[Week 20 | Day 1] Video

[smiling_umino]

[When the feed starts, it's dark, with just the last traces of sunset on the horizon. Iruka is walking through the grounds of Himorogi. His question is simple, and he's in full shinobi attire, a little worse for wear, ponytail coming loose and shoulders hunched. They hunch because Iruka breathes slowly, because he can catch his breath

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[ura_no_ura]

[ Kakashi is exhausted. Drained. He'd been operating over the past forty-eight hours under the assumption that Iruka was injured or worse. But with the rescues that needed his full attention, he'd had to put aside any worries or concerns and just hope Iruka was amongst those being held prisoner.

Clearly, that wasn't the case. ]

Where have you been.

[ Kakashi's tone is clipped. ]

[Video | Private ]

[smiling_umino]

[Iruka's voice remains steady, as does his expression.]

Home.

[Or what had been left of it, really.]

Home, Taichou. For a day.

[Video | Private ]

[ura_no_ura]

[ For a moment, Kakashi falls silent.

Home.

(Is no longer that house in the woods that you shared.)

Iruka may have some news about the war, then. ]

Report to the camp outside Raikou's cave in Mizusato for debriefing.

[ Kakashi's tone is cool, devoid of any tone or emotion. ]

[Video | Private ]

[smiling_umino]

Yes, Taichou.

[Iruka dips his head in a polite bow and tucks the Hitomi away. No resistance, no argument. Iruka simply makes his way to Mizusato.]

[ACTION FOREVER - open to anyone in Mizusato camp, esp. castmates]

[smiling_umino]

[When Iruka arrives in Mizusato, his quick strides slow down till he reaches the outer area of the camp. He had not expected it to look like this, all these tents, all these people. It could have been worse, he thinks as lets his chakra pulse a little bit, inform those who know him that he is present, and continues his stride in to the camp.

Does a head count, wonders about supplies, wonders about injuries and forgetting his own (his own doesn't matter, minor scratches, his hand will heal, so will the bruises under his uniform).

When he passes by a fire that is dying, Iruka quickly picks up one of the firewood nearby to keep it burning. As the saying goes, out of the frying pan and in to the pot. Or had it been the other way around?

Either way, reporting in is something he should do. He needs to find his own people... ]

[ura_no_ura]

[ Kakashi is coming out of a tent just as Iruka walks through the camp. His left arm is bandaged and there's blood seeping through. It probably could use changing. He's looking a little haggard, shoulders slumped from exhaustion and possibly more injuries, instead of his usual indifferent slouch.

It takes him maybe a moment too long to sense Iruka's chakra, but when he does, Kakashi stops and turns his eye towards Iruka's direction. ]

[smiling_umino]

[Iruka pauses when the fire brightens and blinks as he turns his gaze to the direction he feels the presence coming from. With the distance between them, Iruka can tell just how haggard Kakashi looks, how tired he looks, how he knows (do you?) how the fatigue and damage settles on the surface of his skin, under the weight of his uniform.

Iruka rises from his crouching position, approaches him and when he stands before Kakashi, lowers his head politely.]

Taichou.

[And looks up to meet his gaze. Looks at it and holds it.]

[ura_no_ura]

Iruka.

[ Kakashi says in return, not bothering to dip his head back. He studies the man for a moment, his eye dark, expression unreadable, and then nods towards the tent he'd just come out of. ]

Go in.

[ Gai is inside. After Kakashi returns with some water that he'd left the tent to fetch, they can debrief Iruka together, then brief him on what occurred in his absence. ]

[smiling_umino]

[Iruka does as he's told, turns and walks in to the tent, pushing the partings to the side and letting his eyesight adjust. When he sees Gai, he smiles a little, corners of his lip turning upwards just a bit.]

Gai-sensei.

[spandexisyouth]

[Gai looks up as the tent opens, already feeling who it is. He's bruised and and has his side wrapped. The smile on his face isn't quite up to its normal strength, but he smiles at Iruka nonetheless.]

Iruka-sensei. It is good to know you are not injured somewhere and unable to message. Have a seat? I believe Kakashi will be right back.

[smiling_umino]

Thank you.

[Iruka takes the seat across from Gai, gaze wandering over the man and noticing the slight slouch, the fatigue, the mess -- the entire situation is quite a mess isn't it?]

I'm all right. I went back, for a day. Though...

[Iruka's gaze lingers on the bandaged middle. The worry lines starts to press and weight down Iruka's face.]

It's been longer here, I see...

[spandexisyouth]

[Gai frowns, though he waves a hand as if to say he's fine.]

Back, as in back home? While I do not know when you went back, I think it is safe to say it has been longer than a day. The days have blurred a little, I am sorry.

[How many days had it been since Lee had brought home Ginko and everything spiraled out? Gai really didn't know.]

But I think the worst is over.

[An understatement. He really could think of few things that could have made the attacks worse.]

[smiling_umino]

Time flows differently.

[Iruka nods slowly, but lifts his gaze from Gai's side to his face, meets his gaze and holds it.]

If I remember correctly and if I count correctly, it's been a week. Exactly a week. I'm not sure why it happened, going back when all of you were left here... though...

[Is he sorry? That he hadn't been able to help them when they must have needed a hand? Should he apologize?]

I'm sorry for any trouble my disappearance might have caused.

[Apologize anyway.]

[ura_no_ura]

Well, it's not like you missed very much at all.

[ Kakashi says as he comes back into the tent, catching the tail-end of the conversation and the apology, a bucket of water in his right hand. He moves over to Gai, setting the bucket down, glancing over his shoulder at Iruka. ]

Just a lot of people being murdered and captured by natives of this world.

Oh, and Lee was killed, too.

[ Adds on. He knows Gai is probably going to not be very happy with him for that, but Kakashi's angry, thinks it's entirely unfair that Iruka got to just be sent home while all of this was happening. He knows things are difficult at home, too -- if not worse, in some ways. But they are outnumbered here and Iruka had been separated, gone from them even before all of this happened. As far as he knows, Iruka hadn't even seen Gai and Lee in person since their arrival. ]

[spandexisyouth]

[He blinks with his mouth open. Lee didn't deserve to be tacked on in an offhand fashion, and Gai is not impressed.]

And. A sidenote? Oh by the way?

[Gai normally tries to not get annoyed by things, to let them pass, but he can't ignore that. He's healing but he's not healed yet.

He exhales, shaking his head, ignoring the twinge of pain that came from the partial snort.

Why even would Kakashi do that? He doesn't know, and he's too tired to dig.]

[smiling_umino]

[Iruka feels his jaws lock as his gaze remains perfectly still on Gai's throat, knuckles white and the dressing around his palm thicken with red. He cannot believe - believe - he is hearing it phrased this way, this passive aggressive almost petty tone that his commander shoves against his face. Had it been Iruka's choice to disappear? Had it been any of their choice to come to this place and die here?

Was it any of their choice?

Iruka keeps his tone even, short, clipped. Because Lee did not deserve that. And more than anything, his death did not need to be addressed in such an insulting manner. Like this. In front of Gai. In front of him. How. fucking. dare. he.]

Then it is a good thing, as you both know by now, that death isn't permanent here. When it is quite permanent back home. Please watch your tone, Taichou.

[Iruka avoids meeting either of their gazes. Simply because he's so pissed off when he's not even here to start anything.]

It wasn't my choice to go. Our people are dying back home too. That is permanent.