Ruby Rain & Sapphire Roses
By SMYGO4EVA
The silence said it all. It was the anniversary of Kinomoto Nadeshiko's death; the very day that Sakura had her mother taken away from her, when she barely even remembered her. She was three years old. She knew that it wasn't her fault, but there was always a sense of guilt deep in her very soul. Every morning, on the kitchen table there was a picture of her mother and Sakura always made an effort to greet it every morning, even today.
After the pleasantries of celebrating Nadeshiko's life and remembering her memory concluded, Sakura decided to clear her head and go for a walk, so the silence around her would fade away. There was a nearby park close to the Kinomoto household, so she didn't have to worry. It wasn't just the quietness that disturbed her, especially at the brink of night, it was the impending questions surrounding her psyche. So many feelings of suspicion and curiosity, such confusion.
She continued to stroll in the hollow forest, the chiully air slithering and billowing through the leaves. Her eyes changed course in the path of intended travel to find an endless road of flowers, vibrant even in the dark, centering her inside the sidewalk. It was strange; Sakura found herself allured by the set path. It was as if the flowers were tempting her to walk in the very crosswalk. Her emerald eyes thinned, but she kept walking forward, seeing the flowers allow themselves to be caressed by the wind, motioning her to the unknown direction.
After a few short distances, Sakura stopped in her tracks, her eyes falling upon the chosen lead of the path. It was a rose bush, but the color wasn't red or burgundy. They were blue. Sapphire blue, and shimmering brightly even in the dead of night. It was as if the moon embedded its own glow into the petals of the newborn color, mystery ever-present. Sakura found herself speechless, dazzled by their beauty. Never had she seen such miraculous brilliance with sapphire vibrance, ever.
She cautiously walked toward the luminous presentation, in case it was of foreboding presence and aura, and she kneeled down to gaze into the oceanic color. Her mouth opened slightly, still stirred by the dazzling glow, in deep curiosity of its origins. Ever the wonder of all natural plantation, Sakura subsconsciously let one hand reach out to trail her finger among the soft petals, the texture tantalizing to her senses.
She intently shuddered at a stray memory, one of nostalgia burning through and through. Her mother used to love roses, all colors and all kinds. Everyone knew that roses symbolized love, but roses dripped with oceanic water were ones of mystery and promise.
"Sakura…"
The namesake whipped her head around, her eyes searching for the source of the voice. No one was there but the trees and the flowers, shadows ghosting under them by the light of the sapphire roses. Sakura arched a confused eyebrow; she could've sworn she heard someone uttering her name, someone who was unattainable….
"Mommy?" In a moment of false hope and nostalgia, she lowered her head and gazed at the ground, her eyes blurring and watering slightly. It was no use; it couldn't have been her mother. It was…impossible.
When she turned back to the roses, she noticed that the glow never changed, it was ever luminous in the night sky. She momentarily forsakened the voice and was seduced by the aura of the roses, and indeed the Sirens have left her powerless.
For one split second, she saw a drop of water fall onto the petal, completely dismissing her from hypnosis. She took a close look at the water droplet and her finger traced the petal. It didn't feel like water. It was thicker, and the color was red.
It was blood.
Sakura shook her head in disbelief. That was silly; blood couldn't fall from the sky like rain. That was ridiculous, not to mention quite ludicrous. Besides, it was probably her imagination fooling her; it was getting dark anyway. She opened her hand to look at her palm, seeing that her finger was partially covered in the red droplet, a trail of ruby sliding down to the palm. Just then, another red raindrop fell onto her hand, jerking her out of her stupor. She looked up at the sky and her eyes widened to a great extent.
The sky rained blood, pattering and coloring the grass crimson, the life around her dripping red. She looked back at the sapphire roses and she stepped back from what she saw. The roses were painted blood red, erasing the deep-sea color completely from its existence.
Sakura looked up at the sky once more, her form trembling and becoming tense by the minute. The burgundy liquid fell upon her clothes, her shoes, and little circles of red were evident on her face. Having no other decision, she turned herself away from the roses and ran as fast as she could, repeatedly thinking to herself in a mantra that it was just a dream, it was just a dream. As she ran away, the sapphire roses and the ruby rain coalesced.