Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Tolerant Intolerance ❯ One Year Ago... ( Chapter 2 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Author's Notes:
- A great many thanks to everyone who read and special thanks to those who reviewed!
- Though this started out as a one shot I got such wonderful feedback and requests for more that I couldn't not add on:) So, there will be a few more chapters, maybe four to five more. I admit that I struggled with this particular chapter, so I apologize if it seems a bit choppy.
- I have to thank my many cousins who are or have been enlisted in US military ( I have family in all branches) who allowed me to stay up waaaay past my bedtime when I was younger to listen to their stories ( not all of them cheerful) that influenced this storyline. And especially my cousins Brian ( Marines) and Timothy ( Navy Seals), who answered my questions with blunt honesty
( meaning they got over the fact that I was ' Baby-K' more than ten years ago and I buy my own insurance and everything now ) and gave me further insight into the emotional mind sets of soldiers. Love you guys!

Warnings: Coarse language, male x male relations ( shounen-ai)

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. Although I haven't quoted any lyrics within this chapter, there is music. If anyone cares, what I was thinking of while writing this were several tracks on the Samurai Champloo soundtrack, I highly recommend the CD and the show.

Story Notes
Oushi- Ox; ANBU masks , according to Wikipedia, are based on the animals from the Chinese zodiac. Genma struck me as cow- like with his incessant senbon chewing.
Akimichi Junya- Chouji's name can be translated to " second son", so I took artistic lisence and gave him an elder brother.


One year ago...


" Kai!"

Kakashi made the seal to dispel the jutsu and burst through the front door, three kunai bristling from between the knuckles of his right hand. His single gray eye swept over the room, assessing the enemies' position within the small space. Whatever the lone shinobi was up against he was ready to take on as he shouted for the object of his rescue. " Iruka!"

The silver haired man was not prepared for the sight of an anxious Genma in the open kitchen placing a tea kettle to boil on the stovetop, dressed only in loose pajama bottoms, his hair disheveled and senbon twitching erratically between his lips. He had not expected the smooth sounds of melodious music drifting from the speakers in the living area and filling the entire flat with soothing notes. What he had expected and did indeed encounter were the harsh wracking sobs of one Umino Iruka leaking from under the bathroom door , competing in volume with the wordless song. Waves of chakra, ragged and unstable, exploded uncontrollably from the closed bathroom and washed over the flat.

The scene changed quickly after the jounin's concerned shout.

" Kakashi just-" Genma began, his gloveless hands raised in front of his bare upper torso in an open placating manner.

The special jounin was cut off by a scream torn from the back of the flat. " GENMA! GENMA!"

" Iruka!" Kakashi screamed in return, this time forcing his way past Genma's obstructing position. He didn't know what the hell was going on, but he'd be damned if he let Iruka continue in that pained and panicked tone. He would kill Genma later." Iruka! It's Kakashi!"

" Kakashi , don't!" Genma managed to plaster himself to the wooden door, his arms now braced in front of him to ward off the enraged shinobi.

" Genma, don't let him see me! Don't let him see me! " Iruka's broken voice babbled on the other side of the painted wood. Chakra spilled into the hallway, thick with fear and sorrow, rolling over the other two men in suffocating waves. "Please don't let him, don't let him don'tlethimdon'tlethim..."

" It's okay, 'Ruka-chan. It's okay." Genma replied firmly in his own calm voice, then aimed his attention back towards the man he was currently grappling with. He was just barely able to keep the kunai from opening his flesh. The senbon flicked dangerously close to the other nin's throat. " Kakashi you can't- "

" Iruka!"

" NOGENMANO!!! Don't let him see, don't-"

" - go in there right now. He'll be okay, but you have to-"

" Move, Shiranui! Or by the gods I will shove a chidori-"

" - oh gods don't! Don't let him, don't let him see me, don'tdon'tdon't-"

" - leave now."

Another pair of arms suddenly wrapped themselves around Kakashi's upper body, prying him from Genma and the bathroom portal. They were thick bear-like arms that jerked the silver haired man off the floor and took him completely by surprise.

A warm mouth breathed Raidou's voice into his ear. " He's breaking, Kakashi."

Kakashi shut his mouth just as he was about to scream for the dolphin once again. Breaking? The three men froze in their silent tableau as the pleading from the bath slurred into piteous murmurings.

