Snow in Fire

For the 25 Days of Christmas, Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I never have, will, or currently own Naruto, but I wish I did! Does that count for anything?

"This is ridiculous" was the one and only thought that went through the mind of the raven-haired Uchiha as he, Naruto and Kakashi stood in the waiting room of the hospital.

Dressed as elves.

In tights. (A/n: oh yes, I went there)

"Ridiculous" He resorted to looking out one of the hospital windows. Though it was Christmas Eve, there was no snow to be accounted for due to the fact that, yes, they were indeed in Fire country, where it remained warm all year round.

Naruto was really getting on his nerves, for he was far too excited to be wearing his grass-colored tunic with matching pointy hat and shoes, as well as the horrific violent-red tights that made the once-avenger cringe just looking at them. The fact he wore the very same getup was even less appealing to his ice-cubish mind.

Why, you may ask, were the three of the most powerful shinobi in the world dressed as elves while standing in a very public hospital?

The answer came when their pink-haired teammate ushered a chubby old man with a long white beard into the room, looking at them with emerald eyes that showed the laughs she so desperately tried to hold back when she caught sight of them.

When the hospital staff was down, occasionally Sakura would bring the rest of team seven to help out. Today was one of those days, though it appears as if she forgot to mention the whole "dress up like elves or you will die" portion of the day.

"Ridicu-" his antagonistic thoughts were cut short when he caught full sight of her. She was wearing a short red dress, much like the tunics the rest of her team sported, as well as matching pointy shoes and a hat with the final touch of dark emerald-tights. He couldn't help himself from taking a lingering glance at the long expanse of leg the outfit exposed. And he wasn't the only one to notice.

Every man in the waiting room stopped and stared at the elfin kunoichi as if she were a piece of meat and it was beginning to piss him off.

He was snapped out of his trance-like state when Sakura began to speak. "Okay, so we should hit the east wing first, that's where more of the smaller children are, then head over to the north wing, and continue around so we can get to as many people as possible. Got it?" all four of the men present nodded in affirmative, fearing the consequences if they did otherwise. She smirked at their obedience before pumping her fist into the air and shouting, "Lets go!" which was quickly responded to with a "Yeah!" from the hyperactive blonde and an annoyed groan from the Uchiha.

She spared a brief glance at her raven haired teammate and immediately caught his eye. They stared at each other for a moment before Sakura flashed him a grin and began walking down the hall to the children's wing.

As instructed, they went to the children's wing first. They visited the rooms of the unfortunate children who couldn't get out of bed due to their inflictions. The ritual in every room was the same; Sakura would knock on the door and excitedly announce their guest and in would come the big man and the kid's face would brighten as if it was the best thing in the world. Also, Sakura noted, every time one of the children's faces lit with joy, there would be a quick flicker of softness in the eyes of the ex-avenger. And every time her heart would flutter.

Every once and awhile there would be a screamer, a poor little guy who was afraid of the big man in bright colors who would barge into their room with a jolly "HoHoHo!" and Sakura would immediately give them a hug and tell them the big man was Santa Claus and he was a good guy.

While other times there would be older girls who would glance at the fat man before feasting their eyes upon the hot guys in tights. One was even so bold as to cling to Sasuke's leg, causing booming laughs from his two teammates and a snicker muffeled behind a book from his once-sensei.

When they went to other parts of the hospital, there were men who leered at Sakura and Sasuke glared them down to a puddle of mud. Many girls were clearly undressing Sasuke with their eyes causing a bit of annoyance on Sakura's part. Most of the women giggled at the expense of the tight-wearing men and chatted politely with the pink-haired elf/medic while Santa would stand there and look jolly.

Finally they finished around dinnertime and shed their Christmas apparel. Since they had helped her out all day, Sakura treated her team to Ichiraku ramen. Afterwards they were going to head to Ino's annual Christmas ball which was famous throughout all of Konoha. Almost all of the shinobi throughout Konoha, as well as several civilians, would gather in her colossal back yard which was famous for having one of the most beautiful gardens in all of the fire country.

