Title: Unexpected Journey

Author: Me! Ashley.

Summary: Kakashi and Iruka have only been married for three months when they find themselves facing a challenge they never expected. Follow their journey as their family and love grows more than they had ever thought possible.

Genre: Romance/Family

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I'm just playing in the sandbox for a little bit.

Warning: Yaoi

Pairing: KakaIru

Rating: T (for now)

Authors notes: Well, here goes! Totally un beta-ed. I am still looking (hint, hint). I have lots of ideas for this story, but I am open to suggestions or requests! I hope you all like it! So far only the first chapter is written, so it will be a bit before the second chapter is up. Please review and let me know what you think! This is extremely AU but I tried to stay IC as much as possible.

Tsunade looked from the tear stained Kunoichi in her back to the mission report in her hands. "You're sure?" She demanded harshly.

"Yes, Godaime-sama. I burned the body myself. Kikiyo and I were children together. She was a good friend." Tsunade rubbed her seal gently. A good friend… yet another name on the memorial stone. The young Jounin reached into her vest and pulled out a sealed scroll, handing it to the blonde. Tsunade let her fingers linger against the shaking ones around the scroll.

"You are dismissed, Jounin-san. Thank you for your service to Konohagakure," Tsunade muttered distractedly. The Jounin bowed, and left the Hokage's office without another word.

Tsunade sighed heavily, and quickly opened the scroll. It was always hard, knowing that as Hokage she, or Shizune, would have to go and notify the people on the scroll of their beloved family members passing. After glancing over the scroll, she sighed heavily figured that she should go and notify the head of the Nara clan personally.

Across the village, Hatake Iruka laid on a blanket in the garden, watching Naruto and Kakashi spar. A smile crossed his face as Naruto swept Kakashi's feet out from under him. He knew that the silver haired Jounin was going easy on their 'son,' but the boy had improved greatly since his time with Jiraiya and even more in the past six months they had all been living together. Iruka smiled even more brightly as he twisted the platinum band around his left ring finger. It had been three months since he and Kakashi had been wed in a simple ceremony officiated by their Hokage, and a month since their adoption of Naruto had been finalized. The three of them were finally happy and settled with the only family they had had since the Kyuubi attack.

They had fallen into an easy routine together, spending their days away from the academy and missions together lounging around the garden or their home. Naruto often told Iruka how wonderful it was to finally have a real family to come home to after missions, and Kakashi vehemently shared the blonde's enthusiasm whenever he overheard it. Iruka never missed the glint in Kakashi's eye whenever Naruto called him Otosan, or when he called Iruka Chichiue. Iruka wasn't sure how he had ended up so lucky. Looking back, a year ago he never would have imagined he could be so happy.

"I so got you Kakashi!" Naruto called out triumphantly, "Did you see me Iruka?!" Iruka flipped his long brown hair over his shoulder and laughed, a young carefree sound that echoed his inner peace and happiness.

"He did get you, Kashi!" Iruka beamed at his disgruntled husband as he pulled his mask down and pouted prettily at him.

"Nuh uh!" Naruto glared at his older father, and stomped off to join Iruka on the blanket, snagging a skewer of Dango off the plate beside Iruka. He flopped down, and looked at Iruka smiling as he bit the very top piece of meat off.

"Kakashi is a sore loser, isn't he Chichiue?" Kakashi pouted again and flopped down on the other side of Iruka, throwing a long pale arm around the lazing Chuunin. Iruka laughed and nodded as Kakashi vehemently shook his head and stuck his tongue out at Naruto.

"I am not, Bra-,"

"HATAKE BRAT!" Kakashi jumped up and yanked his mask back up around his face. If Tsunade had come all the way to his home instead of summoning him or sending a messenger, then he was in trouble. If he hadn't already figured that out from her tone of voice, he would have known as soon as she stormed into his garden. Her face was red, her fists clenched so hard her knuckles were bone white, and she was practically trembling.

"Hokage-sama," he began to bow, but Tsunade interrupted him.

