Iruka sat curled in the plush cushions on his couch. His head was spinning, begging for release. Pakkun sat at his feet, chin and front paws resting on the teacher’s sandal. “Come on, kid, everything’ll turn out okay. Just trust in Kakashi . . . he’s not nearly as much of a bumbler as people make him out to be.” The dog had been trying to cheer the chunin up for nearly an hour with no luck. “He’ll figure something out to get you out of this mess.” When he still got no response, he finally lapsed into silence.

Iruka finally stirred at a soft knock on his door. He stood, stepping closer to the closed portal. “Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Itsuo. Are you all right, Iruka? You weren’t in class.”

Iruka frowned, stopping several feet from the door. “Go away,” he whispered, just loud enough for the other man to hear.

Itsuo’s concerned voice drifted through the door after a slight pause. “Let me in, Iruka. Open the door.” Iruka hesitated another minute before he slowly unlatched the door. Itsuo smiled at the taller man as the door swung open. “Are you all right?” he asked again.

Iruka averted his eyes, looking at the floor as he stepped backwards into the living area again. Itsuo followed him, bending slightly so he could see into his face. Iruka wrapped his arms around himself, turning his back to the other chunin.

Itsuo’s smile didn’t fade. Slowly he rested his arms on the teacher’s shoulders. “Something’s happened, hasn’t it?” Iruka didn’t respond. Itsuo leaned closer, breathing gently across the man’s ear. “Did someone break the rules?”

Suddenly Iruka stiffened, pulling away and turning to face him again. “Stop. Itsuo, I can’t.”

The other closed the distance between them again. “Come now, Iruka. I’ve always been a gentle lover. Don’t I at least deserve a goodbye?” Iruka shivered and tried to back away again, but the chunin’s hands tightened on his shoulders. “Or would you rather I leave those letters for your friends to find?”

Iruka was suddenly and completely still. Itsuo’s eyes gleamed. “Y-you-“

“Yes, me. It must have occurred to you. I mean, you were given to me by Mizuki himself.” Iruka’s eyes shifted, the horror in them dissolving into rage. Itsuo only smiled wider; it was still so easy to read the man. He leapt away, putting the length of the room between them before the teacher could try anything. “I wouldn’t-“

Suddenly Iruka was right there, only two feet away and fists coming up to strike, kunai glinting. Itsuo jerked back again, coming flush to the wall in his shock. Since when could Iruka move like that! “I wouldn’t!” he repeated, louder. Iruka had him pinned to the wall, one kunai pressed to his throat enough to draw a thin line of blood. His glower didn’t lessen, daring Itsuo to try something.

Itsuo forced his lips into a smirk, ignoring the cold pain across his throat. “Go ahead and kill me,” he taunted, using a tone that he knew would keep Iruka frozen. Still he could see the temptation in the teacher’s eyes. “It would solve all your problems, wouldn’t it?” Iruka’s hand relaxed to the point Itsuo was able to push him back, disarming him. Fighting wasn’t his style; he’d never been good, even among his peers. But words . . . those he could work with. “Now Iruka, you’re a smart guy, you know that won’t be the end of it.”

Itsuo suddenly jerked back, yelping as small sharp fangs sank into his forearm. He pulled back from Iruka, throwing the pug that had bitten him to the floor hard. Iruka darted towards the fallen dog with a startled “Pakkun!” only to have Itsuo block his path.

Itsuo blocked up, catching Iruka in the chest and knocking him off balance. The teacher returned with a savage blow to the other’s gut, but Itsuo’s hands had found purchase around the other’s throat.

Iruka’s hand shot up, locking around one elbow and preparing to break it. Itsuo growled, tightening his hold. “Go on!” Iruka hesitated, the uncertainty playing across his eyes clearly. “You can get away and run to your precious jounin. I’ll run back to the school-“ Iruka’s hand went lax, retreating to the hands blocking his air. “Or you could accept it. Just like you always have. And things won’t change, no one will know . . .”

Iruka’s vision was darkening. His lungs ached, but he would pass out long before that became a pressing issue; Itsuo’s fingers were digging into his arteries, shutting down the blood flow to his brain. His nails dug a little more into his captor’s hands, his mouth working uselessly. Kakashi’s name clung to his lips and Iruka’s eyes began to tear as he realized it. Behind Itsuo, Pakkun was on his feet again, but he didn’t attack, gazing at the two men with an odd look.