"Itadakimas!" the chorus of voices rang through the ramen stand as the four slurped at their dinner before another voice rang out.

"Hey ugly!"

Crack!

Sakura's chopsticks snapped in two under the pressure of her clenching fists. She turned and glared daggers at the clueless once-anbu she called her friend while one of Sasuke's eyebrows twitched in pure annoyance which turned to confusion when suddenly Sakura's distasteful scowl transformed into a sweet smile. However the Uchiha could clearly see the murderous intent in her emerald eyes.

"Sai-kun!" she said in a falsely cheery voice as she stepped off of her stool to greet him properly but instead punched the artsy-nin all the way down to the end of Konoha's main street, at least twelve miles away. The males on team seven winced before returning to their ramen, the guy deserved what had come to him.

Later, they split up to get ready for the ball. Sakura, Tenten, and Hinata all decided to go to Ino's house early to get ready together, mainly because she had a closet bigger than her bedroom with clothes, shoes, and makeup in more colors than they knew the names of.

"No, definitely not that one! Try on this one!" was a commonly heard phrase coming from the mouth of our favorite blonde piggy-chan. But every time she gave one of them a new dress or pair of shoes or earrings it always worked as if it had been made for them and them only. Ino was the best beautician in all of Konoha, not to mention the best florist and a totally bad-ass kunoichi. She was multitalented, as she put it.

"Hey Ino, this one or this one?" asked Tenten from across the room that was currently littered with clothing, shoes, and who-knows-what else. She held up a short black dress in one hand and a clingy purple dress in the other.

After only taking a brief glance from her position behind Hinata, carefully placing bobby-pins in her hair to pull it away from her face in a elegant half-up, half-down hair style, she yelled out "Neither, green is your color. There's a short green dress with a black bow on the waist and black lace for trimming on the bed. It's kinda silky and flairs at the bottom a bit. Try that one on with the strappy black heels, bangles, and earrings then I can give you a straight up-do. Good?"

As soon as Tenten saw the dress her eyes widened and she called back a quick "Heck yea!" before rushing to get changed. Meanwhile, Sakura carefully dug through a pile of dresses. She saw numerous dresses; long and elegant, short and flirty, and some that were so short they looked as if it was just a top, but none of them were "the dress".

Noticing her friend's quandary, Ino finished pinning and spraying Hinata's hair before making her way over to Sakura.

"What 'cha looking for, Forehead?" Ino asked as she bent over Sakura's hunched over form as she searched lower shelves.

Sakura turned and gave her a playful glare "What do you think, pig?" she poked out her tongue and continued her search. Ino went to check a higher shelf and pulled out a short white halter dress that flared at the bottom with a pink ribbon around the middle and a cherry blossom design winding its way up on one side, decorated with pink rhine stones.

Sakura took a long look and grabbed the dress "Mine!" she shouted, hugging the dress to herself. "Thank you, Piggy-chan!"

Ino stuck out her tongue at her pink-headed best friend and gave her a pair of white heels that laced around her ankles and two dangly silver earrings with little pink diamonds that got bigger as they went down.

Sakura beamed and began changing as Ino picked up a long, tight purple dress that connected around the neck and had a diamond of fabric cut out from just over the chest. A slit ran up the side, giving a dangerous amount of leg for viewing.

Just as Sakura and Ino were slipping on their dresses and Hinata and Tenten were helping each other with the zippers there was a loud clunking. All four of them paused what they were doing before the door slammed open.

"Sakura-chan! When are we supposed to take the cookies out of the oven?" Naruto yelled as he burst into the room, the rest of the rookie 9, team Guy and Sai in the hall as the four half-dressed kunoichi could do nothing but freeze.

For only a short moment before hell broke loose, of course.

Every single face in the crowd turned as red as a tomato, including those that are normally oh-so-very stoic. However, the redness of embarrassment very quickly turned to one of anger on three of the kunoichi's faces, the fourth fainted.

