Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next two years of their ANBU lives passed by in the same fashion, with the team closer then ever and rocking missions like they were D-rank.

Tenzou's reputation amongst ANBU developed quickly, and under Kakashi's guidance and his friends support, he jokingly became known amongst his fellow black ops as Shodai the Capable. The Hokage began sending him on solo missions, as well as teaming him up with other squads depending on what the mission required. Anyone who worked with him requested him again, the mokuton being such a versatile tool, and Tenzou being so good at wielding it. One night, Kakashi told him he was certain he would make captain status in the next year, to which Tenzou answered that he liked things the way they were.

"You'll be doing yourself a disservice if you don't allow yourself to grow."

"I think I've grown plenty, senpai." Tenzou answered casually as he polished his mask. As their relationship slowly weaned out of the 'can't keep our hands off each other' phase, they eventually spent more and more time in the ANBU base with their comrades. Tenzou was laying against the headboard of his bed while Kakashi read on his, the two of them lounging about the room and enjoying each others company.

"That's not what I meant." Kakashi answered as he shot Tenzou a sideways glance.

"Heh...I know, Kakashi. If I make Captain, I'll have to leave the team. I don't want that."

Tenzou couldn't help but glance over at Kakashi when he responded with a very loaded silence. The mokuton user waited patiently, as Kakashi usually said whatever he meant when he was good and ready.

A couple of minutes went by until it happened.

"Not necessarily..."

Tenzou slowly looked over at his lover, his eyebrow raised in slightly nervous question.

Kakashi swallowed thickly before he continued.

"I mentioned Naruto to you; my sensei's son."

"Yes, senpai..."

"Well...he's getting to that age where he'll be graduating from the academy soon. He needs a sensei. Hiruzen-sama said he can't picture anyone else for the job but me...and I agree with him."

Tenzou was stunned silent. Kakashi did mention Naruto; not often, but he did. The fact that he wanted to be his sensei did not surprise Tenzou one bit. When ever Kakashi said Naruto's name, it was with thick emotion. It didn't take a genius to see that his lover tied his sensei's son in with his memory. Training Naruto would be like having a little piece of him back in his life.

What stunned Tenzou is that he hadn't even thought about the fact that Kakashi would end up leaving ANBU for the job.

"Senpai..." he started, but he realized he didn't know how to continue. He knew in his heart that this was the best for his love, and so, he would never speak against it or stop him. But...he didn't know how to feel about Kakashi leaving their team. It just wouldn't be the same.

Suddenly, his captain was by his side.

"Tenzou. I want you to know, right away, that I have no intentions of leaving you. Whatever my occupation is in the future, it doesn't affect us. Do you understand?"

Tenzou smiled brightly and gently rested his forehead against Kakashi's. He loved doing this when they had serious conversations; he felt like it helped them understand each other.

"I believe you, senpai. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to look...scared. It's just a big change. But, I think it's what's best for you. I can see a warmth in your eyes, even now, when you talk about it. I want you to be happy, and I really think that happiness is exactly what it will bring you."

Kakashi sighed heavily and clasped the back of Tenzou's neck, pressing their foreheads together so tight their noses touched.

"I don't...even really understand why I need to do this so much."

"You have always had a hole in your heart from that time in your life, Kakashi-senpai. You want to fill it with this generation, but one that represents your past. It's completely understandable."

Kakashi actually looked like he might cry, he was so emotional. Tenzou wasn't sure how to console him, but it seemed like this was something that had been troubling him for much longer then he let on. Who knows when Hiruzen had had this conversation with him initially. It hurt Tenzou a little that Kakashi had held off on telling him, but he wasn't going to bother bringing it up.

"Tenzou..." He started, but he had to swallow right away to clear the lump in his throat. "You...I can't even...put into words how important you are to me, and how much you've helped. I'm terrified that in all of this, somehow, you will end up getting pushed to the side. That is the absolute last thing that I want, but there's no doubt at ALL that you will make captain, maybe almost as soon as I leave. That's a huge responsibility; it's pretty much the same as what I'll be doing, except with adults. What if we don't have time for each other?"

Tenzou felt himself getting just as worked up as Kakashi. He knew exactly how much he meant to his love, as Kakashi had gotten quite good at showing him. He knew his captain would never purposefully abandon him, but...like Kakashi, he also had a bad feeling as to the future of their relationship. He didn't know why, as it wasn't unheard of for an ANBU ninja to have relationships with regular villagers and other shinobi.

"Kakashi, you're forgetting about Gai. He would surely be captain of our team before me. So, really...Senpai...?"

Kakashi had ducked his head so far it slid away from Tenzou's. This was not a good sign.

