One Shots

Flowers of Despair (Sai)

These flowers were the only things that were real. All else was forged: the smile, the words, the “friends.” The flowers were the only things that held meaning for him anymore. Oh yeah, and her. There wasn’t a moment that went by when he didn’t think of her. Her eyes, her laugh, her smile, her devotion, they were the first things to teach him of love.

The second was that field she’d shown to him, to only him. The little meadow where her favorite flowers bloomed. Lilies. She’d loved them so, almost as fervently as he’d loved her, and though they were lovers…

He never knew her name.

“Sakura?”

“Nope.”

“Ayame?”

“Uh-uh.”

“Ino?”

“God, I hope not.”

“Yuki?”

“Denied.”

He twitched in frustration and took a deep breath. “Then what is your name?”

Plucking a white lily from a nearby flower shop, she handed it to him and winked. “It’s a secret.”

At first, the girl proved infuriating. She dodged personal questions, avoided direct answers, and provided an abundant handful of quirky comebacks and “wouldn’t-you-like-to-know”s. She managed to weasel out of every situation pertaining to her past or identity, and it intrigued him. Though she never admitted a forename, she bestowed one upon Sai.

“Sasuke?”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry,” she laughed nonchalantly with a light flush, “for a second there you looked like someone I used to know. Are you new? What’s your name?”

“Sai.”

Pursing her lips in distaste, she shook her head and studied him cynically. “Oh, that will never do. You look like a Ren. I’ll call you Ren.”

“But my name is—”

“See you around, Ren!”

What a strange woman she was.

It wasn’t much later that the two became close friends, and Sai gave up trying to correct his name. It was also soon after that, she smuggled him to her secret hideaway.

“This is my private thinking place!” she announced proudly, hands on her hips and eyes glittering with a passionate smugness.

“Wow,” he complimented upon observation, “so many lilies.”

“You bet! Of all sizes and colors imaginable!”

“Are you going to tell me your name now?”

“Why would I do that?”

“If you can confide in me about this place, you can confide in me about anything. I won’t tell.”

She snorted and stooped to lift a lavender lily. “Keep guessing.” She handed him the fragile blossom. “Oh yeah, and one more thing. You can’t tell anyone about this place. It’s just for us to share, us only.”

“Why not?”

“Cuz if you do,” she leaned closer and murmured darkly, “I’ll kill you.” In the split second it took her to go dark, she snapped back again. “Okay bye, Ren! Come back tomorrow, same time!”