A/N: Lulz!!! I's writing mah first author's note!!! And look how I'm showing off mah wundurful grammer. Lol! Just kidding. I don't really write (stories) like that. At school, it's a different story. Sooooo anyway this is just a (most likely) Sasusaku fanfic that I put up here for your enjoyment. Enjoy!!

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Prologue

The young woman followed the path she had walked hundreds of times in her life. The icy wind of late winter whipped her long hair around her face like pale pink fire. She rubbed her hands together and hugged herself to try and keep warm. Dead leaves and frost crunched under her boots.

"Mom!" she yelled again. She was so sure she'd seen her mother come this way. The path led to a cliff, and her mom hadn't been well lately.

Oh God, what if she falls? the young woman thought. This made her hurry even faster, and a few seconds later she came to the end of the path. The roar of the ocean filled her ears, and the salty air was almost overpowering.

Her mother stood at the very edge of the cliff, looking out over the ocean, a blank stare in her eyes. Her face was gaunt, with dark circles under her eyes which made the green in her irises stand out even more. The wind whipped her hair, which was the same shade as her daughter's, from her face, making her cheekbones protrude.

She's wasted away so much in the last few weeks, the young woman thought sadly.

"Mom, what are you doing out here?" The woman turned, just now noticing her daughter was there, and smiled sweetly. Her eyes still held that blank look.

"Sakura, why are you up? The sun's not even up yet," her mother replied.

"Mom, come with me," Sakura said, taking a step towards her mother. "It's cold out. You could catch something." Her mother ignored her and turned her head out towards the ocean.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? The ocean, I mean. I used to practically live at the ocean when I was a child. Your grandmother swore I was really a mermaid." The sweet smile was still on her mother's face. "And when I met your father-" the smile faltered this time, and her voice broke. A single tear slipped out. She faced Sakura again. "I've failed you, haven't I?"

"Mom, no! Don't say that," Sakura said. Her heart was beating too fast now. Something was wrong, really, really wrong. "Come over here, okay? It's alright! Nothing's your fault!" Her voice rose with panic. Her mother's sweet smile returned.

"You were always such a sweet, forgiving girl, Sakura. I'm so sorry for everything." Sakura broke out in a run towards her mother.

"I love you, Sakura." Her mother turned and leaned into the open air and off the edge of the cliff.

Sakura would always remember that, in that moment, her mother looked like an angel.

The village leader, Fuujin, would never forget the sound that woke him from his sleep at three that morning. He quickly rose from bed and grabbed his gun off the wall. From the scream that had just echoed through the night, he suspected that something very bad was happening to someone with a good pair of lungs.

"Fuujin, where in the world are you off to?" his wife of twenty six years grumbled from the bed.

"Something's happenin'," he said, jerking on some pants.

"Be careful," she murmured, then fell back into sleep. Fuujin rushed quickly outside and saw other men with their guns already gathered in a crowd.

"Fuujin, you heard it too?" one of the villagers asked.

"Yeah, I heard it," he said slowly. "Alright, does anyone know where the sound was comin' from?" he yelled over the murmurs of the crowd. Many voices answered, all agreeing that it was the cliff. "Alright then," Fuujin said, "let's get goin'!"

Sakura's wasn't aware of how long she'd been sitting there before the men came.

"She the one who made that sound?" she heard one ask.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" That was Fuujin. She parted her mouth to reply, but couldn't find her voice. She just kept looking out towards the ocean.

"Oh, man, Fuujin, I think I found the problem," one man said as he peered over the cliff. Fuujin looked, then jerked his head back and shut his eyes.

"Oh, Meiko," Fuujin sighed, "what in the world were you thinking?"

Sakura felt someone put a coat over her. Someone bent over her. "C'mon, Sakura," she heard a man say. Arms slid under her, and she was lifted off the ground. "You'll catch your death out here," he said.

Haha, catch my death out here!! Haha what a pun!! Sakura felt a crazy, insane laughter bubbling up inside of her. It escaped her mouth and sounded hysterical in her ears.

"Whoa, what the heck? Is she having a mental breakdown?!" the man holding her asked.

