A/N: And I'm sorry for not being able to update earlier. But here is the next chapter and yes, this story is coming to an end soon. Thanks to everyone who stuck to it and saw it through, despite it being more often than not, something akin to poorly-written ramblings rather than a proper story.
Thanks to all who reviewed. You know who you are and you have my deepest thanks for the support.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for part of the plot.
Chapter 14: The Separation
"I still don't understand why I'm chosen to do this."
Kakashi turned to watch the grousing kunoichi beside him, mildly amused by the reluctance shown in the posture.
"For your skills, naturally." He answered evasively, knowing full well that wasn't what the kunoichi was really asking. Hands in pocket, the silver-haired man continued meandering through the busy streets. "Now, hold on to the transformation. If you drop it, we will have to wait again until your chakra flow stabilises, before I can seal it in. And we don't have that kind of time to spare."
"I know." The brunette glanced around surreptitiously. "Do you get the feeling that we are being followed?"
The jounin shrugged. "It's not a feeling. We are being followed."
"Who?"
From the corner of his eye, Kakashi could see a shadow slipping into the cover of a roof. He frowned. "Now's not the time and place to talk about it."
Brown eyes narrowed as the kunoichi glanced at the man contemplatively. A curt nod was all to show the acknowledgement before she shut her mouth and the two continued on their way in silence.
Izumo had never a moment as shocked as now, as he stared at the two people who walked past the dango shop.
"Hey, what are you staring at?" Kotetsu waved his hand in front of the other chunin's eyes, trying to catch his attention.
"Kakashi-senpai…" The long-haired chunin muttered, almost disbelievingly.
"Kakashi?" Anko turned her head, trying to catch sight of their friend, and frowned when she couldn't.
"Just went past the shop." A frown began forming on Izumo's face. "He was with a woman."
"So?" Anko snorted, shoving a dumpling into her mouth.
"He's with a woman, when he doesn't even have time for Iruka?" The frown darkened.
Anko waved lazily at the chunin, trying to appease him. "Come on, we all know the village's in a pinch. That was probably some kunoichi he was on a mission with."
"Isn't everyone, especially jounin-level shinobi, going on solo missions because of the lack in manpower?" Kotetsu commented offhandedly, as his eyes decided flicked between the dango, deciding on the next one he was going to eat.
Anko shrugged nonchalantly, favouring instead to savour in her favourite snack.
"That woman doesn't look like a kunoichi." Izumo folded his arms on the table, his face scrunched up in deep thoughts. "I've been working in the mission room for so long, but I haven't even seen her around before."
"You can't have seen the entire shinobi population." Anko snorted. "We have thousands of shinobi in this village."
"Still," the long-haired chunin shook his head, unconvinced, "we must still have seen her somewhere before. She looks like a totally new face."
"Hmm?" The purple-haired kunoichi finally raised her head to regard her comrade. "So what do you suggest? Tail them?"
"They should be long gone by now." Kotetsu craned his neck, trying to catch sight of the silver-haired jounin and his rumoured female companion. He turned to Izumo and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry unduly. If something is really wrong, we will know for sure."
Anko nodded briskly in agreement, stuffing yet another dango in her mouth. Izumo frowned and was silent for a minute, before acceding to what his friend had said. He just hoped that they were right.
Iruka adjusted the strap over his shoulder and the books in his arms as he walked down the busy market street. He's mind was in disarray and his was feeling nothing but nervous. His hands were clammy and he could barely focus on his surroundings.
With a heavy heart, he made his way to Kakashi's apartment.
He had just about turned the corner to the street leading to the jounin's apartment building, when he caught sight of a crown of familiar silver hair ahead. Despite his raging emotions, he couldn't help the smile forming at the knowledge that Kakashi was in the village. But the smile faltered a moment later, when he saw the long-haired woman he had seen in the hospital, walking beside the older man and exchanging easy conversation with him.
The air suddenly got a little stuffy and he found it hard to breathe. His quickening heartbeats did nothing to ease his emotions and he felt his insides turning icy cold. A hundred different thoughts ran through his mind at the same time, but nothing could offer him comfort or an answer to what the woman was to Kakashi.
He saw the jounin turning the corner to go up the stairwell leading to his apartment and that was when the realisation shot through him and spurred him into action. He picked up his steps and finally broke into a run, as he tried to reach the older man in time to find out what was going on before it was too late.
