Sempiternal
Prompt #14: Boat
Dedication: For Fushigi yuki who chose the number 14 for my one-word prompt project! Please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Sasuke wakes up in the middle of the night, and he deliberately notes that the other side of the bed is empty. There is an automatic scowl on his face, eyebrows furrowing and lips set in a thin line. Carefully he lifts the sheets from his body, sitting up and letting his toes touch the cool surface of the oak wood floor. He walks out of the room and into the hallway. It is dark, he notices, and the only thing that serves as light is the small pool of light that emanates from the door nearest to the end of the hallway. It is one of her rooms, he remembers, and he walks over to it.
When he opens the door, he is all but surprised to see her figure slouched over the little coffee table, soft grunts of frustration escaping from her lips. Her hair is down, tangled, brown locks cascading down her body. There is a concentrated look on her porcelain face.
"What are you doing, Tenten?" he asks, and that is the only time she notices him. She looks up at him, her bloodshot eyes squinting.
"… I can't seem to finish folding this paper boat." she replies, looking back at the folded paper in front of her. It has been folded multiple times, creases very evident from where he stands. He walks up to her, taking a seat beside her.
There is silence for a while as he watches her make another attempt at folding. He observes the way she folds, gentle fingers creating creases along the parchment. He sees the way her eyebrows are furrowed and her tongue is slightly jutted out, amusing him. When she is half done with the paper boat she throws her arms up in frustration, a slight frown on her face.
"Why do you want to fold a paper boat?" he asks. At this she tenses, eyes taking interest on the floor below them.
There is silence once again as she searches for words to say, her fists clenching on her lap uncomfortably. He looks at her curiously, patiently waiting for her to answer his question. It takes a few minutes before she looks up to meet his eyes, biting her lip.
"It is Neji's seventh death anniversary tomorrow." she softly replies, fighting the prickling feeling on her eyes. "And I decided to give him a letter through a paper boat."
Sasuke's eyes cringe at the name of the Hyuuga. Although he has been happily married with her for two years already, there would always be that edgy feeling that she is still in love with him. The Hyuuga prodigy, her former team mate, her former sparring partner, her ex-best friend – he would always be someone that he wasn't, and couldn't be. And it irritates him, because he would always think of himself as second best in her eyes.
Tenten notices the look in his eyes because she smiles at him sadly, an apologetic look on her face. "It is closure, Sasuke. I need this."
He closes his eyes, letting out a soft sigh. She transfixes her gaze on him, tears threatening to fall as she clutched the creased paper.
"Please."
At this his eyes flutter open, and they look at each other for a brief moment. His cold, stern expression softens a fraction as he takes the paper from her hands. Carefully he folds it the way his mother taught him once, doing it slowly and clearly as so his wife could learn. When he is done he takes her hand and places the neatly folded paper boat on her hand. She looks up at him, her frown turning into something of a small smile.
"Thank you." she murmurs, placing the paper boat on the coffee table. She looks at it for a few minutes before attempting to work on her own. Taking a new sheet of paper from the stack she begins to fold again, exactly the way her husband did. After a couple of folds she finishes the boat, a content look upon her face as she places her finished product beside his. They look at both boats for a while before she sighs softly, earning his attention. He raises a brow.
"What?"
She shakes her head slightly, resting her head upon his shoulders. There is a small smile on her face. "He'll be happy… and proud, at that."
At this a smirk is placed upon his lips. "He will always be proud of you, Tenten."
"You really think so?" she asked, a hint of hope on her voice.
There is a tone of affirmation in his voice as he confirms. "I know so."
It is the seventh death anniversary and they are on a beach. The breeze of the ocean is light, slow. She shifts her feet under the sand, letting the water lap upon her feet. On her hand is a paper boat, neatly folded and written on. On the other is his hand, their fingers linked. She looks at him and smiles warmly before crouching and letting go of the paper boat, letting the waves set its course.
As they watch the boat float away, disappearing into the blue sea, she closes her eyes, feeling a different soft breeze envelop her. It takes a few minutes before her eyes flutter open she looks at her husband. She smiles, kissing him on the cheek before they both walk away without looking back.
On his seventh death anniversary, she finally obtains closure. She is happy. They are happy.
Author's Note: I'm not very fond of this fic. (But then again, I am not fond of any of my stories.)
I always thought of this couple as a comfort couple. I don't know… they look better that way.
Anyways, if you are interested in requesting a number for my one-word prompt project feel free to do so.
Thanks for reading and please don't hesitate to review!