Kashi/Gen/Kashi Part 17 FINAL CHAPTER
This is it, folks. This is the end. Of this fic I mean. It's taken seven years and two months, (I can't believe there are people out there that have been reading my crap for that long) a lot of frustration, sometimes tears, and a lot of laughing at my own jokes.
I want to thank everyone who kept messaging me, prodding me, poking me, or just taking the time to remind me that this story was still out there and unfinished. It was rough for a while with certain characters dying in the canon, and also with the canon ending. I couldn't make myself sit down and work on this, it was too emotional. But thank you all again anyway, you got me through it. You helped me to finish. I couldn't ask for better readers.
I'm sure there's a ton of typos, please ignore, or shoot me a message if you're so inclined. Other than that, please enjoy this final chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Title: Give and Take
Paring: Kakashi/Genma/Kakashi, Shikamaru/Neji, Sasuke/Naruto
Rating: R to NC-17 for sex, language, and violence.
Summary: Genma made a mistake, a tragic mistake that may have cost him more than he could ever imagine. He can't hide it from Kakashi though, and now the Copy Ninja is being torn apart by his honor, and by his feelings for one of his oldest friends.
Start From The Beginning
<< Part 16
It did not go as planned. Nothing went as planned.
Genma was not sure if it was the faulty information, the staggering lack of preparation as a result, or just the simple fact that his team was outnumbered eight to one that had gotten them into this particular mess. Whatever the reasons, they were irrelevant now.
He had lost communication with Neji’s team about twenty minutes ago. Raidou and Kiba were badly injured, and Akamaru was nowhere to be found.
“Genma-san,” Lee not-whispered as they rounded another corner. The young man had Kiba’s bleeding body thrown over his shoulder but he didn’t seem to be hindered in the slightest. “I try to have a positive outlook on everything, so when I ask this, please don’t think I am trying to be discouraging.”
“Oh my God, Lee, out with it.”
“Because we have lost communications with everyone, how will we know when to coordinate flanking maneuvers? And for that matter, if we cannot communicate, how do we even know if they are still here?”
A kunai whizzed by Genma’s ear and the special jounin flinched backward.
“Well, Lee, it’s simple,” Genma sighed, “We don’t.”
* * *
“I’ve got a bad feeling,” Kakashi murmured into his soup.
Iruka grunted as he slurped noodles from his bowl but other than that he made no indication he had even heard Kakashi’s words.
The two shinobi had stopped by Ichiraku on the way home from the office. At first Kakashi had figured it was because he had been pacing and fretting in the coolest way, being the perfect combination of distracting and adorable, enough that Iruka had felt sorry for him and decided to treat him. However, now he figured it was simply because Iruka had been hungry.
Sasuke’s team had been gone for two weeks, and they were not due back for another two. There was no reason for Kakashi to feel as uneasy as he did, but he could not make himself relax. He knew it was unprofessional of him, but it was impossible not to be at least a little worried when the stakes were so high. The unsealing ritual Shikamaru had talked them through sounded extremely dangerous, not to mention painful and terrifying. And then there was the fact that even if they made it through that ordeal, there was still the S-class mission to complete.
How exactly was Kakashi supposed to maintain his daily life when the two people he loved most in the world were in such peril?
That thought set loose an entirely separate wave of trepidation in Kakashi and he leaned into his noodles to hide the sudden shift in emotion.
Yes, that was right, he had told Genma he loved him. He had said it, and Genma had seemed okay with it. But what did that mean, exactly? How cool about it was he? Genma was cool with practically everything so, was he just cool, or was there something more? Did he feel the same? Was it stupid that Kakashi had blurted that out right before a mission? Should he have not said anything?
What was going to happen when Genma got back? Oh, god, if he came back.
“Okay,” Iruka said softly at his side, “Kakashi, you’re going to have to calm down or I might punch you.”
“Right here in the restaurant?” Kakashi pouted.
“I’m sure they’re used to it.”
“Iruka-sensei, you’re so mean.”
Sighing, and using his napkin to dab at the corners of his mouth, Iruka finally turned and looked at him.
“You know, my former students won’t stop calling me that, and I’m beginning to believe that it’s your fault.”
Kakashi’s mouth widened into a smile behind his mask. “You think everything is my fault. Sensei.”
“That’s because it usually is.”
The two shared a quiet chuckle before Kakashi buckled and finished off the rest of his ramen. He wasn’t hungry, not in the slightest, but he knew that if he left anything in his bowl, Iruka would pester him until there wasn’t.
“Worrying isn’t going to help anything,” Iruka said, “You need to find something to do to get your mind off it.”
“Yes,” Kakashi sat up straight, “that’s a great idea. A mission sounds like the perfect thing. I know this one that’s west of Iwagakure right now. I’ll head out as a backup; I could be there in a few da-”
“No.”
Iruka’s voice was not harsh, but the finality in it was obvious.
Kakashi backed down easily, he had only been half serious anyway. He knew Sasuke and Genma were two of the best, and they were with an amazing team. He trusted and believed in them enough to know that if anyone could get things done, it was them.
* * *
There was blackness all around him. His head hurt. What had happened? Had someone hit him? Cold stone touched the side of his face and he was lying in something wet. Genma hoped it was water and not blood. Even urine would be better than blood. He had woken up in his own blood before and it had felt terribly similar to this. He pushed himself up on his hands and pain shot up his side like chakra burning through his flesh. He had been hit, possibly stabbed. Where was Lee? Where was everyone?
“You probably shouldn’t move, unless you want to die faster.”
Genma froze. He didn’t know that voice.
“Where am I?” he asked. “Who are you?”
“Well, to be frank, this is the place you’re going to die, and I’m the one that’s going to kill you.”
Genma pulled himself up and turned to sit, holding his side where the pain was most intense. He carefully probed and found a deep gash just below his ribs. He glanced around the dark room and made out a few familiar figures but he couldn’t determine their status. Damn, his teammates could be dead but he couldn’t tell. He needed to stall.
“Wow,” he chuckled against the pain, “so forward, and this is only our first date.”
The voice seemed to find him amusing. A laugh echoed through the room, bouncing off walls, giving Genma a clearer idea of how big the space actually was. He counted six prisoners other than himself. Four were on the floor near him, the other two were hanging from the ceiling in cuffs.
Neji… Sakura… The young Hyuga was lifeless, naked from the waist up, bleeding from cuts across his face and chest. Sakura’s hair hung in dark, heavy clumps, and her body was restrained by another set of chains. The others were in similar states, except for Kiba, Genma could not tell if he was breathing.
“What do you want?” Genma asked.
“Oh, I don’t really want anything from you,” the voice said, “We are moving operations from this location now that we’ve been discovered. When your people finally find out what happened to you, we’ll be so far gone you’ll never find us again.”
Genma winced as another wave of pain rocketed through his side. “How did you know we were coming? You must have a spy, there’s no way you could have gotten the intel otherwise.”
Another laugh, “Not a spy really, just someone easily bribed. He was already in trouble anyway, third strike. You know how easy it is to get someone into your mission desk rotation?”
Genma filed that away and tried to stem the bleeding from his wound.
“You gonna talk me to death or did you have something sexier in mind?”
“Oh, definitely something sexier.” Footsteps, and a figure emerged from the darkest corner of the room. He carried a long, slim, dagger in his hand and flipped it gracefully between his fingers.
“I’m going to have you watch while I kill your friends… Except maybe this pretty one,” he put the tip to Neji’s chin, “I think he’s already dead.”
Genma held his breath.
* * *
“Mirai, seriously, do you want me to show you this or not?”
“Kakashi-san,” the young Sarutobi made a face, “no offence, but you suck at this game.”
Kakashi looked at the board, and then incredulously at the little girl in front of him. “I do not suck at this game, you just play with Shikamaru all the time so your standards are ridiculous.”
“I don’t know,” Shikamaru said from the kitchen, “I’m not actually that good at hanafuda. You could actually suck.”
“Okay, enough talk about sucking,” Kurenai laughed, “it’s time to eat.”
Dinner was delicious, and Kakashi enjoyed most of it listening to the way Shikamaru and Mirai spoke to each other. It reminded him of the way Naruto spoke to Konohamaru when he didn’t think anyone was listening.
Afterwards, Mirai washed the dishes so her mother could relax and Kakashi joined Shikamaru outside. The young Nara lit a cigarette, but didn’t smoke it. He just stood, holding the stick between his fingers, staring into the flame.
“How are you holding up?” Kakashi asked.
Shikamaru said nothing for a few moments, and then he finally took a drag.
“I’ve got a really bad feeling.”
Kakashi sighed and looked out over the sea of rooftops. That cold dread in the pit of his stomach started to twist.
“Yeah, I know what you mean.”
* * *
There was a scream from outside, or perhaps upstairs? Genma couldn’t tell what kind of structure they were in. The first floor of a large building? The basement of a house? His head was getting a little fuzzy. There was no way he wasn’t dangerously close to bleeding out any minute.
The figure with the knife to Neji’s throat turned at the sound. He seemed surprised.
Another shout sounded from somewhere above, but it was cut off and quickly followed by a heavy thud. Genma assumed that was a body dropping. It was the most likely scenario.
“What the hell?” the figure murmured.
“Oh,” Genma snickered groggily, “seems whoever you’re with has discovered third squad.”
The figure whirled around to face him. “Third? There is no third! You were supposed to have seven shinobi and one ninken! There was no other group!”
Genma made a face as he shifted his body, “Well, you’re right and you’re wrong. There is no other group, yes, but we do have a third squad.”
“What!? What the hell does that mean!?” the figure moved to the door and peered out through the tiny window. The hand that held the dagger was trembling.
Placing one arm on the ground, Genma started to laugh. It hurt, but he needed the disorientation it would cause.
“Shut up!” the figure screamed at him, “Shut up!” He was fast, definitely jounin level, at the very least. He grabbed Genma by the collar and jerked him up to his eye level. He was young, maybe younger than Iruka, with a handsome face but with cold, brutal eyes.
“I’ll fucking kill you before they get here!”
The door burst open and several people, all of them shinobi, burst through.
“Tai! What’s going on!?-”
“-You said we had them all!-”
“-He let the damned dog out! What the hell is happening!?-”
Genma laughed in the man’s face. Those terrible eyes ignored his comrades as he brought the dagger to Genma’s throat.
