A/N: The sequel is here! For all of you who have been anticipating this (seriously, I had like ten people put me on author alert when BR ended) thank you for your support and enjoy! For the rest of you... I hope you find a new favorite and enjoy the story! (poem is by me, by the way, heh.)

I chanced upon this fragile thing,

clinging, clinging, clinging

It grew and grew but yet did not,

dying, dying, dying

as I held it in my hands

withering, fading

the dry crisp petals never held less beauty

Regrowth - Ch. 1

What can possibly happen to someone that lost everything? What more could the world possibly throw into the face of someone that could no longer feel pain, could no longer sense anything beyond the chakra of impending attackers? It was all she could do to exist. It was all she could do to trudge on step after numbing step, heading who knew where. There was nothing left anymore. Her clenched hand came before her, her eyes looking past to the sand underneath her feet. Unclasping her hand slightly, she stared for an unknown time at this ring, The Void, old, worn and chipped. She had almost forgotten. It had finally almost escaped her memory, only to show up in this stupid atrocity she carried in her pocket.

After Itachi died, it was one disaster after another. Deidara was reported dead, along with his partner and Sasuke. She had known better. Madara and Sasuke wouldn't be dumb enough to die like that. Itachi took on Sasuke not long after, meeting his death as he had expected. Sakura had kept up communication with Akatsuki, acting as a liaison between them and Konoha. However... none of them, not even Itachi, had expected how powerful Madara was. He overwhelmed them so easily... it was a complete slaughter. Pein had met Madara in the battle, aiding Konoha and surprising everyone. Even with his help, their forces were strained. Little was left of Konoha now, and nearly everyone she had known had died that day.

Pein and Konan survived, she knew it somehow, though nobody knew what became of the others. Zetsu... she wondered what became of him. Even though they had only known each other on the most basic terms, they still got along. Konan... well, she didn't know the kunoichi well, but she knew that Pein held her in high regard as well as displayed affection for her in those final fateful days. Pein... yes, she would miss him too, though in a strange twisted way. Kisame... Her hand clenched tight around the ring in her hand as tears threatened to form. She knew they wouldn't. Ever since the fight died down, she was numb. Tsunade was gone after expending all her chakra to aid the citizens of Konoha. Sasuke had been killed by her own hand. Kakashi, Yamato, Iruka, Choji, Shikamaru, the list went on.

The worst pain had come when she had lost Sai, who she had finally come to regard as a close friend. As for Naruto... she knew he was still alive, he had fought Danzo that day. A few of the great nations had supported Madara, only helping the terrible battle. In the end, Madara was dead, killed by Konan after he dealt a nearly fatal blow to Pein. The remains of Akatsuki retreated that day, never to be heard from again. It was for the best. Konoha wouldn't have been able to accept them after such a war, not yet at least. All they had wanted from the start was a peaceful world, though it had cost everything. Yes, there was peace now alright, a peace brought on by the near slaughter of everyone and everything in every shinobi nation.

She spat in disgust into the sand. Hell, she didn't even know why she was out here. Ever since the war was over, once she grew numb to everything, many shinobi left Konoha, the pain of losing everything they loved too much to bear. Those nin now wandered the wilderness, and she had even encountered a few now and then. One had been a rock shinobi, but once they saw the deadened, glazed glare in each others' eyes, they stepped out of the other's way and proceeded with their wandering. Nobody wanted to fight anymore. Even the hunter nin she had encountered didn't bother, wandering in small groups of three or four. Elite, solo ANBU would be found in caves once in a while, lost in their own personal trauma. Why was she here? Why Suna, of all places? Well, nobody would come looking for here here, that was for certain. The constant sand storms were actually almost lulling, their sad keen matching the outburst of sorrow she didn't permit herself to have.

Sand, sand, sand for miles and miles, sky, sun, wind, dry hot wind, no rain, no vegetation, no life, nothing but her and her footsteps and so much sand, sand... The heat was intense, this unbearable heat, as unbearable as the pain, though nothing could eclipse the pain, nothing could ever compare, there existed no contrast, no cure, nothing. Nothing, nothing, just like this nothing around her. Ahead in the distance was a large rock, its image wavering in the heated air. When she approached, she saw three figures seated on the surface of the sandstone, each turning their heads up at her. Their masks marked them as grass hunter nin, but just as quickly as they looked up at her, their heads turned back down to the sand at their feet. A few ate from their rations, drinking stored water, ignoring her just as quickly as she ignored them. She even sat with them for a moment, saying nothing, only refreshing her ever irritating thirst in this dry climate.

