke had arrived any later, you'd have died from the poison.”

 

“No.” Iruka closed his eyes again. “Why didn't you... let me die?”

 

“What?” Naruto said disbelievingly. “Iruka-sensei, don't say such things!”

 

“Where's Kashi?” Iruka asked.

 

“Kakashi-sensei?” Sakura asked quizzically. “Hey, I haven't seen him either. I figured he wouldn't leave your bedside Iruka-sensei!”

 

Tears welled up in Iruka's eyes as he attempted to roll over and hide them.

 

“You'll suffocate yourself Iruka-sensei,” Raven mentioned weakly. “Please don't.”

 

“Doesn't matter.” To his annoyance, Iruka could feel strength steadily building up in his limbs. The antidote had worked. He was going to live.

 

But what good was it?

 

“I can't...” Iruka sobbed.

 

“Iruka-sensei!” Naruto cried, lunging forward to hug his sensei. Iruka cried into the shoulder of Naruto's orange jacket, for once seeking comfort from the student that he had comforted so many times.

 

“Where, where is he?” Iruka sniffed, pulling away from Naruto to gaze at Raven and Tsunade.

 

“Iruka-kun, you have to understand--"

 

“I don't want to understand!” Iruka yelled. “I want to see Kakashi.”

 

“Iruka!” Tsunade snapped. “Kakashi took a kunai directly to the chest. Unlike the attack you took, that shot was meant to kill! He's not about to come out of it unscathed! You have to understand...

 

“People die, Iruka.”

 

Iruka grit his teeth. Wincing with the effort, he threw one leg over the edge of his bed, then the other. Shakily, he stood, leaning on Naruto for support.

 

“Not Kakashi,” Iruka said. “Not him. Take me to him.”

 

Tsunade was about to argue when Raven set her hand on the Hokage's shoulder. She nodded, and Tsunade sighed. “Fine.” She began to walk out of the room when she paused.

 

“Iruka...” Iruka turned back to gaze at the woman. “Kakashi was just as adamant that he find you. When Mizuki took you.”

 

Iruka stared at Tsunade for a few moments before smiled weakly. “Thank you.” He shuffled towards the door in an almost-trance; terrified at the prospect of what might have become of his lover.

 

Tsunade pushed her way ahead of the group, leading them down a small hallway in the ward for critical patients. She paused before a door.

 

“Iruka,” she began slowly. “Kakashi's vitals took a serious beating. His heart had almost stopped beating when we found him, and he had ceased breathing all together. His body...

 

“If he does live, he'll never be able to be a proper Shinobi again.”

 

Iruka nodded as the impact of Tsunade's words hit him. “Okay,” he breathed. “I... I want to see him now.”

 

Tsunade pushed the door open and stood aside as Iruka ran in. He didn't stop until he stood at the side of his lover's bed, dropping unceremoniously into a chair there.

 

“Kakashi...” Iruka moaned, picking up his scarecrow's cold, pale hand with both of his own. Iruka may have been pale and malnourished, but Kakashi was quickly catching up. In a short amount of time, the taller man's skin had become dull, and his hair had lost its luster. Iruka knew that if he pushed the bed sheets back and looked at his lover's body, he would see bones.

 

“We're doing the best we can,” Raven stated solemnly. “The best treatment the hospital can give, it's all his. But his body is rejecting everything we give it; water, nutrients, healing toxins. It's almost as if he's trying to die.”

 

“No,” Iruka whispered, pulling Kakashi's limp hand up to his lips and kissing it tenderly. “My Kakashi wouldn't give up so easily.” His words were confident, but a tremor in his voice betrayed the hidden feelings.

 

`Oh, Kakashi, don't die. Please… don't leave me here without you.'

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

 

“Iruka-sensei, would you like me to get you anything to eat?” Sakura asked timidly, as if afraid of the noise she knew her question would bring.

 

Without turning, Iruka answered softly, “A water bottle, please.”

 

Sakura turned to leave, lacing the fingers of her left hand through Sasuke's right and pulling him out. Tsunade and raven had long since left, leaving Iruka alone with his most precious student- Naruto.

 

A minute passed. “Iruka-sensei?” Naruto whispered tentatively. “Can I sit next to you?” Iruka nodded and Naruto pulled up a chair, settling next to his sensei.

 

Iruka still clutched Kakashi's hand in his own. “Iruka-sensei? IS Kakashi-sensei going to be okay?”

 

Iruka smiled thinly. “He'll be fine Naruto. He's Kakashi after all.”

 

“I guess... I mean if it were Sasuke or Sakura in Kakashi-sensei's place, and I was in yours, I'd probably be a lot worse off.” Naruto eyed Iruka with two eyes of pure cerulean.

 

“I believe in Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei, because you do. I know he'll pull though because you say he will.” Naruto smiled, almost nervously. “After all, they said that you wouldn't wake up- they were wrong.

 

“You've never lied to me, Iruka-sensei. I know you wouldn't want to start over something like this!”

 

Iruka turned to Naruto, wide eyed. Naruto's words had brought strength back to him. He smiled genuinely, wrapping his free arm around the student.

 

“Thank you, Naruto.” Iruka said, smiling as Naruto nodded graciously.

 

Kakashi told Iruka once that he'd always come home to his lover, as he'd kissed away the sweat and tastes of their night, and Iruka had believed him. So, Iruka would just be patient and wait.

 

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

 

tsukiraven: I've tortured you, cliff hangered-ed-ed, went on vacation for a week and then procrastinated an ungodly amount of time before posting this chapter.

 

If you're still even reading this story, you are the best reader(s) out there. Give yourself a pat on the back- you deserve it.

 

Really, gomen ne for not updating sooner. I'll be a little wiser and attempt to schedule my next writer's block a little better, really.

 

This chapter was written over the course of a while, please excuse any errors you may see.

 

Whelp, the next chapter is the chapter before the epilogue, which is the chapter before the after party. Will Kakashi pull through? Will Iruka be there to greet him when he does?

 

Find out next time, hopefully a lot sooner.

 

Peace Out for now!