Naruto fic: Past the eighth Gate - Part II
Title: Past the Eighth Gate - Part II
Author: aviss
Characters: Kakashi, Iruka.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, angst
Warnings: (Highlight to read.) -> This deals with serious issues like alcoholism and depression.<-
Word Count: ~3.000 this part
Summary: Kakashi never thought he'd survive the war. He did, but not unscathed. Now he has to learn his new place in Konoha, and he's not dealing well with it. He receives unwanted help from an unlikely source.
Part I
Part II - Trickster
The pounding in Kakashi's head announced that it was going to be a really bad day even before he opened his eyes.
He groaned, rolling around in his bed and covering his head with the sheet. It didn't help, the noise was still echoing inside his skull, the sheer volume of it making him almost nauseous.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
A loud voice accompanied the pounding noises, and Kakashi realized it wasn't only inside his head. Someone was trying to knock down his door.
All the memories of the previous day rushed back to his head: his conversation with Tsunade, her ultimatum and Kakashi's new job. He had gone straight back home and proceeded to drink himself unconscious for the rest of the day.
That identified the one at his door as Iruka-sensei, if the sheer volume of his voice hadn't been enough of a clue. Nobody else had those lungs in Konoha.
He dragged his hung-over body out of bed and went to open the door before Iruka managed to demolish it. Iruka was standing in the hall, hand poised for another round of that infernal knocking, his face flushed with anger. He narrowed his eyes and took in Kakashi's appearance, and Kakashi realized he hadn't put on any clothes before opening the door and was standing there just in his underwear. With a shrug, Kakashi blinked blearily at him and turned around, heading straight into his room to put on some trousers before moving to the kitchen. He was going to need coffee before facing anything as unpleasant as the conversation that was to follow.
"You were supposed to be at the Academy twenty minutes ago," Iruka said entering the kitchen shortly after Kakashi.
Kakashi busied himself with his coffee machine, not turning around. "I overslept," he said, his voice sleep roughened and low.
"I figured."
They let the silence fall between them while Kakashi made the coffee, painfully aware of Iruka's eyes on the back his head the entire time. Once upon a time he'd have never allowed anyone to see him like this, or he'd make saucy jokes the entire time to make the other feel uncomfortable. Now, Kakashi didn't care; he just needed his coffee and his painkillers to start the day.
He poured himself a big mug and drank it unsweetened, feeling the caffeine kicking his brain into gear. Kakashi sighed softly, scrubbing his eyes with his free hand and yawning, his back still turned to the silent Iruka.
He could feel the man's disapproval rolling off him.
"Do you want a cup?" Kakashi said turning when he felt the tension was thick enough to cut.
Iruka regarded him coldly, his lips pinched in a thin line. He shook his head, his eyes never straying from Kakashi who sighed again; here was another person he had disappointed, obviously. He got ready for the speech that was sure to follow.
"Are you done?" Iruka finally asked after Kakashi finished his second cup.
"Look, Iruka-sensei," Kakashi began tiredly, he didn't feel like going anywhere, far less the Academy, no matter what Tsunade said. "I know the Hokage said--"
Iruka cut him off with a look. "Look, Kakashi-sensei, I don't have time for your bullshit. I have more than enough in my plate to have to babysit lazy perverts in a snit," Iruka said, shocking Kakashi into silence. Iruka's tone was disapproving and annoyed, but nothing Kakashi hadn't heard directed at him before when he was turning in a late mission report. "School starts at nine, and us teachers need to be there well before that. You're in luck the Academy is still closed to the students, but they will be there in two weeks and we have much to prepare for, especially since it's going to be your first year. So get dressed and get going." He took a deep breath, which he clearly needed after that long tirade, and then he scrunched up his nose in distaste. "But please take a shower first."
Kakashi blinked at him, surprised. "I didn't say--" he began again.
Iruka crossed his arms in front to his chest, clearly impatient with him. "This is an order from the Hokage; you are going to obey it. And I don't have either the time or the patience to pick you up every morning and bring you to the Academy myself. Though I can do it, and you won't like it."
