Title: The Way You Smile Shines the Heavens
Fandom/Community: Naruto / 50scenes
Prompt: Table 2: #44 — Christmas
Pairing: Hatake Kakashi x Haruno Sakura
Rating: R
Warning: Language, sexuality, alcohol and brief drug use
Disclaimer: Kishimoto-sensei owns. Small quote dedication to the movies Cruel Intentions and Hercules.
Summary: He'd planned on spending his holiday as his normally did—with a nice bottle of Jack to wash down the bitterness. She'd planned on dealing with her dysfunctional parents as she always had—excusing herself to her room and turning her CD player up to max volume. Funnily enough, they weren't too upset to find some reason to abandon their traditions. AU.


Part One.

"I have given up everything for you! You don't understand how much I've given up, and I cannot understand why—!"

"—so sick of hearing you blabber on about all that you've given up! I don't really care how much you've given up!"

Three levels up, inside the room at the far end of the hall on the right, a young woman groaned. Rolling onto her back, she closed her eyes and pulled a pillow onto her face, then put her arms at her side. The yelling faded a little bit, but increased in volume a few minutes later as the two adults relocated to a different room of the house.

"Mou, Sakura-chan!" The voice was staticy, but clear enough for the young woman to understand. "They arguing again? Don't they ever shut up?"

Sakura slowly raised her hand and pulled the pillow from her face. She glanced calmly over towards her computer, where a large square had appeared on the screen—a picture of a small, college dorm apartment. "Obviously not, Ino-chan." She sighed, propping herself up on her elbows on the bed. She shook her head oddly, trying to get her short, pink bangs to move out of her line of vision. "Hey, Ino, where are you? I don't see you on the screen. . ."

Big blue eyes hazily filled Sakura's computer screen, and she chuckled. "This better?" Ino asking, giggling.

For once, the pink-haired woman laughed and fell back on the bed. Ino retreated to her own bed, settling down on the corner with her large fleece blanket wrapped around her shoulders. "But seriously, Sakura. . . your parents are always arguing. I know you finished schooling here, but you're rich enough. You should come back, bullshit for a year or so just to get away from them, before you go on to graduate school."

"I dunno, Ino." Sakura shrugged and glanced at her door.

The yelling was getting louder.

Sliding from the bed, she walked swiftly to the door, closing and locking it before she returned to her comfortable queen bed. "Sometimes I can't bear to leave them." She sighed, fiddling with a fuzzy stuffed animal—a well-worn bear that she'd had since she was a child. "Okaa-san does the whole 'guilt-trip' thing. And Otou-san just gets mad and yells. When he makes her cry, I feel bad; but then she'll do something equally cruel, like flirt with one of his business partners right in front of him."

Ino shook her head, bangs flinging from side to side. "They're children. Worse than that. They're snobby children. The kind we looked at when we were younger and said we'd never end up being like."

"They make me so mad sometimes."

The teddy bear was then launched across the room angrily. It hit the wall squarely, but not before it knocked a picture of their family portrait from the table below. Sakura completely ignored it. They weren't a family, in her mind.

"You know," said Ino slyly, "you can always just come visit me. I live in here alone, so it's not like anyone would care. And I'm not actually living on campus, so it'd be allowed."

"Yea, you think Sasuke-kun would mind not being able have private time with you?" she changed the subject, not liking the way the conversation was going. "How are you and that boyfriend of yours?"

Ino gave her a look.

Sakura stared. "Don't tell me that you and him broke up! You were perfect for each other! I mean. . . even if he was a bit of a conceited jerk. . ."

"He cheated on me." Ino's eyes closed, and for a moment Sakura thought her best friend might cry. But when the blonde opened her eyes again, they were filled with anger—not tears. "And with some. . . whore."

"Who?"

"Some bitch named Tayuya. I'd seen her, but never met her before. Apparently, she's friends with that group he started hanging around with." Ino rolled her eyes and pulled her hair out of its tie; she dragged her hands through it in slow, tired motions. "You probably saw her before, just never knew her. Long, red-hair; likes to wear a lot of dark make up."

The pink-haired woman sighed. "No, not specifically." Sakura shrugged. "I always could just—"

She was interrupted by the sudden shrill ringing of her phone. "Hey, Ino-chan, hold up a minute, will ya?" She turned sharply and picked up the phone. "Moshimoshi?" She paused and then smiled broadly. "Oh! Oba-han! How are you?" From the computer, Ino leaned back on her bed, impatiently tapping her foot to some tune in her head.

