Breakaway

Chapter 9: Simply Because

"The Devil's Own" by Five Finger Death Punch

The Devil's own
Why!?

Where did I go wrong? Who was I supposed to be?
No matter what I've done, you've always criticized me
Where did I go wrong? Who was I supposed to be?
When it's said and done, will you remember...

Slap on the wrist, smack in the face
The family tree, gave me a name and nothing more
Neglected seed, why!?

It's because of you I'm broken
It's because of you I'm dead inside
I never asked to be here
It's because of you I'm godforsaken
I never wanted this
It's because of you I'm dead inside

Where did I go wrong? Who was I supposed to be?
No matter what I've done, you've always criticized me
What did I do wrong? Who was I supposed to be?
When it's said and done, will you remember me?

A happy home, a fairy tale, a broken dream
Gave me a life, then turned away
Killed everything, why!?

It's because of you I'm broken
It's because of you I'm dead inside
I never asked to be here
It's because of you I'm godforsaken
I never wanted this
It's because of you I'm dead inside

Fuck!
Father, bastard, I'm the Devil's very own
Mother, know not, just who I've become
Father, hate me, for being all your not
Mother's baby, I hate what I've become
I hate what I've become
I hate what I've become

It's because of you I'm broken
It's because of you I'm dead inside

Where did I go wrong? Who was I supposed to be?
No matter what I've done, you've always criticized me
What did I do wrong? Who was I supposed to be?
When it's said and done, will you remember me?

Was she the only one that could feel the ominous oppression in the air, the feeling that the very air you were breathing became so thick with anticipation and caution that it forced you to hold your breath? It was possible, because everyone around her smiled and enjoyed their days as the Clansmen visited and inspected the town.

It was enough to drive a lesser broken and unfeeling person insane. And it was almost doing it to her. Her blood was singing in her veins to enact the oldest of human instincts: fight or flight. And flight was out of the question. She couldn't leave the person who saved her life with the sleazy white-haired snake. The very thought of abandoning Gaara to the clutches of Chudoku enacted a different instinct. One of intense protectiveness. She didn't understand where the feeling came from, but neither did she question it. She simply accepted it.

And this was why Sakura constantly found herself next to Gaara, but as far as she could physically get away from Chudoku without it being too open and disrespectful. She didn't trust Clansman as far as she could throw him, which was quite a distance, so a rather inappropriate comparison. Maybe like as far as she originally would have been able to throw him when she was a member of Konoha. Yes, a much better comparison.

It was halfway through the week, and the Suna inhabitants decided it would be fun to host a festival in honor of their visitor. It had been planned for a while and invitations sent out to neighboring allies and friends to come and enjoy the merriment. Meaning Konoha might be there.

Which is why the black haired and clothed kunoichi had now found herself being lectured by her employer about not killing any Konoha natives.

"Sakura, I know it is tempting, knowing what they have done to you. But you need to contain any ill feelings you may harbor for them. Konoha is Suna's ally, and should you decide to attack with out having been attacked first, I will disown you from Suna and stamp you as missing nin. You have to understand that my village's safety comes before your need to enact revenge. You understand?"

Sakura gave a shallow nod from her position in front of the Kazekage's desk. Her sea green eyes sparked at the idea of being able to whoop up on some her disbelievers from Konoha and shove her new abilities in their face.

"How about a friendly challenge Kage? A judged match that can be stopped and have a declared winner without killing the opponent? Could we have some nin games as a part of the entertainment for the festival?"

Gaara stopped to pause on that, his green eyes suddenly thoughtful of the idea. His brow crinkled and mouth formed a slight frown as he began to roll the idea around. His gaze was locked on her. After a few moments he responded.

"That is actually not a bad idea as far as entertainment goes. Though Suna won't have many contenders, just you and Temari. A few nins from the surrounding villages may want to have the opportunity to show off their skills. The only problem is if you will be able to contain yourself Sakura."

