Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Hide Your Tears

Sakura sighed as she walked across the snow-covered side walk, her boots leaving the trail of her footprints for anyone to follow. If anyone cared to follow, that is. Days like today always forced Sakura wallow in self-pity. Days that she called "dirty." Usually these days were horrible, rainy days, consisting of gray cloud coverages and usually horrible fogs that had one lose their way on a well known street. "Dirty" days usually had nothing to do with anything but the weather and the way the weather made her feel: Depressed.

During the winter, her "dirty" days consisted of days where frewsh snow consistentally fell throughout the day, covering the horrible gray-black slush where the old snow lay. Days like today, where the stupid snowflakes wouldn't stop falling and the wind wouldn't stop blowing its biting cold breath onto her face and the dark clouds make it seem like it was midnight rather than midafternoon.

But it wasn't her fault for hating these days, really, and she wasn't the only one. Practically everyone who was forced to walk home (like she) and had to deal with the grungy Konoha weather reacted to it like she did, with bitter curses and angry fist waves.

Sakura was the sun's child. Not literally of course, the sun didn't actually give birth to her. But she loved it, it was the type of weather she thrived in, it made her feel good and happy and light. Dark days like today, where the sun barely shone (if it had at all) just made her feel like the muck sticking to the bottom of her boots. It made her feel completely drained and helpless.

Sakura was so deep in her weather-hating thoughts that she didn't notice the snowy sidewalk change to ice and because she was unprepared for the icy floor, she slipped and fell. Although she managed to catch herself before her face hit the floor, Sakura did manage to drop her bag full of books onto the slushy snow that was oh-so-conveniently placed beside the slippery patch of ice, and slice both her knees on a rough patch of it.

Letting out a soft curse, Sakura observed her knees and bit her lip, trying to catch a hold of herself; she hadn't cut either of them too deeply but still, the sight of blood made her tear up. Blood was something Sakura was not good at dealing with. Give her a bunch of roudy kids to handle, give her impossible homework to do and she'd get it done, but she just couldn't deal with blood.

"Come on stupid, get up." She urged herself, sniffling a little, trying to coax herself up before someone she knew came across her and laughed, especially if that someone were one of the mean girls at her school. Sakura sighed and sniffled again and was just about to berate herself once more when a blue-mitted hand was offered to her.

The girl looked up to see who'd come by and offered their help to her when she noticed Sasuke standing there.

Sasuke Uchiha-

"Are you going to take my hand or what?" He sniffed, not even looking at her.

-as in the Sasuke Uchiha, the boyfriend of the prettiest and meanest girl in school; so she was a little bit in shock, it wasn't her fault that she was gawking, really.

"Um… Yeah, thanks." She took the offered hand and stood up, still sniffling somewhat, but too much in shock to put some real effort into it.

He just nodded and picked up her bag and began walking in the direction of both of their houses (he lived two houses down from her, not that she was stalking him or anything, they were neighboors, so of course she knew).

"Um…" Sakura didn't really have anything to say, so she just followed him, trying to ignore the sting of her knees as she walked and trying to forget about the blood that was probably crusted to her skin and jeans right about now, when the snow began to fall harder. She sighed, "I hate the snow." He just grunted in response. "Actually," she continued, "I hate winter in general, it's always so cold and of course, it brings the snow."

Finally he looked at her from the corner of his eye, it made her fidget a little but it's hard to fidget and walk at the same time so she probably just looked like she was twitching. She was focused on not twitching when he finally said something else to her, something not rude and it actually sounded like he cared, "Why do you hate the snow anyway? I like it."

"Um…" She noticed how everything she said to him started with "Um…" and that made her feel stupid, "Well, because snow's just a big inconvenience, it makes it hard to get around and sometimes it forms into ice which makes it slippery and therefore also hard to get around and if it sticks around for a while it turns a gross grayish color and slushy. Also, it sticks around for a long time and it makes everything look depressing. Plus it gets your shoes wet and it always seems to get into them, and then you stay cold for the rest of the day."

