Warning: We are getting into graphic violence territory here.

Chapter 4: The Fine Print

"You don't drown

by falling in the water.

You drown by staying

there."

-Anonymous

It felt as though her lungs were on fire. With every move she could feel her breath scrape up her throat like sandpaper. Still, she pressed on- right kick, left turn, shift her weight, punch. Her muscles were starting to shake with strain and black spots were dancing in her vision. It didn't matter; she needed to continue- more katas, more taijutsu, more everything…

She had watched Sasuke- kun do this very same training exercise once. Sitting in the shade of a tree, she could still see him power though the moves with a glazed look in his eyes, as if his body had automatically followed the routine. She was positive that she did not look nearly as graceful. And because taijutsu wasn't something she particularly liked practicing, her body was far from accustomed to these movements. She had to focus.

"I think you should take a water break now Sakura-chan," Kakashi's voice called from the side of the forest clearing they had been working in.

Bending over, she heaved in deep breaths before limply walking over to her canteen. She slunk down in an unladylike heap. Later she was sure she would be horrified at her lack of grace, but for now she didn't care. The only thing she cared about was the cool water quenching her parched throat.

"Easy," Kakashi cautioned, gripping her canteen to help control the water that had already started running down her neck.

She choked a little and felt her sensei's large hand pat her back. Inhaling slowly, she lowered the canteen.

Kakashi-sensei had been babying her. She figured that he felt bad for killing a man in front of her- of scaring her. And truth be told, he had scared her. Logically she knew that the lackadaisical man was a talented shinobi- he was a jounin, but watching him ruthlessly slit one of the Demon Brother's throats was frightening. Her eyes flittered over to the grey haired man, noticing that his eye was fixed on Sasuke, watching him practice his katas.

Sakura looked over to the boy. Sasuke, as always was perfect in his movements. She bit her lip hard as she thought of their last conversation.

Victory had electrified her blood as she stood at the top of the tree. Her arms stretched out and she felt the breeze on the tips of her fingertips. For the first time since becoming a genin, Sakura had finally felt like she was good at something.

Distantly she heard Kakashi-sensei goad the boys, but it didn't matter. She was too focused on melding the chakra in her feet and the exhilaration in her heart.

"Sakura-chan, why don't you come down now?" Kakashi asked.

Tipping her head back, she noticed the man standing at the bottom of her tree trunk. She walked back down the tree, failing to keep the smile from her face. By the time she had reached the bottom, Kakashi had already wandered over to Naruto, berating him about damaging both his tree and nin sandals.

"How did you do it?"

Sakura straightened in surprise and met Sasuke's intense eyes. Giddy excitement bubbled within her. Sasuke-kun was talking to her! Initiating conversation with her!

"I just did what Kakashi-sensei said. I gathered my chakra to my feet and used them like magnets to grip to the tree. Try coating the balls of your feet in chakra more so than the rest of them," Sakura answered, wide smile on her face.

"Hn."

It wasn't a thank you, but Sakura was too happy to care. Sasuke-kun had never tried to talk with her before! Her green eyes followed his figure as he walked back to his own tree. She watched as he slowly stepped up the tree. He made it four steps before his sandals slid him back down again. Looking over his shoulder, Sakura felt all of the excitement swelling inside of her deflate as he shot her a cold glare.

Later that night as she was primping in Tazuna's bathroom, she overheard Naruto and Sasuke's uncharacteristically quiet argument.

"Hey bastard, why are you being so mean to Sakura-chan today? You keep sending her grouchy looks! You heard what Kakashi-sensei said, girls are sensitive!" Naruto whisper shouted.

Sakura paused the movements of her hairbrush and pressed herself closer to the bathroom door.

"You may be dead last, but she is dead weight," Sasuke quietly snarled back. "And dead weight shinobi just end up being dead!"

Tears prickled at her eyes as she heard Naruto reverently defend her. She barely paid it any mind as she thought over Sasuke- kun's words. He thought she was dead weight- useless. And maybe… maybe she was. The events of the previous day- the enemy nin, Kakashi's sword, the blood spatter; she wasn't prepared for any of it.

Incapable shinobi could end up being scrolls like her father. But more often than not, they ended up in the morgue.

So when she woke up that morning, Sakura promised that she would try. That maybe Sasuke-kun wanted a lady for a wife, but he also wanted a capable kunoichi for a teammate. And Sakura could admit, only to herself, that she wasn't one.

