"Sakura..." he knocked on her door. "Sakura, please, I can't take this silence anymore." he said while listening against her door. "Please, I'm so sorry. I missed you so much. I love you."

Sakura's heart thudded painfully in her chest as Kakashi's voice cut through the quiet like a blade. The sound of him pleading, vulnerable, was almost enough to bring her to her feet. Almost.

She pressed her forehead against the door, closing her eyes as memories of him swarmed her—his touch, his warmth, his once comforting presence. But none of that mattered now. None of it could change what had happened.

"Please... don't," she whispered, though she knew he couldn't hear her through the door. The weight of his words hung in the air, pressing down on her like an unbearable burden.

Kakashi continued, his voice cracking with desperation. "I don't know what I became that night, Sakura. But I swear to you, I'm not that man anymore. I can't undo what I did, but I need to try—try to make things right. For you. For us. Please, just talk to me."

Sakura's hand trembled against the door as she took a step back, her mind spinning. She wanted to hate him, to never see him again, to block out every trace of the man who had betrayed her trust in the most brutal way. But there was still something inside her—a part of her that had loved him so fiercely that the idea of him being in pain, of him feeling lost, was unbearable.

"Sakura... please. I can't... I can't take it. I need you. Please."

Sakura stood there, her back pressed against the door, her breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps. The echo of his voice—so broken, so raw—carried through the thin wood, cutting into her like shards of glass. It was almost too much to bear, the tension between wanting to flee and the painful pull of her own heart. She closed her eyes, wishing the world could go quiet, wishing she could disappear into the silence forever.

But there was no escape from this.

"Please talk to me. I miss you." Kakashi murmured. "Please, open the door."

Sakura stood frozen, her hand still pressed against the door, her pulse pounding in her ears. Kakashi's voice, filled with desperation and sorrow, reverberated through the thin wood, each word laced with pain. She wanted to shut it out, to silence him, to pretend that this moment wasn't happening. But she couldn't. His plea was a jagged reminder of everything they had been, everything they could never be again.

The tears, which she had thought had dried up long ago, began to well up again, blurring her vision. She squeezed her eyes shut, but they came anyway, hot and relentless.

"Sakura," Kakashi's voice softened, a last, almost pleading whisper. "I never meant to hurt you. Not like this. Please… please just say something."

Her breath hitched as she pressed her forehead against the door. There was so much she wanted to say. So much anger, so much hurt, so much confusion. But she was paralyzed by the weight of it all. Could she ever forgive him? Could she ever forgive herself for even considering it?

For a long moment, she said nothing, her chest rising and falling in rapid, shallow breaths. The room around her seemed to close in, the walls pressing down as the silence thickened.

Her hand trembled slightly as she unlatched the door and opened it. The scent that she missed so much wafted against her and she just closed her eyes as the memories to them together played on the forefront of her mind.

"Ka..." But even before she finished saying his name, she felt his arms enveloped her.

The instant Kakashi's arms wrapped around her, everything in Sakura's world came to a standstill. She froze, her breath catching in her throat, unsure of how to respond. His scent, so familiar and comforting, flooded her senses—memories of the man she had once loved, the man she thought she knew, overwhelmed her.

Kakashi held her tightly, his arms trembling, as if he was afraid that if he loosened his grip for even a moment, she would slip away forever. He didn't say a word, but his presence spoke volumes. It was the kind of silence that screamed regret, longing, and a deep, aching sorrow that mirrored her own.

Sakura could feel his heart beating against her, erratic and desperate. Her own pulse matched the rhythm of his, thudding painfully in her chest. She should push him away. She should demand answers, but the weight of his touch, the quiet plea in his silence, made it so difficult to do anything at all. For a moment, she forgot the pain. She forgot the betrayal. She forgot the lies, the broken promises.

For a moment, she just let herself feel the warmth of him again, even though she knew it wouldn't last. She wanted to hate him, to punish him for everything he had done. She did hate him—for what he had turned into, for the monster he had revealed himself to be. But that wasn't the whole story. She had loved him. She had built a life with him, and even now, a part of her still yearned for that life, the one they had before everything fell apart.

