My first time writing a one-shot story. This is an AU story set in the modern world and the setting is in a prestigious boarding school for elites. If you guys liked this story, then I'll probably turn this into a story instead of just a one-shot.

The Love of a Lifetime

The raven-haired young man laid his love back onto her bed. She looked so peaceful, just like an angel merely sleeping, with her golden hair pooling out onto the pillow around her. The last petal of the Snow Rose fell to the table from the vase that it was in and the young man opened the drawer and took out a leather bound diary.

This was their diary. Their memory. The symbol of their love. A short time love of only seven months which had ended in seven weeks. He took out a pen and wrote the last words on the final page of the diary before placing it onto the table.

He took a long last look at his angel before kissing her gently on the lips, seemingly not hearing the sound coming from the life support machine which is now at a flat line.

The young man went over to the window and slid it opened before climbing onto the ledge, letting the last petals of the Snow Rose which he'd gathered in his hand be carried away by the wind.

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Uchiha Itachi had met Namikaze Naru at Konoha Academy.

The girl was a beauty which caused many heads to turn whenever she walked past with her best friend, Hyuuga Hinata. Namikaze Naru was the sole daughter of the multi-millionaire, Namikaze Minato, the president of Namikaze Enterprises which was presently one of the four richest families and companies in the world.

Hyuuga Enterprises whose president is Hinata's father was a business partner with Namikaze Enterprises and both their fathers were childhood best friends and did nearly everything together. Naru's mother had died in childbirth and her father had doted on her ever since she was little, yet she didn't turn out spoiled. Everyone loved her and the servants in the Namikaze mansion adored their young miss.

Hinata's mother was murdered by the Sound Corporation when her father refused to join with the company to bring down Namikaze Enterprises. Needless to say, Hyuuga Hiashi was furious and pulled out every bit of evidence that he can find on the wrong doings of the Sound Corporation and the long and short of it was that their leader, Orochimaru, was sent to lifetime imprisonment.

Hinata's cousin, Hyuuga Neji who was a year older than her acted like her eternal bodyguard as the girl was so sweet and gentle that her cousin feared that some guy may cheat her and hurt her. These two girls are the most sought after brides by parents far and wide and when Itachi first saw Naru, he thought that it must be love at first sight.

He wasn't sure how to describe it though, as he told his best friend, Hoshigaki Kisame later. It was like butterflies were fluttering in your stomach and you think about her every time and every hour of the day. Itachi didn't come from a well to do family. His parents own a private investigation firm and what they earned there was just enough to get them by. Itachi had a younger brother as well, but he vanished several years ago for some reason and he was never found. The older Uchiha brother was a talented artist and his parents have scrimped and saved every cent that they could to send him to a prestigious art school which just happened to be Konoha Academy – the school for elites where most of the students were from rich families.

His best friend, Hoshigaki Kisame was a talented artist as well, though he specialises more in water paintings whilst Itachi excelled in all areas of drawing, painting...hell, he even played the violin and the piano which made him one of the most sought after guys in the school, despite the fact that he came from a poor family.

For an entire month, Itachi can only watch from a distance as the apple of his eye went about the school with her best friend, smiling lightly at her peers who usually crowded around her every break and dismissal time, yet Itachi can see that it's a fake smile. His stalking her had also made him realise that Naru only had one true friend – Hyuuga Hinata.

As Kisame had told him, that's the one thing about princesses or princes from families like the Hyuuga or the Namikaze families. Their family name is so famous and they're so rich that plenty of people would usually be kissing their boots, trying to suck up to them just so that they gain a bit of popularity in the school and to increase their social status. Is it of any wonder why Naru and Hinata just politely turned them all down?

Although a redhead whom Itachi sometimes see hanging around Naru seemed to be the only other one that Naru smiles at. Itachi later found out that the redhead was Sabaku no Gaara, also a student in Konoha Academy and that he's Naru's bodyguard. The Sabaku family was employed by the Namikaze family as guards and have been protecting the Namikaze family for generations. Also, Gaara was Naru's childhood friend and usually helped to ward off fan-boys.

And so, Itachi stalked Naru for a whole month without finding a chance to talk to her or even to introduce himself. Talented and smart in everything and a straight A's student, he was a real coward when it comes to love and was lousy with women, much to Kisame's amusement.

However, his luck came one day in the form of a painting.

