Kakashi left Tsunade's office with a heavy heart, carrying the weight of his past actions and the responsibility he felt toward Sakura and Kikyo. He knew he had a lot of work to do to mend their relationship, and it wouldn't be easy. As he left the Hokage's office, he decided that he would find Sakura and talk to her, not just about the name change but also about their future together.

He went straight to their apartment, hoping to find Sakura and Kikyo there. When he entered, he saw Kikyo playing with her toys in the living room, but there was no sign of Sakura. He approached his daughter, ruffling her hair and giving her a small smile.

"Hey there, Kikyo," he said softly. "Where's mommy?" He asked the kid.

Kikyo just giggled and continued playing, seemingly oblivious to the tension that had filled the household.

Kakashi decided to look for Sakura, starting with Kikyo's room. He found her sitting on the floor, sorting through some of Kikyo's things. She looked up as Kakashi entered the room, her expression a mix of surprise and wariness.

"Sakura," Kakashi began, his voice gentle. "Can we talk?"

Sakura nodded but didn't say anything. She continued to sort through the clothes and toys in front of her.

Kakashi knelt down beside her, taking a deep breath before speaking. "I'm really sorry for what happened last week. I don't know what came over me, and I can't justify my actions. You're right; I need help, and I need to change. I want to be a better partner and father for you and Kikyo."

Sakura remained silent, her focus on her task.

"I signed the petition to change Kikyo's last name to Hatake," Kakashi continued. "And Tsunade also prepared a marriage license. I want to marry you, Sakura. I want to make things right and build a future together as a family. But I understand if you're not ready, or if you need more time."

Sakura finally looked up at Kakashi, her eyes filled with a mix of emotions - hurt, anger, but also a glimmer of hope. "Kakashi," she said, her voice soft, "I appreciate your apology and your willingness to change. But it's not just about the last name or a marriage license. It's about trust, respect, and understanding. We need to rebuild what was broken. I want to believe in us again, but it's not going to happen overnight."

Kakashi nodded, his visible eye filled with determination. "I know, Sakura. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to earn your trust again. I'll attend therapy, and we can work on our issues together. I just don't want to lose you and Kikyo."

Sakura sighed and placed a hand on Kakashi's cheek. "I don't want to lose you either, Kakashi. But we need to take this one step at a time. We can start with therapy, and we'll see where it leads us. I want us to be a family, but we need to heal first."

Kakashi smiled softly and leaned into Sakura's touch. "I love you, Sakura. And I love Kikyo. I promise I'll make this right."

Sakura smiled back, and for the first time in a while, there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "I love you too, Kakashi. Let's take it one step at a time, and hopefully, we can rebuild what we had."

As they sat there together, Kakashi knew that the road ahead would be challenging, but he was willing to do whatever it took to mend their family. He's suddenly on his feet when he heard a crash and Kikyo's cry. He and Sakura rushed to the living room and saw that the kunai Minato gifted him when he became a jonin laying on the ground.

"Kikyo!" he immediately scooped the girl up and checked her for injuries.

"She's fine." Sakura said, but his eyes continued to roam Kikyo's figure. "She's fine, Kakashi. Give her to me." He felt Sakura's hand touched his to take his little girl, but he didn't let her go. "Kakashi!"

Kakashi held Kikyo close to him, still worried about her safety. He looked at the fallen kunai, realizing that it must have been knocked off a shelf during Kikyo's play. The incident had heightened his sense of protectiveness over their daughter, and he didn't want to let her go.

Sakura reached out to gently touch Kakashi's arm, her voice soothing. "Kakashi, she's okay. You can give her to me."

Kakashi finally relented and handed Kikyo over to Sakura. He watched as his daughter nestled into Sakura's embrace, her tears subsiding as she clung to her mother. Kakashi couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt for letting his fear and paranoia affect his family. He knew he needed to change for their sake.

"Dada! Dada!" Kikyo shouted, her tiny arms extended towards Kakashi. "Dada! Want Dada!"

