Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Iruka's obsession ❯ Chapter 15

Part 15

 

A/N-I used Italics for flashbacks since I hate writing flashback scenes with FLASHBACK written allover it --and all those page breaks. The change from past to present should be smooth but if it isn't let me know.

Thoughts are also in italics but the difference should be clear. No one thinks in flashbacks. :)

 

The heavy downpour of the previous night seemed to have died down to a steady drizzle that was more annoying than actual rain. Iruka pulled the sweater he had borrowed from Kakashi closer and tried not to grimace as his feet squelched in the mud. The city outskirts were not exactly prosperous at the best of times, but in the rain, with all the garbage turned into soggy, smelling mountains, they were wretched.

 

Iruka kept pace with Kakashi, glad the weather kept nearly everyone who had a roof over their heads off the streets. He felt in his pockets for his weapons and went over the steps in his mind. It was going to be a close call, he decided. If it had been Gai who had arrived to take back Kakashi, it would have been a better combination. Gai had more power, and right then, between the two of them, there was hardly enough chakra to create a double henge. Still, Iruka shrugged philosophically, he was the one here, not Gai, and he was more capable than the spandex-clad jounin when it came to stealth.

 

As they approached the Citadel main door, Iruka noted that the night guard had not yet left the post. From what Kakashi had told him, the gambling den usually closed in the early morning, and almost everyone went home. There were a few who stayed there twenty-four hours; the manager, his mistress, a few guards and some addicts who would rather die than leave their smoking pots behind. After closing time, a few attendants stayed behind to clean up the place, put out the trash, reset the gambling tables to their original positions and make ready for the next day. Then they would all leave to catch a few hours of sleep. And after a couple of hours, the morning crew would arrive--the cooks, the food and beverage deliverymen - all to get ready for the afternoon, when the Citadel would again open its doors the public. By three o' clock, the place would be packed and in full swing, the same as the previous night.

 

If the outside guards were still stationed, it meant there were “guests” inside. That meant the cleaning crew would also be inside. Which meant they would leave late, cutting down the time they had between the night crew leaving and the morning crew arriving. Even if they managed to get away with the dogs before the morning crew arrived, it would still cut down on the time before someone would notice the dogs were missing, again, encroaching on the time they had to get away.

 

They crouched behind a stack of boxes and observed the doorway while waiting for the cleaning crew to leave. Iruka could feel the body heat of Kakashi as he leaned over Iruka's shoulder to observe the doorway and had to fight back the urge to press his back against the warm chest.

 

“This always happens when it rains,” Kakashi observed in a low voice. “Everyone has one last drink and waits until the rain lets up. That means the manager is still awake. We'll have to wait a little until the club settles down for the night.”

 

“We'll have to go with plan B,” Iruka said, remembering the plan they had come up with the previous night.

 

“Hn,” said Kakashi looking away.

 

“Will we have to wait long?” Iruka had asked. “Wouldn't it be easier if we could use the side exit I used to leave yesterday?”

 

“I've told you before, Iruka-sensei…” Kakashi had said in mock exaggeration.

 

Iruka smiled to himself at the memory and decided not to be annoyed that Kakashi had only called him by his name at the moment of climax. At all other times he was simply referred to as Iruka-sensei, which was very formal …and totally inappropriate when considering that Iruka had come in his ass the previous night.

 

“…that the door open inwards and is warded against intruders,” Iruka had said in an equally polite voice. “But when I left the wards were not yet up.”

 

“That was because there were clients inside…” Kakashi's voice had trailed away when he had realized what Iruka was getting at. The wards would still be inactive, since the club had yet to shut down for the day. He had seemed to consider it for a moment and shaken his head. “It wouldn't work, we'll have to walk past the main door even if we exit from a side entrance, and leading those dogs past the guards will alert them.”

 

“We can take out the guards,” Iruka had said with a frown.

 

“You and whose army?” Kakashi had said snidely. “There are five guards at closing time to make sure none of the clients departs without paying. Since some clients are jounin level, it is prudent to keep a large number of ninja to enforce such rules.”

 

“We don't need to overpower then,” Iruka had said, looking around the room for inspiration, ignoring Kakashi's taunt. It was rather easy, since he dealt with kids all the time, and most of their taunts were more advanced than the childish ones Kakashi used. “We need to move them.”

