A Will to Love

A/N: This is my first SakuIta fic, please give me feedback about how it is... If I get enough good compliments, I will continue this... I am rewriting my other fic, No Use Denying It, because I'm not too satisfied with the beginning... I originally thought to focus on Hinata at first, but somehow I just seemed to write Sakura's POV instead. If you want, please read it and tell me if I should rewrite it or not. Thnx!!

Chapter 1: The One and Only

The only time in my life I had felt this hurt... When had it been? When was it? Well, it certainly hurts like hell. Why is it me? Me, the one who is always been rejected by those I call friends? Betrayal was nothing new to me. Then why does it hurt... so much?

Why?!

Tears streamed down her pale skin, her sobs heard as much as she tried to constrain them. It had been going on for this long for a long time, it was nothing new. It was always the old routine that he played with her: she smile, ask for date, continues to smile, he scowls, her smile fades, his eyes narrow, her face twists itself into an expression of disappointment, he glares, she bites lip in hesitation, he turns around and leaves. It had always been that way, a routine that was no longer foreign to them. She bit her lip. Why the hell does it hurt so much?!!

She knew she needed to move on. After all, she was eighteen now. She should have given up on him a long time ago. She had promised to herself, sworn to herself that she would give up by the time he refused her for the 500th time in a row...

And he did. He refused her. Maybe it hurts so much because she has to give up her love for him, surrender him to other fan girls that are still chasing him... It wasn't because he had hurt her feelings. After all, he had refused her plenty of times before... She had known for years that he doesn't like her in that way. Hell, she isn't sure if he had liked her plainly.

The long pink hair was swept back as her shaking hands ran through them, and restrained herself from pulling those shiny pink strands out from frustration. Her chest heaved, as it took the oxygen that was deprived from her body because of her crying. The droplets had fallen on her large white shirt that covers her black shorts, staining them. Her tear-soaked face was dotted with bits of sunlight that managed to peek through the canopy of leaves that she had hid herself in. Red rimmed the aqua green eyes that were once so cheerful. Resting and relaxing now, her tensed muscles now loosening from its stiff hold, Haruno Sakura raised her head and organizes her thoughts.

Rage and shame were powerful emotions. And Sakura broke down crying again when she remembered once more what had happened, what had caused the hated cascades of droplets to travel down its designed course again.

Flashback

"Sasuke-kun... I want... I mean... Umm... I want..." Sakura's once shifted downward, her cheeks pinking slightly from sheer embarrassment.

"What do you want?" asked Sasuke rudely.

Sakura willed her blush away. "Ano... do you like me?" she asked quickly, hiding her true intentions and yet regretting what came out of her mouth. Sasuke looked at her coldly before snapping "No."

Sakura watched as Sasuke turned his back on her and walked away without a glance at her. She started to grow angry. As usual.

This was it. The 500th refusal. Yes, it was her turn to give up...

"What is the time?" asked a little black-haired girl to her mother as Sakura walked past them, unaware of her destination. All she could think of was how Sasuke had kept refusing and she ahd been too blind to notice...

Little girl, it is time for me to give up, she thought sadly, her tears clouding her vision.

End

She followed the path of what she hoped was the way out, her thoughts kept on running over and over on what Sasuke had said. It was quite a while before she realized that she was lost.

"Why?! Why does this have to happen to me?! Why are you playing with me?! Why are you taking pleasure out of my misery?!" she screamed at the darkness. Sakura started crying again, although this time was silent. Why does this have to happen to me?

Uchiha Itachi stared at the fire, his red Sharingan eyes sweeping the landscape that was brightened by the glow of the flames. He heard a distant cry, and wondered what it was, though not bothering to find out. He was best left alone. In fact, Itachi was planning to live the rest of his life like this, just living in a forest, peaceful and quiet, without the daily things that normal human beings had tied themselves up with. It was really too bad that this was a temporary 'vacation' thing he was doing right now. He was not murderous then, and he felt peaceful. The only reason why he killed people was because they were in the way of his goal and wouldn't budge, no matter how much he warned them. He was nothing but a ninja that has to have goals in life. He can't be anything but a ninja. That was a fact, as he was part of the Uchiha clan.