Shock grasped him when he turned the corner after having ascended the stairs, in time to see the woman entering after the older man into the apartment. His lips went dry and he fingers were clenched tightly around the books in his hands, trembling ever so slightly. His mind was in turmoil, as he tried to figure out the entire situation and convinced himself that Kakashi was not cheating on him.
But, he couldn't really call it cheating, could he? Their relationship had been in an ambiguous state for weeks and they hadn't spoken or look each other in the eyes for the same amount of time. Under normal circumstances, anyone would have assumed they had both ended their relationship. And if that was the case, then either of them would be free to go out with someone else.
Still, Iruka didn't want to believe that. The Kakashi he knew wasn't someone who would be so fickle to end a relationship without saying a word. He didn't want to believe that everything had ended without even a chance for the two of them to sit down and talk about it.
He found himself standing in front of the jounin's apartment by the time he gathered back his senses, and staring at it for the longest time. Eventually, he raised a shaking hand to knock on the door.
"So, who was following us?"
Kakashi frowned at the question that was directed at him the moment they stepped into the apartment. He gave a shrug. "No idea. Tsunade-sama has a team out there investigating, trying to determine the identities of these infiltrators."
"More than one?"
"That is the belief." Kakashi sipped his vest off and threw it over a chair. His frown deepened, as he recalled the brief meeting he had been called into by Tsunade that morning. It was more of a warning than a meeting.
"What are you thinking about?" The kunoichi had a grim look on her face, as she eyed the silver-haired jounin.
Kakashi shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "It seemed that those people have their eyes on us, trying to deter us from our goals. Looks like our mission is not as much of a secret as it should be."
"What do you mean?"
"Tsunade-sama told me before, to stay away from those closest to me, including friends and students." Kakashi paused at the doorway to his bedroom, his thoughts flitting momentarily to his brown-haired lover. "She called me in again this morning to reiterate her warning. It seemed that three people had already been attacked between last night and this morning. One of them was Hawk's wife."
The kunoichi bolted from her seat at the news that a comrade's loved one had been attacked. She felt a shudder run through her, but paid no attention to it, focusing instead on the news she had just heard.
"What in the world happened?"
Kakashi turned and glared at his companion for a brief moment. "Calm down. You are ANBU. You should learn to control your emotions better, Tenzou. And your henge has dropped." The jounin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Now we have to wait for another hour."
In the place where the kunoichi had previously stood, a young man was now standing there, with an apologetic look on his face. Kakashi shook his head and shifted a glance towards the window, trying to sense any presences that might be out there. He was almost thankful that Tenzou had been standing in a corner hidden from the window view when the transformation had dropped.
The younger man shrugged. "Sorry, but I was worried. How is Hawk's wife doing now?"
"In the hospital recuperating. Whoever it was that attacked her, that person was trying to deter us from making a move." Kakashi folded his arms, his brows knitted together in deep thoughts. "And I suppose they will stop at nothing to attain their goal."
"Who were the other two who got attacked?"
"His wife's friends." The silver-haired jounin sighed. "Not as badly injured though, from what I heard. In either case, you need to get back into the form. I will get the things ready for sealing later."
Kakashi was just about to enter the bedroom when he heard a knock on the front door. He frowned and was ready to go over to open it, when the newly transformed kunoichi waved at him.
"I will get it for you. Just go get what you need, so we can be done and over with this soon."
The silver-haired jounin nodded and entered his bedroom. Behind him, he heard his comrade walking over to the door in quick steps to open it, just as another soft knocking sounded through the piece of wood.
The door flung open.
Iruka stared, unable to believe his eyes for the second time that day. There, in front of him was the kunoichi, her wide, dark eyes staring back at him in blatant surprise. The low-cut dress that clad the well-endowed body left little to the imagination and her chiseled features added on to her radiance.
Did Kakashi love women after all? And with someone as beautiful as this woman before him, Iruka doubted he stood a chance to fight for the jounin.
"Who is it?" A familiar voice came from behind the lady, who stepped away and allowed another person to take her place by the door.
"Iruka?" The jounin appeared in the teacher's line of sight, without his vest and forehead protector. He casted a glance at the kunoichi who retreated from the door instantly.