Sakura ignored her.

"No, they're still fighting. I'm pretty sure they're going to end up going through with it. At least, I know for sure it'll happen once Otou-san finds out about Rizu-san." The pink-haired girl shook her head slowly, biting at her fingernail. "This should be a fun holiday."

Then the young woman paused.

She glanced over her shoulder at the computer—at Ino—and a small smirk developed over her face. "Are you sure that'd be okay?"

Her smile widened. "Well, thanks Oba-han, I'll be sure to ask. I mean, if they say no, I'll just sneak out; but I'd rather get their permission so they don't decide to press kidnapping charges or something. Not that it would work—you being a lawyer and all. I'll call you later and give you my answer. Yes. . . yes, I love you too, sayonara."

"So?"

Sakura glanced over her shoulder as the put the phone back on its charger. "I was wondering. . . Ino-chan. . ." she started, hands behind her back as she spun around to prance slowly towards the computer screen. The blonde looked alarmed. "Do you specifically have anything planned this Christmas holiday?"


"The Harada case?" Hatake Kakashi spread the manila folders out before him, before lazily picking one up and passed it across the table to his partner Genma. "Here." He barely noticed when something in the other room loudly slammed against the wall dividing the rooms.

"Ah, thank you," the brown-haired man murmured as he glanced towards the door to the room, chuckling. "Something is obviously going on in there. I just wonder who's getting the brunt of the injuries. Now, you wanted the Nakanishi case?"

"Probably Jiraiya-san. Ah, yes, thank you." Kurenai shook her black hair out of her face, taking the folder from Genma as he handed it to her. She flinched when there was a loud thud against the wall, and glanced over her shoulder. "I hope she doesn't kill him."

"Why?" The strong smell of smoke followed the dark-haired man as he walked into the room, setting the two large boxes he was carrying on the other side of the table. "You owe me for pizza, Shiranui."

Genma pulled his wallet out of his pocket, flicked it open and then tossed a twenty dollar bill onto the table. "Happy Asuma?" he asked sarcastically. He grabbed one of the boxes and flipped it open, tugging a large piece of pizza out.

"Indubitably."

Kakashi lounged backwards in his seat, balancing on the back two legs of his chair, silver hair falling over his face as he bit on the end of a pen.

"Well, don't you look distracted?" Asuma pulled a cigarette from the pack in his breast pocket and used his fingernail to light the match. "What's up with him?" he asked Kurenai, blowing the smoke away from them before leaning down to give her a light peck on the check and lay his hand on her thigh.

She slid his hand away discreetly, crimson eyes focused on the file before her.

"Probably worried that Tsunade-san is killing Jiraiya-san and destroying the future of the Icha Icha series." Genma grinned, picking a pepperoni off his pizza and popping it into his mouth. "Then he'd have no life other than work."

"Ya'know. . ." The silver-haired man turned his head sharply, spiked hair falling into his face. He paused, then stuck out his lower lip and blew a stream of air up at the fringe to push it out of his eyes. After a second of trying, he shook his head instead, then resumed his glare. "I wonder why you people are my friends. I really do hate you all."

"We know, Kakashi." Kurenai absently patted his arm as she turned to talk to Asuma. "We know."

The man crossed his arms and grumbled; something that sounded vaguely like "you all suck".

Genma sighed, switching his toothpick to the other side of his mouth with his tongue. "Okay," he said, glancing mutely around the table. "It's four days 'til Christmas, and I need to get one more case in or Tsunade-san's going to fillet me for her dinner. I plan on having much sex over Christmas. Work your magic men" — Kurenai scowled — "and lady. Find me the easiest job in this pile!"

The dark-haired woman glanced at the pile before she held up a folder. "Fujishima case—divorce dispute."

"Stupid man." No once was surprised when Kakashi snorted and shook his head slightly. "Should have made her sign a pre-nup."

"You know the case?"

Kakashi rolled his dark eyes. "Wrote the file." He latched his mouth on to the back end of the pen again. "Four hours of listening to the two of them grumble."

Genma grinned. "What's the little woman like?"

"You really expect me to—!"

"Yes!"

Kakashi signed and rubbed his temple. "About 5'7", black hair, big boobs, nasty face."

"Lights off, then, I'm thinking."

Kurenai glanced at them, an expression of extreme disgust on her face. "You are all sick. Sick, little horny bastards."

