As promised! :)

JB

Title: Former Lives
Author: JBMcDragon
Status: Complete, 9 parts
Rating: R for violence and language

Summary: The sequel to The Kakashi Mission. Things are not perfect in any relationship, but even Kakashi knows something really isn't right in theirs. When Iruka tries to poison Naruto, he begins to think something isn't right, period.

Prologue and chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3


Chapter Four
Now

He went through Iruka's apartment recklessly, both eyes uncovered, searching for anything unusual. He went through everything three times and wasted nearly an hour before he saw it. Even then, he almost missed it simply because it seemed so normal.

A scroll with the stack of mail. He didn't recognize the kanji. He did see the lingering chakra.

One didn't put chakra into mail, unless it wasn't mail at all. He grabbed it and ran.

**

Everything seemed dark. Like walking through an unfamiliar hallway with all the lights off. He saw shapes, sensed things just before he hit them.

He realized he was moving. He heard his own voice, giggling. He heard Mizuki. "I *said*, let me by."

It might have been a memory. He struggled against the murky darkness, but it was like fighting the night. Nothing happened.

He kept moving.

**

"It isn't Iruka."

Tsunade jumped and looked up, blond eyebrows drawn low. Kakashi kept walking into the room, past the ANBU who were looking from her to him and back again.

"Kakashi?" Tsunade asked.

"He isn't Iruka." He placed the scroll on her desk--he didn't throw it, as much as he wanted to--and waited. Staring out the window behind Tsunade, he realized the sun had set while he'd torn through the apartment. Stars glittered in a death-black sky.

Tsunade picked the scroll up and glanced over it. "Where'd you find this?"

"His apartment."

She looked at it again, then up at her guard. "Get me--shit. Who's good with ninjutsu? I need code specialists--"

"Ibiki," Kotetsu said, leaning around the doorway.

"Does the scroll have seals? Anko. And Hiashi," Izumo added.

"Right. Get them. Kakashi, do you recognize any of these?" Tsunade asked, gesturing at the delicately painted characters. "And where's Iruka now?"

"I drugged him," Kakashi said quietly. He pulled the scroll close, eyes flashing over the dark ink. "I don't know any of them." He hesitated, then added slowly, "This looks vaguely like something I saw in Mist's code, once." He paused, adding, "Get Nara Shikaku. He might know something like this."

Tsunade nodded and gestured to one of her ANBU. He vanished.

"Tsunade-sama!" a voice bellowed, footsteps pounding down the hall. A woman swung around the corner, brown hair swinging wildly around her hitae-ate as she nearly collapsed against the doorframe. "Tsunade-sama! It's the forbidden scroll--it's gone! They said--witnesses saw Umino Iruka leaving--"

Kakashi felt himself go cold, and knew he'd turned pale. He looked at Tsunade.

"We'll get someone on this. We'll *find* a way to fix it," Tsunade said, pinning him with bight blue eyes. "You go find Iruka, and get that scroll."

He nodded once and started from the room.

"Kakashi!"

He stopped and looked back.

Tsunade looked strained. "He can't leave. If you can't stop him without hurting him . . ."

Kakashi nodded, formed hand seals, and transported.

**
Several weeks before

Iruka was one of the few that went to Mizuki's funeral. It was sunny. Birds sang. Mizuki's girlfriend cried, and Iruka wrapped an arm around her, wishing he could mourn as easily.

Mizuki hadn't been himself. He hadn't been happy. Iruka privately thought he'd been rather insane.

Maybe it was better he was dead.

Dishonored, insane, dead. Buried outside the protection of the ninja village, without the ceremony that would help his spirit in its transition. In the forest, where a ghost couldn't cause problems.

Maybe it was better this way.

**
Now

He checked the apartment first.

Iruka was gone.

Kakashi didn't curse. He wanted to. Instead, he ripped his mask down and bit violently on his thumb, tearing through a callous and down to the blood. He snarled the words and smoke twisted through the air, clearing rapidly.

Pakkun looked up at him.

"We have to find Iruka," Kakashi said quickly. Fear rose, and he smashed it back down.

He'd find Iruka. He'd stop Iruka. They were calling in every language, seal, and jutsu expert they had, and they'd figure out what was wrong.

And he wouldn't have to kill Iruka to get the scroll back.

Pakkun stared at him for a long moment. His nose wrinkled. "You okay?"