"...Kakashi..."

"Gai...will probably be leaving as well."

It was like someone dropped a boulder into his stomach. He felt his breath hitch in his throat, so much so that he saw a few spots dance before his eyes. No Kakashi...AND no Gai? There were only four important people to him in his life, and Gai and Kakashi were two of them. The entire team dynamic would be gone. Would they even allow him and Genma to remain together?

"W...what...?"

"He...well, he has also been asked by the Hokage to lead a team of his own. There are not that many capable jounin in the village who are available to take on genin teams. Actually...I..."

Now Kakashi let go of Tenzou and stepped back. He looked so ashamed of himself that Tenzou began to feel real fear.

"I've been hiding something from you. They have been throwing genin at me for the last couple of years. I failed them all, because they deserved it...but...I think part of me just wasn't ready. Naruto will be coming up soon, if he manages to pass his exam this time. I really want him to make it."

Tenzou was not impressed.

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head in discomfort. "Because...me taking on a genin team meant exactly this. The last thing I wanted was for you to be constantly worried about it. I knew I wasn't going to pass any of those kids, so letting you know I was leaving so early just seemed like pointless suffering for you. "

Tenzou let that sink in, and he realized Kakashi was SORT of right. At least his heart had been in the right place, which it always was.

"Tenzou. Are you okay?"

He tried to smile, but it came out strained. "I want what is best for you and Gai. You have enough regrets, Kakashi-senpai...I don't want you to have another one. Especially because of me."

He suddenly felt Kakashi's body around him. He melted into his captain's embrace, suddenly struck with the horrible wonder of how much longer he would feel his strength and his warmth.

"I love you, Tenzou..." Kakashi whispered fiercely, and Tenzou couldn't help the strained groan that escaped his lips. "Nothing will ever change that."

Tenzou was alight with such a mixture of fear and overwhelming affection that his body didn't seem to know how to react. He felt like he should have been crying, but his anxiety of the future was keeping his tears at bay.

He dug his nails into Kakashi's back and clung to him like he'd never see him again.

"Kakashi..." he choked, then inhaled deeply. "..I...love you, too...always." He whispered, and he knew it was true. Even if they drifted apart, Kakashi had been such a powerful force in his life that he would never leave his heart.

They could do nothing but hold each other until Gai and Genma arrived back at their rooms. When the two entered, Genma just smiled at them and headed to his bed. Gai, however, stopped and stared. It was the way Tenzou looked, clinging to Kakashi, and the way Kakashi stared back at Gai that told him Tenzou knew. The taijutsu master's shoulders dropped, and he silently sank down into his bed, occupying himself with something on his uniform.

Tenzou wondered when anyone was going to tell Genma. He deserved to know sooner rather then later.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A week later found them all returning from a mission, sore as hell and grumpy from their battle. It had been a pure brawl fest with no actual stealth or travel involved. A handful of Mist-nin decided they were going to try and kidnap a group of Konoha children playing just outside of the gates of the village. What in the hell they were going to do with them, Tenzou didn't even want to know. But, ANBU had been called in right away as the enemy shinobi were actually incredibly strong and had hospitalized a jounin who confronted them.

They silently cleaned themselves up and stretched their sore muscles. The best part had definitely been the children after. Tenzou had no experience at all with kids in his adult years, but having them run up to them and thank them profusely, with their little eyes wide and excited; it made him understand even more why Kakashi wanted to be a sensei. A few of them had vowed to become ninja themselves and protect the citizens of Konoha as they'd been protected. It was definitely rewarding.

The thought of Kakashi and Gai leaving had him in even more of a sombre mood. He slowly discarded his battered armour and tried not to think about it.

But really, why should he stress? Things didn't have to change THAT much. They would meet at night at Kakashi's apartment as they had always done. Sometimes, Tenzou would be away on a mission; but they could handle that. His missions were rarely longer then a week, anyway. What was a week, really?

After making themselves comfortable in silence, Kakashi rose from his bed and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. Genma and Tenzou raised their heads to look at him quizzically, but Gai didn't seem to look surprised.

"I...have a bit of an announcement to make." Kakashi started.

Genma seemed to catch onto the seriousness of the situation, and he cranked an eyebrow way up at his captain.

"Oh...kay. What's going on?"

"I've made the decision to retire from ANBU."

Genma reeled back so far it looked like he'd been physically slapped. "W...WHAT?"

Gai stood at this moment and joined Kakashi. "I have also...decided to retire."

Tenzou couldn't help but drop his head, the realization that they were actually leaving making his limbs feel leadened with sorrow.

Genma was gaping at them in complete disbelief.

"But...wait, what the hell? When did you decide this?"