"Don't you dare 'Hokage-sama' me, brat. Get your ass over here right now!" Kakashi glanced at Iruka and Naruto, the former who was giving him a very worried look, and the latter who looked as though he was struggling not to laugh. Kakashi made a mental note to kick the sixteen year olds ass later.

'Hn, if I survive this.' He added to himself, as Tsunade grabbed his arm and dragged him into his own living room. She shoved him down on the couch, and he briefly registered a small unfamiliar chakra signature along with a larger and more familiar one. 'So Shizune is here as well then. I wonder what I did. Who has she got with her?'

"Tsunade, what is this about? I'm sure I haven't done-" it seemed he wasn't even going to be allowed to speak as Tsunade slammed a clenched fist down on the coffee table in front of him, creating spider web cracks that spread across the entire surface.

"Tell me now Brat, did you cheat on Iruka? Because I swear to Kami if you hurt him like that I will eviscerate you!" She shouted, glaring at Kakashi almost as if she was daring him to speak.

"I would never!" He hissed, glaring right back at the imposing woman. 'How dare she come into my home, my family's home and make an accusation like this,' he thought to himself. He clenched his fists at his side and tried counting backwards from ten. "What is the meaning of this?" He asked, trying to keep his tone as even as possible.

Tsunade snorted and slammed two sheets of paper down on the almost useless table between them. "You tell me, Hatake." Kakashi glared at her once more for good measure, his steely blue eye narrowing. He picked up the first paper, recognizing it as a notice for Fallen in Action.

The name at the top said Nara Kikiyo, and he visibly paled. He read the report at the bottom. It was short and blotchy, almost as if the person who wrote it had been crying.

"The Konoha Jounin Nara Kikiyo fell during an ambush on our team. She fought valiantly but took a Kunai in the back, shielding the child of the merchant we were escorting. We managed to complete the mission successfully even after her death, and properly disposed of her body."

"How well did you know Kikiyo?" Tsunade asked him, her tone had evened out quite a bit, and Kakashi could swear he heard a slight undercurrent of pity in her voice.

His voice stuck in his throat for a moment, and he opened his mouth but no words would come. "Quite well," he muttered finally. "We were good friends, we grew up together. I haven't heard from her in almost a year. I turned to her, drunk, when Iruka initially rejected me. We fell into bed at my apartment, I woke to a note that said she had to leave for a mission and that there was no hard feelings. I haven't seen or heard from her since. I just figured she was embarrassed, or hurt." He rushed everything out in his lazy monotone, but Tsunade could see the hurt in his one visible eye. Tsunade touched her hand to his briefly in a show of compassion and understanding.

"Kakashi, there's something you need to know." The blonde Kunoichi took a deep breath and motioned to the other sheet of paper. "I think I know why she didn't contact you again. She wasn't in the village until recently, when she returned from her last mission she requested a leave to stay with extended family in Sunagakure. I told her to take all the time she needed."

Kakashi picked the other piece of paper up and saw it was a birth certificate, only dating back two and a half months. It had the symbol for Sand at the very top. It was a very brief and to the point certificate, much unlike the ones used in Konoha.

Date of Birth: August 17 Child's Weight: 4lbs 7ozs Time of birth: 3:27 am

Affiliation of Child: Konohagakure Birth type: Vaginal, live birth Sex: Female Name of Child (as written by the mother): Akahana

Date of Birth: August 17 Child's Weight: 4lbs 2ozs Time of birth: 3:45 am

Affiliation of Child: Konohagakure Birth Type: Vaginal, live birth Sex: Male

Name of Child (as written by the mother): Tadaaki

Mother: Nara Kikiyo Age: 29 Occupation: Shinobi, Jounin level. Village Affiliation: Konohagakure

Father: Hatake Kakashi Age: 28 Occupation: Shinobi, Jounin level. (Elite) Village Affiliation: Konohagakure

Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise as the legendary Sharingan No Kakashi fainted and slummed forward to the floor with a muffled thud. "Well, that went well," she muttered sarcastically to no one in particular.