'Tryin' to Get to Heaven,' Part 11
Jun. 16th, 2005 03:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
midnightdiddleIt's tomorrow, it's tomorrow! And just so no one can ever say I'm a liar (at least, not a continuing liar....) a part of Tryin'. I hope. Eek.
"Two hours, sensei," Gai assured him, shifting Iruka's limp weight over his hips. "Ready?"
"Ready," Iruka said, trying to pay attention, and Gai began running again.
!-!-!
Kakashi was crouched in the dirt, digging his fingers into the ground like a child, when Ibiki found him. Ibiki touched the copy-nin's shoulders lightly, the barest brush of fingertips, and knelt next to him with creaky joints.
"Ibiki," Kakashi said carefully, shoving his fingers deeper into the dirt. "-san," he added after a moment, almost thoughtfully, with a sick looking smile.
"Reiji just told me about Iruka. How are you?"
"How do you think I am? I fucking loved him," Kakashi grumbled. His fingers were curled in the dirt, hands bent enough so the palms fit in the small holes. "But I'm fine, see?" He gave Ibiki another sick smile.
"You look sick. You think you'll be able to hold up?"
"I'll be fine," Kakashi repeated, savagely. He clawed at the holes with a short burst of ferocity, then fell still, hands hanging at his sides. Ibiki looked everywhere but at Kakashi, clenching his jaw, then loosening it.
"I was scared," he finally said, still not looking at Kakashi, "that you'd- like Raidou. I don't think I could deal with it, if you did."
"Don't have to worry," Kakashi whispered, eye closed. "Can't afford that now, right? I'll be fine. Just need some time." He stood slowly, touching Ibiki's arm as he stood, leaving a streak of dirt on Ibiki's sleeve. "Don't worry," he repeated, distractedly. "Don't- Just don't worry."
Ibiki watched him walk away, then looked over to the side. At his nod, Reiji approached him, his eyes looking beyond Ibiki, watching the departing Kakashi.
"What do you think?" Reiji asked, standing next to the younger man. Ibiki sighed and poked at the two small holes.
"I don't know. He's fine one minute, and he's shaking the next. I don't think he even realizes what he's doing."
"I don't want to sound a bastard," Reiji said, "but we need him. Think he'll fight?" Ibiki nodded and Reiji stretched, popping his shoulders. "I liked Iruka," he said suddenly, rolling his arms back. "He was funny, always made me laugh. Nice guy, too. Was too bad." Ibiki nodded again and Reiji smiled at him. "Yeah, well, I've got to go see about getting the wounded back to Konoha. Do me a favor, and watch Kakashi for a while? We can't afford for him to lose it."
"Sure," the younger man said, still sitting on the ground, "I'll watch Kakashi."
!-!-!
Iruka could feel his body shake, from the inside out. He was sure that if he was holding a cup, all the water would spill out, but that didn't matter, since he was just trying to hold onto Gai. He wasn't sure why he was shaking all over, but maybe it was because he was so tired? He was too tired to really hold on, or think, or, sometimes, even breathe. And the strangest thing was that he could feel his lungs shiver, just like the rest of him. At least, he imagined that he could. He lungs shivered, and his mangled chest shook, and the shattered bones moved, grinding against each other, all in his head and in his body. And he was so confused. His thoughts kept changing, and he wasn't sure which part was right, and which was wrong, and which was real, and which was fake.
"I'm shaking," he whispered in Gai's ear, very quietly, because he didn't really want Gai to hear. "I'm shaking all apart."
Gai kept running, but Iruka could feel the way the older man tensed up, muscles becoming rigid before they loosened, sliding back into the seamless motions. "Sensei?" he asked, and Iruka was sure he was just trying to be polite.
"My muscles are shaking," Iruka explained, hating the way his words slurred together. And his mind was just so confused.
Gai stopped and reached up a hand, lying his palm against Iruka's cheek. Iruka blinking, breathing slowly, and then Gai patted his cheek, the motion big and clunky. "You're not shaking," he reassured the teacher, and Iruka tried to swallow down the relieved feeling.
"You're just fine," Gai said again, shifting Iruka over his broad back, and the younger man sighed, lying his head on Gai's shoulder.
"Thank you," he said softly, confused and not entirely sure, and tired. His mind shivered and his body shook, and he breathed.
Ho-hum. So I'm not sure. I guess it's alright. I'm more proud of it now, than I was a bit ago. I poked and prodded it, and I think it came along alright? Hopefully so. And I think this is the end of the fourth chapter. Well, maybe not. I always post such short chapters, I feel bad. But then again, it's been so long since I've posted, perhaps I should, anyways? But now I'm getting all discouraged. I'll hush, and go to bed. And this took an hour to write! Ugh... I'm so slow, and crappy. Need...Sleep...
And sorry that my lj is so wide,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
telosphilos and marmaladecat, and anyone else. I'm gonna check out why, tomorrow. Perhaps. Erk.
"Two hours, sensei," Gai assured him, shifting Iruka's limp weight over his hips. "Ready?"
"Ready," Iruka said, trying to pay attention, and Gai began running again.