" ... don't let him... don't let him see..."

" Go with Raidou." Genma ordered, his stern voice low enough to be heard only by the other two. " I promise Iruka will be okay." The lithe shinobi disentangled himself from the younger man and quickly turned back to the wooden pane. " It's fine, 'Ruka-chan. I promise. Kakashi is going to wait outside with Rai-chan. It'll be okay."

" Come on." Raidou put the jounin's feet back onto the floor and pulled one arm from Kakashi's body. The other he draped over the silver haired man's shoulders and led him away. " Iruka needs Genma in here and us outside."

Kakashi dumbly allowed himself to be directed back through the small apartment, vaguely noticing the older ninja tossing a paper sack onto the counter that separated the kitchen and living areas. It nearly collided with the small cooking timer sitting on the plain wooden surface, the device ticking steadily towards its thirty minute limit. Raidou opened the door and gently pushed Kakashi through first, before stepping outside himself. The young jounin watched as the front door was shut and the stocky brunette made the necessary seals to conjure the containment jutsu back into place.

Breaking? Iruka's never broken. Kakashi stood lost on the front stoop, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. He felt the warm metal of the kunai handles and was reminded that he still had the weapons out. Kakashi put them back with his others, visible eye glazed over in deep thought. This is- this is- It was just so unexpected. He breathed out through his mouth, hot breath escaping the mask in a cloud of white.

Despite the brilliant sunshine that flooded the Village Hidden in the Leaves, the air was bitingly cold and thick frost hung about in the remaining shadows. Kakashi had returned earlier that morning when the sun had just been peeking over the top of the Hokage monument, most of the village still hidden under a blanket of frozen twilight. It had not been the most pleasant of treks back from his A -rank mission, a simple assassination that had, thankfully, been accomplished without incident. But Kakashi had reached the village gates unharmed and unworried only to find evidence of a large explosion that had taken out a substantial portion of forest and a chunk of the eastern wall; the new brick construction contrasted sharply with the original weathered bulwarks. He hadn't bothered asking the guards on duty about it, wanting nothing more than a shower, a hot meal and a warm body to forget himself in.

So, naturally, he had headed to Iruka's, knowing the man couldn't resist coddling him when he came back from a mission.

" Sit down, Kakashi, before you fall down. " Raidou spoke up, sandal clad foot pushing a low bench along the outer wall towards Kakashi. The brunette was lounging on the hip high railing that edged the cement slab, arms crossed over his barrel chest, dark brown eyes understanding.

" What happened?" The silver haired man finally found his voice. I should have asked the guards. He refused the offered seat, slumping back onto the wall and mimicking the other man's pose. " Something to do with the crater outside the eastern wall?"

" A genin team and their chuunin sensei were ambushed three days ago . I wasn't here, bodyguard escort to Wave, but Ibiki filled me in yesterday. " Raidou said as his face tilted in the direction of the apartment window. The fire scarred shinobi seemed to be trying to penetrate the glass and blinds in search of his lover and friend. " They were given a D class mission, finding a bracelet one of the daimyous' wives lost during last week's political function. The woman thought it might have slipped off during the farewell ceremony as they were leaving Konoha. The kids had just left the gates with their sensei right behind them, I guess they were going to scout out the shrubs near the entrance. " Raidou gave up staring a hole through the covered window and turned back to Kakashi. " The explosion caught everyone unawares, when the dust settled... there wasn't much left."

" Who?" Kakashi ground out.

" A renegade Mist nin, Akirin. She'd be in your bingo book. " Feet shifted on the cement, Raidou worked his way into the corner of the house and the rail. " After the explosion, ANBU found her sitting on an uprooted tree, laughing her godsdamned ass off; it was pretty obvious she had gone off the deep end. She didn't even try to run."

Kakashi released another cloudy exhale. " She wasn't very stable to begin with." The silver haired shinobi recalled what he had read about the woman. Akirin had left Mist a few months prior, after killing her team during a mission. No one knew why she had snapped. Mist had been tracking her, but had no luck pinpointing the escape specialist. Why the fuck did she have to come here? " Did she give any reasons for her attack? Not that they would matter much."

" No." Raidou was quick to answer, anger marring his expression. " Bitch just kept pointing at the remains and laughing. One of the genin had been wearing a necklace, they said it still had the boy's ... Akirin was trying it on when the squad arrived. She asked Oushi if he thought it looked good on her."

