A last look around convinced Hana that everything was ready for their guest of honor. She didn't pretend to be a great party host but she had done her best with what she had. Kami knew that she couldn't plan on Kakashi taking care of it. Sakura had been quite happy to help her thankfully, which meant that Ino quickly took charge of the situation and put the finishing touches to the event.

Hana didn't even have to invite the guests: the girls warned their teammates, the teammates told their sensei, the senseis told the Hokage and the Sannin, Asuma's nephew probably overheard and dragged his own friends here. Now they were all gathered together for the occasion. This was perfect. Hana will have to remember to let her kouhai deal with those kind of things. Delegation was so useful! Oh Kami… was Kakashi rubbing off on her?

The look on Naruto's face when he walked in the clearing and read the banner was quite comical. Dumbfounded, the genin looked up at his sensei, wide-eyed. "What...?"

"It's Hana's idea," Kakashi immediately stated to avoid taking the brunt of whatever was coming next, his face hidden behind his book, the coward. It had taken a little convincing to get him to fetch Naruto and Umino Iruka before they could eat lunch at the ramen stand but promises of sexy times always got him to move.

Hana snorted and walked forward. "I'm very proud that you brought him only five minutes late, Kakashi. Now, come on Naruto, this is your party! Everyone wants to talk to you before you leave Konoha!" She didn't give him any time to process the fact that he had friends concerned about him leaving for years. The Haimaru triplets barked happily and she caught Naruto by the wrist to propel him in Kiba's arms, trusting her brother to nag him with their usual banter until everything was perfectly normal.

As intended, Naruto was immediately busy with all the rookies talking about his training, wishing him luck, giving him gifts and advices. Flabbergasted at first, Naruto soon enjoyed the attention and, staying true to himself, laughed and talked loudly.

"Nice handling," Kakashi commented, looking up from his literary shield. He gazed at the Inuzuka clan's yard where Hana had organized tables and food under a banner stating 'Have a great trip Naruto!'. Kakashi hummed and added: "Thanks for taking care of it."

"Yes, Hana-san," Iruka added, "thank you, it means a lot to him."

Hana smiled and shrugged. "He's pack," she explained simply. "Do you want something to eat, Iruka-san? Come along!" She caught him by the forearm and dragged him to the buffet.

"What about me?" Kakashi whined as he followed.

"You're five minutes late. You can fetch your own food."

She tried not to let him distract her, really, she did, but twenty minutes later she ended up on his lap, feeding him onigiri with a fondly exasperated expression. Kakashi smirked at her smugly.

"You're the worst," she mumbled, shaking her head.

"I don't share my food handler."

She snorted. "Idiot."

He tightened his hold around her hips and pulled her to his chest to kiss the corner of her lips. "Your idiot," he murmured near her ear, getting a shiver out of her.

A loud shout of surprise startled them. They looked up at Naruto. The boy was pointing at them, gaping. "Wh-what… what are you doing to Hana-chan, Kakashi-erosensei?!"

As they sweatdropped, embarrassed by the attention suddenly on them, Sasuke groaned and facepalmed. His three canine guardians at his feet strangely mirrored his expression. "They're together, idiot."

"What?"

"They're a couple."

"What?! But no-one told me!"

"That's because they didn't tell anyone, we just figured it out. It's obvious for any shinobi worth a dime… moron."

Naruto turned purple and jumped on his teammate, the matter of his sensei's sentimental life temporarily forgotten.

Hana hid her face behind her hands in fond consternation. "Maybe we should have told him."

"Uhuh, it's just fine that way."

"That was embarrassing. The only reason you said this is that you didn't want to sit down with your student to explain how relationships work."

"Correct," he agreed casually.

She rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Don't worry Hana-chan, I'll deal with Naruto's education! By the time I'm done with him, he won't ask you any awkward questions about the birds and the bees."

Hana looked up at Jiraiya in fright. Before she could protest, the sannin had already walked away in Tsunade's direction with a bottle of sake under his arm. She tried to stand up but Kakashi stopped her.

"It's okay, Iruka already dealt with it," he assured her, patting her shoulder comfortingly. "I made sure of it to get out of that awkward talk too."

"Oh, thank Kami," she breathed, shuddering at the thought that anyone's sexual education would be done by such a pervert. It would be even worse with someone as gullible as Naruto. For once, she was glad for Kakashi's knack in avoiding his responsibilities.

They shared their food in comfortable silence, Hana blocking the view of Kakashi's face while he pulled down his mask. She was content to be held and to observe the kids laughing and playing without a care.

"Naruto will be fine?" She asked in a small voice.

