Title: Everything Burns

Author: majickworks85

Short Summary: Eyewitness to a murder, Sakura enters a protection program and gets moved around to schools to avoid a dangerous criminal and she finally comes to Konoha High School.

Pairings: Saku/Gaa, Nar/Hina, Shika/Tem, Ino/Kiba, Kan/Ooc, Sai/Ooc, mild Saku/Sas, Sas/Kari.

Warning: Rated M; for very strong language, violence, rape, and brief sexuality.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of its characters.

Prologue:

Blood.

There was blood all over.

There was blood all over the walls, all over the floor, everywhere.

This was something she saw only in the horror movies that her parents had always told her not to watch. They hadn't wanted her to watch the horror movies because they could give her nightmares. But now……she was living in a nightmare.

She was only a very little girl when the incident happened. She had lived with her parents in their nice house in the City of Konoha. She had been a very happy girl. She loved her parents and they loved her. She didn't have many friends though. Most of the kids her age teased her a lot because she was different from them. Unlike most of the other children, she was blessed, or rather cursed, with bubblegum pink hair and a rather large forehead. She was teased constantly by the other kids because of her hair and forehead. There was a few times where boys decided to throw rocks at her to see if they could hit her wide forehead. And that was when she met her two first friends.

One day, a rich boy snob had been teasing her, saying that he could hit her forehead with a rock without even trying. When a few other boys denied that he could, he tried it. But before the rock could even leave his hand, the boy's older brother had come up behind him and slapped the rock out of his hand before smacking him over the head. He scolded his little brother for picking on the pink haired girl and then threatened him and his friends if they picked on her again, he would deal with them. The boys ran off while the brother turned to the small girl and smiled at her. After that, they became friends.
The girl's second friend, however, had a somewhat similar story, only it was a bunch of bratty girls who were being mean to her. They had been calling her ugly and a Billboard brow, and just being down right nasty. That is until the girl came up and told them off. She even threatened to pound their faces in so that she and the pink haired girl would be the prettiest girls. When the girls left, the blonde stated that they, the blonde and the pinkette were the prettiest girls in the village.

However, her friendship with the two didn't last too long. Not more than a few years, actually.

One day, right after her ninth birthday, the little girl came home from school only to see the most horrifying thing happening. The very minute she saw red paint splashed on the floor, she should have guessed that it wasn't paint at all. She still walked into the darkened house, closing the door and began looking for her parents.

"Mom! Dad! I'm home from school!" She had called.

But there had been no answer.

The little girl glanced down at the ground and saw a trail of red paint all over the floor, which led upstairs. She frowned as she stared at the red paint, noticing how thick it was. She wondered if her parents had decided to do some painting while she was in school. And if so, why hadn't they cleaned up the mess yet? It wasn't like them to leave a mess lying around. With a shrug, the little girl followed the trail of red paint to upstairs. She paused to see that some of the pictures that lined up along the wall had been knocked down. She felt herself growing very tense when she saw that some of them were broken. She did now not like this. This was definitely not looking good. Did her parents have a fight or something? It wasn't like them to fight. They had arguments now and then but fight? No. Something was wrong.

However, a faint cry caught her attention. The girl heard very unusual sounds coming from her parents' room. It sounded like her mother was crying. Was her mother hurt? The little girl frowned as she went up the stairs and headed straight towards the door, which was closed. She glanced down to see that the trail of paint also led to her parents' bedroom.

"Mommy?" The little girl tried to call but it came out as a whimper. She was now starting to get very scared.

The sounds were getting louder as she slowly approached the door before reaching out for the door knob. She froze with a jump when she heard another strange sound. It sounded like feet slapping against the concrete at the city pool and someone was grunting. Was that her father? The little girl swallowed hard before she reached up and grabbed the door knob. Slowly, she turned it and pushed the door open, though very slowly. Peering into the room, she looked for the source of the noises, only to freeze. The sight she saw was the most horrific thing she had ever seen.

Blood.

Blood.

There was blood all over.

There was blood all over the walls, all over the floor, everywhere.