" Did ANBU take her in for questioning?"

" No. Oushi put a chakra blast through her face. Ibiki wasn't very pleased, but he understood."

And that explains why Genma looks like shit. Kakashi gave a silent sigh as he imagined the senbon user, bovine mask in place over the hazel eyes, destroying the kunoichi's head in a flash of fury induced chakra. I hope Ibiki wasn't too hard on him. Pale fingers rubbed a weary patch of equally white flesh between mask and hitai-ate. " Who was on the team?" He was almost afraid to ask, but he knew it would help him out if he knew how they were related to Iruka.

" Homura Hideki, Juunishi Ayame and Raiki Fuu were the genin. Akimichi Junya was the chuunin who took them out that day, their jounin sensei is still out on a mission. " Raidou hung his head. " Services were held yesterday."

Kakashi's head lolled back on his neck, thumping against the dirty plaster. He was vaguely familiar with the genin, knew they had been in Iruka's classes and had graduated with the Rookie Nine, although they had not been nominated to the chuunin exams that year. Their deaths were bad enough, but Junya-kun's... Iruka adored that kid almost as much as he did Naruto, treated him like a younger brother. The eldest Akimichi son had made chuunin a year before Chouji had made genin. Junya had taken an interest in teaching and had been Iruka's apprentice for a semester before being given his own class of six year old beginners. The heavy set teenager had loved it. Kakashi remembered seeing Iruka and Junya together at the academy quite often, usually laughing over stacks of ungraded papers and mugs of lukewarm coffee. There had been a short time when the Copy Nin had thought the two academy instructors were involved ( Asuma had nearly choked when Kakashi mentioned it, then quickly set him to rights). Iruka must've been crushed. Shit. Why does this always happen while I'm away?

Silence reigned, the two shinobi lost in their own thoughts. Kakashi's mind quickly filled with the pained cries of his sometimes bedmate, the shock of discovering such a thing still lingering. I never thought I'd see Iruka break like this.

" It's something of a shock, isn't it?" Raidou's eyes had found something to focus on in the distance. His arms twitched slightly, squeezing the pockets of his flak vest; a light crinkling came from one of the pockets with the movement. " Iruka's always the cheerful one, always a smile and a wave." He laughed softly, fingers absently tracing the sworls of distended flesh stretched across his cheek. " Or an enraged scream and a knock to the back of the head."

Kakashi laughed as well, very familiar with the dual personality of the chuunin teacher. " Yeah, he's quite the spaz. " The shinobi became somber, remembering the scene he had just walked into. " I guess that's why I never thought about this happening to him. Iruka's always venting. Always. Not a day goes by that he doesn't honestly express some extreme emotion or another, scream-smile-cry whenever the mood strikes him. I mean, unlike us, he doesn't have to be an emotional retard in order to carry out his daily duties. He's not Ibiki or Sasuke or me. And Raidou, you can't deny the fact that Iruka does not have to deal with the types of missions we must perform every day. He hasn't had to be a part of that amount of bloodshed." Kakashi closed his eye against that thought. " The perks of being a chuunin academy sensei."

" Thank the gods. " The scarred shinobi nodded. " Which is why he doesn't break very often. Maybe once a year, twice if things have been really bad. And yeah, Iruka does tend to be emotive on a fairly regular basis, but, " The man paused to shift his weight from one foot to the other. " , a lot of those smiles and tantrums are 'Ruka-chan's way of hiding the pain so he can focus on the kids, his friends and loved ones. Especially this past six months with the whole chuunin exam disaster, then Naruto leaving to train and you disappearing for missions. Pile that on top of everything else he has to deal with, A-rank missions or not, it's a lot of shit. It's all catching up with him and it's hit him hard. And he still thinks he has to take care of the entire village. Silly boy." The last was spoken in an affectionate whisper.

Kakashi had seen that in his partner, that self sacrificing aspect of his personality had been one of the things that had drawn the jounin to the younger man. But it had never occurred to Kakashi that a part of Iruka's cheerful demeanor was merely a facade to hide darker emotions. Which is pretty fucked up on my part. There's not a shinobi in Konoha who doesn't suffer some deep loss; we just handle it differently is all. Iruka turns his attention to others and I... I buy a new Icha Icha and tease the hell out of Iruka and that's on a good day. On the bad days-wait- what does me being gone on missions have to do with this?

