Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. All characters, terms, and affiliates of Naruto are not mine, but belong to their respective owners, Masashi Kishimoto, TV Tokyo, VIZ &c.
Written in the spur of a moment for one of the May 2012 Community Chat's hosted by the LJ KakaSaku community. We were supposed to list colours for every letter of the alphabet and then write fic, but I skipped round one because serenitytouched posted I for Indigo and away I went.
Stained
He has worn the mask for so many years, has learned to live with the clinging, constant heat of it against his face, that for one wild moment, he thinks his skin must be stained with its dark indigo dye. Better that than bloodstained, he thinks.
There must be a line then, he concludes. One that bisects his face in half to match the scar forever splitting his eye.
And.
When she plays with the seam where skin meets fabric, fingertips rough and exhilarating (and there goes his heart) against the very end of his scar, he finds himself thinking do it.
Do it do it do it.
His lips are shaping the words when she does. One tug, off his nose and over his frozen mouth and past the stubble on his chin.
His reaction is immediate and burning, one hand halfway to his face before she catches it in hers.
She shakes her head at him and presses his hand back down to his side. Naked in all the wrong places, he endures what feels like a lifetime of her unswerving scrutiny. He doesn't think he can stay still if she touches him anymore than she is already, because he is sure she will leave a mark.
"Magnificent," Sakura announces eventually. Without inflection and without the satisfaction he knows she must be feeling. After all, she has officially won a bet from years ago.
But when she stays standing before him, not off somewhere to gloat that she has seen what is rarely seen, he relaxes his mouth enough into a semblance of a smile and walks his own fingers against the seam of her skirt.