Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto, just here for the fun of writing about our favorite pairing.

Summary: Sakura has been kicked out of schools so many times for bad behaviour. But it wasn't her fault. The emotions she could feel were not hers. She was able to feel other people's feelings, which inturn, causes her to act for them. For her senior year, she finds herself in a new school, yet again. One more fight, and she would be officially kicked out of the school system.

Ten years later, at the age of 28, Sakura is one of the best lawyers out there, having put many criminals away. Her empathic powers helped her discern who was guilty and who was innocent. Now, forced to work with the police department on a critical case, Sakura meets her old classmate, Sasuke. It was his fault that she had been kicked out school for the final time. The anger he held inside him boiled inside her. She hated him.

Pairing: Sasuke and Sakura

Rating: T+

The Empath

By Tikanis and DreamDevourer

Chapter Two
A secret to share

Sakura stared at her reflection in the mirror. Often times, she couldn't recognize herself. She would be so lost in the emotions of others, that her image of herself would be blurred and she would see herself as another person. There were some people she met that were so judgmental about their appearances. Their self-esteem was so low, which in turn, lowered her confidence. She hated how her mind played tricks with her.

Sakura closed her eyes, recalling a dreadful event caused by her empathic curse. She had started her junior year on a good note. She had secluded herself from everyone. She sat in the back of each class and focused on her class assignments, trying her best to keep her mind from wavering to the people around her. Everything was going smoothly, until a month into the year. It was October and a new student had entered her History class. Her name was Megumi. She had dark brown hair that was always braided and she always wore baggy clothes.

The popular girls in the class were ruthless as ever as they gossiped about her body weight and her lack of fashion sense. Sakura knew how hard it was to be the new student—the one that stood out from the crowd and was picked on. So it was normal for her to feel sorry for Megumi.

Unfortunately for Sakura, that little empathy for her new classmate started to grow to the point where she was drowning in misery. For the first time ever, she felt the ruthless effect that depression brought. A small seed of self-loath was planted in her head, and it grew. With each waken moment, Sakura hated herself. She hated her long blonde hair. She hated how fat she was—even though she really wasn't, but depression told her otherwise. She lost interest in her books and music. She wouldn't eat nor speak to anyone. She tried to get herself out of this misery, but with each passing day she saw Megumi, the feeling worsened.

Her father had been too involved in an important case to notice the changes in her. And her mother had slowly developed a wall between the two. Sakura knew her mother had grown weary of all the troubles she has caused.

She had felt so alone and hated. Finally, something in her compelled her to go to the drugstore, buy a box of pink hair dye, and dye her hair. That same night, Sakura had sat in the bathtub of cold water, fully clothed, her arms wrapped around her legs as she cried. She had chopped of her long locks only a few minutes ago, having felt disgusted by the new color.

Her mind was in such a dark place. She was drowning in self-pity. She couldn't bring herself back into the light and she didn't know how to ask for help. She needed to feel something other than depression. For a long time, she had eyed the scissors she had placed on the edge of the tub. Ever so hesitantly, she grabbed them and pulled up the sleeve of her shirt. Yes, she needed an escape.

Sakura's eyes snapped open. Her body shivered from the past memory. Her gaze went back to the mirror and it trailed down to her wrists. She wore a watch with a wide black leather band on her left hand, and a similar leather bracelet on her right, only it had tiny metal spikes.

They concealed her physical damage on her wrists, but not in her soul. Sakura will never forget the look on her mother's face when she found her in a tub of red water, half unconscious. Her mother had been so afraid but deep down, Sakura had sensed the small speck of disgust. She was not the daughter her mother had wished for.

That was the last straw for her mother. She had stayed a few more months after that, to make sure she healed properly. She had left to seek a new life for herself, one away from the problems Sakura caused. Her father, on the other hand, seemed more understanding. He felt compelled to be his daughter's savior. He kept her away from the clutches of psychiatrists and doctors that thought it was best to lock her away, for her own safety.

"Sakura! Hurry up, you're going to be late!" her father called.

Sakura took one last look at her soulless green eyes that were lined with black eyeliner. "Here we go again," she muttered as she headed for the stairs.

"Sakura…you look…" her father wasn't sure how to react to his daughters dark make up. He thought she was over that stage of her life. "…what happened to the girly shoes we bought last week?"