"Hey, how did I get roped into being sick? I'm not the one planning to take advantage of the woman-on-the-rebound."

"You noticed she had big boobs."

Kakashi's eyes rolled again. "Kurenai, any guy would have noticed, even your little pet Sarutobi here. She was practically shoving them in front of my face." He made an unpleasant face and then turned to glance at Genma, who'd bitten into his pizza; watching their argument with amusement. "Oh yea, she's kind of desperate."

Genma opened his mouth eagerly to respond, but the door to their conference room was thrown open.

Bold as brass and twice as tough, Tsunade let herself into the room quietly; heels clicking against the wooden floor.

Her amber eyes stalked each one of her employees. Genma froze, pizza half-risen to his mouth. He gulped, and then put it back down in the box in front of him. Kurenai blinked and then glanced at Asuma, who slowly slid his arm to his side—from where it had wrapped around her shoulders. Kakashi merely glanced up through his haze of silver fringe, his teeth clicking lightly against the pen.

"Kakashi," said Tsunade lightly. "I'd like to see you in my office. Right now."

"Well, we're a bit busy, you see. . ." Kakashi started, pulling the pen away from his mouth as he held out his arm casually.

Her eyes flashed, and she interrupted him; "Enough! I said now."

The man's eyes closed as the front legs of his chair dropped back to the ground. "Fine." He opened his eyes again, glancing at his fellow workers. He offered a mock-cheery smile and saluted with two fingers. "Be right back."


Kakashi pushed his feet against the floor and lifted the front end of the chair off the ground. He held the pen horizontally in his teeth, glaring through his hair at his boss. "Tsunade-san," he said finally to the quiet woman, taking the pen from his mouth and putting it in his breast pocket, "is this really all necessary? If all you wanted to do was talk, you didn't need to make Genma want to piss his pants to get me to walk in here."

The underside of her chin resting on her knuckles as she leaned into her desk, Tsunade blew a stray strand of blonde hair out of her eyes before winking. "C'mon, Kakashi. Where's the fun in that? I like frightening Shiranui. Besides, it's not like you were actually working."

"I was helping Genma find an easy way to end the Fujishima case." Kakashi's smirked lazily. "At least, that's what I would say if anybody asked."

"He's going to try and fuck her, isn't it?"

He faked a wince. "Must you be so crude? I thought women were supposed to be the better behaved of the sexes."

"Lies," breathed Tsunade, snickering and popping a peppermint into her mouth. "All of them. Bald-faced. You should do well to not listen to the grapevine, Hatake Kakashi. Women are no better than men. We just make it look prettier."

"Well, I don't think you invited me in here to discuss Genma's sleeping habits. Though it would be very nice if you could just offer me some coffee, or even a peppermint." He winked and clicked the pen against her desk lightly. "It's only fair. And then we can talk about whatever is on your mind." He tilted his head catlike to the side and glanced sidelong at the wall. "Or we can talk about what you did to Jiraiya-san that caused that dent."

Tsunade was too old to be insulted by how playful her employee's tone was and too open to be embarrassed about his comments. "That dent has a story, and you're not getting it out of me unless I'm pissed off my ass." She was pretty sure she didn't even know how to blush.

She tossed him a peppermint, however. "I'm being nice. And you didn't even offer me any pizza."

"You know how Genma is about his pizza."

"Yes, almost as predatory as he is about his women." Tsunade closed her eyes and sighed through her nose before she shook her head. Her eyes glittered, and Kakashi didn't like it. "And the reason I called you in here to talk? That might take a while."

Kakashi glanced at his bare wrist before grinning broadly as his eyes returned to her face. "Look at that. Hours to spare."

"You are the most annoying man I have ever met."

"And you're in love with Jiraiya." He shrugged his shoulders and lounged again, bouncing slightly on the back legs of the chair. "Tell me something I don't know." He crossed his arms over his chest and raised a pale eyebrow. "But really. Let's get this over with. I only have to finish writing up my case file and send it over to archives."

The woman leaned forward slightly and placed her chin on her folded hands, merely looking at him. "I invited my niece, Sakura, and her friend Ino, to come up for Christmas, as Sakura's parents are a little busy at the moment. Not that they should take time out of their daily schedules to notice their daughter. . ." she added sarcastically under her breath.

"Wait a second," interrupted Kakashi. He paused. "You have a sister?"

