Astrocam: I was reading through this story and I noticed several mistakes, so I decided to edit them and repost the story. So, here's Asuka-chan's part of the story. I also edited my part, which I will be posting next.

Prologue

Everyone says "love hurts".

Well, I'm here to tell you that that's a lie.

You see, love never hurts. Love is unconditional, faithful, ect ect. But you know what really hurts?

Loneliness.

Rejection.

Heartbreak.

The type of news that changes the way you live your life forever.

Now that hurts.

You're probably wondering, "Well, how would you know?!"

How would I? Well, let's just say I know from experience.

Chapter One - Cancer

Towards my senior year in high school I was diagnosed with leukemia. But of course, I didn't know I had it. Until the bruise I mysteriously got didn't go away. It might have even gotten bigger. The wait in the doctor's office went painfully slow, but well…

Until I was given the news.

Do you know how hard it was to be told that that bruise I thought was just annoyingly persistent, actually ended up being a clump of cancerous cells that could kill me?

"We're gonna take care of you. Six chances in ten it won't come back again."

"It's just been approved. It's the strongest there is. I think we caught it in time."

Hah. That's what they all say. Just to give you some false hope to cling to. So things don't seem as hard as they really are.

Things would've been easier for me if that busty blonde haired doctor simply told me, "You have six months left to live. I'm sorry."

But of course, life doesn't ever give you an "easy way out". No, it only gets harder…

…and harder it got.

"Hey…Sakura-did you do something to your hair lately?" asked a girl whose name escaped me.

Subconsciously, I ran my fingers through my shoulder-length, unusually pink hair…

Yes, pink. And it was natural.

You're probably wondering "how in the world can she have pink hair? Did she fall in a cotton candy machine when she was little? Was she BORN in a cotton candy machine?"

The answer to both these questions are wrong. My mother said that I got it from my grandmother. Which is why I was named "Haruno Sakura" or, "Cherry Blossom of Spring."

I faked a smile and hoped that she wouldn't notice both the nervousness and fear in my emerald eyes. "No, why?" I asked, unusually coolly.

The girl looked surprised as she blinked her chocolate brown eyes. But then, she shrugged it off.

"Oh. Well, it just looks thinner nowadays. Like you got it layered or something. But I'm probably just imagining things." She responded before walking away.

Smart girl.

One of my best friends nudged me playfully in the ribs. She gave me a sly smirk as she glanced at the girls around her. "Forehead girl here's probably just getting old- HAH! How funny would that be to see?! A BALD Sakura! Hah! Hah!" She exclaimed as she held her sides which ached from laughter.

The fake smile remained. Maybe even stayed because of relief. 'She didn't say because of chemo…I'm glad…otherwise I would have to actually tell her the truth…' I thought.

As bad as it sounded, I hadn't told Ino yet. I didn't want to be treated differently. I wanted to at least pretend to be normal for as long as I could…

I chuckled. "Really, Ino-pig? I'm not the one who uses anti-aging cream every night." I retorted.

The girls I didn't recognized snickered. One that I did though, Hyuuga Hinata, giggled quietly. She was the shy one out of the girls I hung out with. Always sensible with a good head on her shoulders. Sometimes I worried about her though; she bottled up her feelings. It made me wonder what type of day it would be when she finally decided to let them all out…

I didn't want to be around that day. It might just involve a gun and my head.

Idly, I heard Ino growl, "What was that?!"

I sneered at her this time. "Oh, hard of hearing now? You should really get that checked out. You ARE sounding louder these days."

Ino let out a startled yelp while the girls and Hinata shook with laughter.

"You little bi - "

"Mattaku, you two never quit, do you?" asked a chestnut, bun headed girl, Tenten as she walked in with her boyfriend. "How can you manage to have so much energy in the morning anyway?" She added lazily with a stretch.

In behind her appeared her boyfriend, Hyuuga Neji. They'd been dating since freshman year. And even though he was still the egotistical, cold-hearted jerk we'd known our whole lives, if you looked past all that ice, you'd see a total(gorgeous) softie…

…At least, that's what Tenten said.

But then, as Tenten and Ino squabbled, I felt a pair of eyes staring at me.

I looked up to see a dark pair of eyes staring at me intensely.

Those eyes…

The intensity of those eyes that raven haired man possessed was incredible. It was almost something to fear. Enough to make you turn away quickly if you were unlucky enough to meet them. But then again…then again…

I could never allow myself to turn away. Because I believed that there was more than just indifference in those eyes. Today, I might have even seen curiosity, as if he were searching for something…

Ino thought I was delusional though. She thought that I thought this way because I've had a tiny crush (coughobsessioncough) with him since freshman year…

…that and because I'd been hoping he would miraculously ask me to prom - which was in a month.

