Disclaimer: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto-sama, not me.

Warnings: Cussing, Man Love, Death, Possibly Graphic Descriptions of Gore ( Sorry Hatochan!)

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The End

Iruka's eyes were still bright. At least Kakashi thought they were.

The jounin leaned back against the rock face, cradling his lover's disemboweled body in his lap. Iruka's insides were still spilling out from under the makeshift bandaging, though the gushing blood had pretty much stopped, his uniform now a darker, wetter shade of shinobi black. It matched the shreds of mask that Kakashi had pulled from his face, wanting to kiss the man with his bare and bloodied lips while he was still aware.

He didn't want Iruka to leave him before that last touch of tenderness was given, before Kakashi could revel in that last touch of warmth from his beloved chuunin.

His legs were going numb, which Kakashi supposed was better than the agonizing pain of his broken ankles that had been plaguing him since their injury during an unexpected earth jutsu. The numbness also made Iruka's weight negligible and Raidou's weight non-existent. The tokujo was leaning against the other two shinobi, limp spikes of chocolate hanging in his scarred and bloodied face. Raidou's unmarred cheek was pillowed on his much younger friend's thigh, brown tear filled eyes turned up to Kakashi. His gaze was as soft as his smile.

Kakashi smiled back, the arm supporting Iruka's body reaching a little further to clasp hands with the older man. Raidou had been injured by the same jutsu as Iruka, his guts trying to escape the slit in his belly; Kakashi assumed his larger size was keeping him alive a bit longer than Iruka, but just a bit. The bear-like man was fading quickly and would have the pleasure of being the first to meet up with the young chuunin on the other side.

But Kakashi wasn't angry about it. He would follow shortly.

There were noises outside the cave and Kakashi knew he should have tried to find a better place to hide, but it wasn't like they were getting out of there anyway. Luckily Pakkun would have enough of his own residual chakra to make it back to Konoha with the scrolls and the news that there was an army in Mist just waiting to make their move on the Leaf Village. Ibiki was going to kick himself for the bad intel that sent the three shinobi straight into an ambush. Kakashi hoped the man wasn't too hard on himself though, it was just one of those things, bad planning or bad karma or just fate coming to kick them in the teeth.

He shifted on the rock floor, wishing he could properly hug Iruka, but his other arm had been taken by an explosive tag. Crimson drops were still trickling from the hole in his shoulder.

The grip on his remaining hand tightened and Kakashi could just make out Raidou's whispery voice. The tokujo was apologizing to his absent lover, asking for his forgiveness and understanding, making promises of " soon, but not too soon, my love...my sexy little shinobi...". Kakashi felt sorry for Genma, knowing the senbon sucker had an eternity of grief, pain and guilt coming to him undeserved. At the same time, the jounin was glad that the honey haired man had come down with the flu and had had to withdraw from the mission before they had even set out from the village. Because Genma would remember to water Mr. Ukki, he would remember to that Iruka's classes needed their exams graded by Wednesday, he would remember that Raidou's special order was waiting to be picked up from the bakery.

Kakashi was glad that Genma would remember for them.

Mismatched eyes began to haze over, the shadows creeping around the stone bend blurring and shifting into one mass of deadly intent. The enemy shinobi had definitely found them. He forced his own fingers to curl around Raidou's slackening grip, the man's soft brown eyes closing slowly, but the smile still lingering as he spoke his lover's name one last time. Kakashi let his head tilt forward, hitai-ate resting against hitai-ate, lips pressing gently against the corner of Iruka's slightly parted lips. He rolled the pill around in his mouth, tongue pushing it into the space between upper and lower molars. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough to destroy their bodies, to keep them from being examined and their village's secrets exposed. And it would incinerate any enemy shinobi foolish enough to follow them into the cave. More shadows poured into the cramped space. Kakashi waited until a group had assembled and one began to reach towards them, seemingly aiming for the silver chain around Iruka's neck; the chain that held his ID tags and a single platinum ring. He'd be damned if he let those bastards disturb his peacefully sleeping lover.

Kakashi slapped the lead enemy shinobi with a " fuck you" glare and a smirk.

He breathed in the faint scent of Iruka's herbal soap.

And he bit down.