Matching Spirits
Team AU (Troublesome_JV)
Prompt: Show of Strength
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): Kakashi and Iruka
Summary: They're all the other needs. That's how they were, that's how they will remain.
Contains [warnings]: Violence
Word Count: ~ 6k+
Author's Notes: I focused more on the picture prompt for this story. Thank you T for beta-ing this piece!
Kakashi peered through the fringes of his silver bangs, the idiots had gotten a lucky punch in and now his hair had been ruined. He grinned as he saw a small plant push its way through the cracks on the street, its flowers unfurling and falling into place as it grew.
"Iruka," he whispered softly. "Bind them."
The wind rustled around him, as if agreeing with his statement. Confused shouts intermingled with yells of terror as Kakashi slowly rose up from the ground, dusting off his clothes. There was no need to hurry now that his back-up had arrived. Finally he turned around to face his attackers. He took in the sea of flowers that he stood in, each one looking like the swords they had been named after.
"Hasn't anyone taught you not to attack innocent civilians?" Kakashi asked amicably, as if the three men who had knocked him over weren't bound and gagged by plants. Sighing at the lack of response, he murmured, "At least let them answer, Iruka."
The wind rustled again, almost sounding like a chuckle before the vines around the men's mouths loosened.
"What the hell!" One of the men yelled. "Who are you?"
"Kakashi Hatake, atma wielder, at your service." The men paled. "I suggest that the next time you decide to attack someone for their money, you make sure that you can actually take them down. Now, get out of my sight."
The wind howled around the four men. Kakashi sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose. "FINE. How about a compromise? I'll put a little seal on them that will jolt them with a little bit of electricity every time they attempt to commit a crime. Deal?"
The wind hummed around them. Kakashi pointed to each man before muttering under his breath. Suddenly, all three yelped before grabbing their asses. Kakashi just grinned as the vines fell away. "Remember, every time you try to commit a crime, you'll be feeling just a little sore in your behinds. Now, get out of my sight before I really do report you to the queen."
The men almost fell over each other in their haste to leave the area. Kakashi chuckled as he felt the wind whip through his hair. He ran his fingers through the flowers around his body, grinning as they slowly disappeared. The wind died down and a moment later, a tan, stocky man with a scar across his nose stood in front of him. His brown eyes were ringed by a thin line of gold, and his chest and arms were covered with interweaving lines of black tattoos. His brown hair hung to his shoulders, almost covering the bright blue stud that was in his ear. A deep gold ring circled his lower lip that was pursed together with his upper lip in a frown.
"Iruka!" Kakashi cried happily. "You let your hair down for me!"
"I was asleep," Iruka fumed. "And thanks to your lack of concern, I was forcibly dragged here."
"They caught me off guard. People are usually thrown off by the mysterious aura that surrounds me and avoid me like the plague."
"You assumed. And it made an ass out of you. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back to bed."
Kakashi wiggled his eyebrows. "You sure you don't want me to accompany you?"
"No thank you," Iruka replied. "I'm sure you can find some whore on a corner of this god forsaken city."
"You wound me," Kakashi said, clutching his heart. "I should have you sealed for your insolence."
"But you won't because that's the reason you bound me to you," Iruka snapped back, used to this line after being the man's slave, for lack of a better term, for nearly twenty three years. "I can't believe that you were once an innocent, sweet child."
Kakashi grinned unrepentantly. "Sweet dreams Iruka."
"Every Hatake has been an atma summoner. One day, you will also prove yourself a part of this family. But you must be careful. An atma may try to trick you, and if it's an aku, it will try to kill you. The path of a wielder is wrought with dangers."
"But Dad, aren't we the most powerful?"
"We are only powerful because we use our atma to protect and defend, never attack. But there will be those who will use atma to attack, and these are the ones who you must fear the most."
"But what if their atma is a good spirit?"
"It doesn't matter. The atma is wild until a wielder binds it to himself. And then the atma takes on characteristics of its wielder. So if the wielder is evil, the atma, while it may resist, will not be able to help changing itself to do its Master's bidding."
"So my atma will do whatever I tell it to do?"
"Yes. It will follow your true desire. So make sure that your orders correlate with what's in your heart."