But that wasn't the reason.

He was hiding something. A story behind those eyes and that beautifully flawless, impassive, untouchable face. A story that I wanted to uncover before…before…

"Earth to Sakura!! Jeez!! Where the hell does she go sometimes? The inner depths of nothingness?" Complained Ino as she waved a hand obnoxiously in my face.

After shaking my head from side-to-side, homeroom reappeared.

"Sorry. I was thinking." I replied absently. But of course, I was expecting the next thing she would do; sneer and look at me coyly.

"Oh? About what?"

"Nothing really."

This made her laugh. "Yeah. Right! I believe that as much as I believe that Naruto and Hinata here aren't an item." she retorted. Hinata blushed quietly while Neji grunted almost inaudibly.

Though they were cousins, he viewed her as a little sister he was obligated to protect even though she was better off than most people thought.

See what I mean? Total. Softie.

Ino slammed both of her hands in front of my desk and leaned forward. "You were thinking about that cutie Sasuke-kun again, right?" she whispered.

A slight blush appeared on my face as I closed my eyes. "N-No. I think about other things than just guys, Ino-pig-"

But the woman no longer appeared to be paying attention to me. "Honestly, why don't you just talk to him already? You've been crushing for years! This year's your last chance." she protested.

I sighed. This was probably going to be my last year. But she didn't need to know that. Not yet.

"It's…complicated." I mumbled under my breath..

You see, Uchiha Sasuke was a lot like Hyuuga Neji only 109394284290 times more anti-social and cold. Some thought he was emo. Others just thought he was disturbed. Rumor had it that his brother went insane and killed his family, then ran off and mysteriously became blind before dying.

Bottom line: this guy didn't date- let alone talk to anyone! It was like everyone wasn't worth the trouble…

Except one.

"SASUKE-TEME!" exclaimed a loud, blond haired man as he ran into the classroom.

The coal eyes that Sasuke possessed looked up casually, as if he were used to his annoying behavior. "Dobe," he acknowledged.

The fox-like boy grinned before sitting down beside him and began chattering away. That's Uzumaki Naruto. Hinata's crush.

Naruto had been the only one Sasuke was seen with for as long as anyone could remember. We didn't know how they're friends; being so different and all. Sometimes I even thought they were going to kill each other.

But they stuck closer than brothers…maybe even closer if you thought about it…

Ughh…no. Bad mental pictures.

"You know he's not that bad. I've talked to him." Tenten spoke up, interrupting a current Ino-ramble.

Her blue eyes widened. "Really?! He talks to girls?" she demanded.

Even I was surprised.

But the bun-haired woman shrugged. "We were lab partners in bio last semester. Most of the stuff I talked to him about threw me off guard."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously. News of the lone Uchiha was rare.

Very rare.

Tenten shrugged again, as if it were no big deal to her. "I don't know. He notices more than people think he does. He's really observant. It's almost creepy." She replied as she sat on Neji's lap.

"…Observant…" I repeated quietly as I looked over at him. 'I wonder if he's noticed me…' I thought.

It was inevitable now.

With shaky hands I grabbed a fistful of pink strands that had fallen onto my pillow.

Why was life so cruel?

Why did this have to happen to me?

Why so close to prom?

I was confident…confident that he was going to ask me…it was funny, because a couple weeks ago I thought that he would never give me the time of day.

It was funny how a switch of lab partners and a certain biology assignment could change things between people, too.

"Alright, class, get with your lab partners." My biology teacher said the next morning. "Break out your microscopes oh, Haruno, your partner no longer attends Konoha High." he said dully.

My emerald eyes widened. "W-What do you mean?!" I demanded. Michiko, my smart, diligent partner…was gone?!!

He looked up from his book, as if annoyed. "Yes." he repeated before
going back to it.

"B-But…Takako-sensei…who…?"

With a sigh, the teacher set down his book and looked around the class. "Uchiha..." he paused to point to him.

Sasuke looked up from the corner of his eye. Naruto, who migrated over to him, looked up as well.

"...work with Haruno. I don't care if you like working alone either. If you refuse, you fail my class for the semester."

At first, Sasuke seemed annoyed and ignored my existence. This went on for a week. But then, almost mysteriously…he began to talk to me…

"Oi." he mumbled as he looked through the microscope.

I was almost startled for we hadn't spoke more than 3 words since we became partners. My emerald eyes averted to him from the corner of my eye. "H-Huh?"

"What's wrong with you?" he asked.

My heart seemed to stop; cringing in pain. "W-What's wrong…with me?" I repeated meekly. Was I that repulsive to him?

With a sigh, he sat up straight. "You're sick." he explained no louder than a whisper, but something in his voice sounded almost like…worry……concern. A blush crossed my cheeks, along with relief.

