Chapter Text
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And even though I know this fire brings me pain
Even so and just the same
Make it rain
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Iruka Umino had been born with a soul mark, which rested on his left inner forearm close to his elbow. A gray pair of numbers—the age his soulmate will be on the day that he meets them. His parents explained just how special the mark was when he was old enough to ask. Roughly, only half of the current population are born with soul marks anymore. They regaled their only child with stories of famous soulmates, some of whom had changed the course of Konohagakure’s history, and tried to make sure he knew how blessed he was.
Iruka didn’t feel so blessed on the day that his mark finally glowed brightly before settling into a midnight blue hue. The numbers one and four stand out starkly on the ten-year-old’s sun-kissed shade of praline as a taller young man in an ANBU mask grasps his hand and hauls him to his feet.
“Get to safety,” the other boy orders before disappearing into the chaotic night.
Cries of anguish and screams of terror fill the night as the Nine-Tails continued its assault on the village, but all Iruka could feel was an overwhelming sense of loss. He’d lost his parents—the only family he’d had left—and found (and subsequently lost) his soulmate the same night. His other half was just fourteen years old and already an ANBU, one of the anonymous elite ninja in the hierarchy of Konoha. The ANBU Black Ops guarded the identity of their members tightly. They were the ones sent on missions where anonymity was key—assassinations and spying on other lands being most prevalent. Iruka knew immediately that he would probably never meet his soulmate face-to-face. His already broken heart shattered like glass.
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Over the next few years, Iruka acts out and plays pranks more and more. Most are harmless, attention-grabbing displays, but an ANBU is always there to stop him when a prank goes a little too far. His favorite of all of the ANBU to mess with is Hound—his soulmate. He figures that since he’ll never get a chance to know his person as a friend or lover, he’ll take whatever attention he can get from being a nuisance. Hound-san’s voice is always cool and detached as he’s lecturing Iruka about safety and proper behavior, but Iruka can hear the warmth that occasionally seeps into his voice when he catches the younger boy in the midst of a particularly clever prank.
Iruka begins to notice when Hound is away from the village more and more—sometimes weeks at a time. The very last meeting that Iruka has with Hound breaks his heart and forces him to accept the inevitable. Iruka hadn’t seen his soul mate in months and he was eager to be in his presence. He estimates that Hound had been gone almost three months this time, but when he finally comes across his path, the ANBU was cold and irate as he not only lectured Iruka over his latest prank but talked down to him as if he were a mere child instead of being almost fifteen. He’d been caught defacing the Hokage Monument, but he hadn't meant any actual harm—he’d only wanted the attention.
As the young man stood there and was dressed down coldly by Hound, something inside of Iruka’s heart clicked into place, and he knew that he couldn’t continue on with this type of behavior. He hardened his heart as he fought back tears before looking directly into Hound’s mask where the ANBU’s eyes were hidden away.
“I understand, Hound-san. I won’t trouble you again.” Iruka’s voice was thick with pain, which caused the man to pause and study the young genin momentarily before nodding and disappearing into thin air.
The next morning, the Sandaime found Iruka crying silently as he visited the Memorial Stone where his parents’ names were etched, and invited the boy to accompany him back to Hokage Tower for the first of many afternoons having tea and playing shogi. At first, Iruka was uncomfortable and fidgety, but the tension eased from his posture as he sipped on piping hot green tea and focused on the game board. After decimating Iruka in their first game, Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his plush chair and sighed, which brought Iruka’s attention to the older man.
“You seem more somber than usual, Iruka-kun. I’m more than happy to listen if it will help you.”
Iruka swallowed the sudden lump in his throat and felt the sting of tears. He hadn’t told anyone about finding his soulmate—with no family left and barely any friends, it’s not like the opportunity had ever arisen. To be honest, though, he’d never felt safer than in the presence of the third hokage.
“I—” Iruka started to speak, but paused as he gathered his thoughts with Lord Third waiting patiently before him.
“My soulmate is an ANBU,” Iruka finally murmured softly.
Hiruzen’s sharp intake of breath was all it took for the tears to escape as the boy closed his eyes before continuing. “Obviously, I don’t know his identity, and I understand that I never will. It just—it hurts right now.”
Iruka heard the hokage’s chair shift as the man stood up and made his way around the desk. His tears came even harder when he felt a hand gently stroke his unruly brown hair.
“I’m sorry, Iruka-kun.” Hiruzen’s voice was soft and sad. “This is not an easy burden to bear, especially on top of everything else you’ve been forced to deal with, son.”
