A/N: Dedicated to my idol here in FanFiction, .Akatsuki no Konan-sama. and to all the readers who'll take their time reading this fic.

*In this story Ino will be Sakura's fraternal twin sister.

Story Summary: Sakura's twin sister Ino always got the attention – whether be it from boys, friends, even their mom. She thought she wasn't loved, but she is – by the most unexpected person; or rather, creature.

~ She Is Loved ~

"Sakura, guess what?" Ino giddily asked as she entered the room she and her sister shared. She just came from a party and, judging by her looks and the slurred way the words came out of her mouth, she was drunk.

Her younger twin sister looked up from the book she was reading and stared at her sister disapprovingly. Ino's miniskirt was slightly hiked up, and her tube top lay lower than necessary, revealing an indecent amount of cleavage. Her hair was frazzled and her lips were slightly swollen. It was a wonder that her twin hadn't been raped, considering her provocative appearance and the time of the day – it was a quarter past midnight, the time when it was practically unsafe to go out.

Ino didn't let Sakura reply and answered, "Gaara kissed me." She let out a high-pitched giggle which irritated Sakura a lot.

"Kissed? More like made out," she sneered, returning her attention to the book in her hands.

Instead of retorting Ino just plopped on the bed next to Sakura's, not even bothering to change or remove her heavy make-up. She sighed and said, "Okay, you got me. But you're only saying that because you're jealous that no one wants to fuck you."

"Me? Jealous?" Sakura refuted as she rolled her eyes. "Not in my life."

But the truth was she was quite jealous; not because the hot redhead named Gaara had made out with her sister, but because it was always Ino who got the attention. She blamed it on their discrepancy – Sakura was the complete opposite of her sibling. She had shoulder-length pastel pink hair and passive lime green eyes; while her sister was blond and possessed cerulean eyes which always looked like they were sparkling. Ino was loud, outgoing and friendly; whereas Sakura was refined, timid and was somewhat aloof. Even though the rose-haired teenager envied her twin and wanted to be just like her – the star of any party and the queen of the scene – she has a hard time coming out of her shell. She preferred her comfort zone than making friends. She couldn't accuse herself for being distant; she inherited that trait from her deceased father.

When she got up to switch off the lights, she saw her sister sprawled rather ungracefully on her bed. She shook her head and covered Ino with a blanket, then proceeded to turn off the light.

As darkness engulfed their small room a sliver of light coming from the window illuminated a figure sitting on Sakura's bed. Its red, bloody eyes met Sakura's frightened ones, making the rosette drop her book on the wooden floor. Her quivering hands fumbled about the wall, frantically trying to find the switch. As she put on the lights she was shocked to find the creature gone.

Wha-… what was that? She asked herself, feeling very disturbed and scared. She forced herself to breathe slowly, closing her eyes and counting to ten – the ritual she always did (and always worked) whenever she got upset. When she reached the final number she found herself feeling a lot better and calm; even though she was still hesitating to kill the lights in fear of seeing the horrifying monster again.

Sakura, you're being irrational, her Inner chided her. There are no such things as monsters; you were probably hallucinating. Now go to sleep, it'll be much better in the morning.

~'~,~'~,~'~,~'~,~'~

The cherry blossom dazedly gazed out the window, completely ignoring her now-cold cereal and the mindless chatter of her golden-haired twin about buying the wrong shade of lipstick. Her mind was focused on her reverie the night before – those piercing crimson eyes were intently set on her, and a rotten arm was reaching out to her, to grab her and bring her to the depths of unknown darkness.

The voice of her mother brought Sakura out of her thoughts. "Sakura," she called, her eyebrows scrunched with worry. "You don't look too well, honey. Is there something wrong?"

The rosette flinched. "Mom, the monsters with dead bodies are just stories to scare us when we were kids, right? They aren't real, right?" She searched her mother's azure eyes for an answer.

Their mom sat down across her and asked, "Now why would you ask such a question, dear? Now don't tell me you saw one last night…?"

"But I did! I saw one sitting on my bed, just after I turned off the lights. Then it disappeared, only to reappear in my dream… It kept grasping me, like it was trying to get hold of me! Its eyes… Bloody red eyes… It was penetrating me…"

"Oh please," Ino scoffed, unconvinced by her sister's narrative. "Aren't you a little too old for nightmares? You're probably making that up to grab attention, wimpy bitch."

"But it's true! Mom, I really saw it last night! Don't you believe me?" Sakura insisted persistently, earning a disgusted look from her blond twin.

Their mother looked at Sakura worriedly and nervously. Finally she said, "Sakura, I want you to come with me to my room."

The pink-headed girl followed her obediently. She took a seat next to her mom on the bed.

"Sakura… How long have you been seeing this 'monster'?" She inquired, clutching her daughter's hand.

"I first saw it last night," Sakura answered. "Do you know anything about it? Please, tell me!"

"I can't say much about that monster, honey but I do know one thing – never listen to it, and don't let yourself get captured by its hands. It'll take you away and it's impossible to come back," The older woman warned.