"I-I'm fine, really"

"Don't lie to me." Sasuke hissed as he scowled. His obsidian eyes examined me. I gulped awkwardly.

The chemo I had received earlier that week had made me stop losing my hair, but I had lost weight and I couldn't sleep at night. I was always cold and my fingers tingled with numbness.

It was supposed to help me. But I think it was making it worse…

I faked a smile. "G-Gomen. I haven't been sleeping very well lately." I said quietly, but I folded my hands on my lap tightly.

"Hn." he replied before turning back to the microscope. "Sleep." he whispered.

I closed my emerald eyes. "Aah. I will."

'for you…' I thought.

I had been so happy that we'd talked, even if it wasn't more than 12 words…he'd talked to me.

After that, I got the confidence to talk to him. And the more I did, the more he seemed to respond. He was becoming comfortable around me. I became good friends with Naruto too. Eventually, he worked up the nerve to ask Hinata to prom. She was so ecstatic that she fainted.

For helping him, Naruto told me Sasuke's weakness: anything with tomatoes in it. So for lunch, I made him a BLT with extra tomato and asked Naruto to give it to him while I watched from afar. I almost got a smile out of him for it.

We'd even hung out outside of school (for our project of course).

But now…now…

He'd never even look at me.

Because by prom, what was left of my once beautiful and long pink hair would be nonexistent. Then no one, not even Rock Lee who had the biggest crush on me last year, would take me…

After all…who would want to take a girl with no hair to the prom?

I was becoming stick thin as well. And even the cover up couldn't completely hide the rings around my eyes. I could barely feel my toes as well.

No longer could I hide the fact that I was dying.

Not from Ino, not from Sasuke...

Not even from myself.

Luckily that day I didn't have school, but reluctantly, Ino had called to remind me that our senior class was meeting in the park. It was something I couldn't miss

So, I did the best I could to fix my appearance.

After finding the cutest hat I could find, I fixed it on so it hid my hair that couldn't have been longer than my ears, some jeans, and pink shirt.

I met Ino surrounded by a group of girls I wasn't familiar with. But who I did recognize was Sasuke, surrounded by fan girls.

Almost immediately he averted his gaze towards me. His coal eyes seemed to soften slightly, but then, his expression changed. His brows furrowed as if he were contemplating something about me.

My eyes widened. Could…could he tell?

"Sakura! Over here!" yelled a girl, Atara, from my English class. With a smile, I walked over to them. But it faded when I realized who was among them. I groaned inwardly as my eyes met hers.

Her name was Kanako. She had secretly declared me her enemy a couple weeks ago for she had obsessed over Sasuke since freshman year and believed that they were "soul mates".

She hadn't minded my presence until she discovered that Sasuke had grown comfortable around me because we were lab partners. To her, I was a road block, even though I personally knew that Sasuke wasn't the slightest bit interested in her.

Naruto didn't approve either. And as his best friend, his opinion had a strong influence on him.

The rest of the group that surrounded her though were particularly nice. They greeted me cheerfully.

But she narrowed her eyes slightly. "Hello, Sakura." she said, and the way she said my name made my skin crawl. It was edgy, sharp.

Around her, I was unwelcome.

Then, she sneered. "So, prom is coming up in a week. Do you have a date?" She asked me with a fake syrupy tone.

I managed a smile. "Not yet."

"Anyone in particular you wanted to go with?"

I hesitated for a split second. "Not really. I don't really dance." I replied.

Kanako frowned. Had she hoped I said Sasuke?

"I see - " but her voice was cut off when Naruto suddenly appeared behind her.

"Sakura-chan!! You made it!" he exclaimed, practically screaming in Kanako's ear.

I held back a laugh as I smiled warmly at him. "Aah. Gomen, I almost slept in." I explained.

He grabbed my wrist. "Let's go!" he said cheerfully as he pulled me alongside him.

I waved to Kanako and her friends who waved back, to her displeasure before I was reluctantly dragged over to Neji, Tenten, Ino, Hinata, Sasuke and the rest of my homeroom that included Lee, Chouji, Shino, Kiba, Kankuro, Gaara, Temari, and Shikamaru.

Shikamaru had surprisingly caught Ino's eye. Even though he seemed annoyed that she bossed him around, he did what she said, and was regularly seen with her outside of school. They were going to prom together.

The group greeted me as we sat down on a picnic table. Naruto nudged Sasuke over and made a spot for me beside him so he could sit beside Hinata and wrap an arm around her waist.

I felt daggers being glared at me by Kanako who had noticed that I was now sitting beside an impassive Sasuke.

It wasn't long before she and her group made their way over to us. "Sakura! Why are you wearing that cap? Isn't it warm under there? She asked with a sarcastic edge to her voice.