Sakura knew that to be a legitimate warning. She also didn't know if she would be able to contain it. Unless it was Naruto she ended up fighting, any other Konoha nin may find themselves buried the next morning. Such was her emotional instability and raw power fueled by her pseudo hate.

Gaara could see the spark in her eyes at the prospect of beating Leaf nin literally into the ground. And it was a morbid, macabre look. It almost smacked of evil, it was so dark a spark. And he could relate to her with the way she had been treated, but he also knew she had to control it, as Konoha was a key ally.

"Promise me you won't kill or permanently decommission anyone in the bouts and I will agree to having them and letting you take part in them bearing Suna's crest."

Some part of Sakura was disappointed by this agreement, but as she thought about it, complete humiliation was so much better than killing. Letting them know that there was nothing they could have done to defeat her. She also wished she could reveal her identity to the other combatants, but some part of her screamed at her and filled her with terror at the very thought of unmasking in front of the Clan Leader. There was something about him…

"You have my promise Kazekage."

Sakura took a shallow bow in front of Gaara, her black hair with pink stripe bobbing a bit with her movement.

At that moment Temari walked in, and smiled at both Gaara and Sakura.

"Chudoku-sama is awaiting us to go to lunch. He wants to go eat at one of the local restaurants today."

Sakura frowned. The very mention of him sent shivers of fear up and down her spine and caused her hair to stand on end.

More dining in his presence. Great. Just what she wanted…

As Gaara got up to leave, he called to his sister, "And Temari? Send invites to surrounding Hidden Villages that we are hosting a festival tournament. Winner will get the purse made from entry fees."

Temari nodded her head, her blond pony tails swaying. "And may I participate?"

Gaara nodded. "Both you and Sakura will fight under the Suna mark."

Temari had a flash worry cross her eyes as she contemplated something. "And Konoha is invited brother?"

Gaara caught her thought and gave her a reassuring look. "Yes they are, but all the bases have been covered. There is nothing to worry about, because nothing bad is going to happen. Tsugi has been given her guidelines as to what is allowed."

Temari visibly relaxed and smiled at Sakura. "Ready to try some of Suna's famous interpretations of Mist Country dishes?" A grumble from Sakura's stomach betrayed her before she could answer for herself.

Giving a small, wan smile to Temari, the kunoichi pulled her black face mask up, hiding most of her patchwork face. In an instant she had converted from Sakura to the lethal nin Tsugihagi, self-appointed bodyguard to the Kazekage of Wind Country and Hidden Village of the Sand.

Onto protecting him from an unseen enemy that only she could sense…

The week passed, and it was time for the festival to start. Sakura had some time to herself and was walking amongst the stalls that were being erected in the streets and the lights that were being strung up in preparation for night fall.

Her main destination was located outside of main Suna, where damage from nin attacks would be minimized on the still recovering town. As she approached it she could see the stands set up for people to watch the matches, though it was rather pointless. Nin moved so fast that the average, untrained eye wouldn't be able to catch most of the movements.

She wasn't hiding the fact that she was nin, her new Sand nin insignia proudly displayed on her forehead. Throughout the day she had spotted several nin she recognized, and many she didn't. A few that she knew had passed her without a second look, making Sakura snicker. Either she was that good, or they had truly forgotten her.

Either way, they would get theirs. Only one person knew she was alive and that was Naruto, and he knew she was here. She knew this because she had spotted him earlier asking Gaara where she was.

The sneaky Kage simply said that he did not know of a Sakura, but if Naruto wished for a good opponent for the night, to look up a Hakuchoyami Tsugihagi. Apparently Naruto had gotten smarter since she had known him, because he smiled knowingly back at Gaara.

Glancing about where the fights were to occur, Sakura studied the terrain to see how it might work to her advantage. First off, though it was dark outside, the arena was rather well lit, so her dark clothing was a moot point. There were several spires of rock formations in the arena, providing a semblance of an area to sneak about, block attacks, and set up traps. She also spotted a few other nin doing their homework. Of main attraction was Shikamaru who looked like he was drawing schematics in his head. Ino was standing next to him, looking bored as ever with her husband's preoccupancy. Bad move if she was planning to participate.

