Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, no matter how much I'd love to, but I do own my OC Mika, and her brother Hitari.

Promise Kept

Mika woke the next morning feeling much better but still very drained. She was awakes for about ten minutes when a kind looking women with dark blue, almost black, hair walked in and, upon seeing that Mika was awake; smiled at her.

"Good morning Mika, my name is Shizune; I'm Lady Tsunade's assistant. I'm just here to check up on you and see how you're doing," the women explained.

"I'm feeling much better now, thank you," Mika replied, surprised at how well her voice had come back. It still kind of hurt to talk and she couldn't talk very loud, but she could still say more then she could yesterday.

"Ah; good. I see your voice is back too. If things go well, you should be able to leave this afternoon at the earliest or tomorrow morning at the latest."

"Does this mean I'll have to go back home?" Mika asked nervously, wanting to put off going home as long as she could.

"No, we want you to stay here for at least another two weeks to make sure everything is ok," Shizune explained noticing Mika's reluctance.

"Ok, thank you."

"Mika, may I ask you something?"

She nodded her head and sat up more in her bed, glad it didn't hurt as much as it had the day before.

"You seem like you don't want to go back to Suna, why is that?"

"I caused my team to fail our mission. When I get back, I'll be punished severely. I'm afraid to go back. I've been punished before and I wasn't able to move for a month and a half... and that was just a light punishment," Mika explained with a shudder, which shot pain throughout her entire body.

"Oh, you poor dear," Shizune exclaimed.

After having her check up and conversing with Tsunade's assistant, Mika remembered what she had said to Naruto yesterday.

"Shizune, could you do me a favour?"

"Sure," she replied.

"If you see Naruto, could you let him know I'm awake?"

"No problem. I'll let him know right after I've checked in with Lady Tsunade," she agreed sweetly.

"Thank you."

Shizune nodded her head and walked to the door adding, "Breakfast should be here in about five minutes."

"Oh good, I'm starving."

"I'll talk to Lady Tsunade, maybe you won't have to return to Suna, and you'll be allowed to remain here."

"Do you really mean that Shizune?" Mika asked excited.

"Of course. Now I have to go, I'll come back and let you know when you can check out."

And so, after Mika had breakfast, she sat alone in her room with nothing to do until Kakashi and Iruka came to visit at about eleven.

"How are you feeling today, Mika?" Kakashi asked, taking a seat on the edge of her bed, and Iruka took a seat in the only chair.

"Better. Shizune came in this morning to tell me I should be able to leave this afternoon or tomorrow morning," she answered.

"I'm glad to see Naruto didn't kill you or send you into a coma, and that you're feeling better," Iruka commented, giving her a kind smile.

"Me too. I'm still a little weak, and I doubt I'll be able to walk pass in a few days, and then I should be back to normal within a week or two."

"Well while you're here, you're welcome to stay with me," Kakashi offered, "I live alone, and I'm sure your brother would love to know that you're staying with me."

"Actually, I'm pretty sure he'd have a heart-attack or a stroke if he knew his little sister was staying a pervert like you," Mika laughed.

"Ha-ha, so did you two used to know each other?" Iruka asked laughing as well.

"No, but my brother Hitari knew Kakashi-san very well. They were good friends," Mika explained.

"I'm surprised he'd think I was a pervert," Kakashi commented lightly.

"I'm not. He used to come home and tell me to make sure to stay away from perverted old me like that Hatake guy and then he'd go into the wonderful evening he'd had with his pal Kakashi at the bar."

"He's one to talk. You should have heard some of the pick up lines that boy had for the waitresses!" Kakashi laughed, "Your brother was even more of a perverted old man then I was! Yes I'll admit he wasn't old and neither am I, but he was far more perverted then I am!"

Iruka ignored the comments and regarded Mika with another kind smile.

"So what time did Shizune say she was going to be back to let you know if you could leave?" he questioned.

"She said she'd be back around eleven-thirty."

"Great, we'll wait here with you tills he gets back, and if you can leave this afternoon, you can come with us," Iruka said.

"I'd love that, thank you."

"You're welcome," both Kakashi and Iruka said at the same time.

They sat and talked until Shizune came in with a knock on the door. She walked into the room looking grim and greeted Kakashi and Iruka half-heartedly.

"I have good news and bad news for you Mika," she started once she was standing next to the bed, "which do you wanna hear first?"

"The good news," Mika replied.

"Good news is you can leave any time you like now, you're free to leave the hospital," Shizune presented.

"What's the bad news," Kakashi inquired.

"We received a message hawk from Suna and they think we're holding you hostage at the moment. They've told us to return you within the week or they'll officially declare war and attack."

Mika sat in shock for a second before looking up at the three ninja in the room fearfully.

"I don't want to go back!" she cried out, "please don't make me go back! I'm so afraid of what will happen to me if I do! Please, please, if there's anything you could do, please let me stay here, don't make me leave!"

Iruka got off the chair and knelt beside Mika, placing a soothing hand on her shoulder. Kakashi did the same on her other side and Shizune sat on the edge of the bed, her hands wrapped tightly around her clip board.

"We can't make any promises, Mika, but we'll do what we can. First though I think we should have you send a hawk back to Suna letting them know that you're in no danger and you're here of your own free will. After that we'll have to arrange a place for you to stay," Shizune planned calmly.

Mika nodded her head and sighed as she wiped away tears from her face. She took and deep breath and turned to Kakashi.

"As much as I'm sure you'd love company, I don't think my brother would approve much of my living with you. If you don't mind I'll find somewhere else to stay."

Kakashi laughed and nodded her head, "I understand no problem."

