Sakura woke up the next day and she felt a deep sense of deja vu. The light is the one that woke her up but she doesn't really want to wake up yet, so she searched for the warmth of Kakashi's body but he wasn't there. She opened her eyes and sent out her chakra throughout the apartment looking for him. But there's no one there except for her.
"Kakashi?" she called out hoping that Kakashi was only masking his chakra but there's no answer.
She immediately stood up and walked outside, but even Kikyo wasn't there.
"What the hell is happening?" Sakura muttered, dread settling in her chest. When the door suddenly opened, revealing Kakashi.
She felt hot tears escaped her lids when she saw him. "Don't do that to me again!" Sakura shouted at the silver-haired man. But Kakashi remain stoic. "Where is Kikyo?" she asked.
"At Genma's." he said, his voice void of emotion.
"Genma? Give me back my daughter, Kakashi!"
"Later. But first, we have to talk." He said. Sakura felt his anger rolling off of him in waves. He walked towards her, and he grasped her arm tightly and almost shoved her to the wall. He leaned down at her, his lone eye is angry. "Tell me the truth, Sakura." Kakashi told her, his lone visible eye burning holes through her. "Is she really mine?"
Sakura's heart sank at the intensity of Kakashi's anger. She had hoped that their relationship had mended after his return from the war, but now it seemed like a storm was brewing between them. She felt his grip on her arm, and it was a painful reminder of the incident when he had threatened her.
"Kakashi, please," Sakura implored, her voice trembling. "She is yours, I promise you. There's no one else. I never even considered being with someone else while you were gone."
Kakashi's eye bore into her, searching for the truth. He could see the fear in her eyes and the sincerity in her voice, but the war had left him with a deep well of paranoia and mistrust. Add to it the brief encounter he had with Anko. His eye flashed in anger again.
"Then why is there a story going around about you and Neji Hyuga?" he asked.
Sakura's eyes widened in shock at Kakashi's question. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Neji Hyuga is a respected shinobi in the village, and there was no basis for such a rumor.
"Kakashi, I have no idea where that rumor came from," Sakura said, her voice filled with frustration. "It's absolutely untrue. Neji is a friend, nothing more. I've been waiting for you to come back, and Kikyo is our daughter, I swear."
Kakashi's anger seemed to simmer down slightly as he looked into her eyes, but he still held her arm tightly. "I heard it from someone I trust," he said, his voice low and filled with tension. "They claimed to have seen you and Neji together."
Sakura couldn't fathom who would spread such a falsehood. She knew that rumors and gossip could be malicious, but this one was particularly hurtful because it threatened her relationship with Kakashi and their family.
"Kakashi, listen to me. Neji and I are friends, you know that."
"I was told that he was always around you when I left and when you were pregnant. Sakura, don't lie to me." Kakashi's grip on Sakura's arm was slowly turning into a painful vice. Sakura bit her lip to hold back a cry of pain, her eyes pleading with him to release her. She had never seen Kakashi like this, and it terrified her.
"Kakashi, please believe me," she said, her voice shaking. "I love you. I have always loved you. Kikyo is our daughter, and there's no one else. I would never betray you like that. Neji is just a friend." she explained, trying to get her point across. "Have you even really looked at your daughter? For Kami's sake, she absolutely looked like you. My only contribution in her appearance is her hair." Sakura looked at his eye, its still burning with rage. Is this who Kakashi really is?
"He was with you when you gave birth right?" Kakashi asked.
"Yes, because he, Hinata and I were having lunch when I felt the contractions. He was the one who carried me to the hospital. I'm not denying that, but that doesn't mean that there's something between us." Sakura said. "Neji was appointed as the next clan head, if Kikyo is his, do you think their clan elders would just let me raise her on my own? Kakashi what is happening to you? She looks like you!"
"Genjutsu." Kakashi simply said. In his head, he is sure that Sakura is lying to him. Why would Anko lie to him in the first place?
Kakashi's mention of genjutsu sent shivers down her spine. Whoever is trying to ruin her family has thought of everything. No one can prove the paternity but her and her daughter's resemblance with Kakashi. If the one who's trying to break them, casted that fact into suspicion, she doesn't know what to do anymore.
"Do you really think, I would go to such lengths just to trap you?" Sakura asked, pain lacing her voice. "I wasn't even sure if you're coming back. But if you really think that I'm lying to you, then let me go. I'll get my daughter, and we'll get the fuck out of your life!"
Kakashi's grip on Sakura's arm finally loosened as he stared into her eyes. The intensity of the moment seemed to dissipate, leaving behind an uncomfortable silence. He could see the tears in Sakura's eyes, and the anguish in her voice had left its mark on him.
"Sakura," he began, his voice softer now. "I don't want to lose you, and I don't want to lose our family. But I need to know the truth."
But Sakura is no longer listening to him. She doesn't want to listen to him. She walked past him to the door, and she was about to turn the knob when Kakashi hugged her from behind.
"Don't go." he pleaded. "Please."
Sakura stood there in the doorway, Kakashi's arms wrapped around her from behind. Her heart was heavy with a mix of emotions - anger, confusion, hurt, and fear. She had never seen Kakashi like this before, and it scared her. But she also knew that deep down, he was still the man she loved.
"Kakashi," she said, her voice soft but resolute. "I need you to trust me. Our family needs trust to survive. I would never do anything to hurt you or Kikyo. You're the love of my life, and she's our precious daughter. If you don't believe me, then let me go. You hurt me, Kakashi. And I will be damned if I let you hurt her."