"Dad, can I meet your atma?" Light chuckles filled the room.
"Maybe some other time. I'm fairly sure that Ryouichi will make my life hell if I wake him before the hour of noon on a weekend."
"But I thought that he had to follow your orders."
"Yes, but you should always respect your spirit. Would you like to be woken up early when you didn't have to?"
"No…"
"Then you should respect your spirit's wish to do the same."
"When can I get my own atma?"
"I suppose the official ceremony will be when you turn nine."
"But that's so far away! It's in four whole years!"
"Patience, Kakashi. There's no need to rush."
"You called My Queen?" Kakashi neatly ducked the cup of water thrown at his head.
"An hour and a half ago." Tsunade grumbled from her throne. "Where were you?"
"Some idiots decided that they would attack me. And a shirtless dolphin came to my rescue." Kakashi grinned happily as a smirk broke out on His Queen's face. They both knew how fun it could be to rile up the atma. "What is your bidding?"
"Fire is in need of its spymaster. Rain is on the move. The last time this happened, Hanzo destroyed Fire and Wind before the resistance stopped him in Waterfall. I need you to do reconnaissance."
"We don't even know who's in charge of Rain." Kakashi said.
"You'll be going as a diplomat trying to build an alliance. As the official representative of Fire, you will be in perfect place to not only try to prevent a war, but also look around a little bit. As it is, I've heard that gladioluses are very, very common in Rain."
Kakashi grinned. He couldn't wait to tell Iruka. He knew the atma would be just as excited as him to finally get out of the city and back into action. It had been over three years since their last move, and frankly, Kakashi was getting restless. He had grown up moving from place to place every year since he was five and to remain in one so long, regardless of whether or not it was a nice place, made him uneasy, as if someone from his past would catch on and find him.
"Hey runt." Kakashi scowled at the other child. His father was a tall man, so he would be tall, but for the moment, he was stuck in this midget form. "Playing all by yourself? Aww, I guess the runt doesn't have any friends."
"I do have friends!" Kakashi shouted. "I'm just waiting for them!"
"Don't lie you freak!" One of the other boys shouted. "You think you're so much better than us!"
"I don’t," Kakashi protested.
"If it wasn't for your father, our playground wouldn't have burned down!"
"You're wrong! He put out the fire. He couldn't help that the atma that possessed the playground was a fire wielder!"
"You're father's a freak, just like you!"
Kakashi clenched his fists. His father wasn't a freak, these boys just wanted a fight. But he wouldn't give them one. He watched as one of the boys advanced towards him. There was no getting out of it now; he turned tail and ran.
The boys shouted before running after him. Kakashi ran blindly, new to this town and not knowing where he was going. He knew he should have stayed home today, but the urge to explore had gotten to be too much. He turned a sharp corner around a house and spotted a field of flowers. Many of them were tall, which would allow him to conceal himself. For once, being a runt would be an advantage.
He ran into the flowers, the boys hot on his trail. A few meters into the field, Kakashi tripped over a root. The boys were on him in a second, the first one landing a solid kick to his gut. Tears sprang to his eyes as he curled up in a ball, trying to reduce the pain as much as he could.
"Help," he whispered, knowing that no one would be there.
Suddenly, the boys were pulled back. Blinking blearily, Kakashi sat up to see what had happened. His eyes widened as he took in the scene.
Two vines had wrapped around their throats, slowly choking them. Scrambling to his feet, he tried to run, but another vine caught his ankle and lifted him into the air. He opened his mouth to scream, but another vine wrapped around his mouth, cutting off not only his voice, but also his air. He struggled weakly as his vision began to blacken. Help, he thought as he lost consciousness. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was a man with tattoos covering his torso thrusting a sword at an invisible enemy.
Kakashi jerked awake as he registered the presence of another wielder. Quietly he called out for Iruka to be on his guard. The wind around him moved slightly before dying down. Kakashi drew out his sword, hoping to get a jump on the other wielder before he too registered Kakashi's presence. Suddenly, the wind returned, howling around his tent in laughter. It took Kakashi a moment to realize why.
"Damn it, Minato!" Kakashi shouted as he stepped out of his tent. Bright, blue eyes regarded him with amusement. "What if I had hurt you?"