“How many are in your third squad?” he whispered.
Grinning, Genma replied, “Just one. And let me tell you, friend, you are fucked.”
He got his feet set underneath him and twisted. Genma’s side exploded with pain, he could feel what was still intact, rip apart as he slammed his knee up and under the man’s ribs. When his collar was released, he lashed out. The knuckles of his pointer and middle fingers easily crushed the man’s larynx.
They both fell to the floor. Genma’s hands returned to his side in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding and the man with the dagger lay on his back, struggling to breathe.
No one else had time to react. Sasuke was at the door.
The Uchiha took out three before Genma could even roll to his uninjured side. The fourth tried to flee, but Akamaru was waiting and took his legs out from underneath him.
There were screams, and a little gurgling, but Genma lost interest as he felt himself fading. He fell back and welcomed the darkness that surrounded him.
* * *
“Maybe you just haven’t had enough to drink, my esteemed rival!”
“Guy, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, I really do,” Kakashi stared down into his half-empty glass, “but I’m just not into it. And the fact that you won’t drink with me is making it even less appealing.”
“All right!” Guy exclaimed. “Then how about a challenge! We can-”
“-No, I don’t think so.”
When Guy was silent for a moment, Kakashi had to look up and check if he was still there. Not a lot got the man to calm down when he was on a mission, and tonight’s “mission” was apparently: Make Kakashi Feel Better.
It turned out the man had not moved from the stool next to Kakashi, so the Copy Nin went back to nursing whatever it was Guy had ordered, and tried not to chuckle at how intense his friend got when he was thinking really hard.
“What if we went back to my house!?” Guy said suddenly, startling Kakashi enough to spill a few drops over his hand.
“Why would we do that?” Kakashi asked disinterestedly.
“Because I may have been going about this all wrong,” Guy explained. “You, Kakashi, my most awesome friend, are trying to forget someone that you care very deeply for, and I have been trying to help, because that it was the greatest of friends and rivals do.”
“Get to the point, Guy.”
“Kakashi, I believe that the answer to your heartache is not in forgetting, but in remembering.”
Maybe he was more drunk than he thought because Guy’s logic was not making any sense-not that it ever did, but go figure. Kakashi knocked back the rest of his drink and turned to meet Guy’s excited face.
“I need you to explain, because now I’m unhappy and confused.”
Guy stood, and with a flourish, paid the tab and reached out a hand for Kakashi to take.
“Come with me, and I will show you old photos of when Genma-san was a cool and hip genin!”
Kakashi’s eyes widened and the little butterflies in his stomach woke up and started to flutter.
“Wait, what?”
* * *
“…ma… Come on Genma, look at me.”
His head spun and the ground tilted, but Genma blinked away the inky darkness in front of his eyes until he could make out the blurry lines of a face.
“S… Sasuke?”
“Genma, you’ve got to stay awake while Sakura does this. It’s going to be painful but you need to not pass out again.”
That was going to be hard, his vision was already clouding over again. Blackness was seeping in from every side. He glanced down and watched as Sakura leaned over him and started to press something into his side. It was green, and glowing, and extremely uncomfortable.
“Ah shit,” he gasped.
“That’s it,” Sasuke murmured, “focus.”
The pain brought his senses back and he remembered the conversation with their captor.
“Oh! Sasuke, listen!” He grabbed the younger man’s arm and pulled him close.
“Don’t move!” Sakura barked.
“Sasuke,” Genma panted, “there’s a traitor. Someone in the mission desk rotation. On his third strike… he passed the information to… these guys.”
The pain was lessening, but so was Genma’s ability to keep his eyes open. It was just no use; he had lost too much blood. He felt himself slipping again.
“God damnit, Genma,” Sasuke growled, but it sounded like it was far away.
“Sasuke…” Genma spoke softly. He wanted to shout, try and reach his teammate wherever he was. “Sasuke, tell Kakashi-”
“-Shut up, old man,” Sasuke said, “I don’t wanna hear it. Tell him yourself.”
The last thing Genma thought before slipping back into that darkness was how much he wished he could see Kakashi one last time.
* * *
It was almost as if Kakashi had been expecting it.
When the chunin opened the door to the Hogake’s office, Kakashi felt like he already knew what the young girl was going to say. He felt it in his bones, in his heart. He had known his entire life. He had known this day was coming before he was even born.
“Sir! At the western border! We have returning shinobi and some are seriously injured!”
Naruto shot to his feet. “Are the medics on their way? Get someone to tell Shikamaru but escort him! Iruka-san! I need you to please…”
Kakashi didn’t hear the rest, he was already out the window headed west. If it was Neji’s team, the best thing he could do was to just get there. He could take the wounded back to the hospital faster than anyone. He could keep them alive if he needed to. Besides he needed to know. He needed to know now.
When he found them, he wasn’t sure how to react. He had seen this sort of thing play out in some of his worst nightmares, and some part of him knew this was a part of being a shinobi, but he was not ready for it. Not at all.
Sasuke was all right, that was for sure. That in itself was an immense relief, but there was so much blood and so many people were being carried, at first Kakashi wasn’t even sure what he was looking at.
He flew to Sasuke’s side and took Sai from his shaking arms. “You all right?” he asked.
Sasuke’s eyes were dull with fatigue, and his body hung limp and trembling, but he managed to nod and motioned to Lee.
Genma turned and almost wept with another powerful wave of relief. Lee had Genma draped over his back. The special jounin was unconscious and heavily bandaged, but his color was good, and Kakashi could actually feel his chakra signature. It was faint, but it was there.
Kakashi helped unload the wounded from shoulders and assisted as Sakura laid them down for treatment when the med nin arrived. Raidou, Genma, and Sai had serious injuries, while Kiba, Sakura, and Lee had come out with only a dislocated shoulder, a concussion or two, and a few cuts that would definitely need stitches.
Kiba slid from Akamaru’s back and limped over to Kakashi as he knelt beside Sai.
“Kakashi-san,” he said softly.
Kakashi looked up and froze at the sight of tears in Kiba’s eyes.
“Oh shit, Kiba, what is it?”
“Um…” Kiba’s lips trembled and he motioned for Kakashi to follow him.
Kakashi’s heart stopped when he saw.
Akamaru wore a harness, and attached was a stretcher carrying Neji’s broken body. The Hyuga was battered beyond mere battle wounds. It was obvious he had been tortured. He was bandaged, but his wounds were so severe, even a talented med nin like Sakura did not have enough chakra to repair all the damage.
As Kakashi reached out, searching for a signature, a heartbeat, anything, he heard the med nins approaching. He looked up at Kiba, his eyes wide.
“Shikamaru…”
Kiba flinched and the two turned to search the group of incoming nin. Kakashi spotted him first and was at his side before Shikamaru could get close. He put a hand on the young man’s chest to stop him.
“Hang back,” he said softly, “you don’t need to see this.”
Shikamaru’s jaw clenched hard but he remained stoic.
“Are they all here?”
Kakashi nodded.
Dark eyes flashed and the Nara swallowed thickly.
“Is he dead?”
“I don’t think so.”
Sagging, Shikamaru took a few breaths before he centered himself. “Let me go, Kakashi. I have a job to do.”
Reluctantly, Kakashi dropped his hand and let the younger man pass. If there was one thing Shikamaru was, it was professional. Tactical. He would go for a debrief from Sakura first and get the facts. He would keep his emotions in check until it was okay to release them.
Something Kakashi was not very good at anymore.
Turning around, the Copy Nin returned to Genma’s side. “How is he?”
The medic nin looked at him with bright blue eyes and she nodded. “It’s bad, but it’s nothing we can’t handle back at the hospital.”
“Good, then move.”
She stood and Kakashi took her place. He lifted Genma and threw Sasuke a meaningful look. His charge understood and nodded.
Kakashi ran.
* * *
The mission, while devastating in regards to injury, was a success. Per Sakura’s report, all missing nin involved in the slave trade ring that had not been taken care of at the base had been either rounded up by Iwa shinobi, or had disappeared, leaving their prisoners to be found or escape on their own. The counsel was confused as to why Sasuke was present but not in the official mission statements, but after Sakura’s account of how he had saved the two squads nearly single-handedly, they not only waved the infraction, but also said they would consider lifting his curfew.
There was a full inquiry into who the traitor was, but it was cut short when a chunin named Ahiko went missing. Further investigation found Ahiko had two strikes against him, and another pending before he disappeared. He also was on the roster for the mission desk. Sasuke was assigned to find this chunin and question him. Akamaru happily accompanied him, and the pair returned to Konoha with a mission report only a few hours later.
Raidou, Kiba, and Sai’s injuries were extensive but easily treatable. They, together with Sakura, were out of the hospital within a day. Lee was not quite as lucky. His concussion was more severe than on first inspection, and he had to remain under the medic’s supervision for at least a few days. Genma’s wounds were more complicated, but Tsunade managed to patch him back together.
Neji was in surgery for thirty-nine hours. It had seemed impossible that he would survive, but now there was a chance. It was not for sure yet, but there was hope.
Kakashi stayed at Genma’s bedside through it all. The tokubetsu slept through the night and all through the next day, no movement at all but a steady, rhythmic breathing that was more of a comfort to Kakashi than was practical. Once or twice, someone brought food, and the Copy Nin ate but paid little attention to what he was actually putting in his body.
Finally, as the sun started to set, Genma stirred and opened his eyes.
Kakashi’s heart sped up and he sat forward, leaning on the mattress.
“Hey…”
Genma blinked at him and a small smile tugged at his mouth. “Hey,” he murmured.
“How are you, um…” Kakashi wet his lips. Why was his mouth so dry? “How are you feeling?”
“Mm,” Genma swallowed, “thirsty, actually. Is there water anywhere?”
Kakashi reached for the glass waiting on the bedside table. “Yes, we have water here. We also have technology to help you drink it. This is called a straw.” God, what was he even saying?
Genma’s smile widened as Kakashi helped him sit up and take a few small sips. When he was back resting against the pillows, he touched his hand to his side and slowly shook his head.
“So, do me a favor and never, never make Sasuke angry, okay? It’s the scariest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”
Kakashi chuckled and placed the glass back on the table.
“Remember when I said he could kill me with his pinky? I was mostly joking.” Genma turned and looked at Kakashi, whispering dramatically.
“But it’s not a joke.”