Uncomfortably, I shifted. "N-not really. I've been feeling cold all morning." I replied.

But my words were ignored. "Here, let me"

"No! Don't touch me!" I told her quietly. She knew…she knew…

But before I could cover my head to keep it from being pulled off, in a shift motion Kanako held it in her hand.

With a satisfied gleam in her eyes, everyone gasped.

"S…Sakura…chan." Naruto murmured as he looked at me. Hinata's hands flew up to her mouth and covered it. Ino looked horrified, while Tenten looked at me with sorrow-filled eyes. As if she knew almost immediately.

I couldn't look at Sasuke. I couldn't bear to see the shock on his normally emotionless, un-amused obsidian eyes.

Tears welt up in my emerald eyes as Kanako sneered evilly. "Sakura, what ever did you your hair? She asked innocently. "You aren't losing it are you? I couldn't imagine you going to prom like this."

I stood. I needed to get out of there…I needed...

But Sasuke caught my wrist as he stood up as well. With a menacing glare he stared Kanako down. "She is going to prom." He replied.

My tear-filled emerald eyes looked up at him in confusion. "I-I am?" I choked.

His coal eyes softened as he looked at me. A smirk creased on his lips. "Aah." he paused to look at the crowd that had formed around us. "Because I'm taking her."

"Ne, Sasuke-kun?" I found myself asking the raven haired man walking beside me.

Coal eyes glanced over at me in response as I felt a blush creeping up to my face.

"I…thanks for sticking up for me back there," I replied with a tiny smile. "...and thanks for walking me home."

Actually, he declared that he was taking me home. I didn't really have a say in the matter.

"Hn." I heard him reply.

I shifted my gaze from the sidewalk to look at him from the corner of my eye. "S-Sasuke-kun? Why…did you decide to take me?" I asked him hesitantly.

Sasuke sneered at me.

It made me scowl at him. "What's so funny!" I demanded as I stopped and walked in front of him.

A handsome smirk creased his lips. "Mitara wakaru desho?" he asked.

My scowl turned into a puzzled, scrunched up expression. Was it obvious?

Obvious as to why he decided to take me? No, it wasn't in the slightest.

When I didn't answer him, the coal eyed man moved closer to me and shoved a hand in his pocket and smirked a little more smugly. "I'm taking you because I want to." he replied plainly.

My emerald eyes met his obsidian pools in frustration. "But why! I- I mean, you're really popular with the girls and- well- a lot of them were hoping that you would ask them." I explained.

"You don't want to go with me?" he asked. His tone was indifferent yet deep in his eyes something screamed the opposite. Had…I paved a way into the heart of this stone-cold Uchiha before me?

Or maybe he was just clueless?

"I-It's not that! They're just much prettier than I am- I mean who wants to take a girl with no hair to prom? It's completely ludicrous-"

"Is it ludicrous to do this?" He whispered before he dipped his head down and captured my lips in a swift, chaste motion.

Yeah. I can say that I was the girl to claim Uchiha Sasuke's (sweet, soft…) lips the day he proclaimed that he was taking me to prom. But of course, no one needs to know that.

So here I was, upstairs in my room. Staring at myself in the mirror on the big day. I was hairless, a little sickly looking, I'd lost at least fifteen pounds, and dark circles surrounding my emerald eyes were visible.

But looks didn't matter. No, they didn't matter at all.

Sasuke taught me that.

"Sasuke-kun?"

With a deep breath I rose from my seat and walked to my door.

"Hn?"

As I descended down the stairs, I heard Sasuke being bombarded with questions from my parents. I was nervous…so nervous to see him. Sure, the skin tight red dress that my mother had bought me was pretty, but Sasuke…

"Do you…really don't mind that I don't have any hair?"

Sasuke was perfect.

"No."

Down to the very last detail.

"I don't care about that."

How…

…How could I match up to that?

But then, I heard a sound that almost made pause.

The sound of weeping. My mother weeping.

Why?

Quickly, I hurried down the steps, but as I reached the very last one, my hands clasped over my mouth as tears clouded my eyes.

"Oh…Kami…" I whispered as the tears spilled down my cheeks. Because the minute my foot hit the bottom of the stairs, I immediately realized why my mother was crying.

In Sasuke's hand was a cap.

And on the top of his head…

Was nothing but skin.

That was when Sasuke smirked.

-x-

When you find someone

who knows all your flaws

knows all your insecurities

But loves every single one

because they make up who you are

then you know that you've found love.

Astrocam: There you have the edited version of Mitara. Written by Asuka-chan, edited by me. My edited part is coming up next. I am not sure which story I'll be updating next, so just be patient. I still love you all!!