WARNING: Angst and gore.
Also, take note that this isn't in chronological order.
(You've been warned)
Ino stood frozen at the side of the bush. She couldn't tell whether the chill and hotness she felt over her body was natural or not. All she knew was that, it was the first time she ever witnessed such a gruesome sight, even more so than when her own team had seen the monster from Suna crush people with his sand.
The sight of Sakuya's blooded appearance, with her hands on a kunoichi's bloody neck, terrified her beyond belief. She could hardly believe that Sakura's twin sister – with that same face – had dug her fingers to the girl's neck until blood spurted them both. The strangled sounds she heard sickened her.
It wasn't until Ino heard the renewed screams of the kunoichi as Sakuya grabbed the girl's arm and stepped on her shoulders that she realized that Sakuya – not Sakura! – just ripped a handful of flesh from the girl's body. She could clearly see the sinewy flesh stretch away from the kunoichi's arm - a sound-nin, Ino noticed, as her blood gushed to the ground and Ino hears the sharp shriek and scream of the girl.
Ino never understood the occasional fear that Sakura expressed whenever she'd seen her twin back when they were still in the academy. Sakuya, as far as Ino had known, was a polite girl. She was kind and considerate to people around her and seemed to be friendly to everyone and anyone. As one of the talented kunoichis of their class, Sakuya was considered very humble.
As Ino observes Sakuya's lack of care when the kunoichi drew blood, scratching the skin of Sakuya's arms as she pulled off a chunk of flesh, Ino tasted bile from her throat, to her tongue and puked.
When Sakuya looked into Ino's eyes after the sound-nin fainted – or died – the messy blob of flesh still clutched in her hand, Ino registers the strange, gentle smile on Sakuya's blood-stained face and asked herself how she ever thought Sakuya to be normal.
Team Seven never says a word about what happened in the hospital. Sakura is deeply thankful for it. Until Naruto makes her want to hide into a hole.
"Sakuya-" he starts, glancing her way, looking a little hesitant. "She's really scary huh?"
Sakura grows quiet.
It takes her a while to say something.
"I don't want to talk about it."
She wished Naruto never said anything.
"But she-!" Naruto shouts, outraged.
"She slapped you in the face Sakura-chan! How could she do that to you?"
Sakura flinches and looks away. She doesn't want to be reminded of her sister's cold look, doesn't want to be reminded how her cheeks stung and how her sister, who never really hurt her physically, for once, didn't mind hurting her in front of her teammates.
"Just stop Nar-"
"I mean, isn't family supposed to love each other? Why would she hurt you when you just got hurt from Gaara? You're her sister, why would she-"
"STOP IT NARUTO!" Sakura reddens at the effort.
It was the first time she shouted with such force but she doesn't think much about it as her tears threatened to fall.
She runs, doesn't hear her team call out to her and just hoped that their sensei didn't see the tears that flow down her cheeks.
Sakura never wanted to think about it.
It hurt.
Because yes, a family was supposed to love one another.
She doesn't know why her sister hates her so much. She doesn't know what she ever did to make her sister hurt her so much. She realizes with horror how she doesn't know all that much about her sister despite being family.
So she closes her eyes and tries to remember. Sakura remembers, with difficulty, the face of her sister when she truly smiles. Remembers how red her face becomes when she laughed. Remembered the soft voice when Sakuya helped her sleep, singing a lullaby when she couldn't.
Sakura thinks it must have been because of her. She must have done something without her knowing.
With such assumption, even when Sakuya tells her all the horrible things she doesn't want to hear, Sakura couldn't blame Sakuya.
It takes painful years for Sakura to accept that her sister was never gonna come back.
Sakuya grabs the back of Ami's neck and kisses her softly. As soon as their lips touch, she pulls away, looking at Ami's expression.
She laughs.
"Don't look so scared. I just wanted to know how it feels like."
"Sakuya, you-" Ami stops at Sakuya's expression.
Sakuya leaves like nothing ever happened.
Ami knows better than to make a meaning to what Sakuya had done.
Sakuya was, in every sense of the word, horrible, but she was never one to lie. Not with something like this.
Ami looks up at the tranquil sky and frowns.
With a clenched hand, she turns to follow Sakuya and pretends.
Everything's still alright.
Naruto had always thought that the Haruno twins were really pretty.
When he sees one of the twins talk with a girl with purple hair then slaps her enough for the girl to fall back to the ground, he's startled and confused. When the girl with pink hair starts hurting herself and suddenly cried, calling to their sensei, Naruto doesn't really get it but he felt his hair stand on end. He decides that the green-eyed girl was scary and runs away from the academy grounds.
Naruto takes no notice when he forgets the irrational fear he'd felt when he'd seen Sakuya – he later learns, do… whatever it was she'd done.
A few years later, he remembers and hesitates to tell his teammates.
Up until the hospital, Sasuke didn't pay much attention to his teammates, Sakura or her sister for that matter. He simply couldn't care less about Sakura's sibling.
Now, he most certainly did.
It was impossible not to.
He notices how rigid Sakura becomes whenever her twin comes close. Notices how Sakura would shift a little close to him, Naruto, or Kakashi whenever Sakuya comes to greet and talk.
It never occurred to him that Sakura, shy, bashful and quiet had issues when it comes to family. He always saw her as the innocent one of their team.
He doesn't notice when exactly he began to take the initiative to move closer to the only girl in his team whenever a certain twin comes their way and doesn't really think through with it when he realizes.
He just continued shielding his teammate.
AN: I'm not sure where I'm going with this but I just wrote whatever that came to mind. This is darker that anything I've ever written so I apologize if it's too much.
NOT EDITED.