Disclaimer: All credit for the creation of the Naruto franchise goes to Masashi Kishimoto. I do not own any of the characters.
I was inspired to write this after listening to an Alexz Johnson song by the same name. Thanks to BlackNightHawk64 for letting me know that I had some grammatical errors to fix, I hope I got them all.
2 a.m.
"Winter's fragrance brings memories of that day, that time, and those eyes." -Tite Kubo
Snow fell upon the small rural community, blanketing the houses and yards with the beautiful colour of hope. Elation of the upcoming holiday filled the hearts of many, after an unforgiving night warm homes will be filled with joyous laughter of children ripping open their Christmas presents.
Yahiko's lips molded to Konan's as Konan circled her hips around, grinding against his as they curled up together into a large armchair. It had taken a long while for them to be together, but on this night, Christmas Eve, they were finally where they were meant to be.
"I love you angel." Brown eyes darted from side to side taking in all the love he found in Konan's eyes while they sat connected.
Konan flashed him a sweet smile before running her thumb over his lips gently, soon lowering her head for another kiss. The sound of a phone ringing broke the calm of the house; the only other noise had been the crackling of the fireplace. Konan's head snapped up at the sound and moved to slide out of the chair, only for Yahiko's arms to stop her.
"Let it ring." There was a hint of pleading she found in his voice. He smiled at her, that smile that she never found herself being able to resist and cradled back into his grasp to plant a kiss on his lower lip, the phone's ring continuing to disturb the peace.
Konan's eyes shifted to look at the phone hanging on the wall, her curiosity of the caller taking over once again as she released her lover's lip.
"I should go answer it, it might be Nagato." Konan pushed off from the chair and against Yahiko's resistance, but soon fell from her seat once he released his hands.
"Whatever..." Yahiko scooted back up into the large chair, taking hold of the button of his pants, fastening them up as Konan stood from her brief encounter with the floor.
"Why do you get so upset when I mention him?" Konan moved around the chair and past the couch to place her hand over the phone. "He's a friend." She glanced at the screen that was lit up displaying the name she had expected.
"He's also your ex-boyfriend." Yahiko turned his attention to the fireplace, the intense heat emitting from it brushing against his fair skin.
Konan rolled her eyes as she took the phone into her hand and brought it up to her ear. "Merry Christmas Nagato!" She chuckled at his mimicking of her greeting and leaned back against the wall, always finding comfort in conversing with her friend.
After a few minutes on the phone Konan had all but forgotten who she had left waiting in the living room, she twirled the phone's cord around her finger and watched the cars zoom by through the window across the room, the decoration lights on trees outside blending in with the stars.
As Nagato spoke she couldn't help but to remember all the Christmases they had spent together.
Flashbacks began to fill her mind, nights when they cuddled together to stay warm when they could barely afford their rent, let alone a heater. Chills ran up her spine as they always did when she remembered her life with him.
"Alright it was good talking to you, I hope you're having a good time, I'll see you later." She moved to hang the phone up as a certain phrase caught her attention from the receiver.
"I love you Konan."
Twice, twice she had heard it tonight and so close to each other, but the meaning behind it sounded so different coming from Nagato.
"Merry Christmas Nagato." With a steady hand she slammed the phone down, ending the conversation. She turned her back to the phone and ran her hands up her arms, even with the fire going she still felt cold. She made her way around the couch and back into the center of the living room where she approached Yahiko, still gazing off into the fire. She forced a smile, as if she didn't know how much it bothered him that she still spoke with Nagato and leaned forward to climb into the chair with him.
Yahiko scooted out of the way and stood up from the chair quickly, Konan plopped down into the empty chair not expecting him to leave her.
Yahiko stormed out of the living room and into the main hall where he ripped his coat from its hanging spot on the wall.
"What are you doing?" Konan pulled herself up from the chair and moved across the carpeted living room until her feet hit the chilly wood floor in the hallway.
"I'm leaving."
"But it's Christmas Eve, why can't you just stay with me?" She leaned against the wall and watched him progress to the door.
Yahiko wrapped his fingers around the handle and pulled the door open, the harsh winter wind sweeping in and slapping against Konan's exposed legs.
After watching him take the first step outside Konan raced to the door to pull him back, but arrived too late and only to meet the closing door. She pressed her face up against the glass to watch his figure move towards the parked car just out of sight. She watched the snow light up with red, signaling the start of the engine and swung the door open to call out for him.
"Yahiko, please come back!" The car quickly drove down their snow covered driveway and out onto the street, a sudden gust of wind bashing against Konan. She stood in the doorway, against the wind and watched the lights of the car disappear out of sight around the corner that led out of the neighborhood.
She slammed her hand against the door shutting it promptly before crying out in frustration, her small display of anger soon transforming in sadness at how stupid she felt. She leaned against the wall, pressing her hands against it, her nails clawing down it as she slid to the floor, feeling defeated.
She sat in a heap on the floor, blaming herself for ruining the holiday, cursing herself and Nagato. She slid her hand into the pocket of the large sweater she had borrowed from Yahiko and gripped her phone. Yanking the phone from the pocket and through watery eyes she identified the number two key and pressed it following it with the call key.
She waited patiently as the speed dial command started a call to Yahiko's phone. She lifted her hand slowly and slapped the phone to her ear, the ringing filled her ear as she waited, but was soon cut off in the middle of the second ring. She closed her hand around her phone and began to rub her eyes as more tears began to flow from them.
Konan continued to weep heavily; she moved herself into the corner of the hall and clutched her phone as time flew by. Her sobbing session was interrupted by the sound of sirens weaving down the street that passed their home. Konan scrambled to her feet and pressed herself up against the door, peering through the glass to find which way the sirens were heading.
