Tears rolled steadiy down Iruka's face, as he tried to muffle the sobs crawling out of his throat with his hand. The young chunin couldn't remember the last time he had been this terrified. This nightmare evidently didn't come often, usually only when fall came along did this particular demon haunt him. The swirling leaves always reminded him of Mizuki, and unlike what most people thought, Mizuki hadn't just been a friend to him. Mizuki was his brother, metaphorically speaking. He saw the red flash of hatred, as Mizuki tried to kill the student he viewed as a younger brother. Ironic really, Iruka mused, that one brother would kill the other, because despite what many said happened, Naruto had ended up taking his first life that night. Mizuki had tried to kill Naruto, but ended up breathing his last breath instead. After he saw the hateful red gaze from Mizuki, he would see Naruto ripping out the spine of a younger Mizuki and beating him with it. Nothing as brutal that had actually occured that night, but Iruka was always to scared to wake up, only to find out that his worst fears had come true. As Iruka's flood of tears came to an end, his bare feet lazily embraced the floor as he dragged himself threw his small apartment. After ariving in the kitchen, he got a tub of icecream and a spoon. As Iruka plopped his emotionally drained body onto his beat up old couch, he grabbed a tiny brown remote. Pressing down on a button made the old fashioned tv in his living room flick on and steadily play static. Iruka began flipping threw channel upon channel, most being filled with the same static and dull throbing noise he was accutomed to hearing whenever he went to Kakashi's house. Iruka's eyes widened, and tears threatened to spill out of his eyes again. Kakashi...Iruka rubbbed his eyes as the tears finally spilled over his already red and throbing face. He grabbed some tissue on a quaint ittle table to the right of the couch, and wiped the tears and snot spilling down his sore face. After he had finished mopping up the mess on his face, Iruka downed three advils from his bathroom cabinent. God, what a mess. His thoughts bubbled over as he saw himself in the mirror. Maybe the dreams are coming because Kakashi's on that mission still...Kakashi had gone on a C-rank with his team to the land of waves to guard a crotchity old drunk while he bilt a bridge. Simple enough, right? Apparently not, because they left two month ago. The mission should only have taken two or three weeks at most and Iruka was just so, damn...worried. Kakashi and Iruka. Iruka and Kakashi. They had been an item for twelve years now. Iruka smiled sardonically, as fiddled with his engagement ring. Kakashi had promised they woud get married in December, since winter was his favorite holiday. Iruka had already planned all the details out, who would be their, the decorations, the theme, everything! Now all he needed was for his fiance to actually be here, if h was even alive...Iruka sighed and walked back into the living room. He tossed the melting icecream back into the freezer and the spoon back in the drawer. He turned off the tv and began cleaning the house. When he had cleaned the whole house, top to bottom, it was only 2:00am. He wondered threw the streets and made his way to Naruto's house. Now Naruto's house was usually a mess, but when they (team 7) had left on their first C-rank, he had taken to cleaning his house for him. A quick glance at the clock after he had finished cleaning told him it was 3:00am. Iruka practically tripped over himself to get to Kakashi's house. When he finally arrived his cheeks were even redder than they had been earlier and his breathing was labored. An anbu watched silently, shaking their head as they watched Iruka enter the house. Iruka didn't notice the anbu that night, and cuddled into Kakashi's sheets. Good night Kakashi echoed off the walls of the empty but welcoming house as Iruka inhaled the faint scent of Kakashi left in the house. The anbu outside smiled sadly under his mask, and shushined away to file his mission report. The hokage thumbed his pipe as smoke blew from his lips. He dismissed the anbu and sighed. It seemed that Kakashi would never come back, and the talented young mans absence was affecting more people than he thought. Iruka was the worst, yes, but certainly not the only affected by Kakashi being gone. The hokage was pondering on whether they should have a funeral now or wait another week when Itachi, who had been released from anbu before Kakashi left, burst into his office with eyes shining with tears. Hiruzen quirked an eyebrow at the young man who had come into his office rather unproffesionally. "Ita-They're back! They're finally back! All four of them completely fine except for Kakashi who has a broken arm and severe chakra depletion..." The hokage didn't even here everything Itachi had said, for as soon as he heard him exclaim they were here, he began sending anbu to escort them to the hospital. Itachi rushed off to Iruka's house to tell him the good news. Kakashi moaned unconsconsly in pain as he was placed into a stale hospital bed. The other members of team seven crowded around him. Sakura held onto Sasuke and cried, Sasuke awkwardly rubbed her back and patted her head, saying that Kakashi would make it, and poor sleep deprived Naruto held his sensei's hand until his fingers turned white and sobbed. Tears and snot found their way onto their sensei's hospital gown as Naruto choked and spluttered random nonsensical words. Team 7 refused to leave after visiting hours, even Sasuke gave his patented Uchiha Glare to anyone who even dared peek into their hospital room. Itachi on the other hand, coudn't find Iruka. Iruka's dreams were filled with the hope that Kakashi would return. Sunlight harshly ripped Iruka out of his fantasys. As he headed towards the school, he found Itachi knocked out by the doors. He shook Itachi's shoulders and threw some water on him before Itachi woke up. Itachi glanced blurrily at Iruka, before his eyes snapped open and all previous signs of drowsyness disapeared. "Iruka! Kakashi's in the hospital, he's back Iruka, he's back!" Iruka's eyes widened in disbelief, and he ran off to the hospital. When he got their he barged threw the doors and demanded the lazy jonin's room number. Naruto and Sakura had finally fallen asleep, and now it was Sasuke's turn to cry. Quiet tears snuck past his closed eyelids, as he bowed his head and prayed to all of his gods that Kakashi would be fine. A slam alerted him to the intrusion of his solitude, and he whipped his head around to glare, but what he saw stopped him in his tracks. Iruka-sensei, the ever calm support system of the village was in tears. Heavy sobs racked through his now delicate seeming body, as he tried his best to breathe, cry, appoligize, and laugh in relief all at the same time. Kakashi's arm was soon held captve by the weeping man, and as Iruka continued to sob, Kakashi eyes snapped open, and as soon as the fog in his vision cleared he gasped. Iruka whipped his head to the side and his eyes widened. When he saw Kakashi was awake, he lept across the hospital bed and squeezed the injured man in disbelief. Kakashi grunted in surprise and returned the hug, albiet a little less enthusiatiscally. Iruka murmered in his ear "I expect a lot of make up sex..." and grinned with tears pooling into the napes of his neck. Kakashi laughed in disbelief and tears began to land on his lovers cheek as the two cuddled. Sasuke, forgotten by one unnoticed by the other, gave a faint smile and left the academy teacher to reconcile with the copy-nin. As Sasuke walked back to the Uchiha compound, he noticed something odd. On his table lay an assortment of gifts. A tub of hair gel, pocky, fresh tomatoes, and a lilac embroidered hanky with Hinata's name on it. The edge of his lip tilted up slighhtly and he felt a warmth spreading his heart. The stoic Uchiha then flopped into bed and snuggled against the Hyugga sleeping in his bed, and heavily inhaled her scent. God I missed this, thought Kakashi the form of Iruka pressed into him. How could I have done this to her? Sasuke felt horrible for having made her feel the need to sleep in his bed and in his shirts, not that he minded her doing these things. What did I do to deserve him/her? Kakashi and Sasuke thought, unknowingly, at the same time. Please, don't let him leave me, just keep him here for a little while..though Iruka as he drifted off. Hinata, however didn't know Sasuke was there yet. Please dear God, let him return to me safely...she thought as a tear slipped past her right eye, right onto her lovers cheek.