A/N: Rahhh they're almost there! D8 Let's give this couple one last moment alone. :)

"Thank you very much for everything," said Kakashi, making a polite bow towards the medical ninjas and the ANBU members who had helped them with the Silver Ring.

"Are you sure you'll be ok, Hatake-san?" asked one of the medic-nin.

"Yes," replied Kakashi. "As long as I don't use my Sharingan for a while, I'll be fine."

"Thank you for taking care of us," said Kaede, also making a bow. She glanced over at the ANBU who had carried her to this village. He simply stood, smiling at her. Kaede didn't smile back. Even though she was thankful that he'd convinced the Tsuchikage to let her stay with Kakashi in the hospital, she didn't want to risk giving him any wrong impressions.

"Take care of yourselves," said the ANBU.

"You too," said Naruto with a smirk.

With that, they moved out the village gate, continuing their way to the Village of Colours.

Kaede walked beside him, looking around her. She hadn't made any eye contact with Kakashi since they left. In fact, she had been acting all shy and flustered around him since they almost…

Images of that moment were spinning around in his mind. He felt his desire for her – his need for her – grow with every second.

Stop it, he mentally scolded himself. This is exactly how I don't want to think of her at this point.

Yet he couldn't fight it. Ever since that day, just looking at her made him remember how she lay underneath him, how soft she felt, the noises she made… She had aroused him by simply responding to everything he did.

Stop it, he scolded himself again. After today, we'll be miles apart for who knows how long. How could I possibly…

He looked away from her.

How could I possibly go on without her for so long? I'm already longing for her and she's right beside me.

He watched Naruto, who was walking ahead of them. He wasn't looking forward to saying goodbye to his sister, was he? Usually he would be too impatient to walk at a normal pace. And he was awfully quiet.

He carefully laid a hand on Kaede's shoulder. Kaede's arm twitched and her eyes snapped up to his face. Her face was flushed red.

Kakashi barely managed to hide his amusement and nodded towards Naruto.

Kaede looked at Naruto, and the look on her face softened instantly, the blush on her face fading.

Kakashi gave her shoulder a soft squeeze, and almost reluctantly, he let her go and she walked forward, beside Naruto.

"Hey, you wanna know what Father liked to do in his spare time?" she asked him.

Naruto cheered up immediately. "Yeah!" he said. "Did he have some kind of weird hobby? Or was he just fooling around? Oh, not like really lovey-dovey stuff with Mom, right?"

"If I knew what he and Mother were doing at my age back then… ugh," replied Kaede with a shiver, making Naruto laugh.

Those two really are siblings, Kakashi mused. It's like they've known each other forever.

He looked up.

Sensei. Kushina-san. You must be glad that these two found each other. That Kaede found her way back home. I'm sorry it's only been for a short while. I'm sorry that she'll have to miss this life for a while longer. But as soon as she gets better, her life will become exactly as she deserves for it to be: happy and peaceful. That is what I will fight for from now on.

"… I prefer calling it silver," he picked up from their conversation, breaking his thoughts. "But yes, it's always been that colour."

Kaede glanced back at him and grinned cheekily.

"Maybe he's just born old," she said.

He then realized they were talking about his hair. How did they even get to that topic?

"Hey now," he replied calmly. "You don't really think I'm that old, do you?"

"Who knows?" said Naruto, also giving Kakashi a cheeky grin. "You're always wearing that mask, so you might as well be 50 or something."

"I can assure you I'm still young," said Kakashi casually. "As for my looks… well, I'll have other people judge about that."

"How very modest of you," teased Kaede. "You used to be such a braggart."

"For real?" asked Naruto.

"I admit," said Kakashi, "I used to be a pretty annoying brat. Kaede, you may not remember this, but I changed a lot due to certain events."

"Events?" asked Kaede. Kakashi could tell from the look on her face that she didn't know what he meant.

It happened when she was three, he thought. And I don't recall ever letting her know what happened. Just that Obito wasn't coming back. She didn't understand what death really meant back then. She wouldn't remember anything like that.

He shook his head. "Never mind," he said with a careful smile.

The grin on her face gradually faded. "… Well," she started awkwardly, "I don't remember what your hobbies were."

"I liked to read," replied Kakashi. "Still do."

