"The chase is on.
They will witness power in all its glory
And they will regret the day
They took you away..

The day they stripped you of all you are.
They will never know fear
Like what you will show them.

You are a goddess amongst men
And they will pray to the temple of you
For forgiveness and repentance

And you will make them hurt."

"And what can I do for my ex-teammates' apprentice?" Mused the dark haired man, his golden eyes watching the medic softly. She was truly a beautiful woman, he understood what all the hubbub was about lately. He smiled as the girl blushed under his gaze.

"I need your help, Orochimaru-san." The medic finally answered.

"And what could I possibly have that such a powerful woman such as yourself could possibly need?" He asked, he was serious this time - he knew that if this Haruno girl was coming to him, it was a big deal. Everyone knew how tight his old teammate and her esteemed apprentice were, if she needed something Tsunade was the only person she would go to - word has it, even then she's stubborn and needs some coaxing. If she came to him for something, it would probably be on the borderline of life threatening.

"I uh..." He could tell she was fighting with herself to answer. He could see the hesitation and the irritation flickering across her face as she did so. He was slightly amused that she obviously needed to talk to him but was so upset with herself with having to ask for help.

"I'll help you. Whatever it is. As long as it's legal and doesn't get either of us in trouble." Orochimaru finally answered. There was a look of relief on the medic's face before she bit her lip, "Thank you... but what happens will need to stay between us and those already involved. Please." She finally said, her eyes serious but he could see the concern in them. He could have sworn he saw a flash of orange in them, but he wasn't quite sure. Something about her made him throw his caution to the wind.

"Of course, Haruno-san."

"Sakura... just Sakura is fine." Sakura smiled.

"Alright, then Orochimaru is fine.. unless you would prefer 'Orochimaru-kun'." The serpent King mused. Sakura blushed deeply and looked off to the side.

She was very amusing indeed.

*.*.*.*

"Do you think I'm a bad person?" Her question was quiet and soft, earning the blonde to look up from his bowl of ramen. Before he could even say something uplifting, he could see the look on the medic's face.

"No." He said finally, "Do you?"

Sakura looked deep into Naruto's eyes for a long moment before looking back down at her bowl. "Sometimes." She responded, "Sometimes I feel like I'm a dirty person with dirty hands and a stained heart."

"Sakura-chan..."

"And.. it's hard.. to not feel this way." Tears spilled, it would be the first time she had shown emotion to anyone outside of her small ANBU squad. "I'm sorry.. I'm sorry I was so angry. I'm sorry... I had to watch your backs all the time. That I was weak.. that I couldn't even.."

Flashes of darkness and lightning flitting across the sky snapped through her mind.

"Sakura-chan. Don't. Don't be sorry. We were so blind that we didn't even.." Naruto went silent for some time, the two of them just staring at their bowls.

"Thank you. For meeting me, thank you.." Sakura finally said after the silence became too much. It had been comfortable and soothing in a way, but her thoughts started in on her and she couldn't handle it.

"Any time, Sakura-chan. Any time.." He smiled back softly.

As they headed out and started going their separate ways, Sakura turned to Naruto and called over to him, "Would you help me?"

Naruto found himself beside her before he could even think, "Of course." He answered easily.

"You don't even know what I need help with." She mused.

"It doesn't matter. You're my friend and my teammate. I'll do whatever you need." He answered once more as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Sakura couldn't help the smile that spread across her face nor the warmth inside her soul that pulsed.

"Ok." Sakura nodded, "I'll let you know when."

"Good." With that, he hugged the medic with all he could before poofing away in a small amount of smoke.

*.*.*.*
"You asked for that dobe's help but not mine." His voice said he was angry but the look in his eyes said he was hurt. Sakura sighed deeply, she already had someone with a Sharingan, she didn't need another, but the look in Sasuke's eye told her he needed this.

Sighing deeply, the rosette sat back in her chair, clicking her pen as she let her thoughts run wild.

'He could ruin things. He's part of the very reason this even happened.' Snapped inner.

"So is Naruto, but you forgave him"

'He's of use. What choice did we have?'

"He can do chidori."

Inner snorted, 'That isn't very useful. We've got more power than that. What the hell do we need that for?'

"I know."

'You've got to stop with this bleeding heart bullshit. They didn't think twice to leave you behind but you're always there for them. He doesn't deserve the kind of trust you give. He hasn't proven himself.'

"Maybe this will allow him to."

'Fine. Do whatever. If he fucks up, I will not tolerate him nor will I hesitate to bring his ass down.'

"Okay."

Sakura looked the Uchiha in the eyes, "Okay, but you'll only get the information needed. The rest will remain secret. I don't need you getting hit for this all." She reasoned, she didn't want anyone to take the fall for what was to come - she didn't like them getting involved at all, but what choice was there?

The threat wasn't the threat, not to them.

She was.