"All right my cute students," Kakashi said, standing to his feet. "Since our chakra exercise from yesterday was somewhat successful, we are going to try doing it over water."

Sakura set aside her canteen. Water would be nice- she wouldn't even mind if she fell into it. She felt sticky with sweat and knew that her hair was probably a mess. She tried not to care, but it was hard! She hated looking dirty in general, not to mention around Sasuke-kun. Getting to her feet, she could feel the muscles throughout her body groan in protest, but she dutifully followed the boys over to the lake.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, sudden thought crossing her mind. "Why are we still in Wave? Is out mission not technically over?"

Kakashi hummed a noncommittal noise.

"Sakura-chan, we can't just leave Tazuna alone! You saw those guys that were after him!" Naruto said, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"You are both right. Our mission technically is over. But I sent word to the Hokage to fill him in on our predicament. We will stay here until he informs us what to do," Kakashi replied.

Sakura sat on the bank and watched as her sensei stepped onto the water. It was odd how he swayed up and down with the small current.

"Remember- this will be more difficult than the tree because water is moving. I don't expect you to be able to master it today," Kakashi said, looking pointedly to Sasuke.

Sakura stepped over to the shore and just as she had done the previous day, she concentrated her chakra to her foot. Stepping onto the water made her smile- it was just like yesterday, push and pull. But when the wave came in, she felt water seep into her sandal. Her smile dimmed.

Trying again, she pushed the chakra into her foot, and when the next wave came, she let her energy move with the wave. It worked! She coated her second foot with chakra and tried again. It was a little more difficult having to concentrate on both feet. But after a few tries, and soggy sandals, success finally came!

She looked over to her sensei, but he was crouched down next to Sasuke. And in her moment of distraction, she could feel both feet sink into the water. She toppled into the shallows, feeling both annoyed at her failure, and relief at the coolness. When she finally picked herself up, Sakura noticed a man standing close to their group on the water. The bottom half of his face was covered in bandages.

"Well, well, the Copy Cat Kakashi is here. I heard rumours, but I thought I would check to be sure."

Sakura swallowed at his mocking tone. And as the man shifted, a ginormous sword came into view.

"And with pathetic little Konoha genin who can't even chakra walk on water. In Kiri we would have them assassinating each other by now," the man taunted.

"Sasuke, Naruto- run to the bridge and make sure Tazuna is alright. Sakura, go back to the house and check on Tsunami and Inari," Kakashi said, voice low and urgent as he shifted his forehead protector off of his eye.

She thought she saw a glimpse of red before she turned and took off running back to the house. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage as panic overwhelmed her. What if someone was in the house? What if someone had hurt the kind woman, and bratty boy they had been staying with? What if she had to fight someone? Why did Kakashi-sensei send her alone?

Chaotic thoughts rampaged through her mind, as she finally made it to the house. She needed a plan… Inhaling shakily, she reached in her weapons pouch and gripped her kunai.

"Where is he?" a thunderous voice boomed from inside the house.

There was no time to plan! Flinging open the door to the kitchen, Sakura watched as a large man backhanded Tsunami. Without thinking, she threw her kunai. It sunk into the man's shoulder with piercing noise that she was sure would haunt her at night. Both the man, and Tsunami screamed.

In his moment of pain, Tsunami reached behind her and grabbed a heavy wooden cutting board. Sakura's breath caught in her throat as the woman brought the board down over the man's head with a dull thud. His tall frame stooped face forward and hit the unforgiving floorboards.

"Where's Inari?" Sakura asked, surprised to find that her voice was calmer than she felt.

"He- he- went to find my- fath- my father," Tsunami stuttered, tears streaming down her cheeks. Blood dribbled down a cut in her lip.

"What's taking you so long Riku? Just skin the bitch and be done with it," a deep voice from outside the window demanded.

"Go upstairs and hide in your bedroom," Sakura whispered to the woman.

Tsunami's bloody lip quivered as she stepped over the fallen man. Sakura's eyes traced her as she darted up the stairs.

Her heart thundered double time as she heard the door on the other side of the house open.

"Riku- what's taking you so fucking long? Gato is going to be pissed!" The same voice from outside the window now spoke from the hallway.

Desperate, Sakura reached in her weapons pouch. There was nothing but nin wire, and soggy papers. Shaking, her eyes landed on the kunai, still embedded in the unconscious man's shoulder. Silently, she darted over to him. Her stomach rolled in protest as she gripped the metal handle. Yanking it out in one powerful tug, Sakura felt herself freeze when the prone man still groaned loudly in pain.