Kakashi's thumb brushed her cheek in reassurance. "We talked about this. This is the safest option for him."

She nodded reluctantly. The idea to keep Naruto away for his own safety didn't sit well with her but there wasn't anything she could do about it.

"You really consider him pack, don't you?" Kakashi realized.

"He's like a second little brother," she admitted with a shake of her head. "As if one wasn't enough."

Kakashi chuckled and leaned forward until their forehead were touching. "There is something that could help Naruto. Something I might need your help with," he explained in a whisper.

Her eyes immediately sharpened. "Anything."

He eye-smiled at her and leaned backward. "Later. Right now, it looks like Haimaru, Akamaru, Eo, Lia and Tuc ganged up against my cute little students."

Hana turned around to see the battlefield. It was quite the sight. Sasuke will never admit it but he had gotten used to his canine guards and they all played in a good natured way. Until Kiba entered the fray that is, then all bets were off as Shino and Lee were dragged into it and it became a full brawl.

Hana sat with her back to Kakashi's chest to enjoy the spectacle, welcoming Asuma, Kurenai and Gai as they joined them.

It was a really great day.

oOo

This outpost was one of the most important of the border. It controlled a canyon and was built partly inside the mountain, giving it an underground mood that Hana wasn't exactly fond of. It didn't matter much however: they were just stopping here for a night on their way to their meeting point.

It was Hana's first mission with Kakashi, a very special one where they were alone and mostly traveling. Honestly, even if their goal was extremely important, she was focused on him. She found it fascinating to see him on the field. The further they were from home and the more acutely she noticed the little things that made him one of the most skilled shinobi of Konoha. It was exhilarating to discover that part of him.

"Hana," he chided her gently as they walked to the outpost commander's office.

"I can't help it. I just really really want to kiss you," she murmured, knowing she was giving signs of arousal. The triplets were walking in front of them, probably because they didn't want to smell her full force right now.

Kakashi stopped and cornered her against the wall. The hallway was empty. They won't have such an occasion until they were alone in their quarters. She was fully expecting him to kiss her right here and now but he simply hold the back of her neck and looked at her. "I'll gladly make love to you later but for now, put yourself together."

She blinked, surprised by his seriousness. Was she missing something? Or was he simply always so serious in those sort of circumstances? In any case, she nodded dutifully and forced herself to focus on her professionalism, pushing away her embarrassment at the gentle rebuke.

A minute later, Kakashi knocked on the right door and they walked in the CO's office. It was one of the only room with a window and the only shinobi present was looking outside, his back to them. When he turned around, Hana froze, wide-eyed.

"Dad?!"

He hadn't changed much from her memories, except that his hair was salt and pepper instead of black and he now had a well-trimmed beard. His eyes were clear, without the red brought by alcohol.

"Hana… You're even more beautiful than the photos you sent let me think," he noted, watching her just as much as she did.

Hana brought a hand to her mouth, before turning towards Kakashi. "You knew that was his outpost," she realized. "Why didn't you warn me?"

"You'd have overthink it," he replied without any regret. "I'll be outside. Take your time." And he left, just like that.

She didn't know what to say or do. After Kakashi and her had talked about it, she had written to him like suggested. It had taken two months for her to get a reply. She had nearly given up. But then it came, an assuming letter, with just a few sentences:

"Hana,

Thank you for giving me another chance.

I'm well. I stopped drinking and focus on work.

Please tell me about you and your brother. Could you send me pictures?

With love,

Your father."

Certainly, it was a start. It was more than she had had in years: all his gifts always said "Happy New Year! With love, your father." Clearly, he hadn't got worked up on his greeting. Still, she had expected a little more, even if it was probably silly of her. None the less, she replied with what he asked. That time the answer had been faster but not much longer, mainly compliments about how well they had grown. From then on, they had written to each other regularly. She had told him of Kiba's performance at the Chuunin exam and her own success as a field medic. He had given her a few tips and told her he was proud. It had always been a little stilted.

She had no freaking idea what to say to him face to face, but to see him was overwhelming. Despite the Haimaru brothers trying to comfort her by pressing against her legs, she had tears in her eyes and they were threatening to fall like a flood.

"Oh, please, sweetheart, don't cry. I'm afraid I've forgotten how to calm you down," he said, embarrassed.

Amused by his awkwardness, she hiccuped and offered: "Hugging isn't an A-level jutsu, dad."

"Ah, yes, it was something like that," he quipped with a snap of his fingers. "It was much more efficient when you were sitting though, and oh, look at that, I happen to have a couch."

She chuckled at his humor attempt and went to sit down by his side. There was a lot they should talk about but maybe they had to mend bridges before that.

