Author's first "few" words (but you can also skip, I do it too in other fanfics I read so don't feel bad -if you do...)

How strange to be posting an actual chapter now, I mean the last couple of times were of me apologizing on me not being able to finish a story... that makes me sad... What I hate the most is when you come across that one mind blowing story, whether it's funny, breaks your heart and expects you to continue to read, or it's just a page turner (or you keep pressing "next chapter") but then find out that it hasn't been updated since like 2010 or something (I mean I've found amazing stories but they haven't been touched since like 2005 or something). It's heart breaking, I understand, and I apologize once more for me not being able to put you guys (and girls) first...

No not really. I actually learned a lot in school, like for the fact that my writing is not as good as I think it is... so that hurt my ego a lot, and I must say, my ego is not that big... it's small... you hold it in your hand kind of small... And then there's the fact that I have not had the best few weeks which just threw me to hell, I literally don't want to do anything if it'll be thrown back at me saying "Its not good enough", you know?

Yes I am ranting a bit, since my friends have not been texting me back (I am a loser, I know!), sorry! The passed couple of weeks have been hard on me the most with me not being able to graduate on 5/31 with my 2014 class or my friends, and then being told that the only class (damn speech class!) that I'm missing that caused me not to walk across the stage is not being offered at my high school so I have to go to another school to take it. To get into the class is that I have to take a 4 hour test on the computer, pass it so I don't have to pay $175 for the class, enroll into the little community college that you can only sign up for in one building of many that's spread out in city... I have not had the best few weeks...

But the plus is that this chapter (which I have forced myself to look over) has finally made its appearance onto this lovely website... So without further ado (that looks strange) here is a new story that is slowly fading from my mind. I hope you enjoy it and remember, review on what you think of the story. I'm going to shut up now so you can read the lovely thing.

Oh! And I just wanted to mention that I got this really cool pic. from Sekra on DeviantART who also has a Tumblr under the same name!

Enjoy! XD

A Promise: Chapter 1: Request

On a Saturday evening, the sun slowly nearing the end of its shift for the day, the moon slowly appearing to take the next shift; birds singing the last of their songs for the day while people pass by underneath the trees and power lines, closing their eyes at the soft songs, relaxing to the melody. Children slowly going inside at the calls of their older siblings, who are leaving to make memories or regrets -promising to play later. The roads slowly lighting up from the head and tail lights of the cars as they make their way to their destination; some to get away from the city -maybe to never return, some to go home -hoping that there is still a home to go to.

Somewhere, in a quiet Leaf Village Complex, a male is getting ready for his part time job as a host; the job is not a necessary, for he has enough money to go without this extra job, but a necessity. With blond spikes that can never be tamed no matter how hard you try, the deepest and brightest set of blue eyes that can put both the ocean and sky to shame lay above a set of three scars on each cheek, held together by a well-muscled yet slim body that is covered by tan skin all year long. Wearing a baby blue dress shirt open to show the white undershirt and dress pants, Naruto Uzumaki stood shocked at his front door, the door handle being held in his slacking hand. On the other side of the door stood a male -a year older than Naruto who had turned twenty-nine four months before- holding a small sleeping child wrapped in a blue blanket and a half asleep child leaning on his leg. "May we come in?" The owner of the voice whispered; his soothing voice that was missed, the voice that Naruto had longed to hear in the last five years.

Not trusting himself to voice his answer, Naruto nodded at the man, slowly stepping tot he side, watching the other male walk in carefully with the children hanging onto him. "Itachi what're you doing here?" Naruto asked when the closed the door behind the trio; the raven stood in the living room carefully looking at the little changes made to the apartment while Naruto looked over Itachi; little had changed from when Naruto had last seen him, 'Did he have those aging marks on his cheeks before?'

"I have a favor to ask," the raven whispered slowly turning his head to face Naruto, "but is there a place to lay them down?" Itachi smirked when his eyes caught his eldest nearly fell to the ground having lost grip due to his heavy eyelids, catching himself before kissing the ground he grasped the pant material once more and resumed his standing position with his head resting on his father's hip, only for him to fall into the same state quickly.

"Y-yeah," Naruto moved to pick up the child before he became part of the floor, waking him up in the process, and showed Itachi to the guest room just passed the mouth of the hallway. Opening the door into the plain guest room, Naruto walked toward one side of the bed to lay the boy in; the layout of the room was that the bed faced the door with one lamp on either side, next to the door was a closet. As soon as Naruto placed the child in his arms onto the bed, he quickly went back to sleep; making sure that he wouldn't be cold and turning on the lamp to the side on, Naruto stepped away and turned back towards the door. Itachi -catching his eye- moved the pillows on one side, having the baby sleeping parallel to the headboard, then placing the pillows on the other side as a barrier before grabbing an extra blanket from the closet behind the door to cover him. Naruto gave a small smile at the act of a loving father that Itachi showed him, watching as he kissed the boys' forehead, whispering into his eldest's ear. Naruto turned away from the sight, knowing that it was a private moment between the three of them even if two were asleep, he was an intruder.

Having left the guest room and walking down the end of the hallway, Naruto grabbed a cordless phone from the table near the front door as he entered the living room area; he stood by the window in the living room, watching the evening sky slowly changing to colors of pink and purple, Naruto dialed the number to his part time job, saying that he wouldn't be coming in for the weekend before quickly hanging up before there were questions asked. Having a no longer need for it, he moved to put the phone back on the table by the door; he never noticed Itachi leaning on one side of the black couch. "The baby's name is Sasuke, he's eighteen months old, and the other is Sai, he's four years old," Itachi whispered, "I'm glad that you stayed here, Naruto."

Naruto sighed, turning to face the other man; dark gray eyes met vibrant blue, "Why are you here, Itachi?"

