Hi all. I just want to thank you all for reading and also I forgot to say I don't own Naruto and all that stuff, so yeah. I don't own Naruto. Also I just want to tell you guys, I'm sorry if you think this chapter is a little bit off topic. I just couldn't resist adding some endearing moments between the two, because, as some of you said, they're a really cute couple. If you think this is like totally random, I don't blame you, and I'm also warning you that there are likely to be more chapters which are mainly cute moments and scenes between the two. Those of you who like it, great! You're in for lots more! Apart from that, enjoy! And also, please review! I'm open to (constructive) criticism as well as compliments (duh!)!

He looked at her. Some kind of insatiable anger cursed through his body. But with this anger came also a sort of elation at the power he felt. He couldn't help but let a cruel smile slip across his face, amongst the angry marks that almost made him look hideous.

He saw the fear in her eyes. That just increased his anger. Whoever had done this was going to pay.

"Sakura," His voice slipped out like molten lava, "Who did this to you?"

He didn't even really care. He knew that all this was just an excuse to exhibit the power he was exalting in.

She sat there, motionless, paralysed by fear. Oh yes, they were going to pay.

"I did." The arrogant voice made it sound more of a challenge than a confession. A challenge that Sasuke was more than ready to face.

The voice sounded again as he did his jutsu, but Sasuke was way ahead of him. He almost laughed at how pathetically easy it was for him to shield Sakura without feeling an ounce of pain.

He saw the amazement on the nin's face before throwing him to the ground and positioned his foot on his back, whilst holding his hands, before pushing with his foot and hereby breaking the nin's arms. He let out a terrifying scream.

Sasuke heard a gasp of fear behind him. Why was she still afraid? He was taking care of her persecutor. Maybe the others had hurt her too?

"Now it's your turn." He turned to the one swathed like a mummy and began walking towards him.

He saw fear in what he could see of his face, and that only brightened the prospect of slowly ripping him up, piece by piece.

But, suddenly, he felt something clinging onto his back, and saw small hands wrapped around his body, and he realised it was Sakura. What was she doing? Why was she always such a pest? He was dealing with everyone who could hurt her, wasn't he? Why did she have to impede him by clinging onto him as usual, except this time literally?

But then he felt her tears soak through his shirt and onto his skin, and he felt her fear seep into him.

And then he understood. She was not afraid of the nin. She was not afraid of being hurt. She was afraid of him.

His curse mark receded like wildfire and all his bloodlust and desire to kill vanished. She was afraid of him.

Suddenly, he was on the only road out of Konoha, listening to her spout drivel.

"I'll do anything for you!" she cried hysterically.

Why was he still here, listening to all this nonsense flowing from her mouth like a river? Sentimental reasons? Possibly. How could any weak irritation like Sakura ever understand him? There was no point staying any more. It was time to get out of here.

He turned to face her. He could see the heartbreak on her face, but it didn't even slow him. He was ruthless. He had to be.

"You're still annoying." he said, with the hint of a cruel smile on his face.

It did the trick. She was shocked and stood still. He continued his slow walk out of the village.

"Don't leave!" she screamed in a frenzy of hysteria. "Don't leave or I'll scream!"

This was the only thing she said that whole night which even affected Sasuke. In a flash he was behind her.

'What should I say?' he thought, 'There's no point in deliberately evoking her resentment, so might as well say something nice.'

"Sakura. Thank you." He knocked her out.

The decision was made. There was no going back now. It hurt him to cut loose, but it didn't matter. He saw the orbs of emerald closing. The world seemed to have slowed down, as they grew dim and the eyelids began to lower themselves.

And then they were open again. Bright, slightly worried.

"Sasuke!" he heard. What was happening?

Then she shook him and he jolted awake.

A dream. It had all been a dream. Undoubtedly an exact repetition of the past, but a dream nonetheless. He blinked a few times, before registering Sakura's face a few inches away from his own, holding her fingers directly in front of his eyes and clicking.

He slapped her hand away in irritation.

"Yes, I'm awake." he snapped, "Now what are you doing here?"

"There's something really weird happening. You have to come to my room!"

"What is it?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"It's this weird… white stuff, I'm not sure, urggh!!!" she said, rolling her eyes, "I can't be bothered to explain. Just come to my room."

She practically dragged him to his feet and pulled him to his door, before exiting and crossing the corridor to her own.

Sasuke was horrified by the state of the room, and raised his eyebrow to show it. Robes were strewn everywhere, and several trays containing some foul smelling food that he could have smelled a mile away were littered across the floor.

"How can you live in this place?"

"Oh it's fine, that's not the point, look!" She lifted her hand and dramatically pointed to a hole in the wall. Sasuke could see a few brown crumbs on the floor beneath it, but more noticeably was a cascade of a white substance which had blocked up the hole, and of which lumps were tumbling to the floor.

Sasuke almost couldn't believe it. He walked forward and picked up a lump of the substance. It crumbled, before melting, leaving his hand cold and glistening.

It was snow! He hadn't seen snow since the earliest days of his childhood. If it had filled this hole in the wall-

'And why does she have a hole in the wall?' Sasuke wondered.

