~Requiem for a Dream~

How far would you go to save the one you love...?

Summary: One rainy autumn night, Kakashi stumbles over a half-dead girl. She has no memory of her former life at all, but possesses a unique ability that could help to save Konoha in times of upcoming war - or destroy it, when she is forced to decide between the village and the man she loves...Sasuke x OC.

Disclaimer: I'm only saying this once – Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, not to me. I don't own a single penny with this story.

* Prologue *

The night was utterly dark and the rain was pouring down relentlessly. Not a single star managed to get past the thick layer of clouds that covered the sky, and no one could escape the harsh and chilling wind.

Even if Kakashi hadn't been out in the field for hours he would have been completely soaked and freezing. Not even the crowns of the trees he was moving under could shelter him from the rain. Being the experienced ninja he was, he tried to ignore the cold as good as possible and kept on running through the forest. He was getting close to the border to the sound country, and he couldn't afford to lose his focus now.

Suddenly, Kakashi heard some branches crack behind him. Instantaneously, he whirled around, at the same time grabbing one of his kunai.

Nothing. There was nothing.

Or was there?

Kakashi couldn't sense any chakra, yet he was sure someone was out there. Narrowing his visible eye, he cautiously moved forwards, one step at a time, trying to make no sound at all. A startled, half-choking sound to his right made him jump. Out of reflex, he lifted his arm to throw the kunai – and stopped short.

A girl was staring at him with wide eyes, filled with terror. She was young – probably not older than fifteen or sixteen. But it was not that which caught his attention. It was how she looked that had him rooted to the ground.

Her clothing – or rather, what might have been her clothing before, for now it was hardly worth the appellation – was almost completely shredded and barely concealed her famished, bruised and wound-covered body. How she could walk or even stand was a mystery to him. Even in war he hadn't seen anything similar. It looked as if there was no spot on her skin that was unscathed, except for some parts of her face.

She tried to stumble backwards, away from him, obviously afraid of him, but her knees buckled beneath her. Her eyes locked with his one last time before she fell to the ground.

A/N.: The links to the soundtrack can be found on my profile page. Please note that in this story, the main characters are three years older than they originally are in the manga/anime, just because I feel more comfortable with it. If you don't like it, feel free to pretend they are still 15/16 during the shippuuden-episodes and ignore it when I say that someone is 18.