Set about a year after Sasuke abandons the village.
Red
The color was burned into her mind.
It consumed her eyes like fire. Everywhere she went, she saw red. But it was never the right shade of red.
She walked into the flower shop with a wistful look, her mind lost in thought. "Hey Forehead-girl!" The haughty voice grazed her ears lightly, bringing her attention to the blond behind the counter.
"Hey Ino-pig," Sakura said with a small grin. It was completely half-hearted; she knew Ino could tell.
"Looking for the usual?" Ino said lightly, circling the counter and strolling to the back. Sakura followed.
Her light green eyes glanced around the shop. So many beautiful colors surrounded her: pinks, oranges, yellows, purples, blues.
Sakura only saw the red flowers.
"Here we are!" Ino pulled a half dozen roses out of the back of the case. "I saved them for you."
"Thanks," Sakura replied with a flat tone.
Ino rang up her purchase quickly. She already knew the price; Sakura bought the same thing every week.
"You know..." Ino said as she put the money in the cash drawer. "It's been nearly a year. Don't you think..."
But Sakura was gone.
Her pale hands gripped the bundle tightly as she walked home, eyes never leaving the flowers. They were the same color, the only thing she could find that was the exact same hue. Not wanting to talk to her mother, she hopped into her window from the ground.
With a deep breath, she took the dead roses out of the vase and sat the new ones on her desk. After refreshing the water, she put them inside, arranging them with empty gestures.
"It's something small," she said gently as she placed the vase on the shelf next to the window. The crimson petals looked rich in the sunlight.
"But..." Her finger ran over the small Uchiha fan engraved on the vase. "It's enough to remember."
When she thought of Sasuke, all she saw was red. The roses were the same shade as fire, the same shade as blood, the same shade as the Sharingan, the same shade she burned into her mind to remember him properly.
