Disclaimer: In no way shape or form do I own or profit from any of the things, references, characters or ideas that you have seen or will see in any of my present, past or future fanfiction works, that you have seen in other places, or works of literature or anywhere in general. There I hope that covers it all
A.N: Ok so here it is an annoyingly long one-shot that popped into my head while I was suffering through the disgusting and horrendously frightening hellhole that some like to call summer school. Kinda cutsie and kinda dark at parts so be fore warned. WARNING: This is YAOI so if you don't like it DON'T READ IT and don't tell me that I'm a freak, because I am a freak but not because I read yaoi.
Ok so ya. I published this once before but I reread it and all the errors were driving me CRAZY (I really need to start beta-ing stuff), so I finally figured out a way to put up an edited version without losing my reviews. It was pretty obvious but that's a different story. Anyway it's mostly the same but a lot better written without so many pesky grammar and spelling errors. This is the first serious fanfic I had ever written so I tried to keep it very much the same for... sentimental reasons.
Lastly: PLEEASE REVIEW, Even if you think this is the worst thing you've ever read tell me please tell me if for no other reason then so you don't ever have to suffer through another one of these things again.
Iruka sat staring out the window of his apartment into the pouring rain, the grey, cold, dreary climate described exactly as he felt in his heart. All this sorrow was caused by the absence of his other half; his strong, cocky, perverted, beautiful, silver haired other half. He knew that he needed to get used to the loneliness. He knew that missions would come and go for the both of them, and that he couldn't sit around brooding every time they were separated. He knew all these things yet here he sat, alone and saddened awake at 3:00 A.M. with bags under his eyes awaiting the return of his love.
With a small gasp he raised his chin from the knuckles that had been supporting it, and squinted through the glass panes to see a black mass a topped with a sprinkle of silver, popping out from the surrounding drabness. He leaped from his stool and tore out of his apartment to meet the approaching mass, which he hoped was his life partner.
He burst out into the rain, which pored down over his headband and the locks that dangled into his face obscuring his vision to the point where he could hear the mismatched footsteps of an injured man before he received visual conformation of the forthcoming mass's identity.
When he did get close enough to tell that it was indeed who he thought it was, he gasped. Iruka gazed forward onto the story of suffering that came to him in the form of Hatake Kakashi, his lover, and soul mate.
Kakashi stood there, shaking, hunched over, and without the mask that had been his trademark for years. Blood dripped from his hairline and still more blood trickled from his mouth to the bottom of his chin. Hair hung down in various deflated arcs without its usual windswept free spirited shape. His shirt was almost nonexistent, having been torn and ripped by the sharp weapons that he had been assaulted with for the last week.
His pants were, surprisingly, brand new, and they seemed out of place with the otherwise tattered clothing; although sodden, with splattering of mud at the bottom hem as was natural on a rainy day. His right arm fell dangling limp at his side, and the uninjured left arm clutched the dangling one along with a long narrow scroll.
As Iruka took all this in with tears welling in his eyes all the while, he noticed that Kakashi was covered in a coating of grime and blood so thick that not even the pouring rain could wash it away. Iruka rushed to Kakashi and brought his lips to Kakashi's miraculously unbruised forehead. Kakashi smiled through the blood in his mouth as he brought his forehead down to Iruka's shoulder.
"Oh my goodness! Who the hell did this to you? Have you been to the hospital? I'm so glad you're back! You must be freezing!"
Iruka exclaimed attempting to get an entire ocean of emotions through his mouth in the space of a minute.
Kakashi carefully brought his head up as if he thought that the strain on his neck might be too much.
"Yo." He said.
Iruka opened his mouth to yell at him for being so nonchalant about his current condition.
"Calm down," Kakashi said so as to placate the little man " It's not all that ba-"
He was cut off as a fit of coughing and sneezing shook his body, and he was bent double spluttering blood onto the rain soaked ground and Iruka's bare toes. He managed to raise his head up to rest on Iruka's now rain soaked chest.
"Well maybe it is but I've had worse." He corrected himself.
He thought about raising his hand to place it comfortingly on Iruka's shoulder, but he wasn't sure if he could pinpoint the location of a shoulder on the Iruka shaped mass swimming before his eyes.
"Come on let's get you inside." Iruka murmured wrapping his arm around Kakashi's waist as Kakashi sleepy croaked an agreement from strained vocal chords.
They slowly made there way through the rain into Iruka's apartment and stumbled through a few rooms then into Iruka's dark bathroom.
"Pants and shirt off now, and then into the tub." Iruka ordered as he clicked the light on revealing a large square bathtub, and the left the room to retrieve several forms of medication that would be needed.
"Why so forceful 'Ruka-Ru?" Kakashi murmured drowsily to himself, as he pouted and winced while removing his shirt. Iruka returned to find Kakashi naked in the bathtub, still clutching the scroll in an iron grip.