As usual, after every class, Itachi would usually stay back to finish a particularly difficult painting that he was painting for his mother's birthday in two months time. The painting was supposed to be that of a beautiful house high on a hill with blue skies and birds in the sky with a river flowing down the hill and flowers on the hill. Apple trees will be on the hill as well and a family will be having a picnic on the grass with a red and white checkered cloth spread on the grass with a picnic basket on it. The mother was wearing a white sundress with sunflower patterns with a straw hat whilst the father was wearing a casual T-shirt and pants. Two young children – both boys – would be chasing after a kite, with the older holding the string to which the kite was attached.

This uncompleted painting, by far, had been looking to be Itachi's best work, and even teachers have been asking him to make a duplicate of this painting once it's done to be displayed in the school as it's one of the best ever done by their students.

And thus, it is on one of those days when he was continuing his painting when the most unlikely visitor popped in by his studio.

"Sorry," said a soft voice at the door of his studio. "Can I come in?"

And the door of his studio swung opened and Itachi nearly dropped the paintbrush in his hand to see his crush standing there in the school's uniform – a white blouse with a black and white checkered mini-skirt with a lime green and white striped tie.

Naru smiled at Itachi. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Itachi blinked as he regained his senses. "Erm...no!" he said, turning back to his painting. "I'm just finishing up this painting. Is there anything that I can help you with?"

"Hai," said Naru with a nod. "I've heard from teachers and the other students with the Art department that you're by far the best student in the Art department. I would like you to paint something for me for my father's birthday."

Itachi blinked. "Why me?" he asked. "There are lots of professional artists out there."

Naru laughed sheepishly. "Well, that's the thing," she said. "I've seen those paintings and I don't like it. It is beautiful, but it don't give me a special feeling, if you get what I mean." She looked at the paintings around Itachi's studio. "This is what I believe: paintings should give the people that they're looking at a special feeling...like the painting itself was speaking to them. Those paintings of the professional artists that I've seen don't give me that." She turned and smiled at Itachi. "I saw one of your paintings by chance hanging in Hatake-sensei's study and it gives me a special feeling."

Itachi can't help smiling as well when he heard that. His crush was as kind hearted as she was beautiful. She understood the value of paintings and just why some painters poured their heart and soul into their works. Itachi nodded. "I understand," he said. "But can you give me a few minutes while I finish up this painting for my mother?"

Naru looked over his shoulder at the painting. "It's beautiful..." she said in awe. "Is it based on anything? It's so lifelike."

"It's my childhood," said Itachi, doing the finishing touches on the house in the painting. "I have a younger brother who went missing four years ago. We never found him. My father blamed himself for it as he thinks that it's because that he's so busy with work that he neglected my brother. When we're younger, things were simpler and our family were closer. But as we grew up, my brother started to grow rebellious, thinking that my father loves me more than he did him as my father worked so hard in order to save enough money to send me here."

"I see..." said Naru with a sad smile as Itachi finished up his painting and turned towards Naru as he set the painting aside to dry.

"What do you want me to paint for you?" he asked with a smile.

Naru reached into her pocket and pulled out a photograph which edges seemed yellowed with age. "This is a photo of my parents when they were dating," she explained. "I want you to paint a painting of them together...during their best memories."

Itachi's eyes softened as he looked at the photograph of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina in their high school uniforms outside an amusement park of some kind, both smiling at the camera. Itachi nodded as he looked at Naru. "How soon do you want it done?"

"In two weeks' time," said Naru. "It's my father's birthday soon and I want to give that to him. I'm good at drawing, but I'm not much good at painting. That's why..."

Itachi nodded. "I understand."

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'We started seeing each other more after that and enjoyed each other's company tremendously.'

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"Beautiful!" said Naru with a smile, clapping her hands together as she looked at the painting of that of a meadow with four children playing – a boy was putting a crown of flowers on a girl's head and the last two were gathering flowers in their arms. "Thank you, Itachi!"

Itachi smiled. "It's no problem," he said. "It's fun painting this. It really makes me feel as if I'm there with you during your childhood."

The two were currently in Naru's dorm room where the painting was hanging on the wall. It had been two months since Itachi had met Naru and the two were getting along so well that it seemed as if they were long-time friends.

Itachi then noticed a photo of a serious looking boy who seemed oddly familiar and Naru on her bedside table. "Who's that boy?"

