Okay! This is my first fanfic. I'm really nervous putting it on the website…it seemed really challenging; I read a lot of good fanfics. It features Sakumo and Kakashi Hatake as father and son. To be honest, I got challenged on the title of this fanfic, I thought it would seem boring at first….anyway, here goes….

PROMISE

When Hatake Sakumo returned late one night from a mission, he found his son, Kakashi, asleep on the floor, curled in a white blanket. Sakumo smiled and picked up the boy and cradled him in his arms and sat down on the floor. He hadn't gone home for the past 5 days but he was confident that his little son could already take care of himself.

"Tadaima," Sakumo whispered, wishing not to wake his son.

But the sound of his father's voice opened the 6-year-old's eyes through his streaks of silver hair.

"Okaeri, chichiue" Kakashi whispered back, giving a sleepy smile and going back to sleep, nuzzling closer to his father's chest.

The nocturnal breeze swept softly through the Hatakes' yard and the full moon shone brightly over their heads. Sakumo didn't bother to change into his night clothes; he just sat there cradling Kakashi until the horizon was streaked with pink-and-gold.

"Chichiue!"

Sakumo opened his eyes and saw Kakashi's face inches from his own.

"Ohayou!" the boy squeaked giving his father a wide grin.

"Kakashi, please, don't be so loud so early in the morning…" Sakumo mumbled, turning away.

"It's 11 o' clock!" Kakashi pouted. "And you promised me that you'd treat me some ice cream when you get back from your mission!"

Sakumo sighed sleepily. "Later….in the afternoon..." he mumbled.

"ICE CREAM! ICE CREAM! ICE CREAM! ICE CREAM!"

Kakashi started jumping up and down around Sakumo, making an irascible racket. He tried to muffle the sound with his pillow but then he realized that he fell asleep on the floor. He tried his best to muffle the child's racket, but Kakashi plopped himself on Sakumo's chest, forcing him awake. Sakumo looked at Kakashi, supporting himself on his elbows.

"Shinobi!" The boy said bossily, pointing his index finger between his father's eyes. "You must keep your word of honor to a fellow shinobi of the Leaf!"

Sakumo closed his eyes and snorted. Yes, Kakashi had just been promoted a Chuunin a day before his deployment in his last mission. True, he hadn't treated his genius son after his promotion since the mission was given to him so surprisingly.

"Hai, hai…." Sakumo finally gave in. "YES!" Kakashi got off his father's chest.

"Nee, Chichiue..." Kakashi said as he and Sakumo walked down the street, eating their ice creams.

"Hmmm?"

"Is there going to be a war?"

Sakumo looked at his son. There was clearly sadness in his voice.

"I'm afraid there will be." He sighed. "It was really inevitable."

"Minato-sensei said that it wasn't Konoha's doing." Kakashi said. Sakumo looked at his son more intensely; at a mere age of 6, Kakashi was already concerned with politics.

"Kakashi, that's something you shouldn't be bothered about." His father said with a small smile. "You may already be a chuunin, but to me, as your father you are still a child."

"That's not what I meant," The boy answered sadly. "War means that they'll send more shinobis on the front line. Excellent shinobis. It only means that you'll be gone for long periods of time again."

Kakashi looked at his father sadly. Sakumo ruffled his son's silver hair and smiled; he knew that leaving his son for long periods of time was lonesome for the boy.

"Daijoubu," he said grinning broadly. "I'll always come back for you, Kakashi…Always remember that your old man will always be strong to always come back home for you. That's a promise!"

"Promise?" Kakashi repeated, comfort revealed through the boy's dark eyes.

"Yes." Sakumo said. "How about this, whenever one of us goes to a mission, we'll never say 'good-bye' instead we'll say 'see you later' to each other that way that's the promise that we'll always be together."

"Alright then, when every time you come back, you'll treat me some ice cream." Kakashi grinned back. "Pinky promise?" he continued, holding out his left pinky finger.

Sakumo took it and smiled benignly. "Promise."

A/N: Okay..that's it for now…I'll write the second chapter please review the first…I hope you like it X)