And in her moment of distraction a large hand gripped her hair and threw her back against the wall. Her lungs protested as the wind abruptly left them. She didn't have a moment to catch her breath, as thick fingers wrapped around her throat.

The man was short, but with thick, corded muscles. Sakura desperately tried to tip her head back as he leaned in, rancid breath heating her face. "Where's Tazuna?"

She couldn't breathe. Needed to breathe. Need to breathe. Need to breathe. Need to breathe.

The man abruptly released the hold on her throat. She coughed as she tried to get air down to her lungs. Tears streamed out of the corner of her eyes. Before she could properly inhale, he grabbed her neck again and slammed her head against the wall.

"Where's Tazuna!"

Her vision blurred and ears rang with the force of the wood against her skull. In a blind panic, she raised her arm and slashed at the man's chest with her kunai. He cried out in pain and she lunged away from him. Rushing to the door, Sakura had almost reached the handle when she was tackled from behind.

Her chin scraped across the floorboards and she felt a large hand bite into her right hipbone. The man's other arm reached around her front, dull nails scrapping down her chest. Sakura let out an animalistic noise as she tried to buck her hips and get him off. He was too heavy. She felt his legs tangle with her own.

One arm still free, she used the handle of her kunai and slammed it into the man's face. A scream of pain, much more raw than the previous one came from the man and his arms released her torso. Rolling over, her heart stopped as she realized that she had hit the man in the eye. Blood rushed from the socket in furious streams. He snarled at her, hands reaching for her throat.

Time seemed to stop as she raised her kunai again. And she copied the move from her sensei, just like a good student. She moved the sharp tip against his throat. But unlike her sensei, it was not a quick, thin slice. She had underestimated how thick skin and muscle would be like under the steel. How hard it would be to part his flesh. Her blade tugged on his adam's apple and Sakura felt herself gag as she forced herself to finish the bloody slit across his jugular.

For the second time in her life, she felt another person's blood pour onto her face. Horrified green eyes watched the man's one dark eye lose focus as he choked on his own life substance. He coughed a stream of crimson that soaked into the creases of her lips. Sakura scooted backwards and hit the door. She watched as the man choked one more time, before he fell limp against the floor.

Dead.

He was dead. She had killed a person.

Tremors shook through her body as her eyes fixated on the man who had drown in his own blood. Sobs wracked through her lungs, making her spine shake with the effort to hold them in. Her body froze when she heard footsteps at the door. Her hands tried to tighten on the kunai that was coated in blood, but the liquid slackened her grip.

Turning her head, she saw Tazuna standing at the door, distraught eyes tacking in the scene, before swerving to her. Crouching down, he approached her as one would approach a skittish animal. He reached for the hand clutching the kunai and slowly pried her bloody grip off the weapon.

"Now, now young one, are you hurt? Is Tsunami hurt?" Tazuna asked, voice soft.

She swallowed tightly, feeling the ache in her throat, "No," the word came out hoarse and burning.

"Okay," Tazuna said, his voice gentler than she had ever heard. "Let's get you up."

"No," Sakura gripped the man's sleeve. She watched his dark eyes flinch at her sudden movement. He was afraid of her. What an odd thought. She cast the notion aside, and stared imploringly at the man. "We need to move the bodies. I don't want them to find out. I can't have Naruto, and Sasuke-kun find out."

Tazuna nodded sharply and stood to his feet, "Go fetch Tsunami. We will take them out back."

Sakura slowly got to her feet. Her body ached in places she didn't know could ache; not only from the attack, but her earlier training too. When she reached Tsunami's room, shame washed down her spine as the woman shrieked at the sight of her. Overcoming her fear, Tsunami took her back to the kitchen and sat her on a chair before talking to her father in hushed tones.

Sakura stared blankly at the dead man by the door. She did not want her teammates to know how much she had failed at a nin. Genin were not supposed to kill and especially not civilians. For even though the two men were undoubtedly criminals- they bore no nin headbands. Claimed or unclaimed- they were not shinobi and she was not supposed to kill them.

She closed her eyes as the woman and her father dragged the man outside. Her mind felt surprisingly numb as she picked up her kunai before sitting back on the chair.

"What should we do with this one, he isn't dead," Tsunami whispered to Tazuna.

