I'm back and I'm rewriting Piercing Scarlet! I'm taking a new approach on the characters. Hope you like it!

Piercing Scarlet

Act One

The Unshed Tears Behind These Heavy Lids

Sakura Haruno glanced at the green plastic digital clock on her night stand. 3 : 48. "Damn," she mumbled, her voice muffled by a pillow. Her emerald eyes retreated behind her pale lids. They remained closed for what seemed like eternity, but when she read the clock again the time read 3 : 49. Time was her enemy. It was always her enemy. When Sakura rushed to training early in the morning after fighting a battle against the monster that once was her hair, when her mother wanted her home, the time the markets closed and especially when they left. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. It wasn't sped up like it had been in the days of the academy, or even before the Chunin exams. Sasuke left first. Then Naruto. How long could she possibly stay here? If they left, shouldn't she de destined to leave too?

A small sigh fell off her soft lips. She tossed around in her bed. Sleep wasn't coming. It hadn't given her satisfaction for what seemed like forever. She was always tired during training, but when the time came, sleep wouldn't be given to her. Her legs swung over the side of her bed. If she couldn't sleep, then she'd go for a walk. Possibly sort out her thoughts in the cool summer night.

Sakura softly shut the door behind her. The night air was refreshing as it whipped against her skin. The moonlight lit her path, inviting her to walk, but she didn't. Not yet. She didn't want to move. Just embrace her surroundings. Her skin seemed to glow in the soft lighting. She would've thought she looked beautiful, if she had even thought of herself as pretty. No, not Sakura. She'd given up on that. She gave up on that ever since there was no more reason to look pretty. Every since her reason for wanting to dab a bit of make up on here and there was gone. She hadn't let herself go around looking like a mess, but she didn't try the way she used to. There was no point. The man she wanted was still alive, but no longer around. Sakura remembered when she used to prepare herself after her left, hoping he'd come back. She hoped he'd come back to see her at her best and then apologize for leaving her, but hope was only hope. It proved that no matter how much she hoped and wished, Sasuke wasn't coming back.

What was troubling her so much, that it kept rest from her? Was it the endless training she put herself through to get stronger? Or was it the fact she tried so hard to deny that she still loved Sasuke? Her eyes widened as that last thought bubbled to the surface.

"No..."

Her voice was frail as if it were about to be broken.

"No... My love's with him, but he's gone..."

It trembled like china in an earthquake. Then, as if something snapped, tears began to burst from her eyes and her sobs sounded of hopeless despair. Why did he torture her heart. She was once so carefree and happy once, but that was back when she was clueless about the real world. Her head began to spin from the overload of emotion. She leaned against her front door for support. Everything felt so heavy now. She put effort in holding her arms up, shielding her face from the stars and her legs couldn't support her body any more. Sakura sat there on the cool dirt below her. Her arms fell to the sides as her lids dropped.

'Finally...'

She thought.

'Finally I get some rest.'

A dark cloaked figure appeared in front of her. It knelt down to her level. A pale hand reached to wipe away her tears. Piercing scarlet eyes shown from the darkness of it''s face.

"Remember me..."

The voice was deep. It was definitely a male. As fast as he had come, he was gone. The wind whispered his same words.