If only he wasn't put under the pressure of being the heir to it, then he might not have killed his family. Sasuke was probably the only one he didn't mind, as his little brother used to look up to him. But Sasuke, he had never felt the tension of it, the pressure of being the stronger one, never had to worry about continuing the clan. But he, Itachi, was never interested in it, and would always rather do something else than train. He had trained so much he doesn't know the limit of his strength. He was never the cold-hearted murderer as depicted. He only resorted to using violence against his family because of the strain they were placing on him.

They don't care about his feelings; they only wanted the continuation of the clan. He had never wanted to create a family just for the sakes of his parents' expectations. Itachi sighed. He had to admit, he did not regret killing his family, although he did regret for a very short period of time that he had brought down the pressure of killing him on his brother Sasuke. Now, he was reduced to nothing more than a feared criminal. Truthfully, life as one of the wanted criminals in the Bingo Book was not fun.

There was the cry again, followed by gasps this time. The thing sounded like it was about to choke to death. Curious, Itachi stole through the night, barely blowing the flickering flames. He followed the noises to one of the many small clearings in the forest. As he reached the source of the noise, his red eyes were laid upon the first vulnerable girl he had seen in a long time.

He had no reason to like the girls he trained with; they were too much like him. But there was something about this pink-haired figured. He felt attached to her, and her tears were a sign of wonder to him. He had rarely seen those droplets. For him, this was a rare experience. Forgetting that he was considered as a mass murderer, he jumped silently down to her. Her gasps and sobs brought a sense of reality down upon him; how was he to comfort a crying girl? Right now, he was standing behind a shaking girl, admiring her ability to shed tears, and wondering how he was going to console this girl.

But before he could do anything, she turned her head around, and screamed, her mouth forming a perfect 'o' as it fell open in surprise. He knelt down quickly, and covered her mouth with his pale hand, and her eyes were widened in fear. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you," he whispered, trying to make his voice as soft and gentle as he can, but failing miserably. If anything, he sounded malicious, even to himself, which was exactly what he didn't want. He wiped the girl's tears as she sat there, frozen to the ground. Her cheeks were as soft as the clouds seemed. He smiled softly, trying to remember where he had seen this girl before, her soft green eyes and light pink hair striking him as beautiful.

"Wh-wh-what d-do you w-want?" asked Sakura waveringly. Itachi's eyes narrowed. So she must think he was a heartless murderer as well. He scowled. Sakura gasped. Itachi would have been Sasuke's twin if it wasn't for the tastefully tied ponytail and distinguished scars. Sakura was astonished that Itachi was reassuring her that he was not going to harm her. Her eyes were nearly slits now, her nerves jumping around inside her. Calm down, she thought, trying to ignore the fact that sitting right next to her was probably the strongest ninja of all times.

Sakura was taking slow breaths now, her chest rising up and down subtly, her heart pounding inside. "I will not hurt you," murmured Itachi, his voice dancing into the air and his soft breath brushing her ear and cheek. She was growing more and more nervous. Itachi examined her soft skin, her long eyelashes, her silky pink hair, and soft rosy lips. He could feel his heart quicken as she part her lips and drew in deep breaths.

"I will not hurt you."

Damnable things. Why does she have to be so stupid? Now, there she is, sitting in the firelight with the infamous Uchiha Itachi, a tense silence in the air, as neither of them were eager to make conversation. From her experiences, one wrong word can send her head flying off her neck. She shifted, her arms growing numb from wrapping her legs. She buried her face into her knees, leaving only her eyes visible. She stared at the fire, toying with the hem of her red dress. She was as cold as hell.

"Uh... Are you hungry?" asked Itachi quietly, and Sakura can feel his red Sharingan eyes on her form. Yes, she was hungry, but can she trust him? She shook her head no. Itachi stared at her for a few more seconds, and then shifted his gaze to the fire, which was dying. The cloudless night was specked with stars, and Sakura focused her eyes on it instead, and found the crescent moon pleasing to stare at. She stiffened; there was someone behind her.

"Don't worry," whispered a deep voice. Sakura tensed even further; Itachi couldn't help but place his hands on her shoulders. Sakura somewhat relaxed and tensed even further at his touch, and she suppressed the flinch that was daring to show itself. She also noticed the warmth of his hands. She shivered involuntarily.