"I'm so sorry." he murmured. "I know how you must hate me right now. But I can't stay away anymore. I missed you. The house feels so empty without you. I love you so much, Sakura. I'm so sorry for what I've done. For everything that I did, for everything that I said."

Sakura's heart twisted painfully at his words. She felt the weight of them, but it was not the kind of weight that could lift a burden. His apology, so raw and sincere, should have been enough to crumble her resolve. But instead, it only made her feel more lost. She wanted to feel relief, to feel that this could somehow fix everything, but the scar that had been left on her heart was too deep for mere words to erase.

"Please come back home to me." he murmured, pressing a kiss on her temple.

Sakura closed her eyes as his lips touched her temple, a soft, desperate kiss that felt as if it were both a plea and a goodbye all at once. The warmth of his arms around her, the scent of him, the comfort she once found in his presence—it was all so overwhelming. But in that moment, she couldn't decide if it was healing or poison.

Her heart raced, not with the familiar flutter of love, but with the agony of everything they had lost. He was still the man she had loved once, but he had also become something else—someone she feared, someone who had hurt her in ways she couldn't ignore. And yet, here he was, asking her to come back, as though it were that simple.

"I'm so sorry," Kakashi repeated, his voice barely a whisper against her skin. "I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I can't keep living like this. Please, Sakura, don't make me lose you forever."

She felt his desperation, his raw need for redemption, but beneath it, she could still hear the echoes of the man he had been—the man who had let his darkness consume him, the man who had shattered everything they had built together. Could she forgive him? Could she ever trust him again?

The silence between them stretched longer, and the weight of her thoughts threatened to suffocate her. She wanted to scream at him, to tell him how much he had ruined her, to say the words she had held back for so long. But instead, she took a shaky breath and stepped back from his embrace, just enough to look him in the eyes.

His face, usually so controlled, was full of raw vulnerability. His eye—always hidden behind that mask of aloofness—was now laid bare, and for the first time in a long while, Kakashi looked truly lost.

"Sakura," he said softly, his voice breaking, "I can't undo the past. I can't take back what I did. But I'm not the man who hurt you. I swear it."

She stared at him, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. She had spent so much time trying to move forward, to build a life without him, but here he was, still clinging to the remnants of their past, begging for a chance to make things right.

But could she even consider it? Could she find the strength to forgive him, to believe in him again? She had loved him once with everything she had, and now she wasn't sure if that love was enough to heal the wounds he had caused. She wasn't sure if he was enough to heal them either.

"You hurt me." she murmured in a low tone. "You hurt me too much."

Kakashi's face fell at her words. It was as if the air had been ripped from his lungs, the weight of her accusation heavier than any punch he'd ever taken. He had prepared himself for this, for the anger, the pain, the bitter words. But hearing them, hearing the truth of what he had done to her, was a new kind of torment.

"I know," he whispered, his voice trembling with the force of a grief he could no longer hide. "I know, Sakura. And I'll never be able to take that back. But I swear to you, I am sorry. More than you'll ever know. Please give me chance, I promise you. It will never happen again."

"I'm scared."

Sakura's voice was barely a whisper, the words trembling as they left her lips. She closed her eyes, her hands gripping the edges of her shirt, as if trying to hold herself together.

"I'm scared, Kakashi," she repeated, her voice thick with emotion. "I'm scared of what you've become. I'm scared of what I still feel when you're near me. I'm scared of trusting you again and then finding out that it was all just a lie."

Kakashi's heart twisted at the sound of her voice, raw and vulnerable. He wanted to reach out to her, to comfort her, but the distance between them—both physical and emotional—felt like an insurmountable wall. His chest tightened, and he knew that the road to healing, if there was one, would be long and uncertain.

"I don't want you to be scared anymore," Kakashi whispered, his voice low, full of regret. "I never wanted to hurt you. But I did. I'll spend the rest of my life trying to show you that I can be someone you can trust again. But I understand if you can't believe me. Not yet."

