Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

The More Things Change	By : Sushi4Brains Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 8511 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters, nor is any profit made from this fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
The battle was over - the victory won.
From an altercation with Hound they’d limped away physically unscathed.
That was a miracle.
An unrivaled triumph … but a cause for celebration? Hell no!
Why?
Because no one ever walked away from an encounter with Hound psychologically intact.
That’s just the way things worked.
Kakashi got his kicks from confounding his comrades - mucking about with their minds was one of his many hobbies; just a bit of harmless fun that staved off his boredom.
Everybody knew that.
Ah, but Hound … he picked apart brains like a gluttonous buzzard. Didn’t matter to him whether those brains belonged to a comrade or an enemy. Exploiting weaknesses, stirring up primal fears via the Sharingan – that’s how he asserted his dominance. It was a pathological need to control anyone he deemed beneath him.
Everybody knew that too.
But now was the Hound outfoxed by the one who summoned him and betrayed by the one who idolized him.
And by the gods above, they would pay.
No telling what form his torture would take or how many days, weeks or months would pass before Hound was satisfied, yet the vehicle of Hound’s vengeance was sure; by Kakashi’s hand would come retribution for his impudence.
It was an ingenious plan – the killing of two birds with one stone.
And as the embodiment of his rage, Kakashi would suffer most. Firstly, as an assailant – a verbal or physical battering ram against all who crossed his path. And with each breath Kakashi drew in solitude, Hound would excruciate him internally, turning him into the one assaulted. For his recreance would Hound buffet him day and night.
There would come a time appropriate to ponder such ugly truths –
but it was not now.
Right here, inside their sanctuary, the only sounds apart from their breathing, was the inordinately loud ticking of an alarm clock over Kakashi’s bed.
They were safe.
Just for a moment, it felt like the good old days; huddled together with his captain, here in this small dark space - their target neutralized and Kakashi wild-eyed and breathless after expending too much chakra. This time around, the fates even allowed them six minutes of quietude …
before all hell broke loose.
Suddenly, the solid wood at their backs transmogrified into a vacuum, sucking at their flesh, holding them tightly in their places as the last barrier in the hallway separating them from Hound erupted in a hail of tiny wooden spikes. Pulses of lightning rebounded off varnished panels in the hall, sending their brilliance screaming through the door jambs - clawing at the darkness inside the room.
There was no time to think …
As the earthy aroma of scorched wood sped over the moldings and the caustic odor of turpentine raced along the baseboards; meeting together, they sinuate beneath the door as wisps of bluish smoke twining about their ankles.
They were under attack.
Hound’s vehement threats and repulsive obscenities pelt the timber at their backs like hailstones on a corrugated tin roof. Plastered to the door, Kakashi and Yamato rode out the fearsome display of Hound's power and then …
The lights, the smell, the smoke –
all of them disappeared without a trace.
They looked to each other, puzzled ... grateful for having survived; fearful of what was to follow.
There was no time to prepare …
For no sooner than the door behind them assumed it’s natural form, from the living room there came a house shaking howl of torment and desperation, like that of a wounded animal.
It was answered in kind by the man at his side.
Yamato watched helplessly as his captain's face contorted into a crimson mask of pain and his body violently shook.
And then, an eerie silence blanketed the entire apartment – suspending time as he gathered the limp and fevered body of his captain unto himself. Kakashi looked close to death; his body, so pale and unresponsive – yet as he held him close, the faintest of heartbeats, the shallowest of respirations Yamato detected.
Alright, calm down, he thought.   You’ve seen Hound’s assimilation before. While it's shockingly beautiful in its brutality, I know Kakashi will muster his strength and overcome it … have to believe he can do it.
But the logical part of mind insisted,
“No … he can’t. His chakra is too low. It’s all over now … Hound wins!”
The seconds tick down, stretching into minutes as his captain's body grew cold.
No time to waste.
Yamato slammed his palm against the pallid chest, aiming his life force into his captain’s slowly beating heart. Frightening seconds pass – his captain’s condition unchanging - in the blink of an eye, Kakashi’s chakra momentarily spikes. But once more, his body melted against him, dashing all hope of reigning in the infuriated Hound.
“This isn’t working,” his mind screamed. “He’s fading!”
His breaths were coming in painful snatches -the eagle eyed clarity, beclouded by the gauze of catatonia as his body went rigid for the last time.
Everything he knew to be true,
everything he’d done for the right reasons,
all at once,
everything felt horribly wrong.
His head bowed, his eyes closed and as a last resort, his lips silently mouth a prayer.
“Damn it, Tenzou! Didn’t you hear me?”
Relief caught in his throat. “Senpai!” Warmth returned to Kakashi’s body. “Sir … thank god you’re --”
“I said, reinforce this door,” snapped Kakashi as he pushed away the hand pressed to his chest. “Set another barrier in the middle of the hall!”
“What? I don’t need to … there's no way he could --”
“This is Hound we’re talking about! Just do it!”
Driven by adrenaline, Yamato speedily wove through the signs for his jutsu. Have to believe he’s got a plan …have to trust him.