She brought her phone up again, and with shaking heads pressed the number two on her phone and the call key again, watching as Yahiko's cheerful face flashed on her screen, the call being started.
She watched out the door as the ringing from the phone grew louder in her ear.
The ringing seemed endless, connecting to one another in a long string of tones that were designed to torture her. But then at the end of that string there was a glimmer of hope, and it was the sound of his voice.
"Hey."
Konan shuddered at the comforting sound of his tender voice and begin to stutter out her apologies before being talked over.
"Yahik-"
"You've reached my voicemail, sorry I'm not able to come to the phone right now, but leave a message and I'll get back to you when I can."
With a painful scream she slammed her thumb against the end call button and backed up from the door to the wall where a line of shoes were.
She slipped her feet into a pair of his boots and stuffed the laces inside, tearing her black coat with small red designs on it off the wall and storming from the house. She zipped up the coat and took her first step from the porch, the frigid wind colliding with her frail body.
Konan began to run from the deck and off down the driveway, clutching her phone in one hand and hope in the other. The constant sound of ringing echoed through her ears. She began to recall all the nights she had chased after him. Chased after his affection, after his love, all alone.
It all seemed irrelevant now, all the problems they had, and nothing mattered anymore. All she wanted was for him to be okay. All she wanted was for him to be home with her right now. As she ran icy flakes collected themselves on her coat and in her hair, dampening it when her body heat melted them while she sprinted down the street.
His voice rang through her mind 'I'm leaving.' She last thing she might ever hear him say, the last memory he would have of her was of hatred. She took in a heavy breath, the icy wind causing a sensitive pain against her teeth.
'I'm leaving.'
Lines of tears warmed her face for a moment before the chill in the December air soon turned them cold. Konan rubbed her eyes, her lashes being coated in her tears, the road in front of her becoming blurred. The lights draped in trees becoming twins with the stars in the night sky.
After what seemed like an endless road Konan reached the end of her street, she gripped the icy pole of a street sign and rounded the corner. Police cars, ambulances and a fire truck were all obstructing the road; she made her way down the street and caught glimpses of two or three cars seemingly connected to one another. With the crowd of people who had arrived before her and the blinding lights from the cars there was no hope identifying the cars involved in the accident.
Konan elbowed her way into the crowd of onlookers before a large beefy man slammed his arm against her stomach, sending her toppling over into the snow. Instantly the chill caught up to her, her desperate rush to the scene had left her somewhat oblivious to the extent of how cold it really was, but knocked down in the snow, defeated, she understood.
"Ma'am you need to go home, you shouldn't be out here like this." An officer at the scene had watched Konan take the fall, moved to the back of the crowd and was now offering his hand to her.
Shaking, she took the hand of the small officer and rose to her feet, knocking off some of the snow that had collected on her coat.
"Where do you live ma'am I'll take you home.." He placed a hand on her back and gestured her over to a parked police car that was along the side of the road.
"Wait no, my-he's-" Konan was making no sense, she knew that for a fact, the officer simply nodded in agreement as they walked to the car. He pulled open the passenger side door and guided her into the seat before shutting the door on her. He patted the hood of his patrol car as he rounded the front and entered the driver side.
"Where did you say you lived miss?"
Konan dropped her hands to her lap and muttered out the address of Yahiko's home.
Once the officer turned around in the street and headed back down the road, Konan couldn't help but to look at the other homes, homes that were probably filled with love and joy by now. But she knew she would be returning to a sad place, all alone.
The officer pulled up to the end of the driveway and placed his hand on Konan's shoulder. "Get inside, get some rest and stay inside. You should be in with your family at time like this."
Konan could only nod, that is what she believed she should be doing, but sadly it wouldn't be like that. She pulled herself out of the car and shut the door as she dragged her heavy feet back up the deck. The officer's car pulled out of the driveway and down the street to the accident.
Once she reached the door her hand wavered over the knob before gripping it and throwing herself inside. She collapsed on the floor once more and shut the door by leaning back against it.
Tears flowed from her eyes now as she sat broken on the floor; she moved her hands down to the boots and searched for the laces. In frustration she began to rip at the shoes, desperate to get them off and tore one off her foot, hurling it across the hallway. It hit the floor and tumbled over, the laces from within falling out on to the carpet of the living room. She tore the second boot off as well and chucked it at the wall, before falling over on the floor.
"Just because you're upset doesn't mean you have to throw my stuff angel."
Yahiko stepped out from the hallway leading down to their bedroom, slipping a red sweater on over his head and glanced down at his favorite boots thrown askew on the floor.
"I don't throw your stuff." He pulled the bottom of the sweater down over his body and looked over at her body on the floor. "Angel what's wrong?"
Konan lifted her head, only the vibrant colour of his hair being clear to her puffy and watery eyes now. Her vision became clearer as she opened her amber eyes wider, scrambling to her feet as she rushed across the space of the hallway to him. His arms opened wide for her to fall into once she reached him.
"I thought you were in the accident down the road!" Konan latched her hands onto the back of his sweater, burying her face into his chest.
"No, I just went around the block and when I came back I saw the accident and I parked the car in Tobi's lot down the street and walked over." Konan dried her eyes on his sweater, not caring much about the explanation only that he was safe with her again. "I tried calling you, but it just kept ringing."
Konan noticed for the first time she wasn't clutching her phone anymore. She pulled back from him and looked at the empty hand. "Where'd it go?"
Left behind on the road and covered by snow, Konan's phone screen flashed with a picture of Yahiko and a notification that said she had received a voicemail and had one missed call.
Yahiko placed his warm hands to the sides of her face and tilted her head upwards as he leaned in closer to her.
"Merry Christmas."