"I think my pride would have been more hurt if that had happened." Minato Namikaze was a sight for sore eyes. Kakashi hadn't seen him for three years, ever since he had made his stronghold in Fire. It was good to know the other man was well.
"The look on your face was priceless," another voice piped up from behind him. Kakashi whirled around, throwing a punch at the same time. His fist was caught easily as he glared at the atma grinning at him.
"Obito," he bit out tersely. The spirit never failed to irritate him on sight.
"Slow as ever, Shi-Shi," Obito replied cheekily. Beside him, Iruka could barely contain his sniggers.
"It's your damn freaky eyes Uchiha," Kakashi retorted.
"Aw, don't be jealous Shi-Shi. Some people just have more talent."
"Iruka," Kakashi growled out, "kill him."
"Now, now Kakashi," Minato said gently. "What have I told you about controlling that temper of yours? Really, it's no wonder that Iruka and you chose each other."
"Hey! Don't bring me into this!" Iruka protested. Kakashi just grinned. It was like old times again. It had taken over ten years, but with Sensei's guidance, Iruka and Kakashi had come around and learned to embrace and control their power.
"Minato, can I get you something to eat or drink?"
"No thank you, Kakashi," Minato replied. "I was just passing through when I sensed you. And I'm curious to know why you're so close to the border of Rain."
"It a diplomatic mission," Kakashi replied. "Rain is on the move, but no one knows why or what they're doing."
Minato frowned. He had heard the same thing. There was very little that he didn't know about the Great Nations, and the fact that there was no information coming in and out other than Rain was busy doing something was concerning. He also didn't like that his student was going in by himself. I'm going to have to do some spy work of my own.
"I don't like. They're planning something and my gut is telling me that you're in danger."
"Minato," Kakashi said seriously. "I appreciate your concern, but this is something that I must do."
"Just promise me that you'll be safe. Don't trust anyone except for Iruka."
"Isn't that what I always do?" Kakashi muttered. A stern look from Minato made him sigh. "Yes, I'll watch everyone like a hawk."
"Excellent," Minato replied warmly. "Now, I think I may have some information for you that you'll like."
The next morning found Kakashi and Iruka carefully planning their mission. Minato had told them a great deal of information, none which was reassuring. Rain had been under the control of Hanzo many years ago when it had begun to mobilize its army. And then for the past fifty or so years, Pein ruled with an iron fist, allowing no one into Rain, but also not pursuing wars with other nations. He was content with his small empire. There was a brief power struggle with Madara, but Rain had sorted itself out.
And now, three years after Pein's death, Rain no longer seemed content to remain quietly within its borders. And the Kabuto Yakushi, the current leader, was the one under suspicion. It was sheer luck that he had agreed to this diplomatic mission. Minato's final caution was to be on guard from the minute they stepped into the village; there was no knowing what could happen.
Iruka, of course, had free reign of the village. He could not be controlled by anyone other than Kakashi, and he could only be sensed by another spirit wielder of Kakashi's power. But most of all, he could only be killed by another atma. Kakashi's job was to gather the gossip at court. But something about the mission was not sitting right with them. Seasoned travelers that they were, they knew something was amiss. There was something going on that was causing the hairs on the back of their necks to rise.
"Promise me you'll be careful Kakashi," Iruka said quietly as they packed up their material.
"Iruka, we're going to be fine," Kakashi tried to reassure him, but he failed miserably. "We both have to be careful."
"I don't know what I'll do if you're harmed. We didn't escape everything that life threw at us to be fucked over at this point. I won't let it happen."
"Iruka," Kakashi pleaded, "promise me you won't do anything stupid."
"As long as you promise the same," Iruka replied. Kakashi nodded as he traced the scar across his eye. Iruka mirrored the action with the scar across his nose. They mirrored watery smiles to one another.
"We should get some shut eye," Kakashi said after a few moments of silence. "We don’t know what will happen tomorrow."
Kakashi woke to the smell of smoke. Eyes wide, he ran across the hall to the room where his father was sleeping, only to find the man gone.
