Footprints in the Snow
A Christmas Tale by Randa-Chan 2008
The Land of Fire, so named for the beautiful sunny weather it experienced, looked remarkably unusual blanketed as it was in the perpetual whiteness of the recent snowfall. Though generally speaking it didn't experience snow, it was no stranger to the winter wonderland the world had become.
In the remote village hidden in the leaves, Konoha shook off the long, arduous months before the snowfall had come in favour of indulging itself. Old men roused themselves from their chairs to walk outside in the crisp air and recall times when they'd been young and full of mischief. Mothers pulled out their old recipes and began baking batches of biscuits and cakes by the hundreds and children dashed madly about the streets, shrieking with laughter and glorifying in the powdered whiteness that for many, blanketed the roads of Konoha for the first time.
There seemed to be a certain air about the village. It could perhaps only be described as festive. Decorations suddenly began appearing, lights began to twinkle in windows and people started consciously avoiding their family and friends when they walked home from the shops, mysterious packages tucked under their arms.
Christmas had come to Konoha.
And in favour of such a special event, Tsunade-hime, perhaps Konoha's sternest Hokage to date, actually recalled the shinobi of the village from their missions and back to Konoha to celebrate the once a year celebration.
On the eve before Christmas, the sun slowly sank beneath the snowy hillsides and one of Konoha's youngest shinobi made her way to her team mate's house.
Beaming widely when Naruto opened the door to find her on his doorstep, Sakura held out a carefully wrapped box and declared cheerily, "Merry Christmas Naruto!"
Stunned, her eighteen year old team mate accepted the gift and stepped back to let Sakura pass, his gaze fixed wordlessly on the colourful box he held in his hands.
Sakura stepped inside and shut the door on the chilling winter breeze. She took her red jacket off and hung it on the back of the door. Her quickly melting shoes followed in short order and last of all she pulled off her hat and mittens and stuffed them into her jacket pocket.
She glanced back at Naruto and couldn't manage to stifle her giggles. Blue eyes slightly wide, Naruto was still looking at the gift and had the most lost expression on his face. He was like this every year – almost as if he couldn't quick believe he was getting a present.
"You could say thanks Sakura!" she teased.
"Yeah, thanks Sakura-chan," said Naruto finally. It was a weak response but sincere.
"No problem Naruto," she smiled. "But you're not to open it till tomorrow morning – you know the rules."
Naruto grinned and suddenly enveloped her in a big hug. "Don't worry Sakura-chan; I won't open it till tomorrow. That's a promise!" he assured her.
He released her and scuttled ahead, almost tripping over a forgotten pair of shoes he'd left near the kitchen door and waving her into the living room.
"I'll get us some drinks!" he called. "What do you want?"
"Hot chocolate if you've got any Naruto!" Sakura yelled back as she stepped into his living room. Like the rest of Naruto's apartment, it wasn't much to look at but the lop sided Christmas tree in the corner and the two old but comfortable lounge chairs before the hearth gave the room a certain cosy feel. It felt like home especially considering how often she and Naruto sat in those two chairs with their feet warming by the fire these days.
Sakura settled herself comfortably and a moment later Naruto appeared and handed her a gently steaming cup of hot chocolate. He folded himself snugly into the depths of the other chair and took a long, deep draught. Sighing and smacking his lips appreciatively, Naruto grinned at her over the rim of his cup.
"Taste alright?" he enquired.
"Excellent," confirmed Sakura brightly.
Pleased, Naruto returned to his drink and Sakura allowed her mind to wander. The silence that settled over them was comfortable and she saw no need to break it. Her team mate, she reflected, appeared to have outdone himself this year. The small stack of presents under Naruto's tree was testament to the many friends he'd gathered as the years had gone by and the successful missions he'd completed which had allowed him to splurge on gifts for his friends.
Colours obviously still played a large part in Naruto's life and each present seemed to have been wrapped accordingly. The pink one with the green ribbon was undoubtedly hers and the grudgingly wrapped black one next to it probably belonged to Sai. Naruto and Sakura still didn't feel at ease with the ANBU Root member on their team but Naruto had always had a big heart. The silver one next to a small green one had to belong to Kakashi-sensei and the green one to Lee-san. Sakura wasn't sure where her sensei was at the moment. According to Tsunade-shishou, he was the only shinobi yet to return to Konoha for the Christmas season but that didn't surprise Sakura. He probably got lost on the road of life she thought in amusement.
There were two purple ones sitting next to one another and Sakura mentally laughed as she pictured Naruto's indecision when he'd been wrapping those two. Her team mate wouldn't have wanted to wrap any two in the same colour but it seemed he'd given in and wrapped both Hinata's and Ino's in a dark purple wrapping paper. Behind them rested a red one, probably for Chouji and a white one for Neji. A funny reddish pink one belonged to Ten-ten she guessed and the dark green one had to be Shikamaru's. There were a few more different coloured presents which Sakura assumed belonged to Jiriya, Kiba, Shino, Iruka-sensei, Yamoto-sensei, Tsunade-shishou and Shizune-senpai.
There were a few more that Sakura couldn't possibly think who they belonged to but a little dark blue one tucked back behind Kakashi-sensei's and Lee's caught her attention. It was smaller than the others and she almost hadn't seen it but for some reason it sparked her curiosity. The blue wrapping was old and worn in places. It'd been tapped several times where small rips had been torn and there were evident smears on the paper where Naruto had brushed off a thick layer of dust.
"Hey Naruto, whose is that?" she asked, pointing out the small gift.
Naruto looked where she was indicating and his cheerful expression fell.
"Oh that," he answered subduedly. "That's Sasuke-teme's. I was gonna give it to him our first Christmas as Team 7 but he left before then."
"Oh," replied Sakura suddenly feeling like she shouldn't have brought it up. She smiled but Naruto could see the sadness lingering in her gaze. She'd bought Sasuke a present that Christmas too. It was still wrapped up in her top draw.
Akatsuki had been destroyed just before Christmas the previous year but since then Uchiha Sasuke, their long lost team mate, had seemingly disappeared without a trace. Not a single word had been heard from him since. Both Naruto and Sakura knew Sasuke had joined Akatsuki after his brother's death although neither knew why. Sakura hadn't been able to fathom what could have possibly passed between the two brothers and given Sasuke enough reason to take Itachi's place in the criminal organisation. Needless to say, two months after Sasuke had vanished Sakura had finally given in and shoved the photo of Team 7 into the back of her top drawer next to Sasuke's Christmas gift. She couldn't abide looking at it any longer even though some small part of her still hoped and believed in the reunification of the original Team 7.
She sighed despondently and awkwardly wondered what to say now. Naruto's blue eyes were dull and he was just as clearly lost in the memories she'd been thinking about a moment ago. The sound of someone rapping on the door however, saved Sakura from having to think of something to say.
Relieved, she bounced to her feet. "Don't worry Naruto, I'll get it," she told him and then hurried down the passage to see who it was.
She opened the door and was surprised to come face to face with an exuberant Rock Lee. Behind him Neji scowled and huddled deeper into his coat. He clearly hadn't wanted to come and Ten-ten looked just as awkward beside her team mate. Gai-sensei stood at the very back grinning brilliantly over his students' heads.
"Sakura-chan!" cried Lee.
"Lee-san? What are you doing here?" asked Sakura in surprise.
"Well we were in the neighbourhood Sakura-chan," (Sakura doubted Neji and Ten-ten had been) "and we decided to see what Naruto was doing this Christmas Eve but it is indeed a pleasant surprise to find you here," explained Lee.
"Might we come in?" asked Gai-sensei.
"Oi Sakura-chan! Who is it?" asked Naruto, apparently impatient to know.