"I-I-I'm sorry! Heh heh, I-I t-t-thought this room was empty!" the blonde boy stammered in the face of four incredibly pissed off females and he quickly turned on his heel and ran. However, before he could so much as reach the door he was grabbed by the collar by his pink-haired teammate who was holding her dress to herself to cover up.

"Naruto….." the blonde gulped and suddenly the door closed on the wide eyed and red faced remaining eight shinobi. All they could hear was loud banging, crunching, and hair raising, blood curling screams. Fifteen minutes later, a bloody mess was flung from the room and Sakura's voice was so entirely sickly sweet, a threat in disguised, when it finally answered the question most of them had forgotten.

"Around 6:45." and then silence. They all backed away slowly, Lee dragging Naruto from what was left of his orange jacket leaving a bloody trail behind them.

Fuming, the girls woke up Hinata and finished changing into their chosen dresses. After Ino applied their make-up and put so many pins in their hair that it felt as if their head had gained ten pounds, they stepped out of Ino's room and headed for the stairs.

From the bottom of the steps the shinobi from earlier looked up to see them coming down and into the crowd. As the kunoichi approached them the shinobi could only stare.

The girls wore the dresses they had chosen from Ino's room. Hinata wore a long, strapless periwinkle dress that fanned out at the bottom with a diamond necklace and earrings. Tenten wore the green dress Ino had chosen for her, and her hair was pulled into not two, but one artfully messy bun. Ino wore her purple dress with her hair down and lightly curled so soft curls fell against her exposed back. Sakura's short hair was hard to work with so Ino had parted her hair off to the side and pinned her bangs off to the side with a white cherry blossom pin.

"Hey, what's up?" Ino asked the speechless men before them and finally they seemed to zap back to the present.

"Ahaha, nothing much!" Naruto laughed only to scream and run when Sakura, Ino and Tenten turned on him with murderous glares.

"N-Naruto-kun!" Hinata ran after him. The remaining kunoichi gave each other knowing looks before they were overtaken with other people. Kiba and Choji ran to the food table, an exasperated Shino with nothing better to do trailing behind. Ino grabbed on to Shikamaru's arm and led him outside while he repeatedly muttered about something that was troublesome. Lee started screaming about youth so Neji knocked him out cold before offering his hand to Tenten for a dance. It was mere seconds before Sai said something to piss off Sakura and he joined Lee in the realm of unconsciousness leaving Sakura alone with Sasuke.

"Come on!" said Sakura excitedly as she grabbed Sasuke's hand and led him outside, both of them with a light blush on their cheeks from the contact.

They exited the main entryway as Sasuke was dragged into the gigantic backyard of the Yamanaka household. There was a large patio that was lit by a net of white Christmas lights that sparkled overhead as candles flickered from their position in the center of dozens of white covered tables occupying one side of the patio. There was a incredible dance floor where hundreds of leaf shinobi who were well dressed for the occasion were able to act like normal people for a change and danced with their partners as the sun disappeared completely. Further back was the famous garden that was the pride and joy of the Yamanaka clan. There was a maze of shrubbery, decorated with poinsettias for the holiday, that centered with a beautiful marble fountain while breathtaking flowers winded their way up the stone benches. Everything glowed with the millions of Christmas lights that must have taken months to wind around every branch.

It was amazing.

"Sakura-chan! Sasuke-kun!" They turned around to see their infamous and obviously drunk ex-sensei. "Wuzzahhhh---p?"

"Kaka-sensei, its only eight and you're already this drunk?" Sakura was dumbfounded. Kakashi was certainly no lightweight so the sight of their sensei, who was so far drunk that he was slurring his words, was beyond dumbfounding. Sasuke just looked at the man with distaste.

"Drinking contest with Anko." he slurred while glancing at the still totally sober purple haired sadist that he had came with who was sitting at a table while chatting with Kurenai. Sakura shook her head in irritation.

