Title: Psychotic
Date: February 7, 2011
Summary: Haruno Sakura had not only gone Rogue…She'd gone crazy as well.
Rating: M
Themes: Horror/Mystery/Psycho Thriller

Psychotic

...prologue...

The smell of death permeated the oppressive air as the diffused bulbs above flickered periodically along the narrow corridor. The distinct drip-drip-drip of heavy liquid echoed in the silence urging the shadows lurking in the dark to quicken their noiseless pace. The soft rustling of fabric joined with the brief flashes of terracotta masks against the dim lighting, were the only signs of living presences in the seemingly abandoned base.

However, the darkened trail of crimson, smeared grotesquely along the walls and concrete floors gave reason for the newcomers to continue their wary investigation.

Stepping nimbly past variously sized puddles of blood, a single, cloaked figure crept along the corridor, muscles tensed with caution, darkened eyes narrowed calculatingly as his swift form reached the end of the hall, crouching low before peering around the corner for any threats. Gloved hand rose when he deemed it clear, the silent gesture prompting two other shadowed silhouettes to accompany him, similarly dressed and equally as quiet.

Quickly assessing their surroundings, the leading figure held two fingers up, pointed down the hallway ahead indicating their next destination, and earned two understanding nods from his companions. After a deep breath, resisting the urge to gag from the sickening smell of death, he rapidly rounded the corner and followed the blood trails further into the compound, heart pounding in his chest as an anxiety began to uncharacteristically tighten his shoulders and spine. Wordlessly, his two comrades followed after him at two-second intervals, coming to a careful halt when they reached the set of double doors at the end of their path.

A few more hand gestures and the leader was crouched against the right door, his companions also stooped across from him – he noticed that the smallest was armed with a kunai while the tallest was equipped with a scythe-like weapon. He removed his own kunai in readiness, slowly rising from his crouch to peek through the dirtied window of the entryway.

However, before he could look through the hazy glass, a splattering of blood streaked across the clear partition, causing his eyes to widen in alarm, swearing he could see dark eyes connect straight through his – accompanied with a wild, knowing look – before he ducked back down, catching his breath from the startle.

"Shikamaru?" A whisper, almost too soft to hear, but the worry was obvious.

He looked back up, and even through the slight obstruction of both their masks, Shikamaru could easily recognize the bright emerald irises across from him. Immediately, his professional countenance as a leader – and an ANBU leader at that – returned, and he dismissed her worry with a shake of his head. Instead, he pointed at the double doors beside them, eyes dark with foreboding.

"…There's someone in there."

His companions' shoulders tensed in response.

"How many?" The tallest asked, voice gruff and hand tightening around his weapon.

Shikamaru shook his head, "I don't know. I didn't have enough time to get a full assessment."

"Plan?" The feminine tenor pressed.

Shikamaru took several seconds to look at the floor, mind whirring with possible scenarios; he looked up and shifted in preparation, "…I open the door and use my Shadow Binding Technique to immobilize any enemies. You two make quick work of dealing the final blows while I keep them in place. Takashi, make sure that our blind spots are covered; Sakura, keep a look out for any injured."

His comrades nodded, "Understood."

What was only seconds seemed like hours as Shikamaru waited to give the signal for their forced entry, his ear pressed against the door, waiting to hear the slightest of noises or movement that could help him discern where he could expect his targets. A shiver racked his body – almost as if he could feel a lone finger running along his back – but he tightened his jaw and the firm hold he kept on his kunai.

Shikamaru's sign was a soft, feminine – decidedly amused – giggle before he stood and kicked open the doors, narrowed eyes already shifting around the room as Takashi and Sakura hastily followed him inside.

All three stopped in their tracks.

The entire room was filled with bodies. Blood was everywhere. The Shadow-User's gaze darted around, taking in the multiple corpses hanging from the ceilings, some stripped bare and flayed from their skin; others were laid out on tables surrounded by various torture devices. His peripherals could see his female comrade take a shuddering, incredulous step forward, that single step causing a wet squelch under her boot that made even Takashi retch uncomfortably.

"…Another massacre…" The woman whispered, body shivering, "…Who…Who could do this…? Why?"

Shikamaru remained silent, his eyes narrowing once again to assess the room, trying his best to ignore the mutilated bodies, noticing that the space was completely enclosed: no windows, no doors, and no escape. What happened to the person that he swore he saw through the blood-stained window? Who owned the giggle he heard that prompted him to enter the room?

"…No survivors…" Sakura observed softly, her emerald eyes analytical and still containing fractions of disgust and disbelief, "Killed by various means…Torture, asphyxiation, beheading…"

"I thought you said someone was in here, Nara," Takahashi pointed out warily.

"There was," Shikamaru grunted, erasing doubt – he was sure there had been a living presence in the blood-drenched room, "…Keep on your toes, they can still be around."

Sakura's head suddenly whipped around, her gaze directed past the double-doorway they had just entered through, kunai knife raised protectively, "Did you two hear that?"

"Hear what?" Takashi grumbled as he followed her stare, though his taut form betrayed his uneasiness.

Shikamaru could imagine her pink brows furrowing under her feline-decorated mask, "…Footsteps."

Silence once again reigned over the death-filled room, the three shinobi concentrating intently on picking up the slightest of noises. True to Sakura's word the slow yet steady rhythm of steps against the concrete floors bounced hauntingly off the grey walls of the corridors they had just traveled through.

