Black and white.

The black rose sat behind the glass. It lay there tauntingly, daring anyone to break through. Rain fell softly. It was dark, the only light radiating from deep within the heart of this black rose. This haunting elegance...
This rose had turned bitter over these long years. The silk she laid upon had once been the purest of white, as she had once been herself. Alas, the rose had long since been singed and charred by the angry fires of her soul, and the silk, stained with the blood of anyone who had dared to love. Dared to love her, the black rose...
Some saw this rose and immediately wanted her for themselves. They would plunge at her, completely disregarding he glass which shielded her. The glass would shatter and shred the hands of this careless suitor. They would run swiftly away, screaming with pain. They would fear the rose and never return. The rose would cry in her loneliness, her tears rebuilding her glass surroundings...
Others would see the rose and also begin to run straight towards her, but they would see the glass, so they would hurriedly cut through the clear barrier, and reach inside to grab a hold of this rose which they so desired, only to be met with the pain of her sharp thorns. They would also run away bleeding and screaming, never to be seen again, and once again, the rose would be left in loneliness, and she would cry her shield back into perfection...
News of the pain that this rose had caused soon spread across the land. Many feared her presence. Despite this, there were a few who longed to have the beauty that she once possessed, but she never saw this beauty, and she never understood why so many sought after her pain. Of these few, most would run away at the sight of her and her stained perfection. The very few that were left would very carefully cut through the glass, and carefully reach inside for her. They would hold her gently, but all would eventually hold on too tight and would also find themselves bleeding and in pain. They would drop the rose harshly back onto her stained silk bed, scraping against the cut glass as it fell. The broken rose again cried, and her walls were again rebuilt...
This was the rose's life. She felt nothing but pain and bitterness. Her innocence stolen by her years and her heart broken by the carelessness of her cruel world. In her eyes, her beauty was overridden by the stains and scars collected and stored in her mind. This rose hated herself and the pain she knew so well. Her bitterness dampened her spirits. Her anger numbed her heart. Her hate burned her soul. Still, through it all of this, her true beauty would always radiate from her, even if she was blind to it...
And now she lay there, reminiscing in the soft rain fall. In these past years she had been able to hide herself from the world. Her glass wall had thickened and she hid deep within herself. Whenever anyone would happen by now they wouldn't even cast a glance in her direction, for the world now had its eyes on material things. The rose was all more lonely, but she refused to call on anyone to end her despair, for she would rather herself be in pain then someone else. In her mind, she deserved it...
As she lay there, the rose saw someone walking in her direction. She found herself becoming tense. She began to tremble. She prayed that he would walk past her and not cause himself the pain of even daring to glance at her. It was to late though, and it had been for a while, for he had been staring longingly at her for a very long time. His love for her had grown over this time, and he was only now daring to approach her. The rose braced herself for the horrid sound of the shattering glass and the screams, which she was sure would follow his approach. Much to her surprise though, neither of these sounds were heard. Instead he only laid his hands on the glass, and gazed sadly at her. She was again surprised as the glass began to melt. It melted slowly and dripped to ground. Gradually, the rose became more comfortable with the idea that maybe this person wouldn't hurt her. The more the glass melted, the more hope she saw in his eyes. For a moment, she allowed herself to love as well. When the glass was completely gone he reached down to hold her. She could not make herself draw away, and she braced herself for the screaming of pain which would surely be drawn out of him at the touch of her thorns, but again, she was surprised when this did not happen. She saw his blood stain the silk, and she saw pain flicker through his eyes, but love seemed to disregard the pain. He whispered to her softly. He whispered of her beauty and of his love for her. The rose began to cry knowing that she would have to hurt him as she had all the others. Her tears wanted to make her a new shield, but he gently kissed them away. As he kissed her, she felt herself begin melt, and all of her scars and stains began to drip away from her. Soon she saw her bright reflection in his eyes. She was the purest white again, as she had been so very long ago...
Several blissful years came and went. While the rose and her suitor were both perfectly happy, they were both hiding a fear that they felt. The fear that the other would leave. They both began to try and hide these thoughts from themselves, as well, and thought it best that they ignore their fear. Alas, this lack of complete trust was their fatal mistake. One day a wave of fear washed over he who loved this rose, and in his fear he pressed her close to him. Her thorns pierced through his skin and broke the heart of the one the rose had learned to love...
The rose now lay upon the grave of the one she had loved so much, crying. As she cried her glass walls began to form. The silk she laid upon was now the purest red, covered in the blood of the heart she had broken. She cried, and as she did she began to hate herself. She grew bitter. She grew angry. She scorned herself. Slowly her petals began to burn, and soon she was as she had been. A black rose, blind to her own beauty, and hidden from the world. Her last tear dropped onto the silk, and washed away the blood that had been her only reminder of her lost love. She drew within herself and lay in despair. Rain began to fall...
The black rose sat behind the glass. It lay there tauntingly, daring anyone to break through. Rain softly fell. It was dark, the only light radiating from deep within the heart of this black rose. This haunting elegance...