 

“Oh!” Thoughtful pause. “Not much use if we move them within the neighborhood. They'd still come back, and…”

 

“Not like that,” Iruka had said thoughtfully as he remembered his prankster days. “We don't move them away, we move them in.”

 

“Into what?” Kakashi had asked looking around, “I can't think of any enclosed places where we can trap them, unless…”

 

“Yes,” Iruka had agreed since the conclusion was obvious. “The club. I remember I went through at least two doors to enter the main gaming room, and I can weld a door shut quite easily.”

 

“There's no way they'll leave their posts and head into the club,” Kakashi had said with a frown.

 

“That's my problem,” Iruka had replied with a muted grin. In the semi-darkness he did not think Kakashi could have seen his expression, but he did not care. He was actually having fun. “We stick to the plan, as in you get the dogs out while the guards are away. I'll…” he had drifted off and glared at Kakashi as another thought emerged. “You should have thought of that before, being the big, bad jounin you are, unless you already did think of it but did not want to implement that. If I'd been Gai, you wouldn't have even hesitated.”

 

No reply had been given, but then again, none was needed. The plan had been cemented.

 

“Get me in there,” Iruka told Kakashi, knowing that too much time spent crouched with the jounin breathing on his neck would have dire consequences. The night before had been memorable, but Iruka was no fool - he did not think there would be any repeat performance anytime soon. Thinking too much on that topic would either get him killed, or worse, drive him mad. [1]

 

“We have to wait a little more,” Kakashi said after a small pause. He shifted, a little as if getting comfortable, then shifted back so he was no longer pressed against Iruka's back.

 

Iruka rolled his eyes, though he knew Kakashi couldn't see his expression. It was pathetic - they were both hiding in the same place (and only ninjas in low budget civilian-made films did that) pretending the night before had never happened. He leaned back a little until they were roughly in the same positions they had been before Kakashi had shifted, then looked over his shoulder at the older ninja.

 

Kakashi scowled and moved back again as if the contact was repulsive.

 

Iruka deliberately shifted back. Kakashi was being plain mean. “You know,” he said casually. “For a guy who had sex with me, cuddled me in his sleep and called me by another guy's name, you sure have a way of pretending it didn't happen.”

 

There, he'd said it. While they were carrying out stealth maneuvers behind a dumpster. And Iruka had just promised himself he was not going to bring it up, ever. And he just did. Had. Whatever.

 

Iruka could feel Kakashi freezing next to him. There was a long silence in which Iruka tensed, wondering if a garrote would close up his airway. When Kakashi spoke, his voice was low and intense - almost a completely different person.

 

“Now you know why I don't share my bed with anyone,” he said finally.

 

“Because you cuddle, or because you talk in your sleep?” Iruka was only being flippant to cover his curiosity.

 

“I only talk in my sleep when I feel safe with someone.” the words were practically forced out.

 

Iruka felt a sudden flutter of warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with the rain falling on them. He turned around completely and looked at Kakashi then smiled slightly. “Measly chuunin is not considered a threat, huh,” he said lightly, not wanting to get that thrown at his face.

 

Kakashi looked away, avoiding eye contact, though Iruka could see the faint flush in the first light of the day. He looked down, then at Iruka and finally sighed as if accepting the situation. “That name I said…” Kakashi said hesitantly. “It's not what you think…”

 

“That you were lovers,” Iruka said with a grimace. “But you were, weren't you?”

 

“He's dead, so there's no need to bring it up,” Kakashi replied. “It was nothing. He was married and a very important man so it could never have been. No matter how non-conservative our village was, they wouldn't have accepted that.”

 

“Not to mention the age gap,” Iruka said with a scowl. He was a school teacher, and even the thought of looking at any of his students that way was enough to turn his stomach. “You were a child…”

 

“I was a chuunin at six,” Kakashi snapped before Iruka could complete the sentence. “That gave me the right to kill - I don't see why anyone should care about who I fuck.”

 

Iruka silently looked away, unable to answer that.

 

“It was nothing,” Kakashi continued harshly. “A passing fancy, something which wouldn't have lasted even if he had lived…”

 

“But you loved him, didn't you?” Iruka said softly.

 

Kakashi got up abruptly, almost tipping Iruka onto his butt, making him think for a second that he had gone too far. But as he scrambled to his feet, he realized it was because the guards were looking slightly relaxed, and the Citadel door was slightly open.

