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"Naruto-chan!" Aneko whispered as she shook her younger brother gently. This was their daily routine. Aneko would wake up, get ready, then wake up Naruto. He would join either his other sister, Hitomi, his mother or father, or, on the very, very rare occasion, his eldest brother, Haruko.
"What is it, nee-san?" The small, groggy-eyed child said, rolling over to face his sister. "Time to get up?"
"No, Naruto-chan," Aneko sat on the edge of the bed and put her hand lovingly on his forehead. "I just wanted to say 'bye."
"Why, nee-san?" Naruto rubbed his eyes and looked, puzzled, at his sister. "What's happening?"
"I need to go on a mission, and I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to you first," Aneko leaned forwards and kissed his forehead lightly and handed him a small stuffed bear. "I have a matching one with me. When I look at it, I'll think of you, promise to do the same, okay? I won't be gone long, maybe three weeks."
"But tha's so long!" Naruto protested as he sat up.
"Okay, I'll try making it two and a half," Aneko winked.
Naruto glared. "Two."
"Ah, rock-paper-scissors," Aneko dropped to her knees and Naruto held out a small hand shaped in a fist. "Okay, ready? Rock… Paper… Scissors!"
"Heeheehee!" Naruto giggled gleefully. He had never won before. "Papou ovou wock wins! Two weeks."
"Okay, two weeks, promise," Aneko ruffled Naruto's hair, and stood up.
Aneko walked to the door, and stared at Naruto. "Take good care of yourself, Naruto-chan," She looked and sounded sad. Almost as though she was mourning.
She blew a kiss, and walked out the door, slowly closing it, all the while looking at him. She had never acted like this before going on a mission, and Naruto sat on his bed, puzzled, until the sun slowly started to rise.
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"Did you hear what happened to that Uzumaki, Aneko?" A man asked another.
"No what?" He answered.
The bar was abuzz with the news of the tragedies.
"What about the young one from the Uchiha clan? And the two from Hyuuga?" The first man asked.
"Don't forget about young Haruno…" Interrupted a waitress.
"Poor little Kiba, lost his whole clan in that avalanche… Only thing he has left is that dog of his…" Said a family friend.
"What's gonna happen to the fox?" Someone asked from the back.
"Apparently, Hokage's gonna seal it in a person," The Hokage's right-hand-man answered. "Dunno who it's gonna be, though."
Everyone gasped, like a gush of wind.
"But… but…" The waitress whispered. "Who?"
"Like I said miss," He waved his drink at her in a sorrowful, drunken way. "No clue. Hope it isn't me," He then downed it in a quick, practiced motion.
"It wouldn't be one of us, would it? I mean," The waitress gulped. "C'mon, if it was one of us, then…"
"We'd die and the fox would be free again? Yeah, guess you're right," The man said, shrugging.
"Maybe it's going to be a young person, a child… an infant even," A person suggested.
"God, I hope it isn't my kid."
Everyone nodded.
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A total of 27 funerals took place within the next few days, including the Hokage's. No one saw him die, and his casket was empty; he was lost after he had sealed the fox away.
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"Could you two, you know, stop?" Naruto asked, as he walked into his room and grabbed his jacket. It was growing chilly, and, according to Sasuke's words, he was just keeping Sakura warm.
Naruto glared at Sasuke. "Well, it's getting cold in here, so why don't you try converting that energy to helping me start a fire?"
Sasuke laughed, kissed Sakura lightly once more, stood up, and followed Naruto to their ancient furnace that ran on a fuel source, such as coal. They had none at the moment.
"Well?" Sasuke asked, his eyebrows raising as he turned to Naruto.
"Oh, whatever Sasuke, like you never forget," Naruto waved his hand at him. "I'll be back…"
Naruto put his jacket on, and walked out into the cold winter air. It never got this cold in the winter, but for some reason, against all odds, it was -16 today, and getting colder by the hour.
"10:15," Naruto looked around him. "Great start to the day."
He was walking towards the Ichiraku Ramen shop, and noticed it closed. The metal door was securely locked from behind so that it wouldn't be broken in to. Naruto had never seen the Ramen shop closed before, but it was obvious that they couldn't stay open in this weather.