"Ugh! Dad! It's bad enough I have to wear this uniform, but not the shoes. At least I feel somewhat normal with my boots on," she grumbled as she walked pass him and to the door.

"Well, okay," he shrugged. Sakura might have emotional issues, but she was still a teenager. He dealt with a lot of troubled teenagers in court, so he thought it best to let her choose her own image she wanted to display. "Drive carefully then," he called after her.

"Yeah, yeah," Sakura walked away but quickly came to a halt. "Hey Dad!" she ran back to him, her black combat boots made it difficult to run gracefully. She ran up the stone steps and hugged him.

"Ah, munchkin, you're gonna be alright, okay? Just stay focused," he soothed her as he returned the hug.

"Thanks," she mumbled, letting him go. She ran back down the steps, only to twirl around one more time. "You really think my hair looks okay?" she inquired after the pink locks she had kept because her father had said it had suited her just fine.

"It makes you look as mystical as an angel," he replied with a grin.

"Ugh! Dad, you're so corny! Gosh, well, bye then!" with a final wave, she jumped into her black car.

Sakura sat across from the principle. He seemed like a genuinely nice old man, yet he was serious as well, which was probably why the school was known to have a good reputation. Barely any trouble was caused here, since the principle hounded and punished anyone that misbehaved.

"And I've seen your record, Miss Haruno," the principle continued. "Let's just say I'm not impressed at all and I will not tolerate any misconduct, no matter who your father may be. "

Sakura simply nodded. She knew her father had pulled a lot of strings to get her into this school. She had to try her best to not screw this up, if not for her sake, then for her father's. She wondered how he had so much patience and tolerance for her. She was grateful to have him as her father.

"We are on the same page, then?"

"Yes sir," she replied as she accepted her class schedule that he handed to her.

"Great, now here's a tardy slip to give to your teacher so you won't be marked late. I hope you have a more successful time with us here then you did in your previous schools."

Sakura gave him a polite smile. He had no idea how much she had prayed for that as well.

Sakura was more than half an hour late for her first period class. She let out a small groan of frustration. She had hoped she could sneak in the back of the class before the class had even started, but the principle had kept her in the office too long. Now she had to face all her classmates.

Great, just great, she thought, already nervous. Just take deep breathes, Sakura, you can do it. Be calm. The door to her Literature class was opened. She swung her backpack over her shoulder and stepped into the room.

The wave of emotions hit her, but they were easily pushed away. It was a Monday morning, most of the students were still half asleep, and no one was annoyed or angry yet. She didn't let her eyes wander around the room. She simply walked straight to the teacher's desk and handed the tardy note to her.

The middle-aged, brunette woman looked up at her, startled.

Sakura's lips formed a small grin. It seemed that the teacher wasn't expecting a pink-haired girl to show up to her class. Maybe her father was right in keeping her hair color pink; it would throw others off guard long enough for her to have a chance to control the emotions around her.

Not waiting for the teacher to say anything, Sakura turned away from her and spotted an empty seat by the window, towards the back of the room. She made a beeline for the empty seat, all awhile avoiding the stares from her classmates. Okay, maybe her father was a tad bit wrong, now everyone would notice her.

She dropped her backpack alongside the desk and sat down. She felt everyone's curious eyes on her, but she ignored them as she stared out the window. It was a sunny, pleasant day. Hopefully her time here would be just as pleasant.

The young man sitting in front of her got up and walked to the front of the classroom, leaving her to stare at the back head of another young man. His hair looked very familiar.

There was only one man she had met with jet black hair that spiked up the way his did. And that man had a blonde girlfriend whom she had spilled a smoothie on. Ah fuck, she really hoped she was mistaken by the comparison. There could be a ton of guys in the town with hair like that.

At least, that's what she hoped, until his head slowly turned and she was now staring into the onyx eyes of Sasuke. Damn it, she quickly looked away, embarrassed that she was caught staring at him. If he was here, that meant his girlfriend went to this school as well. Could she be in her class? She quickly skimmed the rows, and low and behold, there she was. She sat in the middle of the row of chairs, with her groupie around her. And she was glaring daggers at her.

Great…just fucking great, she thought, annoyed that she was stuck in the same classroom as that snotty brat. She opened up her backpack and pulled out her Ipod. She placed one ear piece in her ear and untied her hair, letting it fall loose unto her shoulders so she could hide the headphones from the teacher. Focus on the music, she told herself and drowned out everyone from her mind.