Kakashi scooted forward and rested his elbows on the bed. He wanted to reach out and take Genma’s hand but he was afraid.
“I heard what you did,” he said softly. “Sakura told us you talked them down long enough for Sasuke to locate everyone.”
Genma made a noise and rolled his eyes. “Wow, that makes me sound so cool. No, I managed to run my mouth enough to almost get myself killed faster. Sasuke deserves all the credit. And Akamaru. You ever seen a dog rip off someone’s head? It’s terrifying.”
Kakashi glanced down at Genma’s hand again, trying to work up the courage to actually take it, but again, found himself too afraid. When he looked up, he found Genma’s eyes closed. Maybe he was falling back asleep?
The Copy Nin’s heart pounded in his chest; he had no idea how to handle this. He had no experience. He had told Genma that he was in love with him, so did he have to wait for Genma to make the next move? Was there even going to be a next move? Should he even be worrying about that right now? He should just be happy that Genma was alive, right? What was he even thinking? How selfish can you get?
“Kakashi…” Genma said, his voice sounded like he was drifting off.
Realizing that he hadn’t been breathing this whole time, Kakashi let out the air he had been holding in his lungs. “Yes?”
Keeping his eyes closed, Genma swallowed and ran his tongue over his lips.
“You gonna kiss me or maybe hold my hand or something? I’ve had this wounded soldier fantasy in my head for a while and it’s-”
Kakashi cut him off by sliding his arms around Genma’s chest and tucking his face into the crook of the older man’s neck. The carefully constructed dam that Kakashi had built to keep back all of his growing feelings and crushing emotions in check, broke, and the Copy Nin let out a breathy laugh against Genma’s skin. He gave the special jounin no time to recover from that before he pulled away just enough so he could kiss all over Genma’s cheeks, his nose, his chin.
“Ouch, ouch,” Genma said, but he was chuckling too. “Yeah, there we go, that’s more like it.”
They held each other for a long time, long past when the sun had set and moonlight started to fill the room. Kakashi finally pulled himself up on the bed and stretched out. He stayed tangled up in Genma’s arms, but now he could look into his eyes as well.
“Is everyone okay?” Genma asked.
Kakashi nodded. “Superficial scrapes and bruises. Lee has a concussion, but he’ll be okay.”
“And Neji?”
Kakashi sighed, “I don’t know. Last I heard he was out of surgery, but I don’t know how he’s doing.”
“Shit,” Genma murmured, “Have you talked to Shikamaru?”
Shaking his head, Kakashi scooted closer. “No, I haven’t really… left this room in a while.”
Genma scoffed and ran his fingers down Kakashi’s cheek. “Ah, that’s why you smell so bad.”
“What?” Kakashi made a face, “Okay, you wanna talk about smelling bad? Mr. I-haven’t-taken-a-bath-in-weeks-and-am-covered-in-guts-and-dog-slobber?”
“I have an excuse.”
“So do I!”
They shared another soft chuckle before the seriousness of their previous conversation returned. Kakashi took a breath and laced his fingers with Genma’s.
“I heard some interesting things about Sasuke’s seal and… how it works while you were gone.”
Genma sighed. “Yeah, I got the whole story from Neji. He was… upset doesn’t even cover the halve of it. They’re both… I don’t know.”
“When Neji gets better someone needs to just lock Shikamaru and Neji in a room together with no windows and let them figure everything out.”
Smiling slyly, Genma leaned in and bumped the bottom of Kakashi’s jaw with his nose. “Can we lock ourselves in a room together with no windows when I’m better?”
Kakashi felt himself shiver. “Yup. Absolutely.”
He felt Genma’s lips on his neck and he shivered again, but the special jounin took it no further. He merely slid an arm around Kakashi’s waist and settled in against his chest.
“I’m falling asleep,” Genma said, “sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Kakashi wrapped both his arms around Genma’s body and pressed his lips into the older man’s hair.
“Don’t leave,” Genma whispered, “Want you here… gotta tell you I love you… when I wake up.”
Kakashi’s heart swelled. There was no way it could get any better than this.
* * *
Shikamaru stood just outside the room, back far enough into the corner that anyone coming or going wouldn’t be able to see him against the shadows. He was not sure how long he had been there. Since Neji had gotten out of surgery? No, that was impossible, Neji had gotten out of surgery yesterday. There was no way he had been standing there since then. That would be crazy.
No matter how much he wanted to, he could not make himself cross the threshold. Neji’s family had come and gone, his team, nurses. The room was empty now though; the last visitor had left an hour ago. Lee had been there through most of it, faithfully by his best friend’s side.
Shikamaru took a breath, isn’t that where he should be now? No. He didn’t deserve to be at Neji’s side.
Someone was in his space. Shikamaru’s head jerked around and he was surprised to find Choji, leaning against the wall next to him, no snacks, just a small flashlight in his hand.
“Choji?” Shikamaru murmured.
“That thought you had a little bit ago, the one where you weren’t sure how long you’ve been here?”
Shikamaru’s eyes widened. He knew Choji usually knew what he was thinking, but that was ridiculous.
“What about it?”
Choji shrugged and glanced down the hallway towards the waiting room.
“Well, to answer your thought, you’ve been here a little over eighteen hours. I’m sure you haven’t eaten or slept in a couple days, but I’m also sure I won’t be able to make you eat or sleep, so I’m going to do the next best thing.”
Frowning, and not liking where this was headed, Shikamaru asked, “What’s the next best thing?”
Choji looked at him, and turned on the flashlight.
“Aww!” Shikamaru blinked and held his hands up to shield his eyes from the sudden onslaught of light. It was such a low-blow, and completely unnecessary, as that wasn’t how his shadow manipulation jutsu worked…
…but he got the point.
“Fine. Fine!” Shikamaru batted at the flashlight until Choji clicked it off.
“I hate you sometimes.”
Choji nodded, “Good.”
Letting out a long, heavy sigh, Shikamaru turned and opened the door to Neji’s room. He muttered something about “troublesome best friends” under his breath as he made his way inside.
A curtain was drawn around the bed, and the monitor was emitting that slow, steady beeping. An intense wave of fear caught Shikamaru off guard and he stopped in his tracks. What was he doing here? He shouldn’t be here! Get out!
He forced himself to take a step, and then another. Before he could prepare himself, he had passed the curtain and was standing at the foot of Neji’s bed. He couldn’t make himself look up, he didn’t want to see him lying there, his hair spread across the pillow, just the way Shikamaru knew it would be.
He didn’t want to see Neji’s face. He didn’t deserve to see Neji’s face.
A great well of emotion surged up from the place that Shikamaru liked to hide things. It came from deep inside of him, pressing at that locked door, that failsafe the young Nara had constructed to keep himself professional when his nature came close to besting him. It was a tidal wave of love and regret, anger, and loneliness that threatened to crash into him, break him apart. He wanted to leave, he didn’t want to face this.
He almost turned away; almost made for the door. His head and all of his churning, storming emotions were already away, far away. Running.
But his heart stayed.
He knew he was a coward, but he also knew that he couldn’t run forever, and no matter what wrongs he had committed, no matter how much of what happened was his fault, no matter how much he was hated, it didn’t matter.
He still loved Neji.
“I’m sorry…” Shikamaru whispered. The words caught in his dry throat.
“I’m so sorry, Neji…”
The bed railing was there at his fingertips and he gripped it hard in both hands to steady himself. He could feel pressure behind his eyes and the ache in his chest threatened to cripple him. Tears started to slide down his cheeks but he didn’t care. No one could see him.
“Damn it…” he whispered.
He slowly moved to the chair beside the bed and slid in close. Neji’s bandaged hand was only inches away but he dare not take it. The thought of Neji waking and pulling away was too much. Shikamaru rested his elbows on the mattress and pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes.
“God damn it…”
* * *
Neji lay in a strange place. It was hollow, and dark. There was no reason or form, like a dream, but he knew he was awake. He could feel the sheets underneath his fingers; the pillow against his head. His body had hurt, but it did not anymore. Now he was merely lying in the dark, waiting for something. For what, he was not sure.
Then there was the sound of a door closing. He heard the beeping of the monitor and suddenly, violently, clarity hit him.
The mission came back all at once. The ambush, the powerful suppression jutsu, the man with the knife… Sakura bleeding and roaring threats at her captors. Genma protecting them even as his body was torn open. Kiba’s face as he had cried over Neji’s own injuries. Why had Kiba cried for him? He kept apologizing. Why had he been apologizing so intensely?
And then he remembered the seal, and the unbinding. He remembered his nails clawing at the jutsu’s layers, of Sasuke screaming like he was being tortured, then the rush of pain and the doors inside of him opening to let out all of the emotion and feeling that had been sealed away. All of the anger and hurt and terrible, terrible jealousy had come back to him in one crushing blow. He had felt he would die under the pressure, under all of those memories. It was too much for anyone to be expected to take back in mere seconds.
Neji moved, groaned as he felt himself slipping. It was happening again, right now. The rush of emotion and memories. He needed to get control, ground himself in the present. Distract himself from thinking of those first few minutes, of his talk with Genma, of the impossible implications of what the special jounin had told him.
Then something changed. Something pulled him from his spiraling thoughts and his eyes snapped open.
He smelled cigarettes.
Carefully, he turned his head and what he saw, stopped his breathing.
Shikamaru was there, his head down, resting on his folded arms. He was so close the tips of his hair were brushing the skin of Neji’s arm. He had been crying, tears were still fresh and clinging to the young Nara’s eyelashes. The thought of the other man crying shocked Neji. He had never seen Shikamaru cry before; he hadn’t thought Shikamaru could. He was always so stoic and perfect.
Without thinking, Neji lifted his hand and ran his fingers over that dark brown hair, that smooth, tanned skin. Even when his emotions had been locked away, he had still thought about, and even dreamed about, touching Nara Shikamaru. He could remember a time when that was all he wanted in the world.
Shikamaru stirred and Neji froze, suddenly terrified.
There was nothing he could do but watch as Shikamaru breathed in and slowly sat up. He wiped at his eyes and ran his hands over his hair. Neji stayed as still as a statue while Shikamaru contemplated the hospital sheets. He pulled at them absently with his fingers as he chewed the inside of his lip. Knowing that was something Shikamaru did when he was trying to figure something out, Neji waited, watching silently.
Finally, Shikamaru spoke.