Kakashi took the girl from Sakura. He carefully placed her in his arms. His one arm became the seat for her and the other supports her back and head.

Kikyo played with Kakashi's hair and was even able to lift his hitae-ate. At the sight of Kakashi's red eye Kikyo stared at it fearfully.

"Papa! Papa!" she cried out. Kakashi looked questioningly at Sakura. Confused as to who Kikyo is looking for. Then something clicked in his head, Kikyo calls Sakura Mama but she never calls him Papa but Dada.

"Who is 'papa,' Sakura?" he asked.

"That is what she calls Neji." she answered. "You weren't here. Neji and Konohamaru are the only males left here aside from the clan and village elders. It just so happened that Neji was playing with her when she started to form the words." she explained. "She's so young, how can I tell her that Neji is not her father?"

Kakashi nodded. He keep his grip on the crying child secure. Again, he felt like a thousand kunai are stabbing his heart. He wants to be angry, but he can't. Sakura is right, she can't tell Kikyo that.

Sakura reached out to him to put the hitae-ate back in place. He cooed at his daughter, trying to stop her from crying. "Shh, Kikyo, Dada's here. No one's going to hurt you. No one's going to hurt you, baby."

The baby stopped crying and started to fist the silver hair that covers her face. Then the girl managed to get her hands on his mask and pulled it down. The girl squealed in delight when she saw her father's face.

"Dada!" the girl said as she placed her tiny hands on the sides of Kakashi's face. "Dada!"

Kakashi smiled as Kikyo gripped his face. He pressed his face into her tiny hands. "Dada?" Her bright gray eyes looked into his. "Yes, baby, I'm your dada."

Sakura let the two play, happy that Kikyo at Kakashi is having their own bonding.

A few hours later, Kakashi entered the kitchen with a sleeping Kikyo in his arms. She tried to get the girl from him, but Kakashi pressed the girl tighter to his.

"A few more minutes, Sakura."

Sakura nodded. Kakashi is Kikyo's parent too. He doesn't have to ask permission from her.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi." Sakura apologized quietly. "I can't ask her to stop calling Neji 'Papa' but I swear that there's nothing between him and me, we're just friends."

"I can't really get mad at that, Sakura." He answered. "I wasn't here, while Neji is. I just wished that I was here, seeing all her milestones."

Kakashi's words hung in the air, heavy with the regret of not being there for Sakura and Kikyo during those crucial moments. He felt a deep pang of guilt for the time he had spent away from his family, and he realized that he needed to make it up to them.

Sakura reached out and placed a hand on Kakashi's arm, her expression filled with understanding and compassion. "Kakashi, I know you wish you were here, but you were out there fighting for the village. I never held it against you. We all had our roles to play."

Kakashi looked down at his sleeping daughter in his arms and sighed. "I just want to be the father Kikyo deserves, and the partner you need, Sakura. I know I've made mistakes, but I'm willing to work on being better for both of you."

"I know."

"Sakura, marry me." Kakashi said to Sakura. "Please, Sakura."

Sakura looked up at Kakashi, her eyes filled with surprise and emotion. She hadn't expected him to ask her in this moment, and it caught her off guard. Her heart was still heavy with the recent events and their strained relationship, but she also saw a genuine desire in Kakashi to make things right.

"Are you asking that because you really want it, or you just want to stake a claim?"

"I'm asking because I love you. Not because of anything else." He took out a box from his pocket and laid it out on the table. "Marry me, Sakura, please."

Sakura opened the box and saw a silver ring with gray and pink stones, the colors that symbolizes them both. She looked at Kakashi and looked back to the ring. Tears started to pool in her eyes. "Kakashi."

"Please, Sakura. Marry me."

Sakura nodded. Tears started to stream down her face. "Okay. Yes."

"Really?"

Sakura nodded. Kakashi carefully took the ring from the box without waking his daughter and slide the ring to her finger.

"Thank you, Sakura. Thank you." He pressed his lips to Sakura's forehead. "Thank you. I love you." He then kissed her on the lips. "I love you."