And the worst images that were burned into her memory were her father pinned to the wall with blades in his hands and his chest. He wore nothing. He was naked and it looked like someone had cut him badly. Blood was running down his entire body and his head was bowed down. Her mother was on the bed and she too was naked. But she was alive still, unlike him. She had blood all over her and her hands and feet were tied to the bed frame. She had silver, yet blood stained tape over her mouth to keep her from making any noise. Her emerald green eyes were wide as soon as she saw her daughter enter the room. She began screaming under the tape and trying to pull herself loose.

The little girl was terrified. She didn't like this game that her parents were playing. Was this just to get back at her for all of the horror movies she watched? Was this to scare her into stop watching them? It wasn't a very funny joke.

And that's when she felt someone grab her from behind.

The little girl tried to shriek but it was cut off when a very cold, pale hand covered her mouth and pinned her against a very thin chest. She tried to fight to get loose but whoever it was that had her, was stronger than her. She felt herself be pinned to the man's, yes it was a man, chest with a thin arm trapping her there. She struggled but it was useless. The man was stronger than her. Tears of fear began to pour down her cheeks as she felt the arms tighten around her. She knew this had to be some stranger who had his arms around her. She didn't recognize this voice. She tried to scream again but the hand over her mouth was firmly over it, keeping the noise in her throat.

"Shhhh." Came a very unfamiliar hiss. She didn't recognize that voice either. "It's all right, little one. I won't hurt you. Shhhh."

The girl shivered as she looked wide eyed at her mother, who was crying and screaming under the tape as she tried to pull herself loose. That is until someone the girl didn't recognize at all moved forward and held a knife to her throat. It was a young man, maybe in his early twenties, late teens. The girl wasn't too sure. She also couldn't tell what color his hair was because he was drenched in blood. Literately drenched in blood. It was in his hair, all over his skin, just everywhere on him. His eyes were a deep shade of dark brown though, and full of wicked humor. There was black paint all over his skin under the blood. In a way, he looked like a voodooist from a movie that the girl had seen before. She was sure he was, in a way.

There was a very uneasy moment for the girl as she stared at the man as he ran the blade up and down the girl's mother's stomach, though he didn't cut into her. He was more than caressing her with the blade, who looked terrified for her daughter.

The man holding the girl seemed to be trying to soothe the girl though. He had taken a pale hand and stared running his fingers along her cheeks, caressing her with them. "Such a pretty little girl." The cool voice said in a low voice. He even ran his fingers through her hair, making her skin tingle but unpleasantly. She didn't like the way he was touching her. "Such pretty pink hair. Just like her mommy's hair." The man whispered into her ear before he rest his head against hers, looking towards the girl's mother. The little girl could see black hair from the side of her face, though she still couldn't see him. "You came at a very bad time, little one. We were having a little private party with your parents. It's a grown up party. No place for a little child like you."

The young man turned his head, looking right into the girl's eyes, who shivered from the way he was looking at her. "I like kids. Maybe I can play with her a little." He said, in a very husky voice. The voice made the girl's body feel icy cold. She didn't like the way he said that at all. His eyes flickered down to the mother though when she started swearing at him under the tape.

"No. You've played around enough. Just finish your work now. We'll deal with the girl later. However," The man behind her paused before he tilted his head to the side to look at her. "Little one, are you going to be good and be quiet? If you don't, your mommy is going to be hurt. You're going to stay quiet, aren't you?"

Too terrified to disagree, the girl nodded, still trembling violently.

So the man removed his hand from her mouth before resting a hand onto her shoulder. "Now, we're going to play a little game, Little One. I'm going to blind fold you and then I want you to count to ten. You can count to ten, can you?" He hissed into her ear, making her shiver. But she nodded and he seemed satisfied. "Good. I want you to count to ten and then when you're done, you're going to say one little word. Finish. Can you do that?"

It sounded like a weird game but the little girl nodded timidly as she looked tearfully at her mother. She was terrified to say anything else. She knew that her mother was in trouble and that she was too. But what could she do? She just had to stand there.

