"Sakura, sweetie, I'm sorry, but we have to go," Mebuki said somberly, kneeling in front of her crying daughter. The last thing Sakura wanted was for her parents to leave. She didn't want to be in this stupid house all by herself again! Being alone meant having someone to babysit her, and as of late, she'd only had crappy babysitters. Kakashi was always so loud, looking after her and dragging her around to the park. Iruka was too serious, and he never let her play when she wanted to. And Mizuki… oh, don't even get her started on Mizuki. She just wanted her parents there.

"No! You just don't want to stay!" The young girl screeched, pushing her mother away and crossing her arms. "You don't care to stay with me! I'm supposed to be your daughter! Nothing's more important than me, and you should know that!" She stomped her feet. She just wanted her parents to stay. Was that too much to ask?

"Sakura," Kizashi said firmly, kneeling beside his wife. "My little cherry blossom," he continued, affectionately placing a hand on her head to ruffle her hair. "Mama and papa love you; you know that, right?"

"No," Sakura replied grumpily. "You don't." She huffed and turned her head away from him, turning her nose at him.

"Yes, we do," Mebuki reassured. "Papa and I will always love you. We're going to fight because we love you. Nothing will ever change that, Sakura. Nothing." He reached up and unclasped the necklace that he was wearing; it was a cherry blossom pendant with a single petal coloured differently than the others. With some grumbling from his daughter, he managed to slip it over her head for her to wear.

"No. Just go. You don't love me at all," the little girl griped, struggling to pull the necklace off over her head, angrily tossing it at the wall. "I hate you!" She screamed before running down the hall in tears, slamming the door to her room behind her.

Mebuki sighed, rubbing her temples. "We have to get going," she said somberly. "I hate having to leave her like this."

"She'll be fine—Sakura's strong-willed. Trust me, I'm sure we'll come home to her and Iruka having baked us a bunch of goods, and she'll walk up with the plate and apologize until we forgive her," he added with a laugh.

And with that, they were off, headed toward the battlefield to fight for the sake of their village.

A fight they would never return from.

A knock at the door alerted the young girl's attention, drawing her out of her studies. Iruka had left her for a few hours on her own, giving her time to study until her parents returned; things were quiet, but Sakura was sure she knew who it was. Her parents liked to knock at the door and wait for her to answer, eager to have their daughter leap into their arms upon their return.

Tiny feet raced down the hallway in the direction of the door, practically leaping at the doorknob to open it, a bright smile plastered across her face. She was met by a sombre-looking man: Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. He was older and retired; he didn't even take on missions any longer, but with the Fourth Hokage out fighting on the front lines, Kizashi put him in charge of the village in his absence.

"Sakura," he greeted sombrely, a sad look on his face.

"Lord Third? What is it?" Sakura asked curiously, beckoning him in. "Are mama and papa back? Did Mister Iruka send you to look after me so he could talk with them?" She didn't mind Hiruzen's presence most of the time; he was old, but he was wise and always had great stories to tell.

Hiruzen gave the girl a soft smile. "No, Iruka didn't send me. Come on. I have something to tell you." At those words, Sakura brightened; she was sure that it was another one of his grand stories. She loved hearing them! They were especially good when he decided to do funny voices to describe them. The more stories, the better.

"Okay!" She said brightly, rushing him in the direction of the living room. She was sure mama and papa would be home soon. Papa probably had something to take care of at the Hokage's office, so he'd sent Hiruzen to check on her, knowing Sakura always got along with him. He was sort of like a grandfather to her, in a sense.

"Come, sit," he beckoned, patting the couch beside him as he took a seat. Sakura followed as commanded, climbing up and plopping herself down next to him. He was quiet for a while, enough that Sakura slowly began to catch on, feeling a bottomless pit in her stomach.

"I'm…. I'm sorry to tell you this, Sakura. There is no easy way to say it, but… Your mother and your father won't be coming home," he explained, doing his best to hold back tears. He was a ninja; ninjas weren't supposed to cry, as enemies could take advantage of their emotions.