"Yeah, those boring novels Ero-sennin writes," said Naruto.

"What? Ero-sennin?" asked Kaede.

"Naruto's… current teacher," answered Kakashi.

"Really?" asked Kaede. "How come I haven't met him yet?"

"He's on some kind of special mission," said Naruto. "To be honest, I don't think you wanna get to know him."

"With that nickname, I think I'll just agree," said Kaede. "So he's a ninja and a novelist? What kind of novels does he write?"

"He wrote this book franchise called 'Icha Icha'," replied Naruto.

Kaede stopped in her tracks. Naruto and Kakashi did the same and looked at her. She gazed at Naruto.

"Your teacher… wrote the 'Icha Icha' series?" asked Kaede.

"Yeah…?" replied Naruto.

Kaede glanced back at Kakashi. "And you read those books?" she asked.

Kakashi wanted to punch Naruto in the head for bringing that up in front of Kaede, of all people.

"Yes, I read them," he admitted.

Kaede looked at him in disgust, looked back ahead of her and started walking again. "Pervert," she mumbled as Kakashi and Naruto walked along.

Kakashi forced out a chuckle. "What, I'm a pervert?" he laughed. "You don't mean that, do you?"

Kaede glanced back at him, not smiling. "For your information, I'm perfectly aware of the content of those books," she said. She gave Naruto a look as well. "You read them as well?"

"No," said Naruto. "I tried to read one of them, but I never got past the first 10 pages. It's boring."

Kaede smiled carefully. "Well, at least my brother is sane," she said. She took another look at Kakashi, but quickly looked ahead again, grabbing the back of her head with both hands: "Argh! Now I can't even look at you without imagining you reading those books!"

Kakashi smiled in spite of himself. "Come on, I don't read them just for the mature content," he said. "I just think they're really well-written and the main plots are interesting. That's all."

Kaede lowered her hands and looked up to the sky for a while as they walked. Eventually, she sighed and looked back at him again. "That'd better be true," she said. "As long as I don't have to see them."

Kakashi chuckled again. "That's a promise," he said.

They arrived in a very small village as the sun was already setting. The three decided to spend the night in the village's only inn, since it was far too cold to spend the night in a tent in the forest. Fortunately, the villagers did not know who Kaede was, and the three of them were welcome to stay.

It was a rule that unless married, men and women slept in separate rooms. Neither of them had a problem with it. Kaede was going to sleep in the room next to Kakashi and Naruto's.

The inn had an outdoor bath – also separated, of course. Naruto went in as soon as they had finished their dinner. Kaede told him she'd get in later, and Kakashi said he had some things to do.

As Kaede prepared her futon, she couldn't take her mind off of tomorrow. Kakashi had said that it would take about three hours from here to the Village of Colours. Kaede had told him that she didn't want to be there until evening, so that they had just a little more time together. Kakashi was fine with it.

Only one more day…

She wasn't looking forward to it. She didn't want to say goodbye yet. She had only just gotten to know her brother, and her childhood friend on a whole new level. She had been alone for the largest part of her life, but even thinking about being separated from these two for so long made her feel more lonely than ever.

She noticed she'd stopped moving, and continued preparing her futon… until a very familiar voice startled her after this long silence.

"Need help?"

Kaede jumped up and turned around, even though she knew it was Kakashi. He stood in the doorway, his hands in his pockets as usual. He'd taken off his forehead protector and vest.

Kaede sighed. "I keep telling you not to startle me like that," she said.

"Sorry," said Kakashi. He stepped inside the room and slid the door closed. Kaede watched him as he picked up her blanket and tucked it into a fresh, white sheet.

"You don't have to—"

"It's ok," he interrupted her.

Kaede crouched next to the other end of the futon, tugging in the other ends of the blanket into the sheet. Together they laid it straight and the futon was done.

Kakashi looked up. "Are you really angry with me?" he asked.

Kaede looked at him. "Hm? Why would I be angry with you?" she asked.

"For reading the Icha Icha books," he replied in all seriousness.

Kaede blinked, then let out a quiet snort. "I can't believe you're actually worried about that," she laughed. "You sound like me now."

Kakashi smiled briefly before he stood up. Kaede did the same.

They just stood and stared at each other for a while until Kakashi spoke up: "Well then, guess I'll… go and take a bath as well…" He turned around.

