A/N: Let's pick up where we left off, shall we?

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"I'm sorry…"

"… Kaede."

"What?" asked Kaede.

Kakashi opened his eye. He looked into the same tear-filled ocean blue eyes he had looked into fifteen years ago.

"I can't tell you how sorry I am for what happened to you," said Kakashi.

Kaede looked away again. "That's not gonna make up for anything…" she mumbled.

"I know," said Kakashi. "But I'm also glad that you're alive. Please understand why I had you taken away."

"I don't," said Kaede. "If you did it for my own good, like you'd said, why didn't you come and bring me back home? Mother and Father didn't want me back, and neither did you."

"Kaede…" tried Kakashi, but she didn't listen.

"You sent me away so that I wouldn't be standing in your way," she said. She looked at Kakashi again, trying to hold back new tears. "And when it was all over, you decided to let me stay in that orphanage, so that I'd become someone else's burden—"

"That's not true," said Kakashi.

"Then why?" asked Kaede, her voice shaking with anger and anxiety.

"They told me you were dead," said Kakashi.

A long silence followed that last horrible word. Kaede stared blankly into a random direction. Anything but to look at him right now. Dead?

"And…" she started hoarsely. She swallowed and tried again. "And you… believed it… just like that?"

Kakashi sighed. "One of the parents who returned with their kid told me the caretakers said that you were dead," he said. "They said you and some other children had run away and one of the caretakers found you, but…"

"But…?" repeated Kaede.

Kakashi shook his head. "You don't wanna know," he said. "But don't think I believed them right away. Of course I went to see it with my own eyes. It was the most horrible thing I'd ever seen. I couldn't sense you, or even find any tracks of you Blood of you and three other children was all there was left of the four children that had gone missing. And I lost hope."

Kaede took a few steps back and leaned against a wall. "That can't be…" she whispered. She slid down the wall and sat down on the ground.

Kakashi went to sit next to her. They both stared in front of them.

"At that moment, I thought I had lost all of my friends, after the attack of the Kyuubi," he continued. "Every single one. I'd never thought I'd be sitting here next to you like this."

Kaede looked at him. Even though she couldn't actually see it, she could somehow see Kakashi smiling underneath his mask for a brief moment. Then Kakashi asked: "If you thought we didn't want to see you anymore… then why did you come back?"

Kaede looked in front of her again. "I… wanted to see my parents," she said. "I still love them, even though I thought they didn't want me back…" She buried her face in her arms, which were leaning on her knees. "That was a lie, too, wasn't it?" she asked, looking at Kakashi again.

Kakashi went to sit in front of her and looked firmly into her eyes. "Kaede," he said, "you meant the world to your parents. They loved you 'till the end."

"I feel so stupid," she said, fresh tears clouding her eyes. "I'm gonna meet them tomorrow… and apologize for being such a fool for ever doubting them."

Kakashi hated to break the news to her. She was already so upset. But he couldn't give her any false hope.

He stood up and reached his hand out to Kaede. "Come on," he said. "There's something I need to show you." Kaede reached out to his hand, but hesitated. She looked into his eye – Kakashi could see the anxiety in the way she was looking at him. Kaede's hand flinched. She withdrew it and got up on her own, avoiding more eye contact with him.

They walked without saying a word. Kaede had so many thoughts going through her head. She had misjudged her own parents and her friend, who had always been like a big brother to her. At the same time, she was wondering what was so important that Kakashi wanted to show her in the middle of the night. Couldn't it wait until tomorrow? She thought they'd both need some time to think about all the things that happened today.

They approached a large memorial stone. Kakashi stopped in front of it. Kaede stood beside him and looked at the stone. Countless names were carved in it. She looked at Kakashi.

"Why do you want me to see this?" she asked.

"You see the names carved in here?" asked Kakashi without looking up.

"Yes, but…" started Kaede. Kakashi pointed at one of the names and said: "I think you should see this." He took a few steps back so that Kaede could read it.

"Namikaze… Minato," she read.

"The people whose names are carved in this stone were all heroes, killed in action," explained Kakashi. "I'm sorry, Kaede."

It was not like Kaede wasn't prepared for this. She had seen the face of the Fifth Hokage on the mountain next to her father's when she entered the village. She had just hoped he would still be alive… That he was just unable to fight any longer… but alive.

