A/N: Now, here the real story begins. Again, sorry if there are some grammatical errors and if my vocabulary isn't so big.

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Chapter 6: First Tragedy

Sakura's P.O.V

I am now 18; being 18 means that you're one year closer to womanhood. It's a year of happiness and joy. Or at least, that's what it's supposed to be. My year as an 18-year-old is far from joyful. In fact, I wished that year would've never arrived.

It all started a month after my 18th birthday. My parents had left for a mission.

I was working at the hospital as usual. I was checking a patient that had gotten yesterday out of an operation. Suddenly, one of the nurses entered the room.

"Sakura-san!" the nurse cried.

"What is it?" I asked; wondering what the emergency could be.

"Is your parents; they are in a horrible shape." She said anxiously.

I couldn't think of anything else besides what had happened. I left the patient with the nurse and ran towards the emergency room where my parents were. There were 2 nurses and Tsunade entered with me at the same time. I looked at my parents. I gasped as I saw the horrible scene that lay before me. It wasn't the first time I had seen something like this but having my parents be the one was something different. I felt my blood and body turn cold by the second, my hands trembled of both fear and shock, my heart started racing, and I started feeling a bit nauseous.

Both my mother and father's face were barely recognizable with all the blood that covered them. Their skins were crimson, their faces had splats of blood in them, and their eyes were closed. Both of my parent's clothing had holes all over his body.

"Quickly! Take their clothes off!" Tsunade ordered.

The nurses stripped the fallen jounins. And then I saw, my mother's and father's bodies almost dismembered. Holes covered them, from their chest, to their arms, all the way towards their legs. Blood flowed from their sides, like a waterfall and down to the medic bed; turning the white sheets crimson. I could see as the holes could allow me to get a glimpse of the internal layer of their bodies. Some of their skin was peeled off; allowing me to see my parent's skin with a mixture of the colors pink, red and skin-color. My father's leg was twisted; the sinew was torn apart. My mother's arms were out of place and she had her shoulder dislocated and twisted. I could clearly see the bone outside and how it made a lump, creating a grotesque sight. My vision became blurry, because of the tears that filled my eyes as I saw my dying parents in the medic bed.

I saw Tsunade walk towards my father. I assumed she was going to try and save him. So, I rushed towards my mother. The image was even worse up-close. Keeping my head cool, I attended my mother. I looked at her mutilated body and harnessed my chakra. I started by healing what I could see from above. I healed her skin, her bruises and I positioned her shoulder to its place. Now, I had to work on her internal injuries. I harnessed all my chakra into my hands and started to try and heal her. The most important thing was to make the bleeding stop.

As I sweat and kept harnessing my chakra into my mother's body I noticed that the bleeding wasn't stopping and what I could see of her internal injuries were no different than before. I let out even more of my chakra, but nothing.

No…no…no…this can't happen…

I started to breath rapidly. My body started feeling anxious, my heartbeat increased and I felt a sense of frustration in me.

Come on…please…

Why won't it stop? Why won't the bleeding stop? Why won't the injuries heal? No! I can't be too late, she came here and Tsunade is here with me. No…no!

My eyes were welling with tears once more.

Mother…no…

I felt Tsunade's hand in my right shoulder. I looked at her. She shook her head.

"Sorry Sakura but…it's too late."

No…no...it wasn't. I just have to use more chakra.

"Sakura, is futile! You're only damaging yourself!" Tsunade cried.

"No! I'm going to save her! I have to! Dammit! Why won't the bleeding stop?! WHY?!!" I cried back.

"Sakura! Enough!" Tsunade said.

"NO!!" I cried, with tears falling down my cheeks. "Dammit! Stop bleeding! STOP!!"

Then I felt Tsunade's hands in top of mine.

"Sakura…she was dead ever since she arrived here; they both were" Tsunade said with soft and sorry voice.

"No…no…mom…dad…NO!!!" With that, I felt on her knees to the floor, and my crimson hands in my head and I started sobbing and crying. I felt my heart being strangled and twisted. I felt my stomach turned upside down; my body felt heavy. So heavy that I thought someone had dropped a boulder on me. I couldn't talk nor breathe. I laid my head down to the floor and rolled up into a ball with my hands in my belly and kept wailing. Tsunade kneeled beside me and laid her hand my head for comfort. But she knew she couldn't do anything. My parents were dead and…and never had a chance to save them.

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Today was the day of the funeral. Sakura was in her parent's house getting dressed. She wore a black dress. It had her neck naked and her collarbone as well; the sleeves were short and its length was up to her knees; her shoes were simple black flats. She tied her hair up into a ponytail. Sakura looked at herself in the mirror. Here eyes were swollen and she had eye sacks. Her parents had died yesterday. Sakura spend the whole day in her room weeping. She couldn't sleep because whenever she closed her eyes, images of her parent's mutilated bodies would invade her mind. All the blood, splattered everywhere in the bed, the holes in their bodies, their crimson skin and their pale faces…and she wasn't able to save them.

Sakura exited her room and saw Lilly right across the hallway. Lilly's dress was similar to Sakura's except that it was a bit longer and she had longer sleeves. She also had her hair tied up in a ponytail. Lilly looked at Sakura with sad eyes and they both went downstairs.

The funeral was kept small. Only the close friends and family came. The room had dim lights and had bouquets of white roses all over. You entered at the back and at front, laid the coffins of Sakura's parents; one laid at one extreme and the other was facing.

Sakura and Lilly sat at the front row; Lilly being at Sakura's right and Sasuke was at her left holding her hand. Both girls looked at their parent's coffins, hoping that this was a nightmare.