“I hope you know how amazing you are,” he whispered. “What you did for Sasuke… I don’t have…” He stopped and took a breath. When he spoke again his voice shook.
“Please be okay… Even if we never speak again… just please be okay…”
Neji’s heart broke. Genma had been right. As frightened as he was, Neji could not just stay silent and watch tears that were so obviously meant for him.
Moving slowly, carefully, Neji placed his palm over the Nara’s strong, trembling hands.
Shikamaru’s sharp inhale was as startling as it was satisfying. Dark eyes looked up to meet his and this time, Neji let the emotions that welled up overtake him.
“N-Neji?” Shikamaru’s voice was strained, suddenly hoarse.
“I’m okay,” Neji said softly.
Shikamaru opened his mouth to speak, but then stopped and swallowed thickly. He tried again.
“Neji I…”
Neji shook his head. “I’m sorry. For everything.”
Shikamaru’s face pinched and a soft sob escaped between his lips. “Why? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Shaking his head again, Neji squeezed Shikamaru’s hands. “Neither did you.”
For a moment, Shikamaru just looked at him with those sad, beautiful eyes, but then he took a short, clipped breath and closed them. He came in close and rested his head on Neji’s chest.
“I love you, Neji,” he murmured, “I love you, and I swear to God I only love you. No one else, ever.”
Neji lifted his hands and pulled the tie from Shikamaru’s hair. He ran his fingers through the coarse strands and closed his eyes. This was all he ever wanted.
“I love you too.”
Three Days Later
“Are you sure we should be doing this?” Kakashi asked. “You got out of the hospital like, five minutes ago.”
Genma was only half listening. He was much more interested in the taste of Kakashi’s collar bone.
“Take this off,” he murmured, pulling at the Copy Nin’s jounin vest.
Kakashi obliged, dropping it on the floor with a soft thunk before he pulled off his top.
“Can I at least get you to your bed?” Kakashi asked, smiling into light-brown hair.
Genma slid his hands down past a waistline and grabbed two handfuls of the Copy Nin’s muscled ass.
“Well, I was just going to fuck you right here on the stairs, but if you’re going to be picky about it…”
“I’m not picky,” Kakashi said, “I’m definitely not, but I thought it would be more comfortable for you since you, you know, almost died a few days ago.”
Genma straightened and kissed up Kakashi’s throat. He felt hands in his hair, tugging gently, guiding him backwards towards the stairs. His clothes came off as they made their way down the hall, and when the back of his legs hit the bed, he fell backwards. The Copy Nin stripped out of his gloves and pants before climbing up and over Genma’s body. His fingers were in Genma’s hair and on his cheeks as the special jounin reacquainted himself with as much pale skin as he could.
“I missed kissing you,” Genma whispered into Kakashi’s mouth.
Kakashi groaned softly and arched when Genma slid his hands down his back.
“I missed hearing you say things like that.”
Genma sat up and wrapped Kakashi’s legs around his hips. When he reached between them, taking Kakashi’s hardness into his hand, the younger man moaned softly and moved even closer. They rocked together, tasting each other's lips, savoring every moment of their bodies touching, sliding, grinding against one another.
“It's going to get harder to leave for missions,” Kakashi said as he bit the shell of an ear. His voice was high and breathy.
Genma smiled as his slick fingers pressed up inside the Copy Nin's trembling body. Kakashi made a soft 'ah' sound and clenched around him.
“Yeah, but coming back home is going to be amazing.”
“Okay,” Kakashi panted, “there is that.” He started to writhe, riding Genma's fingers almost desperately. His hands clenched into the special jounin's shoulders.
“Ahh...” he moaned again, “Genma, I'm falling apart here. Have some mercy.”
Genma responded by doing exactly what he had been doing, only a little gentler, a little slower. He leaned in and bit a pale nipple, not hard, just barely enough to not be a kiss.
“Shit...” Kakashi made a lovely sound, somewhere between a growl and a cry of pleasure, before he tugged at Genma's hair with both hands. “Come on, I need you, right now. Please, please...”
“I love how riled up you get,” Genma murmured, the feeling of that word felt perfect in his mouth. Why hadn't he said it sooner?
He took himself in his hand and Kakashi came closer. He felt the pressure of the Copy Nin's strong hands on his shoulders as he supported himself. Heat and softness were all Genma knew as he guided Kakashi down onto him. There was no time to marvel, no time to revel in that first overwhelming sensation because Kakashi was already moving. He was pushing Genma back onto the pillows and then straightening back up. He braced his hands on Genma's legs and rolled his hips.
For a moment, Genma was stunned, frozen in awe at the display before him. Every inch of powerful muscle, every bit of that deadly killing machine writhed over him. Kakashi's incredible body glistened with sweat, his perfect stomach and perfect thighs tightened and flexed with every movement. Genma reached up and touched a perfect face, so open, so vulnerable and watching him with so much love and want, that it was almost heartbreaking.
Before he could stop himself, Genma said what he was thinking.
“You're so perfect, Kakashi...”
Something inside the Copy Nin seemed to snap. The last bit of his control, maybe, or the last of his inhibitions. Whatever it was, it propelled him forward, pressing Genma back into the pillows. His lips found the special jounin's and they shared another long kiss, far more intense and far more passionate than the ones before.
Their pace quickened. Genma brought his hips up with every powerful thrust from Kakashi's momentum, and growled his approval as the Copy Nin pulled mercilessly at his hair. The slap of flesh against flesh was loud in the small bedroom, but only punctuated the creak of the bed and the quiet keening of Kakashi's voice.
Genma nipped at Kakashi's neck and it turned frantic. Kakashi rode him hard and fast, breathing quiet obscenities across Genma's face and into his mouth. Fingers gripped pale thighs hard enough to leave bruises, and teeth bit at a lip hard enough to draw blood.
It wasn't long before Genma felt Kakashi starting to come, the choruses of “fuck me! and harder! harder! had become continuous. He silenced them with another long, deep kiss, and pounded into Kakashi's body with the last of his strength. He was losing control, slipping further into that sea of pleasure, and he wanted Kakashi with him when he lost it completely. He reached down and took the Copy Nin's cock in his hand and stroked him roughly, and felt the tension rocket through Kakashi's frame almost immediately. Warmth splashed over his hand and across his chest, and when Kakashi's touch joined his, Genma let go, losing himself in an orgasm so intense, that he saw both flashes of light and dark patches fly across his vision. He spilled into Kakashi's body, shuddering and growled low in his throat as his teeth found skin.
Kakashi had collapsed on top of him and he was shaking, breathing hard against his neck. His voice was hoarse and he was whispering against his jaw.
When Genma could form coherent thoughts again, he licked his lips and tried to speak. “What was that?”
“I said,” Kakashi breathed, “you’re amazing, and hot, and I love you, and my ass hurts.”
“Really?” Genma laughed, “You said all that?”
Making some kind of noncommittal noise, Kakashi shrugged, “More or less. Well, maybe not the ass part, that’s sort of still in development.”
Genma caressed small circles over sweaty skin with his thumbs. His heartbeat was unbelievably loud in his ears, but as he lay there, breathing, listening, he started to wonder if it wasn’t just his.
“Can we sleep now? Or do you need to be somewhere?”
“Actually,” Genma said, “I have to be at the Hogake tower in about twenty minutes.
“What?” Kakashi whined and pushed himself up on his elbows, “I was totally joking about the sleeping part. I need a shower and your dick in my mouth like yesterday.”
Smiling, Genma brushed Kakashi’s hair out of his face. “It won’t take that long, I just need to give Naruto-san my report. After that we can get something to eat and then come back here. Take as many showers as you want. And I will absolutely let you put my dick in your mouth.”
“Cool,” Kakashi said, “Let’s get going then.”
They dressed and headed out. The sun was warm on their backs as they made their way through the streets. A few people noticed them and waved as they passed. Genma waved back, and Kakashi nodded in his falsely disinterested way. It seemed like the perfect day, where nothing could possibly make it any better, but then Kakashi slipped his hand into Genma’s, and the special jounin’s breath caught. For the smallest fraction of a moment, he panicked, worried about what people might think when they saw, but then he looked up into Kakashi’s face and saw the happy lines around his lover’s eyes, and he didn’t care anymore. Let them see. Let everyone see. Kakashi was his, and if anyone had a problem with it, well, let them try and tell Hatake Kakashi he couldn’t do something.
When they neared the Hogake tower, Kakashi cocked his head to the side and made another one of his noncommittal noises.
“So, wait, I just thought of something. This is like a debrief of the debrief.”
Genma chuckled, “I never gave an official statement.”
“Meh,” Kakashi grunted, “it just sounds redundant.”
“It’s not redundant,” Genma laughed, “Besides, I want to make sure Sasuke’s curfew is lifted. We would all be dead if it wasn’t for him and I’m going to emphasize that. Hardcore.”
“Well in that case.”
Genma knocked once and then opened the doors to the Hokage’s office. Naruto was there, sitting behind his desk, slightly out of breath and cheeks rosy.
“Hey guys, how’s it going?”
Genma glanced at the open window and at the curtain that was just falling back into place. Naruto saw him looking and his grin widened.
“Naruto,” Kakashi groaned, “Please don’t tell me you’re getting laid in your office.”
Naruto lifted his hands, palms up and gave Kakashi an incredulous face. “Kakashi-san, why would you think that?”
“Because you’re you, and Sasuke’s Sasuke, and this is the perfect place to do it.”
“Ha ha,” Genma muttered under his breath, “you said ‘do it’.”
Naruto was still laughing when Neji entered the room. The Hyuga had fully recovered and was back to his impeccably groomed, icy, sarcastic self.
“Hey, Neji,” Genma said.
Neji nodded to him.
“Woa, Neji,” Kakashi said, “Is that a hickey on your neck?”
“Most likely,” Neji said coolly. “I have them all over.”
Naruto went into another fit of laughter and Genma hid a grin by occupying himself with placing a senbon between his teeth. Kakashi was still inspecting the mark that Neji seemed to be a little proud of when Iruka finally arrived.
“Okay, whatever you were talking about it’s probably ridiculous to make him laugh that hard so let’s move on.”
The former sensei moved across the room and placed a stack of files on the desk. “Okay, Neji, Genma, if you could please come here, before we start I need you to look at a few pictures. I think three of the nin Sasuke took out were Bingo-ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?”
Startled, Genma and Kakashi both reacted at once.