The chunin raised his eyes to meet his lover's, trying hard to stem the pain in his heart. Or no, it should be his ex-lover, considering Kakashi had already moved on. He almost let out a self-mocking laugh. He wanted to ask Kakashi who that lady was, why he hadn't told him anything and was everything unsalvageable between them. He wanted to know if he still meant anything to the older man, or if Kakashi was truly so willing to give up all their memories and what they had shared between them, and move on with someone else. He wanted to scream at the jounin, wanting the pain to stop overwhelming him and drowning his senses.
But instead, he heard his own trembling voice slipping words past his lips quietly.
"Can we talk for a moment?"
Kakashi sighed and Iruka had to battle within himself to keep his broken heart from crumbling into tiny pieces. He looked down at his sandals, not wanting to see that exasperated look on the jounin's face that he was sure was telling him to give it up and stop bothering the older man; that Kakashi had already have someone else.
"I'm sorry, Iruka. I'm heading out for a mission soon. Can we talk some other time?"
"Don't you even have a minute to spare?" Iruka knew he was pleading, but he needed to talk to Kakashi. He had to. Before it was truly too late.
Or maybe it already was.
There was silence. Iruka felt his own voice cracking when he asked the question he had tried so hard to hold back. "Who is she?"
"Iruka…" Understanding crossed the single grey eye, before it caught the flickering of a shadow behind the younger man. The jounin narrowed his eye.
Iruka was still lost in the turmoil of his emotions – waiting to hear the rejection he knew was coming – when he was snapped back to attention by the grasp on his wrist and before he could comprehend what was going on, he was pulled into the apartment and the door slammed shut behind him.
"Come with me." Kakashi turned towards his bedroom, pulling the younger man along and paused only long enough to glance at the kunoichi on his couch. "Don't drop that. I will be out in a moment, and stay alert. We are being watched."
The kunoichi instantly sat up straight, her eyes darting towards the window. Kakashi did not even bat an eyelid as he led Iruka into his room, locked the door and formed the seals for a silencing jutsu for extra measures.
He watched the chunin silently, before reaching over to take the books out of the trembling hands. He set them down on the table and led Iruka to sit down on the bed. Crouching before the chunin, he reached around and slipped the forehead protector off the teacher's head, then tugged down his mask and gathered the tanned hands into his.
"Look at me, Iruka."
Brown eyes rose hesitantly to meet the single grey. There was a moment of silence. Kakashi lifted his hands to frame the face before him and leaned forward to press his lips against the chunin's ones.
Iruka was momentarily caught off guard by the show of affection, before he responded in kind, savouring the feel of the older man that he had missed for so long. His arms reached up, tightening themselves around the jounin's back, pulling the man closer. The chaste kiss turned into something desperate and flaming, as tongues came into play, dancing and swirling around. Their longing for each other could be felt in that one moment of intimacy.
The awkwardness between them was forgotten when Kakashi pushed and tumbled them both on the sheets, the older man hovering over him. They parted briefly before their lips met again in fervour, tongues mapping and tracing the paths in each other's mouth. Kakashi slipped a hand around the nape of the chunin's neck, pulling him closer. Tanned fingers gripped the jounin's shirt tightly, digging into the clothed back, the unwillingness to let go showing clearly.
The desperation was clear in the kiss, but Iruka was too far gone in the taste of his lover to even register it. On hindsight, he should have realised that it was a warning for what was to come.
All too soon for Iruka, the jounin drew back, his breaths in short, harsh pants. Iruka himself was the same, as he struggled to get his breathing under control. He glanced up at the older man, confusion slowly taking over his senses at the way Kakashi was acting.
The jounin pressed his forehead against the younger man's, the single grey watching him for a minute before the gaze was averted. Kakashi closed his eye, and his next words were barely above a whisper.
"It's better for us to end this, Iruka."
The teacher felt his insides froze and his blood running cold when the words hit him.
Iruka stumbled down the stairs, his mind numbed with circulating thoughts and the conversation with Kakashi just a while ago. He didn't know if he had the strength to carry on the way that the jounin had told him to, after having said that they were ending their relationship.
'I'm sorry things have turned out this way.'
That was Kakashi's final words before he had shown Iruka out of the house. He had turned eyes brimming with tears towards the older man, but Kakashi had looked away, not wanting to have any more interactions if he could help it. However the chunin had envisioned their long overdue conversation to proceed, this certainly hadn't been it. He hadn't prepared his heart for this turnout of events and even now, while his heart was slowly crumbling into pieces, he still had no idea how he should react.
