Memoirs of Sakura

Chapter 3: Orphan

"Grief is like the ocean; it comes in waves, ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn how to swim." by Vicki Harrison

Recap: *KABOOM* Sakura pulls all of her muscles to move backward.. And sees her house explode in a maelstrom of flames. Her hair sways back and forth, and her face is stained with soot, but all she can think of is.

'My parents are still in there..'

Without saying (thinking) another word, Sakura pole vaults into her house with a pipe that was on the ground because of the explosion. The house is splattered with flames everywhere like a four year old's masterpiece, except that it was a very dangerous painting.

{Sakura! You must stop this instant! The house is about to collapse!}

'I don't care! My parents... What's the point of training to be a ninja if I can't save my parents!'

[Have to agree with Outer on this one. It doesn't matter if we have to go through hellfire or high water, we're gonna at least get their corpses.]

{You bunch of stubborn fools! Haa, ok if it's going to be that way.. Sakura, your going to have to walk on the ceiling. I don't know why the floor hasn't collapsed on you yet, its about to crack any second.}

'Walk on the ceiling??! How do I do that?!'

{It's a chakra control exercise. Although usually you just use your feet, we don't have time for that! Use your hands and feet an put chakra in them. It has to be just the right amount or it won't stick to the ceiling.}

'Ok, I'll try it!'

[I'll help too!]

Sakura places her hands on the wall, calling forth her chakra to rush in a steady stream. She imagines it taking a suction like form and sticking to the wall. To her surprise, she got it on her first try even though it was with Inner's help.

{Sakura! You have to hurry, the floor is about to collapse!}

When she heard Navi say that she hurriedly shimmed up the wall and onto the ceiling, not a moment too soon. The second-level floor cracked apart falling into a fiery inferno. After taking a relived sigh, Navi starts talking.

{Your parents are currently trapped in the kitchen on the third floor. Your going to have to make a hole in the wall above you as the stairs collapsed. After that-}

[She just has to go down the corridor to the kitchen, no biggie.. But, how are we supposed to blow a hole through the ceiling!]

{As I going to say, she has to channel chakra into her fist to get a chakra enchased punch, if you two work together, it will probably work.}

'Probably?!'

{It's the best shot we have, now start!}

'Ok.'

{Imagine congregating chakra in your fist and like a volcano, releasing it in an instant!}

Sakura and Inner did just that, imagining a volcano. However, it didn't work the first time.

'What's wrong with it?!'

{Have patience, calm down, and focus on it fully!}

Sakura and Inner were close this time, but Sakura collapsed into a coughing fit. This caused Sakura to fall down a few inches, but Inner saved them day and stopped them from falling completely. Now, Sakura was dangling down on the tip of her tippy toes to keep from falling.

{Are you two alright??!}

[We're fine! Outer needs to get out of here fast though, her lungs are too undeveloped for all the smoke!]

{Sakura, can you try for one more punch? There are windows on the third floor that we can break to get the smoke out. Plus, your parents are in the kitchen.}

'Y-yeah, I think I can do this. No, I have to!'

{Okay, let's do it!}

Sakura takes a big, deep, breath even if it means inhaling smoke, and shouts..!

"Sharrano!!" 

She and Inner explode there chakra out in a violent manner, giving Sakura's hands chakra burns, but they blew a hole in the ceiling!

'I'm... okay.... We have to.. get to our parents!'

{Sakura, you need to break the windows now!!}

'Need.. to.. get.. to.. mama.. and.. papa..!'

{Sakura! What are you doing!!!}

Sakura breaks out in to an all out run, not even bothering to stand up on her legs, just running like an animal. When she gets there isn't any dramatic logs of fire falling down on them or Sakura's parents being consumed by a pillar of fire. No, they were dead long before the fire. All of this was just to destroy evidence. Not that Sakura knew that at the time.

But, one things for sure, she knew they were dead.

"MAMA!!!! PAPA!!! No.... *bawling*"

With the realization that her parents were dead, Sakura's body quit on her. The shock was too great. The only reason her body didn't quit out on her earlier was because of willpower. In the end, she's a nine year old who inhaled too much smoke. However, Inner, her subconscious, her other soul, remembered everything; 

"Two civilians dead, at approximately 1500 hours. Signs of foul play, most likely killed before the fire. However, there too burned to make out any evidence."

"Hey, Inu! I found an Academy student in the rubble based on her chakra!"

"Take her to the hospital!" 

After that it truly went blank even for Inner.