A/N: This was a drabble written in response to a drabble prompt I received on tumblr. It's been a while since I've written sasusaku so it was kind of hard to get back into it but it turned out to be really fun and really reminded me of why I ship sasusaku. Anyway, please remember to read and review!
Summary: "Their goodbyes were a tragedy but they were also a promise." [sasusaku][drabble/one-shot]
Disclaimer: NARUTO is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.
Their goodbyes were a tragedy.
A tragedy draped in the hollow darkness of the night sky freckled with constellations of curious stars watching as a young boy (hopelessly lost) and a young girl (hopelessly in love) broke each other's hearts. It was the tragedy of unreciprocated confessions painted silver with the moonlight – "I love you more than anything!" – and how even though it was cold that night all she could remember was the heat of his breath against her nape, his unusually tender voice whispering a word of thanks and the excited rat-a-tat-tat of her rouge heartbeat aching for freedom as it pounded and pounded against the confines of her ribcage and then…
…darkness.
Their goodbyes were a tragedy.
It was the high-pitched cry of chidori shrieking to life at a war-torn bridge. It was the road paved with broken bones and broken dreams and broken hearts that had led her to him – armed only with a shaky resolve and a kunai in her trembling hands. This goodbye was drenched crimson like his eyes, wide and full of bloodlust as his sharingan spun wildly at her. This goodbye tasted of salt and iron…
…of tears and blood.
Their goodbyes were a tragedy.
It was the illusion of his arm ripping through her chest and even though it was a genjutsu she remembered that it had felt so painfully real; so sharp and saturated scarlet with the blood spilling and pooling at her knees like red wine…
…what else could explain the way he made her heart bleed?
Their goodbyes were a tragedy.
But nothing is more cruel and more tragic than hope; hope from the deep-sea timbre of his voice promising "until next time" and the gentle tap of his fingertips against her forehead. Her heart had fluttered and leapt into her throat at the soft smile on his lips and the faint rose-tinted blush on his cheeks and at that moment she knew no matter how painful their goodbyes were, she would wait for him forever.
"Until next time," she'd agreed because their goodbyes were a tragedy but they were also a promise.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"What did you mean by that?"
Sasuke stops packing to look at her, eyebrows furrowing at her question.
"Hm?"
"Thank you." She swallows hard and shifts her weight to her other foot. There's a dull throb in her chest, aching like an old scar as memories swim back to the surface.
"That day you left the village, you told me thank you. What…what did you mean by that?"
Recollection swims in his eyes and he slides his gaze away to hide under the raven locks of his hair. He silently continues packing, the clatter of stackedkunai and scrolls filling the silence before he stands to his feet and hefts the pack onto his shoulder. Sakura waits and watches as Sasuke mulls over her question, carefully picking out and choosing the right words before responding.
"I needed to tell you," he finally answers, looking up to meet her gaze, "I needed you to know."
The question of "what?" sits on her parted lips but is silenced as he walks toward her. There's a tender gravity in his gaze as he looks down at her. The silent weight of his affection and love for her bears down on her emerald eyes and it's enough to still the words at her lips. Just one look is all the answer she needs.
He lifts a hand to brush the hair away from her forehead and the locks slip like flower petals through his fingers, strand by strand, as the smoldering coals of his eyes scan her face.
"I don't think I can say goodbye," he admits with a whisper and a lump rises in her throat at his words. How could he say that when she was trying so hard – so hard – to stay strong, "not to you."
"Then don't," she can feel the tears swimming her eyes, "tell me something else – anything. Anything but goodbye."
Silence, soft and hazy, follows as they stare into each other's eyes. The rhythm of their beating hearts keeps time as he regards her carefully before he breaks the silence. "All right."
She forgets how to breathe as his fingertips fall from her forehead, tracing the slope of her check and following the line of her neck before settling on her shoulder. Chills rush down her spine like a waterfall as he closes the space between them, their heaving chests pressed together. He buries his nose into the crook of her neck, breathes deeply and takes in her sweet scent; carving the memory of it deep into his subconscious so as to not forget. So as to forever remember just what he was fighting for.
"Sakura."
A soft gasp falls from her lips and a lone tear ghosts down her cheeks as he calls out her name and threads his fingers into her hair. Her hands clutch at his chest and clench around the material of his cloak, desperate to keep him anchored to her.
"Until next time," is his promise and the wet heat of his lips pressing against her forehead is her undoing.