These 6 issues are the only parts of my A/N that I think you should know about:

1. I'm not sure whether this can be called a drabble or a collection of drabbles. I honestly don't know. This is supposed to make up for me not updating a story for about 4 months (I'm pretty sure it was 4 months). I'm sorry!

2. These short stories aren't completely unrelated to each other, but they can be, depending on how you look at it. They all came from 6 themes/ideas that're somewhat related to Christmas. Please, don't hate on it - it's Christmas season yo!

3. If you think that I should be working on my other stories instead of making this pathetic excuse of a thing, then karma could be on your side and you might discover a whole lot of writing mistakes! (because while that can be extremely annoying to all you wonderful readers, it's way more embarrassing to me, as an author)

4. I find it funny how the ideas were so amazing and fabulous in my head, but when I get it out in words . . . oh my glob, it's like crap hit the fan and smeared the page!

5. I know I made them short on purpose, but the endings of these ficlets seem rushed to me (maybe because they were rushed... but still). Please review and let me know if you think so too! And finally…

6. Merry Christmas!

These 6 parts of Christmas

1. Gaining weight/Sakura's food

Sasuke hoped that this wouldn't get in the way of training. The roasted Christmas turkey that sat in front of him looked and smelled delicious. Naruto would surely gain more weight after tonight. These traditional team dinners and occasional get-togethers had become the norm for Team 7, and thankfully, Sakura's cooking had gotten a lot better. "Remember when you mistook the tomato sauce for chilli sauce?" Naruto had said, earning himself a whack on the head from their pink-haired teammate. Oh Sasuke could remember that incident alright. His tongue still burned from the small slip-up in Sakura's meal.

"Or when you added too much menma?" Sasuke joined in. He enjoyed seeing Naruto's reaction. The self-proclaimed future hokage was devastated that Sakura forget how much he hated menma.

"Shut up," Sakura grumbled. She childishly poked her tongue at her teammates before inching towards the safety of the seat next to Kakashi.

"What about that time you poured coffee in the cereal when we went on that mission?" Kakashi said good-naturedly. Sakura gaped at the betrayal before glaring at their teacher.

"But I got things right this time," She pouted. Sasuke couldn't agree more. Sakura seemed to have outdone herself this time. The table was covered with healthy-looking side dishes of salad and fruitcake, along with some good sake in the corner. Sakura even managed to make a big bowl of ramen for Naruto. The roasted turkey, though, looked to be the best dish as the centerpiece of the table. And Sasuke's stomach couldn't wait to be filled with it. As Team 7 began to eat, Sakura could only hope that the boys would go easy with the criticism this year. Thankfully, Naruto and Kakashi were especially nice, and were eager for second servings. Sasuke, however, said nothing. Sakura just hoped that she hadn't mistaken the cherry tomatoes in the dressing for actual cherries.

Later, the team stuck around after the meal. Naruto helped to clean whatever food remained on the plates with his bottomless pit of a stomach, and Kakashi wiped down the table. Sasuke now stood in the kitchen with Sakura, his hands submerged in a sink full of bubbly water. Even though it shouldn't have been that much of a big deal, Sakura kept wondering about Sasuke's opinion.

So she tried to ask as casually as she could. "What did you think about tonight's dinner, Sasuke?" Sakura kept her eyes on her hands as she rinsed a soapy plate.

Kakashi walked in and placed a new stack of dishes near the sink. When Sasuke didn't respond, Sakura began to wonder if he hadn't heard her. But once Kakashi left, he leaned in close to her. He handed her a new plate to scrub before drawing his lips close to her ear to whisper:

"I think you should cook for me for the rest of my life."

The plate slipped out of Sakura's hands and fell into the sink with a crash.

2. Expensive affections/Getting him the perfect gift

Sakura couldn't think of anything. Their dear old Kakashi-sensei had decided to make them play a game of Secret Santa this year. And she just had to end up drawing Sasuke's name. Sakura frowned. Kakashi-sensei's probably rigged it just so this could happen. Knowing their teacher, the grey-haired old man most likely enjoyed seeing his students struggle like this.

