A/N: Last chapter! (It makes me kind of sad, actually, to finally complete my first (well, original) Naruto fic. But now I can dedicate my time to UU, so that's good. Oh, and I almost forgot about Moments. (Oops.))
I hope I've indulged everybody's wishes for some nice KakaIta fluff – admittedly, it's not what I had planned for when I first began this fic, but now it fits – and an appropriately sunny, sweet ending. I know, right? It's such a change from the rest of the angst in this fic.

Thank you all so much for reading this to the end and reviewing – especially KakashiKrazed, Valitiel, DarkAngelJudas, and deviline12.1, because they reviewed almost every chapter consistently. I am so thankful for all of your support!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor anything associated with it, including KakaIta. (Because, deep inside, we all know it's canon.)

Breaking Point
Chapter Fourteen

Acceptance

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Blinking and yawning, Kakashi sluggishly woke up in the face of a bright sunbeam coming in through the window. Turning over to avoid it, he came face to face with the man he'd spent the night comforting. Studying the pale visage and tracing the lines on his cheeks with his eyes, he came upon something that promptly stunned him.

Itachi was smiling in his sleep.

I suppose last night really helped him, then. He's needed to break for far too long, and letting it out was the best thing. But to smile…I don't think I've seen him smile since he was a small child. What a surprise.

The soft curve of the lips did wonders for Kakashi's previously turbulent emotions. It changed and made the Uchiha's already-handsome face into something fit for a god.

"Thank you, Kakashi."

The silver-haired nin started. "You were awake?"

"Of course. And I have to thank you for what you did last night. Supporting me, comforting me, accepting me…I've always admired you for your skills, and now I also admire you for being you. For being there for me when I broke. You didn't have to do that, you know."

Kakashi frowned and turned over again so he was lying on his back. "But I did, Itachi. It's the same with me really. I always admired you for your skills, but I didn't want you to get caught in the same problems I had as a child genius as well. It's why I requested for you to be placed on my team in ANBU. Of course, after a few missions with you I realized that your emotions went far beyond what I had expected, and I learned to like you for being yourself as well, when we were out of sight of the village. All these years I've missed you. I had to restrain myself from going to Akatsuki myself to retrieve you."

Itachi's eyes widened. "You…missed me?"

Watching the dark lashes flitter over pale skin, Kakashi smiled softly. "Yes, of course. I love talking to an educated presence with its own strong ideals. We don't get many of those around here, especially with Genma scaring them all off."

The raven's forehead creased, as if he had been expecting something else to come out of his partner's mouth. "Just because of that…?"

The older man sat up and shook his head, leaning over the younger. "Of course not. I missed you not only because you're smart and I like your personality, but because I love you, Itachi." Bending over the Uchiha, he stroked the smooth cheek and brought his head up to meet his lips in a soft kiss. Staying like that for a second, he parted and sat back up. "I care about you more than I do anyone else. I would do anything for you, and it pains me to see you like you were last night."

Trembling fingers lifted to pass over pink lips as if to feel the ghost of Kakashi's on his own. Sitting up on his knees to make up for the height difference, Itachi smiled and nodded before threading his fingers through the silver mane and pressing his lips to the Hatake's once more.

---

The sound of pacing feet echoed through the office over and over again. "I can't believe it, Kakashi. And after all you told me about recovery periods lasting a week or more! To be fine after only a day…Uchiha, you really are a prodigy."

Kakashi scratched his mask absently. "Sorry about that, Hokage-sama. I really didn't expect this either. I hope Sasuke didn't scare you too much?"

Tsunade turned around from her place at the window and plopped back into her chair. "It's the other way around. I had to give that brat a sedative so he'd sleep at all. You really had him terrified there. What did you do, slam him against a wall and threaten him?"

"Pretty close."

The lady Hokage rolled her eyes and sighed. "Great. That's a five-star policy you've got there. Terrify your students so they'll listen." Leaning over her desk and folding her hands together, she switched topics abruptly. "So, Itachi, now that you're completely recovered, do you want to tell me why those Rock nin attacked you and your partner before Kakashi found you?"

The Uchiha waited a moment as if attempting to gather his thoughts before speaking. "It is my opinion that they were simply attempting to prove their strength, or possibly the strength of their village. By going after a missing-nin that Konoha had been hunting unsuccessfully for almost a decade, they could demonstrate that Iwa was superior. A show of power, if you will."

Tsunade leaned back, contemplating what Itachi said. "That does make sense. They obviously didn't succeed, though, so good for you and well done. But on another note, I've figured out what the power you used was."

Itachi frowned, confused. "Power?"

Kakashi interrupted softly. "You exuded some sort of yellow chakra to erase the jutsu's effects on me after we were ambushed. I had asked Hokage-sama if she could find out what it was."

At his nod, the blonde continued. "I looked it up and couldn't find anything, so I sent a message to Jiraiya to see if he knew. Turns out he knew immediately – it was nature chakra that saved you. You must have unconsciously tapped into the lifestream of the plants around you and drew it out to help Kakashi. Worked wonderfully, too, according to his report."

Kakashi nodded."Thank you, my lady. If we're done…?"

"Yeah, sure, dismissed and whatnot. I think I've got a stash of sake around here somewhere that Shizune never found. Have fun celebrating your recovery!"

Smiling, Itachi shook his head and leapt out the window. Kakashi followed, and with a few jumps the two came to the mountain with the carved heads jutting out below them. Sitting down, they made themselves comfortable and leaned back in the grass to enjoy the sunlight.

Kakashi drew an arm up to shield his eyes from the brightness. "You know, of all the things that could have happened over the past few months, this was the last thing I would've guessed."

"It may be the last thing for you, but it is certainly the best thing for me," Itachi moved closer to the copy-nin and enveloped him in a soft cuddle. "I can't think of anything I would enjoy more than being here with you, appreciating nature and Konoha and everything I've missed these past few years."

Kakashi shifted into a more comfortable position on the soft blades of grass and drew the Uchiha even closer to him. "Shhh, Itachi. Let's just enjoy this here, with nobody else around and no responsibilities clamoring for our attention. It's just us, you and me, my love and yours."

The raven smiled gently, closing his eyes. "Yes. You and me. Forever."

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Review Responses:

Valitiel: Yup, Itachi's gone through waay too much lately. That's why he deserves whatever fluff he can get :) Good fan. *pats head and gives cookie *

Itaweasel-hime: Of course he will. That's pretty much his sole purpose in life.

KakashiKrazed: Exactly. Yeah, well, I was attempting to emphasize the fact that Kakashi's presence helped him more than anything else... Kakashi's handome visage is more than enough to cheer up Itachi :D thanks!

DarkAngelJudas: Trufax.

HoloXam: Yup. Just one more to go and then we're free at last! Oh, good. Glad you like it :) 1) Yeah, they both needed that to happen. Enforce your iron will, Kakashi! 2) Well, duh. That's kind of the point. :P 3) That was my original intent, yeah, but now that I think about it...wasn't Orochimaru his first partner...? *shivers * Poor little Uchiha. Yup, I'm glad I updated too. Thanks, and happy belated birthday to you as well!

Thank you all for reviewing my humble story! (And if you're interested in ItaNaru, Uchiha Undercover is my other active chapterfic. *insert shameless plug here *)

Houkakyou, signing off!