A/N: Once again… sorry I haven't updated sooner. I'm starting to see a pattern in my writing cycle, however… in which I update once a week, usually on Saturday nights.

-sigh- I'm such a creature of habit.

Alrighty, so you can expect this chapter to be much darker than the previous two. Yay for angsty romances! But not quite romancy yet. Hinted… maybe. -evil laughter- You'll just have to read and find out!


Requiem of Despair: Chapter 4
Regenerist

Sakura watched with fascination as her former sensei polished off his meal. Sea green orbs met black and red as he lifted his head, before they glazed over slightly, pupils dilating.

Without warning, Kakashi lost consciousness, head crashing into the now empty plate in front of him.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura rushed over to his side, shaking him slightly. She pressed a finger to his neck.

His pulse is so weak…

Her breath caught in her throat. This was far more serious than she had previously thought. His heartbeat was so frail that even she, a well-trained medic, had nearly missed it. With all the strength she could muster, Sakura laced her arms around his torso from behind and proceeded to half drag, half carry him to the futon in his bedroom.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of transporting the dead weight of the jounin, she dumped him onto the futon and collapsed beside him, breathing heavily.

Breathing in…

She closed her eyes and sighed contently, what is that heavenly scent? It smells of… sandalwood and spices…

Her eyes snapped open.

She was in his bed. Enjoying his scent.

A blush rose to her cheeks once more as she scrambled away from the futon faster than if it were on fire.

The man is fourteen years my senior! Baka, what are you thinking!

For a moment or two she sat completely still, making sure he couldn't sense what she was thinking.

Completely irrational. Not only is he unconscious… but he can't read minds! Get a grip Sakura.

She sighed and mentally decided to blame this incident on her severe sleep deprivation.

That reminds me… I'm supposed to be at work tomorrow! I can't just leave him like this… he's a complete mess. I'll have to talk to Tsunade-sama about his "condition"…

With that, she left his motionless body in search for a washcloth to cool his fever with. After retrieving one from the bathroom and dampening it with cold water, she kneeled bedside him and pressed it to his scorching forehead.

He really is quite handsome, she thought aimlessly as she traced a nail across his jaw line. I wonder why he feels the need to hide his face…?

As if on queue, Kakashi's eyes opened lazily, greeting her own.

"Ah! Um… you're awake!" she stuttered, withdrawing her hand. "How are you feeling?"

"…" He stared blankly at her.

"Kakashi-sensei?" she inquired, concern etching itself in her shaky voice.

"I lost it in the meadow… the heron that is. Quickly it swam across snowy mountain tops until… death by ramen." He mumbled incoherently.

"Death by… ramen?" she repeated incredulously, before deciding that delusion had undoubtedly set in, due to the high fever.

"Hmm…" she chewed at her bottom lip. I really have no idea what I can do for him. I feel so helpless! She wrung her hands anxiously.

"Kakashi-sensei… can… you… understand… me?" she asked slowly, refusing to break eye contact.

However, sleep overtook his fatigued body as his eyelids closed once more.

Or you could just fall asleep again… she sighed.


Kakashi Dream Sequence

He opened his eyes to see a land in complete ruin before him. Dense black clouds hung low in a dark sky, rendering all attempts of the sun's rays futile. The grass around him, if grass it could be called, was charred and lifeless. The ground barren. Trees hung their branches low in defeat, leafless and scarred. The only life form he could see, beside himself, was a lone raven perched on said scarred branch. It's small, beady eyes appeared to bore directly into his soul. He feared that one wrong step could be his last, as the parched dirt beneath him seemed as unstable as his current state of mind.

I must be dreaming… this can't possibly be real…

He shook his head in disbelief, attempting to rid his eyes of the senseless destruction, before sinking to his knees. Somehow, he felt responsible for this desolation, and it weighed heavily on his heart. Though even in his broken state, through all of the devastation… the sweet scent of cherry blossoms reached his nose.

He turned slightly towards the origin of the fragrance. The sight that greeted him contrasted so absolutely with its surroundings that it left him breathless.

In the distance on a small hill stood an ancient sakura tree in full bloom. A slight breeze swirled a flurry of petals around the perimeter of its branches, slowly renewing life to the decayed earth around it.

Gradually, the land around him began to flourish once more. The grass took on glossy leaves of varying green hues; surrounding trees regained their former splendor. The sky, once blackened and drab now shone with brilliance; soft white clouds caressing an endless blue plane.

He glanced back toward the astonishing sakura tree that had been the source of the regeneration, and noticed the raven now sitting happily among its pink branches.


Kakashi awoke and lifted himself into a sitting position. Moonlight, shining in from the window, blinded him momentarily before his pupils adjusted. He took in his surroundings, noting that somehow he had ended up in bed…just as the floral fragrance of cherry blossoms once again assaulted his senses.

This is familiar…

He glanced down to the sleeping form crumpled beside him. It was Sakura… the source of the aroma.

She's the one… the regenerist. Maybe she's meant to heal me…

or maybe I'm just delusional.

After covering Sakura's shivering form with a blanket, he slid back down under the sheets and slipped into yet another restless slumber.


A/N: And so ends chapter four. Yay! It was slightly shorter than I had hoped… but I can't bear to stretch it… usually that weakens the content. For me at least. -sigh- Gaahh… I hope my little metaphoric "Kakashi-Raven, Sakura-Cherry Tree" wasn't too cliché-ish. I just wanted him to realize in a non-traditional way that he needs someone to rely on besides himself. Don't forget to leave a review! I wouldn't have the motivation to continue without you guys. .

Oh, and I'm thinking that I may have to up the rating on this story to Mature soon… because I plan on sticking a lemon in here eventually. I dunno, tell me what you think! Lemon, or no lemon? Of course… it would have to be an angsty lemon to go along with the story... rather than a fluffy lemon or whatnot. Personally, angsty lemons are my favorite anyways. XD