Kakashi looked like he was enjoying the conversation even less then Genma. "I've been considering the position of Sensei to a genin team for quite a while. It wasn't really made official until today, though...I still have a couple of weeks left, as does Gai, but...we're leaving."

Genma looked frustrated as he gazed between his two friends. "Geeze, thanks for the heads up, guys. What about you, Gai?"

"Ah...it is the same reason, Genma. The Hokage has made the request for more jounin to act as sensei for our youthful generation. Well...we all know how much I appreciate youth. I feel as if it is time for a change in my life, anyway. This seems like the right choice."

Genma suddenly rounded on Tenzou. "I'm guessing by your silence that you knew?"

"Kakashi told me only a few days ago." He answered quietly.

"Wow."

Genma looked like he was trying to be mature about the situation, but he was obviously having a hard time containing his anger. Suddenly, he sighed loudly.

"Well. I guess nothing lasts forever. You could have told us something a little earlier though, guys. That's pretty shitty."

Kakashi and Gai looked like they thought it was pretty shitty, too.

"What would the point have been, though? We would have left regardless. It just would have been more time to think about it."

Genma crossed his arms and looked like he was mere seconds away from huffing, but stopped himself. Gai was KIND of right, but...whatever.

There was a heavy silence that filled the room at that moment. Tenzou decided he couldn't stand it.

"Do either of you know what would be done about us? Would they just substitute you two?"

"No, sorry, Tenzou. We just put in our official resignation papers today, which means they will start thinking about it now. Hiruzen-sama will come and talk to you, I think." Kakashi explained quietly.

Tenzou nodded absently. This wasn't SO bad. Sure, things wouldn't be the same...who knew who they would get in their team. But, it's not like Kakashi and Gai were leaving the village. They would still be able to hang out at the Shaky Shinobi, or just laze about the village like they used to do. They just wouldn't be going on missions together...actually, they would be going on separate missions. Maybe at alternating times.

Ugh.

Genma and Tenzou were silent again and Kakashi and Gai looked like they didn't know what to say.

"We'll keep in touch, you two. Our little brotherhood is not over..." Gai seemed to choke on his words and ducked his head, his arms stiff at his sides and his fists clenched. He seemed to be shaking all over, especially his head...

"Ah shit..." Genma sighed.

"FOR THE LOVE WE SHARE IS BIGGER THEN THIS ORGANIZATION! NAY! IT IS BIGGER THEN THIS VILLAGE! WE WILL ALWAYS BE ONE! FOREEEVEERRRRRRRRR!"

They all plugged their ears and grit their teeth as Gai shouted so loudly that they heard windows smashing all through the halls. Their own window cracked and turned to powder so fluidly it was like it never existed in the first place.

"COME HERE, FRIENDS!"

Gai zoomed around the room and scooped them all up. SOMEHOW, he managed to get his arms around all of them, and they wheezed and winced as the life was nearly squeezed out of them.

"G-Gai...O...Okay...It...GUH...It's fine..." Genma's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head.

Gai sobbed loudly and released them. They all fell to the floor with loud sighs and deep inhales.

"THIS IS AS HARD FOR ME AS IT IS FOR BOTH OF YOU!"

They nodded very, very enthusiastically and actually took a few cautious crawls back, just in case Gai got any ideas.

Kakashi slowly got to his feet, holding his hands out to Gai to show his surrender. "Gai...maybe we should change the subject."

"ONLY IF OUR FRIENDS ARE OKAY WITH IT!"

Kakashi turned to them with a very obvious pleading expression, to which Genma and Tenzou answered with resounding positivity.

"Yah...yah, they're good."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next week passed by in such a bittersweet fashion that Tenzou half expected people to spontaneously burst into tears. He and Kakashi spent as much time together as possible, laying in bed until the early hours of the morning, talking or just holding each other.

Tenzou was trying to be positive about the whole thing, but he didn't actually know what was going to happen. He didn't have any friends other then his teammates, so he hadn't ever tried to keep in touch with someone who wasn't in ANBU. Maybe their schedules would be so similar that there would barely be a difference at all. Or, maybe they would be so different that they would end up drifting apart. Tenzou thought it was much better for both of them if that happened, considering Kakashi's initial fear of Tenzou dying. At least drifting apart wasn't traumatic. It was just...he didn't even know. It seemed sadly unnecessary.

Fuck it. They were adults. They could handle it.

"Tenzou."

He glanced up at Kakashi, having just begun to drift off. It was probably around 3 o'clock in the morning; they hadn't been going to bed any earlier then that all week and he was starting to feel it.

"I'm sorry."