Kakashi's arms around Sakura tightened, not to hurt her but to pull her closer to him. He rested his head on her shoulder, his emotions in turmoil. He had let his fear and paranoia get the best of him, and it had led him to threaten Sakura and doubt the legitimacy of their family.
"Sakura, I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice filled with regret. "I don't know what came over me. I've been through a lot, but it's no excuse for the way I treated you." He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. "I love you, and I love Kikyo. I don't want to lose you. Please, forgive me."
Sakura felt the sincerity in Kakashi's words, and she knew that he was truly remorseful for his actions. She also understood that the war had taken a toll on him, leaving him with emotional scars and a deep sense of paranoia. She gently turned around to face him, her eyes meeting his.
"Kakashi, I love you, but I don't know if I can forgive you just yet," Sakura said, her voice filled with pain. "If you want us here, we need to work on rebuilding our trust. We can't let doubt and fear come between us. I know that Kikyo needs both of us, and she needs to grow up in a loving and secure environment but if you can't give that to her, I can raise her on my own. I've been doing that for the past two years."
Kakashi listened to Sakura's words, and the weight of his actions bore down on him. He had let his fears and suspicions push him to the brink, and it had almost cost him the woman he loved and their family. He knew that he had to make amends and regain Sakura's trust, no matter how long it took.
"Sakura, I understand," he said, his voice filled with sincerity. "I'll do whatever it takes to make this right, to rebuild our trust. I can't bear to lose you and Kikyo. You mean everything to me, and I promise I won't let my paranoia get the best of me again."
Sakura nodded, but her eyes is still angry. "Now tell me, who told you all that?"
Kakashi hung his head in shame. "Anko."
"Mitarashi Anko?" Sakura asked. Kakashi nodded. "She wasn't even here. She was in the frontlines. Tell me, Kakashi, are you trying to get rid of me? If you don't want us here, just say so, I'm not going to push ourselves to you."
Kakashi's eye widened at her words. "No, Sakura, no. That's not it." Kakashi run his hands through his hair making it messy. He paced in front of her, Sakura's heart broke at the sight of him. He looked... lost. He keeps muttering no under his breath. And then he suddenly kneeled in front of her. "Please, no, don't leave." He was hugging her legs now. "Please, Sakura."
"Kakashi." Sakura called his name. Kakashi looked up to her, tears in his eye. "You need help."
"Give me a chance, Sakura," Kakashi pleaded, his voice filled with desperation. "I'll do whatever it takes to make things right, to rebuild the trust between us. I can't bear the thought of losing you and Kikyo. I was a fool, and I let my fears control me. But I love you both more than anything in this world, and I want to be the man you and our daughter deserve."
Sakura looked into Kakashi's eyes and saw the genuine remorse and love within them. She knew that their family had been through a rough patch, but she also understood that people make mistakes, especially in times of stress and trauma. She took a deep breath and nodded.
"Okay, Kakashi," she said, her voice softening. "I'm willing to give us a chance, but it won't be easy. We'll need time to heal and rebuild. Kikyo deserves a happy family, and we owe it to her to make it work."
Kakashi's eyes softened, and he pulled Sakura into a tight embrace, holding her close. "Thank you, Sakura. I promise I'll do whatever it takes to make this right. We'll work through this together, as a family."
"Kakashi, hurt me again, and I swear I don't care if you know a thousand jutsu, or you're a two-time war veteran, I'm out of here with Kikyo the moment you hurt me. Am I clear?"
Kakashi nodded. He knows that Sakura will not hesitate to have his head or leave him once he let his paranoia win again.
"And please, let your friends know that they have no right to question me or my daughter. Especially since they are not here when I had to endure the hardship, humiliation and judgment of the people when I got pregnant out of wedlock."
"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked. This bit of information is new to him.
"Do you really think that the village just accepted Kikyo?" Sakura said. "True they can never say anything to her because she's a child. But me? I got kicked out of numerous places just because of the fact I'm carrying her. So, your friends have no right whatsoever to judge me, they don't know what I had to do just to make sure she's here." Sakura spat. "Do you know how hard it is to raise a child with what I earn in the hospital? And even if Tsunade-sama knows for a fact that you're the father, I will never be eligible for the help that the village gives to the families of those deployed in the war. All of you doesn't know what I endure just to make sure she's eating."
Kakashi listened to Sakura's words with a heavy heart, realizing the depth of her struggles and the challenges she had faced alone while he was away. He had no idea how difficult her journey had been, and the revelation hit him hard. He knew that he had to do right by her and Kikyo and offer his full support.
"Sakura, I had no idea," he said, his voice filled with remorse. "I'm so sorry for not being there for you during that time. I'll make sure our daughter gets everything she needs, and I'll stand by you, no matter what."
Sakura appreciated Kakashi's understanding and his willingness to support her. She knew that it wouldn't be easy to rebuild their relationship and trust, but she was willing to give it a chance for the sake of their family.
"Thank you, Kakashi," she said, her voice softening. "We have a lot of healing to do, but I believe in us. Let's focus on rebuilding our family and making sure Kikyo has a bright future."
Kakashi nodded, a determined look in his eye. He knew that they had a long road ahead of them, but he was ready to face it with Sakura and Kikyo by his side.
"Now, Kakashi, can you please get my daughter from Genma?"