"We will just-"

Tazuna was cut off as the door slammed open again. Naruto and Sasuke stood with Kakashi slung between them, his one leg sticking out at an odd angle. Inari peeked his head out from behind them, his face going white at the state of the kitchen.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto cried, "what happened?"

Kakashi's head snapped up and two eyes- one dark, one red, met her own green ones. She inhaled shakily and felt fire lick its path down to her lungs. She watched as Kakashi hobbled over to the chair opposite her.

"Sasuke, Naruto go upstairs and fetch the first aid kit," Kakashi ordered, eyes never leaving hers.

Naruto made to protest, but it died on his lips when Sasuke pulled him around the puddle of blood and up the stairs.

"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Kakashi asked in the same soft tone Tazuna had used.

She slowly nodded her head. Her silent answer hadn't seemed to appease him though, as she watched his oddly mismatched eyes scan her body. She knew he would find blood stained clothes, and possible rips. And while her body felt sore, she hadn't a clue if any bruises at mottled her skin yet.

"She helped me," Tsunami suddenly cried. "There was a man in the kitchen attacking me when she came in- she took him down." Tsunami's voice was shaky with tears, "She told me to hide when another man came in the house."

"Where are the men?" Kakashi asked, finally breaking her stare.

"Out back," Tazuna said, speaking up for the first time since the four males arrived.

And by the way Kakashi's spine straightened, Sakura was sure he understood the subtext.

"Got the first aid kit," Naruto shouted, barrelling back into the room.

"Good- you can use it on Tsunami's split lip, and any other injuries Tazuna, Inari and Sasuke have," Kakashi instructed. "Sakura-chan, why don't you go have a shower."

She slowly nodded her head before heading towards the hallway. Just before she reached the staircase, her gaze automatically turned to Sasuke. Surprise filtered through the fog in her mind as she noticed not his usual dark eyes, but red ones staring back at her. Red, just like the colour of the man's eye after she had crushed it with her kunai. She quickly turned away and made her way upstairs.

And only when the hot water was pounding against her aching back did she let the tears fall. They tore through her throat painfully- an uncontrollable force. She watched with swollen eyes as the water ran pink with the man's blood. She barely noticed as the hot water turned to cold as she curled up on the shower floor.

"Sakura-chan, are you, oh-"

Her eyes looked up to see the concerned brown ones of Tsunami.

"Let's get you out of the cold," the woman said, gently taking Sakura's arms and hoisting her to her feet.

A distant part of her mind told her that she should be embarrassed at being naked in front of this woman. But she couldn't muster up enough energy to care. Tsunami draped a fluffy towel around her body and ran another through her damp hair before shooing her off to get changed.

Slipping into her pajamas, Sakura crawled into bed. She knew that her team might be worried. And she was positive that Kakashi-sensei had questions. But she couldn't help but slip into an exhausted sleep.

Waking up the next morning hadn't been easy. The moment she opened her eyes, the pain throbbing throughout her body made itself known. She wanted to dig deeper into her covers and fall back into a dreamless sleep. She wanted to burrow into the warmth and never face the kind of darkness that this mission had drenched her with.

Trying not to groan aloud, Sakura sat up and grabbed her pack. Slowly stepping out of her nightgown, she reached for her only clean dress. But as she stood to put the clothing on, movement caught her eye. Sakura turned and faced her reflection in the mirror. And as she took in the image, she wanted to cry again.

Her pale skin looked sallow in the areas that weren't marked. Green eyes traced along the scrapes on her knee that were already scabbing. She bit her lip as she noticed the large purple fingerprints biting into the flesh of her right hip. And up higher, nestled between breasts that were just beginning to swell with womanhood were four thick scratch marks. But worst of all was the bruise that sat a little higher. Her collarbone was swollen, but above it deep black smudges ringed her throat like a macabre necklace.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry and rage. But she couldn't. So silently she slipped on her dress and brushed through her hair, trying to pretend it was a normal day. That the hands brushing her hair hadn't been stained in blood only yesterday. That the bruise shining out from the high collar of her neckline was just decoration- not a mark of her attempted murder. She just needed… a moment- a moment to be normal.

Shuffling through her bag again, she pulled out a bright pink scarf. When she packed it, she thought Sasuke would think she looked pretty if she had it wrapped around her hair like a court lady. Now she was using it to hide finger marks marring her throat.

