crack ship but my favourite crack ship— indulge me.
[ sasuke x temari ]
the rain fell steadily over the village, turning the narrow roads dark and glossy beneath the lantern light. sasuke stood beneath the overhang of the old tea house, watching the river swell below. years had passed since the war, years spent walking roads that never seemed to end, and somehow he always found himself returning here. perhaps because nobody in this village cared who he was. perhaps because it was one of the few places in the world where he could forget.
or perhaps because temari kept finding her way here too.
he sensed her before he heard her footsteps.
"still hiding in the middle of nowhere, i see."
sasuke glanced over his shoulder. she stood a few feet away, her travel cloak damp from the rain, her expression caught somewhere between amusement and fond exasperation. for a moment, he simply looked at her.
that had become a problem.
there had been a time when temari was merely someone he respected. intelligent, capable, strong enough to stand her ground against anyone. somewhere along the way, without his permission and without his notice, she had become something infinitely more dangerous.
he loved her.
the realization had settled into his bones years ago, quiet and irreversible.
"you came here too," he said.
"unfortunately."
the corner of his mouth twitched.
temari's eyes softened at the sight.
they stood together beneath the shelter while rain drummed against the roof overhead. neither felt compelled to fill the silence. over the years, they had learned each other well enough that words often seemed unnecessary.
it made everything worse.
because sasuke knew exactly how her smile changed when she was sad. he knew when she was tired, when she was worried, when she was pretending not to be disappointed. he knew the sound of her laughter, the cadence of her voice, the way her eyes searched his face whenever she thought he wasn't looking.
and she knew him.
that was the cruelest part.
temari understood him too well.
"i received another proposal," she said eventually.
his chest tightened.
he kept his gaze on the rain.
"a diplomatic one?"
"when are they ever anything else?"
of course.
someone suitable. someone respectable. someone who could stand beside her openly and proudly. someone who wasn't carrying a lifetime's worth of blood and regret on his shoulders.
temari waited. sasuke knew she was waiting.
for years now, they had circled around this thing between them, neither brave enough to name it. perhaps she was giving him one last chance.
he wanted to take it. god, he wanted to.
but wanting and deserving had never been the same thing.
"you should do what's best for you," he said quietly.
the silence that followed felt endless.
when he finally looked at her, she was smiling.
it wasn't angry. it wasn't bitter. it was understanding. and somehow that hurt far more.
"i thought that's what you'd say." sasuke looked away.
temari took a step closer. "you know, for someone who's supposed to be intelligent, you're remarkably stupid." a laugh escaped her then, soft and sad.
she knew. of course she knew.
she had known for years.
"you love me," she said gently.
his throat tightened. there was no point denying it. not to her. not anymore.
temari's eyes shone in the dim light. "and you're still going to let me walk away."
because she understood exactly why. because she knew every fear he carried. every ounce of guilt. every reason he believed himself unworthy of asking her to stay.
for a long moment neither spoke.
then temari smiled that small, heartbreaking smile and reached up to touch his face.
"sasuke."
he closed his eyes.
"i know."
the words nearly broke him.
when he opened his eyes again, she rose onto her toes and kissed him.
it wasn't desperate. it wasn't passionate. it was unbearably gentle, the kind of kiss given to something precious and already lost.
when she pulled away, their foreheads remained pressed together.
for the first time in years, sasuke allowed himself to speak the truth.
"i'll love you forever."
temari's eyes fluttered shut.
a shaky breath escaped her.
and when she smiled, there were tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.
"i know that too."
that was the tragedy of it.
she believed him. she knew he would love her for the rest of his life.
and she knew he would still let her go.
a few minutes later, she stepped back and turned toward the road leading out of the village. neither of them asked the other to stay. neither made promises. they had always been too honest for that.
halfway down the road, temari stopped and looked back.
sasuke remained where she had left him, standing beneath the rain.
their eyes met one final time.
then she smiled.
sad. beautiful. understanding.
and walked away.
years later, sasuke would still return to that village. he would sit beside the river and listen to the water move through the valley, carrying memories with it. sometimes he would think of a woman with sand-colored hair and sharp eyes, and wonder what kind of life she had built.
he never stopped loving her.
perhaps that was the point.
some loves were not meant to be lived. only carried.
