Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Naruto. And, not that anyone's likely to know the movie I'm talking about, but I referenced a Christmas movie in here through one of the spoken lines. (Let's see if anyone gets that!) But I don't own that either.
A/N: This is officially Sonya's Christmas/Birthday gift. I'm sorry if it's horrible and I'm sorry it's Christmas themed (kind of a lame idea, sorry!) but I've been reading too much Dramione fiction lately and had to really scramble to make a good ItaSaku fic. I'd say blame Sara but I'm too busy worshiping her for showing me the Dramione site. :D
A/N2: MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR. To, like, everyone.
A/N3: IloveyouSonya. You're utterly amazing. I really hope you can at least tolerate this crap I can writing, because your stuff is SO much better. 3

Christmas was about love and joy, peace in an always-fighting world. It was waking up with your bones vibrating energy and a giant pine tree shoved in the corner of one's home covered in flicking lights and glossy colored ornaments. It was family and friends, snow falling from the sky; people walking through their hometown streets, singing carols, throwing snowballs, exchanging gifts with those they work with.

Whatever Christmas was it shouldn't be about shady inn rooms, illegal relationships, outright lies, or near suicidal missions. Whatever Christmas was, Itachi thought dully as he glared at the rundown inn in front of him, he's ruined it for her.

He stalked through the front door, his Akatsuki cloak long discarded despite the chilly snow falling around him. The front clerk gave him a startled, half glance before purposefully ignoring him; he had probably scared her half to death with his frozen attitude on Christmas Eve but he was hard-pressed to care at the moment. A meek holiday greeting reached him just as his foot landed on the first step to the second floor, a rushed mumble coated in a slightly sour taste of fear, the kind that followed him everywhere. He paused, letting out a long, sorrowful sigh and glanced over his shoulder slightly.

"Merry Christmas," He murmured, tipping his head briefly in the girl's- because she wasn't a woman yet, just a teenager but she was lucky because with this life she'd never know how to look Death in the eye and live- direction. With that he took the stairs as quickly as she could, barely making a sound because old habits die hard.

He stretched his senses out and located her easily, stepping up to the door that hid her away from the world. It was cold and drafty in the inn; the walls too thin to hold back the biting chill that blanketed the outside world. If he had been any other man, or even a younger and more untainted version of himself from years past, he might have grumbled at the thought of spending the night there.

But he did not grumble as he ran his fingers over the doorknob once, twice before turning it. It was locked, a trifle thing for an S-class criminal but a good thing altogether for her safety. He pulled out a senbon and picked the lock as quickly and quietly as was humanly possible but the door squeaked when he pushed it open, ruining his pristine ninja entrance and making him smile slightly. Creaky doors, a force out of his reach to control in places like this, always made him feel more human than his "day job" allowed.

He half expected her to come flying at him, ready for battle against whoever it was at the door but all was quiet as he stepped in and closed the squeaky door behind him. He surveyed the room, adding chakra to his eyes and activating his Sharingan, checking for illusions that she might have set up as precautions. However, there were no illusions or traps in the area, a fact that made him frown at her disregard for her own safety; there was only a petite, breathing lump on the ratty double bed in the corner. The tiny bathroom next to him was warm; the mirror just barely fogged over with the last remains of what he guessed was as long and as steamy a shower as the dingy inn could give her. That was probably the explanation for her sleepy, lazy behavior- long, relaxing showers always made her sleepy after missions.

He set down his pack, rolling his shoulders back, but before he approached the girl curled in her blankets he set traps and wires. They were his own precautions against intruders, enemies, and friends alike- because his friends –a term he used lightly- were everyone's enemies, and hers wanted him dead multiple times over. It took only a couple of minutes and after that he paused, taking a long moment to absorb all he could about the peaceful scene for the days that would come.

His time was running out.

He smiled ruefully as he stepped closer to the breathing lump curled around one of the inn's stiff, tiny pillows. "Sakura," He murmured, barely a whisper and more of a sigh. He ran his fingers lightly over the bedding, enjoying the way she shuddered and fidgeted under his fingertips. "I'm here, Sakura."

Sakura moved under the blanket, curling and uncurling her limbs in a lackadaisical, childlike way. Slowly she shuffled the blankets, revealing her tousled head of candy bright hair and blurry emerald eyes. "'Tachi?"

He traced her cheeks lightly, his cool touch making her shiver. "Hello," He whispered, watching the awareness of her surroundings come to Sakura's beautiful world-weary green eyes. "Have a nice shower?"

Instead of answering Sakura smiled, slow and sweet as poison. She snuck her hands out from the covers, tangling her thin digits into his shirt and tugging him downward. "Hi there, 'Tachi; how's the journey over?"

He smiled into the words that brushed against his lips, relaxing into her arms as she tangled them around his body. He didn't rush his answer, he never did, and instead took the time to truly embrace the moment. Christmas Eve was just as magical as Christmas, to those who know how to hoard the available peace and not squander in their hate for others.