"It's Team Gai!" she called back, stepping aside and allowing the three students and sensei to step into Naruto's front hall. A collection of jackets, scarves, sodden boots and other winter accessories soon joined Sakura's and a minute later they were all in Naruto's living room sipping cups of hot chocolate. Only Neji still remained disgruntle but it was simply because he was still cold and Sakura giggled loudly when he hunched further into his jacket and just about sat himself in the fire.
They'd barely gotten half way through their cups when another loud knock came on the door. This time Naruto got up and went to answer it. The door opened and a barrage of yelling echoed down the hallway. Naruto came back looking stunned with his hands clamped over his ears. Behind him astonishingly appeared Konoha's Fifth Hokage with her pet pig Ton-ton clutched in her arms and her old team mate, the Toad Sannin Jiriya beside her. Both locked in a furious shouting match, it was Tsunade's assistant Shizune coming behind them who directed the room's occupants an apologetic look. She discreetly handed Naruto a bag of delicious smelling take-out from Ichiruka's and a bottle of sake.
It was Neji who unexpectedly put a stop to the fighting but maybe only because he didn't want sore ears on top of cold fingers.
"Tsunade-sama," he interrupted loudly, "while I respect the fact that Jiriya-sama can be a bit perverted, there's no need to burst my eardrums."
Shocked, Tsunade paused mid-rant and Jiriya trailed off before stuttering his innocence and trying to protest Neji's accusation – but that wasn't unusual.
"Why don't you have a seat Tsunade-shishou?" offered Sakura quickly.
Tsunade grudgingly gave in and snatched the bottle of sake off Naruto as she went. She muttered something under her breath which suspiciously sounded like she couldn't believe the command that had just come out of the Hyuuga's mouth.
With order restored however, conversation gradually resumed and everyone began to relax. Sakura couldn't believe the number of people that had suddenly appeared. She'd planned nothing more than a quiet Christmas Eve with Naruto but that'd certainly changed. She wasn't in the least startled when Ino showed up a few minutes later. Team Ten appeared half an hour after that with a blushing Hinata held in place firmly by Kiba and Shino. Shikamaru and Chouji were half a step behind them and they were all readily invited inside.
By that stage Naruto's living room and kitchen were jam packed but nobody seemed to mind. Naruto's spirits had soared with the arrival of everyone who all in a round about way admitted they thought Naruto would have been alone that Christmas and had come to keep him company. The scene warmed Sakura's heart and she laughed when a half drunken Jiriya managed to beat Shikamaru at a game of shouji. The bewildered look on his face had sent half the room into gales of laughter.
Hinata kept trying to ignore Kiba's efforts to make her give up the package clutched to her chest which was clearly for Naruto and she was been effectively stopped from backing away by Shino's tall presence behind her. Chouji had managed to eat his way through most of the ramen from Ichiruka's before Naruto noticed and now a loud fight was in full progression. Shizune was having no luck trying to sort it out and Ino had taken to screaming at the pair of them.
Yamoto-sensei and Sai finally appeared just before ten, apparently on their way home from an ANBU debriefing. (Danzo wasn't quite as generous with the holiday season as the Hokage was.) Iruka-sensei was behind them and gently but firmly pushing them into the room. They were invited in and awkwardly squashed in between Lee and Neji who was trying to stay a good distance away from his excitable team mate.
Twenty minutes later Anko, the aggressive Jounin they vaguely remembered from their Chuunin exam years ago, came strolling out of Naruto's bedroom with a box of eggnog and sake under her arm. Apparently she'd decided to gatecrash the improper party by coming through Naruto's window. Nobody minded though – particularly Tsunade and Jiriya who'd long ago finished the lone bottle of sake between them.
With all the noise and the crowd, Sakura found herself craving a breath of fresh air. She snagged the back of Naruto's orange jacket and dragged him away from the shouting Ino and complaining Chouji.
By the time they pulled on their warmer clothes and boots and stumbled out the front door, Naruto had managed to sort through the confusion of Sakura's actions and actually figure out what she wanted.
"Hold up Sakura-chan!" protested Naruto, still trying to wrap his scarf firmly around his neck.
Laughing though, Sakura just tugged his hand harder and dragged him down the street.
"Come on Naruto! It's snowing," she encouraged him. "I don't think I could stand to be in your crowded, stuffy apartment for another second."
"My apartment is not stuffy!" complained Naruto but he grudgingly complied with her request and quickly followed.
They walked for quite some time, wandering the city streets randomly and talking and laughing beneath the cloudy sky. Soon the snow had covered their heads and shoulders and their checks had gone red against the biting cold. Their breath steamed before them and they both laughed when they created snow angles in the park and Naruto cheekily lobbed a snowball at a drunken Genma who was revealing with a few other Chuunin and Jounin in the pristine streets.
They nearly ran into Konohomaru and his two team mates who were lurking near the academy. The three genin were busily building a ninja army of snowmen around the academy – no doubt because they knew it would annoy Iruka to no end.
Biting back their laughter, Sakura and Naruto made sure not to disturb them and moved on to the Ninja Memorial. The snow around it lay untouched but they dutifully cleared it away to reveal the names carved there. They stood for awhile, silently paying their respects and then eventually they found themselves wandering down and ambling over the bridge where they'd met years ago as Team 7.
"Look," exclaimed Sakura brushing away the snow. "Do you remember when Kakashi-sensei pinned Sasuke right here with his kunai?"
She pointed out the deep dent in the wood and Naruto smiled, clearly remembering the incident. "Yeah – man Sasuke-teme was so mad. I thought he was gonna pop a vein or something!"
Sakura smiled wryly and answered, "Well it was your fault Naruto. Sasuke-kun didn't, after all, knock a can of yellow paint all over Kakashi-sensei's clean washing."
"Oh, come on Sakura-chan!" protested Naruto. "It was his turn to take one for the team. I may have a pretty hard head but it still hurts when someone hits it and I thought Kakashi-sensei was about to commit blue murder!"
"I wonder why?" retorted Sakura dryly.
Pouting, Naruto awkwardly kicked the railing and then grinned when the snow revealed something else.
"Hey look Sakura-chan!"
Naruto pointed out a small scorch mark on the wood which Sakura knew was part of a good metre sized circle. She knew exactly how that particular mark had come about.
"Oh? You found your attempt at Sasuke's fireball jutsu huh?" asked Sakura smiling.
"Yep," replied Naruto, not at all abashed about that particular incident. He'd nearly set her on fire though and Sasuke had actually hit Naruto for the first and only time outside of sparring. That's how badly annoyed he'd been. The lumpy bruise Naruto had sported across his forehead for the next two weeks had decidedly made Sakura's previous bashings of Naruto look like mere superficial wounds in comparison to attempted murder.
"I don't see what you're so proud of?" remarked Sakura arching an eyebrow.
Naruto laughed a little and answered, "Well that was my first attempt at the jutsu. Sasuke looked so pissed off when I didn't do so bad."
"Uh huh? And it had nothing to do with the fact that you nearly set me on fire?" replied Sakura.
Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "Maybe," he admitted.
Shaking her head ruefully, Sakura began brushing more snow aside with her foot, looking for another particular mark.
"Look Naruto."
"Hey you found it," said Naruto, bending over her shoulder to see what she'd uncovered.
Sakura smiled and knelt to trace the familiar letters of her name. She'd etched it in there with a kunai just after they'd gotten back from the Wave Country mission. The letters were short and stumpy and beside hers, Naruto's cramped, spidery name was written. The first letter of Sasuke's name looked the same because their raven haired team mate had refused to write his name but when Naruto had proceeded to do it for him; he'd gotten as far as the S before Sasuke had snatched the kunai off him and finished the job. They'd all thought they were dead meat when Kakashi had shown up but their sensei had calmly taken Sakura's kunai and added his name with a cartoonish picture of Pakkun's face at the end.