All the while his mind countered, “This is a waste of our time and energy. Why can’t you trust in our abilities? Have you forgotten the way we left Hound?”
Of course not. How could he forget?
Unsolicited memories blank out his surroundings, though everything concerning Hound he clearly saw.
That smug look of disbelief when flimsy wooden tendrils sprung up through swollen joists - the cocky smirk on his lips when savin coils twisted into helices in mid-flight about him and of course, his tenebrous grimace when said coils wound around his limbs … anchoring him to the floor. The last and most satisfying image of them all was the look of abject horror in his eye when those mysterious seals vaulted from the hidden scroll.
What beauteous sights they were.
Hound … defiant, defenseless and completely at his mercy. His face, reddened with rage as his body bucked and writhed against the restraints he crafted. Delicate as fine lace they were yet, stronger than tempered steel.
Yamato shook his head. No time to gloat.
Neither was it time for this, he thought, as his mind fired off images of painted on ANBU blacks against alabaster skin - the glaze of sweat glistening on exposed parts of Hound’s body as he struggled against the ever tightening binds.
With Kakashi’s warm body stirring to life by his side and the images of a captive Hound stirring up life elsewhere, his willpower was almost at its breaking point.
Over and over he reminded himself:
Hound is the enemy … Kakashi is my comrade … my friend, the one who needs me.
Chewing at the inside of his cheek, the taste of his own blood mixing with the saliva in his mouth – even that wasn’t enough to turn off the phantasm inside his head.
Screwing shut his eyes worsened his predicament, for now he could see himself standing directly over Hound - he could see his chest rise and fall with each rapid breath - could almost reach out and daub away the tiny beads of perspiration dotting the aquiline nose. Would that he could erase the memory of that single bead of moisture plummeting over a flared nostril and splattering into the philtrum above Hound’s curled lip.
Damn it all to hell!
Only Hound could make the process of diaphoresis fascinating.
What a relief it was when Kakashi jerked their backs away from the door.
Pitched forward, his eyes snapped open; a slight turn of his head hid the fey grin from the eyes of his captain as his free hand slipped down, shielding a resurgent erection.
Not now damn it! Kakashi needs me … have to protect him.
The urges of his body suddenly fall silent once he summoned the courage to look upon his captain’s face.
The man he’d always respect, a mere shell of his former self.
“Senpai,” he whispered. “I promise … everything's gonna be alright.”
Kakashi crumpled at his side, dazed and gasping for breath.
What the hell am I saying? He's mangled a part of himself I can't reach, much less heal.
Wait a minute!
There’s only one person I know who can help him.
*****     *****     *****
The sound of Yamato’s voice above him, like mist on the water, roused him from stupor; the clamor of Hound’s voice, beating at his back like tekken, filled him with remorse.
What the hell was I thinking?
Hound is unhinged … have to protect Tenzou.
His head spinning, his spatial orientation askew, he opened his eye cautiously; the ragged breaths of the man to his right made him raise his head faster than he should have. A collision between the top of his head and the bottom of Yamato’s chin bought him a moment of clarity, but it wasn’t enough.
“Tenzou,” he uttered huskily, “when did we? How did we? Where are we?”
*****                 *****                 *****
Seeing him this physically weak was distressing; more worrisome was Kakashi’s mental state - the effort behind asking simple questions, too much of a strain. Obviously he didn’t remember the journey of less than forty feet that left both of them unduly winded and who knew how much he recalled prior to that.
“Briefly present the facts,” urged the rational side of himself. “And throw in a bit of levity … it’ll irritate him into thinking clearly.”
“Senpai,” he began, “after we subdued Hound, you insisted we hole up here.” He let his comment hang in the air, alert for any spark of recollection in that cloudy grey eye - there were none.
“I ended up dragging your sorry ass halfway down the hall,” he joked. “By now you’d think I would be used to lugging you around after a battle, wouldn’t you?”
Kakashi managed a crooked smile as his knees buckled. Yamato simply looped his arm around his captain’s waist and continued, “If you think I’m gonna let you pass out before I read you the riot act … you better think again.”
“The longer you stand here, the worse his condition gets,” shouted the little voice inside his head.
That much was true, but he knew from experience meaningless prattle always forced Kakashi deeper inside his own thoughts, thus he rattled on.
“You know, there were a couple of times when we were coming down the hall that I really wanted to pop you one. Somehow your nails found the only unhealed welts on my hip to dig into … pretty sure you did that on purpose. No worries, I’ll get you for that.”
*****                 *****                 *****
That worried little smile - the lame attempts to crack wise, to make him rise to the bait - Kakashi knew they were intended to cover the concern and anxiety his kohai felt; as usual … they didn’t.
Immediately, he stood upright - his voice strong, though his thoughts were still jumbled and his speech disjointed.
“Hound? Tenzou … Hound is where?”
Oh God! This is bad. “Stop joking around, Kakashi. I know you remember we left him tied up in the living room.” Gently, he pushed his captain against the cool wood of the door. “Look, you’re scaring the shit outta me, okay? For god’s sake, man … get it together …we have to --”
“We humiliated him, Tenzou,” he whispered. “Hound … he’s out for our blood.”
