Title: Sfumato
Fandom: Naruto
Pairings: Sasuke/Sakura
Rating: G
Genre: Drama, romance
Word count: 370
Spoilers: Yes, up to chapter 400 or so.
Summary: Where Sasuke gives up on hope, Sakura holds onto it with everything she has. He will see again.
Sfumato: a technique used in art in which sharp outlines are blurred or softened through subtle blending to produce the illusion of depth.
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Taking his face gently in her hands, Sakura raised her head and kissed his lips warmly before lying back again. "I missed you.” She watched his mouth, as she often did out of habit, and the corner quirked slightly in acknowledgement as Sasuke leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. She took the chance to wrap her arms tighter around him and hug him close, protectively, closing her eyes.
She hated when he left. She hated the daily influx of missions that would pull him from her far too often - not as much as they used to, but still too often - and leave her almost sick with concern. She hated that he would never back down from his shinobi lifestyle as long as he could make an effort to maintain it, even if she was also proud of him for so confidently finding a way around what most would deem so terribly debilitating.
Sasuke drew back, affectionately running his hand along her side beneath the sheet, and Sakura looked over his face with nothing short of complete adoration that hadn't changed at all in the last few years. His skin was just a hint darker than it had been in his younger days, his hair a little longer and his features more mature. Kissing him again, slower, she kept her eyes fixed on his. She studied his irises, once dark and distinct, now a faded grey that was barely discernable against the surrounding white.
He didn't need to see to know what she was thinking. He took her hand in his. "Don't,” he said simply.
Don't be upset. Don't pity me anymore.
But she wasn't, and she didn't. Even so, she only apologized and snuggled closer to him. "I just worry about you.” He said nothing.
I'll find a way, she always told him, and her tender touch now said the same thing. I'll keep researching until I do. I'll never stop looking. He would take this promise in silence, either not believing her or not wanting to get hooked on false hope.
Sakura didn't mind his silence. Even if he had little faith in the possibility, she was confident. He would see their children's faces one day.