A/N: Whew, this was a big one to edit. The original version of this chapter just practically screamed "I was written by an amateur!". Now I don't need that to be THAT painfully obvious, that's why I edit. :P Hope you like it.

A few days passed and finally, Kakashi and his team returned to Konoha. They didn't find the killer, but they did find some valuable information to report to Tsunade.

Kakashi was troubled by what they had discovered. Even though he hated to face it, he had to ask Kaede about what happened and where she went after the murder.

But after being gone for a few days, he didn't want to push her into talking about it. After last time, he felt like he had to regain her trust.

When he passed the day care, he caught a glimpse of her. She was on the playground. The children seemed to love her, because they kept pulling her with them. Kaede was just laughing.

She happened to look Kakashi's way and didn't move for a while.

"Kae-chan!" called Tarou. "Will you play tag with us?"

"Maybe next time," said Kaede. "I'll be right back, ok? Be nice."

She walked towards Kakashi. But before she had the chance to say anything, Kakashi said: "'Kae-chan'. Good nickname."

Kaede laughed. "Welcome back," she said. "There's not even a scratch on you. Didn't the mission go well?"

"Oh well…" said Kakashi. "We're kind of at a dead end right now." He purposely didn't go further into detail. Not yet.

"What about you?" he asked. "You're working in a day care."

"Yeah,' replied Kaede. "It's good to finally have a job. And it's fun, too."

"Glad to hear that," he said. "Hey, wanna go for a bite after you're done?"

"Umm… sure," Kaede said hesitantly. "I'll be done by 6 o'clock."

"Ok, I'll pick you up," said Kakashi. When he saw the slightly worried look in her eyes, he quickly added: "Don't worry. It's not a date."

A startled chuckle escaped Kaede, which made him smile as well.

It was already 6:45 when Kakashi finally arrived.

"You're late," said Kaede.

"Sorry, sorry," said Kakashi. "A black cat—"

"… crossed your path, so you had to take a different route," Kaede finished. "Right?"

Kakashi stared at her.

"Never mind," said Kaede with a smile. "So, where are we going?"

"You'll see," answered Kakashi.

They went to a little restaurant. It was cheap, so Kakashi could afford enough for his plan.

The first thing he ordered was sake.

"Here, have some," he said.

"Ah, no, thank you," said Kaede. "I don't drink alcohol, so…"

"You won't get drunk from one little cup of sake, right?" said Kakashi.

"Umm… well, I… I guess not," said Kaede.

The smooth talker got her to drink a few more cups of sake. Kaede was just waiting for the moment Kakashi would pull down his mask to eat, so she didn't notice she had already drunk so much. But one of the waitresses came to offer her an extra drink, on the house. Kaede politely refused. When she turned back to face Kakashi… he had already finished his plate.

After dinner, Kakashi insisted on bringing her home. Kaede was just a little dizzy, but not too drunk to walk on her own.

It might be just enough, thought Kakashi. I wouldn't make her have a hangover in the morning.

"If I let you go alone like this, who knows where you'll end up," was his final argument.

Kaede glared at him with slightly clouded eyes, and sighed in defeat. "All right, but only because I really trust you not to do anything weird," she said.

"I wouldn't dare," joked Kakashi with a reassuring smile. If you've been through that kind of thing before, you should watch yourself better not to fall for it again, he mentally scolded her.

When they entered her apartment, Kaede turned on the light and Kakashi looked around.

"I'm sorry," said Kaede, "I don't have a couch yet."

Dizzy from the alcohol, she sat down on the bed, which was standing in the living area.

Kakashi sat down next to her.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

Kaede looked at him. After a few seconds, her eyes went wide and she quickly stood up, taking a few steps back. She swayed, probably dizzy from getting up too fast, and he caught her just in time.

"Kaede?" asked Kakashi.

She was trembling a little, her face hidden against his chest.

"S-sorry…" she whispered. "I was just… reminded of…"

She looked up and gasped lightly. Kakashi let her push herself away from him. "Not you, too… Not you, Kakashi…" she stammered.

"It's ok," said Kakashi calmly. "I'm not going to do anything weird. You've got to believe me."

She was still watching him warily.

"Ok, what do I have to do to prove it?" he asked.

"Turn around," said Kaede. "And sit down."

Kakashi did as she wanted and sat on the floor, about two metres away from her. He could sense her surprise.

"I want to talk to you about something," said Kakashi. "Will you listen?"

Kaede was silent for a while, but then said: "Yes." Movements behind him told him that she sat down on the floor as well.

"During my mission," he began, "I noticed a possible link… between you and… someone we're looking for."

"What do you mean?"

"Last time we met, you told me about the time you ran away."

A short silence fell.

"Please, not this again," said Kaede.