Sakura's breath hitched, and she opened her eyes, staring at him through a veil of unshed tears. His words were like a double-edged sword—both comforting and painful. She didn't know if she could ever trust him again, but the truth was, part of her still wanted to. Still missed him. Still loved him in a way that wasn't easy to explain.

"And I'm pregnant." she admitted. "And I'm scared."

Kakashi's breath caught in his throat as the words sank in, crashing into him like a tidal wave. Pregnant. The weight of them was both terrifying and overwhelming. He stared at her, his mind reeling, trying to process what she had just said. Pregnant. His child. His mind flickered back to that night, to everything that had gone wrong, and the cruel irony of this revelation—a life growing inside her, a reminder of the one thing that tied them together even though everything else had shattered.

Sakura's eyes were wide, and her voice was raw, trembling as she spoke the words that both broke and healed her in ways she couldn't explain. "I'm scared, Kakashi. Scared of everything... of you, of me... of what this means."

The air between them felt thick, heavy with so many emotions, unsaid words, and the scars they both carried. Kakashi's heart hammered in his chest as he tried to find his bearings. He had never imagined this. Not in a million years. His first instinct was to rush to her, to tell her everything would be okay, that he would be there for her, for the baby. But how could he? How could he promise anything when he had failed her so completely?

"I…" Kakashi began, but his voice cracked, caught in the wave of emotions choking him. He swallowed hard, trying to steady himself. "I don't know what to say… What can I say?" His voice was hoarse, broken with regret. "I... I didn't know you were carrying our child." he looked at her still flat stomach, guilt coursing through him thickly. "Are you going to keep the baby?"

"I... I don't know." she looked at him. "Do you want me to? Do you even want us?"

Kakashi's gaze softened, and he took a hesitant step forward, though he kept his distance, as if afraid to overstep the fragile line between them. The words she had just spoken—Do you even want us?—felt like a dagger, a question that had been lingering in the air for so long but had never been voiced. He had no answer, not yet. Not a clear one. But he couldn't lie to her either.

"I..." Kakashi's throat tightened as he struggled to find the right words. He could feel the weight of her gaze, her vulnerability, and it hit him harder than anything else. He had never truly considered what the future might hold for them before, not like this. He had always been a man who dealt with the present, with the missions, with the day-to-day battles. The long-term was never something he allowed himself to dwell on. Until now.

He reached up to push his hair back, a nervous gesture, his hand trembling. His heart ached, not just for the life growing inside of Sakura, but for what he had done to her. The path to healing, to trust, to any semblance of hope, felt like a treacherous road he had no idea how to walk.

"Can you still see a future with me?" he asked back.

Sakura's heart pounded in her chest, the question hanging in the air between them like a storm cloud, dark and heavy. His words, laced with vulnerability and uncertainty, cut through the layers of fear and hesitation that had settled within her over the past months. Could she see a future with him? Could she find a way to forgive him, to trust him again?

She took a deep breath, her mind racing as memories and emotions collided. It was so easy to remember the man he had been before—his touch, his smile, the warmth in his eyes. But now, all she could see was the man who had shattered everything she had believed in, who had shown her a side of himself that she couldn't unsee.

Sakura closed her eyes, trying to steady the whirlwind of emotions inside her. The baby inside her, their baby, seemed to pulse with life, a stark reminder that no matter what had happened between them, there was something still tying them together. She couldn't ignore it—this child, this tiny life, was a part of both of them, a reflection of a love that had once been pure and beautiful, and now felt so broken.

"I don't know," she whispered, her voice barely audible, the words feeling like a weight she couldn't lift. "All I know is I still love you. Even after everything."

Kakashi's heart skipped at her words, his breath catching in his chest.

'I still love you.'

The weight of those words hit him harder than anything he had heard before. It wasn't just the relief he felt that she hadn't completely shut him out—it was the raw, unfiltered truth that despite everything, despite all the pain, she still cared for him. Still loved him, in her own fractured way. And that, more than anything else, gave him a glimpse of hope.