Itachi closed his eyes, the coal of his birth, damaged by time and chakra, and memorized the feeling of Sakura's petite body in his arms. She had pulled him under the thin covers the inn provided and her body was warm and soft from her shower. Her skin when he buried his nose in her neck smelled faintly of coconut, her preferred body wash when she could, and her hair where is lay, damp and cold, had the barest bit of mango from her shampoo and conditioner clinging to its scent. As he lay there, perfectly motionless with her unanswered question hanging loosely in the air, Sakura moved lazily about; wriggling her legs in between his until the limbs were tangled together to her liking and coiling her arms up around his shoulders so she could bury her face in his neck comfortably. Neither were in a rush to move the conversation along and neither planned to move from the bed for a very long time anyway, for once they had all the time in the world to themselves.

"It was peaceful," Itachi said finally, barely a whisper tickling her ear. "Kisame saw me off to the border and the snow was so thick that most people weren't bothering to trek outside. How was your mission?"

Sakura groaned, the sound carrying with it all the exhaustion and irritation needed to let Itachi know her mission had been fairly tedious. The air she expelled gushed against his neck and he squirmed lightly, allowing the break in his usually fortress-like composure only because that really tickled. Sakura hardly noticed, instead jumping into the details of her thoughts on the mission and tactfully leaving out the details of what the mission entailed.

"Oh my Kami, it was boring. The man was disgusting and the place was appalling and, I swear on Shishou's addiction to sake, even the barkeep was completely smashed! Too dangerous for me my goddamn foot, stupid old farts need to get their brains out of their asses and realize I can handle myself, thankyouverymuch. Ugh, 'Tachi," Sakura moaned, wriggling back so she could catch his dark eyes with her own bright ones. "Where they always this annoying?"

"Yes."

Sakura swore, obviously finding the idea of the Council members' lack of confidence for generations hideously annoying. "Anyway," She said, moving off the topic and onto another one, though this one was equally as dangerous if one looked too into it. "How's the boys? Have they been good for Santa this year?"

Itachi snorted, finding the idea of his friends, for lack of a better term, pretending to be little angels for a fat, balding man in a red suit highly amusing. "Not on their lives," He muttered, smiling a little at the mental image her implication made. "They've been their annoyed, disturbing, loud selves, just like always. Well, except for Tobi; he's been going around hugging random people and singing carols and basically driving everyone else up the wall trying to be a "good boy" so Santa won't give him coal. It got on Deidara's nerves so much that he went out and bought a large lump of coal for the kid, which will be waiting for him in the morning."

Sakura laughed, knowing full well that Itachi was being completely serious when he said Tobi was driving everyone up the wall. "Aw, poor Tobi," She cooed, her fondness for the young man seeping through her tone like the water from her hair had seeped in and damped the pillow now under Itachi's head. "He's going to be so heartbroken at that!"

"Yes," Itachi replied, sounding not at all put out by the thought of a brokenhearted Tobi. "Unfortunately Deidara isn't too grand at thinking things through; this is obviously going to backfire on all of us, making Tobi's resolve to be a "good boy" for Santa only strengthen. I think I may have to kill him for it, actually, although letting him live to suffer through more singing and hugging would be funny."

"Oh pah, leave Dei alone, he didn't mean any harm! But how about the rest; Hidan? I can't image him believing in Santa though… Or how about Kisame? Although, he's always relatively good… Deidara?"

"Hidan has been… Hidan. And no, apparently Jashin strictly prohibits belief in Santa. Kisame, as you put it, has been relatively "good", or as good as a 7 foot shark-man missing-nin can be, Sakura. And Deidara was nearly as bad as Hidan the past month, putting down Tobi at every turn, even more than usual. In retaliation Konan wouldn't give him any Christmas cookies, so he's been sulking the past couple days. I would say it's been a rather odd month but my friends are complete and utter idiots all year around."

Sakura smiled, laughing lightly under her breath at Itachi's bland, abet reasonably fond description of the organization she had been taught to hate, yet learned to love. As Itachi watched and listened to his love's laughter he permitted himself one tiny moment to dream, to pretend brave, beautiful, loyal Sakura would leave her village and join him in Akatsuki. It was a foolish dream, another notch on the bedpost of foolish things he's done in life, and one he didn't dwell on often.

It wasn't like he'd live long enough to make her desertion worth it, either way.

"They made me bring you gifts," He said quietly, to keep her sleepy attention on him and redirect his traitorous heart to safer grounds. "They're in my pack, you can open them tomorrow."

"Oh god, I have gifts for you to bring them as well! I'm just worried they won't like them, though," Sakura murmured, trailing off softly while her eyes searched Itachi's deeply. "What's wrong, 'Tachi? Why do you look so sad?"