Several days later Sakura had discovered that someone had written "Team 7" above their names. She'd asked Naruto about it and he'd said he hadn't done it and Sasuke had also claimed he hadn't. She knew it'd been one of the two however since Kakashi had been away on a mission and she'd drawn the conclusion that it couldn't have been Naruto. He couldn't lie any better than he could pass up a free bowl of ramen. Sasuke on the other hand, well that was a different story. She'd often wondered what had prompted him to do it because he of all three of them resisted being a part of Team 7 the most. It was yet another thing to add to the enigma that was her team mate, Uchiha Sasuke.
"I wish we knew where he was," murmured Naruto.
"Yeah," replied Sakura softly. Their eyes were both lingering on their team mate's name.
Sakura sighed and stood to face her companion.
"We couldn't ever reach him, could we Naruto?" she asked him.
Naruto's blue eyes were dull with sadness, his expression matching her own but his voice was steady when he answered.
"I think we did Sakura-chan and I think he was happy been a part of Team 7. I guess he just decided dealing with Itachi was more important."
"But he didn't come back," protested Sakura despondently.
"Yeah but we don't know what happened. Nobody knows anything and Sasuke never told," replied Naruto. "Perhaps there was more to this whole mess than we realised."
He sighed sadly, the very sound filled with resignation.
"We'll probably never know Sakura-chan but at least Sasuke knows where to find us."
Naruto's words made her realise for the first time that perhaps he believed this was the one and only promise he'd never be able to keep – the one important promise he'd made to her. Sasuke may never come back and Naruto hadn't admitted it but he'd all but said that he couldn't get Sasuke back.
Sakura bowed her head, suddenly wishing she wasn't standing here on this bridge in the snow anymore but in the sunshine with Naruto yelling about something, Kakashi-sensei lazily flipping through his beloved Icha Icha book and the quiet but comforting presence of Sasuke leaning against the railing beside her.
"Come on Naruto," she muttered no longer wanting to remain on the bridge, "let's go see who got stuck on guard duty at the gate and then go back home."
"Sure Sakura-chan," agreed Naruto quietly and in silence, the two left the bridge and headed towards the village gates.
It was getting on towards the witching hour now and as it turned out, Morino Ibiki and an unknown Chuunin were on guard at the gates. Ibiki was huddled deep in his black jacket and barely battered an eyelash when Naruto and Sakura appeared. The Chuunin glanced at them briefly but soon went back to reading his book.
"Naruto, Sakura," Ibiki acknowledged.
"Ibiki-san," answered Sakura and Naruto nodded briefly.
"So you drew the short straw huh?" she asked.
Ibiki grunted and pulled his coat a little tighter. "I suppose. Out for a late night walk?"
"Something like that," confessed the pink haired girl.
"Hmm, I would have thought you two would be at home. Iruka was here earlier, mentioned something about a bit of a Christmas bash going down at your place," said Ibiki.
"Yeah," replied Naruto with a small grin – his first since they'd left the bridge.
Sakura smiled to herself; glad that so many people had turned up at Naruto's on Christmas Eve. She knew it must do her team mate's soul wonders.
"How long are you on for?" asked Naruto. "All night shift?"
"No, ANBU takeover at one which is good. The old scars get a bit achy in all this cold," answered Ibiki.
"Well we should be going I guess," said Sakura.
Ibiki grunted and mumbled a goodbye then got up and went into the small guard building; probably to get a warm drink Sakura supposed.
Naruto and Sakura stood in the snow for a moment and then with a sigh, they turned and went on their way. They'd only walked a dozen paces when they heard the Chuunin say something.
"Hmm, I wonder who that could be?" he muttered.
Curious, Sakura stopped and turned. A figure was coming towards the gates through the drifting snow. She had a feeling she knew who it was but it was Naruto who recognised the figure first.
"Hey it's Kakashi-sensei! OI! KAKASHI-SENSEI!"
Naruto waved hard and finally Sakura recognised her sensei who raised a hand in reply. His white cloak blended perfectly with the surrounding whiteness and it was difficult to tell where his figure ended and the landscape started. Beneath the cloak she could see pale grey armour which meant Kakashi had just come back from an ANBU level mission. It had been quite a surprise to learn Kakashi was ANBU level and had reached that stage when he was only fourteen. She was slowly learning as the years went by that Kakashi was the ultimate example of looking beneath the underneath.
"Naruto! Sakura!" he called.
"Hey Kakashi-sensei!" replied Sakura, raising her own hand to wave back.
"What took you so long sensei? Get lost again?" called Naruto cheekily.
Kakashi chuckled dryly.
"Not exactly."
He stepped aside, "It just took me longer than usual to complete this particular mission."
Sakura blinked, startled at the appearance of another person who was half a step behind Kakashi. Dressed in the same white cloak, he'd blended just as perfectly as Kakashi-sensei and she hadn't even realised he was there.
The cloak parted and a pale, long fingered hand appeared and reached up to pull back the hood.
Black hair which poked up in unruly directions at the back and grew long in the front to frame a pale, angular face and eyes of the darkest onyx appeared.
Sakura froze, feeling her breath catch in her throat and her heart suddenly jump.
No way…
The face had changed – there wasn't any doubt but the familiar features were still there, still made him easily recognisable. Dimly she registered that Kakashi-sensei hadn't said anything else; had in fact disappeared from her line of sight. The world had suddenly become so much smaller and it was only her and the person before her standing in it.
And he was smiling…
Smiling gently at her…
The first smile she'd ever seen him wear but it was sincere and it wasn't vanishing.
Something wet trailed down her face, falling gently from her wide green eyes. She was crying again, wasn't she? And after she'd promised herself never to cry in front of him again.
"It seems I still make you sad Sakura," he said softly and there was a touch of regret in his voice.
"…Sasuke."
Her throat constricted and her face crumpled but it finally seemed to break the spell that had frozen her body in place. She flung herself forward, her arms wrapping around his neck and her head burying itself in his chest. His body tensed the moment she touched him but he didn't vanish – he was real and he didn't push her off either.
After a moment he hesitantly relaxed and he hugged her back.
Sakura didn't want to let go but another more driving need made her do so: she had to see his face again. She had to see the face that had changed so much and been gone for six years of her life but was still very much the same.
Sasuke was still smiling, a bit more hesitantly now but up close Sakura noticed the rings around his eyes and the tiredness that seemed to seep from his being. Whatever had happened in the last six years had cost him and dearly, probably both physically and of course, emotionally. He hadn't felt thin when she'd hugged him but he certainly hadn't felt haughty and hale either. As a medic, Sakura was able to feel the subtle difference.
Suddenly she realised that an expected loud reaction hadn't come. She turned to look at Naruto who hadn't move from where she'd left him. His face was white and Kakashi-sensei's gentle but firm hand was on his shoulder.
"Naruto," acknowledged Sasuke softly.
He moved forward and Sakura dutifully stepped aside. She'd had her greeting and now it was Naruto's turn.
Sasuke stopped a metre away from Naruto and the blond was only still a moment before he shrugged off Kakashi's hand and a loud thump echoed through the snowy night.
Sakura started but stopped herself. Sasuke face was tilted away from her, his dark hair falling across his eyes but the already red mark across his jaw was beginning to turn purple. Slowly he turned his head back. Naruto hadn't moved since he'd hit him but Kakashi hadn't grabbed hold of him again either.
"Bastard!" Naruto hissed. "That was for taking so long," he growled and then suddenly stepped forward and enveloped Sasuke in a fierce hug.