Tenzou felt his heart twist painfully at the look in Kakashi's eyes. He looked heart broken, like he had doomed their relationship all on his own.

"Senpai...please, you don't have to apologize." Tenzou whispered, turning so he could face Kakashi fully. "I know this is something you have to do."

"But..." Kakashi was actually pouting, his entire countenance deflated. "You're just as important as all of that. This was such a hard decision to make...because I don't know what it will mean for us."

"We can make it work, Kakashi-senpai." Tenzou decided resolutely. "We still live in the same village. We can do it."

Kakashi's eyes actually seemed to moisten as he gazed down at Tenzou. He looked like he wanted to believe him.

"You want to stay together, don't you?"

"Of course..."

"Then there's nothing stopping us. This is not your fault; this is the direction life is taking us in. We're going to make the best of it."

Kakashi smiled brightly and they embraced, holding each other so tightly Tenzou had to adjust himself after a while because his back was hurting. Kakashi let him go and they sat up in bed, leaning their shoulders together.

"Regardless..." Kakashi began, looking very seriously into Tenzou's eyes. "I am sorry. It's always me, who puts a strain on things between us. It's never been you. I feel like...I don't even understand, years later, how you can be with me."

Tenzou turned and grasped Kakashi's face in both his hands. He smiled, genuinely, and tried to express himself with his eyes as well as his words.

"Because, Kakashi-senpai. You're amazing. I told you before, didn't I? You never seem to give yourself enough credit."

Tenzou kissed Kakashi's lips gently, then continued. "I've never been happier in my life then I am with you. When I think of us, all I can think of are good memories. I don't think it's possible to be treated better then you have treated me. If I ever needed something -anything- you would give it to me, no matter what the cost. You deserve the same treatment."

Kakashi was speechless. He met Tenzou's eyes, drinking them in, absorbed by his kindness.

"Come here." his captain almost growled.

Tenzou leaned in and Kakashi snatched him up. They kissed very slowly at first, savouring each other, the hot passion of their early days replaced by a deep love that filtered through every touch. They fell back onto the bed, Kakashi on top of Tenzou, their hands gently exploring each others muscular bodies. Tenzou felt his pants being pulled down and he grinned, lifting his hips to help his lover along.

"I'm going to miss this most of all..." Kakashi purred.

Tenzou just laughed. "Senpai, you're acting like you're going off to war. You're going to be a five minute run away from me during the day, and in the EXACT same spot at night."

"Those children COULD be like war, you know. I've experienced thirteen year old's; they're terrifying."

"It's nothing the great Hatake Kakashi can't handle."

"Hmm. You may be right. I'm pretty amazing."

"Called on frequently by the Hokage himself."

"Feared by all who dare challenge me."

"Infamous copier of jutsu's."

Kakashi smiled and kissed Tenzou lightly. "You are great for my pride."

"It needs a little help."

"...Maa..."

Tenzou licked the tip of Kakashi's nose as his response.

"...Don't make me spank you." Kakashi growled.

Tenzou merely grinned.

"It's been a while since you've roughed me up."

Kakashi rectified that quite hastefully.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The night before Kakashi and Gai's last day, Genma proposed they get so shitfaced they wouldn't even remember meeting each other. They all wholeheartedly agreed, which lead them to their current predicament.

"Okay, Genma...jusss...wait, no..." Tenzou sighed as Genma slid off his bar stool again."You're gonna hurt yourself, man..."

Genma shrugged and pouted on the ground, laying spread eagle on the floor of the bar.

"Someone is gonna step on you..."

Pout.

"Come on..."

Pout.

"Ugh...fine."

Tenzou climbed back up to his own seat, only to be viciously accosted by Gai. The green clad shinobi put him in another rib cracking bear hug that had his eyes watering instantly.

"TENZOU! I REMEMBER WHEN YOU FIRST CAME! YOU WERE SO UNSURE!"

"Gai..."

"I guess it did not help that KAKASHI TREATED YOU LIKE DIRT." He yelled right at his friend, Kakashi merely craning his head back to dodge the bellowed syllables.

"But look at you now, my friend! Such a confident, capable man! I AM SO PROUD TO CALL YOU MY BROTHER!"

Tenzou smiled despite his lack of oxygen and tried to hug Gai back. "Your...your friendship has meant a lot to me, Gai. I wouldn't...wouldn't have made it through the firsss three months...without yah."

Gai wailed and giant torrents of tears cascaded down his face. Genma was soaked to the bone where he lay on the ground.

"Wh-why has Genma gone so silent!?" Gai questioned amid his tears.

"He'sss...mad."

Gai whirled around and spun from the chair onto his knees before his angered comrade.

"GENMA! I could not stand to leave with you angry at me!"