Iruka took in the full extent of his injuries, and gasped for the second time that evening. Kakashi's normally porcelain skin was coated in a gray green slime. His face was even more scarred then it had been when he had left. The blood that nearly covered his body mingled with the green to make a rust colored sort of ooze in the bottom of the tub underneath Kakashi's shivering, and rocking body. Iruka hurried forward and after prying the cold frigid fingers from the scroll, he tossed said material onto the pants and twisted the knob for hot water. As the steaming liquid filled the tub slowly, Kakashi saw Iruka's gaze concentrating on the scroll and the pants underneath. Even in his zombie like state he felt the concern radiating from Iruka, so he spoke.
"I was to bring that scroll back," He murmured in a tired voice "Things got complicated and their leader ended up dead with my kunai in his back. You'd think they would have thanked me,"
Kakashi let his head fall as a bitter smile contorted his features and land on Iruka who had knelt beside the tub.
"That man was a cold hearted bastard," He continued
"But they were loyal to him an they kept me for three days; beating me everyday twice a day, to make me pay for getting rid of their dictator." He shook his head and glanced at the crumpled pants on the floor.
"I had to steal those on the way back. They took my old ones, said they just made things difficult and got in the way of their fun." Kakashi said not wishing to go into details of the atrocities that he had endured.
" Oh God how I missed your touch 'Ruka" Kakashi said with a shudder.
Needing to do something so he did not burst out in tears Iruka leaned over and turned off the water. He then offered Kakashi a cup of medicinal mouthwash so Kakashi could rinse the blood from his teeth and gums.
Having done that, Iruka added a potent herbal soap to the already murky water and swirled it around with his hand. Using a washcloth he slowly rubbed in circular motions all over Kakashi's body pulling away all of the dirt grime and blood. The water slowly turned from clear to green to brown to rusty, as Iruka emptied and filled the tub four times.
As he cleaned of more and more filth Kakashi's head come to rest with an increasing amount of wait on Iruka's firm chest leaving a small smear of dirt on the still sodden shirt. Finally Iruka got to Kakashi's face, and he wiped away every trace of blood leaving behind only the myriad of scars that had caused the trademark mask to be raised into the place it had held for years.
"Ah. there you are, I wasn't sure it was you under all that gunk." Iruka whispered as his lips brushed against Kakashi's in a much longed for kiss.
"You can't ever leave me again, you hear?" Kakashi smiled faintly at the line he had heard many times and even repeated himself when his facade of all knowing Copy nin was dropped.
"Head back please." Iruka gently uttered. Kakashi meekly obeyed, and winced as hot water pulled fresh from the faucet coursed through his silver strands of hair and over his scalp turning the hair that had previously been turned a grayish brown color.
"There we go, all clean." Iruka mumbled into the now soft revitalized locks that were tickling his face and neck.
They sat there for about ten minutes after Iruka had turned off the water, simply treasuring the fact that they were both alive and well. Then he rubbed a generous amount of ointment over Kakashi's entire body. He then proceeded to miraculously dress Kakashi in soft boxers and pajama pants without removing him from the tub. He then wrapped the arm and legs in bandages and put the arm into a sling. After those tasks were done Iruka (who was still kneeling next to the tub), held Kakashi (who was still in the now dry tub) for another ten minutes absently running his fingers through his hair and occasionally planting a kiss on his forehead or cheek.
Finally Iruka whispered, "We should get you to bed" a groan of disapproval could be heard from Kakashi.
"Well you can't very well stay here."
"Can't move"
"Ah well hat might be a problem." Kakashi shrugged at this.
"Fine, I'll be right back." After balancing Kakashi upright Iruka disappeared and came back with his face and upper body hidden between a large mass of blankets. After some grunting and a lot of rolling of Kakashi's injured body, Iruka had succeeded in making a suitable nest of blankets and pillows that would serve as a bed, and protection against the cold that had made Kakashi shiver so hard earlier that morning (AN: by now it's around 5:00 in the morning).
"Ok here you go. Do you need me to stay?" Iruka said as he stood to go
"You're leaving?" Kakashi asked softly with one look at Kakashi's face Iruka knew he had to stay. So he crawled over Kakashi careful of his bandaged limbs, and lay next to him. Kakashi smiled and with a great amount of effort rolled over to rest his soft head on Iruka's chest.
"Thank you 'Ruka-Ru. I love you." That simple statement that Iruka hadn't heard in months made all the troubling and moping worthwhile.
"Nice to hear it Kashi, I love you too." Iruka replied as he rubbed his cheek against the soft hair now brushing his neck. Kakashi replied with a snore.
Ok so you managed to get all the way through that I'm very proud of you. So if you want me to worship you forever then review. If you do I will build you a 600 foot tall solid gold shrine. Ok oh also if you hate it then you need to tell me. I beg of you please. Ok so I'm done, review!!