| [Jan. 22nd, 2010|09:12 pm] |
My parents were married. I will never be a traitor. Don't talk about my mother.
If it hadn't run the risk of putting Genma in the ground, Kakashi would have seriously contemplated adding another bruise to Genma's jaw. Instead he loosened his grip over Genma's mouth, pressing rather than crushing, splaying his fingers so that Genma could breathe better. Adjusted until his weight was off Genma's body, mostly, and poised above him instead.
Thought. Hard.
It was wildly ironic, Kakashi realized, that they'd run into the one situation that could only have been improved by being friendly. Approachable. Because Genma needed to trust him, and that was the one thing Kakashi had never encouraged, ever. Respect, yes. A willingness to work with him, sure. But trust was something else, and paranoia was far healthier in ANBU.
But he couldn't tie Genma down. Couldn't drug him. Couldn't knock him out. Couldn't even genjutsu him for fear of what the chakra-stress would do to his brain.
Which left talking.
Which left them both screwed.
Genma smelled like fear and betrayal, inarticulate rage; like his worst fear was coming to life and Kakashi had made it happen. His eyes glistened white all the way around.
Kakashi had no idea how to turn that into trust.
He leaned forward anyway, grabbing words blind. "Shiranui, I need you to think real hard and get your head out of your ass. I've served Konoha for sixteen years. I've been in ANBU four. I've never done a single thing that wasn't for the good of the village, and that includes saving your ungrateful hide. I'm going into Iwa with you, as your ally, and a bargaining chip if I have to be. Because they sure don't like me any more than you -- and I'm betting they like me a lot less." He drew a breath, forced himself on. "I need your help with this. I can't bargain with them and hold onto your sanity for you at the same time, so I need you to be sane. All by yourself."
He released his hold on Genma's mouth, dropped his hand down to Genma's wrist--a hands-breadth above Genma's scarred, black-gloved hand, because he was being nice--and pulled it up to his own throat. Squashed his instincts when Genma got the idea and gripped tight.
"We're doing this together, or you can snap my neck and try to crawl home by yourself. Because I am not going to stop dragging you to Iwa. Got it? I'm getting you fixed." He looked levelly down at the hard-breathing man beneath him. "I'm getting us both home, Genma. I'm just doing it the long way 'round." |
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