He seemed to find this amusing, "Anything else?" It almost sounded like he was laughing at her.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Yes, actually, it also makes it really dark and you can't quite see where you're going and…" She cut herself off; she hadn't really meant to tell this last reason to him.

"And…?"

She bit her lip and quickly cast around for something else she could possibly say, something that didn't involve her looking stupid and childish and so little-kid like in front of him, but she couldn't think of anything so she just sighed and said, "Because it takes the snow forever to hide your tears."

Sasuke stopped moving at that, forcing her to stop as well. She immidietly felt foolish and started babbling, "I mean, first it has to land on your face, and it falls so slowly, then it has to melt, and a snowflake only holds a little bit of water, so you have to wait for a bunch of them to land on your face and then," He turned and just looked at her and she stopped mid-sentence as his gaze lingered on her for what felt like an eternity, with his head cocked slightly to the right and his eyes flicking over her face as if he was looking for something while she just blushed as she stood there, fidgiting (it was much easier to fidget now that she wasn't moving).

"Yes," he finally said, "I suppose spring would be better for tears, but then, I guess that's why I don't like it all that much. Tell me, Sakura, do you like spring?"

She thought about it for a little bit, no one had ever asked her that question before, "Do I like spring?" she repeated, not for clarification but just because she was thinking out loud.

"Yes, do you like it?" He started moving again, and again, she followed.

"I guess I do and I don't. Spring's for rebirth, I like how everythings coming back to life, I like how my birthday roles around," here she laughed and he mock-sighed, "but I hate how everything is also all gray at first, how the land looks like a washed-out painting. I hate how it rains constantly-"

"I thought you liked the rain?"

"I don't," she made a face, "it's just slightly better than snow, is all, it brings the promise of summer and warm days with a happy sun."

He laughed at her simplicity and she stuck out her tongue at his back, surprised at her boldness with him. If his fangirls or girlfriend found out, she was dead for such actions and words.

He stopped once again and this time, she almost ran into him, having drifted behind him while thinking. When he didn't move, she looked up and found that they were standing in front of her house.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, shocked at their quick arrival, "Thank you, Sasuke, for helping me up and carrying my bag." She smiled at him and took her still-wet bag from his hands, then clomped up the stairs.

"Your welcome," he called to her as she ran up the stairs and stomped her boots, wincing a little at the pain in her knees, "you'll be fine, by the way Sakura, nothing a band-aid on each knee won't fix."

She laughed, "I know," and waved to him before unlocking the door.

"Oh, and Sakura," he called to her again, as she was heading inside.

"Hmm?" She asked, peaking out once more.

"If you need someone to kiss them better, you know where I live." He smirked, and was that a wink?

She stood there, half into her house, half out in the bitter cold, the snow melting on her cheeks, and making its home in her hair and in her now-wide-open mouth. She blinked a few times and watched him continue on his journey home, his words finally registering.

Sakura proceeded to blush a deep shade of crimson as comprehension finally dawned on her, and she slammed the door shut behind her, loud enough for him to hear it click from down the road.

The Uchiha chuckled, his plan for getting Sakura to be his girlfriend in motion.

Hey guys! It's Christmas! I know what you're thinking, "What is this stupid girl thinking, typing this story up for us when she should be spending time with her family. She probably has no life."

Well meanies! I do have a life thank you very much ;) I just don't feel like dealing with my family as they watch "the game." Ugh, they're so irritating when they get into it. Which is why I'm typing this, I'll get the play-by-play from my brother later, and maybe I'll watch it. (Did I mention they're recording it too? Just to go over it later?)

Anyway, this is my Christmas gift to you.

P.S. This is a two-shot, hopefully the second part will be up later tonight.

P.P.S. Your Christmas gift to me should be reviews, just saying. :D Kindly inform me of any and all errors you find!

P.S.P.S. Merry Christmas!

(I'm done now. xD)