Title: Illuminating Heaven / 天照 / Amaterasu
Pairing: Kakashi/Sasuke
Warnings: None, yet. Except for maybe a touch of angst. And lack of beta. And maybe a touch of manga spoilers.
A/N: Set in post-canon. R&R appreciated.

"Fuck." The single expletive came out in a quiet hiss, but fell unheard as Kakashi's trembling fingers moved in a way that was purely instinctual -- tugging and pulling at wet fabric colder than the bitter bite of the air itself, sending sharp needles of pain coursing through bared skin where it made contact.

It was the kind of cold that made it hard to breathe. The kind that locked up lungs and strickened throats with a single breath of painfully drawn in winter, sinking into the bones and winding tight through muscle, leaving fingers clumsy, locking up and slipping as they went numb. Chakra shot through them to counter the frostbite that threatened to form as the last remaining article of soaked clothing was successfully divested off a body shivering so violently, those seismic quakes might've been mistaken for seizures if Kakashi didn't know any better.

It wasn't supposed to end up like this.

Nowhere in the details of the scroll that laid out his solo unranked mission to Snow Country, one that resulted in a successful assassination of a power-hungry general planning a coup d'etat of the empress's throne, did it mention that someone would be breaking into the same complex Kakashi was escaping from. Nor did it mention that the break-in would accidentally trigger the complex's security systems at the point of breach, sending soldiers and ninja alike scrambling into action.

With alarms blaring at his back, he fled under the subterfuge of night, the trees swallowing him in their darkened embrace as a rumble precipitated into a roar. Kakashi didn't need to cast a backwards glance to know the complex had collapsed. He could feel the fire and chakra licking at his back and only vaguely wondered just what on earth, besides Konoha's number one loudest and most surprising ninja, had that much chakra to eviscerate an entire military and ninja-guarded complex.

It was only half an hour later, when Kakashi stopped to refill his canteen downstream to prepare for the long journey home, was that question answered. The river ran red and the muted acridity of smoke began to drift his way, the precursor to a grisly discovery he braced himself to expect. He saw the red and white crest first, only realizing a heartbeat later just what exactly he was looking at -- Uchiha Sasuke's limp body folded over a log floating quickly downstream.

He looked broken.

How many years had passed since that day when Akatsuki and Taka swooped down in an attempt to crush Konoha? The intensity of Naruto's anger and the thickness of Amaterasu's black smoke; Sasuke's escape from Fire Country and subsequent disappearance -- Kakashi'd wondered when and if he'd ever encounter his prodigal former student again, but never expected it to be quite like this.

The sharp swirl of Sharingan; the smell of sweat and metal and the intensity of a killing intent -- this was the expected, predicted scenario, one that most likely would've penned the last chapter of the Copy Ninja's life, with the proverbial conclusion of the student surpassing the teacher. Not the current scenario of the student crumpled over a log, slowly slipping under the dark current of water that carried him, as the teacher silently watched.

It would've made sense to just let him go, to let him drown, or die of hypothermia. A sad end to an even more desolate story. It would've made even more sense to pluck Sasuke's unconscious form off the log and drive a kunai home. But Kakashi found himself molding chakra into his feet and walking across the water to stop the log, carefully hoisting Sasuke out of the freezing water and into his arms instead.

It only took one good look at Sasuke's face, illuminated by moonlight, for the jounin to make his decision.

He tried to tell himself it was for Naruto's sake.

It may have just been a trick of the milky light that washed over gentle features, but in that moment, Kakashi saw with clarity, the sleeping face of a twelve year old genin he once thought he could save.

***

The security of the cave could be compromised, but Kakashi had no time to spend perfecting a more complex barrier seal to ward off intruders.

Sasuke trembled under his touch as he rolled him onto the bedroll and folded the top half of the blanket over him. The sheen of blood glistening under thick black eyelashes was a good indication of what had managed to render him unconscious -- overuse of Sharingan. How he ended up in the river -- well, that was more of a mystery, but Kakashi didn't spend too much time wondering as he carefully tended the flames of the freshly jutsu-lit fire he'd started, just a few feet away from Sasuke's unconscious form, before moving back to the boy's side.

Under the glow of the firelight, the ashen tinge of hypothermia had crept into the surface of Sasuke's skin, leaving him pallid and shivering, pale lips parted to drag in quivering shallow breaths that sounded both desperate and painful. Even tucked between the thick layers of the bedroll with the fire close by, Kakashi knew if he didn't act quickly, the likelihood of recovery without medical ninjutsu would be dramatically low, and even then, the possibility of irreversible damage to vital organs was high.

