Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Breakaway ❯ Something Wicked This Way Comes ( Chapter 8 )

Breakaway

 

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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I only own Tai.

 

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Chapter 7: Something Wicked This Way Comes

 

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Shattered By Broken Dreams

By Avenged Sevenfold

 

I see you fading away from us.
I'll miss you very much.
Room with empty bottles, broken dreams,
and pride still running high, always on your side.
But I wanted more for you.
You can't go on this way.
And now I see it all fall through.
We pray for better days.
Stuck alone and scared.
Throw your life away and now choking on your pride may be the only way.
I don't want to see you like this.
We all tried to save you but missed.
I still feel the hope on your road.
Now come back to us like the days of the old.
I still feel you there, trying to get on top.
You'll always have my support, in my heart.
People you've hurt.
Friends that you've lied to.
But we understand, and that's not (you) can see the end of the road,
I can see it too, for you, I'm scared, if I lose you, I'm not prepared.
This time, if you die.
I watch you, right before my eyes.
Just trust me, and listen.
You have no self control.
This will take your life.
Overdose and then indulge until you die.
Pondering, we all ask the question why.
Broken home, and then abandoned by your dad.
And we are left the only family that you've ever had.
Help you see it through.
Fight this me and you.
Reaching deep inside.
Problems not just you is what we find.
Our friendship makes it mine.

 

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Gaara moved quickly through the enormous gymnasium. Sakura looked about quietly as she followed, drinking in the new tiles, the polished wood floors, the high arching ceilings, the classrooms that lined the hallway filled with gennins and chuunins. It was a school in every word, just with the best hands on labs ever.

 

Gaara took a quick turn down a smaller hallway. This one was lined with windowless doors labeled `storage' or `weapons.' Halfway down, Gaara turned to one of the storage rooms.

 

Seeing that Gaara didn't have a key, she watched to see how he would get in. She saw, but not so much felt, his chakra flare into his hand. He pressed his glowing hand onto the wood of the door. Seals quickly lit up upon contact on the door and a soft click was heard.

 

Turning to look at Sakura, he gestured for her to follow as he turned the handle.

 

The door swung inward to reveal a veritable closet.

 

And all in black. Not a speck of color was to be found.

 

Sakura walked past Gaara without a glance, drinking in all the fishnet and jutsu treated material. Though no readable expression could be seen on her face, Gaara knew nostalgia when he saw it. He saw it in her movements, the way she would brush a hand over a shirt or a skirt, the way she blinked while glancing over the many shoes.

 

She missed this life, she just didn't realize it.

 

This caused Gaara to smile softly to himself. She wasn't beyond help yet, not when she clearly missed this lifestyle.

 

“If it fits and you want it Sakura, it's all yours. Take your time. I'll be down the hallway when you are finished.”

 

Twirling with a flourish, Gaara left a tacit, and bewildered Sakura to actually pick what she wanted.

 

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His purple eyes leered dangerously down at the paper before him. Now was not the time for the silly Suna git to be bothering him with rejection letters from earlier offered help. It was rather rude to throw back aide also, especially when he was offering it.

 

And he felt it too, her presence. For hundreds of years, each elder generation coached the younger generation of his family on how to sense her. To wait for when she came back. To wait to try and reclaim her or destroy her.

 

This woman had almost wiped his clan off of the face of the earth, and she wouldn't do it again, not when they had finally reclaimed their old power, their prestige.

 

Quickly swiping his long, white bangs out of his eyes, he crumpled up the letter from the Kazekage in one deeply tanned hand. He could feel it, the residue of her power on it, burning his skin, sending chills up and down his spine in anticipation. A Haruno had finally grown into her power…and she would be his…

 

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Sakura had spent an hour pulling clothes off of their hangers and putting them back up. Thus far she had most of her new training outfit picked out. All black to represent her change from who she was into someone new.

 

She would never return to Konoha or Fire Country, she knew this. This meant that if she wanted to restart everything, she had a clean slate. She could rebuild her image into something that she never was back in her old hidden village.