Iruka’s shoulders shook as he sobbed quietly.
“I hate to have to ask, but who is it? Which mask do they wear?”
“The Hound,” Iruka whispered.
He glanced up when he felt the hand on his still immediately. Lord Third’s face was contemplative as he stared into nothing. He looked down and caught Iruka’s gaze.
“How long have you known?”
Iruka bit his lip before answering cautiously. “The night of the Kyuubi attack. After being dragged away from my parents, I’d fallen. Hound reached out and lifted me up. I felt my arm burn and looked down to see my mark glowing.”
Hiruzen nodded as he reached down to gently take Iruka’s arm in his grasp, pulling his sleeve up slightly to make out the number fourteen permanently etched there.
“Of course, it had to be him,” the hokage whispered, somewhat in disbelief. Hiruzen loosened his grip on Iruka’s arm in order to grasp both of the boy’s hands in his own.
“Iruka-kun, once again, I’m sorry, my boy. Fate is a cruel mistress sometimes. I wish—”
Iruka squeezed Lord Third’s hands tightly as he cut him off. “Please, don’t. Don’t say anything else. As a shinobi of this village, I understand what’s expected of me—of any other shinobi, especially those in the ANBU Black Ops. I think I just need time.”
Hiruzen looked down on the young man with sadness enveloping his heart and admired the strength that young Umino was showing before reaching out to pull the young man into a strong hug. Iruka stiffened at first, but soon melted into the Sandaime’s comfort. After a few moments, the older man let go of him and stepped back around his desk. He cleared his throat and shuffled some papers around his desk for show.
“Let’s change the subject, shall we?”
Iruka nodded eagerly as he wiped his face with his sleeves.
“I have a job for you if you’re willing, Iruka-kun.”
Iruka gazed at the hokage with interest. “As you know, my younger son, Asuma, has left the village for the time being. With my eldest and his wife both ANBU themselves, the care of my grandson has fallen to a nursemaid. I was wondering if you could be coerced to help her on occasion and spend some time with the toddler? Konohamaru is quite a spirited thing. I think he’d like you.”
The idea immediately appealed to Iruka—he’d always liked children—but he hesitated. As if sensing his dilemma, Hiruzen continued.
“It would only be for a short time since I know you have training and other obligations—when you’re not pranking unsuspecting villagers, of course.”
Iruka felt his cheeks redden with embarrassment.
“Once you pass the chuunin exam, I’m sure you’ll be much too busy to be a playmate. Consider this a personal favor to your hokage.”
Iruka nodded solemnly. “Of course, my Lord. I’d be honored to spend time with your grandson.”
Iruka kept to his word and spent a few afternoons each week playing and helping Konohamaru’s nurse. Lord Third had been mild in describing the child as spirited. He was a nightmare in toddler form, but Iruka grew to care for him fondly. His favorite days always ended with the pair of them visiting the hokage’s office for tea for Iruka and treats for the little one. The time he spent with the Sarutobi family made up for every single dig or teasing comment that his friends made about becoming the hokage’s errand boy. Iruka’s best friend, Mizuki, had been the most jealous of Iruka’s newfound favor with the hokage, but he masked his ire inside of playful digs.
The day Iruka passed his chuunin exam was bittersweet for him. He was going to miss spending so much time with the youngest Sarutobi, but he’d made sure that Lord Third had another playmate lined up so that Konohamaru wouldn’t be lonely. With his new certification, Iruka hit the ground running and took on mission after mission, hoping to keep his mind and body so tired that his thoughts wouldn’t stray to the missing half of his heart—because that was indeed what it felt like after not having been in the presence of his soulmate in almost a year.
Alas, Iruka found out the hard way that he could only push his mental and physical limits just so far before everything crashed and burned. It was on a fateful mission with a team led by the infamous jounin, Kakashi Hatake, that Iruka realized just how much he’d screwed up and backed himself into a corner. He’d almost gotten a teammate killed by being too softhearted, which was practically a sin in their profession. To be honest, Iruka had been considering veering off course of his career path before the mission with Kakashi, and that only helped him solidify the decision to want to become a teacher.
Looking back, Iruka was glad for all of the experience he’d gained. It would come in handy for helping to instill the will of fire into the future generations that he would teach. Who knows? Maybe one day he would have the opportunity to teach Konohamaru, whom he had begun to view as a nephew of sorts. Hopefully this change would help fill the void in his heart.