Disclaimer: Nope, don't own.
"The most important thing," His sensei had once told him, "Is to complete the mission."
Kakashi still remembers the look on his sensei's face, the way he would not look them in the eyes, instead staring out into the distance as though whatever it was that he was looking for was somewhere out there.
Kakashi remembers craning his neck, trying to see what his sensei saw and being unable to.
The mission he is on is bad from the start.
They are sent to infiltrate a far off village, learn if they're planning war and return with the information. Kakashi slips out of their bed, out of their home in the middle of the night. He leaves no note or explanation about where he's going or when he'll be back; if he'll be back. Instead he ties a red ribbon to Iruka's left index finger, places a light kiss to his forehead and leaves before he wakes the other man.
They make it to the village as the sun is setting, a group of three of them. They learn that the village is building weapons, the likes of which they have never seen before and that there are plans for war, but not with their village.
They leave the village as the sun is rising the next morning, undetected but it seems like it was all too easy.
The ambush hits them not long after they leave the village.
After that Kakashi stops thinking and just moves. His grip on his kunai is slick with the blood that rains down on them, both from friend and enemy. His muscles scream in protest as he moves faster and faster, and even with the sheer amount of ninja the enemy start to fall.
But so does Kakashi's team.
When finally the forest is still again, now stained dark red, there are only two of them left standing.
Kakashi meets the eyes of the other ANBU who now holds an extra mask; nods and they head out again. It won't be long before the village realizes that the ambush failed.
The sun is setting and night is upon them as they make it back to the safety of the village. His fellow ANBU goes ahead to talk to Tsunade but Kakashi sets out in a different direction. There are cuts, both shallow and deep still bleeding, hastily bandaged, that need to be taken care of but he ignores them for the moment.
The window is unlocked and propped open as he slides into the small apartment leaving red handprints on the windowsill. He lowers himself to the floor of the bedroom and allows himself to breath easily, exhaustion pulling at his mind.
Kakashi grins as the door swings open and Iruka comes bustling inside, medical kit in one hand and the red ribbon still tied to his other hand.
"Welcome back." Iruka murmurs and doesn't comment on how he left in the middle of the night with no note. Kakashi wraps a bloody hand around Iruka's and lifts the finger with the ribbon to his lips, pressing a reverent kiss to it.
Iruka smiles back, ducks his head and opens the medical kit. It's their routine- Kakashi leaves, leaving only the ribbon and returns, sometimes bloody and bruised, for Iruka to patch him up.
A year ago when they had first started this- started dating, living together, falling in love- Iruka had taken his hands, met his eyes and told him,
"The most important thing is that you come home."
And Kakashi had met his gaze, found the love and trust there and had realized that it was the truth.