Her head was hurting terribly and her hands were shaking. She could barely keep her eyes open as she stumbled through her doorway and slammed her door closed behind her, sliding her back against the cool wood of it. She was exhausted and her body was angry with her. She could barely get herself to her feet, let alone make it all the way to her bedroom. Sighing deeply, her eye twitched, "I really need to work on my traps." She groaned.

"Yeah, you do." Smirked the Nara, helping the medic to her feet. "Did you just get in?" He asked as he helped her into the bathroom to undress and shower.

"I think so... I don't know. Time keeps getting away from me." Sakura breathed as Nara helped her into the bathtub after filling it.

"It's almost time, then we'll figure things out from there." He whispered against her hair as he leaned against her and gave a kiss onto her head.

"What then though? What happens after? Even if it all goes as planned and this does happen, what happens next? What if it doesn't fix anything?"

"We'll figure it out from there. We believe in you. All of us. You're not in this alone, not now and not after." There was no room for argument in the Nara's words. For him, it was black and white. He would stand by her side through it all, regardless of the outcome.

That was his ninja way.

For her, he would walk through fire and to the ends of the earth. "I love you."

The words came so fast that he couldn't stop himself from letting them out, but he couldn't say that he regretted saying them. "I need you to know this. I need you to know in case..."

"I love you too." Her words were soft but powerful, his heart almost stopped in his chest. He had not known the strength of her feelings for him, not that he ever questioned that they'd been strong - he just didn't know they were so extensive, "And I need you to know, regardless of what happens, that will not change. Even if I'm not me - I will not hurt you. I refuse to." Her emerald eyes watched him, piercing through his heart and soul and he knew that there was no doubt in her words.

"I know." He smiled softly.
*.*.*.*

He was desperate for answers, so he went to the only person he thought would give him answers. "Shisui." Itachi greeted as he sat across from his cousin at the dinner table.

"Sup, Itachi?" Shisui asked between bites of food. Itachi, had he been another man, would have found his eye twitching. How could someone with such power, someone so respected and looked up to… eat like such a slob? He honestly had no idea how they could be related other than the fact that they were cousins.

Shisui was not like any of the other Uchiha in the compound. He was loud and vibrant, he laughed freely and was welcoming to everyone. Most other Uchiha were guarded and mostly only spoke when needed - some were a little more open, but nothing close to Shisui. "Well, you gonna talk or just sit there an watch me eat?" his muffled voice came once more.

Itachi shook his head and sighed deeply, "What do you know about Sakura-chan?"

Internally, Shisui went on high alert and his mind started going crazy. What the hell was Itachi getting at? What could he possibly need with the rosette. In order to find out, he needed to keep an air of ignorance, which he did. "Uh, she's the Godaime's apprentice. Sasuke-kun's old teammate. She's wicked strong and smart, from what I hear around the Hokage tower and at the hospital. Other than word of mouth, don't know much about her. Why do you ask?"

Itachi watched his cousin carefully, there was something he wasn't saying and he damn well was going to get it out of him. "I was thinking of courting her." It was the first thing that came to mind and he figured it would give him a rise from the elder Uchiha.

"Nice. Wait, have you talked to Sasuke about this? He might be a little touchy about his old teammate and brother hooking up." Shisui shrugged as he set his dish down. He was trying so hard to not reach across the table and throttle his cousin. He knew exactly what he was doing and he was not about to play this game.

"I'm sure he'll get over it. What do you think?"

"She's hot. If she's single, go for it." Shisui smiled, but it wasn't reaching his eyes.

After a bout of silence, Itachi threw caution to the wind, "Dammit, Shisui, tell me what you know. I'm not an idiot."

For once, the roles were reverse. Itachi was being the irrational one and Shisui was being eerily calm. "No idea what you're talking about little cousin. Now if you excuse me.. I have a date with my pillow and a book to read." As Shisui walked towards the door, the chilling words came from Itachi's mouth.

"I'll tell the world about her."

This made him stop in his tracks. Crimson drowned out onyx and Shisui had to smother the anger that was bubbling beneath his skin. Not turning around, Shisui spoke low and threatening, "Then tell the world it's our fault. We are to blame for this. We were messy, we botched the job and as a result, she is paying the price. Tell the world that."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Itachi sighed, tired of riddles.

"Want to know how this happened to her? What made her this way. It wasn't just her teammates leaving. It wasn't just people closing doors in her face and throwing her to the wayside - dubbing her useless. It was more than that."

Itachi couldn't understand what was being said, but there was darkness filling his vision as memories - memories that didn't belong to him started to slip into his mind.

Lightning carried against the night sky, rain pouring in sheets across the land. A clap of thunder shuddered over a pair of bodies.

"Don't fight me woman." Growled a figure drowning in a black cloak and gloved hands grappling with the medic with pink hair painted red from the blood that seeped from her head and the rain that darkened her.

"Don't fight me. I will make you great." With a swift few hand signs, the rosette was out for the count and her body lie limp on the ground. Flashes of a face could be seen beneath the hood.