" I know it's hard to see him like this. Without that smile." Raidou continued.

" I usually don't get a smile when I first get back." Kakashi countered, disregarding his previous line of questioning. " It's usually a lecture on the stupidity of not seeking immediate medical help or the dire consequences of failing to promptly turn in a mission report. " He tugged at the loose cord hanging from his vest's shoulder, rolling the string between two fingers. " Besides I think most of us are accustomed to the non smiling violent Iruka. I could tell you things about his temper." The chuunin exam was merely the first of many tantrums directed towards me.

" Have you ever come home to find that every piece of clothing you own is exactly one size too small? "

" Uh, no."

" Or woken up on top of the Hokage's Monument surrounded by everything from your apartment ; furniture, pictures, appliances, everything?"

" No."

" Or had every hair on your body shaved off while you were sleeping?"

Kakashi was stifling horrified chuckles by this point. " N-no. You said that was for a mission in Sand; said you'd stay cooler that way. Iruka did that?"

Raidou was having difficulty suppressing his own grin. " You can't tell me shit about 'Ruka-chan's temper. " He growled through the smile. " Seriously, don't let him know that you sleep. He'll get you."

Laughing openly, Kakashi ran a hand through silver strands. " What did you do to him?"

" Well, the first time, Raidou teased Iruka about wearing bigger clothes to make himself look bulkier. " Genma emerged from the apartment, senbonless, the jutsu melding back together as soon as the man's body cleared the doorway. " The second time, he took pictures of the poor kid while he was smashed out of his mind at a party and making out with yours truly. " A heavy blanket hung over Genma's broad shoulders, barely covering his naked chest and arms. His hands shook as he lit a thin white stick. " The third time, Raidou made a crack about Iruka's ponytail and the various ways it could be used to enhance different sexual positions. " The special jounin flopped gracelessly down onto the bench that Kakashi had refused earlier. Genma drew in deep lungfuls from the cigarette and exhaled nicotine tinged clouds. He cast a weary glance and smile at his lover. " And Rai-chan finally learned his lesson after that."

The larger shinobi frowned, the tight flesh of his scars pulling slightly. Raidou swept over the man's appearance with concerned eyes. " You're barefoot, Gen-chan."

The cigarette trembled at his lips, voice steady despite the tremors. " I need the distraction."

Kakashi watched as Raidou left his perch to sit next to the other man. The older shinobi pulled Genma to his chest, careful to keep the cigarette in a safe location, large hands gripping the edges of the blanket to thoroughly ensconce the man inside the thick wool. It was obvious Genma could barely move within the double embrace of fabric and arms. The hand in charge of the cig merely wobbled back and forth on its wrist as it stuck out the top of the blanket. Raidou planted a gentle kiss on Genma's exposed forehead. Bare feet stayed on the freezing concrete. In spite of their current situation, Kakashi couldn't suppress the swell of warmth that the image of the two men created in his chest. Genma and Raidou were undeniably sweet, not that Kakashi wanted that type of relationship. Still... it was nice to see them happy with each other.

Genma's probably gonna break tonight. Probably would have today if he wasn't being kept busy. Kakashi pulled his gaze from the other jounin to stare at his own booted feet. At least he's got Raidou to anchor him. The silver haired man brought his thoughts, once again, back to the dolphin in the bathroom. Raidou had echoed his thoughts concerning the smaller brunette, how unpleasantly surprising it was to discover that the teacher wasn't all sunshine and pranks. I guess I just never realized how little I really know about Iruka. Not enough to even know that the man breaks like every other shinobi in the village. Speaking, er, thinking of which... " Is there anything I can do to help?" Kakashi was reasonably certain he knew the answer to that and the knowledge hurt him on some unidentifiable level.

" No. He was pretty upset with you being here." Genma said flatly, words slurring around his nearly finished cigarette. " Iruka has a very set routine to his breakdowns. If you don't follow procedures then he gets even more upset and it takes a lot longer for him to come out of it. " He took one final drag and held onto the glowing butt as he released the extraneous smoke, eyes glassy as he studied the still red hot cherry. " I'm giving him another half hour before I check on him. " The cig wavered in his grasp, hazel eyes glazed and contemplative. " His chakra is starting to level off, he's tiring out. It's been over nine hours... " Genma's voice trailed off, his attention solidly glued to the butt in his fingers.