"Good girl. Now close your eyes." The man hissed into her ear again. The little girl looked at her mother for the last time and did what she was told before felt the man tie a blind fold around her eyes. Then once the blind fold was on, the man placed his thin hands onto her shoulders and turned her around. She could almost feel his breath on her face now. "Now, whatever you hear, do not take the blindfold off. If you do, you will lose this game. If you have to, cover your ears, my little pink haired cutie. And keep counting to ten." He told her.

The little girl only nodded as she felt tears squeezing out of her eyes. She could still feel the man's hands on her shoulders but she lowered her head and started the count. "One." She jumped when she heard her mother scream within the tape and it scared her. She almost didn't start counting again but then she felt the cool hand brushing against her cheek again.

"Keep counting, my love." The man told her in a soothing voice, though it wasn't soothing at all.

"T-two."

Another scream came from her mother.

Tears were pouring down her cheeks but she didn't move her hands to brush them again. The cold hands of the man before her were doing that. It made her shiver.

"Three."

Another scream.

"F-four."

The next scream sounded very weak and it was then the girl decided to cover her ears. She felt her hands smack against the man's hand but he didn't seem angry. He just removed his hands from her altogether, but she knew he was still there. She could still feel his breath on her face.

"Five. Six. Seven."

More screams but they were dulled from her covering her ears. She shivered but continued. "Eight. Nine. Ten." She paused with a shaky breath. "Fi-finish." She said shaking badly. She made the mistake of taking her hands away from her ears. For there came a sickening sound of something sticky being pulled away from something else. It was a sound she knew from the horror movies.

There was a very long eerie silence now. She couldn't hear anything. There were no sounds of breathing, her mother's cries, not even the sounds of the men in her parents' room. She only heard her own little sobs and breathing. For a long moment, she stood there, listening to her sobs. She listened hard to see if the men were still there. But she heard nothing. So slowly, she reached up to the blindfold, waiting for a cold hand to grab her wrist to stop her. Nothing happened. So she slowly hooked her thumbs under the blindfold before she slowly pulled it off. She blinked several times to let her eyes readjust to the light, and expecting to see someone still in front of her. But she didn't see anyone. Slowly, she turned and looked around the room, freezing when she saw what was left of her mother.

Her mother was still lying on the bed, covered in blood. But there were ten knives sticking out all over her body and her head had been sheen cut from her head. It had been slammed down on one of the bed posts and was staring wide eyed right back at the girl.

It was only then did the little girl scream.

It had been a neighbor who had heard her screaming and came to see what happened. But the very moment she had seen the blood on the floor in the foyer, she ran back out and called for the ANBU, the law enforcers of Konoha City. She hadn't even gone upstairs to see who had screamed. And that was where they found the little girl. An ANBU officer had gone into the house to investigate and found the massacre in the master bed room. But more than less, he found a traumatized pink haired girl curled up in the corner, staring wide eyed at the head of her mother. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she just stared, muttering numbers. She kept counting to ten over and over again.

It had taken a while to get the little girl to tell them what happened. Almost a whole week of trying to talk to her. But after that while, she managed to tell them what she had seen and heard. She told them about the men.

Almost a month later, they found the killers. And they had not been the only ones that helped commit the terrible crimes against the girl's family, who were not the only victims. Numerous of people had been horribly killed by them and their band.

"Lord Orochimaru, Head of the White Snake Scientific Foundation," Said the judge of the trial after the one responsible had been caught. "You have been accused of committing murder, inhuman experiments on the people of Konoha City, supported sexual crimes and a very long list of other crimes. We have proof of your evil deeds and therefore you will be sentenced eight years to life in prison. Is there anything that you can say in your defense."

The accused, Orochimaru, stood in a black suit with his long black hair tied back, smiling as if he wasn't even worried about his sentence at all. He wasn't the best looking man but he wasn't the most hideous either. He actually had an elegant look about him, almost like a beautiful snake in a human's body. His skin was very rather pale but had a fair look to it. His eyes were an eerie yellow green and had a snake look to them. They were actually on the small pink haired nine year old curled up on a bench, clinging to the side of an ANBU named Kakashi Hatake, who had been the ANBU to find her in her house. Ever since that fateful day, he had been taking care of her. He hardly left her side, especially when she suffered from nightmares.