Itsuo seemed not to have noticed. He just smiled into the other man’s face. “Relax, Sensei. Just close your eyes and it will be over before you know it.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

Kakashi was barely ten steps from the jail when Sato dropped to the ground in front of him. The silver haired man didn’t pause. “Itsuo. I know.”

The man stood, matching Kakashi’s step. “Good. Our friends are trying to track him down now. But Kakashi-“ he grabbed the jounin’s arm and forced him to stop. “Iruka’s gone.”

What little color Kakashi had in his face disappeared. “Gone how?”

“We can’t find Itsuo. Iruka’s not in his apartment.” Kakashi broke into a run, nearly leaving the other behind. “Kakashi, slow down. We don’t know where-“

“Pakkun was with him. He wouldn’t have left him. He wouldn’t have lost him.” The jounin was talking more to himself than the ANBU running beside him. Pakkun would be with Iruka, he had to be. If someone had attacked him . . . if Itsuo had . . . Pakkun would have found a way to stay with them. Because the dog knew that Kakashi could track him anywhere. And because it was the only way he currently had to find Iruka.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Iruka woke with a headache. Containing his groan, he focused on the world around him. To start with, he was bound, and it only got worse from there. He was upright, leaning against something, most likely a tree. Thin cords were wrapped around his hands, entwined between his fingers in an intricate pattern. He recognized the style by feel alone – Mizuki had developed it years ago to prevent the use of any jutsu to escape. Iruka shoved the memories aside, they were long in his past.

Behind him, Iruka could feel the chakra of his captor. He frowned deeply and opened his eyes at last. He was indeed in the forest, at a clearing that overlooked one of the rivers. Iruka could hear the small waterfall nearby. Knowing he was awake, Itsuo let out a soft chuckle. He walked to where Iruka could see him, his smile cutting into the teacher like a knife. “How are we feeling?”

Iruka glared, saying nothing.

Itsuo’s smile faded, replaced by more of a leer. “Feeling a bit angry? A bit betrayed? Was I really so good at gaining your trust, Sensei?”

Iruka dropped his eyes, staring at the dirt at his feet. “I always knew exactly what you were.”

Itsuo just laughed again. “Did you really? Mizuki knew how to control you. He knew how to break you. But he needed me to spread the word. Did you really know it was me that sent them to you? Or are you lying to me now?” Iruka didn’t move, merely closed his eyes to help fight away the memories. “You should be thanking me, you know! If it weren’t for me, Kakashi never would have given you a second glance.”

“He’s put a stop to this,” Iruka muttered.

Itsuo growled. “And it’s not just Kakashi. I made sure they knew about all your little rules. It’s because of me you’ve never been hurt. It’s because of me your precious students have been sheltered for so long. It’s because I made sure they knew the rules before they ever came. I’m the one that’s kept you safe.”

Iruka’s eyes opened again. Itsuo was in front of him, sandal-clad feet directly in the teacher’s view. It’s because of you I’ve suffered through all this. It’s because of you I may not have a job when I return. You’re the one that’s taken me away from Kakashi . . . Iruka traced his eyes up slowly until he was looking Itsuo in the face again. It’s all because of you.

Itsuo looked thoughtful for a moment. “I suppose I did make a mistake. It’s caused you a lot of trouble and I’m truly sorry for that. I usually tell shinobi that I know can keep a secret. That will abide by the rules – yours and mine. I misjudged Kakashi, and now you’ve suffered because of it. Because of everything he’s done.”

“He’s put a stop to this,” Iruka repeated, mind finally clicking into gear again. “And nothing you do now can change that.” Itsuo’s eyes faltered. Iruka didn’t miss it. “No one can change what he’s done. Not you or me or any little slip of paper you leave in my classroom.”

“Then you don’t care if your students find out about what you do?”

“What do you expect to gain by this, Itsuo? Do you honestly think you can get away from the village; they know what you’ve done!”

“Ah, but you’re forgetting, Sensei, I have you. As long as I have you as my hostage, none of them will touch me. As long as I can control you-“

“You think you can control me? You don’t even know me!”

The dark haired man leaned close to him and narrowed his eyes. “I do know you, Iruka. Behind any big talk you spout, the worst thing that could happen to you is for your secret to get out. And it doesn’t matter where I go, I can control that from anywhere.”