Everyone bowed at Sakura and Lilly, showing their respects for their grief: Hinata, Neji, Ino, Izumo, Kotetsu, etc.

Naruto walked towards Sakura. He looked at her.

"Sakura-chan?"

Sakura looked at him with melancholic eyes.

"I just wanted you to know that I'll always be here for you, all right? Don't forget that." Naruto said.

Sakura nodded in reply. Then, Naruto hugged her tightly and Sakura returned the hug. She burst into tears. She tightened her embrace; Naruto allowed her tears to flow into his shoulder. He closed his eyes as tears started to fill his eyes as well. It pained him to see his beloved sister-like figure suffering like this.

Sakura softly pulled away and turned to Sasuke. Sasuke hold her as she cried the last of tears in his chest. Sasuke's arms embraced her head as he would feel Sakura mumble her cries in his black shirt and soaking it with her tears.

Kakashi was in the far behind of the room. He watched as Sakura held onto Sasuke, crying her eyes out. It was hard to see Sakura like that. It pained him to see her cry. He wanted to comfort her but, what could he say? Tsunade had told him how it had happened; how Sakura saw her dead parents and how she blames herself for not being able to save them. Just by imagining Sakura's torn self at the moment she saw her dead parents, caused a knot in his throat. Sakura had gone through a lot and just when he thought that things would go smoothly for her, this tragedy occurs.

Sakura…

He walked towards the front row were Sakura was with Sasuke.

"Sakura…"

Sasuke pulled Sakura away softly. Sakura looked at Kakashi with tears still in her eyes.

It was even hard for him just to see one tear in her eyes. Seeing the cheerful Sakura with a sorrowful face, her bright smile turn into cries, her green, gleaming eyes red and swollen; it all crushed him inside. He would do anything, whatever it took to get that bright smile, those gleaming eyes and the cheerful face of hers back. Even if he had to give up his own life, he would gladly do it for her. He was willing to do the preposterous for her.

"Don't blame yourself Sakura. It wasn't your fault; it never was." He placed his hand on her head. Sakura hugged him as gratitude.

"Thank you." She said with a breaking voice.

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Only few people remained in the room. Lilly had already left. She said she needed to be alone for a while.

Neji and Hinata walked towards Sakura.

"We have to go now Sakura-chan." Hinata said.

Sakura nodded. "Thanks for coming." She gave them a fade grin; it hurt.

Hinata hugged Sakura. "I'll always be here if you need me."

Sakura returned the hug.

Neji hugged Sakura as well after Hinata pulled away. "If you ever need anything don't hesitate to come to me, al right?"

Sakura nodded. "Thanks."

The Hyuugas waved at them and exited the room.

Next were Kotetsu, and Izumo.

"Well, we better get going." Kotetsu said.

"You'll always have our backs if you ever need anything." Izumo added.

Sakura nodded with another painful fade grin. "Thank you."

They both exited. Following them was Ino.

Ino quickly hugged her best friend as tightly as possible. Sakura closed her eyes; she held her tears.

"Be strong Sakura. But, you can still count on me." Ino said grinning.

"Thanks Ino." Sakura replied.

Ino waved and departed.

"Sakura…" Kakashi said from behind. "We have to leave now. They are closing the place soon."

Sakura nodded. She walked up towards her parent's coffin. She saw how peaceful they looked, as if nothing had ever happened to them. As if they had never experienced the pain they did before they took their last breath. Their faces looked as if they were dreaming; sleeping soundly in a deep slumber. A single tear rolled down her face. She swallowed and turned. There she saw Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke waiting for her at the door. It comforted her to see them. She knew that even if her parent's had died, she still had her teammates, her friends and her sister to be with her. She wasn't alone.

Sakura walked towards them. She looked behind at her deceased parents and with that, she closed the door.

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Naruto and Kakashi had already left to their apartments. Sasuke stayed to walk Sakura home. Sakura had decided to live with Lilly in her parent's house. It was better of they stayed together after this tragedy.

Sasuke stopped at Sakura's porch. He cupped her chin and had her eyes meet his. He saw how Sakura's eyes had lost their shine. They were opaque now and swollen.

"Sakura…" With that, he kissed her. Again, Sasuke had the same desire he always did. He wanted Sakura. But he knew this wasn't the moment. Sakura was in sorrow and if she didn't want to before, it was out of the question that she wouldn't do it now; so he pulled away slowly, though reluctantly.

Sakura caressed his face and embraced him and asked him the same question as always.

"I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"Yes." Sasuke replied returning the embrace.

Sakura felt his warm and strong arms around her. Being like this with him was all the comfort she needed. Feeling his chest against her, warming her, feeling his heartbeat; that's all she wanted at the moment.

Sakura closed her eyes and rested her head against Sasuke's chest. She wished that moment didn't end. She knew that once she rested her head in her pillow, nightmares of her parent's would fill her mind; haunting her. If only this was just a nightmare; she hoped that once she went to sleep, at morning she was going to her parent's voices at the kitchen; her mother cooking breakfast, her father hearing the radio and Lilly taking her usual morning bath. Everything going back to normal like it should. If only…but, it was far from being. And it hurt Sakura to admit it. A tear rolled down her face and she sobbed. She was right though, this was a nightmare; but it was real.

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A/N: I tried making this chapter very sad. It was harder than I thought actually but hopefully, it went well. Please review and tell me what you think in how I projected this tragedy. Now, I do hope chapter 7 turns out the way I imagined it. I'm guessing it'll be a bit tougher but I'll try my best.