 

She stared down blankly at the onyx clothing laying in wait on the small table. A short skirt with slits that went ridiculously high, a black tube top that had fishnet that went up through a ring necklace and changed back to a solid black material like a turtleneck around her neck, though it could also double as a mask like Kakashi's. Lying next to these items were tie-on fishnet sleeves, with black satin ribbons to tie them on. Sakura had also selected two weapons bags that sat on her sides like gun holsters.

 

She still had to select some shoes. With that in mind, she walked silently over to the shoe rack and started perusing the maddening amounts of rows for something that caught her eye.

 

Gaara had returned, and was watching the mismatched pink-haired woman look at the shoes. It was the most life he had seen on her face in months. He let out a soft chuckle to himself, which in turn, startled Sakura.

 

Her eyes shot open in surprise and she started to whirl around. As her body twisted about, a bright light erupted from her form and her face changed from surprise, to horrified shock.

 

A yell ripped through her mouth, filled with pain and realization. Brackish, grey chakra erupted from her back and took the form of wings on her back. They spread and flapped, sending feathers of pure, uncontrolled chakra all over the room.

 

Gaara sat frozen in place in his own shock. He had never seen manipulation of chakra as he was seeing before him. It was an impressive display of both raw power and precise control. He was also shocked to feel Shukaku resurface, almost growling in approval at the sight before him.

 

Almost as soon as the display had started, it was over with, and Sakura's chakra wings disappeared back into her body as she collapsed to the floor unconscious.

 

Gaara stood in his place, trying to register in his mind what exactly had just happened. Shukaku snickered at Gaara then half-spoke to himself.

 

She's back, after all this time, she'sbroughtus her strength and power and kindness again. Don't screw up with her Bijuu, she's sought after and needs to be protected until she can accept her duty and destiny. Put her back together or else I'll make sure that even your waking moments are nightmares.

 

Gaara could feel the cruel smirk of the badger demon in his mind as he was lectured.

 

Scowling at being lectured by the very thing he was imprisoning, Gaara moved into action and knelt next to Sakura. He started to gather her into his arms, but stopped when he realized his hands were in contact with the skin on her back.

 

Shocked to realize that her chakra had burned through the material of her shirt and bra, he carefully leaned her forward onto his leg so he could inspect the damage. He gasped at what was revealed to his eyes.

 

There, on the flawless pale skin of her back, were exact replica tattoos of the wings that had sprouted from her back. They were done in many shades of grey, from silver to black. If he moved, he found that the color shifted on the outlines of the tattoo.

 

Mystified, but not visibly showing it, he took a finger and traced it lightly over the slightly raised lines. He could feel the power humming just beneath the skin. It seeped into his finger and sent warmth and calm sprawling throughout his body. He quickly broke contact and frowned at his reaction to touching her.

 

Deciding that he should just take her back to his home, he finally collected her into his arms, making sure to pick up her outfit before walking back out of the room, shutting the jutsu-sealed door behind him. He ignored the strange looks he was receiving, walking with his head held high and a dangerous look in his eye.

 

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Sakura glared about her white surroundings, knowing exactly who was responsible for her passing out.

 

“I know you're responsible. How did you get out? Why would you do that? Get out here and face me like you usually would you self-serving ghost!”

 

Sakura stood in the midst of the white abyss, hands clenched angrily at her sides. She had locked her personality up for a reason. She wanted to preserve what little of her remained.

 

The pink-haired kunoichi whirled as she heard soft steps approaching her.

 

“I'm sorry, I really am, but why can't you let me out? It would help you, contrary to what you believe. Please, embrace me…let's be whole like we were supposed to be…one and the same…”

 

Sakura saw her other personality approach her, the figure made obscure by the blinding whiteness of everything. The one thing that stood out in sharp relief though was the pair tear-filled sea-glass green eyes. They were full of yearning, love, and betrayal. All for Sakura.

 

“Why can't you love and accept me? Why can't you love and accept yourself? You're so much more than you think you are…”

 

Sakura clapped her hands over her ears and shook her head vigorously. “No! No! I'm not! If I was, I could have stopped Sasuke! I could have helped Naruto all those times he's been hurt! But I couldn't…I'm useless; helpless…I'm nothing but a failure. I always have been, and I always will be.”

