[ In the bath... he's not sure if it's an invitation, but he's not about to assume it is. As often as he's caught her undressing or changing, he hasn't gotten used to it and he's not sure if he wants to. That kind of intimacy is to be shared between lovers -- and he can't even begin to hope that Sakura could see him in that light. The casual touches they exchange on top of her the comfort she seems to have around him has certainly caused some confusion, but he's in no position to ask questions or push boundaries. He could get his teeth smashed in for a miscalculation like that...
In the time they've known each other, she'd grown from a promising young soldier, to a formidable, realized shinobi. He'd never thought of her as a child, but he never thought of her as a woman, either. At this point, there was no way for him to look at her and see her as anything but a woman. But she was also a woman with family and a woman much too deserving of a man who wasn't branded as evil or a traitor by the very village she loved so much. For this reason, he had to close his eyes; to avoid looking at her at all if looking meant having to yearn.
It didn't work out so much, when they were together pretty much every other day. All it took was the briefest of glimpses and the small moments where they met each others eyes. She wouldn't let him look away and it was starting to trouble him.
But he couldn't abandon her. He especially couldn't abandon Sarada. So he'd have to endure. That's what a ninja ... does....
He paces around the household, noticing that the baby-gates weren't up as they usually are. It doesn't take him long to realize Sarada's presence is gone, so he drops by the door of the bathroom to knock, which pushes it open ajar. He keeps his head bowed and turned away. ]
Don't change anything >:(
In the time they've known each other, she'd grown from a promising young soldier, to a formidable, realized shinobi. He'd never thought of her as a child, but he never thought of her as a woman, either. At this point, there was no way for him to look at her and see her as anything but a woman. But she was also a woman with family and a woman much too deserving of a man who wasn't branded as evil or a traitor by the very village she loved so much. For this reason, he had to close his eyes; to avoid looking at her at all if looking meant having to yearn.
It didn't work out so much, when they were together pretty much every other day. All it took was the briefest of glimpses and the small moments where they met each others eyes. She wouldn't let him look away and it was starting to trouble him.
But he couldn't abandon her. He especially couldn't abandon Sarada. So he'd have to endure. That's what a ninja ... does....
He paces around the household, noticing that the baby-gates weren't up as they usually are. It doesn't take him long to realize Sarada's presence is gone, so he drops by the door of the bathroom to knock, which pushes it open ajar. He keeps his head bowed and turned away. ]
Where's Sarada?