Book Four: Christmas
Walking out of the hospital I felt an overwhelming amount of freedom yet confinement enclose me. I felt freedom because I was finally out of that stifling building. However, I felt confined because of the information I had received and how it would affect my life. Instead of giving the information to someone else, as one would expect, it was Tsunade that gave the information to me but I haven't figured out if this is a good thing yet, the only thing that's running through my mind is all the ways my life could change from here on out.
Quickly thinking that I didn't really want to go back to my house, I walked up to Yamanaka's Flower Shop and set my bag on the counter as Ino's back was turned. I then sped out of the shop. I knew Ino would get the hint to take my bag to my house, it was only luck that she didn't sense I was in there, I didn't want any unnecessary conversations or any unnecessary questions.
As I sped away from the shop, the damp, muddy earth gradually changed into a thick blanket of snow, showing that there wasn't enough people out here to trample on it, making it melt to turn the dirt to mud. I was a little glad for that, my clumsy self wouldn't have to deal with the small tripping incidents I'd had all day, or the embarrassing moments when people saw me do it and asked if I was okay while trying not to laugh at my expense.
Once I reached a cliff, I finally stopped running. I sat down at the edge of the cliff and looked out over the lamp lit village. I decided not to pay attention to the fact that my butt was now soaking wet from the snow, and that it was getting numbingly cold.
I heard Sasuke's voice speak out behind me, "What are you doing up here?"
"Nothing... just thinking..." I responded.
"Care to share?"
"I have to tell you anyways, I'm just not ready to... yet."
"Is it important?"
"Yes, it is."
"Hm... Is there a reason you had to do your thinking on the cold, wet cliff side of a mountain?"
"Not really. I just started running and this is where I ended up. How did you find me?" I turned my confused eyes to his.
"Ino dropped the bag off at the house. I wanted to know why you would send your bag off but be elsewhere."
"I could have still been working."
"No. I know your schedule, you got off an hour ago. I also know Tsunade or anyone else wouldn't have held you up. I've heard how everyone thinks you work too hard or work too many hours, they wouldn't have let you stay even if you wanted to." I sighed and turned around to stare out at the village once again.
"I suppose I do, but within a month or two that will change, I'll have to spend more time at home than working."
"Why?" I stood up and turned around with a small smile.
"I'll tell you later, for now, I'm tired." I walked forward and as I passed him I healed the small cut on his arm. "Stop coming to talk to me with injuries on your person, they annoys me. It seems every time I see you, you have a cut somewhere on you body." he turned and started to follow me.
"Hn." I could swear I heard a slight sound of amusement coloring the emotionless word.
"Yeah, 'hn' to you too. You were fighting with Naruto this time, weren't you?" I watched from the corner of my eye as he nodded.
"Did he initiate it, or did you?"
"Neither, we both aggravated each other, and we started fighting." I punched his arm, hard. I knew it would leave a bruise too.
"I'll get Naruto the next time I see him." I promised.
"Didn't you just say you hated it when you saw me with injuries?" I nodded, "And yet you just gave me a bruise." I smiled, not necessarily an innocent one either.
"I'm allowed to hurt you, I have the right, however, no one else can because I said so." He stared at me for a second with an unreadable face before he smirked and looked ahead once more.
"You're weird." I smiled.
"Weird is just another word for different, which is another word for unique, so thanks."
Once we got to the house I immediately went to our bedroom to plop down on the bed and curl up in a comfortable ball. Sasuke lied down in front of me on his side with his head on his hand; I think he was waiting for me to speak. I looked up at the ceiling wondering if it was a good idea to tell him now or later. I looked back down at him.
"You know another thing that's weird?" He raised an eyebrow, "That I moved in here with you only a week after you and I spent our first night together."
"That is the reason you moved in, remember? You thought we had reached the next stage in our relationship, that it was appropriate."
"Yes, I though we had reached the next stage, however, it was you who suggested I move in."
"You regretting?"
"No, just noting. You and I have only been together for 10 months, and I've already moved in, and only because you and I slept together. Don't you think everything is going a little fast?"
"No. And besides, we have been together more than 10 months if you count the time I was gone. Since we never did break it off, we were still technically in a relationship, just a long distance one." I snorted, "So we've been together for 7 years 10 months and 7 days. No I don't think we're going too fast." I rolled my eyes.
"Doesn't a relationship require contact with each other?"
"Not all people in long distance relationships have contact with one another." I scoffed at him.
"Who's weird now?"
"It's still you." he smirked and I smiled. I scooted closer to him and cuddled up to him. He didn't cuddle back, he just wrapped an arm around my waist holding me to him, but I was okay with that. "What about dinner?"
"I'm not hungry, you?"
"No."
"Good." I smiled and laid my head against his chest. "You know, Sasuke, tomorrow is Christmas."