"Wait," said Kaede automatically. Kakashi stopped immediately and turned his head to look at her. "Uh, umm…" What should she say now? She didn't want him to go yet. This might be the last time they could be alone together.

Then she remembered…

"Your shirt," she said. She reached for her bag, and took the folded shirt out.

"I'd forgotten to give it back to you in the hospital," she continued. She approached Kakashi and reached it out to him. "Th-thank you for… lending it to me. And again for… saving my life back then. And for everything you've… done… for me." She noticed her voice was dying away and her hands were trembling.

Instead of taking the shirt, Kakashi wrapped his arms around her and embraced her so tightly she could hardly breathe. She felt his cheek resting atop of her head. Her chest was pressed against his, with the shirt in her hands between them.

"Keep it," he said in a calm, low voice. She loved how his chest rumbled against her as he spoke. "That way, you'll get to keep a piece of me close to you."

Kaede felt heat rise in her cheeks again.

"Thank you,' she whispered. "Umm… Could you… maybe… hold me a little less tightly? I'm suffocating…"

"Just a little bit longer," whispered Kakashi back. He bent over a little, giving her more space to breathe, just to rest his head on her shoulder. His masked lips were pressed lightly against the side of Kaede's neck, sending a pleasant shiver down her spine.

Kaede dropped Kakashi's shirt onto the futon and returned the hug. Her fingers grasped the back of his sweater as she felt a sudden need for him. She wanted him close to her. Very close.

She suddenly noticed he was resting more weight on her shoulders.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Are you tired?"

He was becoming heavy. Kaede had trouble keeping her balance.

Now she was getting worried. "Kakashi?"

And then her knees gave out. She was going to fall. She squeezed her eyes closed, bracing herself for the impact, but found herself in Kakashi's arms. When she opened her eyes, she found his face very close to hers – the expression in his open eye calm as always.

Kakashi laid her down on the futon and leaned on his hands and knees above her, just like he'd done in the hospital.

Kaede felt a twist in her chest. Her feelings went from concerned to anxious. Kakashi wasn't tired. He was trying to get her to lie down. This was strange. What happened to that overprotectiveness of his?

Kakashi raised one hand up to her face, cupping it around her cheek for a brief moment before he started caressing it.

Kaede's heartbeat sped up. She swallowed. "Are we—"

"No," Kakashi interrupted her with a low voice.

Feeling a bit disappointed and a bit relieved at the same time, Kaede let out the breath she had not been aware of holding.

I guess it's for the best not to do it while I haven't made up my mind yet, she thought. She stared into his onyx black eye. He says he's fine waiting until I'm ready for it, but holding back so much must be difficult for him. Isn't it?

"You're thinking too much," said Kakashi, followed by a faint smile.

"How do you know—"

"I can practically hear you think," replied Kakashi. "Relax a little. We don't have to rush anything."

Kaede averted her eyes, turning her head to the side. Kakashi withdrew his hand.

"Does it bother you that much?" he asked.

Kaede gave a slow nod.

Kakashi leaned back, catching her attention. When she looked at him, she noticed that he was frowning.

He slowly reached his hands to her waist, grabbing her sides in a not-so-gentle way, which startled her. He was usually so careful with her. She held her breath again when his hands started sliding down to her hips, his fingers digging under the hem of her sweater, and sliding up again to her sides. Here he paused, giving her sides a squeeze. A high-pitched whimper escaped Kaede in reaction. She covered her mouth with her hands. If the innkeeper found them like this…

Suddenly, she could see the smirk on his face through his mask.

What is he— OH!

He was tickling her. Kaede couldn't hold her laughter in. She reached for his wrists, trying to get his hands away from her sides, but he was far too strong. Without mercy, he kept tickling her. Kaede brought her hands back to her mouth in an attempt to muffle her laughter.

"Stop! Sto-stop!" she begged between muffled giggles.

"What's that?" asked Kakashi teasingly. "I can't hear you when you muffle your voice like that."

Kaede shook her head wildly, tears of laughter breaking out. "Stop!" she tried again.

"What? 'Continue'?" said Kakashi. "Very well…" He reached to under her armpits and continued tickling her.

