Sakura's eyes widened; her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't comprehend the words she just heard. It felt like the ground beneath her feet had disappeared, leaving her in a void of confusion and pain.
"What... what are you saying, Kakashi?" she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. The shock in her eyes was quickly replaced by the desperation of someone trying to hold onto the last shred of a crumbling reality.
Kakashi avoided her gaze, his eye focused on a distant point. "I can't be what you need, Sakura. I thought I could, but I was wrong. We're better off going our separate ways."
A wave of numbness washed over Sakura as she struggled to process the words. "But... but we were happy. What happened?" Her voice wavered, betraying the pain that threatened to consume her.
Kakashi sighed, his heart aching with the weight of his own lies. "It's not about what happened. It's about what I've realized. I can't give you what you deserve. It's unfair to both of us to continue this way."
Sakura took a shaky step back, her eyes welling up with unshed tears. "You're... breaking up with me?" The words hung in the air, heavy with the finality of a shattered relationship.
Kakashi nodded, the lie etched into his features. "I'm sorry, Sakura. It's for the best."
For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Sakura's mind was a whirlwind of emotions—confusion, heartbreak, and the bitter taste of betrayal. She never saw it coming, and the pain of being blindsided by someone she trusted so much felt like a stab in the chest.
"I don't understand..." Sakura whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "What did I do wrong? What changed?"
Kakashi's mask concealed the remorse in his eye. "It's not about you, Sakura. It's about me. I need to figure things out on my own, and it's not fair to keep you in this limbo. You should be out with someone your own age. Someone that can be open about your relationship in the world. Not like this." He spoke. This could mark the night he said more than fifty words. "Build relationship with others, Sakura. Maybe even with Sasuke."
"Sasuke?"
"He's back."
"Is this what all of this is about?" she asked. "You're dumping me because he came back?"
"No. But his return made me realize that I will never be like him. I am not like him. And I cannot change myself to be like him."
Sakura's eyes narrowed as a mix of emotions surged within her—confusion, anger, and a profound sense of hurt. "So, what, Kakashi? You're ending things because you can't measure up to Sasuke? Is that it?"
Kakashi hesitated, his eye revealing a flicker of guilt. "It's not about measuring up, Sakura. It's about being honest with ourselves. I can't be what you want me to be. I'm sorry."
She felt a surge of anger, a fire burning within her. "You don't get to decide what I want or need, Kakashi. I never asked you to be Sasuke. I won't ask you that. I asked you to be you." Her voice wavered with a mix of frustration and heartbreak. "I just want a life with you."
"I don't love you. I deluded myself into thinking that I do." He rebuked her, preparing for the biggest lie that he'll say to her. "You just remind me of her so much. I thought I can transfer the love I have for her to you."
"W-what?"
"I love Rin, Sakura." he said. Silently asking for forgiveness to his teammate that he killed. "You remind me so much of her that I thought I can love you - " The lie that he was about to say was interrupted when Sakura slapped him hard across the face.
"Bastard!" she whimpered. "I love you too much for you to do this to me." She cried.
Kakashi's heart broken when she saw the pain that he caused her. He didn't love Rin that way. Rin was a teammate; someone he considered a friend. He just have to say that to make her hate him more. Looking at Sakura's eyes, he knew he succeeded. "I'm sorry, Sakura." He said in his head.
As he did not have an answer for what Sakura told him, he just turned and walk away. Leaving the one he loves the most in the middle of the night. As he walked away, the weight of his decision settled heavily on Kakashi's shoulders. He knew he had hurt her, and the guilt threatened to suffocate him. Yet, he convinced himself that it was for her own good, that he was sparing her from a future of disappointment and heartache.