Pout.

"THE SPIRIT OF THE YOUTH OF KONOHA CALLED TO ME!"

Pout.

"Also, the Hokage requested me. Can I not help it if I am capable and needed by my village?"

Glare.

"Oh. Come now, Genma. You and I are a pair. We shall never truly be parted. Besides, we will always be able to make time for each other, even through our hectic schedules!"

Slowly, Genma's permanent scowl began to diminish.

"Even if we go a month, NAY, a year, without seeing each other, the bonds we have created during our genin days and our time in ANBU shall NEVER DIMINISH!"

Genma suddenly leaped up, wobbled a tad, then held out his arms.

"I FUCKING LOVE YOU MAN!"

Gai and Genma came together in a monstrous hug of bromantic proportions those of which the world has never seen. The bar itself shook with the awesomeness of their epic friendship.

Tenzou and Kakashi watched with a mixture of amusement and horror.

The night continued as such, amid yelling and declarations of everlasting love and camaraderie. Also, LOTS of spilled alcohol. More alcohol was fed to the floor and the bar top than entered the four friends damaged livers. Thankfully for them.

Finally, when neither of them could handle any more alcohol, they clasped each other around the shoulder and wobbled their way out of the bar. Even Kakashi was out of it, which was definitely a first considering how many times they had gotten drunk together.

They said their goodnight's, Genma falling against Kakashi and practically wailing that he didn't want to have any other stupid bastard lead them but him.

"FUCKIN...WHY MAN? WHY!?"

"Genma, believe me...you're in capable hands."

"NO! You told me...ugh shit my stomach...you told me they didn't friggen know what would happen to us! We're gonna get some BONE head like Leopard! FUCKIN...NO!"

Kakashi put Genma in a headlock and smiled down at him.

"I always take care of my team, don't I?"

Genma pouted fiercely yet again. "...YES."

"So, trust me."

Suddenly, Genma's lip began to quiver. "Gonna miss you." He admitted, in such a small voice he looked like a child.

Kakashi pulled Genma in tighter and they hugged briefly, Kakashi touching their foreheads together in his usual sign of affection.

"I'm sorry that I'm leaving you to someone else, Genma. I would much rather watch you all then anyone. But, it's as Gai says. Our team isn't really done, it's just separated."

Genma sighed and seemed to deflate. He became so boneless Kakashi basically had to hold him up.

"Carry me home, you big stud."

They all laughed, but Kakashi ended up handing Genma over to Gai. "You guys seemed to hit it off tonight, so I think he actually means you."

"I'm not picky..." Genma mumbled.

Gai shouldered him easily despite his heavy intoxication.

"Good night, you two." he chuckled with a wink before teleporting away.

Tenzou leaped onto Kakashi's back and his soon to be ex-captain jutsu'ed them to his apartment.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

When they got there, Kakashi grabbed Tenzou from his back and tossed him onto the bed. His lover had barely hit the mattress when the copy-nin was crawling over him, grinning at him in a way that was hungry and predatory.

"We should celebrate our last ANBU night together with a bang, don't you think?"

When Kakashi was face to face with Tenzou, the mokuton user placed his finger on his lips to stop him. He leaned over, grabbing his captain's discarded ANBU mask from where it was hanging on the bedside lamp. He slid it over Kakashi's face, adjusting it so it was perfectly in place.

He lay back on the bed, watching Kakashi with obvious sadness.

"To think...this is the last time I'll see you like this. You are incredibly sexy in your uniform."

Kakashi hung back for a moment, obviously affected by his words.

"I never thought about it like that...you look great in ANBU gear, too."

Tenzou leaned forward and kissed the lips of Kakashi's mask.

"Leave it on."

He heard Kakashi inhale sharply.

"Kinky...I can't really appreciate you without my lips though, kouhai."

Tenzou dragged his nails across the spot he'd kissed, the gentle grating sound filling the air.

"Looks like you have lips to me."

He pushed on Kakashi's shoulders and flipped them around, straddling his waist. He unzipped his captain's green vest and pushed it off. Slowly, he peeled away Kakashi's clothes, leaving just his mask. He placed a soft kiss on his porcelain forehead, lightly dragging his lips down to the hard ones of the dog like mask. Tenzou kissed the unyielding mouth, more of a snout then anything else, before he dipped down and sucked hard on the soft flesh of Kakashi's neck.

"Sit on me." Kakashi rasped.

Tenzou immediately began to shed his clothing. His captain stretched sideways to slip his hand into the beside drawer and procure their bottle of oil. When Tenzou took it, he noticed with interest that it was almost done. They'd probably finish it tonight. That was kind of fitting.