He continued stumbling aimlessly down the streets, not watching where he was going. And unsurprisingly, he didn't even realise who was in front of him, until he walked right into the person.
Izumo and Kotetsu were on their way back from the dango shop when they spied their friend walking past them on the other side of the crowded street. The empty look on Iruka's face had been enough to put them on guard, instantly realising that something was very wrong. Both chunin weaved their way through the crowd, wanting to catch up with their friend to find out what had happened.
But try as they might, they were unable to get the attention of the academy teacher, despite repeated calls of his name. Izumo was getting on edge and even Kotetsu was beginning to feel worry eating into him.
They finally found an opportunity to cut through the crowd and overtook Iruka. Standing right in his path, both chunin were sure that the teacher would see them now.
That was why they had been utterly shocked and surprised when Iruka walked right into Kotetsu, without even a hint of acknowledgement that he had seen the two men. It was only after the spiky-haired chunin was being bumped off-balanced, did Iruka finally look up and recognised the two people standing in front of him.
A firm hand grasped onto his arm, as two pairs of eyes peered carefully at the teacher.
"Are you all right, Iruka?" Izumo's voice was edgy with worry. When no answer came forth, Kotetsu reached forward and grabbed his shoulder firmly.
"What happened?"
Taking in a deep, shaky breath, Iruka's voice came out in a whisper.
"It's over."
The shadows flitted through the foliage, before coming to an abrupt stop near the borders that crossed over to a secluded land, covered by trees and shrubs. Beyond those thick greeneries was the location of their target.
"Are you ready?"
The brunette nodded. Kakashi surveyed the scene a little while more before he signalled for the ANBU to shadow the kunoichi who was about to enter the village.
"I will be waiting here. Report back once you have gathered any information."
"Understood." The kunoichi adjusted her civilian clothing, leapt off the branch she was perched on, and walked into the village nonchalantly.
The moment she disappeared through the gates leading to the village, Kakashi leaned back on the branch in a hidden spot and settled in for a long wait.
He couldn't help his thoughts drifting to Iruka, despite the fact that he was in the midst of a dangerous mission. Try as he might, he couldn't forget the words he had told the teacher, telling him to break off their relationship. Iruka had been stunned, shell-shocked and shattered. Kakashi could still taste the guilt on his tongue when he recalled how Iruka had looked almost close to breaking down when he had shown the younger man out the door.
But there was nothing else he could do. It was all for the chunin's safety and he hoped that Iruka would understand why he did what he did. If he returned from this mission alive, he would do everything within his means to make it up to Iruka, if the younger man would let him.
Iruka sat by the dining table, a cup of tea in hand, his eyes staring blankly into nothingness.
It had been two weeks since the day he had left Kakashi's apartment and he was feeling drained of all energy, having had yet another debating session with his friends who had all but decided that Kakashi was a jerk for dumping him, without even a regard for all the years of friendship and love shared between them.
Anko, as usual, had lashed out at the silver-haired jounin, swearing to the high heavens that she would set her snakes on him the next time she sees him. Izumo had still been as righteously angry as he was the first time he heard about it, and his impulse to storm the Copy Nin's apartment and demand for an answer had not faded even an ounce.
After two weeks of listening to the same things, Iruka was getting more than tired. He was almost grateful though, that Kotetsu had surprisingly been the only one with a shred of common sense left, and he had neither cursed Kakashi to the deepest hell, nor ranted to Iruka about how he should get back at the older man. He had instead, looked at Iruka thoughtfully every time Anko and Izumo began their tirades over dinner with the academy teacher, so much so that the chunin couldn't help but wonder if his friend was actually capable of reading between the lines.
Iruka had tried to cut down on meeting them, just to spare his sanity from whatever his friends were so angered by. He wasn't at all surprised when Anko turned her anger to the other clueless jounin one night, when they had dragged Iruka out for drinks, and bumped into Asuma, Genma and Raidou. She had instantly accused them of siding with the Copy Nin, when they had absolutely no idea about what was going on.
It had been something he wished she hadn't done though, since he had to be the one to deal with the repercussions. Genma and Raidou had instantly rounded on him, demanding to know what happened, and even Asuma had looked disgruntled. With the displeased look in all three jounins' eyes, Iruka wondered if Anko had successfully turned three of Kakashi's childhood friends against him.
