Chapter Text
Iruka couldn’t do many things to change the world but the things he could do, he did. Still, it didn’t exactly make him happy. So, he just sighed when he left after donating his blood. At least, he could make a little bit of money this way.
He went to find Naruto in the area where the boy would usually be found at this time of day. And he didn’t have to look for long The boy was sitting on a bench in the park and watched the pigeons pick up some leftover crumbs someone else hat scattered for them. As usual, he was covered in dirt and the orange of his jumpsuit only peaked out at a few places.
„Naruto, I told you to take better care of your clothes! I can’t be washing them every second day!“ Iruka huffed angrily, his arms akimbo.
„Iruka-sensei!“ The small face of his favourite person lit up brightly and he jumped to hug his quasi caregiver. Iruka really couldn’t be angry at him for long.
„Don’t call me that.“ The honorific always left a sour taste in Iruka’s mouth. „I’m no sensei.“ Sure, he had studied to become a teacher. It had always been his dream to teach children. But as soon as they had looked him up and found out about his past, no school wanted to hire him. Yes, Iruka had been a delinquent as a teen – much like Naruto, he hadn’t had anything at the time, and he had to survive somehow. But he had fought his way out of it and he had worked hard to become a respectable person. He had always given more than he took… but no one wanted to see that. They just looked at a few words on a sheet of paper and decided about his worth as a person. Which apparently was too little to be a teacher. No one thought that maybe someone who had been one of the “problematic” kids would be the best to lead the new troublemakers to find the right path. It frustrated him to no ends, but this was how the world worked, apparently. “I just earned a bit of money. Do you want some Ramen?”
The gleam in Naruto’s eyes and his delighted squeal were all that Iruka needed to know it was worth it. Moments like these were what really made him happy. He just loved to help people.
Iruka’s old washing machine rattled with Naruto’s clothes inside. The boy didn’t have much, he had even less than Iruka had had at his age. He was another one of these lost cases, without parents, a home or a destination in life. The city accepted that children like Naruto existed – and they were left to fend for themselves. The people in charge were were too engrossed in their own problems; they didn’t care about people like Naruto or Iruka.
He sighed, again, and left the boy sleeping in his bed. Who knew how long he would be able to afford this bare-bones flat. Right now, he had no real job and no legal way to make money. In different circumstances he would’ve adopted Naruto in the blink of an eye but… he didn’t have enough money for himself… and, again, there was the problem of his past.
Iruka wasn’t one who supported excessive drinking and he knew that alcohol was no solution… but sometimes it helped to dull the pain. So, he left his flat to find some cheap high-proof spirit.
“I noticed you are very generous with your blood.”
Iruka nearly jumped out of his skin. Old survival instincts welled up instantly and, yes, he was carrying a knife in his pocket. So what? It was exactly for situations like this!
When nothing happened, he took the time to assess the situation. There was a man standing next to him, tall and lean, in a long black coat and a black mask that covered half his face. Even though Iruka was pointing a knife at him, he didn’t seem the slightest bit distressed and kept his body in a light slouch that could have been interpreted as bored. His hair was colourless and shimmered silver in the light of the streetlamps. His eye was half-lidded and matched the bored expression, the other was hidden by an eye-patch. Iruka didn’t need his street experience to know that this man was dangerous. “What do you want?”
The man hummed and his eye crooked in an amused smile. “I noticed you on your way to the blood bank.”
“Yes, I have a rare blood type, so I donate regularly. They even give me money for it. So what?”
The man hummed again, it sounded like the purr of a very satisfied cat and Iruka felt his hackles raise. “How much do they pay you? I guess it’s not much.”
“Not really.” Why was Iruka talking to this strange person in the street? He had been on his way to drown his despair. “Look, I don’t know you and I really don’t care. Good night.”
“Mah… but I know you, Umino Iruka.” As soon as Iruka started to walk away, the man cut his way off. “I know that you don’t have a job because of your past deeds. I know that you probably won’t be able to pay next week’s rent. I know that you want to save Naruto from a life on the streets. I can give you all the money you want. I can even get you the adoption papers for Naruto.”