When he was naked, he slowly lathered Kakashi's hardening length in oil. He stared into his eyes through his mask, twisting his hand up and down his erection with slow strokes. When he saw a hard glint enter Kakashi's eyes, he stood on his knees and prepared himself. His captain sat up and Tenzou positioned himself over his hard cock, and with another quick kiss to his masked lips, sat down slowly.

Kakashi sighed and grasped Tenzou's hips as he slid all the way down his length. Tenzou wrapped his arms around his captain's neck, kissed his jaw and moved on top of him, rolling his hips forward and back, pulling himself up and down. Kakashi dragged his nails over Tenzou's lower back and bucked his hips into his lover.

"I love you..." Came the whisper from behind the porcelain, Kakashi pushing his forehead into Tenzou's chest.

In response, Tenzou ripped the ANBU mask off and kissed Kakashi so hard they both stumbled back into the headboard. They kissed almost viciously as Tenzou rode Kakashi, his pace becoming more erratic as he lost control. He panted heavily into his lovers mouth, moaning loudly when the clawing hot buildup of pleasure clawed at his abdomen.

"Senpai..." He whimpered, and Kakashi flung them both around, flattened Tenzou onto his back and fucked him, his breathing ragged and loud.

"Kakashi...I love you..." Tenzou panted, grasping Kakashi's head and bringing him down for another kiss. He didn't know if their love making was so wild because they were both drunk, or because it was such an intense moment in their relationship. It was the beginning of a period where their resolve would ultimately be tested. They had had it easy so far; having the same schedule, the same life. Now it would be harder. Now...it would truly be hard.

They both came loudly, dropping boneless into each others arms. They fell asleep that way, hardly aware of anything other then the feel of each others skin, warmth and love.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The following day was one of bittersweet farewells. Kakashi and Gai took part in the official retiring ceremony, which started with them handing in their folded ANBU uniforms. The pile was taken away, except for the mask, which was handed to the Hokage. Hiruzen took it gently in his hands, then snapped it in half, destroying one piece and handing the other to the ex-ANBU member. Kakashi and Gai took their halves with a bow.

They both got a very warm speech about their excellent performances, how their presence would always be missed in ANBU, and how they were losing one hell of a talented captain.

When they shook the hands of Hiruzen and the other ANBU officials, including Fox, they were escorted out of the building, never to return.

Tenzou and Genma watched them go, silent in their emotion. They stood so close to each other that their shoulders were always touching. Tenzou could not believe their team had basically vanished; the people who had given him real life, real support and real friendship were going their separate ways. He remembered all the amazing times they had shared together, and even though he would never forget them, it would never be the same.

"I'm not gonna lie; this kinda sucks."

Tenzou sighed in response to Genma's words. "Yes...it does."

"I mean, it was sad when Ibiki left us, but this is way worse. But, I'm glad I still have you.." Genma added with a bright smile to his friend.

"I'm gonna go ahead and lay down the law right now though, buddy. I don't care how much you miss Kakashi, you cannot snuggle with me in the middle of the night. I know I'm an 8, but you're gonna have to keep your hands to yourself, M'kay?"

Tenzou laughed and then pretended to be as put out as possible. "I guess..."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The first month of their absence wasn't anywhere near as bad as Tenzou and Kakashi had dreaded. Hiruzen had actually retired Kakashi a little early, so he was basically on vacation. Naruto and the others were still in school, and the little trouble makers future as a graduate was still uncertain.

Tenzou went on a two day mission, then came back to have Kakashi all to himself. During the day, Tenzou would often be busy with ANBU affairs, especially in the first two weeks. They had decided to keep Tenzou and Genma together since they worked so well with each other. They put them with two other worthy ANBU recruits, one of whom was their "captain", but the unofficial verdict was that their new captain was temporary, and his main job was to train Tenzou. Genma had more battle experience and was also an excellent shinobi, but Tenzou was incredibly talented and very intelligent, especially when it came to missions and decision making. The officials could easily see that Tenzou was as warmhearted as Kakashi, and would take good care of anyone placed under his guidance.

After the first month, Naruto was deemed graduated after an unfortunate incident with him and a rogue sensei from the academy. It was supposed to be kept tightly under wraps, but everyone in the village knew what happened, especially ANBU. Tenzou felt a little bit of pride for his captain; that the student who he had been excited to teach was already displaying the Will of Fire so coveted by the citizens of Konoha through his heroic efforts to protect his sensei.

Not to mention he obviously had enormous potential as a future shinobi.

