(Author's note:)

HERE'S MY ADVICE TO ALL YOU READERS--- SKIP THIS CHAPTER AND PROCEED DIRECTLY TO THE FIRST CHAPTER! (this is only a prologue)

I know that a lot of you just look at the prologue and don't read the rest of the story... which kinda bugs me, I must admit... T.T ... so please take the time to at least read past the prologue. You don't have to read the prologue, since it's not necessary to understanding and enjoying this story.

So just skip the prologue if you want to, and proceed directly to the next chapter! I promise that the story gets better as you read!

…Saikai Story- Reunion story…

Prologue

A faint light… glowing, piercing my consciousness… the memory of an ephemeral dream and the fading traces of a familiar voice…
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Kakashi opened his eyes slowly, taking in his surroundings. He was still alive. The trees around him waved their branches gently, moving in graceful unison to the song the wind was playing.

"……"

A dull burning pain could now be felt throughout his body; a throbbing ache echoed unendingly in his head. His mismatched eyes stared fixedly through the swaying tree foliage, to the blue sky lined with wispy clouds.
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How long ago…? How long ago was that past that seems so distant to me now…? 5 days…? 5 years…?
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His eyes gazed unseeingly at the endless blue above him. In his mind, the vivid stirrings of his past were awakening once again. That same face, that same smile… a broken replication of the person he had come to love most. For a brief moment, Kakashi's aloof expression, which he held even through his pain, flickered.
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I can see you still… smiling… It seems as though you're here at my side once again…
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When had he first realized that her spring green gaze had pierced through the armor that he had built…? Kakashi listened to the rustling of the leaves as the wind passed overhead. His surroundings, the blue sky, the sounds of the forest… they triggered a memory.

As quickly as the warmth of the memory was brought back to life, it faded away, leaving Kakashi feeling empty.
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The memories we built together… the joy and pain of what we shared… it's slowly slipping from my grasp… evading my hold.
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A cherry blossom petal drifted towards him, carried softly by the wind. The pale pink petal landed with a feather light touch in his outstretched and unmoving hand. Kakashi turned his head slightly, and saw the petal in his hand, contrasting with the dark crimson of his blood.

A cacophony of emotions escaped through Kakashi's emotionless façade; pain and grief for the losses he had suffered… regret for the past, present, and future… longing for her presence near his once more…
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Try as I might to bring your face clearly into view, I cannot… even the essence of your memory is vanishing…
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Kakashi's hand slowly closed over the delicate flower petal, as a sorrowful expression replaced the others. A single word, softly spoken to the wind, passed his bloodstained lips;

"Sakura…"