Sasuke had been glancing outside the window for the most part of the class. First day of classes usually consisted of paperwork from the teachers and receiving any new books, other than that, the class was free to spend the remaining of the time doing what they wanted, as long as no one talked. His trance had been broken when one of his teammates tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the girl entering the classroom.

"Yo, it's the chick from the diner," his teammate, Ryuu, pointed out with a grin.

Sasuke tried not to look surprised, when indeed he was. He didn't think he would see the girl again, yet there she was, in his class. She walked with her chin up, but her gaze was focused on the teacher. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She wore the standard white blouse with blue skirt uniform the girls had to wear. His eyes trailed down her body, stopping on her legs. He smirked at the black combat boots the girl wore.

So she was one of those rebellious girls, he presumed. From her pink hair, to the leather spiked bracelet, and her combat boots, she was definitely one of those rule-breakers.

She walked away from the teacher and headed down the aisle he sat in. He didn't know why he held his breath as she walked by him. Her head was bowed, so she didn't see him.

Moments later he felt someone eyeing him. The feeling of being watched was so intense. He turned his head slowly, not trying to catch the attention of his teammates, as he looked behind him. And there she was, two seats behind him, her stunning green eyes staring him down. He didn't like girls with so much dark make up, but her eyeliner made her eye color pop out so much, it was like she was staring into his soul.

She moved her gaze elsewhere, and he followed. It landed on his girlfriend, whom was giving the new girl a murderous look. Ah, he had forgotten about the interaction between the two girls at the diner a few days ago. He watched as the girl let her hair loose, it fell to her shoulders. She was hiding the headphones in her ears with her hair. Clever girl, he thought as he turned back around in his seat.

Shortly after, the bell rang and the students sluggishly got up to leave the room.

"Damn, next period is going to be such a drag," Ryuu whined as he grabbed his books and waited for Sasuke to do the same.

Not wanting to seem out of the ordinary, Sasuke agreed and walked with him out the room. They waited outside the room for their girlfriends. Sasuke's ears perked up at the sound of her voice.

"No, sorry. I don't recall ever meeting you."

"You freak! It was at the diner—"

"Oh? That was you? I must say, you look like a whole different person without a smoothie dripping from your head." Sasuke tried to suppress his grin at the sarcasm in the girl's voice.

"Why you little—"

"Well, it was great catching up with you, but I have a class to get to."

The girl walked out the room with a smirk of her own on her face.

Sakura had a feeling she would be ambushed by the posse of girls as she tried to leave the room. They blocked the exit.

"Can I help you?" she inquired as she removed the headphone from her ear.

The girl looked a bit shocked. "You don't remember me?" she asked, a bit melodramatic.

"No, sorry. I don't recall ever meeting you," Sakura lied with a shrug. Of course she remembered the nitwit, but she wasn't going to indulge the girl.

"You freak! It was at the diner—"

Sakura's eye twitched with annoyance. She reminded herself that there was no point in getting worked up over this girl. She didn't need the trouble. It was best she calmed herself and just walked away. She breathed lightly in and out. "Oh? That was you? I must say, you look like a whole different person without a smoothie dripping from your head."

"Why you little—"

"Well, it was great catching up with you, but I have a class to get to," Sakura interjected quickly as she walked pass them. She placed her headphone back in her ear and stepped out the room. She was too focused on reading her class schedule to notice the young man that leaned against the wall. It was when she was a few yards away, did she notice the weird vibe, the same one from a few nights ago. She turned around and he was walking in the opposite direction with his group of friends.

Don't dwell on it, she told herself. But she couldn't help herself. She had yet to meet someone without any emotions. Could that be possible? To be void of any emotion whatsoever? And if he had no emotion, then there were no emotions for her to feel when around him, aside from her own. It had been a long time since she felt her own emotions. Over the years, she'd forgotten how to feel for herself.

The next two class periods passed, and Sasuke still hadn't seen the girl. No one even knew her name yet. He looked for her in the hallway in between classes, but couldn't spot her. He wasn't quite sure why he kept an eye out for her.

He walked into his Advanced Biology class, only to notice that everyone was standing by the blackboard.

"We're being assigned seating," a kid murmured to him.