 

Tears poured down her cheeks as distress filled her being, a fear of what exactly her inner self represented. “You are not me. If you were me, you wouldn't exist. You are someone else. Get away from me!”

 

The figure had been slowly approaching Sakura, who had sunk to her knees, but stopped at Sakura's order. The light veiled figure sighed sadly.

 

“There will come a day when you will see who you really are…some stories are not mythology, but really true stories. Remember that Sakura. Until then, I will step back and honor your wishes…as much as it is killing me to let you continue on this route…”

 

The figure then abruptly disappeared and left Sakura floating in the warm, vacant darkness of her own mind.

 

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Temari checked over Sakura's passed out form, with Gaara observing her almost anxiously. The tattoos were certainly strange and the physical feeling of power they were emanating constantly was even stranger.

 

And the strangest of all, was that the newly constructed muscles of Sakura's shoulders added up to how the tattoo was placed on her back. Temari turned and looked over at Gaara.

 

“The closest thing that explains this strange appearance is the growth into a bloodline trait, Gaara. Sakura is in the throws of inheriting her bloodline powers. It appears birdlike in nature. With a new musculature and the appearance of chakra wings, it has to be.”

 

A whimpering came from Sakura's form, and both Gaara and Temari's heads snapped to see what was wrong.

 

Where Sakura had once been peaceful, it was now twisted in sadness, tears pouring down her cheeks to drop softly on the pillow underneath her head. Because Temari had been observing the tattoos on Sakura back, the pink-haired woman was laying on her stomach.

 

Gaara and Temari gasped as they watched the tattoo fade from Sakura's back like a figment of their imagination, as if had never been there at all.

 

Temari's fingers gently traced the place the tattoos had been, and was disappointed when the warm power that had emanated from the lines had also disappeared. “She's fighting it. She can suppress it with sheer will. But why? The power she displayed was incredible; it was everything she could have wanted.”

 

Temari looked at Gaara for an explanation because he was the only one experienced with an eerie and grand power. Gaara looked curiously down at Sakura's form. Inside he was worried. Bloodlines can't just be suppressed; they are an integral part of who a person is. Denying that power can destroy a person from inside out, especially one so strong. There was something missing…

 

Gaara stopped staring at the unconscious, now calm woman to look at his sister. “She's afraid of whom she's becoming, afraid of what lurks within. So she suppresses it so she doesn't have to face it. Change is one of the scariest things a being can face, especially when everything that person believed to be true was turned into a lie. Sakura's whole life has been a lie. That's why she's broken. All she has to cling to is herself and when her own soul becomes a lie, where does that leave her? Who does that leave her? She's terrified of losing the last thing she knows, the last thing she has. I'd be terrified also…”

 

Temari looked back down at Sakura, a sad look on her face. This woman suffered so much, and now this was thrown in her face. With quiet hands, Temari started running her fingers through Sakura's hair, hoping to offer comfort. “Why her?”

 

Gaara shrugged. “We know not why some of us were meant to suffer, others to live happily. It's just the way things are. Leave her be until she wakes Temari. Suna doesn't rest even though crises occur. We have work to do.”

 

He gently placed his hand on his sister's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Temari stood up reluctantly and followed her brother out of the room, giving one last sympathetic gaze to the hurt woman.

 

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Purple eyes narrowed once again. He'd lost her signature. It had just disappeared. And it irritated him to no end. Did she die? What would be powerful enough except him to kill a transformed Haruno?

 

He snarled to himself. Nothing but him could kill a Haruno, so something else must have happened. It was written that the transformation was often rough on the one the powers were bestowed upon. Maybe she wasn't ready yet.

 

Fine by him. More time to plan about what he would do to her when he finally had her in his possession.

 

He clapped his hands and servants appeared out of the very walls. All bowed before the head of their household.

 

With a cruel smirk, he spoke. “Retrieve my sister and start packing my things for a weeklong visit to Suna. Make sure to pack my best clothes; I have someone I need to impress and woo.”

 

The servants bowed and responded. “Hai Domo-sama. It is done.”

 

The servants backed up to fade into the shadowy walls once again. If there was one thing his family was good at, it was taking bloodlines for slaves. He had a whole line that was used as servants and spies. They could travel by shadow through walls and hide easily in corners to gather information for their master.

