Colorless

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

"…it's red."

His face wasn't amused as Naruto continued to explain what the color red was like.

"Umm, well– tomatoes are red and you like them. So chances are, you'll like the color red, teme!"

Sasuke finally exhaled a sigh, "You're really bad at this, dobe."

"Fine! I like to think that red goes hand in hand with something hot. Like your fire ball jutsu, that's hot and red. Does that make sense?"

"Hn," his best friend sucked at explaining what different colors looked like. He felt his face heat up, and he instantly knew from the feeling, that his face was red. Sasuke looked in the opposite direction of Naruto.

This was Sasuke Uchiha, born into the Uchiha clan and inherited the Sharigan; the bloodline of his clan. Yet, he wasn't able to see colors. His life was that of different hues of blacks, grays, and whites– the three shades he knew all too well.

"…you can also relate the color red with spicy foods, teme."

He focused his attention back on Naruto before pushing up from the grass. He knew that grass was green, he had learned that from Naruto as well. The lush and cool feeling along with the fresh and crisp smell was engraved into Sasuke's brain. The more that his friend taught him about colors, the more things made sense. He also knew that the sky was blue and not the bland shade of gray that he saw every day.

"It's a color that really grabs your attention, actually!" Naruto stood up with his friend and offered a smile before holding an apple out to Sasuke. "This is red. It's not spicy, or hot. They can come in different shades of greens and yellows as well."

Sasuke nodded before heading back towards the village. Him and Naruto always took time after training to go over more colors. While it was quite the process lately, Sasuke appreciated that someone took the time to go over these things with him. The Uchiha would've asked his family, but due to the embarrassment of having his Sharingan and not able to see colors, he opted on having someone he could trust to know his secret.

Growing up was tough; he normally based different colors off of the many different shades of blacks and grays that he could see. Like blue; blue was a lighter shade of gray, whereas yellow was white and red was a darker gray, almost black.

"So, you wanna come to Ichiraku's with Sakura and I?" Naruto hesitated. Sasuke could hear it in his voice, and when he spun around, his friend wouldn't make eye contact with him.

"You know how I feel about her, dobe," Sasuke mumbled, his eyes staring into the side of the blonde's head. Naruto nodded.

Sasuke couldn't quite pin his feelings about Sakura. She was, after all, beautiful. People often commented on her pink hair, and emerald green eyes; but what he saw was a woman with white locks and a light shade of gray for eyes. Her skin always looked soft like silk, and she always smelled fresh and sweet.

"Right, I just -"

"I'll come," he was ready to face his emotions and see exactly for himself, how he felt about Sakura Haruno.

. . .

"Been busy, ne?" Naruto slurped his noodles, juice splattering on his chin.

"Yeah, here and there. The hospital is always busy around this time of year, though," the kunoichi commented quietly. Her and Naruto had been talking the entire time, and she had finally taken into account that Sasuke was extremely quietly. He ate his food and listened, rather than comment here and there. Of course, they were sitting next to each other, while other times, Naruto sat in between the two, or Sasuke didn't come.

Sasuke felt like rocks were piling up in his throat as he listened to the two of them talk. He hadn't said a word the entire time, because he was so focused on her. The way her scent lingered, the way her hand almost brushed up against his multiple times, and the way her voice sounded; tired yet cheerful.

Once he finally finished his ramen, Sasuke began to sit back and his arm eventually brushed Sakura's. As he flinched away, he caught the slightest hint of color within Sakura's eyes. The palest of green was now lingering as she looked into his onyx orbs with confusion.

"Are you okay? You haven't said a word, Sasuke."

He couldn't comprehend what had happened just now. A second ago, he was seeing grays, and now, he was seeing the slightest shade of green mixed in with his bland world. The shimmering in her eyes really did make her eyes look like emeralds.

"I'm okay," he muttered to himself. The Uchiha was so confused and lost in thought, that he didn't even feel her hand come to rest gently on his shoulder. As he looked back to her, he could see the cream in her skin begin to linger, and he felt like his head was going to explode with the amount of blood that was rushing to his face.

"I gotta go," he threw his change on the counter, "I'll see you later, dobe."

Naruto and Sakura stared at Sasuke as he walked away rather quickly. Naruto shrugged and went back to drinking the rest of the broth in his bowl. Sakura scrunched her face up in question, he's always been so weird around me.

. . .

"What do you mean you can see colors, teme?!"

A swift elbow to Naruto's gut made the blonde shinobi pipe down.

"I-I don't know. Our arms brushed against each other, and I began to see the slightest hue of green in her eyes. And her skin… her skin," Sasuke's mind was hung up on the color of the kunoichi's skin. It was so inviting and flawless.

"Her eyes looked so alive, like green grass."

The look on Naruto's face indicated that the gears within his mind were churning, and he was trying to think of a possible explanation.

"Anyways, I went to the training grounds and along the way, I could see the green on the trees, and in the grass. It's so light, almost non-existent, but I can see it," the dark haired boy was talking so fast that Naruto could barely keep up. "I can see it, all because of her, dobe."

"Let's test it out tomorrow then, eh? You'll spar with her," Naruto flashed Sasuke an evil smile.

"No."

"Yes, teme. Don't be stupid!"

"No."

. . .