“Uhu…” Iruka stopped and crossed his arms. To accentuate his mistrust, he raised his eyebrow. “What are you, the tooth fairy?”
“Oh, excuse my impoliteness, I haven’t introduced myself.” Was this man bowing? The nights in Konoha were filled with the strangest of people. “I am Hatake Kakashi. Of course, I wouldn’t be giving you these things for free. But you have something I want, and we could make a deal.”
“And what is it you want?” Iruka was too experienced to not recognise a shady deal when he saw it. But was he desperate enough to take it anyway?
“Your blood.” The easiness with which the man uttered the words made Iruka take one step back. The man seemed to notice his discomfort. “Not all of it at once, obviously. I just noticed that you seem to be very fond of giving it away anyway. You wouldn’t have to give up much more than you do right now, I would just pay the appropriate amount of money for it.”
“I’m donating it to save lives,” Iruka defended himself.
“Well, you would be saving one life.” The man eye-smiled again. “Mine.”
“Huh…” This man offered Iruka money. He offered him an opportunity to take care of Naruto properly. It sounded too good to be true, so there had to be a fly in the ointment. “Well, I just donated today so I can’t give anymore right now anyway.”
“Of course.” The man stepped closer and into his comfort zone. Like that, it was very obvious that he was taller than Iruka. Tall and intimidating. “Take all the time you need to think it over. I’ll be waiting.” Having said that, he walked past Iruka who needed a moment to recover. When he looked over his shoulder, the man was gone.
The night ended without Iruka getting drunk, and maybe it was better that way. Because like this, he could wake Naruto at a normal time and make them breakfast. This time, Iruka didn’t even have to bribe the boy to sit down and practice his writing. If he couldn’t be a teacher, at least he could help his boy do his homework. Iruka had always wanted to be a teacher but apparently, this dream would never come true. He could be a rich blood donor instead. If he had the money, he could make sure Naruto had a lunch in school every day, a bed to sleep in, a home to always come back to. Although… last night couldn’t have happened. Iruka must’ve dreamed that up. He couldn’t find anything about a Hatake Kakashi on the internet. There was no way, an attractive, mysterious stranger would stop him on the streets and know his name and everything about him. No one would offer to solve all of Iruka’s problems just for the price of a few pints of blood every month. There was no way this had actually happened.
But still, he couldn’t get the thought out of his mind. Every time he looked at something he couldn’t afford, it came back up. A little voice whispered in his mind when he washed Naruto’s clothes for the fourth time this week. There was a nudge when he cleaned the bruises, the boy had gotten. When he saw the notice that his rent was due, it was too much for him.
The man wasn’t real, Iruka was clinging to a daydream, but it didn’t stop him from going out that night and walking over to the streetlamp where he had imagined meeting the stranger. And he winced when the man approached him from behind again. Iruka hadn’t seen or heard him coming… but he could have hardly appeared out of thin air, could he? Anyway, he was real… so, him promise was too, hopefully. “Have you made up your mind?” he murmured into Iruka’s ear. It was nearly sensual. Iruka tried his best not to get flustered.
“Naruto doesn’t deserve a life like this,” he tried to justify himself. “I’m doing this for him.”
“I couldn’t agree more. And I’m glad that you are willing to accept my deal.”
“We only talked about it very roughly.” Iruka turned to face the man and stared at him determinedly. “I want to know exactly what you are offering me for my blood. And I want a contract.”
“Of course.” The mysterious Kakashi pulled out a file and handed it to Iruka. “I am a man of honour, after all.” Iruka raised an eyebrow and the skin around the one visible eye of the man opposite crinkled. “Why don’t we go to your flat? It’s too dark to read out here.”
As the man probably knew where he lived anyway, Iruka just shrugged and lead them back.
When they got there, Kakashi made to attempt to get in though. “What are waiting for?” Iruka was a bit confused. “Don’t you want to come in?”
“Very much so.” There was this eye-smile again.