He shrugged and turned the corner towards Asa and her mother's shop. He opened the door, and rushed in, praising the warmth. "Hello, Naruto-kun!" Asa called from the corner.
"Hey, Asa," Naruto waved as he picked up two bags of coal.
"Oh, Naruto-kun, I'm afraid that you'll need more than that," She turned up the radio behind her. "They say it's going to get colder."
Almost as though by cue, the announcer on the radio suddenly said, "And temperatures are expected to lower within the next week or so to a chilly -30! Yikes! Remember to turn up your thermostats! And for other news…"
Asa turned it back down. "Minus 30! I don't think I've ever felt such weather!"
"Me either," Naruto said. He grabbed three more and hauled them over to the counter. "Your mom isn't working today?"
"No, mom's got a cold, I'm afraid," Asa punched in the prices. "Nothing to do but to wait until the cold passes…"
"Why don't you go to the hospital?" Naruto asked, eyes full of concern.
"Oh Naruto-kun, it's just a cold," Asa laughed. "Mom will be fine. A hospital visit will just be troublesome… Besides, it's good that mom got some time off!"
"I guess…" Naruto shrugged. "Tell her my get wells and what not, okay?"
"Sure thing!" Asa said. Naruto paid, and was off, lugging the coal back home. It wasn't heavy, but it was hard to do with a big jacket on. Usually, he just wore his black tee, baggy jeans and skater shoes, but it was too cold for that stuff.
Finally, Naruto opened the door, and Sakura shrieked. "Oh my Gosh, Naruto! I thought you were someone else!"
"Who else would I be?" Naruto asked, a puzzled expression covering his face.
"Well, Sasuke left a while ago, and you know how I hate to be alone…"
Naruto nodded. "Why didn't you go with him? Why did he leave?"
"Well, I don't know, he just said he'd be back… I don't have enough warm clothes to go out there…" She pointed at the window. It was then that Naruto noticed she was holding a pillow like a shield. "I saw someone walk past the window, like a dark shadow, right? And then I heard, like, realllllly creepy sounds down the hallway, and then I heard the door open… I came to see who it was, but there was no one there, and then… And then the door opened again, and you were standing there and I almost died of a heart attack…"
Naruto shook his head. She needs to learn how to breathe when she talks… He thought.
"Well, there's no one here, is there?" Naruto asked. "I don't hear anything…"
Sakura put her finger to her lips. "Listen!"
Naruto listened hard, and indeed, he heard noises coming from the bedroom down the hall. "Maybe they're having sex."
"Who?" Sakura whispered, eyes wide.
"The ghosts," Naruto joked. "Here take my jacket and go outside. I'll be right there."
"Okay," Sakura grabbed his jacket and put it on in a hurry. She stopped in the doorway, and turned to Naruto. She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't force it out. She closed to door quietly.
Naruto looked around. Maybe Sasuke was back, and he was just trying to scare Sakura. But he had never done that before. He didn't seem like the kind of guy who would do such a thing. But then again, it's not like their house had never been broken into before.
Naruto walked down the hallway, and noticed a definite temperature drop. He reached out for the door-handle, and as soon as he touched it, the noises in the room stopped. The handle was freezing, but Naruto grasped it firmly, and swung the door open.
No one was in the room. Naruto looked around, and noticed the window was open. He crossed the room, and slammed the window shut, locking it firmly.
"Stupid thieves," Naruto grumbled. He turned to exit the room, and noticed a small box lying on the bed. He walked towards it cautiously, listening for any noises coming from it.
Assuming it was safe, Naruto picked it up gently. He left the room, and brought it to the couch. He put it down and opened the door. Sakura was looking up to the sky, white mist coming out of her mouth. She looked around, shivering slightly. Snow was falling on her pink hair, and she rubbed her arms.
"Why did you wait out here in the cold?" Naruto called out. White mist poured from his mouth, and the silence of the snow magnified his voice.
Sakura turned to Naruto, and looked surprised. "You told me to."
"I thought you'd go to look for Sasuke," Naruto said. "Come in, there's no one here."
Sakura nodded, and quickly rubbed her nose, before walking towards the door. Naruto sidestepped so she could get in.
"Sit on the couch, I need to show you something," Naruto said quietly.
Sakura sat down, staring quietly at the box. "What is it?" She finally asked.