The initial pacing of the steps was measured, languid even, the sound echoing ominously, moving closer and closer.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

The Nara could feel his body coil in preparation, three pairs of eyes unwaveringly trained on the empty hallway, bulbs flickering on the ceiling, waiting for the approaching figure to veer the corner and reveal itself.

The footsteps stopped.

Squeak.

Sakura and Takashi shifted uneasily at the loud sound, perturbed as they compared the noise to footwear sliding against floor, as if spinning on their heel in a one-hundred eighty degree turn.

Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap.

The steps had quickened into a run, continuing to echo yet fading away with increasing distance.

"They're retreating!" Takashi hissed, his body already moving forward in a gesture to follow.

Shikamaru's mind was already processing, stare assessing the room hastily, making sure that the double-doors leading to the lone hallway was the only entrance – that indeed no other doorways or windows were present to allow for any exits or forms of entry. Finding nothing, he connected his sharp gaze with narrowed emerald.

"Stay here, Sakura," The order was both commanding yet slightly reluctant to leave her alone, "Find any clues that could be useful for the investigation and contact us via radio if anything happens. Anything."

After a quick nod of comprehension from the ANBU Medic, Shikamaru and Takashi speedily took off down the hallway in pursuit of the fleeing individual.

"You sure we should leave her alone?" Takashi inquired gruffly as they followed the winding path towards the entrance of the compound, blood trail still prominent on the ground, "We don't know what the hell we're dealing with, kid. These massacres have been going on for weeks, and if whoever's doing this can take out an entire room-full of shinobi, they can certainly take down a single kunoichi."

"…Haruno Sakura can take care of herself," Shikamaru answered, though his tone was colored with underlying concern for the comrade he ordered to stay behind, "Besides, we need fresh evidence from those deaths and, as the Medic, she's qualified to get it done. If she needs help, she'll call for it."

"This is her first ANBU S-Ranked Mission!" Takeshi retorted, "I know that recruitment into the Black Ops is to possess the required ability to remain level-headed in tough situations, but to leave her alone…"

Shikamaru remained silent, although his brows did furrow with the blatantly stated facts.

Takashi opened his mouth to continue, only to be interrupted by a resounding SLAM – metal violently impacting concrete – veering a corner into a portion of the compound they had yet to investigate and witnessing just in time as a heavy door slammed closed, back into place.

Both shinobi slowed to a cautious stop, their armed hands raised higher in a wary stance as they both crept towards the bulky, metal door. Unlike the double-doors they had encountered before, this one lacked windows to see beyond and was too thick to distinguish any indicators of noise made by movement within.

"What now?" Takashi whispered urgently, "We can't just go barging in. It could be a trap!"

Shikamaru's brows furrowed with intense thought, "We can–"

Tap. Tap.

The two men jerked away from the door, the soft noise having emitted from the other side of the barricade, as if mocking – knowing that they were on the other side planning their strategy.

"What the fuck is going on?" Takashi cursed as he and Shikamaru began to take steps away from the door, equipped hands raised defensively while they watched with growing uneasiness as the entryway began to slowly open.

Creak.

Horrified, they stared as a puddle of blood began to seep from where the door was cracked, flowing towards them in a slow miniature river of crimson.

A pale hand emerged, followed by a head topped with long, mussed, ebony hair, maniac grin wide and dark eyes feral.

"Have you come to join our fun…?" She inquired, bending down to run a finger through the blood at her pale feet; she brought the red-stained digit to her lips, painting over them like gloss; her grin widened further, "Have you come to join the dead?"

Shikamaru's heart was pounding painfully in his chest as he watched the young woman rise from her crouch and step towards them, nimble on her feet as if she were wading through water than in thick blood, "Who are you? Why have you done this?"

Instantly after his forceful inquiry, Shikamaru's left earpiece cackled to life, his female comrade's voice filtering loudly through the static, laced with panic, "Shikamaru…!"

Before the Shadow-User could respond, the grinning woman moved with remarkable speed, stopping just inches from Shikamaru and Takashi, familiar, amused giggle escaping her blood-painted lips.

"Who we are doesn't matter. But we freed those souls…Because we enjoy doing it…Because it's so much fun."

The lights above died instantly, flooding the corridor in complete darkness.

Shikamaru cursed. Takashi cried out in alarm.

Haruno Sakura's agonized scream reverberated throughout the Base.

A/N: I know, I know, another new story, but for some reason, I've really been into the Horror genre lately. I'm just putting the first chapter up to remind me to continue this. It's not going to be very long, just 15 Chapters, separated into 3 Arcs: The Paranoia, The Imprisonment, and The Retaliation. Let me know what you think so far! AND Shikamaru plays a bigger part in this, a lot of the Rookie Nine and Team Gai are a part of this story, letting them in on the horrific fun as opposed to The Curse. Please leave feedback! And this may even be darker than The Curse, just to warn you. A little more suspenseful and bloody...

A big THANK YOU, to Joy-girl for beta-ing this for me, she is AWESOME! And check out her story Somewhere Only We Know, so very heartfelt and cute! Leave her feedback, it helps us writers for future projects and we appreciate it immensely!

Also, check out the SasuSaku Community on LiveJournal. I've signed up for SasuSaku Month in July so check it out for a shitload of SasuSaku-ness in the month of July or even sign up yourself to submit! Looking forward to it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Company...Just the Plot!

Next Chapter: Hopefully sometime soon...

PLEASE CHECK OUT MY OTHER FICTIONS TOO! AND I APPRECIATE YOU READING AND REVIEWING! HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Len83