"Yeah."
"We don't have a tree put up."
"And?"
"I think we should."
"Aren't trees supposed to be put up before the actual holiday?"
"Yes, but we've both been so busy I didn't think about it. And now that I am, I remember that both of us have the day off tomorrow."
"Doesn't Christmas require presents?"
"Yes, I've already gotten all the gifts for you that I need to. Ever since you came back, I've been buying a gift for you every now and then."
"Where have you kept them?" I smiled at the disbelief in his voice.
"At Ino's, you never go there, obviously, so I stashed them there. She's been complaining about it lately though because I didn't take the gifts back by Thanksgiving. I would have, except that we don't have a tree to put them under. I don't really care that you didn't get me any presents, I just want to make sure you remember Christmas as a good holiday. While you were gone, I always thought that you never celebrated it, and when we were 10-12 years old, you never came to the parties to celebrate it, so I don't want you to be left out," I smiled, "and now that we live together, I can now force you to open presents and celebrate with me." I looked up into his glaring eyes but I just smiled an 'innocent' smile. His look soon turned into an amused one as he smirked.
"I guess it doesn't matter that you got me gifts, I got you some too, I knew you celebrated it so I got some for you."
"And where did you keep yours?" His smirk grew a little.
"At Naruto's. you never go there because you hate how cluttered and messy it is." I scoffed.
"Go figure, you guys hate each others guts but are close enough to trust each other like this."
"That's Naruto. You can't help but hate him yet he always seems to make you his friend."
"That's not true!" I defended Naruto.
"It's not? Don't tell me he doesn't aggravate everyone till their wits end?"
"Well..."
"And that you don't want to kill him almost every time he opens his mouth?"
"I..."
"Exactly." I pouted.
"Shut up, you're being a jerk." he chuckled as he pulled me closer to him and fell asleep.
V^V^V^V^V^V^V
As I woke up I noted that it was 5:32, it was the perfect time to do what I had been thinking about all night last night, I'll leave the tree to him. I smiled as I sneaked out of his arms and quickly got dressed, then ran out of the house and to the only store in the village that stayed open 24 hours a day 7 days a week and 365 days a year.
It was a quick in-and-out trip. I made a bee line to the 'restricted section' as Ino and I had called it. The one thing I'm more scared of, once I tell everyone, is Ino's reaction. Once I grabbed the almost horrific item, I ran to the cashier. The cashier, who knew me (as if anyone didn't know me) gave me a funny look as he saw what I was purchasing, I blushed and the moment he had given me my bag I was gone in under 2 seconds.
In my rush to get out of there, I didn't realize anyone was in front of me until I hit them head on. I groaned as I rubbed the spot on my head which had happened to hit the gravel, breaking my fall. I quickly healed it so that no more blood would fall, I didn't feel like having to wash the blood out of my clothes...
"Sorry." I heard the voice of my father speak almost silently. I looked forward to see him stand up with my bag in hand. He wasn't looking in it, just trying to help, he was holding it out slightly as I stood up.
I took it from him as I spoke, "Thanks." I said just as silently as he had. I turned around to leave but I only moved 3 steps before I hesitated and turned back around to see my father's back walking away from me. "Father?" I called to him.
"Yes?" He spoke as he turned around.
"I uh..." I walked up to him and looked down at my hands while nervously fiddling with my fingers, "I just wanted to let you know that I don't hate you, I wasn't sure at first and I think I might have... disliked you... a lot at first, but I could never hold onto a grudge." I looked back up at him, "I guess I'm telling you this because I don't want you to continue to think I haven't made up my mind yet, and because I want things to get better between us." I bit my lip. "I'm also sorry that I was so mean to you before, I completely ignored you and that was rude of me..." I tried to continue my sentence but I guess I was feeling too awkward to do so after actually apologizing to him. He gave me a small smile as if to tell me no hard feelings.
I stepped forwards and wrapped my arms around him, I let him wrap his around me too for about 10 seconds before I finally let go, I was feeling a bit awkward doing this too. I stepped back, "I'll see you later." he nodded before turning back around and walking away.
I stood there in silence for a minute or two before deciding that the conversation, despite his conversational smile, felt uncomfortable and very one-sided. I shrugged it off and sped home before anyone else could see what was in my bag. I stopped in the living room as I saw that the tree was up and about a dozen presents were under it. Sasuke was sitting on the couch with his head leaned back and his eyes closed. I bit my lip and was about to tiptoe across the room to the bedroom when Sasuke spoke.
"You know, leaving early in the morning and making me put up the tree, that wasn't a very bright idea." I could almost hear the beginning of a verbalized plot making its way to his lips.
"Yeah? And why's that?"
"Because now you owe me."
"And how do you suppose I'll pay you back?"
"I guess you'll just have to say yes to me."
"And what exactly am I agreeing to?" he lifted his head and smirked at me.