Sakura sighed softly in relief. For half a moment she'd been afraid but then she told herself not to be daft. Sasuke was probably Naruto's most precious person of all and she'd been silly to think Naruto wouldn't forgive him. His heart was too big to allow him to hold a grudge.
"Well Kakashi-sensei," said Sakura turning to her sensei. "This was your mission huh?" She smiled, still a little teary but already beginning to gather herself.
Kakashi's visible eye crinkled as he smiled back.
"Well not exactly. It's my Christmas present to you guys. You see, technically speaking Tsunade actually gave me another mission which I completed and then I went looking for your gift. So, Merry Christmas Sakura!"
Sakura didn't have the heart to scold her sensei even though he'd theoretically just about left Konoha. She didn't know how he'd managed to find and convince Sasuke to return but she wasn't going to worry about that now. There were more important things to think of such as the fact that it was Christmas Eve and Naruto still had a whole party happening back at his place which they were currently missing.
"Well then," beamed Naruto finally releasing Sasuke. "It's cold out here and I guess you guys must be pretty tired, right Kakashi-sensei?"
"Of course Naruto," replied Kakashi sardonically.
"Anyway, come back to my place and we'll have a hot cup of something. You can stay the night if you want Sasuke because I doubt you're old place is going to be up to it."
Naruto turned and began to lead them back to his apartment, his smile the biggest Sakura had ever witnessed. The four ninja deliberately ignored the half hearted call from the Chuunin to come back. Missing nin were supposed to be captured and taken into custody but it was Christmas Eve. Who cared about a minor detail like that?
Sasuke and Kakashi walked quietly on either side of Sakura. All three of them were silent and thoughtful. They all chose to ignore Naruto and resist complaining when he broke out into several rounds of joyous off key carolling.
Sakura could hardly believe it she reflected as she walked beside Sasuke. His face was the most open and peaceful she's ever seen it. His dark eyes were soft and slightly curious as he took in his surroundings, familiarising himself with Konoha and noting the small changes that had occurred since he'd been gone.
She was curious – beyond it even but she refrained from asking. The truth would come in good time and for now; she was content to be in his company. Well, almost content.
"Sasuke?" she asked. He turned to look at her and Sakura almost lost her nerve. She steeled herself though and asked him anyway.
"Do you mind if I hold your hand?"
Sasuke blinked; a sign that she'd surprised him but than his face relaxed into a small smile.
"I'm not going anywhere Sakura," he told her but he gave her his hand anyway.
Sakura smiled back, glad to have his hand in hers and that he understood that she hadn't asked him because of an old, silly crush (one which she felt already resurfacing and was struggling to ignore). She'd only asked him in the end because like he'd guessed, she was afraid that if she looked away he'd simply disappear.
When they got close enough to hear the ruckus coming from Naruto's apartment Sasuke slowed and finally stopped. Forced to halt to, Sakura look up into his face and wasn't surprised to see the uneasiness there. Kakashi stopped and a moment later Naruto realised no one was following and turned around.
"Naruto is there a party in your apartment or something?" asked Sasuke.
"Of course Sasuke-teme," he replied with a superior air. "I'm very popular these days."
Kakashi shot down his smug remark though by adding, "Hmm I suppose you are although I noticed you don't have a fan club like Sasuke used to."
"So?" replied Naruto but the sullen tone was more than enough to indicate otherwise.
"Naruto I don't think it's a good idea if I go in there," explained Sasuke. "I've only just gotten back."
Naruto snorted. "All the more reason to get this over with Sasuke-teme."
"Tsunade and Jiriya are there though," Sakura felt the need to point out.
"Yeah and if Baa-chan and Ero-Sannin are gonna give me any grief about it then they can go party somewhere else," declared the blond youth obstinately.
Sakura sighed, already giving in. Naruto's mind was clearly made up.
"If it's all the same Naruto," objected Sasuke, "I'll go stay at Kakashi-sensei's or something. You don't need me cramping your Christmas party."
"Don't be a baka Sasuke," retorted Naruto. "You're coming and you can save your excuses."
"You might as well give in," Kakashi said. "Naruto is at times more stubborn then you'll ever be. If you refuse he'll just drag you in there anyway."
The twelve year old Sasuke would have flatly denied Naruto's ability to drag him anywhere but the eighteen year old Sasuke's face just tightened as an internal battle took place. Sakura felt bad for Sasuke in that moment. She couldn't begin to predict how everyone would react and knew Sasuke would be thinking the same thing.
Finally though, Sasuke's shoulders slumped just slightly and she knew that he resigned himself to the task ahead.
"Alright Naruto but don't say I didn't warn you," he told him. Naruto though, barely heard a word of it. He was already cheering and hurrying up the street to the apartment.
Sasuke sighed and Sakura gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
"It'll be alright," she told him.
"I doubt it," answered Sasuke flatly. She smiled sadly, already seeing Sasuke beginning to close off his emotions. Now that she thought about, Sasuke was completely different. For staters, he'd actually smiled and his thoughts and feelings were showing through for the first time. She hadn't forgotten their last meeting in Sound two years ago but the Sasuke then was almost like a distant memory. She couldn't seem to connect the Sound Sasuke with this one beside her now or the twelve year old boy he had been. Evidently, more had happened than she'd ever realised but for the first time in her life, she was just glad to see him smile at her. Who cared what had happened?
By the time they reached Naruto's apartment complex, Sasuke's face was completely expressionless.
"Alright, I'll go in first," proclaimed Naruto. "Just wait until I call you."
"Whatever," muttered Sasuke and half a second later, Naruto had opened the door and disappeared up the hallway. Sakura, Kakashi and Sasuke took off their cloaks, jackets and boots and then went up the hallway to wait just outside the entrance to the living room. Sasuke's hand wasn't sweaty but he gripped hers firmly in his own.
"Alright, listen up everyone!" they heard Naruto shout.
"Naruto! Where the hell have you been?" growled a voice which Sakura recognised as Kiba's but everyone was beginning to quieten down.
"Oh, well me and Sakura-chan just went for a walk," explained Naruto airily.
"Not off to kiss under the mistletoe I hope," piped up Tsunade dryly.
"Hell no Baa-chan!" protested Naruto. "You taught Sakura-chan to punch pretty hard you know. I don't want my head getting knocked clear to the Land of Snow."
There were some amused titters and once that had quietened down Naruto announced brightly, "well even though you gave permission for all the ninja to return from their missions Baa-chan, there was still someone who wasn't back and obviously not here when all of you decided to appear on my doorstep. However, being who he is, it's no surprise that Kakashi-sensei was late. We found him wandering around in the snow outside, you know – lost on the road of life and all that."
Several amused snorts and laughs broke out and having heard his name, Kakashi stuck his head around the doorway.
"I wasn't lost Naruto," he remarked. "This squirrel needed some help storing his winter supply of nuts so I stopped to give him a quick hand."
A half a dozen cries of 'Liar!' broke out. Most of the ninja in the room were familiar with the stories of Kakashi's excuses and Team 7's shouts of 'Liar.'
Kakashi stepped fully into the room, smiling underneath his mask.
"Did you complete your mission Kakashi?" asked Tsunade.
"Hai," he answered, "and you'll have a full report on your desk in the next couple of days."
Tsunade arched an eyebrow but said nothing. Reports were supposed to be handed in the following day but Kakashi didn't know the meaning of the phrase, 'on time.'
"Anyway," continued Naruto but was interrupted by Rock Lee.
"Where is Sakura-chan Naruto? Did she not return with you?" queried the bowl shaped haircut ninja.
"Relax Fuzzy Brows, she's right here," replied Naruto.