Kakashi stared hard at him, still not believing what he was seeing.
This Iruka was exactly the same as he was before, he was treating Kakashi in the same fashion he had done when he was an active shinobi. Iruka was talking to him in the same tone he talked to every jounin or chuunin who had ever irritated him in the mission room. Since his release from the hospital Kakashi had encountered few people who still treated him as they had done; he had been subjected to pity and disappointment, but this--this felt strangely normal.
He was either still dreaming, or he needed a drink.
He poured himself another coffee and grabbed two painkillers.
"Iruka-sensei," he tried again after the second cup. "I'm not a teacher."
"You are now."
Kakashi shook his head, wincing slightly at the pain. There went another brand he wasn't going to buy again. "I'm not going anywhere, I don't care what Tsunade says."
"Oh yes you are. Or I will make you." Iruka smiled at him then, and it made an unpleasant shiver run down Kakashi's spine. It was nothing short of nasty, and here it came, the moment where Iruka gave up the nice act and threatened Kakashi. He had seen it before with shinobi who had respected and feared him for his power but now resented his weakness.
Kakashi didn't know why he had believed Iruka to be different.
"How? Are you going to drag me to the Academy kicking and screaming?" He narrowed his eyes at Iruka, who had the nerve to laugh. That stung.
"I don't need to, you are going to come on your own," Iruka said gleefully, a glint of mischief shinning in his eyes. Kakashi regarded him warily. "You shouldn't let people into your house so easily, Kakashi-sensei. They might steal things from you." Kakashi watched as Iruka's hand moved to his back, revealing something he had kept hidden from Kakashi. Kakashi felt a moment of dread wondering what it could be, his fight or flight instinct in overdrive. If Iruka had a weapon things could turn nasty.
It wasn't a weapon. Kakashi felt his brows crawling up his hairline when he realized Iruka was holding a book, and it took him an instant to recognize it as his most valuable one. He stared at Iruka puzzled.
"I saw this on the shelf, and I think it's signed by the author." Iruka opened the cover, Kakashi too shocked to move. "Yes, and dedicated. The sentimental value of this alone must be worth coming to the Academy to retrieve it, don't you think Kakashi-sensei?" The book disappeared from sight again, Kakashi recovering his senses and moving a step forward when he realized he had been tricked. "I'm not stupid enough to get into a fight with you, Kakashi-sensei. I don't want to get my ass handed back to me. But I'm keeping this hostage until you come for it."
Iruka jumped to the window before Kakashi could react, and he turned to see him running toward the Academy.
Kakashi took a deep breath, running the scene through his muddled mind again. Nothing made sense anymore.
Iruka-sensei, one of the few shinobi Kakashi could say had never feared him, had gone to his house and threatened him. That wasn't what gave him pause, though. It was what he had been threatened with what was a surprise.
Everyone knew Kakashi had lost his chakra; he could be taken out in a fight by a genin. Iruka would have had no trouble dragging him to the Academy against his will. But he hadn't.
What he had done, Kakashi realized, was the only thing that would have worked when he was still an active shinobi. Trickery and blackmail, silly at it was taking his book hostage. Kakashi didn't care about his books anymore, he didn't care about anything.
He poured himself another coffee, this one spiced with a bit of liquor, and thought about what he was going to do.
He was going to go to the Academy, if only because Iruka-sensei had piqued his curiosity and made him feel something beside weariness and grief for the first time in months.
Iruka had not treated him any different that before, and that was a refreshing change.
It could not last, Kakashi was sure of it. But for one day he wanted to feel normal again.
…
Iruka rushed from rooftop to rooftop, his heart pounding in his chest.
He couldn't believe he had done that.
He had entered Hatake Kakashi's house and stolen from him. Yes, he knew Kakashi had lost his chakra and his Sharingan, that his fighting abilities had been decimated, but he was far from harmless. Iruka had had trouble believing how fast Konoha had turned its back on its best, deeming him useless without his former power. They had forgotten Kakashi was a genius even before he had his Sharingan.