“What? Iruka what is it?”
Face bright red, Iruka pointed to Neji.
“NEJI IS WEARING MY PANTS!”
END
:]
I want to thank everyone who kept messaging me, prodding me, poking me, or just taking the time to remind me that this story was still out there and unfinished. It was rough for a while with certain characters dying in the canon, and also with the canon ending. I couldn't make myself sit down and work on this, it was too emotional. But thank you all again anyway, you got me through it. You helped me to finish. I couldn't ask for better readers.
I'm sure there's a ton of typos, please ignore, or shoot me a message if you're so inclined. Other than that, please enjoy this final chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Title: Give and Take
Paring: Kakashi/Genma/Kakashi, Shikamaru/Neji, Sasuke/Naruto
Rating: R to NC-17 for sex, language, and violence.
Summary: Genma made a mistake, a tragic mistake that may have cost him more than he could ever imagine. He can't hide it from Kakashi though, and now the Copy Ninja is being torn apart by his honor, and by his feelings for one of his oldest friends.
Start From The Beginning
<< Part 16
It did not go as planned. Nothing went as planned.
Genma was not sure if it was the faulty information, the staggering lack of preparation as a result, or just the simple fact that his team was outnumbered eight to one that had gotten them into this particular mess. Whatever the reasons, they were irrelevant now.
He had lost communication with Neji’s team about twenty minutes ago. Raidou and Kiba were badly injured, and Akamaru was nowhere to be found.
“Genma-san,” Lee not-whispered as they rounded another corner. The young man had Kiba’s bleeding body thrown over his shoulder but he didn’t seem to be hindered in the slightest. “I try to have a positive outlook on everything, so when I ask this, please don’t think I am trying to be discouraging.”
“Oh my God, Lee, out with it.”
“Because we have lost communications with everyone, how will we know when to coordinate flanking maneuvers? And for that matter, if we cannot communicate, how do we even know if they are still here?”
A kunai whizzed by Genma’s ear and the special jounin flinched backward.
“Well, Lee, it’s simple,” Genma sighed, “We don’t.”
* * *
“I’ve got a bad feeling,” Kakashi murmured into his soup.
Iruka grunted as he slurped noodles from his bowl but other than that he made no indication he had even heard Kakashi’s words.
The two shinobi had stopped by Ichiraku on the way home from the office. At first Kakashi had figured it was because he had been pacing and fretting in the coolest way, being the perfect combination of distracting and adorable, enough that Iruka had felt sorry for him and decided to treat him. However, now he figured it was simply because Iruka had been hungry.
Sasuke’s team had been gone for two weeks, and they were not due back for another two. There was no reason for Kakashi to feel as uneasy as he did, but he could not make himself relax. He knew it was unprofessional of him, but it was impossible not to be at least a little worried when the stakes were so high. The unsealing ritual Shikamaru had talked them through sounded extremely dangerous, not to mention painful and terrifying. And then there was the fact that even if they made it through that ordeal, there was still the S-class mission to complete.
How exactly was Kakashi supposed to maintain his daily life when the two people he loved most in the world were in such peril?
That thought set loose an entirely separate wave of trepidation in Kakashi and he leaned into his noodles to hide the sudden shift in emotion.
Yes, that was right, he had told Genma he loved him. He had said it, and Genma had seemed okay with it. But what did that mean, exactly? How cool about it was he? Genma was cool with practically everything so, was he just cool, or was there something more? Did he feel the same? Was it stupid that Kakashi had blurted that out right before a mission? Should he have not said anything?
What was going to happen when Genma got back? Oh, god, if he came back.
“Okay,” Iruka said softly at his side, “Kakashi, you’re going to have to calm down or I might punch you.”
“Right here in the restaurant?” Kakashi pouted.
“I’m sure they’re used to it.”
“Iruka-sensei, you’re so mean.”
Sighing, and using his napkin to dab at the corners of his mouth, Iruka finally turned and looked at him.
“You know, my former students won’t stop calling me that, and I’m beginning to believe that it’s your fault.”
Kakashi’s mouth widened into a smile behind his mask. “You think everything is my fault. Sensei.”
“That’s because it usually is.”
The two shared a quiet chuckle before Kakashi buckled and finished off the rest of his ramen. He wasn’t hungry, not in the slightest, but he knew that if he left anything in his bowl, Iruka would pester him until there wasn’t.
“Worrying isn’t going to help anything,” Iruka said, “You need to find something to do to get your mind off it.”
“Yes,” Kakashi sat up straight, “that’s a great idea. A mission sounds like the perfect thing. I know this one that’s west of Iwagakure right now. I’ll head out as a backup; I could be there in a few da-”
“No.”
Iruka’s voice was not harsh, but the finality in it was obvious.
Kakashi backed down easily, he had only been half serious anyway. He knew Sasuke and Genma were two of the best, and they were with an amazing team. He trusted and believed in them enough to know that if anyone could get things done, it was them.
* * *
There was blackness all around him. His head hurt. What had happened? Had someone hit him? Cold stone touched the side of his face and he was lying in something wet. Genma hoped it was water and not blood. Even urine would be better than blood. He had woken up in his own blood before and it had felt terribly similar to this. He pushed himself up on his hands and pain shot up his side like chakra burning through his flesh. He had been hit, possibly stabbed. Where was Lee? Where was everyone?
“You probably shouldn’t move, unless you want to die faster.”
Genma froze. He didn’t know that voice.
“Where am I?” he asked. “Who are you?”
“Well, to be frank, this is the place you’re going to die, and I’m the one that’s going to kill you.”
Genma pulled himself up and turned to sit, holding his side where the pain was most intense. He carefully probed and found a deep gash just below his ribs. He glanced around the dark room and made out a few familiar figures but he couldn’t determine their status. Damn, his teammates could be dead but he couldn’t tell. He needed to stall.
“Wow,” he chuckled against the pain, “so forward, and this is only our first date.”
The voice seemed to find him amusing. A laugh echoed through the room, bouncing off walls, giving Genma a clearer idea of how big the space actually was. He counted six prisoners other than himself. Four were on the floor near him, the other two were hanging from the ceiling in cuffs.
Neji… Sakura… The young Hyuga was lifeless, naked from the waist up, bleeding from cuts across his face and chest. Sakura’s hair hung in dark, heavy clumps, and her body was restrained by another set of chains. The others were in similar states, except for Kiba, Genma could not tell if he was breathing.
“What do you want?” Genma asked.
“Oh, I don’t really want anything from you,” the voice said, “We are moving operations from this location now that we’ve been discovered. When your people finally find out what happened to you, we’ll be so far gone you’ll never find us again.”
Genma winced as another wave of pain rocketed through his side. “How did you know we were coming? You must have a spy, there’s no way you could have gotten the intel otherwise.”
Another laugh, “Not a spy really, just someone easily bribed. He was already in trouble anyway, third strike. You know how easy it is to get someone into your mission desk rotation?”
Genma filed that away and tried to stem the bleeding from his wound.
“You gonna talk me to death or did you have something sexier in mind?”
“Oh, definitely something sexier.” Footsteps, and a figure emerged from the darkest corner of the room. He carried a long, slim, dagger in his hand and flipped it gracefully between his fingers.
“I’m going to have you watch while I kill your friends… Except maybe this pretty one,” he put the tip to Neji’s chin, “I think he’s already dead.”
Genma held his breath.
* * *
“Mirai, seriously, do you want me to show you this or not?”
“Kakashi-san,” the young Sarutobi made a face, “no offence, but you suck at this game.”
Kakashi looked at the board, and then incredulously at the little girl in front of him. “I do not suck at this game, you just play with Shikamaru all the time so your standards are ridiculous.”
“I don’t know,” Shikamaru said from the kitchen, “I’m not actually that good at hanafuda. You could actually suck.”
“Okay, enough talk about sucking,” Kurenai laughed, “it’s time to eat.”
Dinner was delicious, and Kakashi enjoyed most of it listening to the way Shikamaru and Mirai spoke to each other. It reminded him of the way Naruto spoke to Konohamaru when he didn’t think anyone was listening.
Afterwards, Mirai washed the dishes so her mother could relax and Kakashi joined Shikamaru outside. The young Nara lit a cigarette, but didn’t smoke it. He just stood, holding the stick between his fingers, staring into the flame.
“How are you holding up?” Kakashi asked.
Shikamaru said nothing for a few moments, and then he finally took a drag.
“I’ve got a really bad feeling.”
Kakashi sighed and looked out over the sea of rooftops. That cold dread in the pit of his stomach started to twist.
“Yeah, I know what you mean.”
* * *
There was a scream from outside, or perhaps upstairs? Genma couldn’t tell what kind of structure they were in. The first floor of a large building? The basement of a house? His head was getting a little fuzzy. There was no way he wasn’t dangerously close to bleeding out any minute.
The figure with the knife to Neji’s throat turned at the sound. He seemed surprised.
Another shout sounded from somewhere above, but it was cut off and quickly followed by a heavy thud. Genma assumed that was a body dropping. It was the most likely scenario.
“What the hell?” the figure murmured.
“Oh,” Genma snickered groggily, “seems whoever you’re with has discovered third squad.”
The figure whirled around to face him. “Third? There is no third! You were supposed to have seven shinobi and one ninken! There was no other group!”
Genma made a face as he shifted his body, “Well, you’re right and you’re wrong. There is no other group, yes, but we do have a third squad.”
“What!? What the hell does that mean!?” the figure moved to the door and peered out through the tiny window. The hand that held the dagger was trembling.
Placing one arm on the ground, Genma started to laugh. It hurt, but he needed the disorientation it would cause.
“Shut up!” the figure screamed at him, “Shut up!” He was fast, definitely jounin level, at the very least. He grabbed Genma by the collar and jerked him up to his eye level. He was young, maybe younger than Iruka, with a handsome face but with cold, brutal eyes.
“I’ll fucking kill you before they get here!”
The door burst open and several people, all of them shinobi, burst through.
“Tai! What’s going on!?-”
“-You said we had them all!-”
“-He let the damned dog out! What the hell is happening!?-”
Genma laughed in the man’s face. Those terrible eyes ignored his comrades as he brought the dagger to Genma’s throat.
“How many are in your third squad?” he whispered.
Grinning, Genma replied, “Just one. And let me tell you, friend, you are fucked.”