Tossing those thoughts aside, Sakura refocused on what Sasuke could want for Christmas this year. Last year, she had given him a new set of top-quality kunai. The year before was a handmade scarf, which he had – thankfully – accepted. But this year, she was going to turn up empty handed. It was too late now – Kakashi had made them agree that today was the day they were to go the house of whoever they had drawn and present their gift.

Maybe I could get something on the way… Sakura glanced at the items on display as she walked past the shops. He already had a good toaster. The Uchiha residence was sure to have the best pillows in all of Konoha. And what the heck would a new pair of heels do for him? Sakura sighed, shaking her head as she continued towards her doom. What could she even say? Hey Sasuke, you know how Kakashi made us play Secret Santa? Yeah, I drew your name but I didn't know what to get you. Would you like a foot rub instead? Sakura scrunched up her nose in distaste. He would probably shut the door in her face if she said that. Sakura watched the snow flatten under her feet as she walked, thinking.

Then she paused mid-step. What about that new backpack she saw the other day? Then she remembered the price tag. A frowned pulled at Sakura's lips; it cost almost as much as the average reward money of an A-ranked mission! But it would be great for such missions, and she was sure she saw a hole in the bag he was currently using. Maybe it wouldn't be too late after all. She'd go to the shop, grab a gift bag to put it in and head straight to Sasuke's. Problem solved!

But as Sakura glanced up, she found that her feet had already taken her to Sasuke's house. And she hadn't masked her chakra, so he would've noticed her presence by now. Dammit–

Sasuke opened the door. Sakura stopped her jaw from dropping in surprise.

"A-ah, um, Sasuke! Hi," Sakura managed a cheery smile. She noted he was dressed casually. She also noted that he looked good in wool knit sweaters. Sakura blinked and shoved her cold hands into her coat pockets. The Uchiha grunted back in greeting.

"Uh, y-you know how Kakashi-sensei's making us play Secret Santa? Well, I drew your name–"

"You did?" Sasuke interrupted coolly, slightly raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but I, um, couldn't get you a present–"

"That's fine." Sasuke said. It was now Sakura who raised an eyebrow. Sure Sasuke was a bit of a bastard, but he didn't usually interrupt like this.

"Huh?" was all that Sakura managed to say.

"I got what I wanted." Sasuke said before pulling her inside.

3. Ditching tradition/No need for mistletoe

When Naruto begged his teammates to go on a double date, Sasuke and Sakura had no idea how this was all going to work. Hinata was a sweet girl, and someone else was needed to catch her if she fainted incase Naruto couldn't, so Sakura naturally agreed. But a double date was a double date and that meant Sasuke was going to be dragged along for the ride.

Sakura personally thought it was brilliant idea. The two girls had gotten along well over the years and Sakura was glad Naruto had actually taken the initiative to ask Hinata out. The loud Naruto and shy Hinata made a very cute couple in her opinion. As for Sasuke, Sakura hoped that he would at least be a little more encouraging towards his best friend. Unfortunately, Sasuke was showing very little moral support at the moment.

"Tch," She heard him click his tongue as he sat on a nearby bench. She followed Sasuke's line of sight and watched. Naruto had rushed a littles ways away and dragged Hinata towards a vendor selling hot chocolate. Sakura shook her head at Naruto's antic and sat down next to Sasuke.

"Thank goodness Naruto was the one who asked her out this time," She laughed. Sasuke "Hn"-ed in agreement.

"You know, you could at least be a bit more supportive of him," Sakura gave a small smile as Sasuke looked at her.

"I am."

"And how exactly are you doing that?" The pink-haired girl raised an eyebrow.