Sakura smiled apologetically at Sasuke in the hallway. She'd been called out and now Sasuke was going to have to come in alone. She'd have preferred not to leave him but the others would be wondering where she was and if Sasuke didn't mind (which he wasn't indicating he did) then she would have to go.
She stepped into the room which was crowed with all the people that had come. Ino and a reluctant Ten-ten, a scowling Shikamaru and a blushing Hinata looked to have been in the middle of a game of Twister. They were now all sitting on the matt and looking at Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi. Tsunade, Jiriya and surprisingly Iruka, were all very red in the face but still looking blurrily at Naruto. Sakura just hoped Tsunade hadn't had too much yet or there was no predicting her reaction.
"As I was saying," began Naruto a second time and here Sakura was sure her team mate's eyes gleamed mischievously. He was bloody enjoying this she realised. "We met Kakashi-sensei at the gate. We got lucky though because our lazy sensei actually remembered to get us a present this year."
Kakashi rolled his lone eye but didn't protest the comment. He was apparently looking forward to this just as much as Naruto.
Abruptly Naruto's face grew stern. "Now this particular gift means a lot to us," he said. "So for the time being, the rule is we'll all talk about this tomorrow, understand?"
Naruto's hard blue eyes roamed over the room, startling the occupants with its intensity. Sakura sometimes forgot how commanding Naruto could be. It was one of many hints of the greatness he could present if he became Hokage. These days, Sakura had little doubt he'd achieve his dream and like her, nobody else in the room thought otherwise.
Naruto's proclamation apparently sunk in because suddenly the room had become rather serious. Each ninja had met Naruto's eyes and silently promised him they'd comply with his request.
Apparently satisfied, Naruto's lips suddenly broke into a tight smile.
"Alright then. Get in here Bastard."
Sakura could have sworn she heard a soft sigh and a word that sounded suspiciously like 'Dobe' but it didn't matter.
A moment later Uchiha Sasuke stepped out of the shadows and into the room.
Silence descended. Sakura wasn't surprised to see the half stunned / half horrified looks everyone suddenly had. It was Shikamaru who suddenly broke the silence.
"Shit. It's Uchiha Sasuke."
And just like that, the room exploded in a deafening combination of reactions. Several people swore including Kiba, Jiriya and Tsunade – extremely loudly it might be noted. The majority of people gasped or yelled in surprise and a few including Yamoto, Sai and Anko, didn't appear to know what to say at all.
Through all the noise, Sasuke didn't move and his face remained expressionless. For the first time, Sakura realised that beneath his cloak Sasuke wasn't armed at all. He was dressed in a long sleeved black shirt which obviously belonged to Kakashi-sensei because it pooled around Sasuke's throat. He was wearing black trousers and to Sakura's interest, she could just see a slightly bloody bandage pocking out above his ankle.
It was Tsunade who brought order to the chaos.
"NARUTO!" she bellowed over the confusion. The noise quickly subsided. Though Tsunade cheeks were tinted a slight pink colour, her presence as Konoha's Hokage still vastly swelled and dominated the room.
"I don't think something like this can possibly be ignored until tomorrow," Tsunade informed him.
"With all due respect Hokage-sama," interrupted Neji for the second time that evening, "he already asked us to wait until tomorrow. It's Christmas Eve and so long as Uchiha-san vows not to cause any trouble I don't see a problem with waiting until tomorrow, right?"
Neji had come extremely close and was now standing in front of Sasuke. Sakura couldn't believe it nor understand it. She's never had all that much to do with Neji and yet he was defending Sasuke? It made no sense particularly owing to the fact that Neji generally speaking, followed the rules almost to the letter.
Sasuke was also confused and Sakura didn't miss the flicker in his eyes but it was just as quickly masked.
"You have my word," he promised quietly. "I thought it would be a bad idea but Naruto insisted."
Sasuke shot Naruto a quick look but it'd apparently been the right thing to say. Everybody trusted Naruto and in particular, his judgement. Neji nodded and stepped back and Tsunade grudgingly sat back down.
"Very well, would you like something to drink Uchiha-san?" Neji asked. Sasuke nodded minutely and the two disappeared into the kitchen. Sakura decided to follow, not wanting to let Sasuke out of her sight ever again. She had a feeling Sasuke would ask Neji about his actions once they were in the kitchen and Sakura wanted to know too.
"So," began Sasuke while Neji filled up Naruto's battered blue kettle and put it on the stove.
"Why did I speak out and defy the Hokage?" guessed Neji.
Sasuke nodded mutely, his dark eyes still unreadable.
Neji shrugged just slightly and got out three cups while Sakura slid into a chair.
"To be honest, I don't know you all that well Sasuke and I've barely even exchanged two words with you in the past. However, your team has always trusted you and defended you against those that have criticized your past actions. I was part of the retrieval squad sent to fetch you all those years ago and it was then that I got my first inkling of this. Naruto was so determined and even though he came back empty handed, he never gave up on you. That's says a lot about you and about your character Sasuke. It says to me that before then, you'd always been loyal and striven to help and protect the members of Team 7. You're determination to kill Itachi however, also told me just how far you'd go to protect your precious people."
Neji paused to take the kettle off the stove and then pour water into the three cups.
Continuing he said, "You had the choice of staying in Konoha or leaving it. You chose to go not long after Naruto was attacked by your brother. Am I right in guessing it was partially because you were afraid that if you got too close, Itachi would slaughter your team just as he'd done to your clan?"
Neji looked shrewdly at Sasuke as he passed him his drink.
The question itself however, stunned Sakura and it was something she realised she'd never considered. Neji's perceptiveness had completely taken her by surprise. Was it possible that he was right? That it was true? Sasuke had never acted like he'd cared – ever.
Sasuke bowed his head slightly, studying the liquid surface of his hot chocolate while he held it between his fingers.
"Ah," he admitted finally. "I did fear that but you still risked a lot on theories alone. You don't even know me and by rights, Tsunade should have punished you even if it was an off duty event."
Neji though, just shook his head. "You're forgetting Uchiha, I'm a Hyuuga and I know all about hiding beneath aloofness and arrogance. It's something my clan has just as much practice at as yours did. For me, being able to perceive your intentions isn't hard because after all, it's like looking at myself. You are, in more ways than one, very much like me."
Neji left them alone after that and eventually they wandered back into the living room. Nobody said much of anything to Sasuke and he spent the majority of the rest of the party leaning silently against the wall next to Kakashi by the hallway entrance. Sakura didn't blame him and in his own quiet way, Kakashi was the pillar of Team 7. His quiet presence alone held the team together like nothing else could.
The party wrapped up around two and Sakura had no doubt that within a few hours, all of Konoha would know Sasuke had come back. Naruto went to bed that night with a contented smile on his face. Kakashi teleported to his apartment for a few minutes and came back with a spare futon and a pile of pillows and blankets. He took the futon and disappeared into Naruto's room with a brief 'goodnight' to them and Sasuke and Sakura took the remaining blankets and collapsed onto the two old armchairs which they reclined and used as make shift beds.
Sakura drifted off with her own content smile gracing her face. She was almost asleep when she heard Sasuke shift slightly.
"Goodnight, Sakura."
Sakura felt a warmness grow in her chest and she snuggled a little further into the blankets.
"Goodnight Sasuke-kun. Merry Christmas."
0-0-0-0-0-0
Sakura awoke to the new dawn and quietly slipped out of bed.
It was Christmas morning.
Nobody was up yet and Sasuke's light, even breathing in the other chair told her he was still sleeping. A spark of excitement raced up her spine when she looked at his peaceful face half snuggled under the covers. She couldn't believe it was really him. He'd really come back!