He got his feet set underneath him and twisted. Genma’s side exploded with pain, he could feel what was still intact, rip apart as he slammed his knee up and under the man’s ribs. When his collar was released, he lashed out. The knuckles of his pointer and middle fingers easily crushed the man’s larynx.
They both fell to the floor. Genma’s hands returned to his side in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding and the man with the dagger lay on his back, struggling to breathe.
No one else had time to react. Sasuke was at the door.
The Uchiha took out three before Genma could even roll to his uninjured side. The fourth tried to flee, but Akamaru was waiting and took his legs out from underneath him.
There were screams, and a little gurgling, but Genma lost interest as he felt himself fading. He fell back and welcomed the darkness that surrounded him.
* * *
“Maybe you just haven’t had enough to drink, my esteemed rival!”
“Guy, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, I really do,” Kakashi stared down into his half-empty glass, “but I’m just not into it. And the fact that you won’t drink with me is making it even less appealing.”
“All right!” Guy exclaimed. “Then how about a challenge! We can-”
“-No, I don’t think so.”
When Guy was silent for a moment, Kakashi had to look up and check if he was still there. Not a lot got the man to calm down when he was on a mission, and tonight’s “mission” was apparently: Make Kakashi Feel Better.
It turned out the man had not moved from the stool next to Kakashi, so the Copy Nin went back to nursing whatever it was Guy had ordered, and tried not to chuckle at how intense his friend got when he was thinking really hard.
“What if we went back to my house!?” Guy said suddenly, startling Kakashi enough to spill a few drops over his hand.
“Why would we do that?” Kakashi asked disinterestedly.
“Because I may have been going about this all wrong,” Guy explained. “You, Kakashi, my most awesome friend, are trying to forget someone that you care very deeply for, and I have been trying to help, because that it was the greatest of friends and rivals do.”
“Get to the point, Guy.”
“Kakashi, I believe that the answer to your heartache is not in forgetting, but in remembering.”
Maybe he was more drunk than he thought because Guy’s logic was not making any sense-not that it ever did, but go figure. Kakashi knocked back the rest of his drink and turned to meet Guy’s excited face.
“I need you to explain, because now I’m unhappy and confused.”
Guy stood, and with a flourish, paid the tab and reached out a hand for Kakashi to take.
“Come with me, and I will show you old photos of when Genma-san was a cool and hip genin!”
Kakashi’s eyes widened and the little butterflies in his stomach woke up and started to flutter.
“Wait, what?”
* * *
“…ma… Come on Genma, look at me.”
His head spun and the ground tilted, but Genma blinked away the inky darkness in front of his eyes until he could make out the blurry lines of a face.
“S… Sasuke?”
“Genma, you’ve got to stay awake while Sakura does this. It’s going to be painful but you need to not pass out again.”
That was going to be hard, his vision was already clouding over again. Blackness was seeping in from every side. He glanced down and watched as Sakura leaned over him and started to press something into his side. It was green, and glowing, and extremely uncomfortable.
“Ah shit,” he gasped.
“That’s it,” Sasuke murmured, “focus.”
The pain brought his senses back and he remembered the conversation with their captor.
“Oh! Sasuke, listen!” He grabbed the younger man’s arm and pulled him close.
“Don’t move!” Sakura barked.
“Sasuke,” Genma panted, “there’s a traitor. Someone in the mission desk rotation. On his third strike… he passed the information to… these guys.”
The pain was lessening, but so was Genma’s ability to keep his eyes open. It was just no use; he had lost too much blood. He felt himself slipping again.
“God damnit, Genma,” Sasuke growled, but it sounded like it was far away.
“Sasuke…” Genma spoke softly. He wanted to shout, try and reach his teammate wherever he was. “Sasuke, tell Kakashi-”
“-Shut up, old man,” Sasuke said, “I don’t wanna hear it. Tell him yourself.”
The last thing Genma thought before slipping back into that darkness was how much he wished he could see Kakashi one last time.
* * *
It was almost as if Kakashi had been expecting it.
When the chunin opened the door to the Hogake’s office, Kakashi felt like he already knew what the young girl was going to say. He felt it in his bones, in his heart. He had known his entire life. He had known this day was coming before he was even born.
“Sir! At the western border! We have returning shinobi and some are seriously injured!”
Naruto shot to his feet. “Are the medics on their way? Get someone to tell Shikamaru but escort him! Iruka-san! I need you to please…”
Kakashi didn’t hear the rest, he was already out the window headed west. If it was Neji’s team, the best thing he could do was to just get there. He could take the wounded back to the hospital faster than anyone. He could keep them alive if he needed to. Besides he needed to know. He needed to know now.
When he found them, he wasn’t sure how to react. He had seen this sort of thing play out in some of his worst nightmares, and some part of him knew this was a part of being a shinobi, but he was not ready for it. Not at all.
Sasuke was all right, that was for sure. That in itself was an immense relief, but there was so much blood and so many people were being carried, at first Kakashi wasn’t even sure what he was looking at.
He flew to Sasuke’s side and took Sai from his shaking arms. “You all right?” he asked.
Sasuke’s eyes were dull with fatigue, and his body hung limp and trembling, but he managed to nod and motioned to Lee.
Genma turned and almost wept with another powerful wave of relief. Lee had Genma draped over his back. The special jounin was unconscious and heavily bandaged, but his color was good, and Kakashi could actually feel his chakra signature. It was faint, but it was there.
Kakashi helped unload the wounded from shoulders and assisted as Sakura laid them down for treatment when the med nin arrived. Raidou, Genma, and Sai had serious injuries, while Kiba, Sakura, and Lee had come out with only a dislocated shoulder, a concussion or two, and a few cuts that would definitely need stitches.
Kiba slid from Akamaru’s back and limped over to Kakashi as he knelt beside Sai.
“Kakashi-san,” he said softly.
Kakashi looked up and froze at the sight of tears in Kiba’s eyes.
“Oh shit, Kiba, what is it?”
“Um…” Kiba’s lips trembled and he motioned for Kakashi to follow him.
Kakashi’s heart stopped when he saw.
Akamaru wore a harness, and attached was a stretcher carrying Neji’s broken body. The Hyuga was battered beyond mere battle wounds. It was obvious he had been tortured. He was bandaged, but his wounds were so severe, even a talented med nin like Sakura did not have enough chakra to repair all the damage.
As Kakashi reached out, searching for a signature, a heartbeat, anything, he heard the med nins approaching. He looked up at Kiba, his eyes wide.
“Shikamaru…”
Kiba flinched and the two turned to search the group of incoming nin. Kakashi spotted him first and was at his side before Shikamaru could get close. He put a hand on the young man’s chest to stop him.
“Hang back,” he said softly, “you don’t need to see this.”
Shikamaru’s jaw clenched hard but he remained stoic.
“Are they all here?”
Kakashi nodded.
Dark eyes flashed and the Nara swallowed thickly.
“Is he dead?”
“I don’t think so.”
Sagging, Shikamaru took a few breaths before he centered himself. “Let me go, Kakashi. I have a job to do.”
Reluctantly, Kakashi dropped his hand and let the younger man pass. If there was one thing Shikamaru was, it was professional. Tactical. He would go for a debrief from Sakura first and get the facts. He would keep his emotions in check until it was okay to release them.
Something Kakashi was not very good at anymore.
Turning around, the Copy Nin returned to Genma’s side. “How is he?”
The medic nin looked at him with bright blue eyes and she nodded. “It’s bad, but it’s nothing we can’t handle back at the hospital.”
“Good, then move.”
She stood and Kakashi took her place. He lifted Genma and threw Sasuke a meaningful look. His charge understood and nodded.
Kakashi ran.
* * *
The mission, while devastating in regards to injury, was a success. Per Sakura’s report, all missing nin involved in the slave trade ring that had not been taken care of at the base had been either rounded up by Iwa shinobi, or had disappeared, leaving their prisoners to be found or escape on their own. The counsel was confused as to why Sasuke was present but not in the official mission statements, but after Sakura’s account of how he had saved the two squads nearly single-handedly, they not only waved the infraction, but also said they would consider lifting his curfew.
There was a full inquiry into who the traitor was, but it was cut short when a chunin named Ahiko went missing. Further investigation found Ahiko had two strikes against him, and another pending before he disappeared. He also was on the roster for the mission desk. Sasuke was assigned to find this chunin and question him. Akamaru happily accompanied him, and the pair returned to Konoha with a mission report only a few hours later.
Raidou, Kiba, and Sai’s injuries were extensive but easily treatable. They, together with Sakura, were out of the hospital within a day. Lee was not quite as lucky. His concussion was more severe than on first inspection, and he had to remain under the medic’s supervision for at least a few days. Genma’s wounds were more complicated, but Tsunade managed to patch him back together.
Neji was in surgery for thirty-nine hours. It had seemed impossible that he would survive, but now there was a chance. It was not for sure yet, but there was hope.
Kakashi stayed at Genma’s bedside through it all. The tokubetsu slept through the night and all through the next day, no movement at all but a steady, rhythmic breathing that was more of a comfort to Kakashi than was practical. Once or twice, someone brought food, and the Copy Nin ate but paid little attention to what he was actually putting in his body.
Finally, as the sun started to set, Genma stirred and opened his eyes.
Kakashi’s heart sped up and he sat forward, leaning on the mattress.
“Hey…”
Genma blinked at him and a small smile tugged at his mouth. “Hey,” he murmured.
“How are you, um…” Kakashi wet his lips. Why was his mouth so dry? “How are you feeling?”
“Mm,” Genma swallowed, “thirsty, actually. Is there water anywhere?”
Kakashi reached for the glass waiting on the bedside table. “Yes, we have water here. We also have technology to help you drink it. This is called a straw.” God, what was he even saying?
Genma’s smile widened as Kakashi helped him sit up and take a few small sips. When he was back resting against the pillows, he touched his hand to his side and slowly shook his head.
“So, do me a favor and never, never make Sasuke angry, okay? It’s the scariest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”
Kakashi chuckled and placed the glass back on the table.
“Remember when I said he could kill me with his pinky? I was mostly joking.” Genma turned and looked at Kakashi, whispering dramatically.
“But it’s not a joke.”
Kakashi scooted forward and rested his elbows on the bed. He wanted to reach out and take Genma’s hand but he was afraid.
“I heard what you did,” he said softly. “Sakura told us you talked them down long enough for Sasuke to locate everyone.”