He hadn't uttered a word though, only muttered some barely audible reasons before he excused himself from the group and headed home. In the days that followed, the three jounin approached him at every possible opportunity, trying to find out what happened. And then, Kurenai had joined in the fray. She had appeared one afternoon at the academy, looking infuriated and demanding to know if it was true that Kakashi had gotten together with a kunoichi and dumped him.
It didn't take Iruka to be a genius to know instantly that Anko had been the one to tell the ruby-eyed kunoichi that. And at that point in time, he was close to breaking down and had the impulse to just blurt out the truth. But then, that might complicate matters further.
So he hadn't uttered a word. And he knew he had done the right thing when it seemed that other than him, no one else seemed to know any details about the mission that Kakashi was sent on. That had been his promise to the jounin after all – that no one other than him, would know the truth of the matter.
Flashback
"It's better for us to end this, Iruka."
The chunin glanced up with a stunned look on his face, for a moment unable to register what he had just heard. When he finally grasped the meaning of those words, his felt his breath hitched and the burning sensation behind his eyes.
Kakashi shifted off from above him and sat on the bed, allowing the chunin some space to brace himself. Iruka sat up on the bed and waited for the older man to speak, even as his thoughts began to run rampant in different directions.
He had no idea how he should react to that single statement.
Kakashi reached over after a moment's silence and laced their fingers together. Iruka tensed.
"Listen to me." The jounin's voice was quiet as he turned and his single penetrating gaze held the chunin's one without wavering. "Don't take this the wrong way, Iruka."
"Why?" Iruka heard himself asking, his voice shaky with emotions. He closed his eyes, willing the tears to not fall. "Is it the woman outside? Is she the reason why –"
"No." Kakashi said, his voice tight with tension. "It's not her. Besides, it's not really a 'her'. I can't tell you the real identity though, other than he is an ANBU."
The chunin opened his eyes to regard the older man. Kakashi shifted and tucked his left foot under his right thigh, turning properly to face the teacher. He reached out a hand and swept a strand of hair away from the tanned face, his touch lingering against the chunin's cheek.
"I'd been meaning to talk to you, but I'm sorry that I never got the chance to, with everything that had happened lately." Kakashi sighed, his gaze averting to the sheets below. "And I'm sorry that I let things turned out the way it did between us."
Iruka's hand reached up and clasped the pale one resting against his cheek. "Kakashi –"
The jounin shook his head, stopping the younger man from saying what he wanted to. "I know what you want to say, so I would rather you not say it. It will make it more difficult for me to tell you what I have to, if I have to hear the forgiveness I'm sure you will give without hesitancies."
The brown eyes were brimming with a suspicious wetness. Kakashi drew his lover into an embrace, trying to offer as much comfort as he could.
"I have been assigned a mission." His own voice was hoarse, as he forced the words past his throat. "One with a high level of risk."
Iruka felt himself tensing in fear for a different reason this time. In all the years that he had known Kakashi, the jounin had never thought that any mission was too tough or too dangerous, even if they normally were. For the Copy Nin to admit to it, Iruka had the sudden realisation that it was for certain reasons.
One of those was that there was the possibility that Kakashi would not come back alive.
Fear gripped him and he felt his own arms tightening around the older man. His breath caught in his throat and something that sounded suspiciously like a choked sob escaped his throat.
"There are enough reasons to believe that someone had infiltrated the village and keeping an eye on our next move for this mission. Tsunade-sama has even more reasons to believe that they will target the people closest to us in order to deter us." Kakashi continued throatily. "I want you to be safe."
Iruka's control broke and he closed his eyes, allowing the tears to streak down his cheeks. He was beginning to understand where this conversation was heading towards.
"And you want to break up with me because of this?" His grip tightened on the older man. "I can defend myself, Kakashi."
"I know." The jounin let out a defeated sigh. "But I would rather not take the unnecessary risks. If Tsunade-sama decided that she needed to voice this out, I would think that she had already realised the calibre of the people that we are dealing with. And until now, we can't even establish how many of them had infiltrated the village. I don't want to put you in this undeterminable danger, Iruka."
Iruka eyed his lover for the longest time, his head shaking slowly in disbelief. "You don't usually take what others say just like that, even if they are warnings out of goodwill. Did something happen? What are you not telling me?"