It was ridiculous how she could always tell when something was bothering him. It was absurd and outlandish and unreasonable but at the same time it made the most sense of anything in his entire life. Because he loved Sakura, covetously and selfishly, and for her he would let any number of walls down. Next to Kisame, who had years under his belt at reading Itachi's subtle moods, and Konan, who's quiet and loving way reminded him too much of his mother to push away, Sakura was the only one who could pinpoint when his emotions were turning unsavory.

"Itachi, what's wrong?" Sakura said again, narrowing her eyes at him with slight impatience. Her soft, sleepy nature was disappearing fast, being steadily replaced by the angry, dangerous konoichi she was outside his hold. He knew that if he made her ask again trouble would really start up and though he wasn't privy to sharing his dark thoughts with her he knew no other choice.

Sakura was a scary opponent when denied what she wanted.

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," Itachi mumbled, sighing slowly through his nose as he stared down at the brilliant emerald eyes just inches from his own. It was his own way of giving in, something of a code to tell her to wait a little while so he could gather his thoughts to give her. He already knew the best way to present the thoughts that had been filling his head since he first saw the inn and so he moved progressively onward once he had her attention.

"I've ruined Christmas for you," He said simply, knowing already that she could figure out what he meant on her own. She wasn't the fifth Hokage's apprentice for nothing; besides her nearly perfect chakra control and unique looks she had the brainpower to match his own, a trait her admired about her greatly. And she did work it out on her own, more quickly than he would have liked, and the conclusion she came to was obviously one she did not enjoy.

"Uchiha Itachi," Sakura snarled, sitting up suddenly so she could glower down at the male in question. "You utter and complete moronic imbecile! I cannot believe how absolutely thick you are sometimes! URGH." She leaned down, getting close enough to Itachi's face to notice the flecks of natural color in his eyes, and bared her teeth threateningly. For his part Itachi looked dully alarmed, even taking to leaning backwards until he was practically off the dingy double bed provided for them. "You could never ruin Christmas for me!"

Itachi gulped subtly, blinking twice before he found the voice to question what she meant. He hadn't even gotten past four syllables, however, when Sakura cut him off with a noise that more so belonged to a dying mutant boar and not to a seventeen year old girl with pink hair.

"Christmas," Sakura said clearly, her eyes now pretty little slits on her childlike face. "Is wherever you find love, Uchiha Itachi. Whether that's in the village you were born in, a criminal hideout, or a freakin' run out, nasty old inn in the middle of stupid nowhere! Do. You. UNDERSTAND?"

Itachi gulped, less subtly than last time, and fixed the young girl with a stern look that didn't really work because his eyes were slightly too wide to be intimidating. "Yes, Sakura; I understand perfectly. Now can you please scoot back before I fall off the bed?"

That was very nearly the worst thing to say, as Itachi found out seconds later. "OH. MY. KAMI," Sakura howled, abet quietly so as to not bother anyone else who might have the misfortune of being in the ratty inn on Christmas Eve. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND AT ALL! URGH, STUPID THICK UCHIHAS AND THEIR STUPID THICK SKULLS!"

"Sakura," Itachi groaned, feeling the bed shift in a rather foreboding way under his arms. "I understand, okay! I really, really do. Christmas can be anywhere, as long as you're with people you love. You don't need presents or snow or, uh, things as long as you have someone you love! I get it, I just doubt sometimes," Itachi softened both his tone and his voice, managing to bring up one hand to cup Sakura's cheek lovingly. "I love you," He whispered, watching the tropical storm that was Sakura's emotions sweep across her face and change in an instant at those three cherished words. "And it doesn't matter to me where we are, as long as you're with me. I just don't want you to suffer for the sake of a criminal, Sakura."

Sakura smiled, the full power of one of Konoha's summer sunshine rays in her eyes, and leaned forward slightly as she spoke. "Good, because otherwise I might really have to be cross with you and then Santa wouldn't bring me any gifts!"

"Like you've been good anyway," Itachi snorted, minding the fact that Sakura was nearly pushing him off the bed a lot less than he had originally. "He'll just bring you coal either way, Sakura, so it's not like one conversation would matter much."

Sakura, for her part, looked outrageously offended. "Hey now, I'll have you know I've been the absolute image of Good Girl," She sniffed, still slowly coming closer, right until she was hovering over Itachi with her body pressed against his to the chest. Itachi raised his eyebrow and snorted softly in response.

"This is exactly why you're pinning an S-class criminal to a dirty old inn bed and intend to spend the night with him. Yeah, the absolute image of a Good Girl, Saki."

Sakura's laugh this time was more closely related to a purr, her face lowering until the very tips of her lips brushed with Itachi's. "Merry Christmas, love," She murmured, the happiness in her smile lightly up her entire being. Itachi smiled back, feeling the last traces of world-weary tension slide from his shoulders and letting with it all his dark thoughts slip away. The end would come he knew, but for now he had Sakura. For now, that would be enough.

"Merry Christmas, Sakura; I love you."