Hypothermia was a kiss of death that crept in slow -- sliding through the skin and deep into the body's core, slowing down the body's ability to function until internal mechanisms failed, followed by major organs.

It was a merciful death -- unlike the painful endings on battlefields ninja expected, Sasuke's pulse and respiration would simply slow until his organs ceased functioning, and death would claim him moments later. There would be no pain -- or even awareness of life slipping away degree by degree.

The past always finds ways to repeat itself doesn't it... Kakashi sighed, the irony of the situation certainly not escaping him.

***

"Sensei... c-c-co-cold..." Kakashi's teeth chattered almost as violently as the trembles that passed through his body, the blizzard outside roaring almost as loudly as the thunder of his heart. Nausea passed through him in slow waves as he tried to draw himself closer to the fire Minato had just ignited, limbs akimbo when he found his arms and legs unwilling to cooperate enough for him to drag himself closer. The edges of his vision were hazy and myopic, dark holes tearing through the light as he stared numbly at the fire, half-spoken consonants and vowels falling in a mashup of language that made no sense but conveyed his confusion with its very tone.

"Kakashi-kun, can you hear me?" Minato's voice cut through the fog gently, and the boy could only moan softly in response.

Only half an hour had passed since they trekked under the cover of blizzard across the frozen river in a two-person reconnoissance mission in Water Country when they were ambushed by a squad. Kakashi barely had time to react before a hand broke through the ice and grabbed his ankle, jerking him downwards into dark, freezing water, taking a shot of paralyzing chakra straight to the chest that rendered him useless -- and unconscious. When he came to, his teacher's worried face transformed into a relieved smile, and it took only a moment for Kakashi to realize that Konoha's Yellow Flash had defeated the squad and found them shelter.

But that momentary realization was far overshadowed by his inability to feel his hands or feet, and by the gripping, paralyzing cold that stabbed through him so deeply he was certain it was some kind of jutsu cast by the ninja that had knocked him out in the first place.

"You have hypothermia. I'm sorry if this is going to make you uncomfortable, but I'm going to need to take your clothes off," Minato calmly explained as his fingers moved to peel wet, freezing fabric off his student's body before it drained any more body heat.

Stripped nude and tucked into a bedroll close to the fire, Kakashi found no respite from the cold that emanated from deep within, and with each moment that passed, he grew drowsier and weaker, barely noticing when Minato helped him lift his head and forced him to drink down warm water that had little effect on the deep chill within him.

It was only when his teacher slid into the bedroll with him moments later, that he realized just how hot Minato's skin was, and wondered deliriously if he had a fever. But the warmth felt so good as it soaked into him that in the protective ring of his teacher's arms, he closed his eyes and fell asleep, his nose pressed against the burning curve of Minato's throat.

***

Kakashi let out another sigh as he rose and began to strip, pulling his vest off of him to set on the floor next to the pile of Sasuke's clothing. Watching his unconscious former student warily, he paused in his motions to move back over to the Uchiha, realizing that it would probably be wise to seal his chakra lest he wake later and decide to attack in such close proximity.

Even if the veteran jounin was saving his life, Sasuke was no longer the twelve year old boy who once looked up to Kakashi for strength and support. He was a man now at eighteen, as unpredictable as he was dangerous, and quite possibly stronger than the man who was saving his life.

Pulling back the cover of the bedroll to expose Sasuke's bare chest, the Copy Ninja uncovered his Sharingan, crouched down on one knee and quickly began the process of chakra sealing -- writing the necessary elements on a chest struggling for breath in his own blood with a finger, realizing just how cold his former student's skin already had become. The very act of sealing could possibly kill Sasuke, but Kakashi was willing to take that chance.

"Don't die on me now, Sasuke," he murmured before he rushed through the seals, gathering blinding white chakra into his fingertips and stabbing it straight down into Sasuke's prone body with a single command of "SEAL!" at his lips, watching carefully as the boy jerked and seized in response to the chakra rushing into him. The seal's elements swirled around the vortex of chakra before the light dissipated and the seal settled securely in place. Kakashi relaxed as he slowly pulled his hand away, both relieved and amazed by Sasuke's resilience.