Genma made a noise and rolled his eyes. “Wow, that makes me sound so cool. No, I managed to run my mouth enough to almost get myself killed faster. Sasuke deserves all the credit. And Akamaru. You ever seen a dog rip off someone’s head? It’s terrifying.”
Kakashi glanced down at Genma’s hand again, trying to work up the courage to actually take it, but again, found himself too afraid. When he looked up, he found Genma’s eyes closed. Maybe he was falling back asleep?
The Copy Nin’s heart pounded in his chest; he had no idea how to handle this. He had no experience. He had told Genma that he was in love with him, so did he have to wait for Genma to make the next move? Was there even going to be a next move? Should he even be worrying about that right now? He should just be happy that Genma was alive, right? What was he even thinking? How selfish can you get?
“Kakashi…” Genma said, his voice sounded like he was drifting off.
Realizing that he hadn’t been breathing this whole time, Kakashi let out the air he had been holding in his lungs. “Yes?”
Keeping his eyes closed, Genma swallowed and ran his tongue over his lips.
“You gonna kiss me or maybe hold my hand or something? I’ve had this wounded soldier fantasy in my head for a while and it’s-”
Kakashi cut him off by sliding his arms around Genma’s chest and tucking his face into the crook of the older man’s neck. The carefully constructed dam that Kakashi had built to keep back all of his growing feelings and crushing emotions in check, broke, and the Copy Nin let out a breathy laugh against Genma’s skin. He gave the special jounin no time to recover from that before he pulled away just enough so he could kiss all over Genma’s cheeks, his nose, his chin.
“Ouch, ouch,” Genma said, but he was chuckling too. “Yeah, there we go, that’s more like it.”
They held each other for a long time, long past when the sun had set and moonlight started to fill the room. Kakashi finally pulled himself up on the bed and stretched out. He stayed tangled up in Genma’s arms, but now he could look into his eyes as well.
“Is everyone okay?” Genma asked.
Kakashi nodded. “Superficial scrapes and bruises. Lee has a concussion, but he’ll be okay.”
“And Neji?”
Kakashi sighed, “I don’t know. Last I heard he was out of surgery, but I don’t know how he’s doing.”
“Shit,” Genma murmured, “Have you talked to Shikamaru?”
Shaking his head, Kakashi scooted closer. “No, I haven’t really… left this room in a while.”
Genma scoffed and ran his fingers down Kakashi’s cheek. “Ah, that’s why you smell so bad.”
“What?” Kakashi made a face, “Okay, you wanna talk about smelling bad? Mr. I-haven’t-taken-a-bath-in-weeks-and-am-covered-in-guts-and-dog-slobber?”
“I have an excuse.”
“So do I!”
They shared another soft chuckle before the seriousness of their previous conversation returned. Kakashi took a breath and laced his fingers with Genma’s.
“I heard some interesting things about Sasuke’s seal and… how it works while you were gone.”
Genma sighed. “Yeah, I got the whole story from Neji. He was… upset doesn’t even cover the halve of it. They’re both… I don’t know.”
“When Neji gets better someone needs to just lock Shikamaru and Neji in a room together with no windows and let them figure everything out.”
Smiling slyly, Genma leaned in and bumped the bottom of Kakashi’s jaw with his nose. “Can we lock ourselves in a room together with no windows when I’m better?”
Kakashi felt himself shiver. “Yup. Absolutely.”
He felt Genma’s lips on his neck and he shivered again, but the special jounin took it no further. He merely slid an arm around Kakashi’s waist and settled in against his chest.
“I’m falling asleep,” Genma said, “sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Kakashi wrapped both his arms around Genma’s body and pressed his lips into the older man’s hair.
“Don’t leave,” Genma whispered, “Want you here… gotta tell you I love you… when I wake up.”
Kakashi’s heart swelled. There was no way it could get any better than this.
* * *
Shikamaru stood just outside the room, back far enough into the corner that anyone coming or going wouldn’t be able to see him against the shadows. He was not sure how long he had been there. Since Neji had gotten out of surgery? No, that was impossible, Neji had gotten out of surgery yesterday. There was no way he had been standing there since then. That would be crazy.
No matter how much he wanted to, he could not make himself cross the threshold. Neji’s family had come and gone, his team, nurses. The room was empty now though; the last visitor had left an hour ago. Lee had been there through most of it, faithfully by his best friend’s side.
Shikamaru took a breath, isn’t that where he should be now? No. He didn’t deserve to be at Neji’s side.
Someone was in his space. Shikamaru’s head jerked around and he was surprised to find Choji, leaning against the wall next to him, no snacks, just a small flashlight in his hand.
“Choji?” Shikamaru murmured.
“That thought you had a little bit ago, the one where you weren’t sure how long you’ve been here?”
Shikamaru’s eyes widened. He knew Choji usually knew what he was thinking, but that was ridiculous.
“What about it?”
Choji shrugged and glanced down the hallway towards the waiting room.
“Well, to answer your thought, you’ve been here a little over eighteen hours. I’m sure you haven’t eaten or slept in a couple days, but I’m also sure I won’t be able to make you eat or sleep, so I’m going to do the next best thing.”
Frowning, and not liking where this was headed, Shikamaru asked, “What’s the next best thing?”
Choji looked at him, and turned on the flashlight.
“Aww!” Shikamaru blinked and held his hands up to shield his eyes from the sudden onslaught of light. It was such a low-blow, and completely unnecessary, as that wasn’t how his shadow manipulation jutsu worked…
…but he got the point.
“Fine. Fine!” Shikamaru batted at the flashlight until Choji clicked it off.
“I hate you sometimes.”
Choji nodded, “Good.”
Letting out a long, heavy sigh, Shikamaru turned and opened the door to Neji’s room. He muttered something about “troublesome best friends” under his breath as he made his way inside.
A curtain was drawn around the bed, and the monitor was emitting that slow, steady beeping. An intense wave of fear caught Shikamaru off guard and he stopped in his tracks. What was he doing here? He shouldn’t be here! Get out!
He forced himself to take a step, and then another. Before he could prepare himself, he had passed the curtain and was standing at the foot of Neji’s bed. He couldn’t make himself look up, he didn’t want to see him lying there, his hair spread across the pillow, just the way Shikamaru knew it would be.
He didn’t want to see Neji’s face. He didn’t deserve to see Neji’s face.
A great well of emotion surged up from the place that Shikamaru liked to hide things. It came from deep inside of him, pressing at that locked door, that failsafe the young Nara had constructed to keep himself professional when his nature came close to besting him. It was a tidal wave of love and regret, anger, and loneliness that threatened to crash into him, break him apart. He wanted to leave, he didn’t want to face this.
He almost turned away; almost made for the door. His head and all of his churning, storming emotions were already away, far away. Running.
But his heart stayed.
He knew he was a coward, but he also knew that he couldn’t run forever, and no matter what wrongs he had committed, no matter how much of what happened was his fault, no matter how much he was hated, it didn’t matter.
He still loved Neji.
“I’m sorry…” Shikamaru whispered. The words caught in his dry throat.
“I’m so sorry, Neji…”
The bed railing was there at his fingertips and he gripped it hard in both hands to steady himself. He could feel pressure behind his eyes and the ache in his chest threatened to cripple him. Tears started to slide down his cheeks but he didn’t care. No one could see him.
“Damn it…” he whispered.
He slowly moved to the chair beside the bed and slid in close. Neji’s bandaged hand was only inches away but he dare not take it. The thought of Neji waking and pulling away was too much. Shikamaru rested his elbows on the mattress and pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes.
“God damn it…”
* * *
Neji lay in a strange place. It was hollow, and dark. There was no reason or form, like a dream, but he knew he was awake. He could feel the sheets underneath his fingers; the pillow against his head. His body had hurt, but it did not anymore. Now he was merely lying in the dark, waiting for something. For what, he was not sure.
Then there was the sound of a door closing. He heard the beeping of the monitor and suddenly, violently, clarity hit him.
The mission came back all at once. The ambush, the powerful suppression jutsu, the man with the knife… Sakura bleeding and roaring threats at her captors. Genma protecting them even as his body was torn open. Kiba’s face as he had cried over Neji’s own injuries. Why had Kiba cried for him? He kept apologizing. Why had he been apologizing so intensely?
And then he remembered the seal, and the unbinding. He remembered his nails clawing at the jutsu’s layers, of Sasuke screaming like he was being tortured, then the rush of pain and the doors inside of him opening to let out all of the emotion and feeling that had been sealed away. All of the anger and hurt and terrible, terrible jealousy had come back to him in one crushing blow. He had felt he would die under the pressure, under all of those memories. It was too much for anyone to be expected to take back in mere seconds.
Neji moved, groaned as he felt himself slipping. It was happening again, right now. The rush of emotion and memories. He needed to get control, ground himself in the present. Distract himself from thinking of those first few minutes, of his talk with Genma, of the impossible implications of what the special jounin had told him.
Then something changed. Something pulled him from his spiraling thoughts and his eyes snapped open.
He smelled cigarettes.
Carefully, he turned his head and what he saw, stopped his breathing.
Shikamaru was there, his head down, resting on his folded arms. He was so close the tips of his hair were brushing the skin of Neji’s arm. He had been crying, tears were still fresh and clinging to the young Nara’s eyelashes. The thought of the other man crying shocked Neji. He had never seen Shikamaru cry before; he hadn’t thought Shikamaru could. He was always so stoic and perfect.
Without thinking, Neji lifted his hand and ran his fingers over that dark brown hair, that smooth, tanned skin. Even when his emotions had been locked away, he had still thought about, and even dreamed about, touching Nara Shikamaru. He could remember a time when that was all he wanted in the world.
Shikamaru stirred and Neji froze, suddenly terrified.
There was nothing he could do but watch as Shikamaru breathed in and slowly sat up. He wiped at his eyes and ran his hands over his hair. Neji stayed as still as a statue while Shikamaru contemplated the hospital sheets. He pulled at them absently with his fingers as he chewed the inside of his lip. Knowing that was something Shikamaru did when he was trying to figure something out, Neji waited, watching silently.
Finally, Shikamaru spoke.
“I hope you know how amazing you are,” he whispered. “What you did for Sasuke… I don’t have…” He stopped and took a breath. When he spoke again his voice shook.