They left the hospital, Mika leaning on Iruka because she still couldn't walk very well, and, to her surprise, Kakashi holding Iruka's hand. She gave the jounin a questioning look, but he ignored it and kept walking. She made a mental note to ask Naruto or one of his teammates if they knew what that was about.
After Mika had sent a hawk to Suna, Shizune took her to see Lady Tsunade, Kakashi and Iruka had to wait outside her office.

"Lady Tsunade, Mika is here to see you," announced Shizune from the doorway.

"Send her in," came a tired call.

Shizune turned and smiled at Mika then opened the door wider for her to enter. Mika crossed the room slowly and stood in front of the Hokage's desk. Tsunade didn't look up...she almost looked as if she didn't even know Mika was there, so Mika cleared her throat nervously.

"Oh, hello again Mika, how are you feeling?" Tsunade asked looking up at her with a smile.

"Better. I have trouble walking but Shizune says that will pass."

"That's good to hear, now I assume Shizune has told you of the message we received from Suna?"

Mika nodded her head with a grim look on her face.

"There's no need to look so grim, dear. Our shinobi will do what they can to prevent a war with Suna, and I will do all that I can to do as you ask and try to arrange for you to stay here in Konoha."

"Thank you Hokage-sama, you're so kind. I really don't deserve this but thank you anyway."

"Of course you deserve this Mika. Don't let people tell you other wise. Now, while you're here you'll need a place to stay. I know you don't know many people yet but would you like to stay with anyone specifically?"

"Um, well Kakashi offered to let me stay with him, but I told him I didn't think Hitari would approve of that."

"Ha-ha, I can understand that. I don't think you'd be able to stay with him anyway because he's gone on missions most often."

"Well I was thinking of maybe staying with Naruto... I mean if he doesn't mind. He's been so kind to me since we met, and I think we'd get along living together, even if it is just till I have to go back to Suna."

Tsunade placed her elbows on her desk then folded her hand together and smiled at Mika.

"I'm sure he'd love that. I'll send for him and what he thinks. Shizune!"

Shizune poked her head into the room, "yes Lady Tsunade?"

"Could you send someone to retrieve Na..."

"Grandma Tsunade!" came a loud obnoxious voice from the hallway.

"Never mind," Tsunade groaned, "hello Naruto!" she called back.

"Grandma! What are you... oh hi Mika, I didn't know you were here. I heard you were out of the hospital, but I assumed you had already headed back home," Naruto said as he walked into the office and saw Mika standing in front of Tsunade's desk.

"Hello Naruto," she replied quietly.

"Naruto I'm glad you're here, I wanted to talk to you about Mika living arrangements. She has to stay here for at least a week or two so we can be sure that she's ok, and so she needs a place to stay. She's asked if you would mind if she stayed with you," Tsunade explained.

Naruto tilted his head to the side for a second and stared at Tsunade with a confused look on his face. "Heh?"

"Are you really that dense? Mika needs a place to stay and she asked if she could stay with you, how do you not understand that?" Tsunade demanded her patience for Naruto very short.

"I get it, I just wanna know why me?" he shot back.

"Well because you've been so nice to me since we first met Naruto, and I think we'd be able to get along well if I lived with you. Also you're really the only person I know, besides Kakashi-san. And, as I've said to both him and Hokage-sama, I don't think my brother would really approve of my living with him. Hitari thought highly of Kakashi-san but he did warn me to be careful of his perverseness, and I think that'd be almost impossible if I was living with him," Mika spoke up.

"Oh...um...well ok sure."

"Great. Mika, I'll have Shizune pick up some clothes for you and have her drop them off later today. Naruto, don't do anything stupid and get her injured again, got it?" Tsunade instructed.

"Yeah yeah whatever, grandma. You know that was an accident!"

"That's beside the point Naruto," growled Tsunade.

"Hokage-sama, I agree with Naruto. It was just an accident. Please don't be hard on him, it really was my fault for not paying attention but it was still an accident."

Tsunade started at Mika for a second then smiled, "I think it is a good idea that you're staying with him."

"Why do you say that?" Mika and Naruto asked at the same time.

"I have my reasons, now get out of my office before I lose all my patience for you Naruto," she demanded.

"Hai," Mika said smiling at the Hokage.

Naruto grumbled and gave a quick bow before turning to Mika with a smile, "alright, well follow me, I'll show you to my place."

They left the office and Tsunade let out a sigh. Shizune came in and handed her superior a cup of Saki.

"Shizune, have you noticed it?" Tsunade said taking the cup and downing it instantly.

"Noticed what Lady Tsunade?"

"The look in Mika's eyes when she sees Naruto."

"Ah, that, yes I have. It's that same look Kakashi has in his eyes when he sees Iruka, or when Sakura or Ino see Sasuke."

"Exactly...I think she'll do good for that boy. Now I hope he doesn't do something to scare her away from him."

"Let's hope," Shizune agreed.

"You know I had the same look in my eyes at one point long ago. I'm sure you already know who the look was for," she glanced at Shizune, who nodded, before adding, "I was so much in love with him...I still am, I just wish he wasn't such an idiot sometimes."

Shizune smiled at her Hokage as the older women turned to watch out the window. Two people could bee seen walking down the street, one in grubby clothes that looked very worn from a mission, and the other in bright orange that stood out and could be seen even from way up at the top of the Hokage Mountain.

"Yeah, I can tell...she'll be good for him," Tsunade sighed.

So there's chapter four for you all. Sorry for taking so long to update, I was having serious writers block. I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think there might be two or three more chapters, depending on the length. I was shocked this was six pages in Microsoft Word, I think it's the longest one I have so far.

Anyway I hope you enjoy, and please don't forget to review ^_^