"By being here." Sasuke answered. Sakura snorted. She caught the falling snow flakes in her hands as Sasuke smirked. So far this evening, they had lost Naruto and Hinata in the crowds several times because of the blonde idiot dragging Hinata around randomly. Sasuke and Sakura had even witnessed Naruto pointing to a ferris wheel in the distance as Hinata frantically shook her head, saying something about heights.

A squeak caught their attention and the two looked towards the other couple. Naruto gently led Hinata to a shaded spot, slightly away from the crowds. Hinata held her hot chocolate with both hands as Naruto began to talk. Sakura looked at Sasuke questioningly, but he just motioned for her to keep watching. Sakura looked back to see Naruto gently pulling a leaf of mistletoe away from the top of Hinata's head where it had fallen. Hinata looked at the leaf in confusion. When the girl looked back at him, Naruto inched forward and kissed her.

Sakura cheered, a smile growing on her face. Then, the smile turned into a grin as she realized. Naruto had purposefully led Hinata under a Christmas garland made of mistletoe. Sakura was about cheer again when she felt Sasuke clamp his hand over her mouth.

"Calm down." He smirked at her in amusement.

"Well I can't! Do you have any idea how long Hinata's been waiting for Naruto to make a move?" Sakura grinned at Sasuke after he let go of her. "Naruto, you sly dog," She laughed and Sasuke chuckled at her. "Come on Sasuke, give him some credit. He went completely traditional too, kissing her under the mistletoe like that!" Sakura laughed. Sasuke nodded, but was he was still smirking at her. The girl could barely contain her happiness; you'd think that she was the one being kissed under the mistletoe.

"Going traditional's overrated."

Sakura gawked at him. "No it's not! I think it's really sweet. "

Sasuke gave her a look as if to say 'I don't need tradition'. She laughed lightly and focused her attention back to the couple near them. Hinata's face was turning pink but she had a beautiful smile on her face. Naruto laughed sheepishly before Hinata hugged him. The blonde exclaimed in surprise as he tried to hug her back without spilling their drinks.

"An Uchiha doesn't need mistletoe." Sasuke said, but Sakura kept her eyes on the other two. "Uh-huh," She responded half-heartedly.

"I'll prove it."

"What?" Sakura turned her full attention back to him just as he leaned in to kiss her.

4. Training with snowballs

Grrrrr.

Grrrrrrrrrrr.

Sasuke glared. This challenge was probably one of Kakashi's craziest ideas. Sasuke continued to glare at the maze of snow that surrounded him. His stomach joined in with his grumbling. There, on this cold day, Kakashi had decided to make them train before the Christmas season made them put on a few pounds. The challenge was one they had done before – to take the familiar set of bells from Kakashi in order to eat. Sasuke should've known this was going to happen when Kakashi asked them not to eat anything before training.

"I had my new geninteam make a special training ground for you three." Kakashi had told them. The maze walls were short enough that you could run your hands along the top of the walls, so it seemed easy enough to get through. But knowing Kakashi, there were bound to be a gazillion traps hidden in the snow. And sure enough, there was.

Sasuke heard Naruto shout when he went airborne after setting off a hidden tripwire. His best friend landed on a lump of snow that sent him flying again. Sasuke smirked at the chain reaction. To his left, Sakura was trying to walk on top of the maze walls. Kakashi's new genin team had made the walls thick enough that you could put one foot on the ledge and still have at least 5 cm space on either side. It also seemed strong enough to hold up a grown ninja's weight.

Sasuke's eyes followed her as she avoided a flying kunai before quickly sprinting across the tops of the walls. She laughed and smiled triumphantly. All of a sudden, the snow beneath her feet gave way and a massive hole appeared, swallowing Sakura and the wall she had just stepped on. Sasuke heard her shriek when a nearby wall of snow fell into the hole as well.