Grinning, she tiptoed out of the room and hurriedly pulled on her coat, gloves and boots. There was something she had to get.
When she returned half an hour later Naruto was yawning and stumbling around in the kitchen but he greeted her with a bright smile. Sasuke was still curled up in the arm chair, the covers now pulled up higher so that only a few spiky raven locks peaked out the top. A huddle of blankets in front of the fire place indicated Kakashi was also up and apparently sick if the muffled sneeze was anything to go on.
The sneeze didn't disturb Sasuke and Sakura was secretly amazed that he was still asleep. The twelve year old Sasuke never slept in but apparently a teenaged Sasuke actually liked to.
Naruto came back into the room then, still rubbing his eyes sleepily. He set down a steaming cup of ramen, yawned and promptly tripped over a forgotten sake bottle. He hit the floor with a bang and a loud whine of 'Itai!' a moment later.
Sasuke's blue blanket shifted and a dark eye peeped out.
'O oh,' thought Sakura. He was awake now.
"Baka," growled a voice from the mess of blankets.
"Shut up Teme," grumbled Naruto. He rubbed his bruised knee and shot Sasuke a glare.
The dark eye disappeared for a moment and Sakura almost thought Sasuke was going back to sleep but with a sigh, he sat up and put the chair back into an upright position. His hair now stuck out sideways but Sakura still thought he looked as handsome as he always had. Immediately realising her train of thought, she blushed and quickly squashed it. Sasuke would not appreciate her crushing on him again – she had no doubt about that.
"Where've you been Sakura?" asked the grey pile of blankets in a sniffy voice.
"I just had to get something Kakashi-sensei," she explained with a grin.
She dropped the present she'd bought for Sasuke all those years ago in his lap.
"Merry Christmas Sasuke!"
He blinked blankly at the present for a moment and then looked at her.
"What's this?"
"A present silly."
"But none of the shops are open today and you didn't know I was coming."
Sakura's smile widened. "Of course I didn't but I was actually going to give this to you before you left. It's your Christmas present for our first one as Team 7."
"Oh," answered Sasuke but he didn't move to open it.
Sakura sighed impatiently. "Generally when someone gives you a present on Christmas day you open it Sasuke-kun," she prompted.
Sasuke looked at her again but awkwardly picked up the brightly wrapped gift and began opening it.
The wrapping fell away and Sakura's heart soared when he actually blinked in astonishment at her gift. A red, leather bound photo album rested in his hands. He opened the front cover and almost reverently began turning the pages. Dozens of photos taken of Team 7 and some with others of the Rookie Nine and Team Gai were pasted between the pages. Sakura had written captions in her stumpy, twelve year old writing beneath each. She couldn't quite believe how messy her writing had been back then.
She'd only filled a quarter of the album leaving room for additions in future. When Sasuke reached the end he wordlessly closed the album and looked up at her, something unreadable hidden in his eyes.
"Thank you Sakura…it means a lot to me."
Sasuke smiled, just a little one and Sakura smiled back happily. Neji had been right. He did care.
"My turn Teme," interrupted Naruto. He tossed his small package from under the tree at Sasuke who caught it easily. He arched an eyebrow at the worn package but dutifully opened it.
Naruto had given him something neither she nor Sasuke obviously, would ever have expected. It was a wooden box containing three scrolls. Sasuke wordlessly opened the first and began reading.
"Naruto, where did you get this?"
Smiling smugly, Naruto answered, "from the Forbidden Scroll of course."
Both his team mates stared at him, completely astonished.
The Forbidden Scroll?!
Sakura knew exactly which scroll Naruto meant.
"But how on earth did you get these?" asked Sasuke.
"What jutsu do they contain?" queried Sakura.
"Well I stole it the night after graduation from the academy," explained Naruto. "To cut a long story short, that's how I learned Kage Bushin and I also remembered a few of the other jutsus I'd seen in there. Since they're all fire jutsus, I thought you'd like 'em Sasuke so I snuck back in and copied them down."
"And knowing you this is probably why you turned up the next day at the academy, somehow having passed over night, right?" asked Sakura wryly.
Naruto smirked smugly. "Of course."
Mutely, Sasuke shook his head and rolled the scroll back up.
"Thanks Naruto," he said.
Naruto grinned. "No problem Teme."
Sasuke's brow creased irritably and he snapped back, "Sasuke. It's Sasuke, Dobe! Don't you think we're a little old for this?"
Naruto snorted disbelievingly. "What are you talking about Teme? You are a bastard – live with it."
"I am not, baka," Sasuke growled back. "And besides, you're not much of a dead last anymore…well, except maybe when it comes to brain power. You're still slower than a tortoise on caffeine."
Sasuke smirked at Naruto while the blond spluttered and protested.
"Damn it Sasuke! If Sakura-chan didn't like you so much I'd bash your pretty face in!"
"Naruto!" protested Sakura turning bright red. She hadn't expected to be dragged into their fight and she didn't particularly want to be either.
"You could try Naruto but I doubt you'd get very far. A tortoise like you wouldn't even be able to catch a snail," Sasuke replied.
His expression turning murderous, Sakura could almost sense the impending explosion as surely as she knew the sky was blue.
"TEME! At least my head doesn't look like the backside of a duck!"
"A what?" replied Sasuke blankly, which Sakura knew was the equivalent of Naruto's comment having stunned Sasuke.
Before Naruto could retort, a violent sneeze interrupted their argument. The three ninja looked at the pile of blankets that was Kakashi-sensei and promptly forgot all about their fight.
Kakashi's tired face was now visible, his silver hair drooping into his eyes. The Sharingan eye was carefully shut but the other one was open though heavily lidded.
What had taken them all by surprise however (even the stoic Uchiha Sasuke) was the Copy ninja's completely observable face. The black mask they had not see their sensei without since day one was nowhere in sight.
Sakura felt heat suffusing her cheeks as she gazed at her sensei's face. There were no buck teeth or fish lips like they'd imagined during that ridiculous day when she, Naruto and Sasuke had tried to find out. Her sensei, well, he was gorgeous! She couldn't think of another way to describe it. With a face like that it was no wonder he hid it. She shook her head when she realised she had been staring and hoped her sensei hadn't seen her doing it.
"Naruto, if you've got so much energy to yell in the morning why don't you make yourself useful and get me some tablets or something for a head cold?" asked Kakashi.
Their sensei sniffed almost pathetically and then shuffled through his blankets and pulled out a long, thinly wrapped parcel.
"Here," he said holding out the package to Sasuke.
He wordlessly took it, his eyes still on Kakashi's face. If their sensei noticed all three of his students ogling his face then he apparently chose not to comment. Sasuke opened the Christmas gift and stared curiously at it. The silver haired ninja had given him a sword in a plain black sheath. The handle was silver and decorated with an unfamiliar pattern.
"Since I broke your last one I thought you could use a new one," Kakashi explained. "It belonged to my father."
Surprised, Sasuke's dark head snapped up and he stared incredulously at Kakashi. His two team mates also blinked in amazement at their sensei. Sakura assumed Sasuke probably didn't know who Kakashi's father had been but she and Naruto certainly remembered.
"Your father's?" questioned Sasuke.
"Ah, Konoha's White Fang actually," replied Kakashi offhandedly, like it wasn't in the least way significant.
Sasuke's eyes widened just slightly – he hadn't known Sakura realised.
"You're his son?"
Kakashi snorted. "Of course. Why do you think I told you that you were so much like me?"
Sasuke blinked, his eyes becoming distant. Sakura didn't know what he was thinking about but she assumed it must have been a conversation he and Kakashi had had long ago.
"It's a good gift…Kakashi-sensei. Thank you," said Sasuke eventually.