Kakashi looked away. The chunin cradled his lover's face in his hands, forcing the older man to look at him. "Tell me. If you want to do this, then at least tell me what is going on. I deserve that much."
A soft sigh escaped the jounin's lips. "The mission details are classified, Iruka. But what I can tell you is that I don't want you to get embroiled in this. Three people related to team members assigned to this mission were already attacked. And one of them is lying in the hospital, severely wounded and fighting for her life."
The teacher gasped, his hands loosening their grip. Kakashi turned his eye to meet the shocked ones. "That and I don't want to set you back," he leaned forward, resting his forehead against the younger man's, "in case I don't make it back."
Iruka was at a loss for words, fear gripping his throat in a tight grasp, not allowing him to utter anything. He stared at the jounin, the trepidation showing clearly in his eyes.
"I believe those infiltrators already have their eyes on you. So Iruka, you need to make this as convincing as you can. Make them believe that there is nothing between us and they will not think of you as a possible target to use against us."
"Why…" The brunette swallowed hard, tears brimming in his eyes. "I can't do this, Kakashi."
"You can, and you will." Kakashi leaned forward, pressing a kiss on the unresponsive lips. "Tell everyone else if you have to, just to make it convincing."
"You want me to lie to them?" Iruka searched the single eye, trying to find something that could tell him Kakashi was regretting this suggestion. But there was only determination reflecting through the grey eye.
"If you can convince those closest to you, then those infiltrators will take it for the truth too." Something finally wavered in the single gaze and Iruka felt his heart clenched tightly. It was obvious that Kakashi didn't want to do this anymore than he wanted to.
The next words the jounin said, offered him some comfort and brought more tears down his cheeks.
"I'm sorry, Iruka, for being so selfish. But if I do make it back, we will pick up from where we left off, if you have not changed your mind about us being together by then." The soft whisper pierced right into his heart, giving hope and bringing despair at the same time. The chunin clenched his eyes shut, knowing he didn't have another option. He threw his arms around the Copy Nin's neck, pulling him close and sobbing into his vest.
"Promise me you will come back no matter what. I will pull this off. I will keep myself safe, if that is what it takes to keep you from worrying, so you can give your complete focus to the mission. I have never regretted us being together and I won't ever think that. So I want your promise that you will come back and we will pick up from where we are leaving things today."
There was a moment of tensed silence. Then strong arms wrapped around the younger man and pulled him flushed against the sturdy body.
"I promise."
Both of them knew this could turn out to be a lie anytime. But at that moment, it gave more comfort to Iruka than any other thing could. He revelled in the warmth of the older man, knowing that it could well be the last time he was feeling it.
"I love you, Iruka. Don't ever doubt that." Kakashi whispered softly into his lover's hair. "I wouldn't have chosen to do this if there had been an alternative. I'm sorry things have turned out this way."
End of flashback
Iruka buried his face into his hands, the worry continuing to eat into him. He had wanted to cry and scream then, and hold on to the jounin. He wanted to ask Kakashi to reconsider his decision, and find another way for them both to work this through. In fact, he had been much tempted to, but he hadn't. Knowing Kakashi, the man was stubborn and would never budge if he had already made up his mind, even more so if it concerned Iruka's safety.
He remembered how reluctant Kakashi had been to look at him, when he showed him out of the apartment. And that was when he realised that the jounin was doing that was because of the presence of the enemy. He had instantly sensed the faint unfamiliar chakra signal – something he would have missed completely, if Kakashi had not told him about it. And he knew then, he had to fulfil what he promised to.
And he had. Acting out the part of a jilted lover, he had to admit he did fairly well, if their friends' reactions had been anything to go by. He just wished he didn't really have to do this and put Kakashi in a bad light, when all the older man wanted was to ensure his safety. He wished desperately for all these to be over quickly, just so they could go back to how they used to be.
He let out a shuddering breath. Two weeks and Kakashi was still not back yet. He had tried asking the jounin how long the mission would take, but even the older man had been unsure. He had said that if everything went well, they could return in less than a month. If it turned out otherwise, it could drag on longer.
Iruka clasped his hands tightly together and closed his eyes in a fervent prayer, as he had found himself doing often.
'Please be safe, Kakashi. And come home soon.'