When everything was in place and Sakura felt as if she at least looked normal, even if she didn't feel it, she slowly made her way down the stairs. She bit her lip as she noticed Kakashi-sensei sitting at the kitchen table alone, only one eye visible again, as he sipped his tea. A splint was secured to his left leg.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan," Kakashi said, eye discreetly scanning her form.

Sakura shuffled her weight, "Where are the boys?" She hated that her voice came out gravelly. Panic was starting to rise again- what kind of trouble was she in?

"Outside meditating."

The familiar answer should have calmed her, as Kakashi had been making them meditate at every training session. But the way his dark eye was looking at her did not quell the trembling fear gathering within her.

"Tsunami left some tea and miso soup for you. Come sit down," Kakashi said, gesturing to the small place setting across from him.

Sakura chewed her lip before trudging over to the table and planting herself in the chair.

"Eat," Kakashi ordered.

She didn't feel hungry. Her stomach actually rolled in protest, but she picked up her spoon anyways.

The soup had almost made it to her mouth when Kakashi said, "I talked to Tsunami and Tazuna about yesterday." Her spoon paused as her green eyes met his. "I would like you to fill in the rest."

She set the spoon back into the bowl, "You told me to go to the house. I could hear the man inside yelling at Tsunami. I didn't have a plan," Sakura said, hanging her head in shame.

Gloved fingers tilted her chin up and Sakura didn't want to meet her sensei's eyes for fear that tears would spill out.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of. I never should have sent you alone," Kakashi said, his voice stern, yet kind.

Sakura nodded and continued, "When I saw the man hit her, I panicked and threw my kunai- it hit his shoulder. Is- is he okay?"

Kakashi hummed, "he is in a medical holding cell."

Relief made her body slump a bit in her chair. At least she hadn't killed two men.

"I heard the other man come in the house, so I order Tsunami to go upstairs. The man attacked me," Sakura said. The words felt so cold; numb from the overwhelming fear, pain and anger that had encompassed her body yesterday. "I fought back. He was choking me, so I… I-"

Kakashi nodded swiftly, understanding her unspoken words. "May I see your neck?"

She unravelled the scarf, watching as her sensei's eye widened, before his brow wrinkled.

"I have some painkillers. You will need to take them with your meal. After that we are heading back to Konoha. The Hokage sent word, our mission is complete."

She nodded her understanding and quickly took the little white pill before tucking back into her soup. She may not have felt hungry, but she knew she would need the energy on the way home.

After finishing her breakfast, Sakura quickly packed her belongings and met the boys outside. She said a thankful, but ultimately uncomfortable goodbye to Tazuna and his family. And as she walked down the road, Naruto filled her in on how the mist nin took on Kakashi, while his partner, Haku faced off against Sasuke. How Naruto had to go against Gato and his thugs, while giving Tazuna a chance to escape. The blonde boy prattled on about how cool Kakashi's water jutsu was and how Sasuke developed his sharingan bloodlimit against the young water nin. How his shadow clones took down the thugs, while Inari got help from the villagers.

She hummed at all the right places, smiled when Naruto emphasized a triumph, scoffed when he gestured about close calls. But she felt empty- unable to process it.

"So what happened back at the house? Kakashi- sensei wouldn't tell us anything," Naruto whispered, bright eyes trained on her.

She even caught Sasuke glance at her out of the corner of his eye.

She wished that she had some epic story. That she had used some cool ninjutsu technique to knock out the thugs. That she hadn't brutally impaled one man with her kunai, and savagely slit the throat of another. It was not a brave story. It was bloody survival and she had not intention of ever letting her teammates in on it.

So she shrugged, "I got two men to leave Tsunami alone."

She didn't miss the way Naruto and Sasuke traded looks. But when Kakashi quickly chastised Naruto for using his kunai to swat at leaves, all was forgotten.

And by the time Sakura had made it home, she felt exhaustion that seeped down to her bones. Her father was out of the village for the week, visiting Fire's national library. The house felt eerily silent as she made her way to her room. Lying in her bed she replayed everything that had happened on the mission. The Demon Brothers, chakra walking, throwing her kunai, her head slamming against the wall, slicing her blade- she closed her eyes.

"I need to be stronger," Sakura whispered to her bedroom ceiling. "I need to survive."

Rolling over her eyes absently scanned the items in her room cloaked in darkness, until they landed on the silver hand mirror. Whatever irritation Sasori had caused that made her turn the mirror had dissipated over the course of her mission. She needed to talk to someone.