"DAD!" Kakashi screamed as the smoke got thicker. He had to get out of there. He ran back across the hall to his own room, where he knew he could get out of one of the windows. Just as he was about to jump out, he noticed the small blade that his father had given him. Clearly he was in danger, and maybe a weapon, even if he didn't know how to use it, would come in handy. He grabbed it and jumped out his window.
He landed awkwardly and it took him a few moments to gather his bearings. As soon as he did, he screamed. Not two feet away from him was Ryouichi, vines wrapped around his arm and a sword thrust through his stomach. His once bright eyes were dimmed over and his body flickered as a soft, silvery substance flowed out of his numerous injuries.
"Ryouichi! Ryouichi" Kakashi cried as he shook the atma, hoping that there was even the slightest chance that he was still alive. But the spirit didn't move. It was then that he knew that there was no hope for his father. If Ryouichi had been killed, there was no way that his father would have been able to fend off the attacker.
As he sat there crying for the two people that were his whole world, he didn't notice vines slowly creeping towards his feet. Suddenly, he was struggling in the air, the vines slowly tightening around his neck. Kakashi clawed at the vines to no avail. He was going to die.
"NO!" Someone shouted. "Mine!"
Through his rapidly diminishing vision, he saw a tall man covered with tattoos hacking at the vines. But there were too many; Kakashi slow closed his eyes as his struggles stopped.
"Kaat!" The same voice yelled. Suddenly, all the vines were gone, receding under the onslaught of what seemed to be small blades of grass. Coughing, Kakashi scrambled to his feet. The blades of grass had spread all around him, locking him in a tight circle. Pulling out his small blade, he fell into a defensive position, whirling around to keep track of all sides. Out of the corner of his eye, he say a hulking figure approach him. Turning fully to face the figure, he prepared himself for an attack.
The figure materialized in front of him and Kakashi took in the tanned man in front of him. He wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing and his entire body was covered with swirling, black lines of tattoos. The white scar across his nose stood out and he had a long sword clutched in his hand.
"You're the one who saved me in the field!" Kakashi gasped. The man grinned happily. The sword in his hand transformed into a tall flower. "You're an atma!"
"Iruka," the spirit said as he pointed to himself. He pointed to the flower. "Gladiolus."
"Are you going to hurt me?" Kakashi asked carefully. Iruka looked confused at the question, so Kakashi pantomimed it out. Iruka's horrified expression said it all.
"You. Mine." Iruka said. Kakashi started.
"What do you mean?" Iruka looked frustrated.
"You. Mine." He repeated. He made the gesture for bonded souls. Kakashi's eyes widened. This atma was declaring himself as Kakashi's! "Protect."
Kakashi extended a careful hand. "Then my name is Kakashi. We should—"
The house behind them exploded. Taking one last backward glance, Kakashi grabbed Iruka's hand and began running in the opposite direction.
Iruka had already situated himself around the city, contacting some of the lesser atma for a more thorough reconnaissance of the situation. Kakashi was carefully dressing himself as someone fit to be a diplomat from Fire. He carefully sheathed various weapons around his person, slipping the long tunic over his head before pulling on the loose cotton pants. He crossed two long shawls over his shoulders and chest before wrapping them around his waist. He secured the whole thing with a long safety pin that doubled as a poison dart. Finally, he slipped on the long, sleeveless, ceremonial overcoat. Outfit complete, he grabbed his book and a bejeweled dagger and headed to court.
Iruka should be in place, he thought. It was a short ten minute walk to the court of Rain and Kakashi enjoyed the views of the busy city as he passed. Coming upon the heavy, wrought iron gates, he flashed his dagger, which indicated his position. The guard ushered him into the courtyard. Straightening, he pushed opened the doors to the great hall and entered just as a clerk announced his name. As Kakashi walked in, he noted the number of guards, snipers, and nobility present. At the far end of the hall sat the King of Rain, his head covered by the traditional head dress of the nation.
"Good Morning, Your Highness!" Kakashi's voiced boomed across the hall. "Fire brings her well wishes to this prosperous kingdom."
"Welcome Kakashi," the King hissed. Kakashi strained to hear the voice. "I hope your accommodations were to your desires."
"Of course," Kakashi replied. "My Lord, Fire wishes to know how your kingdom fairs and if there is any assistance we can provide."