"Won't be coming home?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side curiously. "What do you mean? Are they stuck? Are they going to be longer than they said they were?" Oh, she felt terrible already. They'd left things on a very sour note before leaving, and Sakura had been waiting days to apologize.

"No, Sakura, I mean… your parents, they–they made the ultimate sacrifice," he began, wishing he didn't have to do this. He wished that she was older, that she was at an age that she would understand. Kids didn't always understand what would happen or how their lives would change when faced with this sort of news, shinobi family or otherwise.

Sakura felt her heart drop. Her face went pale, and she could feel her eyes welling with tears. "They... you mean..."

"Yes, Sakura," Hiruzen confirmed, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Apologies were the only thing he could offer. That, and the promise he'd made to Kizashi. He'd promised that if anything happened to them, he would look after Sakura to the best of his ability. That he would ensure Sakura grew up to be a good person, that she did well, everything he possibly could.

"No… they can't be… you're lying," she said through tears, backing away from him and shaking her head. "Mama… papa… no, they can't be, not… no…" Sakura couldn't understand the things she was feeling. Her chest felt tight, and her heart felt heavy. She felt like she couldn't breathe, like there was a sudden weight on her shoulders, pulling her down; despite knowing it was warm inside her house, her whole body felt cold. She felt shaky, and she could feel the wetness of tears on her face.

He was lying. He had to be. This had to be a horrible dream. Turning and taking off at a run, Sakura went to where she'd tossed her father's necklace a few days earlier; she hadn't had the heart to pick it up since then. Grasping it, she ran to the door and fumbled to slip her shoes on, running outside as Hiruzen called after her.

"Sakura, wait, please!" He said, scrambling to keep up with the little girl. Sakura took off faster than he'd expected, disappearing down the street as the rain soaked through her clothes. She ran in the only direction she knew would have answers: the Hokage's office. Her father had to be there. He had to be! She ran faster and faster, her feet carrying her as quickly as they could; the stairs up the main building were slippery from the rain, and she almost lost her footing a few times.

She threw open the door, finding a few people she recognized: they were members of the council, heads of clans… the kind of people one would assemble if the decision to appoint a new Hokage were necessary. She stared at all of them for a moment, backing away with a frantic expression as she raced back down the stairs.

"Mama! Papa!" She called to nowhere in particular, running to other places she knew her parents frequented. She continued to call for them, finally dragging herself in the direction of the training grounds. Over and over, she called for them, yelling until she could feel her voice going hoarse. Her tone became desperate, filled with fear, sadness, and anxiety. They couldn't be dead. Their fight couldn't have been the last time she'd ever speak to them. She still had to apologize to them! She still had to say sorry!

The young girl wandered through the training grounds, looking around and around and around. She didn't even know where she was anymore; she was just running, and running, and running until she found something. She eventually found herself at a small grove of bushes, crawling underneath them in an attempt to escape the rain. What was she going to do? Her chance to apologize to them was gone. It was never coming back. She would never see them again.

She pulled her knees up to her chest, sobbing and crying uncontrollably.

Sasuke was running an errand for his mother when he saw droves of shinobi headed in the direction of the Hokage's office. He'd been asked by his mother to drop off some dinner for his father; apparently, there was a meeting his father was required to attend, something essential and something he'd be there for a while for.

Sasuke made his way to the Hokage's office with a bento box in hand, seeing those same shinobi heading the same direction; he was curious as to why they seemed so frantic. As he approached the doors, his father stepped out, giving the nod to his youngest son.

"Sasuke?" He asked curiously.

"Mother sent me," he said with a smile, handing out the bento box before looking around. "What's with all the commotion? Is something the matter?"

His father took the bento box, sighing. "Something like that. Could you keep an eye out for Lord Fourth's daughter? She was here earlier, but…" His father's expression turned sombre.

"Father? What happened?" Young as he was, Sasuke was wise for his years; he had to be, given he was the heir to the Uchiha clan.