"Find him!" Kakashi snapped.

"Did you have another fight?"

"Pakkun!" Kakashi nearly yelled.

Pakkun jumped, eyes widening. Then he whuffed and began to sniff.

**

He wasn't hard to find. He hadn't gotten far.

"Iruka," Kakashi said, dropping down out of a shadow.

Iruka jumped away, whipping the scroll behind his back as if that might help. He grinned broadly.

"Who are you?" Kakashi asked conversationally, hands in his pockets where no one could see his fingers tremble. He could take the imposter out now, but he wanted information first.

The grin got bigger. "So you figured it out? I rather like this body, though. When that Mist ninja said she could put my spirit in here, I didn't believe her at first. But then, who can see a spirit, right? If she could see me, maybe she could move me . . ."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "Mizuki," he said softly, comprehension hitting him. 'Iruka?' he'd asked, making tea, and 'Mizuki,' the creature had answered. Not, 'I almost raped Mizuki,' but, 'I am Touji Mizuki.'

The grin got wider. "Are you as unhappy with your sex life as he thinks?" His eyes unfocused slightly. "I can go right through *everything* in here."

Kakashi pulled out a kunai and flipped it slowly. "Keep talking, Touji," he drawled.

Mizuki laughed. "What, you gonna hurt me? In this body? I doubt it."

Kakashi shrugged, holding his nonchalance like a mask. "Iruka's not in there." He prayed Iruka was still in there.

Mizuki laughed. "Of course he is. You hurt me, he feels it. In fact, I can shunt things right over to him. Skips me entirely." His eyes unfocused again. "He doesn't like that."

Kakashi pushed his hitai-ate up, watching with his Sharingan. He could still see the double image; clearer, now that he knew what he was looking at.

One chakra pattern swirled sickeningly, patchy and unnatural. The other was red; vibrant, angrily red.

"Shouldn't you be drugged, still?" Kakashi asked calmly. If pain was being shunted to Iruka, he supposed the drug was, too. In which case--he was afraid to try knocking Mizuki out. If *that* got shunted over to Iruka often enough . . .

"I've never seen the Sharingan," Mizuki said in a tone of awe. "Am I that much of a threat?" He grinned again. "I'm honored." His head tipped. "It gives you a headache? That's good to know . . ."

Kakashi's skin prickled. He certainly didn't like Mizuki with access to Iruka's memories.

"You going to attack me?"

Not if he could help it. He flipped the kunai again just for good measure, and didn't say that.

Mizuki tilted his head. "I can hear *everything.* He's very upset with me."

"Iruka, fight him," Kakashi said, uncertain if the man even could. It was worth a shot.

Mizuki just grinned again.

"How'd you do it?" Kakashi asked, keeping himself between the Chuunin and the forest.

Mizuki laughed. "The folks who wanted this?" He hefted the scroll in one hand. "Do you really think they would let a little thing like death get in their way? With an angry ghost? Come on, I was ripe for possession." He started to laugh.

Kakashi threw the kunai.

It hit.

He stared in surprise as Mizuki dropped, clutching one shoulder. He'd expected the man to dodge.

And then it wasn't Mizuki; it was Iruka, face strained with pain, looking frightened and betrayed. "Kakashi--" Iruka said, hissing through his teeth. "Kakashi--help--" He gasped, hand clenching.

Without thought, Kakashi took three steps forward.

The terror dissolved into a grin. Iruka started to laugh. "The look on your face--! You look like someone kicked your puppy!" He yanked the kunai out and stood. The front of his shirt glistened with blood. His grin grew sly. "Or fucked your sextoy."

Kakashi pulled another kunai. "Do you *want* to die?"

"Poor baby. He won't let you do *anything* fun. Oh--wait--" his eyes stared at a midpoint Kakashi couldn't see. He smiled. "Iruka wants me to shut up."

"You poisoned Naruto," Kakashi said quietly. He paced to one side as Mizuki edged that way, keeping the man's path blocked.

"Of course. It didn't take much. A few nudges at the right time." Mizuki smiled. "But I let Iruka deal with the jutsu."

The grin, the entire way of moving, it all looked alien on Iruka's frame.

