Tunnel Vision

In the darkness, everything was cold. It was like a cave made entirely out of icicles, the air thick and chilled, almost like snow; and wading through it felt a lot like drowning in a lake colder than ice. It was freezing, making Iruka ache in places he didn't even know existed; and his body felt heavy, like desperate hands had latched onto him, clawing at his limbs as they tried to grip tightly to keep him from moving.

He had no strength to free himself, to escape the darkness; and he would have been lost, too, had it not been for the warmth over one of his hands. Unlike everything else holding him down, this felt like human touch, like someone was by his side offering their support; and it made him feel protected and safe, like he was with someone important who cared for him; like he was with Kakashi.

As though responding to Kakashi's name, the darkness was filled with a blinding light, and the creatures that had held him down released his body and fled, almost as if they feared the light; and only the human hand - Kakashi's hand remained. The cold also disappeared, as though he had stepped out into the sun; and Iruka felt himself being tugged along, taken somewhere else; and soon, his consciousness slipped away…

The next time Iruka woke, he was dazed and confused. Was this a dream? Was he really in the hospital? Had he really made it out alive? He glanced down at his hand, which still felt warm; and he saw that Kakashi really was holding it. He had dragged a chair to the bedside, watching over him and waiting for him to wake; and as time ticked by and the hospital drained away his energy, it looked like Kakashi had drifted off to sleep, his head resting on the edge of the bed.

The curtain around his bed opened, and in stepped Tsunade, who almost seemed surprised to see that he was awake. Her eyes drifted to Kakashi, who hadn't stirred, and then to their linked hands; and she smirked as she walked over to the bed.

"He's been there ever since he delivered you to the hospital, and tried to stay up for you. Looks like the brat has finally gotten some rest. I've never seen him so worried before."

"What happened? I thought I was going to… die."

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you what happened? How did you end up alone with an S rank criminal?"

"That's… I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama. I should have known better; but I saw him running off with Konohamaru, and -" Iruka froze, staring wide eyed at Tsunade. "Where's Konohamaru? Gou tricked me, but he implied that he had done something, and there was blood on Konohamaru's scarf, and -"

"Iruka, calm down." Tsunade interrupted. "Konohamaru is fine. I saw him on my way to the hospital."

"Oh, thank goodness!" Iruka smiled in relief. "I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to him."

"So you were lured out…" Tsunade mused, pursing her lips. "What was Gou after?"

"The scroll from my mission. After he failed to kill me, he infiltrated the village and found out about it. When he didn't get any information from me, he snapped and tried to kill me again. He would have succeeded had it not been for Kakashi. He made it just in time."

Iruka tightened his grip on Kakashi's hand and looked at his sleeping figure. He was suspiciously still and relaxed for someone who was trained to always be alert; and Iruka had a feeling he was pretending now, or at least just resting his eyes while he listened in.

"Kakashi reported that as soon as he found you, he lost control and killed Gou in one hit. He was so frazzled he couldn't tell me much else; so maybe you can tell me, instead… How did he come to find you?"

"My chakra guided the way."

"Your chakra? What do you mean? Did he sense it nearby?"

"Something like that." Iruka answered, absentmindedly stroking Kakashi's hand with his thumb.

"Well, if you don't want to tell me, I guess it's not that important; but I do need to know what happened to that scroll. Your memory should be back by now, yes?"

"Oh, yes, it is; and I know exactly where the scroll is and what happened to me on the way home." he reported. "I stashed the scroll in the hidden floorboard of the main Eastern safe house about a day from here. I took refuge there on the way back to the village; and in the middle of reorganising my bag, ready to leave, I sensed enemies nearby. I didn't have time to finish packing, and I was worried I'd get caught with the scroll on my way out, so I hid it there to retrieve when I lost the enemies. They had a tracker, so I tried to get to the village to report them and get back up; but just when I thought I had made good distance and returned home, I ran into Gou. He said he wanted to test something, and then attacked me with a paper bomb infused with poison; and you know the rest…"

"Hmm… He was working for Orochimaru, wasn't he?"

"Yes. He told me, himself."

"Tch. If only the brat had captured him instead of killed him… But this is a great outcome, regardless. You're still alive, you've got your memories back, a big threat is gone, and now we know where the scroll is. All in all, everything worked out."

"I'm sorry I've caused so much trouble since my mission." Iruka apologised, glancing away.

"Don't worry about it. This is nothing compared to what a certain someone puts me through." Tsunade turned to Kakashi. "Oi, brat! You think I can't tell when someone is pretending to sleep? Open your eyes and get up. Iruka is getting discharged soon, and you're taking him home."

"M'kay…" he murmured.

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Kakashi was nervous escorting Iruka back to his apartment. There was a lot to talk about, but he was lost for words and didn't know where to begin. Should he ask Iruka how he was able to project his chakra so far, and mention how he had been able to feel his emotions through it? Or should he apologise for what he'd done before then, and maybe ask for a second chance, depending on Iruka's response - or was it too soon for that? Kakashi sighed. Tsunade had given him the perfect opportunity to say something, but he was wasting his time worrying.

“Thank you.” Iruka suddenly said; and Kakashi turned to him in surprise. “I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for you.”

“Maa, you deserve most of the credit. I only came in at the last minute; and that was because of you. If you hadn’t projected your chakra so far, I never would have known you were in trouble. I didn’t actually know that was possible. How did you do it?”

“It’s a family secret.”

“Oh… What about those feelings? When I sensed your chakra, it felt like I could feel your emotions through it.”

“You haven’t heard of chakra connections before?”

“I have, but I thought it was just a story.” Kakashi frowned.

“It’s not so farfetched, though, is it? If you think about it, it’s just a higher level of chakra synchronisation. Although I never expected our chakra to automatically sync – I always believed that part of the legend was fiction.”

“Hmn... So if that was all because of chakra connection, then that means we have…”

“An unbreakable bond.” Iruka finished.

“Like soulmates.” Kakashi said, gazing into Iruka’s eyes.

“Yes… Like soulmates.” he blushed, averting his gaze.

In no time at all, they had reached Iruka’s apartment block; and Iruka found that each step he made was becoming heavier and heavier, like he didn’t want to go home yet. Kakashi was dragging himself along, too, like he didn’t want to part; and when they reached the door, they stood around awkwardly, each waiting for the other to say something. Then finally, after what felt like hours, Kakashi broke the silence.

“So, I guess this is where I leave you,” he said, fiddling with his hands. “Uh, bye, Iruka. I’ll see you around.”

He turned to walk off; and Iruka reflexively grabbed his wrist. Kakashi turned around in surprise and studied him curiously.

“Please… Wait.” He requested hesitantly, his face turned away with a tormented expression, and a light blush across his cheeks.

“Is something wrong?”

“It’s just…” He suddenly locked eyes, becoming more bashful the longer he stared. “Do you want to come in?”

“A-Are you sure?” Kakashi stammered in surprise.

“Yes. I want to give you a second chance... If you want it.”

Kakashi leapt towards Iruka and wrapped his arms around him, holding him close. Iruka tentatively returned the embrace; and Kakashi rested his head on his shoulder.

“Iruka…” he murmured. “You don’t know how much I want to kiss you right now.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’m not quite there, yet…” Iruka replied. “But we can still be together and work back up to how we were. Is that enough for now?”

“It’s more than enough.” Kakashi squeezed him tighter. “I’m grateful for anything you want to offer.”

“Well, let’s go in…” He said. “Our journey starts now.”