A Flower's Tale(KakaSaku/Narusasu)

16. Lost, at last

Kakashi was utterly embarrassed about how he reacted to Sakura going out with Sasuke. Somewhere, he felt a slice of immaturity inside him and doubted himself to be making the right choices in his love life. He always preferred staying away from these feelings. And after years of solitude someone was able to penetrate the fortress that he had built around his heart.

Kakashi was well aware of his feelings for Sakura and recognized that the closeness they had developed over the past few months had also influenced her feelings towards him. He noticed the subtle changes in her behavior, how her speech hinted at the possibility of them being more than friends, the way her eyes lingered on him when they were together, the way she would entice him with slight touches of her hand. However, Kakashi couldn't shake the feeling that he had inadvertently influenced her emotions.

When Sakura let go of her feelings for Sasuke, the affection she had harboured for so long found no immediate outlet. In such situations, emotions often gravitate towards the person providing comfort. Or atleast that's what Kakashi believed that Sakura's feelings for him were a result of this transference rather than genuine affection. He felt responsible, as if he had unintentionally manipulated her into liking him, and this thought troubled him deeply.

He therefore decided to maintain a distance from her, to let her figure out her real feelings rather than letting her catch on with his flow. He had his own abandonment issues which stopped him from getting any closer to her. After all everyone he deeply loved eventually left him behind. That fear still kept him awake at nights.

At first he stopped his frequent visits to the hospital. Even if he did, he would just pay a visit to Tsunade or Naruto and return without sparing a good conversation to the pink Kunoichi. Second, he kept himself super busy with work and hardly let himself have any respite - walking the streets or just hanging around.

Sakura was trying her best to get his time but he would always communicate through Shikamru and avoid her in the guise of being busy. It's been days since he had proper conversation with Sakura.

*knock-knock* 

"Come in!"

"Kakashi... How are you doing? It's been a week since I had a good talk with you," Sakura said, entering the Hokage's office with a smile.

"Sakura... yeah, sorry. I've been quite busy ever since that expose was published on Naruto & Sasuke, one interview after another.. I'm fine, though. What brings you here?"

She hated when Kakashi used a formal tone with her. She knew something was off. "Nothing in particular. I had some time off and thought I'd check in on you. If you're swamped with work, maybe I can help out?"

"Thanks, Sakura, but I think I've got this," Kakashi replied, his tone distant. She felt a pang of disappointment, certain now that he was avoiding her.

Just then, Shikamaru walked in. "Hokage-sama, sorry to interrupt, but you've been really stressed about the speech you have to deliver in the Hidden Mist. Why don't you let Sakura handle that? She's extremely good with words." Kakashi was a bit mad at shikamaru for bringing that up.

"A speech? Sure, I can help with that. What's the central theme?" Sakura asked, perking up.

"It's supposed to be a motivational speech based on the life Rokhudaime has led. It's a special request from the Mizukage; she seems to think quite highly of him. But you know our Hokage—too humble to write anything that even slightly uplifts his character," Shikamaru explained.

"Shikamaru..." Kakashi gave him a serious look, warning him not to overdo it.

"Alright! I can write a good speech for you and keep you as humble as possible in it," Sakura promised with a reassuring smile. "Please hand me over any progress that you have made. I will check your shinobi databook and past missions to make it precise."