Now he knew why. Kakashi himself had forgotten it.
He probably had been so used to rely on them he didn't remember how to fight without. But the man had been a genius, his taijutsu marks only surpassed by Gai. And Gai had been a good five years older than Kakashi when those exams had taken place.
It had been a shock to see the extent of the damage Kakashi was doing to himself. What Iruka had seen in the Hokage's office had not prepared him to come face to face with a hung-over and almost naked Hatake Kakashi.
Iruka had not expected this to be easy, but it was clear now he had underestimated the gravity of the situation.
Kakashi was a mess, no two ways around it.
His place was filthy; bottles and dirty clothes strewn all over the floor. There was a layer of dust on every surface, and a few half full and smelly take out containers on the low table and couch. It was frankly disgusting. The only thing that was organized were the shelves. Rows upon rows of books, classified alphabetically. It gave Iruka an inkling that Kakashi wasn't usually like this, or at least hadn't been before. Nobody organized his books that way and then let the rest of his house be covered in dirt. Surprising as it was, it felt as if Kakashi had also lost interest in his books.
The only place that had been cleaned was the top of one of the shelves, and that caught Iruka's attention. There was a clean patch leading to one particular book, the latest Icha Icha, and Iruka had followed his instinct and pocketed it.
It appeared to be the only thing Kakashi cared about in his house, even the few pictures still in the living room were face down on their places.
It might be useful to have it as leverage.
The kitchen had been even worse than the living room, cluttered and dirty, piles of unwashed dished and cutlery. And more bottles of liquor Iruka had ever seen outside of a bar. Kakashi had ignored him as Iruka observed his surroundings, noticing that he had bothered to put on some trousers at least.
The conversation that followed had been strained, and Iruka had had to contain himself not to snap and kick some sense into Kakashi.
Kakashi had been expecting him to do it, and that was the main reason Iruka didn't.
And now he had to wait to see if his bluff was going to work.
It had to.
One thing was for sure, if he managed to pull this off, he was asking for a vacation.
And a pay rise.
…
Part III
Author: aviss
Characters: Kakashi, Iruka.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, angst
Warnings: (Highlight to read.) -> This deals with serious issues like alcoholism and depression.<-
Word Count: ~3.000 this part
Summary: Kakashi never thought he'd survive the war. He did, but not unscathed. Now he has to learn his new place in Konoha, and he's not dealing well with it. He receives unwanted help from an unlikely source.
Part I
Part II - Trickster
The pounding in Kakashi's head announced that it was going to be a really bad day even before he opened his eyes.
He groaned, rolling around in his bed and covering his head with the sheet. It didn't help, the noise was still echoing inside his skull, the sheer volume of it making him almost nauseous.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
A loud voice accompanied the pounding noises, and Kakashi realized it wasn't only inside his head. Someone was trying to knock down his door.
All the memories of the previous day rushed back to his head: his conversation with Tsunade, her ultimatum and Kakashi's new job. He had gone straight back home and proceeded to drink himself unconscious for the rest of the day.
That identified the one at his door as Iruka-sensei, if the sheer volume of his voice hadn't been enough of a clue. Nobody else had those lungs in Konoha.
He dragged his hung-over body out of bed and went to open the door before Iruka managed to demolish it. Iruka was standing in the hall, hand poised for another round of that infernal knocking, his face flushed with anger. He narrowed his eyes and took in Kakashi's appearance, and Kakashi realized he hadn't put on any clothes before opening the door and was standing there just in his underwear. With a shrug, Kakashi blinked blearily at him and turned around, heading straight into his room to put on some trousers before moving to the kitchen. He was going to need coffee before facing anything as unpleasant as the conversation that was to follow.
"You were supposed to be at the Academy twenty minutes ago," Iruka said entering the kitchen shortly after Kakashi.
Kakashi busied himself with his coffee machine, not turning around. "I overslept," he said, his voice sleep roughened and low.
"I figured."