The King let out an amused chuckle. "You have already done a service by bringing yourself here Kakashi. I did not think Tsunade would be so foolish to send her spymaster and most powerful atma wielder without protection."
Kakashi stiffened. His instincts were telling him to run, but he couldn't leave without knowing what the King was planning.
"You must be asking yourself how it is that I know this. Well, I have been watching you since you were little, Kakashi-kun. It's just that this time, there is no Iruka or Sakumo to watch over you."
Shit. Kakashi thought. He turned to run only to find his way blocked off by the entire court. The King's laughter filled the hall behind him. Pulling out his sword he attacked one of the nobility only to find that the blade went right through. An atma. He felt something prick his neck and he lost all control of his body. Shit. He knew I was coming!
"What do you think of this?" Kakashi asked Iruka as they strolled through the forest. It had been seven months since Kakashi's father had been murdered and Iruka had bonded himself to him. "You enter the store and repeat the phrase that I taught you. I think we have enough money left from our last job to pay for groceries. Meanwhile, I can find a barn where we can stay for some time. And you should spread out your flowers to see if there are any spirits that we can get rid of for the town." Iruka nodded his agreement and they both split up the moment they entered the town.
Later that night, Iruka was grinning like a fool as he haltingly told Kakashi about the news about a sprit plaguing the town. It seemed that this spirit was literally sucking the souls out of small children. Kakashi grinned back; it was perfect.
…
Kakashi woke up not being able to breathe. Heaving for air, he choked out "Iruka."
A screech ripped through the air. Iruka was on the spirit within seconds. But it was too strong. Hot tears sprung to Kakashi's eyes as he watched Iruka being beat down by the far more powerful spirit. They had made it for seven months only to meet their ends like this.
Suddenly, another atma barreled into the spirit. He wore bright orange goggles and had spiky brown hair. Kakashi started as two hands helped him to his feet before throwing him out of the barn window. Another horrible shriek sounded from within. Just as Kakashi was about to reenter the barn, Iruka was thrown through the same window straight into him. Both man and atma stared at each other, wide-eyed. Scrambling to their feet, they turned and ran from the scene.
"Ah, ah, ah," a voice said from right in front of them. It was the atma with orange goggles. "Where do you two think you're going?"
Kakashi and Iruka turned to run in the opposite direction only to run into the other man. He grabbed onto Kakashi and held tight. Iruka shrieked and attacked the man only to be pulled back by the other spirit. Screaming his rage, he lashed out viciously, landing a lucky blow.
"CALM DOWN!" The man roared. When Iruka and Kakashi refused to do so, he yelled, "Bhand!"
Paralyzed, Kakashi and Iruka watched their captors.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" The spirit said. "A little boy and his pet?"
"Shut up, Obito," the man bit out. "Can't you see they're scared? And I'm positive that the young one is Sakumo's brat."
"What is he doing—" Obito abruptly disappeared. Seconds later, he returned. "Sakumo's dead. Ryouichi has returned."
The man looked sadly at the two. Slowly, he knelt in front of Kakashi. "Hello Kakashi. My name is Minato. Your father was once my teacher, many, many years ago. I'll be taking care of you know."
Iruka screeched from where he was.
"And you," Obito added, "are going to learn what it truly means to be bonded, young one. You're coming with us too."
Kakashi came to as a bucket of water was splashed against his face. He opened his eyes slowly, the pounding in his skull unbearably loud. He took in his surroundings as his vision cleared.
"Welcome back Kakashi," the King hissed.
"Kabuto Yakushi!" Kakashi breathed out. The King chuckled.
"Well done! I knew you were a smart boy. No one else has survived this long against me. It's going to be a pity to kill you."
"But," Kakashi said, stalling for time. "Why do you want to kill me?"
For the first time, Kabuto's expression darkened. "It’s a long story. But let's just say that all those plagues and evil spirits in you were my doing."
"I don't understand."
"YOUR FATHER KILLED MY ATMA!" Kabuto yelled. "He killed my other half. So I returned the favor."
"My father never killed other atma…" Kakashi trailed off as he remembered a story.
"See, even you remember. What had we done wrong? Nothing, we simply wanted some food to curb our hunger. And your father, just to save those stupid humans, killed him."
