It was a complicated, but beautiful dance, that fell into place between them.

Itachi led, and Kakashi followed. That was always the way it had been. And it would most likely always be that way. No one minded; Kakashi was content to allow Itachi to lead him wherever he pleased, so long as one did not travel longer than Kakashi wished down one particular road, and Itachi would respect Kakashi's few requests and boundaries for his life. Because Kakashi was his life-a part of him. And if he lost Kakashi, Itachi felt he would have nothing. There was only one time Itachi had ever gone too far, and it had hardly been far at all. Kakashi had given one shudder and Itachi had backed off. And then it went right back to normal: the sweet, chaste kisses, and heartfelt embraces, the soft touches and gentle caresses. Kakas reveled in the attention, and Itachi enjoyed having the jounin beneath him, subservient and willing to follow in this smooth, fluid dance.

Kakashi knows he cannot possibly get all of Itachi's attention-he knows the elder Uchiha has far more important things to worry about. Or so he thinks. Itachi does not truly care about Akatsuki, his little brother, his quest for power-no, none of this matters. All that matters to Itachi is having the sweet jounin he know holds so tenderly, so supple in his arms, a reflection of the sun itself. Well, maybe not the sun-more gentle, and a bit softer, but no less brilliant. More like the moon. Soft, and not vain in its beauty, but still holds more radiance than the sun itself. To Itachi, the sun is too bright. It basks in its own glow, and takes most of the attention. Granted, humans can only see with light, so the sun is important, but it does not mean it is more beautiful. Kakashi, as the moon, is humble, and does not know his own beauty.

Now, Itachi stands on the roof of Kakashi's apartment, staring up at the moon itself and wondering about how Kakashi could possibly have stolen both the moon's and the sun's beauty and taken it for himself-without the slightest hint of pride or vanity. One of Itachi's arms rests around Kakashi's shoulders, which are still slightly slender from his time in Akatsuki. It has been several weeks now, since Itachi released Kakashi, but it was still too much for them both. Itachi had attempted to visit as often as he could, but Pein was relentless in keeping track of Itachi. Kakashi's soft silver hair falls onto Itachi's shoulder as his head leans against it, and one arm is wrapped insecurely around Itachi's waist, as if Kakashi knows how unstable he probably is. Even Itachi knows not the depths of his painful insanity, and his arduous fight for freedom. The chains that bound him were no longer even relevant, let alone present.

Itachi places a soft kiss on Kakashi's bared face, hoping to comfort him in the least. He knows Kakashi has been viciously haunted by nightmares of his constant abuse, and also that nights alone have been both difficult and a blessing for him. Not having to worry about someone else in the bed with him was a nice thing for Kakashi to have, but at the same time, he felt like no one was there to protect him. Itachi always made sure to come at or before sunset, so Kakashi wouldn't be in bed and get the wrong impression. The two often came up to the roof to talk; it just gave them both a sense of freedom and accomplishment.

"Missed you," Itachi whispered, finally breaking the lengthy silence. Kakashi nodded wordlessly and turned his body a bit, catching Itachi's shoulders in his hands.

"Me too," he whispered, burying his face in his favorite spot: right in the hollow between Itachi's neck and his shoulder. Itachi placed another kiss on Kakashi's face, then allowed Kakashi's head to return to its previous position.

"You feeling any better?" Itachi asked, gently bringing up a hand to run through Kakashi's hair in a soothing caress. Kakashi nodded.

"Much," he said softly. "I've been missing you the entire time, but the damage to my body is almost all healed."

Itachi nodded once in satisfaction. Tsunade had taken good care of his love. He had made the right decision in allowing Kakashi to come back, and also in allowing Tsunade to have him for as long as he needed to recover. Kakashi's tighter grip on his shoulders prompted Itachi to bring his attention back to the present, and also to Kakashi's shivers.

"Cold?"

Kakashi gave a small nod as a response and clung to Itachi even more. Itachi wrapped his arms around Kakashi and guided him back down the stairs into the hallway of the building, shutting the door behind him. He took Kakashi back to his apartment and closed that door as well, then went and sat down on the couch with Kakashi. The jounin waited until Itachi had settled in, and then sat down next to him and leaned against his shoulder. Itachi leaned over the arm of the sofa so Kakashi was lying almost on top of him, and then wrapped his arm around him. Kakashi shifted his position until he had rolled over Itachi's body, fell in front of him, and wrapped his arms around Itachi's waist. Itachi remembered a time back in Akatsuki when Kakashi had done the same thing: he seemed to like this position as well.

"You okay?"