-then the outside must be…

He turned to Sakura who was gaping at his hand, astonished that he had suddenly made the material disappear and turn into water.

He grabbed her hand and began pulling her out of her room and into the corridor.

"Come on." he said as he pulled her in the direction of the training ground.

"What? We're just going to go train? What is that stuff? You haven't even told me what it is yet!"

"Just follow me." Sasuke, said, always a man of few words.

Sakura followed, casting childish glares and pouting at Sasuke.

When they reached the door to the training ground, Sasuke stepped forward and opened it, before leading Sakura into the world of white outside.

For a few seconds, she simply stared, her mouth hanging open, this time in a gesture of true disbelief. Then she slowly stepped forward, her facial expression unchanged, as she put her hands out to catch the rapidly swirling snowflakes on their downward spiral to the ground.

She felt her feet crunch into the white blanket that was carefully cast over the ground. She gasped as she felt the freezing powder envelop her feet.

She turned to Sasuke.

"What is it?" she asked, in an awed voice.

"It's snow." said Sasuke, his features tilted in a one-sided smile. "When it gets really cold, water in the clouds which usually comes down as rain half-freezes and comes down as this."

Sakura still had not lost any of her original wonder and twirled around whilst looking upwards to see the array of falling snowflakes.

She lifted her hands to catch a particularly slow-falling one and managed to see, a fraction of a second before it melted into shapelessness, the beautiful myriad of its pattern.

Her features creased into a smile and she threw up her hands and laughed, before falling down and simply sinking into the snow.

She lay there for a few seconds before lifting herself of the ground and seeing the perfect imprint of her body in the snow.

She turned to Sasuke, who was leaning against the doorway with the same expression on his face, and said,

"Look! Try it!"

Sasuke beckoned to her, and performed a few hand seals.

"So you don't catch a cold." he said in explanation.

"No, come on! You have to do it to!"

Sakura persisted in tugging at him until he gave in, rolling his eyes, before performing the hand seals on himself and following Sakura into the snow.

She rolled about in the snow laughing, whilst Sasuke looked down at her, smiling.

But, he saw the naughty gleam in her eye too late, and the next second he was down on the floor rolling with her.

"Sakura, stop." he commanded.

But she saw the smile he was unable to keep off his face and was about to continue, when she had an idea.

Her expression sobered up as she said, in a responsible voice,

"You're right, Sasuke. We should go back inside."

His features expressed disbelief and suspicion.

However, Sakura didn't seem to warrant it, as she gestured him towards the door.

He turned, slightly unwillingly, as, believe it or not, he had been enjoying himself, and began to work towards the door.

Then he felt a thud on his head, and turned to see Sakura, doubled up in laughter. He shook his head, and seeing the white flakes drift off, he realised that he had been tricked.

But that didn't stop a slightly evil smile enter his face. Sakura had no idea. This game he had played all his childhood, whenever it had snowed, before…

His face clouded over, but then he shook it off, and got his mind back in the game.

"Sakura." he said sternly, "This jutsu doesn't protect against freezing water on your head. What you just did was extremely dangerous."

Sakura's expression was that of shock.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to, is there any way I can heal you or something? Or Kabuto? Should we get Kabuto? Oh no, what if you catch pneumonia, it'll be all my fault, oh my god, what have I done…"

Amidst her rambling, Sakura had stopped paying attention to Sasuke. He had taken advantage of that to lean down, scoop up a big ball of snow, and then, he chose the opportune moment, just as she turned to face him, to throw it.

The snow landed on Sakura's surprised face, as she took in what had happened. Then, a huge grin spread across her face, as they both began frenzied throwing of snowballs at each other, while Sakura laughed and screamed.

Sasuke himself couldn't help a little chuckle escape his lips, at which Sakura feigned a faint, which brought Sasuke rushing to her side, before she rushed up and threw a snowball in his face.

The antics continued quite a while, before they grew tired and sank to ground for a while.

Sakura looked at Sasuke before brushing her fingers across his eyelashes.

"There were loads of snowflakes there." she explained. "You know," she carried on observationally, "Your eyelashes are quite long. Like a girl's!"

Sasuke glowered at her.

"They are not."

"They are!"

"They are not."

"Sasuke, when was the last time you looked in a mirror?"

Sasuke was about to provide a cutting retort, when, suddenly, a snake-like figure emerged before them. He seemed, and was, quite surprised to find Sasuke in such an undignified position, but made nothing of it.

"Sakura-chan! Sasuke-kun! You're already out here! Today is a bit of an inconvenient day for me and Kabuto, as we are quite short on staff due to the cold-" Orochimaru withheld the true reason, "-so I must ask you to train by yourselves today, in whatever fashion you consider appropriate. Does that suit you?"

Sakura nodded eagerly, an idea forming in her brain.

"Then, please, go ahead. I must needs depart."

Sakura looked scornfully after him as he disappeared.

" 'I must needs depart'? I'm pretty sure no one has said that for several centuries."

"And you would know…?"

Sakura stuck her tongue out at Sasuke before smiling.

"Well, dear Sasuke, I must needs tell you I have an idea."

Sasuke looked at her questioningly.

"I know what we're going to do today."