"But you don't understand why right?" asked Kakashi perceptively.
"And he's not the only one," piped up Naruto.
"Naruto!" growled Sakura. "It's none of our business."
Kakashi just waved a hand negligently. "It's fine. To be honest, I'm sure most people would think you don't deserve such a gift and after the last six years, I daresay your life in the village is going to be a whole lot harder than it was Sasuke. You'll probably find it ironic to have to work for the respect it took Naruto so long to earn. But that aside, are you aware of the circumstances surrounding the death of Konoha's White Fang?"
Sasuke nodded minutely. "I know he committed suicide but that's probably about all."
"My father did choose that way out, that's correct," confirmed Kakashi. "He committed suicide though, not just because he couldn't cope with his life but out of shame and the belief that he'd be doing Konoha a favour."
"But that's awful!" protested Sakura. "I can't imagine anyone in Konoha would wish your father dead."
"Neither could I at the time," admitted Kakashi. "Yet it happened and right in front of my eyes too. I was six years old, I'd just made Chuunin and I came home to find my father half dead at his desk. He tried to commit seppuku and had already lost so much blood by the time I got there that there was no hope of saving him. I knew this so I ended his suffering and cut off his head."
Their sensei's voice did not waver as he spoke and suddenly Sakura could see the likeness between him and Sasuke with perfect clarity. Two sad little boys, both having witnessed their parents death, had grown up fighting to protect themselves from that same pain. Her stomach rolled sickeningly as she envisaged the small child that Kakashi had been; standing beside his father's decapitated body. It must have taken incredible will power to do something like that and for someone so young.
"Did you really do that?" asked Sasuke softly. His face was shadowed and his voice thick but there was an earnestness there that had to be answered.
"It wasn't easy," admitted Kakashi, "but I couldn't cope seeing him suffer like that. Having no experience in the medical field, I had a tough time trying to decide if he could be saved. I was just later grateful to learn that I'd been right. If I'd been wrong, I don't think it would have been so easy to live with myself after that."
Silence descended upon Naruto's living room. Their blond member of their team was white and his fists were clenched in his lap. Sakura was sure her own face must be that same awful shade and Kakashi seemed to have stopped, caught in the memories of his past. Suddenly Sasuke set the blade down and stood. He bolted from the room, his movement startling the other three. They heard the sound of the bathroom door being flung open and they froze when the sound of retching reached their ears.
The noise seemed to jerk Kakashi out of his stupor and he sighed.
"No way…the Teme got sick over a story like that?" asked Naruto unbelievably. "I mean it's harsh and all but we've heard worse."
"I don't think it gets much worse Naruto you baka!" snapped Sakura. Sometimes her team mate could be so dense.
"You forget Naruto and Sakura," cut in Kakashi. "Sasuke's been thinking about his parents' death every day of his life. For him, my history probably brings back awful memories. Now that Itachi has paid for his clan's murder Sasuke can grieve without thinking about the need for revenge. His brother's use of the Makeyou Sharingan on him has probably ingrained every tiny little detail of that night into his mind. Sasuke will never forget it as long as he lives and he'll probably more often than not get sick over something most ninja his level wouldn't bat an eyelash at."
There was silence now and Sakura reluctantly stood. She couldn't leave Sasuke alone, not after that, so she decided she'd be the one to go and see him.
The eighteen year old was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall. He hadn't actually been sick Sakura noticed but Sasuke definitely had a distinct green tinge to his face. She crouched down beside him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He started a little but didn't react violently as she'd thought he probably would have. The second touch allowed her to confirm what she should have known all along: Sasuke's body wasn't specifically hurt but it was worn down by the pain he'd bourn for all those years.
He sighed, his expression miserable and a touch bitter.
"You must think I'm so weak," he muttered.
"Not really," replied Sakura sitting down and taking his hand in her own. He didn't resist and neither did he do anything when she sent a small amount of chakra through their linked hands; soothing his feelings and helping to right his queasy stomach.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked hesitantly.
Sasuke glanced at her and a wry smile suddenly formed.
"It might have been six years Sakura but you should know me well enough to know that I don't talk about things like that," he answered.
Sakura smiled back. "It was worth a shot."
"Hn. I'll get over it eventually," Sasuke continued. "Talking about it isn't something that'll help me and just in case you were going to ask, being here has always been enough. When I allowed myself to think about Konoha…about home; it was always comforting to know you, Naruto and Kakashi were waiting for me."
Touched, Sakura felt a strange warmth grow in her chest. Her relationship with Sasuke since he'd appeared in the snow the night before had progressed further than it ever had in a few minutes in comparison to the years she'd known him. Kakashi however, at that moment decided to come and see what had happened to them.
"Ah, here you are," he commented when he stuck his head around the doorway. Taking note of their closeness, he smiled and said, "Guess you're lucky there isn't any mistletoe around."
"Sensei!" gasped Sakura. She let go of her team mate's hand and immediately exited the bathroom, blushing furiously.
Kakashi laughed and let her pass. Sasuke snorted and also followed Sakura back into the living room. Naruto was waiting for them with a cup of hot chocolate. He'd apparently taken the time while they were gone to fix them something to drink.
"Geez and you guys call me an idiot," he complained as he passed out their drinks. "It's Christmas morning Kakashi-sensei. Don't go telling such a gloomy story."
Kakashi smiled tiredly as he received his drink. "Sorry Naruto. I didn't mean to and I suppose I did have a point I was trying to make."
"And what was that sensei? You're brain dead without your mask?" asked Naruto sarcastically.
Smoothly ignoring Naruto's remark, Kakashi continued his explanation.
"My father always followed orders but one particular mission he disobeyed the mission request and returned to save his comrades. The scroll they'd been sent to retrieve was lost but the entire squad lived. My father was punished and put on probation. However, the scorn from the villagers for his failure, despite the fact that he saved so many lives, soon grew too great and he took his life in order to escape the shame."
"But that's just dumb," said Naruto scornfully. "Who cares what they thought? It was the right thing and if he did it then he obviously knew it. He should have just ignored them."
"It wasn't that simple Naruto," retorted Kakashi. "My family comes from samurai stock and at times, their honour was all they had. It's stupid, that's true but it didn't change the fact that because his honour had become tainted, my father decided the right course of action would be to commit seppuku."
Turning to Sasuke, Kakashi picked up his father's blade and handed it to him again. "I want you to have this blade Sasuke because it belonged to a shamed man, just as you are and I want you to learn from my father's mistakes and yours and put this blade to good use. I want you to gain back the respect you once had and I want you to earn the honour you deserve. Do you have what it takes to be a Konoha ninja?"
Reaching out, Sasuke hesitantly accepted the blade but there was a firm resolve in his eyes.
"I've got nothing else Kakashi-sensei," he answered. "I'll take the sword of Konoha's White Fang and I'll do what I can to recover the honour of my clan and I'll make sure that the village acknowledges your father's legacy."
"Legacy?" asked Kakashi confused.
"Yes, his legacy," repeated Sasuke meeting Kakashi's eyes firmly. "You Kakashi-sensei. Your father obviously knew the value of team work and you taught us that. You have my word that I'll never stray from your teachings again."
The solemn promise caught everyone by surprise and they were all ever further bewildered when Kakashi started to laugh.
"Actually Sasuke," he chuckled at length. "It seems the teachings have come full circle. My father might have known that but I ignored it after his death. I thought he was a fool and I diligently followed the rules for years afterwards. You couldn't get me to do anything to put a mission in jeopardy. Surprisingly, it was my own loud mouth team mate who put me back on the straight and narrow and you'll be interested to know that he's the one who gave me the Sharingan."