It took a few weeks of paper work, but the first day of Kakashi's new future finally came and Tenzou felt blessed to be available to 'witness' it. When saw his lover that night, Kakashi surprised him by vocalizing his mixed emotions about Team 7. Naruto was an absolute ass, his second student Sasuke (who everyone in the village also knew about) was as damaged as he'd assumed he'd be, and his third student Sakura was obsessed with Sasuke. Actually, all his students had a really weird...broken love triangle going on that he didn't know how to deal with.

Tenzou laughed and ruffled his lovers hair. "You're right; it's a war zone."

Kakashi sighed. "It really is, though. Naruto and Sasuke are constantly at each others throats, and it's only been a day. I miss ANBU."

Tenzou laughed again. "Senpai...surely you must have calculated that teaching three genin would basically be 70 percent baby sitting and 30 percent training?"

The genuine groan his lover produced at those statistics made Tenzou laugh out loud again.

"I'm sorry, senpai. But, I'm certain you'll get the hang of it. They'll eventually get used to each other and everything will be alright."

"Maaa...when I asked them what their interests are, Sakura basically answered with "Sasuke". I don't know how to work with that. How is she supposed to train if she's going to be so distracted?"

"HAHAHA-Ehem. Sorry, senpai..." Tenzou chuckled at the burning look he was shot for his laughter. "Really, if you just take it in stride, it'll all be fine. Sakura seems like a very, very 'young' girl. These children have grown up in peace, and because of that, most of them ARE children."

Kakashi nodded slowly, as if he agreed with Tenzou. "Yes...when I was 13, I was a jounin. My only concern was missions...I didn't have time for pointless, un-reciprocated crushes. Because, if anyone with proper eyesight actually looked at the situation, it would be pretty obvious that Sasuke cares more about a ball of lint then he does about Sakura."

Tenzou fell onto the bed with laughter.

"Naruto is always trying to get Sakura's attention, and she obviously cares as little for Naruto as Sasuke does about her. Actually, she insults him ALL the time, to his face. I just don't understand."

Tenzou continued to laugh so hard his stomach began to hurt. This was actually going to be amazing.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Months went by and Kakashi's training with his team became more and more involved. Tenzou was actually quite busy with ANBU, as being 'trained' as a captain was more taxing then he had initially thought. But, the time away from Kakashi just made their time together all the sweeter. He had barely ever had to 'miss' him, as they were always together. It felt like their burning passion period had come back again, as every time they saw each other it was a moment to be treasured.

Eventually, though, Kakashi began taking his team on real missions. They were still young children, so the missions weren't THAT long, but they began to clash with Tenzou's own schedule. They went an entire month without seeing each other once. The only communication they had were little notes they would leave each other on Kakashi's apartment door. When they did finally see each other, they spent the next two days in bed, refusing to leave the warmth of their arms and their hearts.

As the chuunin exams came around, Tenzou saw even less of Kakashi. He was completely wrapped up in Sasuke's training and keeping tabs on both his other students. Tenzou was also busy with ANBU, as he was getting closer to being accepted and promoted to Captain.

The worst part about not seeing Kakashi was that he also didn't have Genma; he had been called out of ANBU to replace a jounin named Hayate who had been unfortunately murdered mid exams. The ANBU officials sure paid attention, as even Tenzou had been noticing that Genma wasn't happy in ANBU anymore. He kept looking wistfully at the regular jounin, as if Kakashi and Gai leaving gave him a glimpse of what he was missing.

Then came the attack on the village. ANBU and all of the jounin present in the stadium were in action immediately. The aftermath of that invasion took up almost three months of Tenzou's time. To add to his loneliness, Hiruzen was murdered by Orochimaru during the attack. The Hokage had almost been like a father to Tenzou, so his death hit him hard; especially since it was at the hands of the man who had experimented on him as a child.

It was an incredibly rough stretch for the two lovers, who had seen each other maybe a handful of times in almost four months. That was ridiculously long for two people in a serious romantic relationship to go without seeing or talking to each other. However, eventually their patience paid off. Sasuke abandoned the village, Sakura went to train with the new Hokage Tsunade (who Tenzou liked very much) and Naruto had gone off with the third Sannin, Jiraiya.

Kakashi was basically teamless, and while that meant he was available for regular missions, it also meant he was available for Tenzou.

Their reunion was one of the most important in their relationship. As soon as they saw each other, it was like this instant message that this was it. Yes, it had been hard going so long without being together, but it didn't really matter. Neither of them wanted to be with anyone else, and now that they were in each others arms, it felt completely right. They would just deal with whatever future separations came their way. There was no growing apart for them; only waiting.

Almost three years went by where Kakashi was basically studentless. The two of them were busy with their own lives, but their missions were fairly easy to work around. There was always a period of around a week or so when they were available to spend as much time together as they pleased.