"I owe you thanks, you know," the Chuunin said happily. "Possession isn't as easy as it looks. Until you drugged him, it was hell trying to get Iruka to do what I wanted. Poisoning Naruto was bad enough, and he had reasons to do that--all sorts of emotional inconsistencies and problems to pick on. I wasn't sure I could get him to steal the scroll." Mizuki smiled with Iruka's face again, too wide, lips stretching to expose rows of white teeth. "I probably could make him play S&M, though, if you're interested . . . he's got sexual insecurities like you wouldn't *believe* . . ."

Something must have shown on Kakashi's face. Mizuki started to laugh again. He giggled, dancing to one side, keeping in a defensive position. "Look, this is fun, but I have to go." He started to walk straight for Kakashi.

Kakashi tucked his weapons away, put his hands in his pockets, and waited. Surely Mizuki wasn't going to walk right by him.

Apparently, that was exactly Mizuki's plan. Kakashi reached out without looking and grabbed the man by his elbow.

The Chuunin stopped and smiled at him. "Let go."

Kakashi glanced over, peering at the Chuunin out of the corner of his eye. "You know I can't let you leave."

Mizuki was still grinning. "You'll have to kill me to stop me." He twisted, dropping, trying for a foot swipe.

Kakashi jumped back, releasing the man's arm before whipping around to block his path again.

They stood, crouched, watching each other warily. Mizuki laughed. "I told Iruka he slobbered all over people. That Anko left him because he was a bad lay. What do you think? You get bored during sex?" His eyes unfocused again, and the smile grew. "Sometimes you don't even get it up . . ."

Kakashi knew he was being baited. He knew it. He remained still, waiting, and tried not to react.

"He knows he's not terribly attractive. He figures you're going to get bored of him soon, if the sex doesn't improve. Is he right? You shallow enough to dump him for that?"

Kakashi remained silent and wished Mizuki was in a body he could happily dismember.

"He really isn't *bad*, but he's just not adventurous enough to keep a person happy," Mizuki said conspiratorially. "And--" his eyes unfocused, and he grinned. "--He loves hearing your voice, but he's too embarrassed to ask you to do anything like talk dirty." The eyes sharpened again. The body smiled. "He's so pathetic, don't you think?"

Kakashi stood, unmoving and looking bored. As long as Mizuki kept talking, the others could get there with a fix. He wondered if they'd figured out it was possession. He hoped so.

He could take Mizuki down; there was no doubt in his mind. But it was Iruka's body. He didn't want to.

Mizuki tilted Iruka's head. "Well. It's been fun." He waved--and bolted.

Kakashi twisted, moving to kick the Chuunin's legs out from under him--

And hesitated. If he *was* funneling the pain to Iruka--

He shifted the kick to the abdomen. Not as effective, but not as painful.

Mizuki spun away, twisted, and leapt for a tree.

Kakashi leapt after him, catching up easily. He grabbed the Chuunin's vest and hauled him to the ground, dodged a kunai, and began to tie the other man up.

Mizuki stabbed himself in the forearm.

Kakashi scrambled to grab the blade, but it was much too late. He hadn't expected that. The red chakra--Iruka's chakra, he was certain--flared painfully bright.

"This body won't work if you injure it," Kakashi pointed out in as dry a tone as he could manage, even as he gave Mizuki space.

Mizuki grinned, standing. "It will if I can't feel the pain from the injuries."

To a certain extent, he had a point.

"Stay back. Just--stay there." Mizuki smiled, giggled. Black hair fell in long, dark strands in front of his eyes. "You could come with me. He likes you. Oh, he likes you a lot. And you haven't done anything about it--you could have had him doing anything you asked with the proper guilt, and yet you don't even push him into sex!"

Kakashi started to edge forward.

Mizuki shifted, and the blade cut into Iruka's shoulder. "Don't."

Kakashi stopped moving.

"Come with me."

He tipped his head and smiled. "Sure. Where?"

"I--" For a moment, it was Iruka's expression. Then it darkened again. "No. *Bastard.*" Mizuki threw a shuriken. Kakashi ducked, and in that moment the Chuunin ran again.

There were a million things Kakashi could have done to stop him. Muttering under his breath, he settled on the one that would cause the least injury, and threw a kunai into Mizuki's calf.

The man didn't even falter.

No pain. No fucking pain.

Kakashi bolted after the Chuunin. He couldn't stop him by something simple, and he wouldn't injure Iruka badly. They were going to get the body back, and Iruka had to be able to survive in it.