“Please be okay… Even if we never speak again… just please be okay…”
Neji’s heart broke. Genma had been right. As frightened as he was, Neji could not just stay silent and watch tears that were so obviously meant for him.
Moving slowly, carefully, Neji placed his palm over the Nara’s strong, trembling hands.
Shikamaru’s sharp inhale was as startling as it was satisfying. Dark eyes looked up to meet his and this time, Neji let the emotions that welled up overtake him.
“N-Neji?” Shikamaru’s voice was strained, suddenly hoarse.
“I’m okay,” Neji said softly.
Shikamaru opened his mouth to speak, but then stopped and swallowed thickly. He tried again.
“Neji I…”
Neji shook his head. “I’m sorry. For everything.”
Shikamaru’s face pinched and a soft sob escaped between his lips. “Why? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Shaking his head again, Neji squeezed Shikamaru’s hands. “Neither did you.”
For a moment, Shikamaru just looked at him with those sad, beautiful eyes, but then he took a short, clipped breath and closed them. He came in close and rested his head on Neji’s chest.
“I love you, Neji,” he murmured, “I love you, and I swear to God I only love you. No one else, ever.”
Neji lifted his hands and pulled the tie from Shikamaru’s hair. He ran his fingers through the coarse strands and closed his eyes. This was all he ever wanted.
“I love you too.”
Three Days Later
“Are you sure we should be doing this?” Kakashi asked. “You got out of the hospital like, five minutes ago.”
Genma was only half listening. He was much more interested in the taste of Kakashi’s collar bone.
“Take this off,” he murmured, pulling at the Copy Nin’s jounin vest.
Kakashi obliged, dropping it on the floor with a soft thunk before he pulled off his top.
“Can I at least get you to your bed?” Kakashi asked, smiling into light-brown hair.
Genma slid his hands down past a waistline and grabbed two handfuls of the Copy Nin’s muscled ass.
“Well, I was just going to fuck you right here on the stairs, but if you’re going to be picky about it…”
“I’m not picky,” Kakashi said, “I’m definitely not, but I thought it would be more comfortable for you since you, you know, almost died a few days ago.”
Genma straightened and kissed up Kakashi’s throat. He felt hands in his hair, tugging gently, guiding him backwards towards the stairs. His clothes came off as they made their way down the hall, and when the back of his legs hit the bed, he fell backwards. The Copy Nin stripped out of his gloves and pants before climbing up and over Genma’s body. His fingers were in Genma’s hair and on his cheeks as the special jounin reacquainted himself with as much pale skin as he could.
“I missed kissing you,” Genma whispered into Kakashi’s mouth.
Kakashi groaned softly and arched when Genma slid his hands down his back.
“I missed hearing you say things like that.”
Genma sat up and wrapped Kakashi’s legs around his hips. When he reached between them, taking Kakashi’s hardness into his hand, the younger man moaned softly and moved even closer. They rocked together, tasting each other's lips, savoring every moment of their bodies touching, sliding, grinding against one another.
“It's going to get harder to leave for missions,” Kakashi said as he bit the shell of an ear. His voice was high and breathy.
Genma smiled as his slick fingers pressed up inside the Copy Nin's trembling body. Kakashi made a soft 'ah' sound and clenched around him.
“Yeah, but coming back home is going to be amazing.”
“Okay,” Kakashi panted, “there is that.” He started to writhe, riding Genma's fingers almost desperately. His hands clenched into the special jounin's shoulders.
“Ahh...” he moaned again, “Genma, I'm falling apart here. Have some mercy.”
Genma responded by doing exactly what he had been doing, only a little gentler, a little slower. He leaned in and bit a pale nipple, not hard, just barely enough to not be a kiss.
“Shit...” Kakashi made a lovely sound, somewhere between a growl and a cry of pleasure, before he tugged at Genma's hair with both hands. “Come on, I need you, right now. Please, please...”
“I love how riled up you get,” Genma murmured, the feeling of that word felt perfect in his mouth. Why hadn't he said it sooner?
He took himself in his hand and Kakashi came closer. He felt the pressure of the Copy Nin's strong hands on his shoulders as he supported himself. Heat and softness were all Genma knew as he guided Kakashi down onto him. There was no time to marvel, no time to revel in that first overwhelming sensation because Kakashi was already moving. He was pushing Genma back onto the pillows and then straightening back up. He braced his hands on Genma's legs and rolled his hips.
For a moment, Genma was stunned, frozen in awe at the display before him. Every inch of powerful muscle, every bit of that deadly killing machine writhed over him. Kakashi's incredible body glistened with sweat, his perfect stomach and perfect thighs tightened and flexed with every movement. Genma reached up and touched a perfect face, so open, so vulnerable and watching him with so much love and want, that it was almost heartbreaking.
Before he could stop himself, Genma said what he was thinking.
“You're so perfect, Kakashi...”
Something inside the Copy Nin seemed to snap. The last bit of his control, maybe, or the last of his inhibitions. Whatever it was, it propelled him forward, pressing Genma back into the pillows. His lips found the special jounin's and they shared another long kiss, far more intense and far more passionate than the ones before.
Their pace quickened. Genma brought his hips up with every powerful thrust from Kakashi's momentum, and growled his approval as the Copy Nin pulled mercilessly at his hair. The slap of flesh against flesh was loud in the small bedroom, but only punctuated the creak of the bed and the quiet keening of Kakashi's voice.
Genma nipped at Kakashi's neck and it turned frantic. Kakashi rode him hard and fast, breathing quiet obscenities across Genma's face and into his mouth. Fingers gripped pale thighs hard enough to leave bruises, and teeth bit at a lip hard enough to draw blood.
It wasn't long before Genma felt Kakashi starting to come, the choruses of “fuck me! and harder! harder! had become continuous. He silenced them with another long, deep kiss, and pounded into Kakashi's body with the last of his strength. He was losing control, slipping further into that sea of pleasure, and he wanted Kakashi with him when he lost it completely. He reached down and took the Copy Nin's cock in his hand and stroked him roughly, and felt the tension rocket through Kakashi's frame almost immediately. Warmth splashed over his hand and across his chest, and when Kakashi's touch joined his, Genma let go, losing himself in an orgasm so intense, that he saw both flashes of light and dark patches fly across his vision. He spilled into Kakashi's body, shuddering and growled low in his throat as his teeth found skin.
Kakashi had collapsed on top of him and he was shaking, breathing hard against his neck. His voice was hoarse and he was whispering against his jaw.
When Genma could form coherent thoughts again, he licked his lips and tried to speak. “What was that?”
“I said,” Kakashi breathed, “you’re amazing, and hot, and I love you, and my ass hurts.”
“Really?” Genma laughed, “You said all that?”
Making some kind of noncommittal noise, Kakashi shrugged, “More or less. Well, maybe not the ass part, that’s sort of still in development.”
Genma caressed small circles over sweaty skin with his thumbs. His heartbeat was unbelievably loud in his ears, but as he lay there, breathing, listening, he started to wonder if it wasn’t just his.
“Can we sleep now? Or do you need to be somewhere?”
“Actually,” Genma said, “I have to be at the Hogake tower in about twenty minutes.
“What?” Kakashi whined and pushed himself up on his elbows, “I was totally joking about the sleeping part. I need a shower and your dick in my mouth like yesterday.”
Smiling, Genma brushed Kakashi’s hair out of his face. “It won’t take that long, I just need to give Naruto-san my report. After that we can get something to eat and then come back here. Take as many showers as you want. And I will absolutely let you put my dick in your mouth.”
“Cool,” Kakashi said, “Let’s get going then.”
They dressed and headed out. The sun was warm on their backs as they made their way through the streets. A few people noticed them and waved as they passed. Genma waved back, and Kakashi nodded in his falsely disinterested way. It seemed like the perfect day, where nothing could possibly make it any better, but then Kakashi slipped his hand into Genma’s, and the special jounin’s breath caught. For the smallest fraction of a moment, he panicked, worried about what people might think when they saw, but then he looked up into Kakashi’s face and saw the happy lines around his lover’s eyes, and he didn’t care anymore. Let them see. Let everyone see. Kakashi was his, and if anyone had a problem with it, well, let them try and tell Hatake Kakashi he couldn’t do something.
When they neared the Hogake tower, Kakashi cocked his head to the side and made another one of his noncommittal noises.
“So, wait, I just thought of something. This is like a debrief of the debrief.”
Genma chuckled, “I never gave an official statement.”
“Meh,” Kakashi grunted, “it just sounds redundant.”
“It’s not redundant,” Genma laughed, “Besides, I want to make sure Sasuke’s curfew is lifted. We would all be dead if it wasn’t for him and I’m going to emphasize that. Hardcore.”
“Well in that case.”
Genma knocked once and then opened the doors to the Hokage’s office. Naruto was there, sitting behind his desk, slightly out of breath and cheeks rosy.
“Hey guys, how’s it going?”
Genma glanced at the open window and at the curtain that was just falling back into place. Naruto saw him looking and his grin widened.
“Naruto,” Kakashi groaned, “Please don’t tell me you’re getting laid in your office.”
Naruto lifted his hands, palms up and gave Kakashi an incredulous face. “Kakashi-san, why would you think that?”
“Because you’re you, and Sasuke’s Sasuke, and this is the perfect place to do it.”
“Ha ha,” Genma muttered under his breath, “you said ‘do it’.”
Naruto was still laughing when Neji entered the room. The Hyuga had fully recovered and was back to his impeccably groomed, icy, sarcastic self.
“Hey, Neji,” Genma said.
Neji nodded to him.
“Woa, Neji,” Kakashi said, “Is that a hickey on your neck?”
“Most likely,” Neji said coolly. “I have them all over.”
Naruto went into another fit of laughter and Genma hid a grin by occupying himself with placing a senbon between his teeth. Kakashi was still inspecting the mark that Neji seemed to be a little proud of when Iruka finally arrived.
“Okay, whatever you were talking about it’s probably ridiculous to make him laugh that hard so let’s move on.”
The former sensei moved across the room and placed a stack of files on the desk. “Okay, Neji, Genma, if you could please come here, before we start I need you to look at a few pictures. I think three of the nin Sasuke took out were Bingo-ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?”
Startled, Genma and Kakashi both reacted at once.
“What? Iruka what is it?”
Face bright red, Iruka pointed to Neji.
“NEJI IS WEARING MY PANTS!”
END
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