"'Take me away'? 'Impossible to come back'? What do you mean, Mom? Just what did I set eyes on last night?" She interrogated, set on getting answers.

"Your grandmother warned me the same thing when I was your age. I didn't believe it at first, and nothing really appeared to me up to now, but because my mom was dead-serious back then, I thought that being a little careful wouldn't hurt. Now 'it's' shown up to you, and I'm starting to believe everything my mother said was true. She said it had crimson eyes and the appearance like those of a zombie's. I don't have the full details, but promise me you'll obey what I said to you. Never go with it." Mrs. Haruno advised.

"Yes, Mom."

~'~,~'~,~'~,~'~,~'~

Many months passed and Sakura was deeply grateful the creature didn't show up again. That night Ino was dragging her to a party her friend Ami hosted. She only agreed to come because her crush, Sasori was attending the same party. He had confessed last week that he liked her as well, and was certainly looking forward to meeting her again at the upcoming event.

Sakura dressed to impress – she wore a collared, short-sleeved light blue dress that reached down to her knees and put on her black mules. She fixed her hair in loose curls that lay on her shoulders, and didn't put on much make-up except for some blush-on and some clear gloss. She wasn't flashy like her sister but absolutely didn't want to end up as the wallflower.

After waiting for her twin who took so God-damned long in the shower they finally set out to the party. Ino was wearing one of her usual outfits – a metallic red sleeveless blouse and a skimpy black miniskirt, as well as her 5-inch high heels and very heavy make-up. Sakura rolled her eyes at the sight of her overly made-up sibling.

Upon reaching Ami's house Sakura eagerly looked for the red-haired boy. A frown crossed her lips when she couldn't find him among the sea of people in the living room.

"You looking for someone, sis?" Ino asked, smirking.

"Huh? No, no… I was just intimidated by the number of people here. Gosh, I don't know if I'll get out of here alive." Sakura lied, hoping to get her sister off her case.

"Don't worry," the yellow-haired girl patted the rosette's back. "You'll live. A little partying wouldn't hurt anyone, right?" She proceeded to talk to some boys in the hallway.

Sakura, being unused to social gatherings like these, just looked for the nearby couch and sat down. She didn't really feel like interacting with the other people in the house. Besides, if she came home drunk, her mother would probably ground her along with her sister.

When Sakura opened her eyes, she found herself lying on the couch. She had fallen asleep, she noticed. Teens were scattered among the living room, some were drunk and some were dancing to the blaring rock music. She couldn't find her sister and at the same time disappointed she had missed Sasori's arrival.

"Excuse me," she tapped a brown-haired girl on the shoulder. She recognized this girl as one of her classmates. "Have you seen Sasori?"

"Sasori? The redhead?" The brunette asked. Sakura nodded her head in response. "Oh, I saw him with Ino a while ago. I think they went to the kitchen."

Dread washed over her, her mind imagining the worst. She immediately dashed to the kitchen where she witnessed the scene she worried about the most – he and her slut of a sister were wrestling tongues with each other, utterly oblivious to the world around them. Sasori was groping Ino's butt and the blond mewled in pleasure.

Sakura had had enough – she rushed out of the house and ran back to her home. She ignored her mother who called after her to ask if she was okay, and to ask why she wasn't with her sister. She flung herself at her bed and cried out all the pain she felt; slowly cradling herself to slumber's arms.

~'~,~'~,~'~,~'~,~'~

Sakura woke up to a completely unfamiliar room. She was lying on a soft, comfy bed adorned by red silk sheets, and the furniture around her were made of gold. A glittering crystal chandelier encrusted with rubies and diamonds hung from the high ceiling above her. The room itself looked creepy yet elegant, considering that mirrors took the place of walls, and there wasn't a single window inside. What was rather disturbing is that she was sitting up on this expensive bed with only her undergarments on. She couldn't help but wonder if she was kidnapped by a really rich person – perhaps a king or an emperor, who only wanted her for her body.

The thought itself was scary, and she was startled when the door suddenly opened. A man wearing black satin robes entered the room, his alluring onyx eyes fixed on her terrified emerald hues. He approached the young woman and kissed her wordlessly, making Sakura push this unidentified man away from her with all her might. She clasped a hand over her trembling lips and demanded, "Who the hell are you and why did you kiss me?"

Rather than replying, the assailant chose to climb back and claim Sakura's lips once more. He gripped her wrists and straddled her hips; rendering her immobile at the moment. The man intertwined his tongue with Sakura's; urging her to play with him. But having no experience at any intimate gestures, the rosette simply wiggled her tongue.

One look from the male aggressor brought the pink-haired lady into a trance. Instead of resisting his movements she responded as best as she could. She moaned when his lips traveled down towards her collarbone, which he bit and nibbled while he fumbled around with her bra, trying to unclasp it. Once her breasts were free he placed his mouth on an erect nipple, licking and sucking on it like a delicacy. His hand fondled her other breast while his other hand went straight to her panties, brushing his fingers against the soft thatch of pink hair before plunging a finger into her heated and wet core, earning a gasp of surprise from the rosette. He pumped his finger in and out, adding a second and third finger while his thumb flicked her clit repeatedly, sending Sakura into a wanton frenzy. As she was about to come the man placed his mouth on hers, swallowing her cry of pleasure. Her removed his fingers from her cunt and brought them to the girl's lips, watching as she lapped on her own juices.