But that hope was fleeting. He couldn't ignore the enormity of what she had just said. I still love you... even after everything. The words lingered in the air, heavy and full of unspoken meaning. Everything—the betrayal, the hurt, the loss, the silence that had stretched between them like an abyss.

"I'm sorry," Kakashi whispered again, his voice breaking under the weight of his own guilt. "I never wanted to hurt you like this. And I'm not asking for forgiveness... not yet. But please let me be here for you."

"Kakashi..."

"Please come home with me."

Sakura's breath caught. His words... so familiar, so raw. It was as if time hadn't passed at all. How many times had he said the same thing to her in the past year? But everything had changed, and she wasn't sure if she could ever go back. With his words, the familiar ache in her chest flared up again. The pain of what they had lost, of everything she had tried to bury, resurfaced with a force that took her breath away. He was still here, still asking for her to come back, still offering himself with the raw vulnerability that only came from someone who knew they had nothing left to lose.

She stepped back, her gaze fixed on the floor, her hands trembling by her sides. She didn't know what to say. She wanted to say no, to tell him that there was no going back from this, that too much had been shattered for any of it to be repaired. But when she looked up at him, she saw not just the man who had hurt her but the man who was still standing here, fighting for her, fighting for them.

Could she really go back? Could she risk her heart again after everything that had happened?

"Please." he said. "Or if you don't want to return to that place, I can get us a new one. I need to be with you."

Sakura stood there, caught between the echo of his plea and the chaos of her own emotions. Kakashi's eyes, so full of regret and yearning, locked onto hers, silently pleading for a chance to rebuild what they had destroyed. But the weight of the past hung heavily between them, and each breath felt like a battle she wasn't sure she was ready to fight.

For a long moment, she said nothing, her mind spinning with a thousand questions. Could she truly go back to him? Could she allow herself to be vulnerable again, to trust him, to trust herself? The child growing inside her felt like a constant reminder that there was something—someone—that bound them together. But was that enough? Was it enough to undo everything that had happened?

Sakura closed her eyes, the rush of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. She had spent months trying to heal, trying to move forward, to forget the man who had once made her feel safe and loved, only to turn into a stranger who hurt her in ways that had scarred her soul. But now, standing here before him, she realized that she hadn't truly let go—not completely. She couldn't. Not when her heart still trembled at his touch, at his voice.

The truth was, she was terrified. Terrified of him, terrified of the child she carried, and most of all, terrified of herself. What if she made the wrong choice? What if, by trusting him again, she was only setting herself up for more pain?

Kakashi took a small step forward, his voice a whisper now. "I know I've ruined everything, Sakura. And I can't expect you to forgive me, not right away. But I want to prove to you that I can be the man you deserve. I need you to believe in me, to believe in us. For the baby, for the future… Please."

The word "baby" lingered in the air, like a soft weight pressing on her chest. This child, this little life, was something they had created together. Something they could shape, something that could be their second chance—or a reminder of everything they had lost. Would this be the moment that will define that? Would her accepting him back would correct the mistake or would it only cause her more pain?

She opened her eyes slowly, meeting his gaze. There was a raw vulnerability in his expression, an honesty that she couldn't ignore. For a moment, the room seemed to fade, and all she could see was the man she had once loved. The man who had broken her, yes, but the man who had also stood beside her through so much. The man who was now standing before her, shattered, offering whatever pieces of himself were left.

'I still love him.' Her realization ran deep. She knows that she did, she just didn't realize how much. "I still love him... more than I realized, and it hurts."

"I'm scared," she whispered, the words slipping out before she could stop them. "I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to trust you again."

"You can have your own room. We don't have to share a bed." he said, "I really need to be close to you. I need you."

Sakura's breath hitched as Kakashi's words sank in. The raw, honest plea in his voice sent a ripple of conflicting emotions through her chest. Her mind spun, overwhelmed by the weight of everything they had endured together and apart. She couldn't deny the pull she still felt towards him, but fear held her back, cold and suffocating. The thought of letting herself trust him again—of opening herself to the possibility of more pain—was terrifying.