But just as quickly as that relief swept through, the boy's throat suddenly gave slight gurgle and Kakashi's uncovered eye widened as he quickly moved to turn Sasuke onto his side just as blood trickled out of his lips and onto the bottom layer of the bedroll underneath him, his breathing ragged and wet. Kakashi's pulse raced almost as quickly as his mind in realization that blood was clogging Sasuke's airways, and with one hard open-handed hit delivered directly to a shivering back, he forced a cough out of him -- as well as the last of the blood and sputum.

"Just bear with it a little more..." Kakashi wasn't sure why he was offering words of reassurance when Sasuke was clearly unconscious. He chalked it up to habit or impulse, and rose once more, divesting layer by layer of clothing at lightning speed until he stood in just his underwear, mask, and hitae-ate.

Well, this... was certainly going to be awkward.

There they were, student and teacher. And only one of them was wearing any underwear. Wonderful.

He might've cracked a joke at the other's expense that went along the lines of I'm saving your life, so please don't mistake me for a peverted old man and report me to Hokage-sama by messenger for molestation in order to lighten the mood if the situation was any different, or if the boy was conscious. But as it were, Sasuke's respiration sounded strained, and Kakashi didn't have time to even think as he flew into action -- only pausing to moisten the edge of his shirt sleeve with water before slipping into the bedroll with Sasuke and tugging the cover over them, moving them so that the boy's back was to the warmth of the fire, and his front was against Kakashi's own.

Pressed flush against his former student, Kakashi could feel how cold Sasuke's skin truly was, could sense every uncontrollable tremble that passed through the other's body and into him. He wound an arm around a trembling frame and pulled him in closer, drawing up the moistened shirt sleeve between them to carefully clean away the blood that lined an eye and chin before tucking Sasuke under his chin, feeling the press of a cold nose against the warm curve of his neck, breath puffing against his skin.

The jounin's fingertips trailed over scars that lined Sasuke's strong back. Here was a battlefield of history, etched deep into skin and raised in angry scar tissue that spoke of just how much the Uchiha had endured in their years apart. He could feel the strength those muscles contained as he slowly let his hand travel down the length of back in a gesture he hoped felt soothing as the heat from his palm slowly warmed the cool terrain underneath it.

Sasuke had grown so much since he'd left -- both physically and as a shinobi. There was very little about him that bore any resemblance to the twelve year old that once looked up at Kakashi over webbed fingers and said, "I can't really call it a dream... but I have an ambition. The resurrection of my clan and... to kill a certain man."

That boy -- the one who once dreamed, the one who on occasion had tried to stifle the bloom of a smile into the tight-lipped press of a smirk, the one who guarded his passionate disposition under an icy layer of cool resolve -- the boy Kakashi had worked so hard to save and teach the value of friendship and reliance on true strength -- had disappeared years ago, smothered out by the flames of vengeance and a desperate obsession with growing more powerful than his brother.

The cool, lithe trembling body he held in his arms certainly wasn't a boy, but a man, yet Kakashi found it difficult to think of Sasuke as anything other than a boy, even when logic dictated differently. He tried to tell himself it was the way Sasuke's face still contained traces of lost innocence in a jawline that sloped gently instead of cutting sharp; a face that contained a delicate beauty in features that seemed so gentle when he slept. It was a face not yet grown out of the puerile grasps of youth into the hardened roughness synonymous with being a man.

Yet the body pressed against Kakashi's own spoke a different story. Sasuke was all sinewy muscle and power compacted into a frame that was deceptively lean and slender, but bristled with strength that waited impatiently at the very edge of release just under the surface. He was fire and lightning and genius talent, his blood thickened by betrayal, his resolve strengthened by eyes that had seen too much horror at too young an age. And it was this resolve that shaped his body, sculpted it into the form of a battle-hardened shinobi who didn't know what it meant to give up.

It was this body that drew strength from Kakashi's own, that stole his heat as heartbeats thrummed chest to chest. It might've been this brief symbiosis which regulated the rhythm of their breaths -- Sasuke breathed in when Kakashi breathed out. Inhale, exhale, repeat.

When the jounin finally noticed, he intentionally held his breath to break up that steady flow, but found himself falling right back in place with his next breath, and resigned himself to breathing in the same rhythm as the boy who was not quite a man in his arms whose shivers had finally stopped as the bitterness of the cold within him slowly thawed.

It was too early to be relieved, but Kakashi allowed himself to relax a little, letting the tension slowly ease out of his shoulders and into the simple comfort of holding Sasuke this close.

He may have failed Sasuke once before, but he wouldn't fail him now.

Not this time.

---

TBC...