 

It was a nifty trick he'd learned from the Hyuuga family. He might one day use it on that family too. But for now, he needed to capture the power that was Haruno, the power that almost destroyed his clan two hundred years ago. He would then use her to take over whole countries and to give him powerful sons. Nothing would be a greater insult to her.

 

He chuckled to himself, his fingers steepled before his face. He looked forward to the hunt. His bloodline would win this time, for the same mistakes wouldn't be made.

 

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When Sakura had woken back up, neither Gaara nor Temari made mention of what had happened. If she wished to speak about it, she would speak.

 

The pink haired woman wasted no time changing out of her ripped shirt and jeans to change into her new nin uniform. Standing before the mirror, her face hidden by the mask, Sakura felt much better. Guilt and nothingness was easier to hide this way. This must be why Kakashi never took his mask off.

 

Sakura gathered her patchy hair and put it into a high ponytail, held up with black ribbon. She looked every vision a new and deadly Sakura. One that would be stronger, more resilient. She clenched her gloved fists at her sides, making the thin leather creak in distress.

 

No, this time she would be the master. She would claw her way to recognition and shove it in Konoha's face. What they gave up, what they cast aside thinking it rubbish. But she needed to take on a new name, at least for her operations out and about once she was back into top shape and making a new name for herself.

 

She would decide on that name later, for now her failure name was sufficient until she actually started missions.

 

She heard the knock on her door and gave permission for entrance. She was not surprised to see Gaara walk in. He stopped for a moment to take in her new uniform, his face showing neither disapproval nor approval.

 

“I see that you have changed. Would this mean that you are ready to take on rigorous Suna ground jutsu training?”

 

Sakura inclined her head shallowly to show her affirmative. Gaara nodded his head back.

 

“Very well Sakura. Let us head to the school. I will personally teach you so you don't have to sit with a bunch of unruly gennins.”

 

He stepped aside from the door, his hand gesturing for Sakura to leave first. Sakura eyed him wearily, but walked through.

 

“I'm not going to start taijutsu until we stretch out and enlarge your chakra reserves again. I'm sure that after all this time they have shrunk significantly. So you needn't worry about me out right attacking you. Yet.”

 

He followed the pink haired woman out of her room, happy to a spark back alive in her eyes, though he knew that spark to be a dangerous one to have. Sakura wanted to destroy someone or something…she was starting to feel the throws of revenge.

 

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Sakura panted from her now collapsed position on the floor. Re-expanding her chakra reserves quickly was a painful process. Gaara would have her power up, then after asking which way her chakra swirled, pumped his own massive amounts into her full, but small reserves. This forced them to stretch out, and have room for more of her own.

 

She felt like Gaara was breaking her apart atom from atom. But when he drew back his chakra, she noticed a significant difference. She was astonished at how they had apparently doubled. They were still a long ways from where they used to be, but a two hundred percent increase in such a small time was amazing.

 

“That was quick Gaara…maybe 10 minutes?”

 

Gaara shook his head, looking down at the sweat drenched kunoichi with a small smile. “Try two hours Sakura. Going that fast would kill you. You think it was such a short amount of time because the pain distracted you, but it takes a long time and meticulous control to force-expand someone else's chakra. It is a painful, arduous, tiring, long process for both people.”

 

Sakura just then took notice that Gaara's brow had broken out in sweat.

 

“I am no medic nin, and the precise control they own to control the rotation of their own chakra is an ability that taxes me and takes a great deal more concentration than I am used to. My control is admirable, but not so fine or meticulous.”

 

Sakura nodded. She had spent years in that dratted Konoha hospital, so she knew what he was speaking of.

 

“You took the expansion well though. If you can handle it, we'll double it again in an hour. It'll take longer next time, but it will be well worth it.”

 

Sakura nodded and stood. She walked over to where some canteens hung on the wall. Lifting one she turned to watch her new sensei as he settled down into the lotus position, so that he could meditate and recoup his chakra and calm himself down.

 

She took a swig from the canteen and hung it back up on the wall.