He stood up only to remove his robe, exposing his god-like body and his fully erect manhood. Sakura's eyes widened upon seeing the man's appendage; she doubted if something that big could fit into her easily.

As he crawled up on her, he whispered on her ear, "Are you ready?"

The lust-driven female madly nodded her head, eager to obtain him inside her. With one swift movement he plunged his cock inside her, breaking her barrier. She winced at the pain, tears falling from her porcelain face. The man licked up her tears and shushed her, as he thrust in and out slowly at first. Sakura begged him to go faster, and he complied. She moaned and mewled, trying to keep up with his erratic thrusts. Soon Sakura cried sharply and the man groaned, indicating their simultaneous release.

He lay down beside her as she panted, caressing her face delicately like she was a fragile china doll. Sakura came to her senses and quickly realized what they have done – she had just given her virginity to a man who wouldn't even tell her his name. She slapped his hand away from her face and questioned, "Why am I here? And most of all, who are you?" Her heart was bleeding, and the blood came out as the tears cascading down her cheeks. She felt violated, ashamed, and helpless in the arms of her anonymous lover.

"I am Sasuke, the prince of the Unknowns," he explained. Sakura looked at him bewilderedly, as if he was insane. She hasn't heard of anything called the Unknowns before! Sasuke understood her expression and quickly added, "An Unknown is a living creature who takes the form of humans, yet is not one of mankind. We only appear to a chosen few, but unfortunately by the appearance of a monster. Usually the humans we invite to our home are maidens such as you, whom some of the male Unknowns chose to be their bride. I want you to become mine…" He trailed off, gazing lovingly at her viridian eyes.

Sakura was entranced by those mesmerizing obsidian orbs, but rapidly looked away due to the fear of being hypnotized again. She remembered the fiend she saw before, and wondered if that was Sasuke. As if he was reading her thoughts, he replied, "I was the creature you saw moths ago. I apologized if I terrified you, but that was inevitable."

Sakura was deeply confused. She voiced her thoughts with a choke, "Why me?"

"Your grandmother was my past lover," he answered, and his present lover's eyes grew. "I kept appearing to her every night – asking her to marry me, to leave the human world and come to my kingdom as an Unknown. She was hard to convince, so I became stubborn until one night, she asked me to leave her be for a day to think. I obeyed her wishes because I truly loved her, but when I returned, I was enraged to find out that she had married another man. I was furious, I wanted to kill her but she begged for my mercy, and we made a compromise instead." He paused for a while then held Sakura's hand. "She promised that I could marry one of her descendants in her place, and I agreed. That's why I am seeking you. To become my beautiful wife, my wonderful lover."

"I… I'm barely seventeen, Sasuke. I don't know if I could take over my grandmother's supposed-to-be role. I'm not pretty, I'm not interesting… I'm not like her." She said the last part in a quiet whisper, so soft that Sasuke almost didn't catch it. He pulled her naked body closer to his and gently nuzzled the crook of her neck while Sakura played with his soft, black duck-tailed hair.

"You love that Sasori guy, right?" Sakura shook her head. "'Loved', Sasuke. I never really expected he'd hook up with my sister, not after he said he liked me too… I'm such an idiot!" She buried her head in his chest, fresh batch of tears escaping her wounded jade orbs.

Sasuke patted her back reassuringly and cooed, "Don't worry, Sakura. If that fool couldn't love such a remarkable woman such as you, then I will. I'll never leave you, as long as you stay with me." He pulled out a small band with sapphires embellishing the top, then affectionately placed it on his soon-to-be bride's ring finger. "Stay with me, Sakura; swear that you'll wed me and I'll make you forget about the hurt, the loneliness you experience every single waking moment of your life. We'll mend each other's hearts the best way we can." And the two sealed their promises with a passionate kiss.

~'~,~'~,~'~,~'~,~'~

"Sakura, get your sleepy ass from the bed, damn it! We'll be late for school and Sasori'll get fucking mad at me!" Ino complained, shaking the rosette violently under the comforter. When Sakura didn't budge the blond grabbed her body to face her.

Sakura's body was freezing to the touch; all the blood from her body was drained, making her look ghostly pale. Her eyes were closed and her cheeks tear-streaked and her once rosy lips turned into a shade of blue. The warm, kind and ordinary Sakura disappeared and now a cold, beautiful corpse lay in her place.

"SAKURA!"

~'~,~'~,~'~,~'~,~'~

Don't worry Ino… I love you guys so much. I'm sorry I left this way but I had to be with the one who truly loves me the most…

A/N: End of story. This story made me tear up a bit… *grabs tissue then blows her nose*

The Unknown legend was compared to the elves and dwarves of other cultures.

So please tell me what you think of my first story. I hope I made an impression to you guys.

Ja ne,

Haruka