A/N: The pairings featured in this are (in order): NaruSaku (Naruto and Sakura), SasuSaku (Sasuke and Sakura), KakaSaku (Kakashi and Sakura), NaruSasu (Naruto and Sasuke), KakaNaru (Kakashi and Narut0), and KakaSasu (Kakashi and Sasuke).

1. A Birthday Kiss

"Do you know what they say, Sakura-chan?" Naruto commented.

Before him stood a yellow cake encased in thick white frosting, its top adorned with a circle of strawberries. A smile found its way to Naruto's lips as he gazed upon it, relishing the fact that he was to be thirteen at the stroke of midnight.

"No, I don't," Sakura replied disinterestedly. "What do they say?"

Naruto blushed.

"They say that if someone kisses you before you blow out the candles, your wish will definitely come true," he answered reluctantly.

He received a painful blow upside the head for this. He cried out, clutching the spot where Sakura had struck him.

"Idiot!" Sakura snapped. "Don't make up stuff like that!"

Naruto began to stammer a protest, claiming that that had not been his actual intention. However, before he could finish his sentence, Sakura leaned closer to him. He paused, his cheeks reddening at the closeness of the girl's face.

Sakura planted a gentle kiss on Naruto's cheek, her own cheeks burning.

"H-Happy Birthday," she stammered, looking away in embarrassment.

Naruto smiled, then leaned forward and blew out his candles.

2. Family Life

Sakura awakened from her nightmare with a gasp. She'd been dreaming about falling. Or to be more specific, falling into a bottomless abyss with no possible exit. She'd been screaming, yet no sound had left her mouth. The darkness and the air rushing past her had sucked all of the sound, all of the life, from the area. The dream had felt so real that for a moment she paused, confused as to why she was in her own bed.

What a terrible dream, she thought.

She turned on her side, feeling a little bundle of warmth against her body. She smiled, holding her 3-year-old daughter tighter against her. She then looked towards her sleeping husband.

Sasuke appeared so at peace with the world when he slept. Just seeing him made her forget all about her terror, her bemusement, her lingering feelings of fear and dread.

With the warmth of her daughter and the serene face of Sasuke, Sakura drifted back into a peaceful sleep devoid of nightmares.

3. Warm

Sakura regretted going sledding with Naruto. It was a childish thing to do in the first place, but there was a somewhat unexpected side effect. She had been cold before, but now she felt as if she was about to freeze. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering convulsively. She doubted she was going to make it home without catching a cold.

It's all your fault! she silently reprimanded Naruto, whom she'd left behind in her quest for a warm bed and some hot tea.

Sakura noticed someone up ahead, walking just a few feet in front of her. She envied whoever they were, as they seemed to be bundled up far better against the cold. However, as she stepped closer, she noticed that this person was not a stranger. It was Kakashi, walking slowly and reading his book.

Kakashi closed his book and looked over as Sakura came up next to him. He smiled at her.

"Isn't the snow beautiful?" he commented.

Sakura grumbled something in reply.

"You're cold," Kakashi observed, noticing her shivers.

Sakura nodded glumly.

Kakashi unwrapped the scarf from around his neck and offered it to her.

"You need this more than I do," he told her. "It would be bad if I got sick, but it would be worse if you did."

Despite the frosty air, Sakura shook her head.

"If I take that, you'll be cold instead," she pointed out. "What's the point in one of us being cold while the other is warm?"

Kakashi considered for a moment. He looked at the scarf. It was unusually long, he noticed, and the fabric was soft. A Christmas present from Naruto that he greatly appreciated during these winter months.

"Then how about if neither of us are cold?" he proposed.

Soon the two of them set off again. This time, the scarf was wrapped around both of their necks as they huddled closely together, Sakura clinging to Kakashi's arm. It was slightly awkward to walk, but neither of them minded. Despite the cold, they were both extremely warm.

4. Staying Brave

Naruto screamed, digging his nails into Sasuke's arm.

Sasuke winced at the pain. He wouldn't have minded Naruto grabbing his arm every three minutes if it wasn't for the other boy's tendency to leave bruises.

"For goodness' sake!" Sasuke complained. "Why did you even want to come in here?"

Visiting the haunted house had been entirely Naruto's idea. Sakura and Kakashi had wandered off to get lunch, leaving the pair of them alone. Sasuke would have gone with the other two, but Naruto had begged him to stay. Sasuke was quickly regretting giving in so easily.

"I-I thought it would be fun," Naruto explained rather shakily.

He stared fearfully at the spot where what had seemed to be a blank-eyed girl clothed in a long white dress had appeared and then hastily dissolved into the blackness around them. He knew it was all special effects and anxiety inspired by the darkness, but he was still trembling.

"Do you want to leave?" Sasuke asked with a sigh.

He looked around, scowling as he realized there wasn't an exit in sight. He looked behind them and noticed that the entrance seemed to have disappeared as well. Their only real choice was to continue forward, but he wasn't sure Naruto could handle it. The poor boy was trembling against him, his eyes wide with terror.