When she opened the door ten minutes later, she punched Kakashi in the arm before grabbing him by his shirt, ignoring the book he was trying to put away in his pocket, and dragging him inside. "So, dad, this is my boyfriend."

"Kakashi-san, thank you for bringing her," her father greeted him with a nod.

Hana squinted at them when Kakashi replied with a just as polite nod. "Did you talked to my father before?"

"I might have send a letter telling him to expect you and explaining who I was," Kakashi admitted with his hands in his pockets.

"I can't believe you kept all this from me," she grumbled, poking at his arm in retaliation.

Kakashi caught her hand and wrapped her arm around her, easily immobilizing her by pressing her back to his chest. "It worked out, didn't it?"

"Yeah, but still…"

Her father smiled slightly. "I'm glad you've found someone who makes you happy, Hana. I need to have a few words with Kakashi-san but we might talk some more at dinner?"

"Sure. I'll go and find our room for the night then. Have a good manly talk," she chirped with a wave before leaving. She could also play that game and leave Kakashi alone for some awkward talk without an ounce of remorse. She was a sharing person after all.

oOo

"So, did you have a good talk with my father?" Hana asked after dinner, once they were alone in their room. She had pushed the single beds together to have a double bed and was lying across it, swinging her bare legs.

"I did," Kakashi confirmed as he took off his shoes and his vest.

She squinted at him. They had indeed seemed really conniving at dinner. It was a little worrisome (and annoying, they should be more awkward together than she and her own father!). "Are you two going to gang up on me?"

"Maa, Hana-chan, I've no idea what you mean," he replied innocently. "However, I do remember clearly that you asked for some of my attention this afternoon..." His fingers brushed her ankle and went up, stroking the back of her legs firmly before cupping her buttocks to lift her on his lap. "And I'm nothing if not dedicated to your satisfaction," he purred in her ear.

"Kakashi," she breathed as one of his hands went under her top to stroke her hips then her breasts. "You're trying to distract me, aren't you?"

"I am. Is it working?"

"Yeah." Damn her boyfriend but he was good with his hands and she was weak against his touch. "I hate you."

"No you don't, love."

"Oh," she breathed in startled pleasure. It was crazy how such a little word could mean so much for them. "Can I say the three words now?"

"Yeah."

She smiled tenderly and cupped his bare face between her hands. "Good." Their noses touched. "Kakashi, I love you."

He exhaled slowly before capturing her lips for a languorous kiss. "Me too," he whispered against her skin.

That's all she needed.

oOo

They weren't far from the outpost. The meeting place was a clearing with a cliff on one side, a small waterfall weaving through the rocks, forest all around.

"I like it here," Hana commented as she freshened up near the waterfall.

Kakashi was leaning against the cliff with a foot up, reading peacefully. He hummed and commented: "It's definitely the best ANBU meeting point we had. Unfortunately, it had to be discarded after Itachi left."

"I still have mixed feelings about the fact that the code for meeting here is 'see you in heaven'. Is this ANBU's humor?"

"I suppose so," Kakashi replied with a hint of amusement.

"It's Hatake Kakashi's humor."

They straightened up and Kakashi's book disappeared from sight as they turned to the new-comer. Uchiha Itachi was standing at the clearing's edge, unmoving and impassive.

"Itachi. Long time no see," Kakashi commented cheerfully.

"Why am I here?" Itachi asked, impassive.

Kakashi straightened and all humor disappeared from his stance, leaving behind the jounin rightfully feared in all the elemental nations. "We know the truth. We know about Danzou's orders."

Itachi hesitates briefly. "It changes nothing."

"It changes everything," Hana interjected.

"Godaime-sama sent us here. We can work with you to stop Akatsuki and Orochimaru, to counter Danzou and to secure a better future for Konoha and Sasuke."

"You're a lone wolf by now, but you can count on us if you allow yourself to, Itachi," Hana said.

The nukenin shifted on his feet. He wasn't showing any emotions but the way he was leaning towards them spoke for him. "What did you say to Sasuke?"

"Nothing. Not yet. We're waiting for your input. What should be our next move?"

This is officially the end. I know I could write a lot more in this universe like several of you commented but unfortunately I'm not in a Naruto mood anymore lately. It's probably obvious with how short this is, sorry about that. =( Nevertheless, I wanted to tie up loose ends and conclude this fic as it should be for all of you and I had planned to do so before the end of the year (goal reached only just so)!

So here it is, and in advance: Happy New Year to you all! Thank you for following me in this adventure and I wish you all lots of great stories for the new year (with more HanaXKakashi I hope). =)

Thanks to lost in details for her really great review. It was the little push I needed to finish this.