 

It was strange, the Kazekage taking this much interest in one person. He wasn't gentle in the least, don't get her wrong. He spared her no pain, giving her the full experience so that she would not be sheltered. So she would know what would be headed her way.

 

But he used to care for no one except Temari and Kankuro. Then Naruto came into that small group. So how did she end up as a part of this small group? She'd done nothing noteworthy to earn a space here. Shrugging, she turned her thoughts away from such thoughts, deeming it best to not look a gift horse in the mouth.

 

He was willing to teach her, transform her into what she should have been years ago; a powerful kunoichi of renown. And she wouldn't let her chance pass her by just because she felt a bit paranoid. Besides, Gaara had proven himself honorable a long time ago, before she had been cast aside by Konoha, before she had lost faith in everyone and everything.

 

With an internal sigh, she set herself to stretching out her limbs. Gaara may have said that taijutsu wasn't in the near future, but she wanted to be sure that she was ready, even in the smallest way, for it. And she had never been limber enough as a genin or a chuunin, and limberness meant grace, so if she worked for it, her kills would be done as art: gracefully.

 

Her first order of priority was her legs. She needed to do the splits. Both ways. She slowly bent forward, placing her hands flat on the wooden gym floor. Her legs began to spread apart increment by small increment until she felt the pull of her muscles stop her from moving farther. She was still an embarrassingly long way from reaching the full split.

 

Not to be out done, she pushed a bit farther, reveling in the light pain that washed over her. It meant she was alive and that she could feel something.

 

Deeming her split stretch to be done, she stood back up. Glancing up at the clock, she was unhappy to find that only ten minutes had passed by. With a sigh, she dropped and immediately started doing push-ups. If there was one thing she had learned, it was that push-ups were key. Rock Lee was an amazing taijutsu user, and all he did all day was pretty much push-ups and running laps. Kakashi was excellent too, and he did thousands of single finger push-ups in mere hours, before switching to a finger on his other hand.

 

Huffing to herself, she began pushing away. And was dismayed when she collapsed finally after only fifty push-ups. She used to be able to do five hundred before having to switch to another or both arms. She had a long way to go. Tai had only returned her to normal civilian strength, not nin strength. This was why Gaara had taken over.

 

She once again glanced at the clock. Twenty minutes had passed, forty to go. She didn't understand why time was crawling by so slowly. It was almost painful to just sit here. Lying on her back, Sakura tried to recall a jutsu she had learned by observation in the hospital back in Konoha. She had many committed to memory from just watching, from hoping that she would be allowed back.

 

She wanted a rejuvenation jutsu, to take part of her chakra and use it to restore her physical stamina. Carefully reconstructing it her mind, she began forming seals and molding her chakra to her hands. She then placed her hands on her shoulders and pumped the chakra slowly in, instantly feeling the ache disappear from her shoulders and biceps.

 

Finished and rejuvenated, she glanced up at the clock and was shocked to find that forty minutes had disappeared and that Gaara was collecting himself off of the floor.

 

He looked down at a wide eyed Sakura in mild surprise and a little curiosity. She had obviously done something, the question that remained was what? The kunoichi quickly scrambled to stand and looked up at him.

 

“Ready.”

 

Gaara nodded, waiting as she powered her chakra stored to full again. She finished quicker than he had anticipated, but without asking, he reached out and began to slowly force his own chakra into hers, making sure it mixed properly. He intended to get her stores almost as big as his. But the time and effort it would take would be enormous. He didn't expect to have her chakra stores fully expanded until the end of the month. This was if he doubled the size each time they did it, and did it two times a day everyday.

 

Which obviously wouldn't happen because one, each time they expanded her stores, it would take longer to both recover and do the expanding again; two, Gaara and Sakura both had other things to do besides do the expansion; three, a powerful clan head had announced his intent to visit Suna. Gaara was a little nervous about this, for this clan had been gaining power at a manic pace and had already overthrown two other clans and forced them into servitude.

 

Granted that this leader had offered Gaara help, but something about the man made both Gaara's and Shukaku's hackles rise. There was not much he could do about it though, for the man had made not threatening moves toward Suna. So he had to offer his hospitality. He only hoped his instincts were wrong…

 

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A/N: End of chapter! Review!