A/N: Woo hoo… I've hit an all time late-ness. Gah, I'm probably on half a dozen hit lists by now for making you all suffer for so long. Gomen asai! I hope this romance-y chapter makes up for that!

Warning: This chapter contains… kissing! And groping! –gasp- But seriously, nothing that any normal teenager hasn't seen/read before. However, if for some reason these things offend you, leave now and forever hold your piece and such. You've been warned! X3

Requiem of Despair: Chapter 10

Bitter Sweet

In the soft morning glow of Hatake Kakashi's bedroom, two figures could be seen in close proximity, sharing a rather rare, intimate moment.

Kakashi let his thumb trace the soft curves of Sakura's face until it rested upon her chin, then crawled his remaining fingers up to cup her jaw line.

"Shhh… don't cry for me, Sakura-san… I'm really not worth your tears," he spoke softly, almost soothingly, and allowed his thumb to gently caress her fair, petal-like skin.

"I…I'm not crying for you. I'm crying because…well…I'm frustrated. You've just so happened to be the source of my frustration for some time now," she spit out, however, did not recoil from his warm, inviting fingers. Rather, she leaned in slightly.

What was wrong with her? She should still be seething and furious at the man… but instead, his simplest touch sent her mind reeling and his soothing voice caused an unfamiliar feeling to make itself known in the pit of her stomach.

Could she even begin to rationalize this situation? It was a sort of survivor's guilt, after all. They were the only two members of team seven still in Konoha. But did that justify the things she was feeling toward her former sensei at the moment?

No, she decided that it wasn't justifiable in the least bit. Her feelings were probably just annoying teenage hormones raging again. Nothing serious, right? All girls suffer from crushes on their teachers from time to time, so this shouldn't be any different.

But was it really just a crush? She had determined that what she had felt for Sasuke all those years had been a crush… but this felt different to her somehow. Sure, the sight of Sasuke had made her stomach flutter and her vocabulary decrease substantially, but the sight of Kakashi sitting, in naught but a towel wrapped loosely around his waist, gently holding her face in his hands, was preventing her lungs from taking in any air. As absurd as it seemed, he stole her breath away.

She was looking at him, lust clearly engraved in those beautiful green eyes of hers. Her full lips were slightly parted, a faint blush tainted her soft cheeks, and her breathing was labored and uneven. Kakashi knew when he was desired…as he had seen many women look at him in exactly the same manner Sakura was at that moment, but he couldn't think of a single woman in his entire life that he found more desirable.

Throwing all logic, caution, and morality to the wind, Kakashi drew his other hand up to cup Sakura's face and gently pressed his lips to hers. It was a chaste kiss, nothing more than a simple brushing of lips, but as her first kiss, it left a tingling sensation along the entirety of Sakura's spine.

He pulled back, examining the girl's face for any sign of repulsion; for fear that somehow he had misjudged the situation. What he surprisingly found, instead, were two delicate arms wrapping themselves around his neck and the warm, innocent mouth over his again.

This kiss, however, took on a much more sensual pace as Kakashi's arms enclosed Sakura's waist and pulled her into his lap. As she felt his tongue swipe across her lips, begging for entrance, she allowed it to slip inside and eagerly met the advance with her own. It was obvious that their hungry bodies were starved for touch as their hands and mouths roamed over one another's unabashedly.

Kakashi left Sakura's mouth to nibble at her ear a bit and trail hot kisses down the side of her neck, only to attack her collarbone for a minute or two.

"Ka…kashi…" she moaned softly into his silvery tresses. His name on her lips was more erotic than any copy of Icha Icha Paradise he had ever picked up, and he briefly wondered which god he had pleased to receive such a reward.

Although, at the back of his mind his annoying conscious was busy at work again, making him feel guilty for taking advantage of such a young woman. She was his student after all, and teachers were supposed to look after their students, right? Not practically rape them…not that he planned on raping her, or anything of the sort.

But technically, she isn't my student any longer… and she is eighteen after all…

As he felt Sakura's curious hands leave the planes of his back and begin wandering lower, he let out a mental sigh before catching them in his own while breaking their heated kiss.

"Sakura…" he began at a whisper, refusing to meet her eyes, "…I can't…be your first. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."

"But I…" she protested, before being silenced by a finger pressed to her lips.

He shook his head slowly and embraced her entire frame to his chest. Any fleeting thought that his reasoning for rejecting her was that he found her unsatisfactory, had somehow quickly melted away as he ran his fingers through her strawberry locks.

"I…I don't regret what we've done. In fact…it will probably remain one of my fondest memories for the rest of my life. But you have to understand, Sakura…that our lives are far too different for this sort of relationship to continue. I won't have you burdened by my lifestyle."

She looked deep into his mismatched eyes through a teary blur as her mind raced for something to say, anything that would change his mind. However, deep down inside she knew his words to be true.

What kind of relationship could they have? People would frown upon them for the age difference, he would still have to go on dangerous missions often where she wouldn't be able to see him for months at a time, and there was always the distinct possibility that he might not come back from said missions. All she could do was nod.

He held her head against his chest and kissed her forehead softly. "Cheer up, Sakura, because after all…you've accomplished what you set out to do in the first place, right? Oh don't act so surprised, I saw through Tsunade-sama's plan from the beginning, it was all too typically something she would come up with."

"Eh… so you're not… mad?" Her eyes darted between his own, searching for anger or something of the sort.

"No, no…not at all. Well, I will say that I'm a little irked towards Tsunade-sama for nosing her way into my business, but the results really weren't that bad!" he said with a chuckle, eyes curling up into his trademark smile.

Suddenly, his expression turned serious as he drew his fingers through her hair once more. "But promise me one thing, Sakura…that you'll never leave Konoha. I want to know that at least one of the people I care about will always be safe."

If that was the least she could offer him, just a little bit of certainty in his life, she was content to do it. "Hai, Kakashi-san…for you, I will remain in Konoha," she replied while hugging him tightly.

They both knew that it wasn't possible for the two of them to ever have a serious relationship of any kind together, as they both led far too different life styles, but in their hearts it was always enough that…

For Sakura, it was enough that she was finally able to accomplish something the boys of team seven could never have done: melt away Kakashi's loneliness and give him some stability.

As for Kakashi, it was the comfort in knowing that no matter how many comrades died on the battle field, no matter how many friends he never saw again, there was always one beautiful sakura tree rooted firmly to Konoha, always there for him, awaiting his return.

Owari!

A/N: Yay slight lemon-ness! Or would that be called lime? Eh, I'm too lazy to look it up. You know… I had considered making a full lemon chapter, but now that I think about it… I suck like whoa at writing hetero smut. So yeah, for once… I'm keeping the rating below mature. Amazing, ne? –sigh- I can't believe this story is finally over! I'm not sure whether I'm depressed… or relived. How about a little of both?

And one more thing… I received so many extremely wonderful reviews over the past nine chapters, that I've decided to throw all you great reviewers a party! –hands out party hats- Hai, one for each of you… and punch too, which I did NOT spike by the way. –giggles- Yay thank you guys so much, you make my life all fun to the max in a can to the fourth power squared and such! –huggles-

And finally, thank you SO MUCH Cari! –glomps- I luff you like whoa for doing the greatest job beta-ing my story. I am forever in your debt!

(Special note from Cari— OMG why didn't you make it a lemon? WTF OMG…Just kidding…it was so much fun Beta reading this story. I'm so sad it's over ;; and don't remove this note, Porcelain, or I keel you! I want to talk to the readers too, y'know:D…just kidding again. Peace out!)

Aww Cari-chaaan, I wouldn't dream of removing it! -huggles-