"I don't know," Naruto shook his head. He picked it up, and stared at it intently.
"What is it? Is it safe?" Sakura asked. "Are you sure it's not a bomb like what was send to Hoshi's house last month?"
"No," Naruto said. "I'm pretty sure it's safe."
"Pretty sure?" Sakura asked.
"I can just tell," Naruto sat beside Sakura, and she scooted closer to him, conserving warmth. He reached under the little latch, and pulled it up. It clicked once it popped up.
Naruto looked at Sakura, and she nodded. He lifted the lid, and Sakura closed her eyes, expecting the worst.
Nothing happened.
Sakura opened her eyes slightly, and looked at Naruto. His blue eyes were filled with confusion as he looked into the box.
"What is it?" Sakura asked. Naruto reached into the small box, and pulled out tissue paper. He then picked up a shuriken covered with dry, flaking blood. He put it on the coffee table carefully, and next picked up a little pink book, with stems and leaves sticking out the sides. Sakura gasped when he pulled that out.
Naruto almost dropped the box once he pulled out the third and final object: a small, brown and ripped bear, with a crooked smile, and one of its eyes gone. Naruto stopped moving, and just stared at the bear.
Sakura picked up the small pink book, and opened it carefully.
"I thought I lost this so many years ago… I forgot I even had it…" Sakura whispered. "How did… Where was this box?" She asked Naruto.
"Bed… room…" Naruto breathed.
Sakura stood up, and looked down the hallway cautiously. "I wish Sasuke were here…"
"I'm here…" Naruto put the bear down, letting go quickly, as though it were hot.
"I know…" Sakura whispered. "But I feel more safe when you're both here…"
She sat back down, beside Naruto, shivering, not from the cold.
The silence continued for what seemed like decades, possibly centuries.
Finally, Sakura broke the silence. "Is that teddy-bear yours?"
Naruto nodded.
"And that book is mine… Does that make the shuriken Sasuke's?" Naruto shrugged.
"I have no clue," Naruto said quietly. "This is creeping me out. I don't think we should leave until Sasuke comes back…"
BANG!
The door swung open wide, and Sasuke came rushing in.
"What happened?! What happened?!" He yelled. He saw Sakura and Naruto sitting on the couch. He looked widely around the room, and ran down the hallway. "NARUTO! SAKURA!"
They ran to the room and looked where Sasuke was looking.
"What's the matter?" Naruto asked. "What, Sasuke?"
Sasuke didn't answer. Instead, he ran to the window, which, once again, was wide open.
"Sasuke!" Sakura practically yelled. "What's the matter?!"
"Outside…" Sasuke turned around to face Sakura. "Outside… I thought… Oh God…" He grabbed Sakura in a rough hug. "Something… Oh God…"
Naruto had never seen Sasuke like this before. Something was definitely wrong. He left the two hugging in the room, and ran to the front door. It was closed, even though he didn't remember Sasuke closing it.
He walked outside and looked at the house that they lived in. Everything looked the same. Nothing looked wrong, and Naruto ran back inside, slipping on the wood floor as he ran down the hall.
"Sasuke, what's the matter with you? There's nothing there!" Naruto said loudly as he entered the room.
"No, no, there was… blood, and burns… like… Oh my God… I thought there was a fire… Wait… Come look…" The trio ran out of the house, and looked at it. Sakura turned towards Sasuke with a concerned expression when she saw the usual beige colour.
"Sasuke…" She said, trying to touch his arm. He swung it out her grasp and looked up, frustrated.
"It was there! There were burn marks!" Sasuke cried out. "I swear! The house! It was black from flames, and… and… there were… I swear!"
Sakura and Naruto were both staring at Sasuke like he was some lunatic.
"Sasuke…" Sakura started towards him. "Have you gotten sleep lately?"
She wrapped her arms around Sasuke's shoulders, and looked up at the house.
Everything was calm and quiet, and a quiet squeak diverted Naruto's attention from the front of the house.
He growled and ran into the house. He burst into the room at the end of the hall, and saw a shoe jump from the windowsill outside. He ran to the window, and saw nothing. No person was anywhere to be seen. He couldn't hear anything moving, except Sakura and Sasuke in the front.
Something…
Naruto couldn't remember closing the door as he ran out of the room. He turned towards it.
The door was closed.