"Lord Orochimaru!" The judge said sharply getting the elegant pale man's attention. "Did you hear what I said?"

Orochimaru's thin lips curled into a creepy smile before he lift his head higher. He was actually looking very proud of what he had done and what was he was responsible for. He just let his long black bangs fall over his eerie eyes as they looked back at the pink haired girl, who curled up closer to a glaring Kakashi. "Yes, your honor. I heard you. And I do have something to say. What I have done, I've never been more proud of myself. All I was doing was studying the effects of Jushin, as you know is a voodooist religion, and as you know my partner in this horrific crime was a Jushin priest, which I have heard you have killed him. I learned quite a bit about the religion." He looked the terrified looking girl right in the eyes. "And I can guarantee it, I'm not completely done with the Haruno family. When given the chance, I will finish my research." He stated.

The girl shivered and buried her face into Kakashi's side, who wrapped a protective arm around her and glared even harder at Orochimaru. A few other people in the court room were on their feet, yelling threats and showing their complete out rage to the pale man, who only smiled his sadistic smile.

"Orochimaru, that kind of threat will only further your sentence. I do not want to hear that remark again. Do I make myself clear? Now, you will be spending your sentence in the Konoha Prison, heavily guarded. Whenever, or if, you have a Pre-hearing, you better have a better behavior than you have now." The judge said before slamming his gavel down to excuse the case.

Orochimaru chuckled a rather creepy laugh, making several people stop from getting up. They knew that if he was laughing like that, it wasn't good at all. It was like he had planned this entire thing out. Orochimaru just shook his head as he tilted his head and looked back at the pink haired girl. "Oh, it's not a threat, your honor. It's the plain truthful promise. You better watch my pretty little cherry blossom carefully. Make sure nothing happens to her. Because I can guarantee it. People who admire and worship my very work will not be happy that I have been placed into prison because of the girl. They will try and cause her harm. Even if I do not wish her any harm. Not yet." His head dipped down, allowing his hair to fall around his face. He looked almost too evil as he eyed the girl as if she was something to eat. He even licked his lips as if he was hungry for her flesh. "They will kill her. The Jushin will come after her because of the so called death of their Jushin priest. Protect her well. If anything happens to her, I will not be happy at all."

This only brought more rage from the audience. There were many shouts aimed at the tall, pale man, who was just smiling wickedly at the terrified pink haired girl, who clutched onto Kakashi.

The judge slammed his gavel down hard until everyone was sure he was about break it. "Order! Order! Officers! Get that sadistic monster out of my courtroom!" He ordered. The officers roughly grabbed Orochimaru's arms and pulled him towards the door to get him out. There were quite a few people looking ready to charge after them to kill the criminal but his eyes were only on the frightened child. "Goodbye, cherry blossom. We shall meet again when you're older." He said his farewell before he was yanked out of the court room.

The girl just shivered before clutching tightly onto Kakashi. She had never been so scared in her life. She knew that she was in grave danger.

Orochimaru's threats had shaken many people but he had been very serious about people trying to cause the girl harm. There had been many attempts on her life after that day in the court room. It seemed that Orochimaru in deed had quite a few followers and admirers who were not happy about his imprisonment. A few times, someone ran at her with a knife. If not for Kakashi always being with her, everyone was sure that she would have been assassinated or brutally murdered. It was when someone almost kidnapped her to kill her did the ANBU finally decide that it was time to place Sakura Haruno into the ANBU Protection Program to keep her alive until she was old enough to make sure Orochimaru stayed in prison for the rest of his life. And to make sure that the true killer of Mr. and Mrs. Haruno didn't finish his work on their daughter. For he had yet to be caught for his evil deeds.

Therefore, Sakura was moved away from Konoha City, moving place to place to find a place of protection. However, no matter where she went, danger always seemed to follow.