Kakashi looked on with growing apprehension as the special jounin began to curl his fingers inwards, the glowing end of the butt moving closer and closer to the heel of Genma's hand. The honey haired shinobi seemed oblivious to everything outside of the spot of flame. Kakashi nearly broke from his slouch as the heat from the cigarette started to redden the flesh just below Genma's thumb, the Copy Nin ready to swoop in and intervene.

He needn't have worried. Raidou brought a large tanned hand to the pale fingers hovering near Genma's face and deliberately plucked the cigarette from his lover's hand. The butt was tossed to the cement, rolling under Kakashi's raised boot. The silver haired jounin ground the stub into the porch, effectively extinguishing it. I thought Genma had gotten over that. He must be just as bad off as Iruka if he's gone back to putting out lit cigs on himself.

Raidou shook his lover to snap him from his self destructive reverie and laced his fingers with the ones that were no longer busy with trying to burn himself. Hazel eyes cleared and widened, then looked apologetically at the larger man. Genma gave a weary sigh. " Sorry, Raidou."

" 'Sokay, baby." Raidou cooed into the light brown hair, squeezing the man tightly. " We're going back inside, I'm going to lay out a futon in the living room and you are going to sleep for -"

" ' Ruka-chan's -" Genma interrupted, guilt and fatigue warring within his expressive face.

" - going to be sleeping for a long while. Like he always does. " Raidou finished smartly, gentle hands taking the sting from his rebuke. " He'll be fine with me helping him, I've done it before, then you two can get the sleep you both need. You can talk when you wake up. " Soft kisses accompanied the firm words and Raidou helped his lover to his feet.

A moment of panic seized Kakashi as the two shinobi ambled towards the front door. Are they just gonna leave me out here? His stomach clenched into a knot, deep seated feelings of helplessness and isolation swamping his thoughts as childhood insecurities came to the foreground. In his mind's eye the door was already being slammed in his face, shutting him out, closing him off from the human contact he had craved since the Yondaime's death. It's not like you can do anything, Hatake. Raidou and Genma have it under control, they'll take care of iruka-sensei. They don't need you here. The spiteful little voice in his head quickly confirmed his fears and Kakashi made to leave. He pushed off the wall, ready to wave farewell when a hand fell on his shoulder. A half turn found him face to face with an ashen skinned Genma.

" Kakashi, don't get worked up over this, okay." The senbon user managed to force a tiny smile to appear. It did nothing to ease his features. " When "Ruka-chan wakes up I know he's going to want to see you. " He sank back into Raidou's supporting embrace, eyes half lidded, exhaustion evident in every line of his face and body. Raidou quickly shifted his hold on Genma, lifting the man off his feet and carrying him bridal style to the door. Genma passed out instantly.

Kakashi reached out and grabbed the door knob, knowing Raidou would have difficulty reentering the apartment with his hands full. I'm being a real baby about this. 'Course it's not everyday I come home from a mission to find four new names on the Monument, my fuck buddy breaking and one of my friends on the verge. And I can't do one fucking thing about it!!! Face a mask even beneath the dark material, Kakashi ignored the odd twist of chakra around his hand and turned the knob.

" Go home. Take a shower. Eat something. Sleep if you can." Raidou whispered over Genma's head, the special jounin fully asleep, face nestled against the larger man's neck. His dark brown eyes squinted against the midmorning sunlight as he leaned a little closer to Kakashi. " If you can't sleep, then just give me an hour to get these two settled and come back. We'll have plenty of time to talk while Gen-chan and 'Ruka-chan take their naps. " Raidou's smile spread across his scarred face.

Kakashi's fingertips caught the door before it could hit the interior wall, careful to keep his head on the outside of the jutsu. He hesitated for a moment, his mind latching onto the offer of company and most likely a chance to learn something else about the dolphin, but wondering if he should return and, in his own mind, ' disturb' the trio of close friends.

Raidou's smile softened into a lip quirk. " You want to know more about Iruka?"

Kakashi nodded silently.

" One hour. I'll tell you everything I know."


TBC...

... a little confusing, I know, but I promise to clear up some things in the next chapter... or two. Gosh, I just love ya'll!