"Lord Fourth and his wife–her parents–were killed on the battlefield." Fugaku knew there was no easy way to say it. His son would understand. He recalled Sasuke mentioning he was friends, or at the very least acquaintances, with Sakura. If there was anything he knew about loss, support from those around you was a necessity. He just hoped his son understood that, too.

"Oh…. I see," Sasuke replied sadly. "I'll… keep an eye out for her, then. Mother said to take as long as you would need and that if you have time to stop in, she'll have pre-packed food ready for you." Nodding and bidding his father farewell, Sasuke continued glumly down the stairs, thinking about his father's words. Sakura had just lost her parents… and from the unrest he was catching from shinobi passing by him, especially the sheer number of them… it sounded like Sakura might be missing.

He couldn't blame her. News like that couldn't be easy to swallow. He may not have known precisely what she was going through, but he knew enough. If no one else could find her… he had to help. He tried to think. Where would a girl who wanted to hide from everyone go? Somewhere quiet, secluded…

The training grounds. There were plenty of secluded hiding spaces there; Sasuke even knew a few of them. He took off into the trees, hoping his mother wouldn't be upset that he was taking longer than she might have expected. A friend in need was a friend in need… and although he didn't know Sakura very well, deep down, a part of him wanted to.

He searched for a while, keeping his senses sharp until he finally heard something. He could hear soft sobbing coming from a pack of bushes. No wonder she would have hidden there; it would have been sheltered from the rain. He was blessed to at least have his raincoat with him.

"There you are," he said. Sakura's sobbing had lightened the moment she heard him, trying to hide where she was, but it seemed to be no use. She recognized that voice… Sasuke, the heir to the Uchiha clan and the most popular boy in her Academy class. With a tear-stained gaze, she looked up at him, sniffling and wiping at her face. His heart wrenched to see her like this; Sakura was always so happy, smiling, and full of energy.

Seeing she was soaking wet from the rain, he took his coat off and wrapped it over her shoulders, sitting next to her. It was nice and dry under the bushes so that he wouldn't need his jacket for the time being.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked through tears and sniffles. What did Sasuke of all people want with her? And how had he managed to find her? She thought nobody knew where this was; the ninja of the village hadn't even managed to find her yet.

"Don't worry about it," he said cheerily, digging into his bag and pulling out a chocolate bar. He opened it and held it out to her. "Here," he offered.

"I'm not hungry," Sakura replied with a shake of her head. He still hadn't answered her question, but she was too tired to ask him again. He kept the chocolate bar offered for a few more seconds until she eventually gave in and took a small bite. The chocolate was good; it helped to relax her a little and calm her mood.

"Sakura…. Can I tell you something?" Sasuke asked. He wasn't sure where to go with this, but… well, he'd find a way.

"Yeah… Sure," she replied, stifling a few shaky breaths.

"Whatever you need, you can ask me, okay? I know maybe we don't know each other well, but I want to be your friend. Anything you need, just ask me. No matter what." He wasn't going to bring up her parents; he had a feeling she knew he'd figured it out. He just wanted to be there for her. He wanted her to see that she wasn't alone, no matter how much it felt that way.

Sakura was surprised by his offer; they barely knew each other, yet he comforted her. She didn't even know how to respond, only managing a nod. She was quiet for a few moments, trying to compose herself as best she could before the tears started again.

"They're not coming home," she said tearfully, a sob and sniffle coming from her. The tears started again, and all she could manage were incoherent apologies to no one in particular. Apologies she'd wanted to say to her parents, things that she wanted to make up for. Sasuke watched this happen, seeing her crumbling under the weight of her loss; he reached his arms around her, giving her the biggest hug he could manage.

"It's okay, Sakura. You won't be alone. I'll make sure of it, okay?" His big, warm heart was breaking for her, seeing her like this. It was a promise he'd take to his grave. No matter what, he'd look out for Sakura. He'd make sure she knew that she'd never be alone.