Sasuke grimaced. He always sat by the window in every class. Looking outside usually helped him be at ease. Mr. Hiru was one of those serious old teachers that taught by the book. It was going to be a long year in this class. Minutes passed, and nearly all the students were seated.

"Sakura Haruno?" the teacher called the unknown name. "Sakura Haruno?" the name was repeated; still no one stepped forward to claim the name.

Sasuke wondered who Sakura Haruno was but quickly realized it was the new girl. It had to be her. They hadn't had new students all morning, except for her. Sakura, he mused. The name seemed too sweet to belong to the aggressive girl.

Her name was called one last time.

"Yes?" came a response from the door. All eyes turned to the young girl. "Sorry, I had trouble finding the room," she said as she walked pass him and to the lab desk the teacher pointed.

"Don't be late again," Mr. Hiru warned as he adjusted his glasses. She nodded

Sasuke tried to look anywhere else but at her. He didn't want to be caught staring, but every few seconds, his eyes would return back to her. She was flipping through the textbook and came to a pause. She was biting her lower lip and tapping her finger tips on the table. He wondered why she was so anxious.

His name was finally called and his brow rose in question at the seat that the teacher pointed. So he would get to sit next to her? Interesting.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw her flinch as he took his seat. She's a weird one, that's for sure, he thought as he pretended to listen to the teacher, all awhile, he watched her from the corner of his eye. She was sneaking her Ipod out again, as she had done in the first class. He wondered if she knew she would get detention if she got caught with that thing. Telling himself it wasn't any of business, he turned his focus to the lecture Mr. Hiru was giving.

Sakura was well aware of him sitting next to her; she found it difficult to be calm. At one point, his elbow had brushed against her arm as he flipped open his text book; and it nearly rendered her breathless. She couldn't comprehend this young man, and it scared her.

What frightened her even more was the weird effect he was having on her so fast, leaving her open to so many possibilities. She could actually think with her own thoughts now. As soon as she had entered the room, she had felt the aggravation coming from the students. She fought it off as best she could, and was nearly going to snap at the teacher for the unfairness of the seating arrangements that the students felt, until he sat next to her, and she calmed down.

Maybe there were people that truly didn't feel anything. She had gazed at his eyes twice. Once at the diner and another time in the morning class and still, she saw nothing there. It was like he was dead inside. She wondered what event in his life had caused such trauma to him that he would build a wall around himself.

Whatever the reason for this mysterious guy, she was somewhat glad he was next to her. His presence definitely startled her and frightened her, but at least she wasn't feeling anyone else's emotions.

As soon as the bell rang, Sakura gathered her things in a hurry and left the room. She had been late for all her classes so far, and they've all given her warnings. She really didn't want to be the last one in class again. It was awkward having to introduce herself in front of everyone, as she had done in her History class last period.

She walked down the hallway that led to her class, only to come to a halt. A group was gathering around and shouts came from all sides. Students shoved her as they tried to get a better view of what was happening.

Sakura tried her best to evade the crowd of crazy teenagers. There was a fight in the middle of the hallway, which was blocking her from going to her class. God, if you really are out there, and if you really care for me, just a tiny bit, then please, please, I beg you, keep me away from this fight,she pleaded as she held her books tightly against her chest. She was feeling the emotions in the air. The adrenaline rushed through her body as the crowd cheered on. She wanted to walk away, but her body was being pulled towards the center of all of this chaos. She dropped her books onto the ground, along with her backpack, and pushed through the circle.

Please, she begged, her tears blurred her vision. Her day had gone smoothly so far, with very little drama. She was trying her best to behave so her father would be proud of her. She didn't want to mess it up now. Her hands formed into fists. She had an urge to fight, a feeling that she was so familiar with.

Just as she made it to the front, her arm was tugged. Confused as to who would grab her, much less touch her, she turned around to meet the person. Her eyes met his dark ones, and suddenly, it felt like her world was spinning. The aggression was leaving her system as her body was trying to attach itself to this man's emotions. But there was nothing to attach to, so she was left with her own feelings.

"Stay away from that, it could get dangerous. You better go wait somewhere else until this dies down," Sasuke said. She found herself nodding and following him. "Wait here," he ordered and returned back to the crowd.

Sasuke had difficulty keeping up with her. She had practically ran out of the class as soon as the bell had rung. Had she even been paying attention in class? The teacher clearly had stated that the person they were sitting next was to be their lab partners, and that they were to start planning out their lab for next class. He had wanted to ask her when they could meet up to discuss the lab or to get her number, but she was long gone. He saw her pink head through the crowd of people.