"Kakashi..."

"Please." he pleaded. "I can't be without you, not anymore."

She stared at his pleading eyes and she knew... she lost. She can't let the man that she held dearly to suffer that way he is now. He went through too much suffering already. And even if she didn't like to admit it, she needs him too. Even if it scares her.

"Okay." she conceded. "But I'm not going back to that house." she looked at the house that she got. "We can stay here. I have a spare bedroom."

She thought of the child growing inside her as she said this, and how this little life might be the thread that stitched them back together—or the one that tore them apart.

Kakashi's breath hitched, his gaze softening as Sakura's words sank in. Relief washed over him, but it was laced with uncertainty. He knew this wasn't a victory—it was fragile, and could crumble at any moment. Her concession wasn't a sign of forgiveness or trust. It was a threadbare beginning, one that could easily fray with the weight of their shared past.

"Thank you," he whispered, his voice barely audible, as though he feared speaking too loudly would shatter the delicate moment. He took a cautious step forward, glancing around the space she had made her own during their separation. It felt like a place of healing, but it also felt like a fortress—one she had built to protect herself from the pain he had caused.

Sakura didn't move, her eyes still fixed on him, measuring, weighing. Her heart beat painfully in her chest, the reality of what she had just agreed to settling over her like a heavy blanket. She wasn't ready to let him in completely, not yet. But she couldn't deny the part of her that still needed him—the part that still longed for something familiar, something that felt like home.

"You can have the guest room," she said, her voice steady but distant. "It's just down the hall."

Kakashi nodded, not daring to push her further. He knew better than to expect more than what she was willing to give. He followed her as she led him through the small house, his eyes trailing over the little details that spoke of her life without him—the books she had stacked on the shelves, the half-finished projects on the kitchen table. It was a glimpse into a world he hadn't been part of, a reminder of everything he had missed.

When they reached the guest room, Sakura opened the door without a word. The room was simple, uncluttered, with a bed tucked against the wall and a window that let in the soft afternoon light. It was warm, inviting, but there was a distance to it, a sense that it was meant for someone who didn't belong.

"You can stay here," she said quietly, stepping aside to let him in.

Kakashi glanced at her, his heart aching at the sight of her standing there, so guarded and closed off. He wanted to say something, to bridge the gap between them, but he knew that words wouldn't be enough. Not right now. So he simply nodded, stepping into the room and setting down his things.

The silence between them stretched, heavy and full of unspoken emotions. Sakura lingered in the doorway for a moment longer, her eyes flickering over him as if trying to decide whether this was the right choice. Her heart was a battlefield, torn between the desire to trust and the instinct to protect herself.

"If you need anything…" she trailed off, not finishing the thought, before turning to leave.

"Sakura," Kakashi called softly, his voice full of the weight of everything he wanted to say but couldn't. She paused, but didn't turn around. "Thank you. For letting me be here. I won't take it for granted."

She nodded once, barely perceptible, before walking away, leaving him alone in the quiet room.

Kakashi sat on the edge of the bed, staring out the window, his mind swirling with guilt, hope, and fear. He knew this wasn't going to be easy. He knew he would have to earn back her trust, step by step, with no guarantee that she would ever fully let him in again. But for now, being close to her—being part of her life, even in this small, tentative way—was more than he deserved. And it was a chance he couldn't afford to waste.

In the other room, Sakura leaned against the kitchen counter, her hands trembling slightly as she tried to steady her breathing. She had done it. She had let him back in. But now that the decision was made, the weight of it pressed down on her chest like a boulder.

Was this the right choice? Would she regret it? Could she really let herself be vulnerable again, after everything they had been through?

Her hand instinctively went to her stomach, where their child was growing. That tiny life inside her was the one thing keeping her from shutting Kakashi out completely. This wasn't just about them anymore. It was about something bigger—something that would bind them together, whether she was ready for it or not.