"No!" Naruto burst out with sudden passion. "We've come this far, haven't we?! I..I can handle a little more."

Sasuke cringed as his arm, which was already bruised from Naruto's tight hold, throbbed in increased agony as Naruto tightened his grip even more. His eyes began to water from the intense pain.

"Naruto, let go of my arm!" Sasuke ordered, unable to stand it.

Naruto released Sasuke at once, blushing.

"Sorry," he apologized hastily. "I got a little carried away."

Sasuke sighed again. This wasn't going to get better as they went on. Regardless of Naruto's determination, he was still shaking like a leaf.

I should do something to calm him down, he thought.

Sasuke took Naruto's face in his hands, a tender smile on his features. He loved the way Naruto smelled. He loved the aroma of ramen on his breath, his cheerful smile, and the way his eyes always seemed to be filled with life. Even in a dark, scary place like this, he could appreciate all of those things and what they meant to him. Sasuke leaned forward and pressed his lips to Naruto's.

The kiss was brief, but it managed to calm Naruto's pounding heart. For a full minute, he lost himself in Sasuke. He lost himself in his taste, his passion, his affection. He wanted to be drawn deeper into it, so deep he would never see the light again. However, after that wonderful minute passed, Naruto hurriedly pushed Sasuke away.

"Wha-what are you doing?" he stammered, his cheeks crimson.

Sasuke lightly brushed Naruto's cheek with his hand.

"Helping you stay brave," he answered.

With that, Sasuke took Naruto's hand and led him through the remainder of the haunted house.

5. Ramen Date

A date with Kakashi was not exactly a regular occurrence, but fortunately Naruto was prepared. He'd made a list of all the best activities for a date, most of them suggested by Sakura or Hinata. He'd also made a few slight adjustments to each proposal for the sake of originality. It was his first date with Kakashi in a long time. He wanted it to be perfect.

"So, what do you want to do?" Naruto asked excitedly. "We could go and have a bowl of ramen. Or we could go to the bookstore and then have some ramen. Or do you want to take a walk in the park? Afterward, we can have ramen. If that doesn't sound fun, we could always have a picnic. With ramen, of course. Or maybe you want to check out..."

Kakashi leaned forward and pressed his lips to Naruto's forehead, interrupting him. After a second, he withdrew from the other man's blushing face.

"How about we just spend the night at my apartment and watch a movie?" Kakashi proposed. "We can have ramen."

Naruto returned Kakashi's happy smile.

"That sounds perfect," he agreed.

6. Squabbles

Sasuke placed his hands on his hips.

"Did you forget it's your turn to make dinner?" he demanded.

He gestured towards the completely untouched stove and counter. He had arrived home a bit later than usual, expecting to be met with the aroma of cooking food. Instead, he found an empty kitchen, a pile of unfolded laundry, and an indifferent boyfriend. Needless to say, he was not amused.

Kakashi looked up from his book, appearing unconcerned. He was lounging on the couch as if he didn't have a care in the world, not at all bothered by the wrathful expression on Sasuke's face. This wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last, that the pair of them argued.

"I thought you wouldn't be home tonight, so I didn't bother," Kakashi explained calmly.

Sasuke crossed his arms, his wrathful glare remaining. He didn't entirely buy that excuse. He had specifically told Kakashi he would be home at least before midnight.

"You always do this!" Sasuke complained. "Every time it's your turn to cook or clean or anything, you make some bullshit excuse to get out of it! You have a headache, you're tired, you forgot, you couldn't find the ingredients… I'm getting sick of your nonsense, Kakashi!"

Kakashi opened his mouth to retort, most likely with an excuse for his frequent shirking of his responsibilities. But the look on Sasuke's face made him pause. Normally when they argued, the complaints on either side were only half-serious. Usually they would trade venomous criticisms for an hour, then retire to the bedroom to expel the remainder of their animosity with sex. But on this occasion, Sasuke appeared genuinely annoyed by Kakashi's actions.

Kakashi stood up and strode over to Sasuke. He pressed a hand against the other man's cheek, gazing into his eyes. It was the same affectionate stare he had used countless times. The stare that Sasuke had fallen in love with at the age of eighteen. The stare that had coaxed Sasuke into Kakashi's bed on more than one occasion before they moved in together. After all this time, it still caused Sasuke to blush.

"I'm sorry," Kakashi informed him with complete sincerity. "I won't mess up like this next time."

Sasuke struggled to hold onto his irritation, but it was slipping away from him. For once, he actually believed that Kakashi was apologizing, rather than attempting to pave over the offense. He was also starting to believe that Kakashi's excuse was more truthful than he had at first assumed. Sasuke took Kakashi's own face in his hands, smiling.

"Why don't we go out to eat tonight?" he suggested.

They left the house hand in hand, neither of them angry.