Healing Sakura

8. I stepped aside

*Kakashi*

"Elaborate.... What do you mean you 'warned her'  "  I have been assisting with interrogation for a while now, I was certainly going to get answers before Tsunade had her way. The disappointment I felt for the boy was intense, and trying to refrain from beating seven hells out of him was a challenge

Slumped, chained to the wall with chakra restraints, bruised and bloodied.

"Whoring herself off to other men around the village since I've been back,"

I raised my visible brow

"I've seen the way she's been with even you... Kakashi. " he spat

"Are you implying what I think you are, Uchiha? " He only smirked, oh if only I could do the honours myself.

"If the shoe fi-" he didn't get to finish that, my fist automatically connected to his jaw, I grabbed his neck with lightning sparking from my hand.

"You don't deserve her" venom laced my words as my chakra burnt his neck, I let him go.

I left his prison cell, a chuckle laced with his broken voice. I honestly feel like a failure, to think I could aid in the trajectory of his path, for him to only assault the leaf's most precious blossom over misunderstanding and jealousy.

As I left the building I found myself on my way to the Nara compound, It's still early in the morning, I'm not entirely sure what it is leading me there, except for Uchiha's words ringing through my mind

"I warned her..."
           "Whoring herself out..."
                              "I've seen how she is with even you "

After the war, when everything was being rebuilt and the nation's rebuilding alliances where they're either fragile or in progress, I felt a shift in my students on how I viewed them, not as students anymore, but equals and a new found respect for Sakura.

The time I spent with her after, I felt like it was time I owed her from the years of being a shitty leader of the team, we had somewhat gotten close.

There were a few times I thought there was something more, I had thought about entertaining it, until a certain Nara spilled his feelings to me one drunken night.

I simply backed off from there. And anyway, who would want to be with an old man like me?

And here I am now. The front door of the Nara compound, the door slipped open revealing an always tired Nara.

"Kakashi..."

"Shikamaru, are you free to talk?"

He stood there for a moment, looking behind him and back at me, he slipped his shoes on, closing the door behind him

"I have time"

After updating the man on what I dragged out of Sasuke, I could feel the tension rising off of him.

"So he thought the best way to deal with the situation was to.... " His fist clenched, scoffing taking out his cigarettes and lighting on up. A habit he picked up from Asuma, a coping strategy, and a way of dealing with grief and sadness.

"She deserves far better than us" he almost whispered, taking a drag, holding it for a moment before blowing it back out. "What did Uchiha mean, when he said 'the way she's been with you' aren't you Student and Sensei ?"

"Ah," here we go "After the war, I could no longer see the likes of my team as Students or children anymore, same goes for your team and others in your year. You all fought with maturity, leadership, skills and the like. You're not Students, you're equals" I paused, looking up at the sky, early morning could be seen shining through

"I selfishly felt like a disappointment for the lack of attention and training, I was amazed by her skill, will to keep fighting, her chakra control, I grossly underestimated her" Shikamaru simply listened, even though I hadn't got to the point yet

"We started talking more, sparred now and then, she could really give me a worthy hand to hand challenge... I started to fall for her," I could hear a sigh coming from him

"I stepped aside when you vented your feelings that one night-"

"Ahh, what a drag" he exhaled

"I saw how happy she was around you, and how she started speaking about you, the look in her eyes, I knew I made the right choice" I looked back towards him, a slight smile on my face, eyes slightly creased

"You stepped aside despite your own feelings"

"I'm what, 10 years your senior? That's an extra 10 years you can at least give her, I've grown to love her yes, I can't give her my best. You however can" I could hear him scoff

"Don't you think that's a decision for her to make? " His words slapped me a little "I appreciate what you've done, it can't have been easy, regardless of your worry about age" he turned towards me, putting out his cigarette, his hand out stretched towards me "you have my word, I will look after her"

"I have no worries " I said as I clasped his in mine "but do heed my words" I held on tighter, my tone dropping "I won't hesitate to start a war if you hurt her"

Shikamaru nodded, standing firm "I would surrender and be at your mercy, Kakashi" with that clear, we parted "Ino will be here shortly, she's going to be here every morning and night for mental therapy until she's desensitised to the incident, then sporadic until she's okay talking about it, I'll be introducing her back out into the village somewhere in between or when she asks" I nodded

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to drop by once in a while, to see how she's doing" he nodded in silent agreement, I chose then to take my leave

*Shikamaru*

I scoffed at his words

"He stepped aside..." It should have been her choice, especially if she felt anything towards him too...

What if she does?