Seeing that she had examined her battleground thoroughly, Sakura turned and bumped into the very person she had been avoiding the past few weeks, in a moment of terrible neglect on her part.

She heard a slight chuckle as she glanced into, at least in her opinion, the slimiest purple eyes she had ever seen.

"Not as graceful as you put yourself out to be are you Tsugi-san?"

Sakura fought the urge to throw up in her mouth as she dipped in an apologetic and respectful bow. "I apologize Chudoku-sama. I was simply caught up in studying where I was going to be fighting tonight."

Chudoku gave a small, but hearty laugh. "Please, you don't need to use sama with me. Simply call me Chudoku. I look forward to your performance tonight. Do you know who you are fighting?"

Sakura almost rolled her eyes at his request to use his name informally. "I will continue to call you Chudoku-sama so long as you remain a Clan Leader. As for my opponent, I do not know who it is going to be. To maintain some uncertainty, opponents are not announced until the fight is going to begin. This assures no assassination attempts and that the match is based on pure skill and not planning."

Chudoku nodded his understanding. "Well, I must be going Tsugihagi. Gaara-sama wants to escort me through the market during the festival." He bowed his goodbye and departed back to the now lit-up Suna. The sun had finally managed to set, and the festival was to begin. And in less than an hour, she was going to fight for the first time. And she was going to shock and awe everyone with her newfound abilities. Her opponent wouldn't know what had hit them…

Her hour passed quickly enough. After walking through the market for a bit to take in some sights and sounds, she made her way back to the arena. She found all the nin awaiting their name to be called for the starting match. Turned out that Temari and Ino were first off.

While they fought, Sakura felt a presence approach her that she had been waiting for the whole night. It was raw, unbridled power, but it had the sense of finesse to it. It was old, exciting, and energetic and familiar to her. She opted to wait for the hand to land on her shoulder before she turned.

As she felt the hand land, she turned her head and glanced up into eyes filled to the brim with emotion. "Tsugi right?"

"Naruto-san. I overheard you talking with Gaara-sama about me."

Naruto was slightly taken aback by the voice that had replied to him. The smooth, confident and somewhat cold voice did not match what he was expecting. In all honesty, he had hoped that being given another chance in Suna would have returned her to her pre-Sasuke-going-crazy days. Make her happy again.

Instead, looking into the now patchwork face that could be seen and into her sea-foam green eyes, he found a completely different person. Something lethal. Something hidden. And he felt the beast inside of him stir as it recognized something…which was strange as the Kyuubi rarely exhibited interest in single individuals…

"She came back…after all these years, she came back…the one who turned me away, the one who defeated me before being trapped…she's there…"

Naruto had no idea what the beast was speaking of, only that he felt a mixture of resentment, respect, and wariness coming from it. Respect was the most surprising, especially considering that it was speaking of Sakura…

"Hakuchoyami Tsugihagi of the Hidden Village of Sand, please step forward to start your match!"

Sakura took one last look at the now robust and mature Naruto. She felt an inkling of pride as she saw that he had calmed down some and held and aura of peace about him. He had made peace with his village, with the Kyuubi, and with himself. And she also felt an inkling of resentment for the very same reasons.

She gave a short bow and stepped away from her friend of past, and in her slinky glory stepped into her ring, dressed in all black and looking every bit a shadow put in human form.

"And the challenger, Kakashi of the Hidden Leaf, also step forward!"

And that was when Sakura felt her anger flare. She contained her energy, but just barely…one of those who verbally disowned her, who didn't believe in her…he would pay…

Kakashi walked out with a cocky jaunt in his step, for all his slouchy and deceptively lazy posture. He looked no different at all from when she last saw him. Good. Maybe that meant he hadn't gotten any better.

"Rules! No killing, no dismembering! Jutsus, so long as no permanent harm will be done, are allowed! No bars on taijutsu so long as they aren't killing blows! Ready?"