Itachi was weakening. He knew it. His thumb brushed the petal-soft hair of the kunoichi, and he marveled at the softness. Sure, his hair was soft, too, but this girl's hair was different. It emitted a different feeling. He leaned in closer, wanting to experience the softness fully. He could now smell the fragrance of oranges and vanilla mix, and it was the most sweetest thing he had ever smelled at that moment.

Sakura couldn't relax; why was he messing with her like this? Why was he touching her? Why was he touching her... this way? This wasn't the Itachi she knew from Sasuke. Itachi, the cold-hearted murderer, couldn't possibly have this kind of tenderness. His touch was really soft, and she felt like melting into it, if it wasn't for her logical senses that kept her from succumbing to his touch. Itachi sighed, and slowly, painfully slowly moved his hands to her neck. It was lukewarm, and he felt the girl shiver under his touch again.

"What is your name?" he asked her, his voice emotionless and blank.

"Sakura... Haruno Sakura," she replied just as quietly, when she sensed no danger in his question. He laughed quietly.

"Sakura... your name fits you well. You are much like a sakura, delicate and fragile," he commented. "Are you cold?" he asked. Without waiting for a reply, Itachi lifted his cloak from his shoulders, and wrapped it around Sakura, enveloping her from the cool breezes. The fire was dying, as it threw them into half-darkness, and Sakura relished the warmth of his cloak.

"Ano... wouldn't you be cold?" she asked warily, turning her head a bit to look at the handsome ninja behind her. He shook his head, and his gaze was drawn unwarily to her green eyes. Emeralds, he thought. Her eyes are like emeralds, the stone of eternal love. He mentally shook himself. He had a mission to complete; he cannot surrender everything he had worked for just because he had met a girl that had managed to capture his attention fully. No matter how tempting it may seem, he cannot do it. He drew himself back into the cold shell he had built.

"You may want to sleep now," he said coldly, and Sakura was taken aback at the sudden change of his voice. She nodded silently, and she followed him to the tent he had built. She walked inside quietly, and was surprised to see a big sleeping bag. He gestured to the bag, and she gave him back the cloak before climbing into the mattress. She shifted to one side, and looked at him questioningly. He shook his head, and sat down, covering himself with the cloak again. Sakura looked warily at him, and fell into an uneasy sleep, hungry and nervous.

Itachi stared at the figure, and watched as she shifted positions from time to time, her tranquil expression never disturbed. Itachi watched the sleeping figure the whole night, never sleeping as he stared at the slim body. As the sun rose, the form stirred, and woke.

"Wh-where am I?" asked Sakura tiredly. She didn't exactly have a good night's sleep, as it was a fact that she was sleeping in a stranger's bed. It smelled fresh, like pine trees and dew mixed together. It was really the smell that had lulled her to sleep. Sakura turned and saw Itachi glaring at her through those magnificent red orbs.

"You haven't been sleeping?" asked Sakura hesitantly. Itachi glared at her wordlessly, and replied with a low "No."

"Gomen nasai... I didn't mean to keep awake all night long... I will be going now," said Sakura in a rush. Itachi just continued to glare at her. Sakura wanted to just stand up and run, but those pitiless eyes were drawing her into them. The silence was like a battle between the two, a battle of wills and wit. First to move, first to lose. Itachi moved first. He spoke dryly, "I thought you were going to run?"

Sakura felt immediate anger pounding through her veins, and snapped back at him before she could think. "Who are you to judge me?" she said in suppressed rage. The moment the words came rushing out of her mouth, she regretted it, finally realizing that it was Itachi she was snapping back at.

"I am no one to you," he replied softly, calmly, and Sakura nonetheless felt more angry. Itachi felt a twinge of amusement at her indignation. "I am no one to you, and I doubt I will ever be," he repeated.