They let the silence fall between them while Kakashi made the coffee, painfully aware of Iruka's eyes on the back his head the entire time. Once upon a time he'd have never allowed anyone to see him like this, or he'd make saucy jokes the entire time to make the other feel uncomfortable. Now, Kakashi didn't care; he just needed his coffee and his painkillers to start the day.
He poured himself a big mug and drank it unsweetened, feeling the caffeine kicking his brain into gear. Kakashi sighed softly, scrubbing his eyes with his free hand and yawning, his back still turned to the silent Iruka.
He could feel the man's disapproval rolling off him.
"Do you want a cup?" Kakashi said turning when he felt the tension was thick enough to cut.
Iruka regarded him coldly, his lips pinched in a thin line. He shook his head, his eyes never straying from Kakashi who sighed again; here was another person he had disappointed, obviously. He got ready for the speech that was sure to follow.
"Are you done?" Iruka finally asked after Kakashi finished his second cup.
"Look, Iruka-sensei," Kakashi began tiredly, he didn't feel like going anywhere, far less the Academy, no matter what Tsunade said. "I know the Hokage said--"
Iruka cut him off with a look. "Look, Kakashi-sensei, I don't have time for your bullshit. I have more than enough in my plate to have to babysit lazy perverts in a snit," Iruka said, shocking Kakashi into silence. Iruka's tone was disapproving and annoyed, but nothing Kakashi hadn't heard directed at him before when he was turning in a late mission report. "School starts at nine, and us teachers need to be there well before that. You're in luck the Academy is still closed to the students, but they will be there in two weeks and we have much to prepare for, especially since it's going to be your first year. So get dressed and get going." He took a deep breath, which he clearly needed after that long tirade, and then he scrunched up his nose in distaste. "But please take a shower first."
Kakashi blinked at him, surprised. "I didn't say--" he began again.
Iruka crossed his arms in front to his chest, clearly impatient with him. "This is an order from the Hokage; you are going to obey it. And I don't have either the time or the patience to pick you up every morning and bring you to the Academy myself. Though I can do it, and you won't like it."
Kakashi stared hard at him, still not believing what he was seeing.
This Iruka was exactly the same as he was before, he was treating Kakashi in the same fashion he had done when he was an active shinobi. Iruka was talking to him in the same tone he talked to every jounin or chuunin who had ever irritated him in the mission room. Since his release from the hospital Kakashi had encountered few people who still treated him as they had done; he had been subjected to pity and disappointment, but this--this felt strangely normal.
He was either still dreaming, or he needed a drink.
He poured himself another coffee and grabbed two painkillers.
"Iruka-sensei," he tried again after the second cup. "I'm not a teacher."
"You are now."
Kakashi shook his head, wincing slightly at the pain. There went another brand he wasn't going to buy again. "I'm not going anywhere, I don't care what Tsunade says."
"Oh yes you are. Or I will make you." Iruka smiled at him then, and it made an unpleasant shiver run down Kakashi's spine. It was nothing short of nasty, and here it came, the moment where Iruka gave up the nice act and threatened Kakashi. He had seen it before with shinobi who had respected and feared him for his power but now resented his weakness.
Kakashi didn't know why he had believed Iruka to be different.
"How? Are you going to drag me to the Academy kicking and screaming?" He narrowed his eyes at Iruka, who had the nerve to laugh. That stung.
"I don't need to, you are going to come on your own," Iruka said gleefully, a glint of mischief shinning in his eyes. Kakashi regarded him warily. "You shouldn't let people into your house so easily, Kakashi-sensei. They might steal things from you." Kakashi watched as Iruka's hand moved to his back, revealing something he had kept hidden from Kakashi. Kakashi felt a moment of dread wondering what it could be, his fight or flight instinct in overdrive. If Iruka had a weapon things could turn nasty.
It wasn't a weapon. Kakashi felt his brows crawling up his hairline when he realized Iruka was holding a book, and it took him an instant to recognize it as his most valuable one. He stared at Iruka puzzled.
