One day, as he reviewed mission reports in solitude, a knock echoed through his office. Kakashi looked up to see Shikamaru standing at the doorway.

"What?" Kakashi asked.

"I just to ask you something." Shikamaru said in an exasperated voice. "You know you're an idiot, right?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "What are you talking about, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru sighed, crossing his arms. "Sakura. You let her go."

Kakashi's gaze shifted, a shadow of regret crossing his features. "It was her decision to take missions again. I respected it."

"You let her go before she even asked to be fired." Shikamaru said. "You chased after her then you broke her heart. You're an idiot."

Kakashi sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I know. It's just... I thought I was doing the right thing. I can't commit. I don't like being tied down."

"Did she ever tried to tie you down?" Shikamaru asked.

Kakashi shook his head. "No, she didn't. But I could sense that she needed more, and I couldn't give that to her."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "And who decided what she needed? You or her?"

Kakashi looked at Shikamaru, his matching grey eyes narrowing in thought. "I... I assumed. I thought I was doing what was best for her."

"Do you love her?" he asked, genuine curiosity lacing the young Nara's voice.

Kakashi hesitated for a moment, the weight of Shikamaru's question settling heavily on his shoulders. After a prolonged silence, he finally spoke, his voice carrying a mixture of vulnerability and realization.

"I... I do love her, Shikamaru. But I couldn't give her what she deserves. I thought I was protecting her from a future of limitations and restraints, but maybe I was just protecting myself."

Shikamaru sighed and detached himself from the doorway to traverse the distance between the door and the table. He placed a scroll in his desk. "I hope this is not what you mean by protecting her."

Kakashi took the scroll and unfolded it, revealing a detailed medical report. "What is this?"

"Sakura's medical report from her latest mission." Shikamaru said. "See this?" he pointed to one section. "Do you know what that is?"

Kakashi studied the section Shikamaru pointed to, his eyes narrowing in concentration. "This indicates a minor injury, but it doesn't seem too severe."

"Minor if you don't read the next passage." Shikamaru prodded him.

When Kakashi read what was in the passage that Shikamaru talks about, his eyes widened and every visible skin that can be seen turned pale. "But... this would mean... I never sent her to a seduction mission!"

Shikamaru crossed his arms, a stern expression on his face. "It wasn't from a seduction mission. Did you ever wonder why she's a week late from her supposed return?"

"I wondered. But these return dates are only the suggested or estimated. I never return home on the exact date indicated. Sometimes I'm three days to one week late."

Shikamaru pulled the scroll a little. "Read this." he pointed.

Kakashi read the passage multiple times before the meaning registered. "She was captured and then she was..." Kakashi slammed the scroll on to the desk. "NO!" he bellowed. "You falsified this to make me feel sick to my stomach."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, his expression unchanged. "I didn't falsify anything. That's Sakura's actual medical report. She got captured during a mission, and things took a turn. She fought her way out, but not without consequences."

Kakashi reached for the mission report that Sakura submitted and read through it but there's no mention of her capture or the... 'Fuck!' he screamed inside his head. He looked at the medical report again. "She was forced?" he asked in a small voice.

"Well, what does bruises and vaginal bleeding and trauma tells you?" Shikamaru asked.

Kakashi's hands trembled as he continued to read the disturbing details in the medical report. A mix of shock, anger, and guilt painted his face. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, couldn't fathom the ordeal Sakura had endured.

Shikamaru watched Kakashi closely, observing the myriad of emotions crossing his face. "She didn't tell you, did she?" he said, his voice softer now.

Kakashi shook his head, his eye avoiding Shikamaru's gaze. "No. She must have thought that I don't care." he answered.

"I wonder why she thinks so." Shikamaru let out a heavy sigh, contemplating Kakashi's admission. "Maybe because you let her go without giving her a chance to share her burdens. She needed your support, not assumptions about what's best for her."

Kakashi ran a hand through his silver hair, frustration evident in his eyes. "I never realized how much pain she was in. I pushed her away, thinking I was protecting her, but I ended up hurting her more."

Shikamaru sighed. "Now, I regret telling Sakura to choose you. I was only trying to tell her to avoid the man who would hurt her, but I guess I only directed her to one."

Kakashi's gaze hardened as he looked at Shikamaru. "I can't deny that I messed up, Shikamaru. I hurt her, and I have to live with that. But I won't let it be the end of us."

"The two of you ended when you broke up with her, Kakashi." Shikamaru snarled. "Now you're going to swoop in with misplaced sense of affection. She was raped in that mission probably multiple times! She doesn't need you complicating things."

Kakashi's eyes widened in horror and realization. The gravity of Sakura's experience hit him like a tidal wave, and a surge of guilt and anger welled up within him. The scroll slipped from his hands, clattering onto the desk.

"She... I didn't know," Kakashi stammered, his voice barely audible. "I didn't check the details. I wasn't able to protect her. Where is she?"

Shikamaru sighed, his earlier stern expression softening. "She's in the hospital, recovering."

Kakashi's heart sank as he processed the information. The weight of his decisions and the consequences they had on Sakura's well-being hit him with a force he hadn't anticipated. The guilt and regret etched across his face were palpable.

"I need to see her," Kakashi declared, his voice determined.

"No." Shikamaru said.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Kakashi snapped, his eyes narrowing at Shikamaru.

"She's in a medical-induced coma." the Nara explained. "She's refusing treatment and struggling so Tsunade-sama had to place her under. She's still resting."

Kakashi's shoulders slumped, a mixture of shock and sorrow clouding his features. The reality of Sakura's condition hit him with a crushing force, and he couldn't shake the overwhelming sense of responsibility for what she had endured.

"I... I need to be there for her," Kakashi insisted, his voice strained.

"You should have thought about that before pushing her away," Shikamaru retorted, his gaze piercing. "She's been through hell, and you weren't there for her. Maybe it's time you face the consequences of your actions."

Kakashi's eyes tightened, acknowledging the truth in Shikamaru's words. The realization that he had failed Sakura, both emotionally and in terms of her safety, cut deep. The weight of his decisions settled heavily on his shoulders, and a sense of urgency propelled him into action.

Without another word, Kakashi made his way to the hospital, his strides purposeful. As he approached Sakura's room, he took a deep breath, steeling himself for the difficult conversation that awaited.