“Well then, get in.” Finally, the man took of his shoes and coat and followed Iruka into the living room. In this light, it was easier to really examine him. Kakashi was wearing a black shirt that looked expensive and trousers which looked very elegant on him. He didn’t lose his slouch, even as he was asked to sit down. Iruka couldn’t deny that this man was very, very attractive.
But he didn’t want to get distracted, the contract was more important.
With this agreement, Umino Iruka offers a pint of his blood in twelve weeks to Hatake Kakashi. In return, Hatake Kakashi has to provide a comfortable place to live for Umino Iruka and Uzumaki Naruto, as well as pay their expenses concerning food, clothes and everything they need to live comfortably. Additionally, Iruka will receive a pay of 70,000 yen every month. Furthermore, Hatake Kakashi is obliged to ensure Umino Iruka’s and Uzumaki Naruto’s safety during the two years this contract is valid.
There was no fine print, as hard as Iruka looked. It really was only this short text and it seemed too simple. “You promised that I get the adoption papers for Naruto,” he reminded Kakashi.
The other man nodded. “I am a man of my word. You will receive guardianship for Naruto. Doing it the usual way, will be very difficult, if not impossible, so I might have to do use a few tricks. It might not look good if we wrote that into the contract. Consider it a gift to you, outside of our agreement.”
Iruka hummed. He desperately wanted to believe this man. Naruto was mentioned in the contract - guardianship or not, Kakashi would have to look after the boy. In the end, that was enough for Iruka. “Okay, how do I sign this? With my blood?” It was a joke but the look in the other’s eye made him hesitate.
“I think, a pen is good enough.” So Iruka signed, Kakashi followed suit, and he was handed the contract. Strangely enough, he felt relieved. This would change his life, hopefully for the better.
“I’m very glad, you accepted my offer.” Kakashi eye-smiled again. “Now, which of these things in your flat do you want to take with you?”
“Excuse me?” Iruka wasn’t sure if he was hearing right.
“Pack your bags, Iruka. I am obliged to provide you and Naruto with a comfortable living space. This flat can hardly be considered comfortable.”
“What? Like, right now?” Iruka was confused.
“Don’t you think I gave you enough time to think it over?” Kakashi eye-smiled and this time it didn’t look so amiable. “You’ve got half an hour.”
Iruka had known there would be a catch! He threw his books and clothes into a big bag. Of course, he didn’t have much stuff and most of the things he possessed he couldn’t care less about. Maybe there was a part of him that was relieved to leave this place behind. He just wasn’t sure how he was supposed to explain it to Naruto.
When he came into the bedroom where the boy was sleeping, he found Kakashi looming over the sleeping figure like a big, scary shadow. The light-haired head turned towards him and Kakashi scooped Naruto into his arms. It didn’t look right, and Iruka had a bad feeling in his gut. “Won’t he wake up?” he whispered.
“Not unless you want him too.” It was a strange answer, but Iruka was too busy looking for things he didn’t want to leave behind.
“Okay, I got everything,” he let Kakashi know. “Great.” Suddenly, the other man was very close. A hand snaked around his waist, and everything went black.
When the light came back, Iruka had to blink. For a second, he had been blind and now… he was somewhere else. The walls were adorned by an expensive looking wallpaper, the ceiling was incredibly high. It was cold and dark, just enough for Iruka to see. “Where are we?”
“My house,” Kakashi said casually and turned to walk into a corridor. He was still carrying Naruto, so Iruka had no choice but to follow him. “You’re going to live here now.”
“What? We’re living with you!?!” Iruka nearly forgot that he had to whisper. “What if I don’t want that?”
“The contract says, I have to prove a comfortable place to live for you two. It didn’t say where. As I am the provider, I get to decide.” That made too much sense, Iruka wanted to beat himself up. He had thought that this contract had been simple. Well, he had underestimated Kakashi.