"Annoying old man." muttered the ever-silent Uchiha.

Said "annoying old man" cocked his head in his direction, talking way too loud. "That's not very nice, Sasuke-kun! And why aren't you dancing? You should be dancing! The nerve of you not to be dancing!" he rambled as he forcefully ushered two of his students towards the dance floor. Once there he pulled Sakrua's arms around Sasuke's neck and placed Sasuke's hands at Sakura's waist before grabbing both of their shoulders and rocking them back and forth so that they were "dancing". Both of them blushed in sheer embarrassment but before they could retaliate Kakashi was summoned by his date.

"Oi! Kakashi, you up for another round." Anko called from their table as a terrified butler just left his tray of drinks on their table.

"Gots ta go!" the man smirked from behind his mask and bounded off toward Anko.

The air between the teammates was incredibly awkward before Sasuke sighed and took the lead of the dance. They moved stiffly in the crowd of overly-exuberant dancers, some of which were hilariously drunk, and made their way as far from their sensei's wandering eyes as possible.

When they reached the edge of the dance floor Sakura smiled at Sasuke.

"Want to go?" she asked, inclining her head toward the entrance to the maze of shrubbery. When Sasuke nodded gratefully and they broke apart from the crowd moving swiftly to the less-open garden. Both of them visibly relaxed when they were surrounded by flowers instead of the tons of curious, and jealous, glances they had received during their dance.

Glancing at each other, they walked further into the maze. They took turn after turn, not knowing or caring where they were going.

Sakura chanced a glance at Sasuke. He was wearing a black suit and tie with a red shirt underneath. His unruly hair stuck up in its usual chicken-like fashion and framed his handsome face. Her breath caught as he turned and saw her staring.

'Don't look into his eyes, don't look into his eyes!' too late. She was lost in his endless onyx orbs for what seemed like an eternity before she remembered just who she was openly staring at.

'Do something! Anything!' inner Sakura panicked inside her mind and Sakura just gave him a quick smile before returning her eyes to the front, all the while blushing furiously. His gaze lingered on her face for a few moments longer before shifting his gaze back ahead of them. 'Smooooth, very smooth.' Inner Sakura drawled.

Too far lost in her mind to notice a hole in the path she tripped only to be caught by two warm, strong hands. She glanced up at her savior only to see Sasuke looking down on her with a irritated, albeit somewhat embarrassed, expression. They caught each others eyes for just a brief second but it was long enough for her to see a sudden intensity in his smoldering gaze.

"T-thanks!" she squeaked and jumped out of his arms, suddenly nervous. An awkward moment passed and a frown overcame the once-avenger's features before they continued on their stroll.

The tension between them was becoming unbearable and Sakura felt herself fidgeting. The air itself seemed to be getting colder as well and the moon was suddenly covered with thick clouds. "Oh yea, thanks for helping out at the hospital earlier! I really appreciate it!" she attempted to ease the tension.

"Hn,"

He wasn't helping at all either, she huffed in annoyance.

"Haha, who knew you would make such a good elf?"

"…Hn."

Well this was getting nowhere fast, she hung her head in defeat. She was seriously exhausted. Not only did she have to parade around the hospital as "Santa's little helper" but she had to perform six different surgeries beforehand, all of which used an immeasurable amount of chakra, and never did she ever get a chance for a break with the exception of having dinner at Ichiraku's with her team but even then she had to use chakra when she punched Sai into next Sunday. Only now, as the day's events slowed, did she realize just how exhausted she was.

"Lets sit down for a bit." she suggested before making her way to one of the stone benches that came into view now and again. Sasuke followed suit and soon they were sitting at opposite ends of the bench while Sakura continued to struggle to find a comfortable conversation. It was beginning to get ridiculous as the silence stretched in between them.

She sighed again, she seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "You know, for all the times you call me annoying, you're the real annoying one." she said exasperatedly.

He sent her a mild glare but she continued none the less.