Kaede squirmed underneath him. She tried to shift out from underneath him, but Kakashi stopped her by firmly grabbing her waist again and lifting her a little.

"Resistance is futile," he said with a smirk.

Kaede's fit of laughter finally died away. "What's with you today?" she asked.

"Payback for teasing me this afternoon," replied Kakashi. "Still think I'm born old?" He gave her side another squeeze.

Another giggle escaped Kaede. "Ok, ok, I take it back," she said. "Now let me go."

"Hmm, should I?" asked Kakashi, still smirking. "I like the view from here."

Kaede then noticed how close her chest was lifted to his face.

"Now this proves you are a pervert," she said with a scowl.

"I never said I wasn't," replied Kakashi as though he was proud of it.

Now he was just being annoying. Though she would have never thought to ever find herself so completely calm in this kind of situation; that did not mean he could do whatever he wanted with her whenever he wanted to. She could refuse, and he would respect that.

"Let me down," she said more firmly.

"Alright," said Kakashi, and he did as he was told. As he withdrew his hands, the look in his eye became more serious.

What is he thinking, Kaede wondered.

Kakashi pulled his mask down, leaned in and planted his lips on hers. No matter how many times he did this, her heart always sped up when they kissed. His lips were hot and incredibly soft for a man's lips, let alone a shinobi! Then again, he was wearing a mask all the time…

Kakashi pulled back, his face still close to hers.

"Kaede," he said softly. She loved it when he said her name with that warm, low voice.

"We've only been together for a short amount of time," said Kakashi. "But you've made me so happy. You've given me a reason to keep on living. Someone worth fighting for."

"Kakashi…"

"I love you, Kaede."

Kaede watched him without blinking. Her heart skipped a beat.

He… He just said…

Her body moved on its own. She found herself wrapping her arms around him and kissing him passionately. Kakashi ran a hand through her hair as he kissed her back.

She felt a tear run down her cheek. She had never felt this happy in her life. Just hearing those three little words from him made her feel like the happiest person in the world.

She pulled back and locked his gaze onto hers.

"I… I love you too," she replied.

Kakashi smiled widely, making her heart skip another beat. He had such a great smile.

He returned the embrace. He held her so tightly she could barely breathe, but just this once, she didn't care. As long as they were still together, she wanted to be as close to him as possible.

Man, that felt good, thought Naruto as he walked back from the men's bath. Kakashi-sensei never showed up. Wonder if he's doing alright…

But as he approached the door to their room, the door next to it opened and Kakashi walked out.

"Kakashi-sensei?" asked Naruto, taking a step back in surprise.

"Yo!" replied Kakashi, scratching the back of his head. "I was just on my way to the—"

"What were you doing in my sister's room?" asked Naruto, feeling his face become hot.

"We were just… talking," said Kakashi, making soothing gestures.

"Suspicious…" mumbled Naruto.

Then Kaede appeared in the doorway of her room.

"Hey," she said casually to Naruto. "I'm gonna go take a quick bath." She locked the door behind her.

Naruto stared at her. "Umm… ok," he said. He looked back to Kakashi and pointed at him. "Kakashi-sensei, you'd better not do anything weird!"

"You know me better than that, Naruto," replied Kakashi calmly.

"I don't know how you usually act around women," mumbled Naruto inarticulately.

"I heard that," said Kakashi as he passed him. "Besides, they're separate baths."

Kaede walked behind him, giggling softly. "I'll be fine, Naruto," she said. "See you later."

Naruto stared after them as they walked off, holding hands.

I'm glad for the two of you, he thought with a smile. If only we could've stayed together for a little longer. It's nice having family around…

He entered the room he shared with Kakashi.

What the…?

This room was a complete mess! Documents, clothes and other stuff, everywhere!

When he closed the door, he found a note next to the doorknob:

"Naruto,

Sorry for the mess. Will you set up the futons?

Kakashi."

Naruto tore the note to pieces. "If you had time to hang out at my sister's room… THEN YOU HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO CLEAN THIS UP, YOU BASTARD!"

A/N: Y-eah, just added that last bit for the sole purpose of not ending yet another chapter with smut and lovey-dovey stuff. ^^;

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your awesome reviews so far! You people rock my world! :D

(Also, should I add the next book to this story or just upload the books separately? Please tell me what you think! ^^)