As for himself, Sasuke was perched casually on top of a wall in the safe part of the maze. Since it was made by genin, Sasuke disregarded using his Sharingan. For him, it was easy enough to map out the safest route without using any jutsus. Sasuke figured that Kakashi was staked out around the trees towards the end of the maze. Satisfied with his plan, he quickly got to his feet and sprinted across the walls like Sakura had. When he came towards a trap, he copied Naruto's airborne technique, albeit doing it more gracefully. Sasuke smirked at his progress until a ball of snow collided with his face.

"You're not going to get the bells this time Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, reminding him that there were only two bells to take from Kakashi. One of them three was to be hungry for the rest of the morning. Sasuke glared while he wiped the snow away. How could he not have dodged that? Naruto grinned playfully before throwing another snowball at him. Sasuke ducked this time, but the snowball made contact with Sakura's face just as she had gotten out of the hole. Naruto laughed sheepishly when Sasuke pointed at the blonde, telling their teammate that he threw it. Sakura glared. She threw a snowball so hard that almost knocked Naruto out. Sakura threw another that hit Sasuke right in between the eyes.

Sasuke knew it was childish, but he threw one back with extra force. It hit her in the face, which only resulted in her throwing two more at him that almost made him lose his footing. Once he cleared his vision of snow, he kicked a pile of snow in her direction before using his fireball technique. The snow melted in the air on its way to Sakura before drenching her in water.

"That's it!" Sakura growled as she charged at him. Sasuke's face came into contact with her heel before his body disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Sakura clicked her tongue, turning around to try and sense his chakra. A sudden presence alarmed her senses and she turned just in time to see him heading straight towards her. Sakura aimed a punch but Sasuke's speed caused him to tackle her into the snow.

"Not this time, Sakura." Sasuke smirked down at her. Sakura glared at him, trying to find a way out from under him. The smirk, however, left Sasuke's face when Sakura smiled at him sweetly. There was a blur of movement before Sasuke felt his jaw being turned sharply upwards from the uppercut she gave. He felt Sakura shove him as she scrambled away.

Grrrrr

Sasuke's stomach grumbled and he quickly reached out towards her. He was not going to be the one with an empty stomach at the end of this. Sasuke grit his teeth, deciding to throw his pride away for a moment before grabbing hold of Sakura. She kicked at him and snow flew into his vision, but he held on.

"Let me go, Sasuke!" Sakura growled, but Sasuke only tightened his grip. He pulled her closer until his arms wrapped around her waist, attempting to stop her from kicking more snow in his face.

"Sasuke!" Sakura pushed her hand into Sasuke's face, trying to make him let go. She continued to struggle in his grasp until she felt something bite her palm.

"Ow! Oh hell no Sasuke – you did not just bite me," Sakura quickly yanked her hand away from his face, revealing a scowl on his handsome features. Sakura looked at the pink indents on her skin.

"Your thumb was going up my nose." Sasuk shot back.

"But you didn't have to– " Sakura began but she and Sasuke paused to look up at the sound of bells clinking.

Naruto stood in front of them, grinning smugly as he held out both of the bells. Kakashi appeared beside him, feigning disappointment.

"If only you two weren't so occupied with each other, maybe–" Kakashi was cut off when Sakura roared, punching Sasuke in the face. She kept coming at him, growling something about being hungry and getting distracted.

And now, even though Sasuke was going to have an empty stomach for the rest of the morning, he decided that he liked the feeling of Sakura in his arms.

5. Borrowed sweaters/Her in a jumper

"The shower's free!" Naruto hollered. It was their third mission as Team 7 reunited, and Naruto still took forever in the shower.

"You need to learn how to bathe properly!" Sakura scolded him when she saw the bubbles in his hair. Sakura sighed. She grabbed her towel and stepped into the bathroom. Tsunade had trusted Sasuke enough to appoint him as squad leader for this mission, so Naruto turned to Sasuke and asked about their plan for tomorrow. Christmas day was only a few days away but the hokage used that as even more of an excuse to send them on this mission. A wealthy business man from the land of Waves wanted to get home to his family before Christmas, and he needed an escort. It was a simple mission, but the three members of Team 7 wanted nothing more than to relax at home for the season.