Blowing out an exasperated breath, Yamato calmly replied, “You’re buggin’. There’s no way in hell he could’ve escaped my jutsu and even if he did, you used those seals --”
“Shit! I had to use those?” His thoughts were running a mile a minute –
I never told him about that sealing scroll … he’s telling the truth.
But, that’s impossible!
The pads of his fingers pressed into the flesh of his kohai’s forearm. “The bursts of lightning … the smoke under the door … I saw it with my own eyes and I’m telling you,
Hound’s broken free ... he’s coming for us--”
“No, Kakashi … Hound isn’t going anywhere … but we have to.”
“You think I’m crazy … don’t you? That’s why you’re tryin’ to back away … isn’t it, Tenzou?”
“No, sir,” he said, slipping his arm from around his captain’s waist. “I think you’ve stretched yourself too thin and you need rest. Listen to me, I’m just going over there … to the closet to borrow one of your uniforms, okay?”
Kakashi released his arm and weakly nodded - at least Yamato thought he did; hard to tell since his entire body was trembling.
“Once I’m dressed, we need to get out of here and --”
“Can’t let Hound chase me from my home. You and me … we’re gonna stay here and fight.”
“Okay, Kakashi … now you’re talkin’ crazy! You’re in no condition to fight him or anybody else and since I can’t handle Hound on my own, we’re gonna get the hell outta here. I’m gonna take you to someone who can help --”
“Hell no! No outside help. Have to handle this my way. Over there Tenzou,” he said gesturing toward the dresser. “There’s a cylinder in that tray … I need it.”
Just beyond his captain's reach, Yamato turned his body away, his eyes drifting over to locate the item mentioned. “Chakra pills … seriously? Won’t those make Hound stronger too?”
Kakashi fixed him with a dead eyed look. “Weren’t you paying attention earlier or did you think I was bullshitting you?   Hound has severed the link between us … he’s operating autonomously. I have absolutely no control over him and I don’t even know where he is right now!”
For Yamato right now, even breathing required a concerted effort.
And here I thought things couldn’t get any crazier.
Mouth agape, he watched Kakashi push himself from the door, aiming his body to the center of the room.   At least he’s got enough sense to lay down before he falls down. With any luck, he’ll pass out and I can get him to the hospital without a fight.
Walking backwards toward the closet, he tamped down the urge to rush to Kakashi’s side as he navigated a twisting path toward the bed. He bit his tongue when Kakashi stopped in mid step, seemingly forgetting where he was headed. He even held back a laugh as Kakashi patted the air in search of the elusive king sized bed. But when his captain tripped and fell - rather collapsed, face first into the mattress, Yamato had seen enough.
Squaring his shoulders, he barked, “That’s it! I don’t give a damn about your pride … you need help - I'm gonna make sure you get it!”
The stubble on his chin scraped against the comforter when Kakashi slowly turned his head.
“There’s only two things I need at present, Tenzou. A few minutes quiet to collect myself, so to speak … and that,” he gestured with his chin. “Top of the dresser … the tray to your right. Like to be cognizant … we need to talk.”
“I’ll do all the talking from here on out, thank you. Anything you have to say can wait until --”
“Afraid it can’t … don’t make me pull rank on you.”
“Oh please, senpai … you can barely pull the covers over yourself.”
Rolling part way onto his side Kakashi growled, “Over there. Top of the dresser … cylinder in the tray … I need it.”
“Humph … and you have the nerve to say I get fixated on things,” he said when he turned to rifle through the closet. “You’ll get the pills … after I prove something.”
“What? That my shirts are too tight for you? I can see that from here, Tenzou --”
“Never mind that,” he said, struggling with the buttons at his chest. “Ah, skip it … I’d rather be slightly outta uniform, then parading through town naked.”
“Town? Why are you going into town this time of night?”
“Because, Kakashi … one way or another, I’m getting you to the hospital!"
He lay quietly as his kohai dressed, dreamily watching the red stripes on his thighs disappear under blue fabric as the pants rose higher and higher. Startled when the closet door slammed shut, his eyes followed along as Yamato stomped toward the bedroom door.
“Oi, Tenzou! You just walked past the dresser. Where do you think you’re going?”
“The living room,” he said. “You stay here and calm the hell down … I’ll be back.”
The room swam in and out of focus as Kakashi struggled to sit up.
“Get back here!"
The last things Kakashi saw were a determined look on his kohai’s face and a rude one-fingered gesture.
He was losing consciousness and the only images he saw now were of Tenzou – bloodied, battered, slumped in the corner of the living room, trapped inside a genjutsu only Hound could release him from.
Everything went black as he collapsed against the mattress.

*****     *****     *****
The sound of something rattling beside his ear jolted him awake. There stood Tenzou, fully dressed and not at all bloody; pinched between his fingers, was the tiny metal cylinder from the dresser.
"Here,” he sullenly said.
“Take as many of these as you need.
Hound’s gone.”
- 17
- 18
- 19
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The More Things Change