"I mean really, every time I try to make pleasant conversation you just 'Hn' at me and completely ignore me! It is incredibly annoying!"

"Maybe that's because you say nothing worth talking about."

Stop.

'Oooh, burn!'

Sakura gave him a full on glare. "Oh! Really? Then please do tell me, what is it you wish to talk about? Oh, that's right! You don't talk! You never talk and when somebody ever tries to talk to you, you completely brush them off and act as if they're beneath you!" She stood up and began pacing as she was ranting. "You're so stuck up! You're a total jerk who acts as if he has a stick up his ass! I don't see why I love y-" her eyes widened considerably as she cut herself off before she could finish that statement.

But the unspoken words hung in the air between the two.

"Why I love you"

Before any further comment could be made she turned and began walking in the opposite direction. However, she only made it as far as the next corner when she felt a tug on her wrist and turned into the chest of the infamous Uchiha.

"Wha-?"

"You don't see why you what, Sa-ku-ra-chan?" he murmured into her ear causing a shiver to run down her spine. She looked into his eyes for the umpteenth time that night but was confused at what she could read from is dark orbs; curiosity, irritation, hope?

However, there was a more pressing matter at the moment. He was close. Really, really close and it was beginning to overwhelm her already-frazzled mind.

"W-why I, I" but she was cut off by a tink as all of the lights in the garden suddenly turned off. They could hear the sounds of confusion from all the way across the garden from the other party-goers.

Now they could clearly see the moon and stars sinced there wasn't so much light to drown it out. The sky was breathtakingly beautiful. The moon was positively luminous while millions of twinkling stars dotted the sky around it.

Sakura looked at Sasuke and noticed that his eyes weren't trained to the sky like her own, but rather something right above her head. She looked up only to see a small green plant with a couple red berries at the end.

Mistletoe

Her brain was in a panic. "A-ah, you don't have to do anything! It's just an old traditio-" her mouth was sealed with his but she was too shocked to move. His intense gaze searched her own before she closed her eyes and finally responded to the kiss.

With her eyes closed she could only feel. She could feel the longing in his kiss, the passion, the love. She felt one of his arms encircle her waist while the other rested at the base of her skull as he pulled her towards him. The surprising softness of his spiky hair as she wrapped her arm around his neck.

The way the corners of his mouth turned up in not a smirk, but a genuine smile when she whispered the words she so dearly held back for years.

"I love you"

The way his lips felt against hers when he whispered in response.

"I love you too"

She felt something cold and wet brush against her cheek and she broke away from the mind-blowing kiss.

Tiny little tufts of white fluff drifted down from the heavens. She held out a hand to catch one in her palm and it melted quickly.

She laughed in pure joy.

Snow!

It was snowing in Konoha for the first time in decades.

She twirled around, letting the falling crystals dance around her almost magically.

Sasuke could only watch in awe as the woman he loved seemed to radiate happiness. She was glowing in the moonlight, the snow only helping to illuminate her beauty. His heart almost melted to mush when she smiled at him.

She was like an angel.

She ran over to him and grabbed his hands, spinning him along with her in their own little world. He couldn't help but flash her a smirk when she laughed as a snowflake landed on her nose.

When they finally sat back down on the bench Sakura was shivering. Sasuke slipped his coat on over her shoulders as the two watched the garden turn into a winter wonderland.

"Sakura," the kunoichi turned to look at the man she had loved since she was a child. "Merry Christmas." He whispered into her ear as he pulled out a blue box with a red ribbon.

Not even bothering with the "Oh, you shouldn't have!" she happily ripped into the box and gasped at its contents. Inside was a delicate silver chain with a pink diamond cherry blossom pendant. Sakura beamed as he took it from her hands and clasped it behind her neck. She gave him a lingering kiss and the two sat there for hours, soaking up a moment that was beautiful enough to last a lifetime.

They were finally together, and all it took was snow in Fire Country.

Thanks for reading!!!! Merry Christmas!

....You know what I want for Christmas???? Take a guess then click the green button!