Naruto sneezed and Sasuke passed him tissues distastefully. "Put clothes on, idiot."

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto waved him off as he pulled a shirt over his head. It was starting to grow cold in Konoha but it was downright freezing in the local inn they were currently in. After discussing the routes on the map, Naruto went to sleep and Sakura stepped out from the bathroom.

Unlike his teammates, Sasuke only took a few minutes to shower and still got a good clean. Sakura, he guessed, took a little longer than he did because of her hair. He knew that although it was short, there were still some knots that managed to form in her pink tresses. Sasuke scrubbed, lathered, rinsed then dried and he was out of the bathroom quicker than his teammates.

As he rubbed his towel to his hair, Sasuke watched Sakura dig around her bag, looking for something. He turned away, certain that she would find whatever it was that was missing. Sasuke then spent the next few minutes double-checking their routes, readying his weapons and checking on their charge who was sleeping in the room next to their's.

When he returned to their room, Sakura asked him the about the routes for tomorrow. After Sasuke finished his explanation, the two proceeded to sleep, careful not to wake Naruto. Sasuke headed for his bed, which was positioned on the far left side of the room. Thankfully, Naruto's bed was on the right side of the room, and Sasuke wouldn't be hearing much of his best friend's obnoxious snoring that night. Sakura's bed was positioned in the middle of the room in between them. She was just about to get under her blankets when she sneezed. Sasuke picked up the box of tissues again and passed them to Sakura.

"Why aren't you wearing a jumper?" He asked, but he could already guess what her answer was. Sasuke tugged at the hem of his sweater as he eyed her very short-sleeved t-shirt.

"I think I left mine at home," Sakura answered sheepishly. "But it's fine! The blankets are pretty thick, so–" She stopped talking when a big woolen jumper hit her in the face. She pulled the sweater off her head and looked at the Uchiha insignia that was stitched into the back.

"But Sasuke, I don't need it…" Sakura trailed off, frowning at him when he turned his back and grew still. Sakura mentally argued with herself about what to do. After a few moments of silence, Sasuke heard the rustle of fabric and the creak of the bedsprings as Sakura shuffled under her blanket.

Sasuke turned over. He smirked. Sakura's back was turned to him, but he liked that she had complied and put his jumper on. However, Sasuke decided that he liked seeing the Uchiha clan symbol on her better.

6. Christmas tree lights/Being close together

Sakura walked in and closed the door behind her. She locked it as her lips set into a thin line. Sakura slowly took a breath, trying to will away the heaviness she was feeling. She left the lights off and dragged herself to the bathroom and changed out of her medic's uniform. Sakura found herself on the couch afterwards, feeling completely empty. She leaned back, and turned her head to the side. The small Christmas tree she had put up in the corner of her living room came into view. The tree's lights were off, but the small tinted bulbs and ornaments glinted at her. Sakura closed her eyes, trying not to think of today. After a couple of moments, Sakura was drifting off to the twilight zone – that empty, but comfortable state of mind where you're between deep sleep and consciousness. But there was a sharp knock on the door and Sakura shot upright. There was another knock as Sakura made her way to the door. When she opened it, Sasuke was there on her doorstep. He looked like he had just come back from his mission with Naruto. Scab began to grow on the gash just above his right eyebrow.

"Sasuke? What's wrong?" Sakura hated her voice at that moment; it sounded weak and tired. Sasuke didn't reply for a moment as he seemed to take in her appearance. Her face was pale, and her eyes had a wary look in them.

"Our squad was ambushed on the way back. My eye was hit. . . " Sasuke trailed off, not quite sure about how to her ask a favor.

"Did you get it checked at the hospital?" Sakura asked him quietly. She motioned for him to come inside; the wind was extremely cold this evening. Sasuke shook his head in response. Sakura guessed that he didn't trust the medic nins there.