"She's just in shock," Fuujin said quietly. "Let's get her back to her house. Call Kakashi, Kaito. He'll want to know." Sakura felt her laughter turn into sobs, and salty tears ran down her face in streams. Tears as salty as the ocean.

Chapter 1

"I really think you'll like it here, Sakura. It's a good school, great students and all." Sakura blew her hot breath onto the car window and traced her finger through it. Her new guardian, Kakashi, was babbling on again about the school they were now heading to. He was a teacher there, at the Konoha Academy. The teacher of her first class, actually. They had come by the school yesterday and picked up her schedule along with lists of things she would need for her classes. Including the dreaded uniform she was wearing now. Plaid skirt, white button up shirt, dark green blazer, white knee – highs, and brown dress shoes.

Oh, and let's not forget the red tie, Sakura thought glumly. She sat in her seat, her head bent; her long, pink hair was tied in two pigtails, her bangs framing her face. Square framed glasses sat on her nose.

I really don't want to be here, Sakura thought, tears pricking at her eyes. I don't want to go to this stupid school. I just want to go in my room and stay there forever. Not that it really was her room. She'd been living Kakashi for the past few months, and she was still adjusting.

And now it was the first day of school.

God, this sucks! Kakashi had had to pull many strings to get her into this elitist school for the super rich. The car pulled to a stop in front of a massive stone castle. Sakura had to admit that it was impressive, but it only increased her feelings of anxiety. They got of the car and started walking towards the building. Sakura felt her breath catch in her throat and she quickly tugged on the sleeve of Kakashi's jacket.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" he asked, turning.

"Please, Kakashi, take me home," she whispered. He could feel her hands shaking through the sleeve of his jacket. "I want to go home."

"Sakura, you'll be back home after school today. It's only a few hours," he said, patting her head.

"No, I mean home! My village! I wanna go back there so bad and forget everything!" she said fiercely. She was sniffing back tears, trying her best not to cry. Kakashi quickly hugged her and kissed the top of her head.

"I know, Sakura, I know. It's hard, I know, but you've got to try. Don't let yourself get sucked into some kind of despair. Try your hardest, Sakura! Promise me," he said. She nodded her head and quickly wiped away the tears in her eyes.

"Thanks, Kakashi. I'll try." She held her head high, proud, and jutted out her chin.

I will not be pushed around anymore! she thought, fire burning in her eyes. My past is my past. It's time to start fresh.

That's right, another voice said inside her head. Good girl.

Sakura walked through the door alone. Kakashi had insisted that he had something important to do in the teacher's lounge and left her outside the class.

Inside, it was like a frenzy. Girls in uniforms matching Sakura's sat all around the room, at tables and on tables and some were even in the floor. A large number of the girls were crowded around a table so thick that Sakura couldn't see what they were staring at. Guys wore the same uniforms, Sakura noticed, with khaki pants in place of skirts. One blonde boy with extraordinary blue eyes was rummaging through Kakashi's desk.

"Oh man! Sasuke! He has porn!" the boy yelled.

A voice came from within the crowd of girls. "Oooh, bring it over here, Naruto!"

Then, another voice, colder and more arrogant: "Shut up, you idiot. Naruto, leave Kakashi – sensei's porn alone. He's coming back to the room!"

"Whaa?! How do you know tha-"

"Naruto Uzumaki, I have you this year, too. It's going to be joy," Kakashi's sarcastic voice came from the doorway, cutting off Naruto. The boy's face turned scarlet, and he quickly scuttled away from the desk. "Everyone get to a seat!" he said over the roar of the students. "I have a new student to introduce!" All the students hushed at that, and all stared at the new girl with the long pink hair.

"Looks like a nerd," she heard one male voice say. She ignored it.

"My name is Sakura Haruno," she heard herself say. "Please take good care of me."

"Well, Ms. Haruno, you can take a seat by," he paused to scan the class, "Ms. Yamanaka." He pointed to a glamorous looking girl with long blond locks and bangs that covered one side of her face.

