A Merry Love

SasuSaku: Christmas One-Shot

by Akane Cullen


As she stepped out into another wintery day, her chest was filled with warmth as she quietly enjoyed the soft, white blanket of snow that piled high quickly before her. Everything seemed perfect, from the slow weather, the brisk breeze against her already-rosy cheeks, to the notable day it was today. Christmas. Yep, it was today.

She stepped left foot first into the soft-looking snow that had covered the sidewalk, only to realize that the seemingly soft blankets of snow had become frozen, hard, and chunky. Her lip quivered, almost into a frown, but she knew better than to turn that smile upside-down. Today was Christmas, she kept reminding herself as she kept her lips curved up into a smile. Don't let anything ruin it, not even the harsh snow.

Slowly she made steps into the snow with her black leather winter boots. Inch by inch she made progress, closer to the meadow that was only fifty meters away from her home. Rain or snow, nothing could stop her from visiting her favorite place. Today was especially perfect. After all, it was Christmas.

As she saw the twigs and miniature foot prints that had tracked earlier in the snow, she knew she must have been coming closer into the wonderful world of pine trees and frozen leaves. She was eager and so she walked faster, all the while careful not to be brought down and devoured by the tough snow.

She smiled before lifting her chin. The snowflakes had instantly stopped from dangling and landing on her perfectly smooth, cream-pink hair. She closed her eyes, as if she were bringing brought into a surprise like it was her birthday. She slowly took her time before she carefully brought her lids up, quietly and happily expecting the winter wonderland that she'd been dying to see all year long. She knew, although she acted as if she didn't, what to expect. A world for frozen trees, leaves, even a few icicles danging a good distance away from her face. She knew everything would be a beautiful ice-sculpture, just like the ones she had read in all those books...

But when she opened her eyes she was automatically terrified, as what she had been expecting was the complete opposite of what she was seeing. Even if she tried persuaded herself that it was going to be a happy Christmas, even alone, she was saddened instantly by the sad sight in front of her crying emerald eyes.

"What..?" she had barely managed to say a whole sentence. Instead she let the tears fall and her knees collapse, her jeans diving into the snow that would later soak them and make a bruise on her knee. She didn't care now, though, because her only concern was what she was seeing. Instead of the winter wonderland she wanted to see, she only saw a burned down forest. Nothing was lively, nothing was gorgeous anymore. Through her eyes, everything had been disastrous.

"You can't always see what you want to see," a voice said in her head. She had thought she heard the voice only at the back of her head, but its next words were too intense to have come from her own imagination.

"And you can't always keep running away from the real problems, real things you'll never be able to solve...If you don't face them in the eye soon enough."

"Why?" the words came out automatically though her lips. She said it firmly, but her voice still held the saddened emotion she had failed to cover. She didn't need to turn around, because she knew whom the voice belonged to. She kept herself still and frozen, like the broken down pine tree just a few feet away from her.

During the silence she had begun to felt the snow fall again, only as she kept still she felt as the snowflakes had started to lean harder on her, as if urging her to say something more.

"Why, Sasuke-kun?" her voice was soft but it held back pain underneath. She had so many questions, so much to say, but in one word he somehow understood.

"Because I want to show you what reality really is. I want to teach you a lesson, so for once you'll grow up and mature. Even Naruto has turned his back on you because of how immature you've become." his words stung her and she winced. At the same time the words had hit her, she had found the will to move and turn around to face him.

"I've been immature--" the last word came out bitterly. "--only because you've made me like this."

"Oh. So you're blaming this on me?" he walked two careful steps toward her, throwing his arms out dramatically. Sakura scanned him carefully with narrowed eyes, her tears drying and her emotions changing. She was getting angry.

"You're so simple. So naïve. When will you ever learn--"

"You're naïve!" Sakura yelled back. "Why can't you understand.." her words once again, stopped there.

"I've burned the forest only to show you that anything is possible, even one's hate for another," Sasuke sneered.

"And you come back now, several years later, just to show me this? Sasuke," she continued, without even having to add "kun". "I've learned that the hard way, by your leaving me. Is that all what you really have to tell me, after all these years?" she wanted to add how she wasn't even sure this was real, but she was out of breath and knew that what she had said was enough. She attempted to move a step forward, but it felt as if her feet had been stuck into the snow. She couldn't move. She was literally frozen, but only with fear by the response she would get.

"No," Sasuke said. His response caught Sakura off guard. She stopped trying to move and listened for once, as much as her conscience wanted her to get out.

Then why? Sakura asked in her mind. The words wouldn't come out of her mouth, as much as she wanted them to so his reply would come out faster. But she was frozen stiff, feeling as though she had no choice either way if she wanted to listen or not. He had somehow kept her captive and that thought made her shiver.

"There's much more..." Sakura knitted her eyebrows together and lifted her chin angrily, only to meet his crimson eyes. She swallowed before blurting, "If that's all you have to show me, to teach me, you didn't have to burn down a whole forest!"

"Look carefully," he said quietly, just above a whisper. Sakura didn't bother to look and kept her angry gaze at him.

"Just look!" he urged. Sakura sighed and turned without hesitating, confident in knowing that it would be pointless. She knew nothing was there, from the first sight she had--

"Oh my god," Sakura gasped. "It's beautiful!" After a minute of searching she had understood. Strangely, the trees had been somehow burned accordingly to make a shape of heart, which later puzzled Sakura after a moment in awe.

She was quickly pulled out of it as she came to a slight realization."All those trees..."

"I only did that for you, my love," Sasuke said, his voice and easy breath upon her neck soothing her, somehow warming her from the cold. As Sakura slowly turned around, she saw Sasuke close behind her, his lips almost close to touching her ear. She giggled as she felt his warm breath against her skin and her cheeks had begun to burn, the pink they already were.

"My...Love?" Sakura whispered, with a reluctant face. "What is the meaning of..?" she remembered all the days, years of hate he had shown upon her, and slowly her expression changed. What did he mean by "love"? And "his" love? It didn't make sense...

"I love you, Sakura. Merry Christmas." and with that he kissed her gently, even if it was a little unexpected. Normally Sakura would let go, but his warmth was too easy and soft for her to let go from. Instead she kissed him back on the lips and held him tight with her arms. When she finally pulled away, she smiled, even if he hadn't explained why he had kissed her. There would always be time for that later.

"I love you too, Sasuke. Merry Christmas." This time it was him who held her close to him with a smile. As he cupped Sakura's sweet face in his hands, he pulled her gently closer and he kissed her passionately, glad that she had accepted him back into her life.

A/N: This was kind of just an "out of the blue" thing. I felt like making a 'descriptive' story based on winter, so I did. Slowly it became a SasuSaku one-shot and boom, here comes a Christmas Special. I hope you all enjoyed it. R & R.