He didn't know what brought him back, it felt like he was gasping for air - as if something was trying to suck the soul from his body. "We did this to her. We were too proud to search for a body. We were so caught up in making sure the clan didn't…." Shisui paused, "She's paying the price for our fuck up. So tell the world that. Tell them we made her this way. See what happens then."

With that, Shisui left and slammed the door behind him. Itachi sat back and stared at the door, his head was spinning and the only thing that kept echoing in his head was, "This isn't her fault. This happened to her." Guilt was swarming inside his head and heart and everything was telling him that he knew what needed to happen next.

*.*.*.*

"There was going to be a rebellion." Shisui murmured, "But we - Itachi and I, found out about it. Shimura Danzo found out about this as well and approached Itachi. At the time, he'd been acting as a double spy - he told me about what was going on and before Shimura could act, we made our move. We killed him before I trapped the clan and changed their minds about the whole thing with my Sharingan, in lame man's term anyway. Issue is, we never found the body. We were reckless. We should have.."

"Don't." Her words were soft, "Don't apologize. You didn't see this coming, no one could have known." Shisui looked into those depthless emerald eyes and everything inside his heart squeezed so violently, how could she forgive him so easily? She didn't blame anyone. she wasn't angry. She wasn't upset. She was understanding and caring and he sat beside her on a throne of reproach of the man that did this to her.

Of the person they would chase.

Of whom they would kill.

This was the first time the truth about the clan and Danzo had come out and not one person at the table even flinched - no one had judgment on their face, but they were all watching him intently.

"How did this happen to you?" The words were soft, as if they'd been choked out.

"I don't remember much.. but I'll show you.." Sakura whispered, reaching out and touching Itachi gingerly on his forehead.

The pain was searing. It hurt everything. Inside her head and inside her heart. Her body felt broken and ached in places she couldn't name. She couldn't move or talk or breathe. The world around her moved but no one noticed her. The pain was too much.

Day and night blurred together, the only indication she was still alive were the series of beeps coming from the various machines that were hooked up to her. There were jolts of pain coming from some of the machines as they kept her vitals and pumped god knew what into her body.

"My lovely blossom.. soon you will bloom and the world will know fear. They will know pain. They will regret the day they turned you away." the words echoed through her mind as she passed back into the darkness of her mind.

Time came and went and the only thing that kept her sane was inner and… and something else.

Someone else.

There was the voice that echoed inside her, deep in the recesses of who she was. It echoed off the pain she suffered and the hurt she harbored. It was drunk off the anger and hate she held locked deep inside her.

And then..

There was light.

There was the sharpest of pains that she had ever felt and she thought she had died. But no, she was only awaking.

Orange eyes flickered around the scene before her. A range of several emotions flickered through them; anger, fear, confusion.. and the smell of blood and chaos waft through the air, earning the rosette to smirk. Slowly she walked away from the broken down building she'd been kept in, her captor no where in sight.

Slowly, she made her way back home and crossed the gates of the village. She stood in her home before her bed for hours before orange eyes shifted to green and grew wide. Tears spilled and she had no idea what had happened..

Confused, the medic lie on her bed, exhaustion filling her and taking over.

When she pulled away, Itachi stared at her with wide eyes. "Sakura…" He whispered.

"I didn't do this. This happened to me. And I intend to kill the fucking asshole who did it to me." Sakura stood tall, her eyes flashing orange before she turned to leave.

"How.. how do you think you'll kill him? Or even find him?" Itachi whispered softly.

"I have someone who will help me track him. I have someone to measure how much power I use and how far I go. The kyuubi to keep me in check if I go too far, and someone - well, two someones to keep the Kyuubi in check. I have a person to keep me in my tracks and someone to get into my head if it goes to far. The Kyuubi is for just in case shit hits the fan. Question is… what are you going to do?"

Itachi looked over at the Hyuuga whom sat next to the Nara, Yamanaka sat across from them with Shisui to Sakura's left and Sai next to him. Naruto and Sasuke sat silently beside Sai and Orochimaru stood in the shadows behind them.

Itachi rubbed his temples, "I will help you find him."

"Are you willing to go down with the ship?"

"If this is what it takes to clean up our mess… then yes."

Sakura smiled softly and gave a low nod before she got up and headed towards the door, before she left the room, Sakura turned to Itachi. "He was right, he will fear me. They will know what true pain is when I am done and they will wish they had killed me. I think, though, that I owe him a 'thank you', he has made me something stronger than what he thought possible… and it will be the end of him."

*.*.*

In her bedroom, they lie face to face, his hand in her hair and his lips mere inches from hers. "I love you." He whispered.

"I love you, too." Sakura nuzzled her face closer to his and kissed him deeply, "Shikamaru, please… promise me." She murmured against his lips, "Promise me if it doesn't end with him…"

"I will do no such thing. We will figure something out. You troublesome woman, come here." He pulled her into his grasp and kissed her deeply. "We'll figure it out."

*.*.*.

Author's note:

I hope this all didn't seem rushed. I didn't want to put it in different chapters, seemed far more trouble than needed. Let me know what you all think! Leave me some reviews! Thank you all, much love!