CHECK OUT BOTTOM AUTHOR'S NOTE!

Hana trudged down the stairs, sniffling and wiping her nose. She collapsed in a kitchen chair, staring at the table as her mother prepared dinner.

"Hey, Hana," Tsume said. She stirred the noodles. "How are you doing?"

"He's gone, Mom," Hana whispered, voice hoarse.

"Who are you talking about? And where's Itachi?"

"That's who's gone, Mom!" Hana cried, shaking her head forcefully. "He left."

Tsume dropped her knife and turned to her daughter, pulling the younger Inuzuka into her embrace.

"It's okay, Hana," she murmured, gazing at the wall as she held Hana. "It's okay."

She raised her voice. "Kakashi!"

Kakashi hurried into the room, taking in the scene with a grim silence. "He did it, didn't he?"

Tsume nodded as a fresh bout of tears overcame Hana. "It's okay, honey, we'll get him back."

Tsume nodded over to the stove, and Kakashi turned it off with a flick of his wrist. He stepped closer to the two Inuzuka's, but Tsume shook her head. "Go talk to the Hokage," she mouthed.

He turned and left the room quietly.

/\/\

"Kakashi?" Sarutobi said, blinking as Kakashi shoved the door open. The gray-haired ninja ignored Iruka as the brunette gaped at him.

"What is the meaning of this?" Kakashi demanded. "Itachi left!"

Sarutobi blinked again. "Pardon?"

"He left, Hokage-sama! You didn't help him at all!"

Iruka tried to slip out of the room undetected, but Kakashi's hand whipped out and gripped his arm tightly.

"Sorry, sensei, but you're not leaving."

Iruka stared at him with wide eyes, momentarily forgetting that he could escape the Jonin's hold of he pulled hard enough.

"Kakashi, I can assure you—"

"You promised, Hokage-sama," Kakashi said, his voice much quieter. "You broke that promise, and now it's up to me to fix it."

"What ever do you mean, Kakashi?" Sarutobi asked.

"I'm going after him."

"Kakashi, you can't do that!" Iruka burst out. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the teacher.

"I don't care if I have to become a rogue ninja. Itachi is like a son to me. I am not letting him leave the village."

Sarutobi watched the exchange gravely, fingers pressed together. "Kakashi," he said softly. "You have a week. If you are not back with Itachi by then, I am filing you and him both as missing-nin."

"Fine." Kakashi released Iruka's arm. "I don't care. I'm getting my son back."

He stalked out of the room.

/\/\

The entire house was in chaos. Naruto and Kiba were being restrained by Kin, both kicking their legs in the air in an effort to get free. Sasuke was sitting on the floor with a blank expression, with Ino hovering above him with a worried expression. Sakura was huddled close to a shaking Hana, green eyes wide.

Tsume was standing in the middle of it all, tears making damp tracks down her cheeks as she tried to regain order. Kakashi walked over to his wife and wrapped his arms around her.

"Everyone, listen up!" he shouted. His kids froze and stared at him wide-eyed. "I assume you have heard that Itachi has left."

A choked sob tore its way from Hana's throat. Kakashi forced himself to ignore it. "And this is true. He has left. And I'm going to get him back."

Tsume gaped at him, shaking her head. Naruto and Kiba fought even harder to get free of their grandfather's hold, and Sasuke tensed.

"Kakashi, you can't go," Tsume said. Kakashi stared at her sadly.

"I have to, Tsume. Don't you understand? He's our son."

Tsume squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head. She sucked in a breath, then let it out slowly. She didn't reply to his words.

"None of you are coming with me," Kakashi added as he saw Naruto open his mouth. The blonde frowned at him. "I have to do this by myself."

"I'm not letting you go alone." Tsume gripped his arm tightly. Her eyes were desperate. "Please, Kakashi."

Kakashi shook his head. "You know why, Tsume."

"I can't handle losing you too, Kakashi!"

Kakashi pulled Tsume close to him. His voice was soft when he spoke. "You know you won't lose me. I'm not Isamu."

"That doesn't matter!" Tsume wiped away angry tears with the back of her hand. "What is you get killed? What will I do then?"

Kakashi chuckled. "I won't die, Tsume. I'm me."

Tsume rolled her eyes with a tired laugh. She buried her head in his shoulder. "Promise to come back to me."

"I promise."

/\/\

Kakashi slung his bag over his shoulder as he tried to shake Naruto off his arm.

"You can't come with, Naruto," Kakashi sighed. The blond pouted and finally let go as Sakura reached for the collar of his jacket.

"You'll come back with him, right, Dad?" he said. Kakashi nodded and smiled.

"Of course."

Hana stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Please bring him back, Dad."

"I will, Hana."

He waved one last time before leaving the house and heading towards the gates of Konoha.

/\/\

Tsume growled as she threw punch after punch at her daughter, her anger making her training more deadly than it should have been. Kakashi had barely been gone five days and already she was going crazy.

Hana was just as bad as she was. With Itachi gone, there was no one her age around the house. She was becoming depressed, and nothing any of them did would bring her out of it. Training was the only thing she still did and showed emotion at.

Tsume dropped her hands. His week was already close to ending. There was no way he would be back in time. She wiped the sweat from her face and beckoned to Hana, stalking towards the house.

She was going after her husband. She didn't care what happened to her reputation. She didn't care what the Hokage said or did. She just wanted her family together again.

And she was damn well going to get her family back.

"Hana!" she barked. "Get your siblings! Pack for a long trip, but pack light. We're leaving."

Hana blinked, coming out of her depression from surprise. Then she scampered off to do what her mother had ordered.

"Kuromaru!" Tsume shouted. Her dog bounded up next to her. "Go to my mother. Tell her we're leaving."

The dog barked and sprinted away.

She marched up to her room, grabbing her pack off her bed. She had subconsciously known that she would have to do this, and she had been packed for days.

She was back downstairs when her kids came stumbling down. She smirked, and as her only explanation said, "We're going after your father. Be prepared for a hard trip."

The kids nodded eagerly and trailed behind her as she left the house, stopping briefly to call for their dogs.

/\/\

Kakashi panted as he leaned against a tree, closing his eyes tiredly. He had two days left to find Itachi and bring him home. If he didn't, he would be classified as a rogue ninja, and he wouldn't be able to go back to his family.

That would suck.

He pushed himself off the tree and forced himself to continue leaping from branch to branch.

He would find Itachi. And he would keep his promise to his family.

A/N: This is the last chapter! I apologize because it's a cliff hanger, but I needed to end it there. The first chapter of the sequel will be up as soon as I can. I promise! But I will finish most of my stories before that, so maybe at the end of school it will be up.

Review, please!

A/N2: I put up the sequel, True Love is Always There, so go read it! I'll have the second chapter up hopefully before I leave for Michigan.