She left without incident, and they rose from the rock not long after, heading out on their own unknown journey. Where was she going? It didn't matter. All she had to do was find something halfway resembling shelter before nightfall. Hour after every burning hour did little to cleanse her soul and mind from all the dark images roiling through it, memories of katana skewering shinobi through the heart, blood exploding from a severed artery, intestines falling from a gut wound... The setting sun made her finally have some reprieve from the memories, the haste of finding shelter foremost in her mind.

After a few more miles she was relieved to see what seemed to be a dilapidated building, half of it collapsed to make a slanted roof, the rest enclosed by rubble. A large crack in the rubble opened near the back, and with a sigh she entered the dark enclosure. The air was slightly cool, sheltered from the burning heat and winds by day, though she knew it would insulate her from the icy cold of desert night. Darkness made it hard to tell where one shape ended and another began, but after a moment she found a corner to sit in, weary from all the walking. It was times like this that the nightmares were the worst, flickering across her vision even while awake. This unending horror... this perpetual waking dream...

A slight scuff from across the room caught her attention, though she didn't pay much heed to it. Someone else must be here. It didn't matter, they probably just wanted a better look, to make sure she was friend and not foe. Not like it mattered anymore. Nobody meant anything to anyone anymore. However, when the figure drew closer, her heart suddenly throbbed in her chest as he spoke. "Well I'll be damned. What are you doing all the way out here, kid?"

She knew that voice anywhere, but her own voice sounded hollow, empty, cracking from disuse. "...Kisame." Was she supposed to be relieved? She was so damn tired... At this point she couldn't even form a coherent sentence, trailing off into silence as she stared up at his face, not comprehending the reality of his presence.

He frowned slightly, a rustle all that sounded before he put something fragrant to her lips. "Here, drink this up. Go on, take it." When she stared at him blankly, still in a daze, he sighed and poured just a taste on her lips. She reflexively swallowed and he kept giving the mixture to her like this, little by little until she drank the rest on her own.

Her lips puckered slightly, her dulled hands cautiously taking the jug. "What... what is..." Her brain fizzed slightly, the next part not quite coming. The drink was sour and sweet, rejuvenating, the sticky texture sliding down her throat slowly. She took another gulp, not caring what it was.

"It's juice taken from a cactus, sweetened with juices from a few desert melons. I have some fresh roasted lizards if you can stomach it." He knew what was wrong with her. The loss of the village must have traumatized her. As if losing Itachi hadn't been enough. Or Deidara, or really anyone... For her own good, he had to get her thinking with her stomach for the moment.

She only looked up blankly a moment before finishing the drink, her mind becoming somewhat cleared. "Thank you... maybe... yes, I can eat."

He handed her one of the lizards sitting near a fire outside the building, coming back and watching, waiting as she slowly ate the meal. As before, he knew not to rush her, not to insist on hearing whatever it was that plagued her. It was somewhat reminiscent of two years ago, when he had found her clutching her knees to her chest after Itachi kissed her for the first time. Funny how history could repeat itself, though he wasn't amused. After she finished, he chanced conversation again. "Need anything?" Her only response was to look down at her hand, clasping and unclasping around something. When he looked into her palm he saw that old ring, The Void. She still kept it?

After a moment her eyes suddenly went wide, something flashing in her memories. I want you to take care of Kisame... Yes, that was a promise she had made. She had to break it in the past, though it was in fear for her own life. "Itachi made me promise... he said... he said to promise him that..." She trailed off, her eyes even wider than before, the strain of remembering apparent.

Kisame spoke softly, trying not to get her on edge. "A promise, huh? What was it?"

She started shaking, jittery, her mouth working around words that wouldn't come. Almost as if in a trance, her hollow words came out in shattered fragments. "Need to make sure he succeeds... have to make sure he'll be alright... I promised... Yes, I'll take care of Kisame. ...I understand."

