I Promise

Character Info:

Kakashi - 29 Jounin/ Anbu

Iruka - 27 Chunin

Naruto -17 Jounin

Sakura -17 Medic-nin/ Jounin

Sasuke -17 Jounin

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any Naruto characters.

I Promise

He was sitting on the couch of his shared apartment when he felt chakra seep into the house.

"Iruka," Kakashi said as he stepped into the hallway where his lover was. Iruka looked up from his shoes and grinned. Kakashi walked up to his dolphin and embraced him. Iruka instantly knew something was wrong.

"Wh…what's wrong?"

Kakashi looked down as he spoke, not wanting to look into the deep brown eyes, which were filled with hurt and fear.

"I…have a mission."

"What kind of mission?"

Kakashi, again, averted his gaze and looked at the wall as if it was the person he was talking to.

"The kind of mission that you should start moving on."

"What!?" Iruka half shouted "Why should I move on, you, you insufferable, under-confident, stupid jounin!" Iruka cried, "You are coming back from the damn mission!"

"Ruka…"

"No shut-up!" Iruka screamed, "I have to think."

"Ruka…"

"Kakashi just let me think!"

"Iruka!" Kakashi yelled, "I know I'm not coming back from this one, so please…please just let it go."

Iruka froze as Kakashi yelled. He was scared; he had never seen the jounin so upset about a mission before.

"Is it…a solo?" Iruka whispered.

"Yeah"

"What? Tsunade should at least grant you a team or… or a partner!"

"Iruka, it's just too dangerous for a team. Anyways, I work better alone."

Iruka was about to shout at his stubborn lover then realized that it was Kakashi going, not him. Kakashi was the one who apparently wasn't coming back. Iruka knew he was being selfish. How could he have just centered his attention on his feelings?

"I'm sorry Ka-chan."

"Please Iruka, I love you to much to make you worry."

"Kashi, you know I'm stronger than that," Iruka put his fingers under Kakashi's chin and forced Kakashi to look at him, "you are going to come back, I promise."

"Alive?" Kakashi quipped, and Iruka slapped his shoulder.

"Of course."

Kakashi smiled as Iruka pulled him into the bedroom.

-X0X0X0X0X0X-

Kakashi woke up with the now familiar feeling of pain. Constant pain. He could feel the foot of a person on his back, pressing their weight on to his fragile ribs.

"So Copy-nin, you've been here for eight days already and you haven't said anything," a voice said, "I'm actually surprised."

Kakashi said nothing, as expected. As the voice continued he could almost place that noise he had grown accustom to. The dark, deep, tenor voice that now haunted is feverish dreams.

"So Kakashi, what are the combinations to access the scrolls?"

Kakashi craned his neck so he could look at the man who was stepping on him. Squinting his eyes, he could make out the shadowed figure of a man, the man responsible for his capture and beatings, whose name was Ryuu. The torturer had accidentally let his name slip on Kakashi's third day of being here.

Over the last week he had endured enough torture to kill a person, but Kakashi was a stubborn man.

'You are going to come back, I promise.'

Iruka's statement roamed in around in Kakashi's subconscious.

'Sorry Iruka doesn't seem that way anymore.'

As Kakashi didn't answer the man pressed his foot down harder. Kakashi, having some tolerance to pain, didn't flinch. Ryuu stepped on both of Kakashi's hands which were tied behind his back. Slowly and agonizingly Ryuu broke each and everyone of Kakashi's fingers. As the last few broke Kakashi screamed.

Ryuu smiled, "it seems that the copy-ninja isn't as invincible as everyone seems to think."

-X0X0X0X0X0X-

Iruka walked into the mission room, five minutes early, hoping to see a certain face. Disappointment soon etched itself into his features. He had hoped today would be the day that Kakashi would be back from his mission but, it didn't seem that way.

To his surprise, his 'favourite' former genin team was in the mission room as well, not that he had favourites.

Walking up to them Iruka plastered a fake cheery smile on his face, hoping no one would see the disappointment.

"Hey Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka's grin grew as he neared the energetic jounin.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled as she pounded on his head, "we're in the mission room, not so loud."

"Owww Sakura-chan, I know," Naruto said with a smile, "I'm a jounin now."

"We all know that dope."

"Shut-up Sasuke-teme!"

"Um Iruka-sensei, have you heard any news on Kakashi-sensei's return?" Sakura asked quietly while her two boys fought it out it a game of wit, in which Naruto lost immediately.

Iruka shook his head solemnly, "Sorry Sakura, I haven't"

"Oh, well I'm sure that Kakashi-sensei is fine; just saw a few black cats on the way here or something."

Iruka smiled as he patted her head, "I'm sure that's the case."

Sakura looked up at her tanned academy teacher with worry stricken jade eyes.

Iruka couldn't help but think that maybe Kakashi was right, may be he wouldn't come back.

"I know I'm not coming back from this one, so please…please let it go."

'No I won't think like that.' Iruka needed to be strong, "he is definitely coming back."

"Ah, well you now Kakashi-sensei, he couldn't be on time if his life depended on it." Naruto gleamed as old memories of their beloved, perverted and tardy teacher came to mind.

Iruka just smiled.

-End-

TBC

Notes:

Well the first chapter is kind of boring, sorry. This is my first so please give me some slack.

Well for now,

Clarity ♥