Flipping over the mirror, she was met with Sasori's annoyed eyes.

"You have left me turned over for quite a long-" he paused his angry tirade and inhaled once again.

Sakura furrowed her brow. She hadn't really considered it before, but it was strange that Sasori could smell through the mirror.

"You're injured," the demon said. If anything his tone sounded even angrier.

Sakura felt all of the emotions she had been harbouring within her finally snap. She did not want his anger.

"Yes," she spat. "I got injured. I am weak, just like you said. A pathetic excuse for a kunoichi."

She watched the demon's frown grow deeper as he listened to her tirade. "What happened, little pet?" Sasori softly purred as she sniffled.

"I killed someone!"

Instantly, dark crimson eyes were alert, "You-"

"-killed a man. He was choking me and I panicked. I didn't think- there were no thoughts. I slit his throat."

"You did what had to be done," Sasori's deep voice firmly stated.

She shook her head, "But did it? If I had any proper skills. If I had bothered to get better with my training, I could have subdued him some other way. He wasn't a shinobi, and I killed him." She kept rambling, pouring all of her thoughts onto the demon, "And now I don't know what to do. Dad said that the chunin exams always happen over the spring festival, which is in two weeks. And I don't know how I will face off against other nins, or if I will be able to protect my teammates."

"Deep breaths," the demon instructed.

Sakura paused and inhaled. Her throat still protested at the movement. "I don't know what to do, Sasori! I don't know how to get to the point where I'm not relying on instinct alone when fighting. I don't know how to master everything in two weeks."

She watched as the demon's eyes became cloudy for a moment. Sakura grew familiar with this look, and knew he was thinking something over. She waited patiently, feeling slightly cathartic now that her turbulent thoughts had been released.

"I could lend you some of my power," Sasori finally said, voice smooth.

Sakura froze as she processed exactly what the demon had uttered. "What?"

His face remained serious, but his eyes were warm. "I could lend you a little bit of my power- just a touch. It would hep strengthen your body, ward off injuries…"

She exhaled heavily. The warning that her father had given her all those years ago had danced through her head. Demons were manipulative. Everything came at a cost.

"I don't think it's a good idea," she quietly answered.

"I don't like seeing you injured pet. I don't like hearing about you having to face off against people that might win. Take some of my power. Take it," his voice was compellingly soft, just like those crimson eyes.

"But what would you want from me?" she implored, green eyes searching for malice. He usually wore his corruption proudly. But there was nothing but kindness staring back at her.

"Sakura, we have been constantly companions for almost three years. You can trust me."

His voice echoed in her head. Trust me. Trust me. Trust me.

"Okay," she breathed, barely a whisper.

A small grin appeared at the side of his mouth. It made him look young. It made him look more human.

"What do I need to do?" she asked. It couldn't be as simple as him simply wishing his power onto her.

"Now, I know you have been through enough pain, and I'm sorry it has to be done like this," Sasori said, red eyes melancholic.

"Like what?"

"You need to write your name in blood across the mirror," Sasori answered, eyes apologetic.

A part of her mind was screaming at her, this is a bad idea. The other part of her brain was making her relive the feeling of clammy palms squeezing the life out of her neck. She took her kunai- the same one that had killed the man in Wave and slit a line down her palm. Flinching at the pain, she missed the way the demon in the mirror shuddered.

Dipping her finger into the cut now oozing with blood, she the character for H onto the glass. By the time Sakura had finished writing her family name, she had to pick at the congealing blood to get more to flood out. When she had finished her family name, Sasori had stopped smiling- but she hadn't noticed.

Letting more blood pool into her hand, she continued the characters for her first name. Just as she drew the final character for S she noticed not the letters, but the demon behind them. He looked feral. Fear froze her as the final drop of blood dripped onto the mirror. Sasori sent her a savage smile, pointed teeth on display and began laughing madly.

A burning sensation like she had never felt before spread through her body. The rapid inferno ran rampant from the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair. And amidst the demon's wild laughter, Sakura threw her head back and screamed.

A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I am giddily drunk off of your reviews of the last one :D

I know that some of you were really looking forward to seeing Sakura work with Team 7 in Waves, but I had to change things up quite a bit. Hopefully you like the changes! I'm a little nervous to see what you think of my fight scenes. In my head everything plays out smoothly, but reading it back feels a bit choppy.

Please review and let me know you thoughts! I do love to hear your feedback and guesses as to the direction this story is heading!