Sakura gave a customary bow to Kakashi, who returned in like. She saw the perverted sparkle in his eyes as he took in her black clad form and eager curiousity that was aroused by the mysterious mask on her face. Sakura didn't care for that look at all and planned to wipe his face of it.

Meanwhile, Kakashi was enjoying the view, and found it amusing that they would put him up against a rookie kunoichi. No one had heard of her before, not even him, plus what he could sense of her chakra stores, they were to be mocked. This would be a cinch win, and he planned on asking the mysterious vixen in black with sea-foam green eyes out afterwards…and yet he had an inkling, the smallest of feelings that she was familiar somehow…

"GO!"

Kakashi barely had time to react when the vixen just appeared in front of him and slammed her fist into his face. He couldn't believe it! Only Lee was this fast! He almost froze as she disappeared from in front of him and reappeared behind him, grabbing him in choke and pulling him close so she could whisper in his ear.

And he almost melted at the voice that came from behind the black mask…it was sensuous, warm, husky, and dangerous all at the same time. It was everything that would drive a hot blooded man crazy.

"Do not be quick to judge by appearances Kakashi-san. I am more dangerous that you ever gave me credit for…Sensei…" The last words, Sakura allowed to slip through as her old voice, the voice of the bookworm that all in Konoha shunned and cast out.

Kakashi was beyond surprised and barely collected the wits to free himself from Sakura's iron cast hold. He leapt away, his eyes never leaving the form of his old student who he discredited. What had happened to her? She looked nothing like she used to, and there were burn scars on her face and her hair was black except the one streak…she had filled out to a womanly figure, and as he looked in her eyes, had developed a healthy and understandable hatred for him as he looked back on all he had done and all that had happened to her.

If she had gotten good, he wouldn't blame her for killing him. But he wasn't about to lay down and die. Giving his opponent a rebellious look, he disappeared behind one of the stone spires to regroup himself.

Sakura caught his petulant look and didn't like it. Not one bit. She wanted to show him her full potential. Everything that she had become, everything he discredited. She decided to knock him on his ass by sheer power alone. She gave a yell as she let her barriers hiding her chakra down and let her power consume her body in a whirlwind of power, heat, hatred, and anguish at all she had been put through. Her body became surrounded with a grey light and coalesced around her back as a cloud. She was unconscious of this, focused only the raw feeling of her emotions brought to the forefront.

She didn't know the amount of shocked eyes that were lock on her at the moment, and one greedy pair as it waited for some little bit more.

Temari, who was being waited on by some medic nins from Konoha, was almost rocked on her heels as she felt the most ominous and great power since her brother's surrounded her. It was complex in such a way that it was not a great beast such as the Kyuubi or Shukaku. This was not so feral. This smacked of untold pain and need for retribution. The chakra was so strong, she felt the feelings projected into her, it consumed her…

Gaara stood, trying to hide the mixture of surprise and pride he felt at Sakura's release. Surprise in the fact he hadn't expected her to be so powerful right from the get go, and proud that he had created the chakra monstrosity that was on display in front of all the nin. That it bore his insignia and not the Leaf's. But he was worried too, because he saw recognition on the face of the jounin that Sakura was fighting. Sakura had done so much to conceal her identity from all, and she had blown it. But why? As the emotion flowing from her power pervaded him, he knew. She wanted Kakashi to know exactly what he had given up on, to know what defeat at her hands was like in return for her embarrassment and grief.

And Chudoku, seated next to Gaara, looked on, his interest piqued as he took in the grey, unformed cloud of chakra that gathered around the angry and grief stricken kunoichi's shoulders. Could it be? Were his suspicions correct? Was it her?

And Kakashi really did freeze. Was he feeling this right? Her chakra stores were huge, rivaling Naruto's. He was surrounded in her animosity and now he had no doubt that if she wanted to crush him, she could. If she still had the chakra control she used to have, she would be inexhaustible. She could go forever…and that was terrifying. If only he had known her potential…he never would have treated her the way he had…

A/N: Sorry for taking like a year. School has sucked. Majorly. But I found some time to whip up a quick chapter. Hope it didn't suck too much.