 

Iruka had to hurry after Kakashi to keep up with him as they strode towards the door. The guards shifted slightly to the middle, reaching for their weapons when they saw the two, but seemed to relax when they realized it was Kakashi. Kakashi leaned forward and whispered a few words to a guard, and Iruka watched him palm a few coins.

The guards conferred and then nodded, looking bored as one of them pushed open the door and gestured them in. As Iruka walked past, one of the guards pinched his butt, making him jump -and also wonder what exactly Kakashi must have told them about Iruka.

 

The lower room was as before, only the large man in charge of weapons was sitting on a stool sharpening an exotic double-bladed sword, looking content and seeming out of place. Iruka found it hard to take his eyes off the blade, even as he almost walked into the doorpost. He had not expected such an unusual weapon, but then again, he was there to cause a distraction, not to have an actual fight. The man looked at Iruka as if considering asking him for his weapons then frowned when Kakashi said, “He's with me.”

 

“Rules,” the man grated and Iruka took off his weapons pouch and his backpack, not wanting to make a fuss. He had memorized the unsealing scroll but it annoyed him that he was about to lose all his weapons unless he acted carefully. Especially since he was going to be leaving in a hurry.

 

“We have to do this now,” Kakashi hissed in Iruka's ear.

 

Iruka nodded as they entered the main room and looked around at the scattering of clients remaining. Most of the clients were either very drunk, high on something or too engrossed in their gambling to actually leave the tables. Iruka did not look as Kakashi started to walk towards the side steps, which he knew led to the dog kennels; from their discussions he knew that Kakashi routinely fed the dogs the first thing in the morning. Having left early the day before, it was perfectly natural for Kakashi to check on the dogs, a quirk even the club owners seemed to have accepted. It was Iruka who did not fit in, since he was a stranger.

 

Iruka knew that he was the odd one out and should work more on blending in, but with time running out, he did not think he had time to build up a character. He looked at the corner of the room where Kakashi had told him the manager of the Club was and sure enough spotted a short man with a wisp of hair covering his balding head. That meant only the mistress was going to be in the managers' quarters, which was just as well.

 

He looked around, wiping the sweat off his palms on the back of his pants, and walked briskly towards the men's bathroom. In a room full of ninjas, sauntering or walking slowly was likely to draw more attention than running. He reached the toilet, wrinkling his nose at the smell as he pushed open the door and stepped inside.

 

He looked around to make sure the entire toilet including the cubicles was empty, stepped over a pool of vomit and walked to the corner cubicle. He went in, closed the door, then cursing Kakashi under his breath, got on the floor and searched for the ventilation grill. Finding it, he unscrewed it from the wall, using his spare kunai, and pulled it loose. Then, after carefully placing it carefully over a puddle of urine, (just because they were ninja didn't mean they could aim while they were drunk,) he crawled through the gap.

 

It was an old, old trick, but Iruka did not think the Citadel was that concerned about ninja crawling from the male toilets to the female toilets through the ventilation holes. At least it was a short crawl, Iruka reasoned, as he peered in to make sure the room was empty before entered the female toilets.

 

He blinked, looking around, trying not to think about being in forbidden territory. As a boy, he had wondered what it was like in the girls locker room, and now as an adult he was in one. It was rather unspectacular - it was just a normal toilet.

 

Only cleaner, Iruka had to admit. It smelled better, and there was even toilet paper. And all the doors closed properly - and no one seemed to have peed or vomited on the floor. It was probably because there were so few women in the Citadel.

 

Iruka brought to mind the route he had memorized earlier and took the kunai from between his teeth and started to make a small hole in the wall. He peered through it into the faint darkness of the room and nodded. Right place.

 

He gave the plywood a firm kick, forcing it to buckle and crack. The next time he kicked, it broke outwards, and the shards fell into the room below, followed by Iruka who dropped into the semi-dark room. It was not much of a room, since it was at a lower level than the rest of the place, at a much lower level than the bathroom floor her had leapt from. It must have been created from leftover space when the place had been created. From where Iruka was standing, in the hole created in the wall, it was obvious the room was not at a lower level as much as it was deeper and not very inviting in the dark.

 

Knowing better than to create a light not matter how tempting, Iruka stepped into the darkness hoping for the best. It was damp, and as Iruka landed on some clay pots full of wine, which broke his fall he observed it was also very cramped. “At least it is the right place,” Iruka thought as he stood up, wincing. He had reached the Citadel cellar -- or what counted as their cellar, as well as their alcohol storage room -- the hard way.