"I saw this on the shelf, and I think it's signed by the author." Iruka opened the cover, Kakashi too shocked to move. "Yes, and dedicated. The sentimental value of this alone must be worth coming to the Academy to retrieve it, don't you think Kakashi-sensei?" The book disappeared from sight again, Kakashi recovering his senses and moving a step forward when he realized he had been tricked. "I'm not stupid enough to get into a fight with you, Kakashi-sensei. I don't want to get my ass handed back to me. But I'm keeping this hostage until you come for it."
Iruka jumped to the window before Kakashi could react, and he turned to see him running toward the Academy.
Kakashi took a deep breath, running the scene through his muddled mind again. Nothing made sense anymore.
Iruka-sensei, one of the few shinobi Kakashi could say had never feared him, had gone to his house and threatened him. That wasn't what gave him pause, though. It was what he had been threatened with what was a surprise.
Everyone knew Kakashi had lost his chakra; he could be taken out in a fight by a genin. Iruka would have had no trouble dragging him to the Academy against his will. But he hadn't.
What he had done, Kakashi realized, was the only thing that would have worked when he was still an active shinobi. Trickery and blackmail, silly at it was taking his book hostage. Kakashi didn't care about his books anymore, he didn't care about anything.
He poured himself another coffee, this one spiced with a bit of liquor, and thought about what he was going to do.
He was going to go to the Academy, if only because Iruka-sensei had piqued his curiosity and made him feel something beside weariness and grief for the first time in months.
Iruka had not treated him any different that before, and that was a refreshing change.
It could not last, Kakashi was sure of it. But for one day he wanted to feel normal again.
…
Iruka rushed from rooftop to rooftop, his heart pounding in his chest.
He couldn't believe he had done that.
He had entered Hatake Kakashi's house and stolen from him. Yes, he knew Kakashi had lost his chakra and his Sharingan, that his fighting abilities had been decimated, but he was far from harmless. Iruka had had trouble believing how fast Konoha had turned its back on its best, deeming him useless without his former power. They had forgotten Kakashi was a genius even before he had his Sharingan.
Now he knew why. Kakashi himself had forgotten it.
He probably had been so used to rely on them he didn't remember how to fight without. But the man had been a genius, his taijutsu marks only surpassed by Gai. And Gai had been a good five years older than Kakashi when those exams had taken place.
It had been a shock to see the extent of the damage Kakashi was doing to himself. What Iruka had seen in the Hokage's office had not prepared him to come face to face with a hung-over and almost naked Hatake Kakashi.
Iruka had not expected this to be easy, but it was clear now he had underestimated the gravity of the situation.
Kakashi was a mess, no two ways around it.
His place was filthy; bottles and dirty clothes strewn all over the floor. There was a layer of dust on every surface, and a few half full and smelly take out containers on the low table and couch. It was frankly disgusting. The only thing that was organized were the shelves. Rows upon rows of books, classified alphabetically. It gave Iruka an inkling that Kakashi wasn't usually like this, or at least hadn't been before. Nobody organized his books that way and then let the rest of his house be covered in dirt. Surprising as it was, it felt as if Kakashi had also lost interest in his books.
The only place that had been cleaned was the top of one of the shelves, and that caught Iruka's attention. There was a clean patch leading to one particular book, the latest Icha Icha, and Iruka had followed his instinct and pocketed it.
It appeared to be the only thing Kakashi cared about in his house, even the few pictures still in the living room were face down on their places.
It might be useful to have it as leverage.
The kitchen had been even worse than the living room, cluttered and dirty, piles of unwashed dished and cutlery. And more bottles of liquor Iruka had ever seen outside of a bar. Kakashi had ignored him as Iruka observed his surroundings, noticing that he had bothered to put on some trousers at least.
The conversation that followed had been strained, and Iruka had had to contain himself not to snap and kick some sense into Kakashi.
Kakashi had been expecting him to do it, and that was the main reason Iruka didn't.
And now he had to wait to see if his bluff was going to work.
It had to.
One thing was for sure, if he managed to pull this off, he was asking for a vacation.
And a pay rise.
…
Part III