She's so pretty, Sakura thought. She once would have felt envy, but now she was thankful that she was nowhere near as beautiful as this girl.

Bad things happen to pretty people, don't they? And we know all about that, don't we, Sakura? that strange little voice said.

She took her seat at the table.

"Hi! My name's Ino Yamanaka!" the blonde girl said. She seemed highly sociable.

"Hi, my name's Sakura," she mumbled back. Two other girls were sitting at the other side of the table. One had thick red hair and round glasses. She nodded towards Sakura.

"Nice glasses, Sakura. I need to get a pair of those instead of these big, round, ugly things," the girl said, smiling. "I'm Karin, by the way. And this shy girl beside me, who will probably spend the next thirty minutes wondering if you're secretly judging her or not, is Hinata Hyuuga." Sakura eyed the girl to Karin's left and saw that she was pretty, too. Her hair was a deep violet, almost black, and her eyes had not pupils. They were strangely pale white.

"It's nice to meet you, Sakura," she said shyly. The three girls muttered amongst themselves while Sakura drifted in her own world. She knew Kakashi was talking about something.

I'll just ask him about it when we get back to the house, she thought. She found herself wondering amongst her memories, heard the ocean, saw her mother and father, remembered laying in the sun in the summer, reading a book. She heard Kakashi being called to the office from faraway. Suddenly a shadow came over her, breaking up her nostalgia.

"Oh, Itachi," she heard Karin say. The girl practically had hearts flying around her head. Sakura glanced at the guy in front of her. He was tall, with black hair pulled back in a ponytail and bangs that fell on the side of his face. His eyes were a chocolatey brown, and a single line came down from the corner of each eye.

"Hello, Sakura Haruno," he said. "My name is Itachi Uchiha." Sakura looked away, not really caring what he had to say. He seemed to understand this, and a vein of irritation pulsed in his forehead. He tried harder. "It's really my honor to meet you. You're really cute." Sakura's eyes narrowed at that.

He thinks we're stupid, doesn't he? That little voice said. He thinks if he comes over here and says sweet words, we're going to fawn all over him. He wants us to be just another fangirl. But we've learned men well, haven't we, Sakura? We've learned the hard way. The voice had a bitter edge. He makes us sick, and we have to keep him away.

Itachi irritation was visible now. The whole class was watching Sakura's response to Itachi's flattering statements. Girls' eyes burned with jealousy.

"Don't you think we should get to know each other better?" He reached out a hand to brush her cheek, and she quickly flinched away. He could swear he heard Sakura hiss. "Well, don't you?" This time he managed to grab a lock of her hair and ran it through his fingers. Sakura's body locked up with fear.

Oh, God, I just wanna go home! She screamed inside.

Don't let him do this to you, the little voice said. Don't put yourself through this again! The little voice turned cold. What have you got to lose, after all?

Itachi thought he had won when the girl didn't flinch from his touch the second time. He was basking in his victory when her fist came flying into his face. While he was still stunned, Sakura picked up the wooden chair she'd been sitting in and swung it with full force into his body. He flew back a few feet and hit the ground with a loud smack. He didn't even have time to get up before she was on him again. Her glasses had flown off and hit the floor, and her shining pink hair was coming loose, he noticed. Her fist rammed into his face again and again, and he could feel the blood pouring from his nose and busted lip. He knew he should fight back, but he couldn't make himself hit her. Her jade eyes were shining, her fury making her like an angel.

And that's when Itachi realized he'd fallen in love with the girl who was beating the crap out of him.

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Okay, so that's it for the first chapter XD

You like it, no? Well, maybe not... Anyway, THIS FIC WILL NOT BE KAKASAKU YOU SICK PERVERTS!!! He is going to be a father figure and NOTHING MORE!!!!!!...!!!

Oh, yeah, to my peeps in copywriting:

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT not not own Naruto. Figure that one out, you nazis.

Oh yeah, and before my lil sis bugs me to death, this is dedicated to NeverEndingOblivion (can you guess who that is? My SISTER maybe?) Anyway, she's cool so plz check out her stuffs.

Oh yah, and the next chapter is already written and will be up soon!!