"Are you ready, Sasuke?!" Naruto called from the side of the clearing. Sasuke and Sakura stood facing each other, only a few feet separating the two. Sakura nodded her head, then smiled at Sasuke. He simply turned his attention towards Naruto who was smiling like an idiot.

Glaring, Sasuke groaned, "I really hate you."

"Okay, perfect! Only taijutsu, don't forget guys. Go!" Naruto's shrill scream sent Sasuke into a defensive stance and he was now focused on Sakura.

Her green eyes were now glowing and her skin illuminated as she made the first move towards him. Elegant and graceful were the only words to explain her trek towards him, and within seconds, their limbs were colliding, and he was on the defense as he blocked her punches and kicks. The amount of force behind each hit was tremendous, but she was on the defense as he made his move towards her.

Sakura's hands wrapped around his fist as he was about to make contact with her ribcage. She held on tight, and the look of determination that flashed within her eyes set the tone when he could see the small yellow flecks within her orbs. The next color he started to notice was the red within her lips.

It's working, Sasuke's heart lurched forward as she broke free from his attack and began to round on him. He caught her left heel as she swung around to kick his feet out from under him. The Uchiha flipped her to her backside and bounced on the kunoichi, pinning her hands above her head. He stopped the spar then and there, staring into her emerald pools; onyx eyes shimmering with fascination.

"Nice, Sasuke," her lips were perfectly red and thin, and he couldn't resist looking at how well her skin complimented her pale ruby lips.

As he pushed himself up from Sakura, he grasped her hand and began helping her off the ground. The skin to skin contact sent fire through his veins and the faintest tinge of pink in her hair began to shine through the gray shadows. After their spar, he could make out the pastel color image of Sakura; she was like winter transitioning into spring. Like the way grass starts to peek out through the snow, and blue skies emerge from gray and white clouds.

"Nice, teme!" Naruto was now with them, smiling at the way Sasuke was looking at Sakura.

The Uchiha was completely mesmerized.

Sakura's face was now a light red as she looked down to their hands, "you can let go now."

"Huh?" Sasuke could feel his face heat up as he dropped her hand and looked away. Naruto laughed while Sakura let out a small giggle.

"I should get going. I have work in a couple hours," the pinkette cooed as she waved her goodbyes to the boys.

"Wait - I'll walk you back," he snapped out of his embarrassment and began walking with Sakura. This beauty would be the key to seeing colors for once in his life; not only that, but he felt a bond between him and the kunoichi start to blossom as well.

"Why did you want to walk me home, Sasuke? I feel like you always try to avoid me."

"Not true," he countered with a smirk. The way her cheeks lit up was adorable.

"Well then what's your reasoning, Uchiha?"

"I can't walk a friend home?"

Sakura was now stammering and stuttering on her next sentence. He continued his sly smirk as her cheeks grew more red with each passing second. Within no time, her entire face was lit up with a red hue.

"Ah, forget it," Sakura joked as she hugged her arms around herself. She gave Sasuke one last smile before stopping at the door to her apartment. "I'll see you later?"

"What time do you get off?"

"Six."

"I'll see you then," the courage within his chest was welled up as he walked away, leaving a grinning Sakura in his wake.

. . .

"You've been spending a lot of time with her, dobe," Naruto noted as they were sitting on the rooftops of Konoha. It had been awhile since he last spent time with his best friend. Sasuke now spent his time with Sakura, and they were on a more comfortable level with one another now.

"I know," Sasuke smirked. He could now make out each color in his world, sunny days were especially his favorite. The cloudy days always reminded him of his black and white world that existed only months ago; but with Sakura by his side, he was seeing every color of the rainbow.

"I hate to cut this short, but Sakura is getting off work. I'll see you around," Sasuke made his way towards the hospital in a timely manner, only to see Sakura sitting outside the building, waiting.

"Sasuke!" She called out to him as he landed on the ground in front of her. Her eyes were exhausted, but she radiated happiness. As they began walking back to her apartment like they did every time she got off work, he grasped her hand within his.

He's never wanted to hold hands, Sakura thought to herself as she intertwined her fingers with his.

"Sakura, I need to tell you something," his smile was small and lopsided, his eyes glistening.

"What's up?"

He stopped them in their tracks and pulled her to face him. The moon wasn't out that night, but the stars shimmered above their heads. The streets of Konoha were quiet, and the dim lights from the buildings lit their faces up.

"You've brought color to my life," her eyes widened, almost admitting that she understood exactly what he was saying. "Before we started spending more time together, my world was black and white. But now, I see the colors of the world. That first sparring match between us months ago was a test. Every time I made contact with you, a new color would appear."

Sakura simply stood there, listening to each word that he spoke.

"Don't think that I used you, 'cause I didn't. I've grown so close to you and you're important to me."

The pinkette wrapped her arms around the Uchiha, and he returned the favor - giving her a tight squeeze.

"I thought I was the only one, Sasuke," her voice was quite.

Confusion struck him as he pulled away from their embrace, looking her in the eyes. Those shimmering emerald eyes that he had fallen in love with.

"You've brought color to my life too, Sasuke."

He couldn't help himself but smile and pull her back into his arms. A world of color and happiness now; with Sakura.

"The dobe was right. I do like the color red," Sasuke pulled at the top that Sakura had on before landing a light kiss on the pinkette's forehead.

thanks for reading!