Its been five years since she left.
Kakashi wondered the training grounds mindlessly. The long wait for her return is like a heavy boulder in his shoulders.
The mission was an S-rank. Eliminate the remaining members of the war sympathizers. And its mostly S-rank jonin. Sakura may be jonin, but these people are S-rank for a reason. And in Konoha, only he can put up a decent fight.
Lack of news about her progress is also not helping the situation. He doesn't know weither she is alive or died. No news about her mission at all. And in each passing day, he can imagine all sorts of negative images of what had happened to her.
"Where are you, Sakura?" he asked the air.
"Sempai!" Yamato run hurried towards him.
"Yamato, what is it?" Kakashi asked his subordinate as he run like a pack of hunting hounds is after him.
"Its Sakura-chan." Yamato wheezed out. "She's back."
"Where is she?"
"The hospital." Yamato answered. But he grabbed his arm when he started to run towards the hospital. "You may not want to see her."
"What do you mean? I've been waiting for her for all these years!"
"She's not alone. She's got a small girl with her."
Kakashi's heart raced as he heard the news of Sakura's return, but Yamato's words stopped him in his tracks. The mention of Sakura being with a small girl puzzled him. He couldn't fathom what had transpired during her mission and what could have led her to have a child with her.
He looked at Yamato with a mix of anticipation and confusion. "A small girl? Is she Sakura's daughter?"
Yamato hesitated for a moment before responding, "I don't know, Kakashi. The details are sketchy. The only thing I know about the kid is she's a pink-hair like Sakura and she's like three - four years old."
Kakashi's mind reeled at the revelation. A small pink-haired girl accompanying Sakura? He couldn't wrap his head around the situation. It raised so many questions and uncertainties, but his primary concern was for Sakura and what she had been through during her mission.
"Take me to her, Yamato," Kakashi said, his voice trembling with a mixture of anxiety and longing. "I need to see her, and I need to understand what happened."
Yamato nodded and led Kakashi to the hospital. The journey felt excruciatingly long for Kakashi, and he couldn't shake the feeling of dread that had settled over him. He couldn't have imagined how much the world had changed during Sakura's absence and what she had experienced.
When they arrived at the hospital, Kakashi rushed to Sakura's room. He stopped just outside the door, taking a deep breath to steady himself before entering. The room was dimly lit, and he saw Sakura lying in the hospital bed, her eyes closed, and the girl by her side.
Kakashi's heart ached at the sight of Sakura's frailty. It was a stark contrast to the strong and resilient woman he remembered. The small pink-haired girl, who resembled Sakura, sat quietly beside her.
Approaching the bedside, Kakashi gently touched Sakura's hand, his thumb caressing her knuckles. "Sakura," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I'm here. It's me, Kakashi."
Sakura stirred as his voice reached her, her eyelids fluttering open. She blinked a few times before her eyes focused on Kakashi. A weak smile graced her lips. "Kakashi... you're here."
Kakashi nodded, his visible eye filled with concern. "Sakura, what happened? Where have you been all these years? And who is this little girl?"
Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes as she began to recount her harrowing journey over the past five years, the challenges she faced, and how she Hana came to her life. Kakashi listened with a heavy heart, his hand still intertwined with Sakura's, silently vowing to be there for her and to help them both find healing and happiness in the midst of the trials they faced.
"She's Hana." Sakura introduced the child. "I can't leave her anymore. They know about her, they will use her against me. I have to abandon mission."
"It's okay, they will understand." Kakashi assured her. "But Sakura, who's her father?"
Sakura's eyes turned flat, almost emotionless. "She's just mine. No one will have a claim on her. Leave, Kakashi. I can't stand your face." She spat suddenly. The change in her demeanor is so sudden that he almost got a whiplash.
Kakashi absorbed Sakura's words, feeling the weight of her pain and anger. He knew he had hurt her deeply by leaving her years ago, and now, in the midst of her suffering, he had returned. Her refusal to let anyone claim Hana as her father's child was a clear indication of the emotional scars she carried.
"I understand, Sakura," Kakashi said softly, his eye showing remorse. "I won't press any further. But I want you to know that I'm here now, and I won't leave your side. I will never leave you again."
"I don't need you, Kakashi." Sakura spat. "I will never ever need you again. Stay away from me. Stay away from us!"
"What are you hiding, Sakura?" Kakashi asked when Sakura's last words registered in his mind. He looked at the girl, and for the first time, he saw her grey eyes. The same grey that his father and him had. He look back at Sakura. "Is she mine?"
Sakura's eyes bore into Kakashi's with intensity, her emotions mixed with anger, pain, and a hint of desperation. She remained silent for a moment, as if struggling to find the right words to respond to his question. Hana, the little girl, shifted uneasily beside her, sensing the tension in the room.
"And what if she is? You have no right. She's mine. She's mine alone."
"Sakura, is she mine?" Kakashi pressed further.
"Leave us alone." Sakura cried. "Leave us and never come back."
Kakashi struggled to read Sakura's emotions, her anger and pain mixing with the possibility of what he had just asked. He knew that this was a deeply sensitive issue, and Sakura's emotional state was fragile. However, he couldn't deny the need for clarity, both for his sake and Sakura's.
"Sakura," Kakashi implored gently, "I need to know the truth. If she's mine, I want to be there for her. We both deserve to know."
Sakura's eyes were filled with tears as she looked at Hana, who was now watching Kakashi with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation. After a long, heavy silence, Sakura finally spoke, her voice trembling with emotion.
"Fine," Sakura whispered, her voice barely audible. "Yes, Kakashi. She's yours. Hana is yours. Happy now? Don't you dare take her away from me, Hatake. You have no right!"
Kakashi's eye widened with the confirmation that Hana was indeed his child. Emotions swirled within him, ranging from shock to a sense of responsibility and an overwhelming desire to be a part of his daughter's life. He had never expected to become a father, and the circumstances were far from ideal, but he couldn't turn his back on his own blood.
"Sakura," Kakashi said gently, "I won't take her away from you. I promise, I just want to be a part of her life."
"Leave her alone, Kakashi. Don't break her heart the way you broke mine. She's just a child!"
Hana, sensing the intensity of the moment, reached out to her mother, clutching the fabric of Sakura's hospital gown. Sakura embraced her daughter and held her close, her tears falling on Hana's head.
Tears streamed down Sakura's face as she clung tightly to Hana, her emotions raw and fragile. The weight of her past, the pain of Kakashi's abandonment, and the revelation about their daughter's true parentage had pushed her to her limit. She feared for Hana, worried that history would repeat itself and that their daughter would be hurt by Kakashi's presence in her life.
Kakashi's heart ached as he watched Sakura's tearful reaction. He understood the depth of her pain and the fear she felt for Hana. He wanted to be a part of their lives and make amends for his past actions, but he also knew that he needed to tread carefully and gain Sakura's trust once more.
"Sakura," Kakashi spoke softly, his voice laced with empathy. "I won't hurt her, I promise. Just don't push me out."