Sakura was shocked to hear him say those words. The night before, everything that happened, did he remember what he did to her? "If so, then why did you touch me like that last night?" she asked quietly. Itachi flinched slightly at the question and her tone of voice. Wasn't it enough that he had surrendered his morals temporarily last night just to touch her? If she keeps this up, he might not be able to resist any more to his temptations. And his temptations are pretty strong right now, considering his hormones are working up for the first time in a long time because Sakura was the first girl that he bumped into that actually pleases him in some unknown ways. '

"Don't tempt me," he murmured, moving so he was right next to the pink-haired kunoichi. She gasped, he admired the way her mouth formed a beautiful 'o' shape in surprise. He inched closer to her, rendering Sakura momentarily frozen. "Don't tempt me," he repeated, his lips right next to her ear as Sakura sat there, the blanket still covering the bottom half of her body, and the Sharingan-wielding man next to her.

"Don't tempt me." His voice was softer than ever, and Sakura can feel his warm and soft breath flutter over her sensitive cheekbone and ear. She shivered, despite the circumstances. If she had turn her head around to face him, their lips would have been caressing each other. Itachi saw the tremble travel its course through her body, and automatically felt his eyes travel to her soft, ivory cheek, tinged a light pink. He swallowed, and let his gaze travel down her body. His black covers suits her well, Itachi thought. He imagined her, in a simple white nightgown, her lithe body under the warm black covers, smiling as she looked at him... He shook himself mentally, breaking off his train of thought. It is too dangerous to go there... It is a dangerous territory to both male and female alike. But how can he hold on still? How can he resist? He was very close to the surface now, too close for comfort. He watched as Sakura gave in to another gasp. That was his downfall.

He turned Sakura's head to face him with the gentlest touch he could muster under his strain. He looked into the prized emeralds and traveled down to the promising soft petals that were her light pink lips, opened slightly as it took in vital oxygen. He tasted those petals, his lips covering those heavenly lips that belonged to a girl he barely know. Their lips were joined in a harsh, almost desperate kiss,

and he tasted sweetness, something that was foreign to him. He leaned into it with even more fervor, wanting to drink and absorb the sweetness into his very soul.

Sakura leaned into his touch, as her arms snaked around his neck and pushed his head into the kiss. His soft hands placed themselves on her waist, pulling her body to his so that it would press against his steadily becoming hot one. Somehow, they managed the position of laying down, with Itachi on top of Sakura, both never breaking their kiss. Sakura's mind was in a haze; it was foggy, and she couldn't think straight because of the passion from the kiss.

Both parties were breathing heavily, as they finally broke the kiss. However, the heat between them did not diminish so easily, and it drew their heads back together. Itachi gently opened Sakura's mouth with his tongue, and slowly but hesitantly slipped his tongue in, tasting her unique flavor further. Sakura responded enthusiastically, and within seconds, their tongues were fighting for control. Itachi, being the stronger one of the two, easily gained control, and Sakura reluctantly surrendered to him, but found many more pleasures in doing so. She started fumbling with his cloak, and threw it off him as soon as she got it loose.

Itachi's hot body pressed against her now slightly sweating one, and he took advantage of the freedom of his hands to start lifting her shirt. Sakura felt the coolness against her flushed skin, and was immediately brought back to reality. She gasped as she realized that she was kissing Itachi. Immediately, she broke off the kiss, much to his confusion that showed on his handsome face, and ran out of the tent and started sprinting in some direction unknown to her, leaving Itachi behind her.

She could still feel the taste of the kisses they shared. He was a wonderful kisser, better than most of the kisses she had experienced. Their attraction was undeniable, she knew that. She can still feel the way his body captured hers, the way his lips seemed to be in sync with hers, the way his tongue had created more passion between the kisses, the way... Stop it, she thought, stopping suddenly and falling onto her knees as a reward.

Great, she thought. Great, I had shared some of my most intimate moments with Itachi, and I want more, and... and... now I have a bruised and scratched knee. I really need to go home and set my thoughts straight.

With that, she picked herself up from the ground almost painfully, her head still a bit cloudy from the intense kisses that she had received. I want more of these kisses from him...

Itachi stared at the spot where Sakura had been, his lips complaining from the sudden loss of warmth. Great. He broke down, all because of his hormones that just suddenly decided to be active. But was it only hormones? Now that he had experienced her kisses, he wasn't so sure anymore...

A/N: Ok... how was that? This is my first ItachixSakura fic, please review and tell me how it is... Thnx!!