He couldn't just take Mizuki down and damn the consequences.

Kakashi got in front of Mizuki and drove his fist into the other man's gut.

Mizuki barely even flinched. A knife slashed toward Kakashi's eyes, and he blocked it, twisting to throw Mizuki to the ground.

Mizuki rolled up. Kakashi threw him again, feeling the shoulder dislocate and trying not to think about what he was doing--

The Chuunin twisted. Tendons ripped. Kakashi let go before any further damage was done, dodged a kick, and watched as Mizuki shoved back to his feet and turned to attack.

Kakashi shifted easily. Mizuki was only a Chuunin, in a body he wasn't familiar with. It wasn't hard to keep away.

"Is that the best you can do?" Kakashi asked blandly, hoping to bait him into staying here. If he could just keep Mizuki there by annoying him, it would work so much better.

"Fucking *bastard!*" Mizuki snarled in Iruka's voice. He yanked another shuriken from a pouch and hurled it.

Kakashi ducked, twisted and--with sudden inspiration--got close enough to yank the scroll away from Mizuki.

He spun away and stood, hips canted, glancing over it idly. "This is what you wanted?

Iruka's nearly black eyes narrowed. Mizuki pulled a kunai and spun it, one finger through the hole in the end. Then he smiled. "You know, I don't really need that. I have enough secrets in this pretty little head to keep my new masters happy. Thanks to you."

Alarm snaked through Kakashi's gut.

Mizuki turned and ran.

Kakashi dropped the scroll and raced after the other man, catching up to him quickly. He kicked him in the head, aiming for a nerve cluster.

He knew he hit it. He *knew* he did.

The red chakra wavered and faded.

Mizuki slashed at Kakshi's foot, drawing blood, and kept moving. He burst through the trees, zig zagging through the forest to keep from getting caught. Kakashi followed, lower under the branches, catching Mizuki's ankle and yanking.

Mizuki broke free in a move that would have shattered Iruka's bones, if Kakashi hadn't let go.

Shit. *Shit.* Mizuki didn't feel pain, and if he didn't feel pain he'd run that body into the ground long before he stopped.

Run the body into the ground.

He could do that.

Kakashi threw a shuriken. It sliced through uniform and skin, parting both with a razor sharp edge.

Mizuki didn't even slow.

Blood began to flow.

Kakashi just kept up, watching liquid soak into cloth. It shone in the starlight filtering down through the forest canopy.

"Son of a bitch!" Mizuki snarled at him, grabbing senbon and hurling them.

Kakashi dodged. They sparkled into trees, thunking into bark.

Mizuki kept running. "You just gonna follow me all the way there?" he snapped.

And tripped.

He fell, hitting the forest floor hard. Something crunched. He sprang up to his feet, lunging straight for Kakashi.

Kakashi twisted, grabbing his arm and flipping him around, knocking him back to the ground. The Chuunin's movements were slowing. His face was getting pale, under Iruka's tan.

Blood loss.

"Y-you stupid son of a--" Mizuki trailed off, trying to stand, staggering weakly. "You'll kill your own boyfriend over this?"

Kakashi grabbed the strong jaw in one hand, jerking Mizuki's gaze up to meet his. "Better dead then under your power." He felt the alien chakra waver. He couldn't see Iruka's at all, anymore.

He prayed his lover wasn't dead.

Mizuki staggered and dropped to the ground. Loam squelched under Kakashi's footsteps. He bound the Chuunin's hands, then stooped and yanked up the pants legs.

Both insides of Mizuki's ankles had been sliced cleanly open. He couldn't see the injuries for the blood pumping free of skin.

Mizuki was still mumbling.

Kakashi slapped his palms over Iruka's flesh and forced chakra through, demanding blood to clot and skin to knit. He could feel veins uncurl and tie back together, and the flow began to slow down. He breathed a little easier.

Mizuki had stopped speaking.

If he could get him to the Konoha hospital--fast--get the scroll--

It would be fine. It had to be fine.

He slung the body over his shoulder, went back to grab the scroll, and fled.

*******************

A/N:
1. Ahh, all you folks who guessed Iruka was Mizuki from that one line--you know me too well. I'll have to start finding new ways to throw people for a loop. *grins*
2. All those who keep asking if it's over: NO! Read the summary, sillies! NINE chapters. Think of the hell I can raise in nine chapters. ;)