Itachi gave a small smirk at Naruto's attitude towards him, waving his hand toward the L-shaped couch; "I have a request, actually," he started, walking to one side of the couch that was closest to the TV but far from the window that Naruto stood at, "it is something that I know only you can do for me."

Naruto followed Itachi but sat by the window, so both Itachi and Naruto were kind of facing one another; "You have a wife don't you?" Naruto hissed, the burning memory slapping itself up front of Itachi walking out of a church with his new wife, "Why don't you ask her-"

"The reason that I am here is because of her." Itachi grounded out, his eyes showing the tint of red that only appeared when the normally calm man was completely angry; taking a deep breath, Itachi closed his eyes, "I left the courthouse a few hours ago, Naruto," slowly opening his now dark gray eyes, "she does not care for the children like you, she only wished to get in my bed."

Leaning to the back of the couch Naruto's eyes widened, "Why were you in court?" he whispered. Itachi placed his elbows on top of his knees, his head into his hands; Naruto, shaking his head, chuckled, "You haven't changed," Itachi's eyes could now been seen above his large, thin hands, "much." The old glare that would once scare Naruto was seen; then again, the glare lost its worth after he turned nine, twenty years ago. "I thought you got what you wanted, Itachi," Naruto placed his arms on the back of the couch, his knee moving to lay on top of the other, "married to the hottest women in Tokyo," Itachi pulled his hands away as they turned into fists, his eyes never moving from Naruto's, "having beautiful children, one right after you married too!" Funny, the cold air from outside must have come in through a crack from the door or window, either that or the heater turned off... must be the heater, the air is getting cold again.

"I was in court to finalize what she wanted from me in order for me to have full custody of the children; this afternoon I had packed all I could of the boys' belongings, along with my own, into one of the cars she let me keep. Whatever the boys' or I am wearing or packed in the car is all we have from my 'home', Naruto." Naruto sat flabbergasted at Itachi's response, "I have no where else to go, I wish to come home, Naruto," he whispered, the slight change in his eyes alerted Naruto of his change in mood; Itachi was begging. "I learned long ago where my home is, I left my home so I could finally be at peace."

"What do you mean 'finally be at peace'?" Naruto asked.

"What I mean is," Itachi said slowly, "that I left because of a promise I made to my parents so we could date." Naruto tilted his head to the side, a thin blond eyebrow raised, "You know that my parents did not approve of me coming out of the closet or reporting to them that I was planning on asking you out on a date," Naruto nodded slowly, "I had made a deal that if we dated that I would have to break up with you the day after you graduate from college and marry a women of their choosing and give them a grandchild."

"But you said you came from the courthouse today!" Naruto stood up, his voice rising with worry, "You had to marry her, that means you have to stay with her! Baka! You need to go back!"

Itachi leaned to the back of the couch, his hands lay clasped on his lap, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to lower your voice, Sai has been through a lot the last few hours, he needs his sleep." Naruto turned his head to look at where they laid the children to rest, "When I was not around Sai or if was not near me, she said some awful things that no child should hear," Itachi whispered. "Yes I divorced her; I only had to be married to her for two years so she would have my first born. Thankfully I was drunk when it happened, so I don't recall how it was done, and I made her take tests to make sure that he is mine when we found out." Itachi smirked.

Nodding, Naruto sat down, his eyes turning back to Itachi before going back to the room; "Then why wait five years?"

Itachi's smirk changed into a small smile, his eyes softening, "I remembered that you love children," Naruto blinked in surprise, "I had to wait for her to agree to carry another child, this time we went to the hospital."

"You really don't like girls do you?" Naruto chuckled, his heart beating hard at Itachi remembering. 'How could you remember what I said all the way from high school?'

"I do not favor them, but I do not not like girls; she is just an exception to the rule." Naruto laughed, Itachi realizing just how much he truly missed the sound, "I had planned to file the papers when Sasuke had turned six months but I had to be called away to join Father on a business trip to the States; after that, I just became too busy with work."

"Giving her the opportunity to say things to Sai behind your back..." Naruto nodded; "But that still doesn't explain why you're here," Naruto turned his gaze to Itachi, "if you need a place to stay while you find an apartment, I'll let you stay here..."

"I came to ask you for a favor, Naruto," Itachi dropped his smile; Itachi picked his next few words carefully, knowing that it could either lead him to a door to both his and the boys' face -which is not something they need, or bring them back together -hopefully. "My Ex-Wife has removed herself from both Sai and Sasuke's life, she no longer wants nothing to do with then; so I wish to fill the void with someone that I trust." Itachi looked Naruto dead in the eye, "Will be willing to take Sasuke and Sai as your own children and help me raise them? I wish for you to be their other parent, I don't want them to struggle with their emotions like I did when I was young. You were the one who broke that wall and helped me tame them." Naruto looked to the window, biting his bottom lip in thought, "We don't have to live together, but I want you to be there for them like you were for me as a child," Itachi said, his voice hinting the little pain he covered, "if there is someone else, then I understand-"

"Do you want your own room or do you want to sleep in the same room as Sai and... Sasuke?" Naruto looked at him, eyes calculating, "There is no one in my life at the moment, though if you came five or six months ago it would have been a different story..." Naruto chuckled, his hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"You're OK with this then?" Itachi asked, wanting to make sure that he didn't mishear.

"Yes, I'm sure." Naruto stood up, a large smile on his face, "Now, you need to unload right?"

I don't know exactly how long this story will be, I just know that it's a multi-chapter, nor do I know where its also going. So bare with me on this. I will update when I can, so no weekly update :/

I hope that you liked it and are willing to leave a response on your reaction to it all all that jazz. Thanks!