"I just need to know," said Kakashi, "where did you go after… you know…"

"After that… I had walked a long way through a forest and ended up in a small village in the Country of Waves."

I knew it. "The Country of Waves…" he repeated.

Kaede sighed nervously. "Do we have to talk about this?"

"You don't have to tell me everything," said Kakashi. "But please just tell me where you've gone."

"I…" Kaede tried. "I didn't stay there for long."

"Where did you go then?"

"I… Why are you asking me these questions, Kakashi? What good does it do if you know?"

"I can't tell you. You'd just really help me out if you told me the places you've gone."

"It's too painful."

When Kakashi heard sobs from behind him, he turned around to face her. Even after drinking alcohol, she refused to tell him. He felt guilty about making her feel this way. But he had to try one more time. He had to know.

"Then please answer this one question," he said. "Did you travel with someone? Or did you have the feeling you were followed sometimes?"

Kaede looked up at him with teary eyes, her body still trembling.

"Please, Kaede," said Kakashi.

She slowly nodded.

"That's all I need to know for now," said Kakashi. "Thank you."

He stood up.

"I'll go get you some water," he said. "I'll be right back." But when he got back, Kaede had fallen asleep already. The tears were still on her cheeks. Kakashi crouched beside her and wiped the tears away. Then he lifted her up and laid her on the bed. He took off her shoes and pulled the blanket over her to the shoulders.

Kakashi stared at her for a long time. The toddler he once knew had suddenly become a full-grown young woman. He remembered Kaede falling asleep with her head on his lap while he was reading a book. He remembered Rin making fun of him because of that. He would have never thought it would end up like this: the innocent little girl, traumatized by her past.

When he walked out, Kakashi remembered Kaede had the only key to this apartment. He couldn't lock it.

He decided to stay and guard her. If someone was after her, he had to protect her. He sat on the floor, next to the door, and kept his guard up while sleeping.

As soon as the first ray of sun shone through the window, he woke up. Kaede was still asleep. For some reason, he didn't feel like getting up just yet. Seeing her lying there so peacefully made him feel relaxed.

He didn't know how long he had been watching her. A soft moan from her told him she was waking up. She shifted and slowly sat up. She didn't seem to notice his presence until her eyes met his. She gasped, almost falling out of bed.

Her clumsiness never ceased to amuse him.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully.

Kaede rubbed her eyes hastily with one hand. "What… what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I couldn't leave you with the door unlocked, so…" said Kakashi.

"Oh," sighed Kaede, sounding more than a little relieved. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry," said Kakashi.

"For what?" asked Kaede.

"For last night," answered Kakashi. "Do you remember last night?"

"Umm… Oh… Yeah, I do."

"How are you feeling?"

"Just a little headache, but I'll be fine."

Kakashi stared at her.

"And… scared," she admitted. She looked at him with teary eyes. "Kakashi… I'm scared. What if he finds out I'm here?"

Kakashi slowly came closer. He sat down next to her on the bed and gently placed his hand on her head. Then the tears came out.

"I don't want this," she cried. "I want to live a peaceful life again."

"You will," said Kakashi. He gently pressed her head against his chest. "I'll protect you."

Kaede clinged to his sweater. Then she slowly pushed herself away from Kakashi.

"What's wrong?" asked Kakashi.

"I shouldn't be relying on you," said Kaede. "I'm weak. I'll only be a burden to you."

"You're not," said Kakashi. "Trust me."

Both of them were silent for a while.

"This guy…" said Kakashi, "… the guy who's been following you… What does he look like?"

Kaede opened her mouth to answer, but something flashed in her eyes and she flinched.

"Hey," said Kakashi, "he's not here now… ok? Relax."

It looked like Kaede wasn't going to give him any more information. Kakashi stood up.

"You got to work today?" he asked.

"N-no," said Kaede. "Today's my day off."

"Good," said Kakashi. "Let's train today. You need to gain more self confidence." He carefully reached to her face with both hands, waiting for her approval. When she didn't withdraw, he placed his hands on her cheeks and wiped the tears away.

"You're strong," he said, looking firmly into her eyes. "You just need to learn to defend yourself. Got it? You're not weak."

Kaede nodded slowly.

Kakashi smiled. After a second or two, he realized his hands never left her face. He withdrew them as nonchalantly as he could. Acting nonchalant was, after all, supposed to be one of his specialties. But actually having to put some effort into it this time surprised him.

"I need to go to my apartment first," he said. "Meet me at the training fields at noon."

Ignoring the sceptical look she gave him, he walked towards the door. He gave her one last look before opening it.

"Later," he said.

"Yeah… later," replied Kaede softly.

Kakashi walked outside and shut the door behind him. He walked down the stairs, asking himself why his heart had repeatedly skipped a beat back there.

A/N: Things are getting a bit awkward between Kakashi and Kaede. Stupid murders. :(