"Your spirit fed on human bodies." Kakashi said. "That's why my father killed him, but let you go. Because he knew that you were had no control over someone like Orochimaru."
Kakashi's head rang as Kabuto punched him across the jaw. "Don't speak of things you don't know! I've been planning ever since then, and I finally have you in my grasp."
Out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi saw a sliver of grass. He looked straight at Kabuto and grinned. "That's what you think."
In a blink of an eye, Iruka was in the room and Kakashi was out of his chains. Grabbing the dagger from Iruka, he stabbed at Kabuto. But he had already moved out of reach.
"How cute, you really think that you'll get away from here." Kabuto snapped his fingers and a swarm of spirits flew through the walls. But Kakashi and Iruka wear ready for them. Working back to back, they cut down the souls, until it was just them and Kabuto.
"We'll be seeing you Kabuto," Kakashi said. Kabuto simply smiled.
"Pinjhar." A cage formed around the two, sealing them away. "Now what were you saying about an escape?"
Iruka threw himself at the cage, trying to find a weak point. Kabuto simply laughed. "You won't get out."
Leaning towards Kakashi, he mused, "Now what should I take as my first pound of flesh?"
Kakashi recoiled as a hand entered the cage. With a snap of his fingers, the cage produced shackles that bound Kakashi to the side. Kakashi craned away from the fingers that were creeping towards him.
"Ah, I have it." With that, Kabuto viciously gouged out Kakashi's eyeball in a swift movement. As Kakashi howled in pain, he crushed it between his fingers, relishing in the blood that seeped his through his fingers. "Now, time for the other one."
A growl broke his concentration. In the next second, he found himself thrown against the wall of the room, his head spinning. When he looked up, both cages were broken and Iruka and Kakashi were nowhere to be seen. He cursed as he rose to his feet.
"No matter, I have a few surprises waiting for them."
"How did you do that?" Kakashi asked as Iruka supported him as they ran through the hallways of the palace.
"Hurt," Iruka replied shortly.
"Bullshit. I've never seen that before. I don't even think Minato has that kind of power."
"Hurt. Mine, protect." Kakashi fell silent at that. Iruka loved to speak in the human tongue. For him to return to his halting description from over 15 years ago…
"Iruka?" Iruka hummed in response. "Let's get out of here."
Iruka nodded and sped towards the exit. Just as they were reaching the last hallway, a figure stepped out in front of them.
Kakashi slipped and fell to the ground as Iruka's grip on his slackened. "Dad?!"
"Hello Kakashi," Sakumo replied. "It's been a long time."
"How, what, when-"
"Ah, I see you've met my newest toy." Kabuto's voiced floated behind them. "Do you like it?"
"What the hell have you done to him!" Kakashi yelled.
"Oh, Kakashi, didn't you realize? This is your father's soul. I exorcised it from him after I killed him. It's something that I've been researching my entire life. Now, even if someone dies, they will remain with you forever!"
"Disgusting," was all the warning Kabuto got before Iruka descended upon him with a sword. Cursing, he leapt away.
"The soul a dead person must be put to rest. To keep them like this will disturb the balance," Kakashi said as he staggered to his feet.
"I'm sorry Kakashi," Sakumo whispered as he lunged towards his son, a long pike in his hand. "I never wanted this to happen."
"I know Dad," Kakashi replied as he parried the blow. It was overwhelming to fight his father. It was even more overwhelming since he had just lost an eye. They were evenly matched, just as Iruka and Kabuto were evenly matched. The hallway lit up with spells and the rapid movements of the spirits.
With every stroke, the pain in Kakashi's body increased tenfold. It was becoming a chore to lift his sword. He could feel the lightheadedness that stemmed from his blood loss. Slowly but surely, his father was gaining on him, the blows and cuts from the pike drawing blood more often than not. Finally, Kakashi collapsed. Horror and sorrow crossed Sakumo's face as he involuntarily raised his pike to drive it clean through Kakashi's neck.
I'm sorry, was all that Kakashi could think as he saw the pike. I'm going to miss you Iruka.
His eyes, which had been closing, snapped open at the anguished groan that came from in front of him. The pike had gone clean through Iruka's abdomen and his life force was draining out. With a growl, Iruka raised his sword and cut off Sakumo's head. Instantly, the exorcised soul disintegrated and blew away.