Iruka smiled, the barest grin tugging at his lips. “Let me ask you something now, Itsuo, since you seem to know everything about me.” Iruka watched as that same doubt flickered through the other man’s eyes. “Did you know that Kakashi was willing to lose everything just to help me with this?” The jounin hadn’t said it directly, but it had been obvious in his every action. Itsuo began to look more nervous. “Did you know that I’ve been asked to test to become jounin four times now? Did you know that I figured out how to counter Mizuki’s jutsu-block more than three years ago?” Itsuo’s eyes widened significantly at that and Iruka’s smile grew. “And did you know that your rope tying skills are surpassed by my eight-year-olds?”

Itsuo reeled backwards as Iruka leapt at him. The teacher had no weapons, having been stripped of his pouch long ago. It didn’t seem to matter. Itsuo was forced onto his back, several harsh blows hitting his chest before he could give any real defense at all. He blocked frantically, twisting in a desperate attempt to get out from under the enraged man. Barely able to form the seals for a replacement jutsu, it was only partly successful and Iruka grabbed at his leg again before he could retreat more than a few steps.

Iruka felt surprisingly calm as he grappled the man to the ground once more. Had he been told the previous day that he would hold in his hands the life of the man that had ruined his, Iruka would have laughed. No more than an hour ago he had been willing to give absolutely anything to keep his reputation hidden away.

Itsuo managed to get a kunai into his hand, stabbing towards the teacher’s arm desperately. He wasn’t even able to draw blood. Iruka couldn’t deny it felt good to disarm the other man, force him into a joint lock, and bring him to the ground. Itsuo reared back, ignoring the pain it put on his shoulder. He twisted, managing to knock the teacher onto his back, and squirmed out of the hold.

Itsuo knew he was beaten long before he conceded the fight. He finally raised his hand in surrender, cowering near the edge of the cliff. Iruka ignored him, hands flying into seals and summoning his weapon of choice, the oversized shuriken he’d favored since his boyhood.

“Iruka!”

The teacher froze, recognizing the voice instantly. How long had Kakashi been watching this, just out of sight, hidden by the trees?

“If you’re going to kill him, no one would blame you.”

Itsuo still held one hand up, blocking most of his face. He’d lost, all he could hope for now was to escape with his life.

“But are you willing to pay that price? Iruka . . .”

Iruka felt his shoulders untense, more than ready to stop this fight. He lowered his arm, shuriken disappearing in a puff of smoke. Slowly he turned his eyes away from the creature in front of him. Even more slowly, he turned his back on the man, staring at Kakashi instead. Seeing the man made his adrenaline turn off almost instantaneously. His entire body became heavy, relief flooding through him at the knowledge that it was finally over.

He never saw Kakashi move. He felt the jounin’s hand on his shoulder, forcing his body to turn around further. With a gasp, he looked around to where Kakashi now stood, between him and Itsuo. He held a kunai in his hand. A second kunai lay in the grass, knocked aside by the jounin. There were two men already beside Itsuo when Iruka glared at him, locking his arms painfully behind his back.

It hit Iruka all at once as he took in the silent ANBU masks. He wasn’t sure how long they’d been watching him, but Kakashi and these two men – and who knew how many others – had watched in complete silence as he had attacked Itsuo. They’d watched when he hovered on the brink of killing him. Had kept their presence hidden when Kakashi had offered to turn a blind eye and let Iruka kill him. Iruka bent to retrieve the kunai on the ground, waving it as he approached the imprisoned man.

Iruka punched out, slashing the kunai across the imprisoned man’s cheek. The chunin flinched again as the tip of the blade was pressed lightly under his chin. The ANBU made no move at all. They would let him kill him if he wished. And Itsuo knew it, it was clear in his eyes. Iruka held the man’s gaze for a minute. “Game over. I win.” He dropped the kunai, turning his back on the man again and the ANBU guard forcibly carried him away.

Iruka wanted nothing more than to fall into Kakashi’s arms. Let the older man carry him back to his apartment, or the jounin’s apartment, or the top of the monument for all he cared, just anywhere he could sleep. A woman in an ANBU mask walked towards him with purpose and Iruka knew this wasn’t over yet, no matter how much he wished it were.

“The Hokage wants to see Iruka immediately.” She reached forward, hand wrapping not around Iruka’s arm, but Kakashi’s. The expressionless mask never looked away from the teacher. “Alone.”

Iruka looked to Kakashi, easily reading the concern in his visible eye. But if Tsunade had summoned him, there was nothing either of them could do. Iruka nodded tiredly and leapt into the trees.

-o-o-o-o-o-