 

He looked around swiftly and smiled. It was more of a small back room than anything else with rows and rows of wine pots, bottles of alcohol and other supplies. In fact, Kakashi had been surprised when Iruka had asked about it. Iruka nodded to himself, dropped the henge and set to work. It was so much fun, just like in his school days, only now he actually got to do some damage.

 

Once it was done, there was no time for Iruka to play half-rate ninja by crawling through confined spaces. He opened the storage room door into an open hallway with a few broken chairs stacked along the wall. There were several doors in the corridor, all closed, as Iruka noted gratefully as he hurried. The door closest to the cellar led to the managers' quarters, and Iruka knew the manager was still on the club floor. Which left the manager's mistress, who was most likely still in bed.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

Or not.

 

Iruka turned around carefully and almost got a nose bleed. Emerging from the bedroom was a tall, stately woman of indeterminate age, with long, waist-length hair, dark skin and very little clothing. She must have been sleeping and had woken up when Iruka had fallen into the room next to her bedroom.

 

She wore a small pair of shorts which ended at mid-thigh, above which she wore a loose wrap, leaving her breasts free. As she stepped closer, Iruka had to remind himself to close his mouth, since gaping jaws were not a plus point.. She was taller than Kakashi and walked confidently on bare feet - the way she move screamed ninja - jounin level at least. He could hardly imagine her as the mistress of that short, balding man he had seen on the floor above.

 

“I…” Iruka fumbled, and the woman attacked. Oh, shit. She must have realized his hesitation as a sign that he did not belong in that area of the Club.

 

Iruka ducked the swing, moved back and thought about trying to make a run for it but decided against it. If he was to emerge from the back room with the managers' lover hot on his heels he would probably draw more attention to himself than to the actual distraction. He moved back, not wanting to hurt her as her fist came straight towards him. Iruka ducked and saw her fist go through the plywood wall as if it was tissue - and winced.

 

It was more likely that he was the one who was going to get hurt. There was no time to be a gentleman and ask her to go back to sleep. Armed with only a kunai, there was no way he was going to be able to defeat her. He backed up to the wall, groped for something, and his hand closed on a broken chair. Picking it up, Iruka swung it head on, hitting her hard on the side of her head.

 

And watched with amazement as she staggered back then regained her balance easily. It was stunning. She was not even bleeding - it was almost insulting. He knew he had hit her very hard.

 

He dodged another blow, kicked her on the knee and moved back out of reach. With those - those breasts swinging everywhere, he wasn't even sure if he could get close enough to hit her. What if he accidentally touched one of those?

 

He was thankfully saved from his dilemma when the back room exploded. The explosion shook the ground, cracked the ceiling and threw Iruka back a couple of feet so he hit his head on the wall and passed out for a couple of seconds. When he opened his eyes and got to his feet groggily, the female was lying facedown on the corridor, bleeding a little from her temple. He could see that she was breathing easily so was probably not in any danger. Anyway, his mission had been to cause a distraction, and he had done just that. He had to leave before the guards came by.

 

He changed back into his female form, gave a full throated scream - and ran out. No matter how capable, females were more believable than males and considered helpless in all situations. He had seen grown men rush to help Tsunade even though they knew she was the Hokage and one of the strongest ninjas around. It was amazing how most never looked past the exterior.

 

When everyone looked at him, Iruka managed to babble something about someone being trapped in the back and noted with satisfaction as everyone rush to the rescue. He ran into the main gambling room, into the goods room where he managed to sidestep the guard rushing in. Even the huge man in charge of weapons had come to see what the commotion was.

 

He grabbed his weapons and back pack as he ran up the step, noting that only one guard was left at the top. Even as he ran up, Iruka brought up his kunai and stabbed the man in the thigh and pushed him down the stairs. It was done so quickly the guard was still opening his mouth to speak to Iruka when he hit the third step.

 

Dropping the henge, Iruka channeled chakra to his finger tips, created his trap seal and used it on the door, sealing it shut from every side. It would take considerable effort for those inside to come out, since the door was solidly built to withstand an attack.