"Sit on the couch; I'll take a look at it." She told him and Sasuke made his way to her living room.

Sakura grabbed a cloth from the kitchen, along with a bottle of medical alcohol. As she came into the living room, she noticed that Sasuke's clothes were dirty from his mission and were probably messing up her furniture. But she didn't seem to have the energy to care.

Silently, she wiped at the cut on his head. The Uchiha observed her as he sat there patiently. Something was bothering her, he concluded. After disinfecting his wound, Sakura reached forward to gently turn his face. Her fingers touched his temples as she looked at the physical state of his right eye. Sakura was about to send chakra through her fingertips when a memory flashed into her mind. Sasuke noticed her hesitate before she quickly drew her hand away. He was about to ask, but Sakura was staring at her hands.

They were the hands that had failed a patient. Sakura looked up, sensing Sasuke's gaze on her. He had an expressionless look on his face, as always, but his eyes seemed to ask her what was wrong. Sakura glanced back at her fingers. Could she do it? Would she be able to make something right this time? Sakura grit her teeth. What if she damaged Sasuke's eye? She'd never be able to forgive herself if that happened.

Sasuke's hand took hold of her wrist, drawing her attention to him. When Sakura looked into his eyes, he said, "I trust you." He had said it quietly, but in the silence of the house, it could've been the loudest thing she had ever heard. Sakura gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Sasuke."

If Sasuke trusted her, then time would be ok. She would check his eye, and help it heal, and it would be alright. Sakura reached forward again, and let her chakra flow through her fingertips and into Sasuke's temple. Sakura closed her eyes in concentration and sensed for any damage in his chakra pathways.

Sasuke closed his eyes. He found her chakra flow to be soothing. It felt warm somehow, and cleared his senses. He sort of missed the feeling when Sakura pulled her hand away. When he opened his eyes, Sakura gave him another smile.

"Your eye's alright. A goodnight's sleep would do some good." Sakura said; she knew Sasuke liked to stay up late studying scrolls. Her teammate nodded.

"What's wrong?" He asked briefly. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

". . . I thought I just told you that your eye's–"

"Not me, you." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Honestly, this girl could take care of hundreds that were sick and injured, but she could hardly think of herself. Sakura looked at him silently for a moment.

"Sorry. . . I lost a patient today." She answered him in that quiet voice again. The pink-haired nin looked away and Sasuke's gaze softened slightly.

"Don't apologize." Sakura glanced back at him as he said it. She hated herself for being weak, for not being able to do anything. She hated that she had let her emotions show so easily, because on the battlefield, that could easily become the death of her. "Tell me." Sasuke looked into her eyes.

So she told him.

Today she had another patient at the hospital, but she never would have thought that it would be a patient she would lose. The girl was too young. Way too young to die. The child had gone on her first C-ranked mission, and it was an escort mission gone wrong. Of course, Sakura tried to do everything she could, but too much blood was lost and the little girl's body was too weak. The girl had her whole life to live, but it was stopped short by thieves with a kunai.

"I hate it, Sasuke. I hate not being able to save people." By the time she had finished, her head was in her hands and her shoulders were shaking. And damn it all, she hated that she showing weakness now, especially in front of Sasuke. A hand rested on her shoulder and motioned for her to look up.

"It's ok." Sasuke, as gently as he could, gingerly wiped her tears away. Then he pulled her towards him. When she was in his arms, he leaned them both back on the couch.

"Sasuke–" Sakura tried to push away but Sasuke pushed her head back onto his shoulder.

"A goodnight's sleep would do some good." He quoted her. After a while, when Sakura stopped struggling, Sasuke turned his head to see that she had fallen asleep. A frown tugged at the corner of his mouth, feeling a bit awkward as a warm sensation settled in his chest. He gently brushed the hair away from her face. She deserved to be at peace, Sasuke thought as he watched her sleep before closing his eyes.