Kakashi nodded mutely, not bothering to answer further. He shifted his position a bit more and then settled down, and Itachi settled in comfortably around him. One hand rested on the arm of the couch for support, and the other was draped over Kakashi's lithe body. Itachi and Kakashi both seemed perfectly comfortable, lying together on the couch, and Itachi could easily keep it that way. Itachi would never ask Kakashi to even go into a bedroom with him after what had happened-Kakashi had developed a fear of the dark, and also a fear of being in a bedroom with another person, particularly another male. Itachi understood this fear and respected it, and was slowly working through it with Kakashi. It seemed that his fears regarding darkness were fading away rather quickly, but the fear of being with someone else in a bedroom would never go away completely. Maybe fall back to apprehension, and maybe even disappear to an extent, but it would certainly remain under the surface for the rest of Kakashi's life.

And now, Kakashi lay out beneath Itachi, warm and quiet and happy, and both were simply glad to be next to each other. It had been so long since they were able to have this moment, and they wanted to make it last. In Akatsuki, one never knew how long one would have for peace and quiet-usually, peace and quiet was a rare luxury few could afford.

Itachi and Kakashi lay together for half an hour, Itachi continually stroking Kakashi and placing gentle kisses on his face. Kakashi would cling to Itachi, settling into one position and staying there for as long as he could without disturbing Itachi. Both would just enjoy the attention they received until the other would shift their positions, and then both would adjust to suit the needs of the other. And it would begin again. Finally, Kakashi yawned and managed to fall asleep, and Itachi slowly stood up, as not to disturb him.

He almost ran into Sasori.

"Scared me," Itachi said flatly, not showing even a hint of emotion. Sasori shrugged an apology.

"Sorry," the puppet master said, unrepentantly at that. "Anyway, I got sent here to find you. How's Kakashi doing, by the way?"

"Fine," Itachi replied. "Just fell asleep. I just kind of…sat with him for a while. I guess he needed the company, because he just kind of lay there…it was amazing. I've never had so much peace and quiet in my life."

Sasori gave a hum of knowledge, then noticed Kakashi leaning over the back of the sofa. "Hello," he said simply, by way of greeting. Kakashi gave him a tired nod, and Itachi walked back over to his love. Wordlessly, he picked him up and carried him back into his own room, setting him down on the bed and leaving him with a small kiss. He closed the door as he left, making sure it was completely closed before turning back to Sasori.

"I wish we could stay," he whispered. Sasori sighed and hummed again, unsure of what to say to this. Personally, he wished he could stay as well, and keep Itachi and Kakashi company, but Pein would have their heads if he did so. Or if either of them did anything…Sasori shook his head.

"Come on," he said softly. "Say goodnight, and we need to go." Itachi sighed wistfully, but went back into Kakashi's room to wish the jounin goodnight.

Neither of them said goodbye.

It just sounded too permanent; like they would never see each other again. Meanwhile, goodnight was practically the same meaning, except, it had an "Ill be back" tone to it. "Goodnight" was used, obviously, at night: you would see your loved one again in the morning, and wished them well until that time. And "goodbye" was used when someone was going away. Technically, Itachi was going away, but he promised Kakashi he would see him again, and thus told him, "Goodnight," and left with a soft kiss as farewell. They never left on a bad note; the only time they ever fought lasted about ten seconds, and they never left even minor disagreements unsettled. That was their policy for living-and they stuck to it like glue.

When Itachi left for the night, Kakashi was almost asleep already. He had relaxed quite a bit since his lover left, and was ready to just collapse. He knew he would miss Itachi again, but for now, the world was right with him.

The next morning, when Kakashi woke up, he went straight over to Tsunade's office. She was allowing him to re-take control of Team Seven, and he was just going to be supervising D-rank missions today. Kakashi knew all he would be doing was sitting in trees and reading his book, so he had brought it along. He stood behind his team as Tsunade handed them the mission, and remained fairly silent the entire time. Tsunade spared him a troubled glance, but said nothing in regards to his silence. Instead, she said, "Good luck, and goodbye."

Kakashi turned around at the door, just when Tsunade's final word had left her mouth. He gave her the smallest of smiles through the mask: a smile that said one knew something, or had superior wisdom to another they had always considered above them. Kakashi paused, one hand on the door and his team waiting a few steps ahead-

"Say goodnight, Tsunade-sama. Not goodbye."

A/N: And that, my friends, is the end of the ItaKaka trilogy I poured my heart and soul into for you guys!! I love you all! I will definitely be doing more ItaKaka work in the future, so keep an eye out! I am also working on a story about when Orochimaru first meets Kabuto, so keep your eyes out for that one. Review please?