Kakashi tapped his eye meaningfully and smiled at his students' puzzlement. "His name was Uchiha Obito and if you'll remember, the day I took you on as Team 7 I told you about a ninja leaving a comrade behind being worse than trash. Those were Obito's words - yelled at me because I was being stubborn and refusing to go back for our team mate Rin. He died on that mission but he gave me the Sharingan and I promised to live by his words. So you see it was an Uchiha who first taught me the value of team work and now it seems I've taught it to his cousin."
Not knowing what to say, Team 7 remained quite but Sakura wasn't the least surprised when Naruto spoke up.
"Well than Kakashi-sensei," he grinned slyly. "Better get busy. We're gonna need some little Hatake brats for Sasuke to teach to keep the tradition going."
A muscle beneath Sasuke's eye twitched just slightly and Sakura knew what was coming next.
"Dobe."
"Eh?! Sasuke-teme don't call me that!"
"I'll call you Dobe all I want," retorted Sasuke, "especially if you're going to insist on calling me a bastard."
The argument escalated from there and neither Sakura nor Kakashi had the heart to stop it. Something so long missed and yet so familiar felt good to watch. The verbal insults flew back and forth like kunai in battle and eventually Sasuke cuffed Naruto upside the head which resulted in a wrestling match on the floor. After ten minutes and a lot of bruises later, Sasuke won the match with a long stretch of ribbon from Sakura's gift and some interesting knots.
His hands now effectively tied and his mouth gagged, Naruto could only yell furiously which came out muffled through the gag while he tried to wrench the red ribbon out of his mouth. Rolling her eyes, Sakura resisted the pleading blue eyes of her team mate and went to make breakfast instead.
They ate a hot meal of warm rice and vegetables twenty minutes later in Naruto's living room. Their blond team mate had managed to free himself and even get Kakashi some pills for his head cold. The Jounin was still sniffing miserably but he appeared to be heartily enjoying the meal. After breakfast Naruto insisted on ignoring the dirty dishes and opening the remaining gifts under the tree.
Sakura was thrilled to receive a new jacket from Naruto. Her old one had been getting just a little tatty and Kakashi had taken the time to write down some powerful and rare earth jutsus he'd copied. He promised to teach them to her after the New Year break.
Naruto himself got a wonderful array of gifts from several other ninja but he insisted that the book Sakura had given him containing old ninja stories and Kakashi's useful scroll covering several battle strategies for wind element ninja were his favourite gifts.
Kakashi sensei had been hard to buy for but Sakura was fairly certain he liked her gift. She'd given him a brand new windmill shuriken. They were particularly hard to come by and extremely expensive but there was rarely a better long range weapon. Kakashi had told her offhand several weeks ago that he hadn't owned one in years and knowing this, Sakura had set her heart on obtaining one for her old sensei.
Naruto had been just as creative and had managed to procure some of Jiriya's rarer works which had only been limitedly published or not at all. Oddly enough, none of the half a dozen books consisted of any form of porn at all.
"Don't tell me you still read that stuff?" asked Sasuke in disgust when Kakashi set aside his new books beside one of his worn copies of Icha Icha.
Kakashi hummed absently and shook his head. "It might look like it but I don't think I've ever read more than a few pages of any book," he replied.
Sasuke looked shrewdly at Kakashi, clearly not believing him.
"Obito owned them," Kakashi tried to explain. "When he died I picked up some of his old habits – I think at the time it was my way of cooping. However, I really couldn't see the point in the books. I'm still trying to work it out."
"So that explains why you were always late," realised Naruto. His forehead crinkled into a frown and he whined, "No fair Kakashi-sensei!"
The long whine however, was enough to draw Sasuke's irritation. "Dobe! Shut up would you."
"Alright you two," cut in Sakura before Naruto could retaliate. "Its Christmas morning, lets not argue." She glared at Naruto in particular and the blond wisely swallowed his words. Sasuke said nothing and looked away when Sakura shot him a glance.
After the various gifts had been opened and the paper picked up and tossed in the rubbish bin, Sasuke made his way towards the front door. Noticing his retreating back, Naruto called after him.
"Oi Sasuke-teme! Where do you think you're going?"
"Out," he retorted shortly.
"We'll wait for me!" yelled Naruto running after him.
Sasuke sighed in annoyance. "Naruto, I'm not going out for a walk, I'm going to see the Hokage," he answered.
Naruto just snorted in reply and wrapped his scarf around his neck. "It's Christmas day Sasuke and Tsunade-baa-chan is probably still passed out in her bed. You won't be seeing her until tomorrow and nobody will care."
"Then I'm not going out," replied Sasuke turning back around.
Naruto rolled his eyes though and snagged the back of Sasuke's shirt.
"Baka. Who said anything about not going out to do something else?" he asked. He suddenly grinned challenging. "Come on Sasuke. Afraid of a little snow? Or are you just afraid I might beat you in a snowball fight?"
The challenge had been thrown and Sakura decided to up the anti. After all, there was no way she was letting the boys go out alone without her. Smiling sweetly, she stepped up beside Sasuke and announced, "Well I call Sasuke-kun then!"
Aghast, Naruto stared at her. She laughed and deliberately slipped her arm through Sasuke's. He didn't protest and in fact, suddenly smirked.
"Look's like you get Kakashi-sensei Naruto," he said.
His face almost looking horrified, Naruto looked at their sensei who choose at that moment to shuffle up behind the rest of his team. Kakashi was dressed warmly but his eyes were deeply lidded and his nose slightly red. He looked pathetic in comparison to the rest of Team 7.
"What?" he asked seeing their looks.
Naruto's face crumpled. "Oh man!" he complained. "We're never gonna win in a million years!"
"Oh well, I guess you lucked out Naruto," smirked Sasuke.
Insulted, Naruto suddenly whirled on Sasuke and Sakura.
"Shut up Teme! Me and Kakashi-sensei are gonna whoop your butts! Believe it!"
And thus, without further ado, the reunited members of Team 7 proceeded out into the snowy streets of Konoha. It may be noted that for the first time in a long while, Uzumaki Naruto failed to keep a promise and he and his sensei, Hatake Kakashi, lost miserably to Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke. Never the less, they put up a good fight and Sasuke suffered more than just a few snowballs courtesy of his opposition, Uzumaki Naruto.
The following day Uchiha Sasuke was brought before the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, Godaime Tsunade-hime alone. The village council protested but were refused their request for the first time in twenty years to abide over the hearing of one of Konoha's missing nin. What happened within the walls of the Hokage's office was never spoken of by either Uchiha Sasuke or the Hokage, Tsunade-hime.
The rogue ninja Uchiha Sasuke was acquitted of all charges and in return, Konoha received a wealth of information learnt over the years concerning the Snake Sannin, Orochimaru and the shady organisation, Akatsuki. Sasuke was promoted to Jounin shortly there after and for the next two years; Team 7 exclusively worked alone and took on the hardest village missions.
Their adventures and their stories increasingly became more unbelievable. In time, they were to become known as some of the greatest ninja the shinobi world had ever seen. Their exploits were many and their existence long remembered.
Yet that particular snowy Christmas morning in Konoha, they were nothing more than Team 7: a lopsided, loud and completely unpredictable family with attitude.
And they wouldn't have it any other way.
~ FIN ~
Author's Note: Well this is my Christmas gift to you guys and I sincerely hoped you enjoyed it. I wrote the majority of it on Sunday and thought I'd only have a bit left to do but from there it just seemed to keep growing. It's over 12 000 words which has to be the longest one shot in the world…ok, the longest one I've ever written anyway.
Well, to the best of my knowledge, it's canon at this point in time but if I've screwed up in any way then let me know.
Merry Christmas!
Randa-Chan
24th December 2008