"A-and… my mother?" she stuttered. Kakashi didn't answer. Kaede turned around to face him. "Kakashi?" she asked. Kakashi closed his eye and shook his head.

"Even my mother…" she whispered. She turned pale, tears rolling down her cheeks without a warning. Her legs were so shaky; she looked like she was about to collapse. Kakashi hesitated, but then carefully reached out to hold her. She didn't flinch this time. He slowly put one hand on her back and other on the back of her head, and gently pushed her head against his chest. Kaede flinched and tried to push herself away from him, but eventually gave up and cried against his shoulder.

They stood like that for a long time. After a while, when Kaede had stopped crying, Kakashi took a look at her face. "Kaede?" She was sleeping. She had cried herself to sleep. Just like she did a few times when she was little. She would trip on her own, hurt herself, go to Kakashi and… cry herself to sleep.

It was late. Kakashi decided to carry her home, lay her in his own bed and sleep on the couch himself.

When Kaede woke up the next morning, she had no idea where she was… or that she had fallen asleep! She quickly sat up and looked around. She didn't recognize this place.

She thought about last night. Her parents… She came back to see them, but they were... Thinking about it made Kaede feel sick. She was too late to apologize… and even worse: she would never see them again.

At that moment, Kakashi entered the room and saw Kaede. "Oh, you're awake," he said. "How are you feeling?"

Kaede looked at him. He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at her.

"You had a rough night," he said. Kaede was looking awfully pale. He laid his hand on her forehead. It made her blush a little. "Seems like you have a bit of a fever," he said. "You should stay in bed for a while."

Kaede nodded and lay back down, allowing for the tears to stream down her face. Kakashi wished there was something he could do for her. He couldn't leave her like this.

"You know," he said, "your parents always said that you were the best thing that ever came into their lives. And I could see that. I'd never seen Minato-sensei any happier than when he was carrying you, or playing with you. And your mother loved taking you to the park. She kept saying how proud she was of you, over and over again—"

"Enough," whispered Kaede. "Please…" She closed her eyes, allowing more tears to come out.

Kakashi remained silent. His gaze never left her.

"Please, go on and do what you have to do," she said without looking at him. "I'll be fine. Besides, I need some time alone. Please don't take me wrong."

"No, I understand," said Kakashi. He stood up. "But I'll just leave you something to eat here before I go."

Kaede smiled between her tears. "Thank you," she whispered.

Kakashi had to report this to the Fifth Hokage. She had to know that Naruto's sister was still alive.

He knocked on the door of her office. "Come in," he heard the Hokage call. He stepped into her office.

"Kakashi," said Tsunade. "What's the matter?"

"Tsunade-sama," said Kakashi, "I have something very important to tell to you."

"Well, what is it?" asked Tsunade impatiently.

"It's about Naruto," said Kakashi. "Or actually… his sister. She's alive. She arrived here yesterday."

Tsunade looked a little shocked. "Minato's daughter? Kaede?" she asked. Kakashi nodded. Tsunade's hand slowly formed a fist. She slammed on the table. "How come I didn't know that she's here?" she shouted at Shizune. Shizune took a step back. "I-I-I don't know," she stuttered with a nervous smile on her face. "Her arrival was never reported… At least… Umm…"

"She's travelled under an alias," explained Kakashi calmly. "She called herself Michiko."

Tsunade shot Shizune an evil look, making her flinch. Then she looked back at Kakashi.

"Where is she now?" she asked.

"At my place," answered Kakashi. "She's sick. Tsunade-sama, she didn't know her parents were..." He stopped, knowing that he had said enough.

Tsunade sighed deeply. "Tell me," she said calmly, "how did you find her?"

Kakashi told her the whole story about last night.

Later that day, when he came home, Kakashi saw that his bed was empty. He looked around. "Kaede?" No reply. She couldn't be running away while she was sick, could she? Kakashi went to look for her.

It was raining. He had to find her soon.

Then he realized something.

… The stone…

A/N: Yes, the stone. Again, I have to break this chapter from here, otherwise too much is happening and I don't want you guys to get an overload of information here. Poor Kaede keeps getting bad news here, let's give her a break. :) Tomorrow you'll see what happens next! ^^

P.S. The sad part is almost over, just one little sad part in the next chapter, then the plot may begin! (finally! -.-) lol