Tsunade made a face at him and rolled her eyes. "I have a twin. We are absolutely nothing alike; in looks, mind, and spirit. From the very beginning, even in the cradle, my mother said, we had an incredibly strong sibling rivalry. It only intensified as we grew. Yuuka was as much everything my father wanted in a child as I was everything my mother wanted. We have never gotten along, but I am incredibly fond of her daughter."

"Unfortunately, Jiraiya has just informed me that the two of us are going to be in meetings for the next few weeks, as Hyuuga Hiashi is stepping down as partner and wishes that his nephew, Neji take over."

Tsunade popped another peppermint into her mouth and sucked hard on it. Her eyes narrowed irritatedly. "Normally this wouldn't be much of a big deal, but it hasn't been long since Naruto made partner as well. With two recently-made partners, the Sponsors feel as though we should burden ourselves over Christmas with meetings. Not that we really have anything to discuss. Naruto has been doing a wonderful job, and everybody who works here knows that Neji has had far more involvement in his uncle's decisions than even he'd be willing to admit."

Kakashi scowled. "I don't like the way this sounds already. Where do I get involved?"

"I need to keep Sakura and Ino busy."

"I'm not a babysitter, Tsunade-san," sighed Kakashi, twirling his pen between his fingers. "I've never liked kids; I don't plan on starting now."

The blonde woman shook her head with a smirk. "The two of them have always been very independent, as well as mature," she chuckled. "Hardly children. I'm upset that I won't get to spend as much time with Sakura as I'm supposed to. There's normally a lot of leeway time between meetings, but I'll be required to remain within the building should someone need to call on me."

She sighed.

"I'm not above bribery." Tsunade's amber eyes narrowed and once again, Kakashi did not like the way they glittered in the office's low light. "I will give you, Shiranui, Kurenai and Sarutobi Christmas bonuses if you come in on Christmas Eve and have a Christmas party."

The man leaned forward in his seat, elbows on his knees and his hands clasped calmly in front of his face. Mismatched eyes glanced over his pale fingertips, customary smirk donning his features. "You're telling me you're going to give us bonuses for staying in work to party?"

"An in-office Christmas party."

"You're serious."

Tsunade raised a shapely eyebrow as the corner of her mouth lifted slightly. "Dead."

"Consider it done."

"You'll convince the other three?"

Kakashi nodded and sat back in the chair. "Asuma and Kurenai will be easy. As long as both of them are here, they'll be distracted enough to have fun. All I have to do for Genma is assure him that he can get drunk and flirt with two pretty girls, and he'll practically jump into my lap like he was my dog."

Tsunade shook her head. "If he touches one hair on Sakura's head. . ." she threatened.

"Don't worry, he just likes to flirt. He wouldn't risk his job on Sakura. Maybe her friend. . . if she's attractive enough. He wouldn't try anything though."

"Shiranui needs a leash and muzzle." Tsunade shook her head, pulling her fingertips through the loose bangs that hang down in front of her eyes. She stared cross-eyed at the strands for a few moments before sighing and glancing back at him. "If you can pull this off, and keep Sakura's Christmas from being ruined by my forced meetings, than I indeed will give you bonuses. But I'm trusting you now."

Kakashi hummed. "Scary thought."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"Yes, yes, I get it," sighed Kakashi, holding up his hands. "I get it."

"You're excused." The blonde woman waved her hand lazily at the door behind them. "Go. Before I change my mind and fire you instead."

"With pleasure."

The man extracted himself from his chair and left the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Kakashi sighed and then slid his hands into his pockets slowly. "How irritating."

TBC. . .


Well, I had actually planned on getting this entire thing finished by Christmas. Funny, how those little plans never seem to work out.

I have half of Part Two written. I'm thinking only Three parts? Possibly Four, depending on how much muse I get. I also have Chapter V of Picture Trends to be working on. As I had little time to work on this Christmas joy, I had almost no time to sit down and get serious about Chapter V. I've got what's happening within the chapter planned out, and a small segment written, but nothing more. I have school off until the 7th, though, so hopefully I should be able to flesh out a nice chapter for you. And get started—if not finish—Chapter VI.

I am going to be working my butt off.

I love it though. There's nothing I love more than sitting down and going "okay, I need to write about 5,000 words in the next 5 hours." I feel really good about myself on those days.

I love writing AU for KakaSaku too. It's nice to put them in other situations.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Holidays and anything else anybody could possibly be. xD

- Hiko Mokushi