Back to Black
#11 Daffodil: Unrequited Love
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
We only said good-bye with words
I died a hundred times
You go back to her
And I go back to...
- Back to Black, Amy Winehouse
Temari sat with her back against the headboard, staring at the strip of moonlight that cut across the bed.
As he shifted, she turned her head and looked at him, tracing the contours of his face, memorizing every line, every crack, every crevice, because she knew that this was it - the last time she would ever see him.
He shifted again, more violently, more forcefully, then he opened his eyes and raised his head, blinking repeatedly, a confused expression on his face. She frowned a little, 'You'd think after all this time, he'd be used to it.'
Frowning, he turned to the clock next to the bed and she watched, smiling vindictively, as she saw his eyes widen. Her eyes followed him as he threw off the covers and jumped out of bed, already pulling on his pants, "Temari, why didn't you wake me! Look at the time - I have to go."
'Amazing really, how quickly he gets dressed,' she thought, eyes blank and face expressionless. Pants, shirt, jacket, tie, socks and finally shoes - all in under five minutes. She checked. 'And they call him lazy.'
Then he swiped the simple gold band off of the nightstand and slipped it on, onto that definitive finger. A married man, that's what he was.
He turned to her, sat on the edge of the bed. She looked away, unable to stand the sympathy in his gaze. Pity! He had the audacity to pity her!
"Temari," he said quietly, reaching out to touch her. She moved away.
"Just go. You don't have to say anything," she replied, jaw set squarely, stubbornly.
She felt his gaze on her - he was considering her words, analyzing each one for a hidden meaning. He was always too smart for his own good.
Finally he stood. She teetered a little as she felt his heavy weight lift off of the bed. She was looking down at the bottom of a deep, deep, black hole. Or was she inside it already? She didn't know. Where was the light again?
She looked up as she heard his heavy steps, one, two, three and he was at the door. She'd never noticed before how fast he walked, how long his strides were - and yet she'd always managed to match each one, step for step. (Pity she couldn't match these.)
He stopped, hand on the doorknob. She stared hard at his back, memorizing that as well, every line, every curve, every fold. He turned his head, just a little, "Good-bye, Temari."
Then he opened the door, stepped out and closed it behind him. The sound of the door unsteadied her and she fell forward, down, down, down into that dark, dark hole. Only three words escaped her, "Good-bye Shikamaru."
Just then, the moon moved behind a cloud and the room was enveloped in darkness.
A/N: An experimental piece. Inspired by Amy Winehouse's 'Back to Black' and a ton of black and white pictures.