A Broken Mask

She had always liked red. It was a bold color, strong and unafraid.

Kakashi never thought their first c rank mission would end in death, but then again he never thought they would run into the demon of the mist. Sasuke was most likely dead, pinned to the ground with multiple sebon, and Naruto was passed out next to him. Kakashi himself was suffering chakra exhaustion. Killing Zabuza had been no easy task, and he struggled to move. The only person who wasn't immobile was Sakura. He watched as she cried uselessly over Sasuke, completely ignoring Naruto and the group of thugs who were about to kill them. They were utterly and completely screwed.

Sakura sat next to the body of the boy she thought she loved. She'd always thought he was invincible, that he could easily protect her. Yet here he was dead, leaving her here with a group of people who wanted to kill her and a broken sensei. She watched as one of them kicked Haku aside, an ugly sneer on his face. "You pink haired bitch, your team may have killed our meal ticket, but we'll get our payment." Her heart thumped. "You're a little young, but then again the young ones always scream more."

It was the way he said it that brought back memories Sakura had tried to forget. The alley way, the the clumsy hands, and harsh man that had broken her. Mostly though, the way her parents had looked at her like she was dirty, and the realization of what had been taken away. So with those words her mask shattered, along with her carefully crafted persona.

Sakura started shaking, it couldn't happen again, never again. She didn't want the pain, she didn't want to feel ugly, especially after she had tried so hard to forget and to be normal. Her eyes desperately searched the area, looking for a way out, instead they found the hilt of Zabuza's sword. She knew she would never be able to use the heavy blade, but her hand still reached out to grab it. Sakura's body jerked and her mind was invaded with another presence. The feeling of strong hands gripping the hilt, images of deaths the sword had delt, and the unmistakable feeling of bloodlust warped her. "What do you want, my master?" a smooth, low voice whispered. Her mind was filled with this new feeling, and she didn't hesitate to answer," I want them dead."

Kakashi had already accepted that they were going to die, but when he heard the man's words he struggled to move. He did not want to see someone as innocent as Sakura getting hurt in such a way. Yet he was stuck, with his eyes open and his body immobilized. Kakashi hated how useless he was, he had failed once again to protect those important to him. Suddenly he felt an intense KI. At first he thought it was Zabuza, but considering he had run a chidori straight through the man's heart it couldn't be. His eyes widened and his Sharingan unconsciously activated, insuring he would never forget what he saw. Sakura was holding Zabuza's sword, eyes glowing magenta, as she unleashed an amount of killing intent he had only felt during the kuubi attack. Then she moved, dashing at a pace impossible for a girl who couldn't run a lap around Konaha. He watched the sword ark, cutting two men completely in half. His eyes widened as he watched their blood splatter, but his student seemed completely unaffected. She was moving again, cutting into the grown men with ease. Soon the bridge was a bloodbath, and in the middle of it was his so called "innocent" student. As he watched only one thought came to mind, this was not Sakura.

She didn't like the color of red, it was the color of blood, and a reminder that she was a monster.

It's pretty bad, but it IS my first story and I really enjoyed writing it. I definitely want to get better, so if you have ANY advice that you think would I could use to improve please tell me. Thanks for reading!

-obsession comes from question-