Suddenly, she had come to a halt. From the distance, he saw her books fall to the ground as she marched to the crowd that had manifested. Was she getting herself involved in the fight? What was she thinking? He wasn't sure what to do. Let her go? Pull her away from that?

Instincts took over as he pushed through the crowd and grabbed her arm. He whirled her around and was shocked to see how troubled she was. She was shaking with emotion. He wasn't sure what to do. He led her away from the crowd, to a different hallway.

"Wait here," he said and went back to grab her backpack. A whistle was blown and he quickly escaped as the crowd scattered and security came.

He returned to where he had left her. She hadn't moved from her spot. Her eyes were closed and she was leaning against the lockers. She was muttering something but he couldn't comprehend what she was saying. "Come on, we have to go before security spots us," he said as he grabbed her hand and led her away.

Sakura wasn't sure why she was allowing him to lead her away. She never allowed anyone to console her or help her, not that they could actually help her. But this guy—stranger, actually, was helping her escape her fear. He had no idea how he had just saved her. She could've done so much damage and would've probably finally been locked away for good. There was only so any times her father could come to her aid.

She wasn't sure where he was leading her, but she followed like a lost puppy. They went up a staircase, all the way to the top.

"This is where I come, when it gets a little crazy in this place," he was telling her as he opened the metal door.

She stepped through and what seemed like forever, she finally breathed in peace.

Sasuke leaned against the door frame. He had no idea why in God's name he brought her up here. The rooftop was his secret sanctuary. He came up here anytime he felt like bashing someone's face, which was quite often. The look he had seen on her, it took him by surprise. She had such a cold composure through the two classes he had been with her; he hadn't realized she could be so broken apart like that.

So he led her up here, knowing that a breath of fresh air was what she needed.

It was quite for a long moment, and Sakura didn't know what to say to break the silence. She was late for class; she had to go back down. At the same time, she didn't want to go back down to face yet another class of crazy teenagers. After that fight, everyone was probably hyped up, which in turn, would cause her to be jittery.

"Is it okay to be up here?" she asked as she stared up at the blue sky.

"As long as no one else knows, then it's fine," he replied in a cool tone, placing her backpack and books on the graveled ground.

In other words, he was telling her to keep it a secret. She barely knew the guy and she already shared a secret with him. It was all so mind-numbing.

Sakura leaned down and unzipped her bag to take out her Ipod. She sat on the ground, leaning her back against the cement wall. "Thanks," she muttered before placing the headphones in her ears. She hadn't once looked at him, too afraid he might look into her eyes and see the life she was hiding.

Sasuke sighed as he ran a hand through his untamed hair. The girl had issues, he could tell. He wasn't sure what her problem was, nor was he going to pry into her life. She was a stranger, after all.

A stranger whom you shared your secret place with, he reminded himself. He pushed that thought away as he sat beside her, keeping a foot of distance between them. He had already missed fifteen minutes of the class; there was no point in going to class now. He would stay up here with her until the next period.

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. He enjoyed the solitude and didn't mind sharing it with this girl.

Sakura thought he would go back downstairs and leave her alone, but he did the opposite. She wasn't sure if she should be relieved or not. He wasn't probing her with questions, in fact, she was sure he had fallen asleep.

With a small smile, Sakura closed her own eyes and relaxed. For once, in her life, she was at peace.

To be continued...

On the Next Chapter…

He was so close to her. She realized then what the weird feeling he made her feel. For the first time, Sakura felt the feeling of desire. She had read about it, but never experienced it for herself. She wasn't sure if some of that feeling was hers as well, or purely his. Whose ever it was, she felt the urge to kiss him. She'd never kissed a boy before, never wanted to, until now.

Question was, would she regret it once she was alone, and able to think clearer?

His thumb pressed against her bottom lip, causing her to gasp at the pressure. As if it were natural to her, she tilted her head and pressed her lips to his.

HI GUYS! thanks for reading! hope you are enjoying the story so far! As far as main characters go,like Naruto and others, they are key characters once Sasuke and Sakura grow up. So right now, I'm making up some characters, aside from Ino.

Thank you for the reviews and the support, any questions or comments, please drop a review. :) :)