!-!-!
Kakashi was crouched in the dirt, digging his fingers into the ground like a child, when Ibiki found him. Ibiki touched the copy-nin's shoulders lightly, the barest brush of fingertips, and knelt next to him with creaky joints.
"Ibiki," Kakashi said carefully, shoving his fingers deeper into the dirt. "-san," he added after a moment, almost thoughtfully, with a sick looking smile.
"Reiji just told me about Iruka. How are you?"
"How do you think I am? I fucking loved him," Kakashi grumbled. His fingers were curled in the dirt, hands bent enough so the palms fit in the small holes. "But I'm fine, see?" He gave Ibiki another sick smile.
"You look sick. You think you'll be able to hold up?"
"I'll be fine," Kakashi repeated, savagely. He clawed at the holes with a short burst of ferocity, then fell still, hands hanging at his sides. Ibiki looked everywhere but at Kakashi, clenching his jaw, then loosening it.
"I was scared," he finally said, still not looking at Kakashi, "that you'd- like Raidou. I don't think I could deal with it, if you did."
"Don't have to worry," Kakashi whispered, eye closed. "Can't afford that now, right? I'll be fine. Just need some time." He stood slowly, touching Ibiki's arm as he stood, leaving a streak of dirt on Ibiki's sleeve. "Don't worry," he repeated, distractedly. "Don't- Just don't worry."
Ibiki watched him walk away, then looked over to the side. At his nod, Reiji approached him, his eyes looking beyond Ibiki, watching the departing Kakashi.
"What do you think?" Reiji asked, standing next to the younger man. Ibiki sighed and poked at the two small holes.
"I don't know. He's fine one minute, and he's shaking the next. I don't think he even realizes what he's doing."
"I don't want to sound a bastard," Reiji said, "but we need him. Think he'll fight?" Ibiki nodded and Reiji stretched, popping his shoulders. "I liked Iruka," he said suddenly, rolling his arms back. "He was funny, always made me laugh. Nice guy, too. Was too bad." Ibiki nodded again and Reiji smiled at him. "Yeah, well, I've got to go see about getting the wounded back to Konoha. Do me a favor, and watch Kakashi for a while? We can't afford for him to lose it."
"Sure," the younger man said, still sitting on the ground, "I'll watch Kakashi."
!-!-!
Iruka could feel his body shake, from the inside out. He was sure that if he was holding a cup, all the water would spill out, but that didn't matter, since he was just trying to hold onto Gai. He wasn't sure why he was shaking all over, but maybe it was because he was so tired? He was too tired to really hold on, or think, or, sometimes, even breathe. And the strangest thing was that he could feel his lungs shiver, just like the rest of him. At least, he imagined that he could. He lungs shivered, and his mangled chest shook, and the shattered bones moved, grinding against each other, all in his head and in his body. And he was so confused. His thoughts kept changing, and he wasn't sure which part was right, and which was wrong, and which was real, and which was fake.
"I'm shaking," he whispered in Gai's ear, very quietly, because he didn't really want Gai to hear. "I'm shaking all apart."
Gai kept running, but Iruka could feel the way the older man tensed up, muscles becoming rigid before they loosened, sliding back into the seamless motions. "Sensei?" he asked, and Iruka was sure he was just trying to be polite.
"My muscles are shaking," Iruka explained, hating the way his words slurred together. And his mind was just so confused.
Gai stopped and reached up a hand, lying his palm against Iruka's cheek. Iruka blinking, breathing slowly, and then Gai patted his cheek, the motion big and clunky. "You're not shaking," he reassured the teacher, and Iruka tried to swallow down the relieved feeling.
"You're just fine," Gai said again, shifting Iruka over his broad back, and the younger man sighed, lying his head on Gai's shoulder.
"Thank you," he said softly, confused and not entirely sure, and tired. His mind shivered and his body shook, and he breathed.
Ho-hum. So I'm not sure. I guess it's alright. I'm more proud of it now, than I was a bit ago. I poked and prodded it, and I think it came along alright? Hopefully so. And I think this is the end of the fourth chapter. Well, maybe not. I always post such short chapters, I feel bad. But then again, it's been so long since I've posted, perhaps I should, anyways? But now I'm getting all discouraged. I'll hush, and go to bed. And this took an hour to write! Ugh... I'm so slow, and crappy. Need...Sleep...
And sorry that my lj is so wide,
telosphilos and marmaladecat, and anyone else. I'm gonna check out why, tomorrow. Perhaps. Erk.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-06-16 10:53 pm (UTC)Anyway, I loved it, as always! Maybe I'll be able to write again myself one of these days. Miss you. Sorry I've been absent so much. Being sick is a bitch!
Nezu
no subject
Date: 2005-06-18 03:21 am (UTC)And good, I'm glad I'm not overdoing it. Iruka just gets worse and worse. *insert more evil laughter here*
Indeed, I love side characters. But more than anything, I just want to write about Iruka and Gai. It's just because I'm Iruka-centric, I suppose. Of course, this whole story was just for Iruka, to begin with, but I feel like I should occasionally pretend to care about the other characters.