"Oh." Naru's face fell. "My ex-boyfriend."

Itachi turned to her. "You were serious?"

Naru laughed. "No. But we seriously liked each other for a while," she said. "He disappeared one day. Saying something about someone offering him more opportunities to be even greater than his brother. That was a long time ago."

"I see..."

Silence.

"Neh Itachi."

"Hmm?"

"We've been...seeing each other a lot lately, haven't we?"

"Yeah."

"Do...do you feel something for me? Other than as friends?" Naru asked, looking at Itachi. "Or are we just fated to stay as friends...forever?"

Itachi's eyes widened. Of all the things for Naru to say, this just beats them all. 'She felt something for me as well?'

"From the first day that I saw you," said Itachi, looking at Naru. "I thought to myself then that you're the most beautiful, gentlest, kindest girl that I've ever met, and even now, that thought had never changed."

He slid his hand onto Naru's cheek before dipping his head down and kissing her tenderly on the lips and Naru eagerly returned his kisses, deepening it...

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'But that happiness didn't last long. Because Sasuke returned. My little brother and Naru's ex-boyfriend. He came back to claim his prize. Naru. It was our test. Naru was confused. She didn't know whether she loved me because I looked like Sasuke or if she loved me for me. But when I decide to give Naru up to my brother, she had already straightened out her feelings...'

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"I'm sorry. The one that I love now...is Itachi!"

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'After that, Sasuke attacked me. But he was fortunately held back by Gaara and Neji. Hinata had noticed Sasuke acting oddly and had decided to follow him with her cousin as well as Gaara and fortunately that she did too. We found out later that the company who had 'sponsored' him to help in his goals is none other than the Sound Corporation and that he was an assassin in their hire. The long and short of it was that Sasuke who had committed too many crimes was sentenced to death. We all thought that it's over...but...'

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"What did you bring me here for?" asked Naru as Itachi led her to the music room of Konoha Academy.

It was a Saturday, and thus, the room was empty. Itachi smiled as he uncovered the piano in the room. "Letting you listen to music," he said before he sat down on the bench before the piano and his fingers began to play the piano and the captivating music of Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven started to be drummed out by Itachi.

Just as he was halfway through the song, he heard a 'thud' behind him and turned to see Naru on the ground.

"Naru?!"

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'It then turned out that Naru was suffering from a rare heart disease which was slowly killing her. I met her father at the hospital where I'd brought her to and he told me that this heart disease was hereditary. Her mother had that too and that's the reason why she died giving birth to Naru. Namikaze Minato had hoped that Naru wouldn't contract the disease, but it seemed like she did. Because we found that out too late, the doctor can't do anything. He only gave her seven more weeks to live.'

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"You really found it?" asked Naru, smiling as she sat up in the bed of the private hospital room where her father had placed her in. Neji, Gaara and Hinata have came by earlier before leaving as they have lessons at school.

Itachi smiled and nodded, holding out the rare Snow Rose which is said to only bloom once every ten years at the foot of a snow mountain. Naru's father had used that rose to propose to her mother and her mother had kept a photo of it in her diary which Naru had found when she was around ten years old, much to her father's embarrassment.

Naru sighed. "How nice..." she mused. "My mother had all those nice memories. But who knows when I'll get out of here...or if I can even get out."

"Come on, don't say that," said Itachi, taking her hand in his. "You'll be alright. You'll be out of here before the last petal of that rose falls."

Naru laughed. "Itachi, you know that the Snow Rose never dies," she said and Itachi smiled and nodded. Naru turned back to the rose. "Hinata told me about this rose. She said that the Snow Rose had a special power. If given to a loved one by a person who really loves the receiver, the Snow Rose will only live on as long as both parties are still alive and still loves each other." She reached over and placed the rose in the vase on her bedside table. "If I manage to get out of here, I want to go ski boarding. I want to do plenty of things that I have no chance of doing before."

Itachi nodded. "I'll take you there," he promised. "I'll take you to wherever you want to go and whatever you want to do. So...please live!"

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'But on the morning of October sixteenth, Naru took her last breath as the last petal of the Snow Rose fell...'

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Itachi climbed on the window ledge, letting the petals of the Snow Rose be carried away by the wind and looked down at the busy road twenty six storeys below him and smiled to himself.

"I'm coming...Naru..." he muttered to himself before pushing himself off the window ledge.