Sakura opened her eyes when a pale light started to hurt her eyes. She sat up quickly, and turned her head to the side, expecting to see Sasuke standing there and the light of chidori engulfing his arm. However, what she saw was a familiar sight – the walls of her old apartment. Confusion clouded her eyes as the events of the night rushed back into her memory. Genma, Kakashi, the argument with Sasuke, and her decision to leave.
As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she noticed Kakashi sitting in a chair nearby, his gaze fixed on her. There was something different in his eyes, a mix of regret and longing. Sakura's heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Kakashi's presence than met the eye.
"Kakashi?" she called tentatively, her voice still carrying the weight of the emotions she had been through.
He looked at her more consciously, and for a moment, the air in the room seemed charged with unspoken words. Kakashi's eye held a sincerity that Sakura hadn't seen before.
"I'm sorry, Sakura," he said, his voice soft but filled with genuine remorse. "I should have been there for you. I should have fought for you."
Sakura's brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Kakashi sighed, running a hand through his silver hair. "I made a mistake, Sakura. I let my own fears and insecurities guide my actions. I thought I was protecting you by staying away, but I see now that I only caused you more pain."
The sincerity in Kakashi's words struck Sakura, and a flicker of understanding started to dawn on her. "You mean... you really did love me?" Sakura asked. Seeing that Kakashi nodded his head, she cannot rein in the anger that she thought she buried deep inside her heart.
"Then why?" Sakura asked him in a loud voice that awoken Genma. "Why did you have to push me away? Why did you say those awful things to me?" She demanded. "Every word that left your mouth that night felt like knives that stabbed me repeatedly. Why, Kakashi? Why?!"
Kakashi's eye lowered, unable to meet Sakura's intense gaze. He carried the weight of his own mistakes and could sense the pain his actions had caused her. "I thought it was for the best," he replied, his voice heavy with regret. "I believed that you wanted to be with someone your own age. I thought by saying those words, you will be able to breathe freely. Free to be with him."
Sakura's anger didn't subside. "You don't get to decide what's best for me, Kakashi! You broke my heart, and I spent a year trying to move on from you, only to find myself trapped in a toxic situation."
Genma, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "Sakura, what Kakashi did was wrong, and he knows it. But sometimes, people make mistakes, and they learn from them."
Sakura shot him a glare. "Learn from them? How? By watching me suffer?"
Kakashi interjected, "I never wanted you to suffer, Sakura. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I see now how wrong I was. I let my own fears control me, and I hurt you in the process. I can't change the past, but I want to make things right now."
Sakura's anger wavered, replaced by a deep sadness. "It's too late, Kakashi. I can't go back to the way things were. I can't keep repeating the same mistakes I did. I got hurt just because I love you. I won't have my heart trampled again."
"Sakura, please," Kakashi tried to reach for her but Sakura flinched, so Kakashi let his arm fall. "Let me correct my mistakes."
"You never raised your hand to hurt me, or used your chidori to threathen me, just like Sasuke did. I never felt unsafe in your presence, but you hurt me just the same."
Sakura's words hung in the air, like a machete ready to break Kakashi's heart. And it did, her words are enough to hurt him. Though he does not blame her for it. He was the first one to hurt her.
Kakashi nodded. He rose from the chair and moved towards her. His hand moved towards the back of her head. He pressed a soft kiss in her head. "I'm sorry, Sakura." he murmured. "Goodbye."
Sakura didn't stop Kakashi as he left the room. She sat there, a mix of emotions swirling inside her. The wounds of the past and the recent events left her feeling battered and bruised, both physically and emotionally.
Genma, sensing her turmoil, sat down beside her. "You've been through a lot, Sakura."
She nodded, wiping away the tears that continued to fall. "I just want to be free of all this pain, Genma. I want to live without constantly fearing for my life."
"You deserve that," Genma said, his voice filled with sincerity. "And I'll here to help you get through it. You have friends who care about you."
Sakura managed a small, sad smile. "Thank you, Genma. I appreciate it. But I need time to heal and figure things out."
He nodded understandingly. "Take all the time you need. I'll be here for you."
As Genma offered his support, Sakura couldn't shake off the heaviness in her heart. The wounds ran deep, and the scars would take time to fade. She contemplated her decisions, the relationships that had caused her pain, and the path she needed to take for her own well-being.