Kakashi barely caught Iruka as he crashed to the floor, the pike still lodged inside of him. His vision was blurring again as fat tear drops rolled down his cheeks, mixing with the blood and Iruka's life force.
"Shhh. Okay. Kakashi not hurt," Iruka whispered.
"You fucking idiot. I should kill you for what you just did." Iruka smiled, gently touching the scar on Kakashi's eye.
"As touching as this scene is, I'm still not done with you," Kabuto hissed, apparently recovered from his attacks. "You will die, Kakashi. It's just a bonus that Iruka will die with you."
"Not if I have anything to do with it," said a voice from the entrance of the great hall. A gold flash, followed by a dark chuckle, and Kabuto's head rolled away from his body.
"Minato…" Kakashi said. "What…"
"It's a new technique that I've developed," Minato replied. "We've got to get you and Iruka out of here. Obito, burn the place down. There should be no evidence of what has been done here."
Obito nodded before disappearing. Soon enough, the smell of smoke and burning things wafted down. Minato cursed before dragging Kakashi to his feet.
"Listen, if you want to have even the slightest chance of saving Iruka, then you'd better help me get him out of here." Kakashi nodded before staggering to his feet. They dragged an unconscious Iruka out of the palace just in time. Within minutes, the entire structure had collapsed.
Outside the city, Kakashi found himself in front of a small hut.
"Where are we?"
"At an old friend's house," Minato replied. "If I had known he was in the area, I would have contacted him earlier."
"Will he save Iruka?"
"We'll see." Minato rapped confidently on the door. "Open the door ya Great Pervert!"
"For your information, it's SUPREME PERVERT OF THE WORLD!" A man roared back, just as he opened the door. "How the hell did you find me this time?"
"Gamakichi," Minato replied. "Jiraiya, we need help."
"Alright kid, how much do you want to save your atma's life?" Jiraiya asked Kakashi.
"I'll do anything."
"Even transplant some of him into you?"
"What?" Kakashi replied, taken aback.
"The only way I can save him is by putting him into a smaller container. And lucky for me, you happen to have lost an eye. I can put him into an eye for you and put the eye into your body. But it would fuse your souls."
"What does that mean?"
"You'll be half human, half spirit. Your life expectancy will increase, you'll be faster and stronger, you'll be able to wield spiritual magic the same way Iruka did. But be warned, you will have headaches until you both can figure out how to separate your minds. There will be a great deal of pain. And your atma will die with you."
"So Iruka will be inside me. I'll be sharing with him."
"Yes."
"And if I don't do this, I'll never see Iruka again?"
"Yes."
"Do it," Kakashi said firmly. "I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for him."
"Kakashi, are you sure?" Minato cautioned. "You will literally have another person in your head."
"I know." Kakashi looked to Jiraiya. "Do it."
With a sigh, Jiraiya set about to perform the surgery. Iruka was placed in a frozen state, neither alive nor dead. Jiraiya pulled out a blood red eyeball and slowly began to infuse Iruka's life force into it. It took hours as Jiraiya pulled every last bit of 'Iruka' from the spirit's body. Finally done, he beckoned for Kakashi to lie down on the table next to the now corpse like figure of Iruka. Within minutes, the new eye was implanted into Kakashi's skull and heavy bandages were placed around him. Jiraiya carefully injected a small dose of pain killers into Kakashi. The man's breathing evened out until it was clear he was asleep.
"What of the body?" Minato asked.
"I'll take care of it," Obito replied. "My people will give it the proper burial that it needs."
"He'll wake in an hour," Jiraiya said. "He's going to need help, a lot of it."
One hour later, the slight tremble of fingers alerted Minato to his charge's waking. Slowly he unwrapped the bandage from his eyes. He gasped as two eyes blinked up at his, clear and vibrant. It was unnerving to see the pale blue eye lined by silver set next to a blood red eye with a warm brown pupil, ringed with gold.
"Kakashi? Iruka?" The pupils blinked on after the other. Minato sucked in a breath. They were both there. It had worked. It had actually worked. "Welcome back."
(Remember to go BACK and VOTE!)