Tenzou found Kakashi was actually going through an incredibly endearing period of 'empty nest syndrome' where he displayed the odd characteristics of actually being needy. Tenzou had to remind him, quite frequently, that he had not totally blown it and that everything would turn out alright. Sasuke was obviously destined to go down the path he chose, and there was nothing Kakashi could have done to stop him. If each and every single member of their team had failed, why should Kakashi shoulder all the blame?

"I mean, should Itachi not be the person you are the most angry with?"

"I always knew there was something off about that kid..." Kakashi pouted.

"Listen, senpai. You can control many things in life, but people are usually not one of them. Sasuke made this decision himself. Who else really could have dealt with it better?"

Kakashi had no response, probably because there wasn't one.

When Sakura and Naruto did eventually 'return' to him, things weren't really the same as they once were, so he was not taken up with the task of dedicating his time to training them exclusively. However, something much worse then that took Kakashi away from Tenzou, and vise versa. An organization called Akatsuki were causing major problems for Konoha, as well as the rest of the ninja world. Kakashi had so many missions he was barely in Konoha for longer then a week.

Tenzou could only wait for Kakashi, as apparently Naruto was coveted by this organization for the nine-tailed beast trapped in his body, so many of the ANBU were required to stay in the village to protect it from any attacks.

The members of Akatsuki were so strong that they posed a serious problem that was obviously not going to be taken care of in a few missions. It got to the point where Tenzou and Kakashi began to wonder if they'd ever be able to be together in a relatively steady fashion again. He was starting to really miss Kakashi, and the last note his love had left for him signified Kakashi missed him, too.

Then, out of the blue, he was told he'd been hand picked by the Hokage for a special mission. He thought that was strange since he'd never actually met her, but he needed to get out of the village and take his mind off of Kakashi so he welcomed it with excitement.

It was a testament to Tenzou's iron will that he stood before Tsunade with a completely neutral expression as she basically told him his mission was to temporarily replace Kakashi as the leader of his team.

Someone up there was clearly rooting for them.

"Kakashi-senpai was my captain when he was in ANBU. It will be an honour to look after his team." Was his casual reply.

Tenzou went immediately to Kakashi in the hospital, as he didn't even know he'd been admitted in the first place. If his love was so out of commission that he needed to be replaced, that was not good.

When he saw Kakashi, his anxiety lessened. He wasn't beaten up at all, so it must have been chakra exhaustion. He sat down beside his love and gently touched his shoulder. Kakashi opened his eyes, then smiled up at Tenzou.

"Finally. I was beginning to think you got bored and ran off on me."

Tenzou just rolled his eyes at Kakashi in response. Hitting someone who was hospitalized seemed cruel, but he was tempted to.

"How do you feel?"

The copy-nin sighed dramatically. "Useless. At least this means I'll be in the same spot for a while, though. We can finally see each other."

"Actually..." Tenzou began, grinning. "I was just assigned a mission."

Kakashi frowned. "Oh...why is that funny?" He asked, looking annoyed.

"You're the one who gave me my mission."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Your mission is to baby sit me?"

"Close...it's to baby sit your students."

Kakashi sat up in bed. "What?"

"I'm their new temporary captain." he explained, his grin widening.

Kakashi stared at him in shock.

"What...were the chances of that."

"Well, I'm not sure exactly how many ANBU members there are, but certainly quite a few. So, a one in whatever that number is chance."

Kakashi's shock turned into a wide smile. "Well. Now I know they'll be in capable hands."

"I've always wanted to meet them. I've heard so many stories."

"Do you actually have a mission?"

"Yes...we leave in a couple of days. I'll stay with you until then. Looks like you could use some company." Tenzou added with a cheeky wink.

Kakashi pouted. "I have lots of visitors."

Tenzou took an exaggerated look around the empty hospital room. "Yes...lots of visitors..."

"Gai, Asuma and Kurenai were just here..."

"Sure they were, senpai."

Kakashi glared at him and Tenzou responded by kissing him gently on the forehead.

"Don't worry, Kakashi-senpai. You'll always have me."

Kakashi gazed up at Tenzou with a look so loving Tenzou felt his chest constrict with yearning.

"I know."

END.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Well. I hope you guys liked that. It makes me sad to think that not soon after, he gets trapped in a wall, for all eternity apparently -_-. STILL waiting, guys...still waiting.

Anyway, as I was writing the story I kept thinking about how I would end it. I decided like...half way through the story that it was gonna be a happy ending. I mean, why not? Tenzou and Kakashi are pro's, they can totally play it off like they havent seen each other in forever, when in fact they're in a super romantic relationship together. *Sighs* A girl can dream!