He knew she was slowly going insane. After the war, he had seen it all happen before. A person would stumble into his temporary home now and then, and he would offer them standard courtesy if they would accept it. Sometimes they wouldn't say anything, just staying the night and leaving. A few would go mad, running out into the heat or cold, possibly to their deaths. In a desperate move, he put his hand on one side of her face, tilting her up to look at him. "Sakura, I'm right here! You did a great job of taking care of me, you don't need to worry about that anymore. I'm fine. But now I need you to promise me something, alright?" He waited until she nodded faintly, her eyes glazed over with madness. "Just promise to try to move on... You can't keep doing this to yourself. All you'd accomplish is turning yourself into a mad hare running around the forest. That's no way to honor the memory of your friends." He knew he was being harsh, but it was all that would get through to her now.

Her eyes met his, slightly comprehending through the haze. "I... promised. I... did what I said."

He nodded, encouraging her. "That's right, you did. He's proud of you, you know. He told me that himself. He respected you, and I gotta say he hardly ever respected anyone."

Ever so slightly, the tiniest smile escaped from her. "I kept it like he asked..." Her fingers released their hold on The Void, the writing gleaming.

He hated to condescend to someone of her intelligence, but he had to retain whatever shred of sanity she held. His hands joined hers to re-close her fingers, keeping her grip around the ring. "Yes, that's very good. Keep holding on to it, alright?"

"O-Okay..." Her eyes grew hazy again.

He needed a way to snap her out of this, and he suddenly remembered something. His hand went into his pocket and clasped before her. "I think he wanted you to have this." Her other hand opened slowly, and a clinking of metal was all that sounded as Itachi's necklace dropped into her hand. He waited, not knowing what would happen. Her eyes went as wide as they could go, glazing over with insanity. In the long, tense moment he didn't know what she would do.

Then she broke.

Without warning, she burst into tears. He half expected this, though he had half expected her to go completely insane and drop from the world. It was a terrible risk, but this was what she needed. If she could still cry, she wasn't beyond hope. She convulsed from the effort of her sobs, the sheer strength of her emotion making her too fragile form shake. When she clung to him and cried into his shirt, he didn't resist, holding on to her as she tried to cling to whatever she still held on to in this twisted world. He had no idea how long she cried. She was probably mourning, for everyone, for everything, for nothing, probably even for herself. It really didn't matter. She still felt, still needed, still lived and breathed and cried, still held the will to survive. What had Itachi called it? The will of fire? Yes, she still had that somewhere.

After a long time, she suddenly froze in place, looking up at him as if waking from a lengthy sleep. She seemed shocked, looking all around as if she didn't recall being here. "...Kisame? What... where am I? What happened?"

His brows raised with interest. So that's what happened. Her suffering had been so severe that she was reduced to a state of numbness, so deep that she was running strictly on instinct, never truly waking up and seeing what was around her. He rubbed her back, trying to keep her relaxed. "What's the last thing you remember? Do you remember coming here?"

"...no. The last thing I remember..." A frown appeared on her face, her eyes contemplative. "Sai... he... he died. I tried to save him but he died..."

That was a long while ago, from his recollection. "I guess you went into shock after that. When you came in, you were wandering like the waking dead. Shit, I thought you were a ghost for a moment but then you didn't disappear. You kept rambling, I thought you'd go insane if I didn't do something. Then..." He gestured down to her hands, still clinging to both The Void and Itachi's necklace.

Her hands clasped around the necklace slowly. "I remember now... I don't know how many places I've been. Has it been two years?" At his nod, she whimpered slightly. "So much lost... How... How am I supposed to go on like this?"

He knew she could just as quickly slip back into madness, so again he made her face him. "You have to, Sakura. I've had to. It hasn't been easy for me either. I've been living out here like a freaking hermit for the past year just to make sense of it all. When I finally came to, it was like coming out of a boiling pot into ice water. You gotta wake up and keep going. You gotta remember who you live for, whose memories you live to take on with you. They died to save the living, remember? Don't go turning zombie on me, kid, that would be a disgrace."

She smiled just a bit at his odd humor. "Yes... I suppose it would be pretty creepy..."

"You just keep that to remind yourself, whenever you have a moment that you wished you weren't alive, just look at it and remember. It's all that kept me sane these years."

She clutched it tighter. "...thank you, Kisame."

He took out a ring, twirling it around before sighing. "...he actually wanted you to have this. It was his ring. But... then I thought about it, and I wanted to give you something more personal. It... I dunno." He fidgeted, messing his hair. "I guess I figured it would mean more to you."

A real smile slowly manifested on her features, the reaction small but meaningful. "Yes... you have no idea."