 

Then he took a breather and properly shouldered his back pack. His part of the mission was done. He had gotten rid of the guards and caused a distraction. Now all Kakashi had to do was lead the dogs out the side door, past the front door where the guards should have been (but were not) and to freedom. He was supposed to take off with the information scroll he almost knew by heart. He could have left it behind and still remembered all of the important contents, but there was the stray chance of him developing amnesia, getting hit by some new jutsu or something similar which usually happened in B grade movies.

 

Anyway, he was supposed to leave. His part was over.

 

Iruka stood by the sealed doorway, though, waiting for Kakashi. Maybe the now-blond ninja had left already, though Iruka did not think he took that long to come out after the explosion. And there had been the time gap to allow the guards to go inside, so…

 

He gave a gasp of relief when he saw Kakashi emerging - carrying a large dog, followed by some more.

 

“What took you so long?” Iruka asked.

 

“Why are you still here?” Kakashi asked at the same time.

 

“I thought you said they could move,” Iruka said, ignoring the question.

 

“I said they were mobile,” Kakashi said blandly, though he looked worried. If the dogs didn't move on their own, they had to be carried. It was useless to plan a rescue attempt if they were going to leave behind the rescuee. Which left the option of carrying the ones that couldn't walk.

 

“How many need to be carried?” Iruka asked wearily, holding out an arm.

 

Kakashi looked at Iruka without replying, scowling at him, before gesturing to the back. “There's a pup with a limp that'll slow us down. Think you can…”

 

Wordlessly Iruka picked it up and put it inside his vest. He had seen Kiba do it to Akamaru and he had tried it once before - it had not been a bad fit. Unlike Akamaru, this one was skinny, and smelled liked dried meat and dirt. Perhaps when they started running, the wind would blow away the odor, and he could overlook the smelly lump that was currently trying to settle down somewhere close to his breast bone. The things he did for his jounin.

 

--- --- --- ---- ---

 

Iruka desperately wanted to stop.

 

The puppy in his vest had become a still, unmoving lump. He wanted to make sure it was breathing; maybe he had accidentally smothered it.

 

The cuts on Kakashi's feet were bleeding again. The rags he had tied were soaked red, and Iruka knew it must pain him to run barefoot on the thorny ground. Iruka had no idea as to when Kakashi had lost his sandals; maybe he had not been wearing them from the start, since he hadn't been wearing them the previous day at the Club.

 

The dogs were slowing. Unlike the ninja dogs of the village, they were ill-fed and injured. They kept up the best they could, but Iruka could see the foam on their lips and the way their sides heaved with every step.

 

It was not a calculated evasive maneuver; it was just a plain dash for the river and the safe border it represented --with a hoard of ninjas behind them. It was short and fast, and none of them was going to make it at this rate. The river offered safety, and those behind them knew it as well.

 

Iruka knew he should take off, leaving Kakashi; the mission was more important than anything.

 

Kakashi should have known better than to get side-tracked by the dogs. They were not a part of the mission or their objective. He could see why Kakashi might have preferred Gai - Gai, unlike him, was not in love with Kakashi and would have gone off with the scroll, not stayed behind. Maybe with someone like Gai, Kakashi would have abandoned the idea of rescuing the dogs

Motioning Kakashi to go on, Iruka stopped to place two time-delayed exploding tags, knowing he should have been the one to go. He was the one who was not handicapped and therefore the one with the most chance of getting away. But he was being led by his heart, and his heart told him not to abandon anyone. Not even a single pup.

 

Iruka started to run, placing exploding tags at random, mostly to slow down the pursuit. If they were ninjas, they would look for a pattern in the tags, and it would slow them down until they realized there was none.

 

Watching Kakashi run, a dog in his arms, another across his back, Iruka smiled faintly despite the gravity [2] of the situation.

 

The White Fang of Konoha was a famous legend, more so because he had sacrificed a mission to save his teammates. His son had grown up to be a legend of his own, someone who understood the importance of forfeiting something small for the greater good. But - as Kakashi ran with his rescued dogs, something totally irrelevant that could jeopardize the mission, Iruka understood more about Kakashi.

 

“Kakashi,” he thought with fondness. “What would you do if I told you you're more like your father than you think? You follow your heart whether you know it or not.”

 

[1] Priorities; not everyone is the same - motivational poster anyone.

 

 

A/N- the next part is also more action than romance. I tried to fit it all into one chapter but failed. Also, since I have a habit on introducing Naruto characters for guest appearances, I thought I'll briefly fit in three more people. Just for a laugh.