"I'll leave that to your imagination so that you can think up all the dreadful things you wouldn't want to agree to." I glared at him as I walked into the bedroom.
Once I had the gift wrapped and under the tree, I made my way to Ino's. I knocked on her door but got no answer. I furrowed my eyebrows, she's off today too, I know she said she'd be here. "Ino!" I knocked on her door again. Finally I heard steps and she cracked the door, only showing her head through the crack. I squinted my eyes, why is she- I looked down as I tried not to smile. "Well, Ino, it seems like you started your Christmas celebration early." I commented as I looked up to see her glaring face.
"What do you want, Sakura?"
"I'm here to get the presents."
"You have the worst timing ever. Why did you decide to do it today?"
"The tree just got put up today." I smiled 'innocently' but she just glared harder.
"Give me a minute." She closed the door and walked away until I could no longer hear her footsteps, after about 5 minutes, she came back to the door, opened it and let me in.
I walked in and looked at her before smiling and speaking, "It's nice to see you again...dressed."
"Shut up and get your stuff." she pushed a scroll into my hands. I nodded and walked to her closet then used the scroll to put all the presents in.
I walked out the door then turned to face Ino, once again with a smile, "Merry Christ-" she shut the door in my face, making my smile bigger, "mas." I shrugged and turned around with the stupidest smile on my face, time to open presents.
V^V^V^V^V^V^V
"I think you missed one." Sasuke spoke. I looked under the tree.
"Sorry, I don't see any unwrapped gifts any-" I felt a small weight on my knee so I looked forward and saw a small wrapped, square box. "Sasuke," I said in a warning voice, "This better not be what I think it is."
"And if it is?" I ignored him as I took it off my knee and opened it. It was a ring.
"Sasuke." I said in an exasperated tone. He knew why I was annoyed. About a month ago, Naruto decided to have a party with all of his friends on Thanksgiving and there was wine. He got drunk and decided to ask a very sober Sasuke and I when we were getting married, I flat out told him that it would not be anytime soon. After we got back to our house, Sasuke demanded that I tell him why I had such a harsh reaction to the question. I had told him that I didn't want to get married after only 9 months, and that I was afraid that we'd be moving into it too fast.
"You have to say yes, you owe me." he said in a smug tone.
"Sasuke, I don't care about that, you know why I-"
"I know what you said, but I don't care, I want you to say yes." he sounded as if he was demanding me to to say yes.
"I don't care, Sasuke, I-"
"We aren't moving too fast, no matter what you think, we aren't. Since your being annoying and actually making me say it, I think you should actually agree."
"Say what?"
"Sakura, I love you, and I want you to marry me, I have even asked your fathers permission, even though he hasn't been in your life much... marry me." I bit my lip.
"Sasuke, I-"
"Sakura, just say yes, you know you want to, so stop resisting." I tried to glare at him but it just came out as a smile.
"Whatever."
"Is that a yes or a-"
"It's a whatever, I won't officially agree, but I wont say no either."
"Well, since 'whatever' can be taken either way," he grabbed the ring and before I could blink it was on my finger. I rolled my eyes and shoved the gift I had just bought today in his hands.
"Looks like you missed one too."
"Hm..." he slowly opened it and gave the thing a weird look before looking up at me with the same look. "A baby rattle? Are you trying to tell me I'm immature? A baby?" I laughed.
"No, Sasuke, I'm not trying to say you are a baby, but that we are having a baby." his face went blank for a minute and through that minute as his face slowly went from annoyed, confused, blank, then shocked, I grew even more amused. "I don't think any of the movies do justice to a man learning he's gonna have a baby." I laughed again.
"Well, now I don't have to worry about your fan club anymore, this should tell them that you belong to me now." I punched his arm.
"I'm so glad it's convenient for you."
"We should try and get the wedding over with, we still want you in this... shape when we get married, right?" I punched his arm.
"Jerk!"
"I just think when our child grows up, he or she might want to know that we were married before we had him or her."
"Yeah right, you just said that you wanted me to be thin when we had the wedding, that has nothing to do with when the child is grown." he shrugged and leaned forward to kiss me.
"Well, I think we should try for twins." he picked me up in his arms.
"Sasuke, it doesn't work that way."
"Well, let's see if we can change that." I rolled my eyes.
"Perv." he looked me over.
"I have a good reason." I punched his arm, again. "Stop doing that."
"Stop opening your mouth." he chuckled.
"All right, but you might regret those words soon." and with that, he sped to the bedroom, where he didn't even speak to me the rest of the day, but... he didn't have to, I think I was satisfied without him opening his mouth again... now if only I could keep it that way, I giggled and snuggled up to him, finally all the thoughts of what could happen from here on out left my mind and I was able to fall asleep next to Sasuke comfortably without worry... for now.