The room, he let them too was a very comfy looking bedroom though, and it was warmer in here, thanks to the fire in the fireplace. Kakashi put Naruto down on the huge bed and pulled the blanket over the boy in a way that Iruka nearly waned to call loving. Did Kakashi actually care about Naruto? Somehow, that made him even more attractive to Iruka. Maybe he would be okay to live with this strange, mysterious man. He didn’t look like someone who had to have his life saved by Iruka and yet he had asked for exactly that.
They closed the door quietly and Kakashi looked at him again. “Do you want me to show you your bedroom?”
Thankfully, Iruka’s bedroom wasn’t far. It looked just as expensive, and the fire was something Iruka really could get used to. “So, this is my life now, for the next two years?”
“We can always extend the contract.” Kakashi sat down on the bed next to him. “I’m sure you want to sleep.”
“I have to many questions.” Iruka shook his head slowly. “I never thought I’d see the inside of such a house.”
“Mah… the Hatake Manor has belonged to my family for centuries. I don’t necessarily have to like it, but I have to keep it, for my father’s sake.”
“You don’t look like the type who needs their life saved by me,” Iruka finally uttered what had been on his mind the whole time.
“Oh, but I do,” the man was leaning in and Iruka wasn’t sure if the goosebumps erupted on his skin because he was scared or because he liked it. “I’ve been yearning for your blood for a long time.”
“That sounds… so wrong.” Iruka inched away but he didn’t get up. “What do you want with it, anyway? Transfusion?”
Kakashi chuckled. “Much better. Do you want me to show you?”
“Let me guess.” Iruka rolled his eyes. “The contract only said a pint in twelve weeks. Not when in these twelve weeks. And I guess you won’t take all at once either.”
“You are a quick learner.” Kakashi eye-smiled again and took off his eyepatch. It revealed a long scar over his left eye, the eye itself stayed closed. “Can we get started with the first withdrawal tonight?”
When the other man pulled down his mask, it took Iruka’s breath away. It was dark, but Kakashi’s skin was so pale, it reflected the little light that was coming from the fire. And his face was painfully handsome. It looked like something Iruka could only dream up. Maybe he was dreaming. That would explain a whole lot. Things didn’t have to make sense in dreams.
Kakashi’s smile was sensual and teasing, it made Iruka’s heart jump in his chest. Then, he opened his lips and horror crept into Iruka’s bones. His canines were elongated and pointed. This wasn’t a human. This wasn’t a dream. He had fallen into the trap of a yokai.
The left eye slowly opened and revealed a glowing red eye. Iruka wanted to run away, he wanted to scream, he wanted to scratch Kakashi’s eyes out, but he was paralysed. The blazing red eye kept him in place. “You’re a demon,” he managed.
“Mah…” Kakashi clicked his tongue. “I thought you learned about the different yokai in your literature classes. This is a demon’s eye, yes, but I am a vampire. You probably never noticed but your sweet little Naruto is a yokai too. A kitsune in the making, I’m sure you will see much of it in the following years. Really, it’s better than I’m looking after him now. His father would’ve wanted that.”
“His father…” Iruka still couldn’t move but the first shock seemed to die down slowly. “What am I then?”
“You?” Kakashi smiled. His smile could have been so nice if it hadn’t been vicious. “You are a regular human with a heart of gold and delicious blood. Which belongs to me now.”
“Well, what are you waiting for?” Iruka knew he had no way out of this. He’d been in enough hopeless situations in his life to when it was time to give up. At least Naruto would have a good life now. That was worth everything.
When the teeth sank into his neck, it didn’t hurt nearly as much as Iruka had imagined it would. Kakashi’s breath was steady against his skin, his lips were cool, his strong arms held Iruka upright. And the vampire didn’t take much. He liked the wounds when he was done, and they tingled under his touch. “You are absolutely delicious.” Iruka didn’t know if this compliment really made him happy, but he didn’t care as much as he thought he would. “You should sleep now.” That was something Iruka could agree with though. He slowly nodded and crept under the blanket. Blood taking always made him sleepy and, with all the things that had happened in the last hour, he could feel himself drift asleep almost instantly. Still, he felt the soft lips on his forehead. “I promise, you won’t regret this,” was the last thing he heard before he fell asleep.