SakuraHarunoInsanity: Yo! I'm back! With more insanity! Consider it a late Christmas present from your truly!
Sakura: And have a lovely New Years!
Naruto: Another year has come and gone and you're still reading this shitty story! *tears* I'm so happy!
Sasuke: And if you can, recommend this story to other people. We need more readers. And some ideas. Please.
Sakura: So, Merry (late) Christmas, Happy New Year, and-
All of us here with SakuraHarunoInsanity productions: ON WITH THE FANFIC!
Tsunade p.o.v.
"So, he knows?" I ask Kakashi. He nods, his orange book in hand.
"Yes, Hokage-sama. He's been told everything you told me to tell him. I even had to tell him what happened to Sakura's parents". I nod my head and sigh.
"Thank you, Kakashi. You're excused". He bows and disappears, leaving me to my muddled thoughts on what to do and how to approach this situation delicately without causing any type of panic in the village. A frown settles on my face and only one thought occupies my mind.
The empty spot on the scroll shelf in the lock down room that contains every forbidden jutsu created.
Time skip
Christmas Eve
Sasuke p.o.v.
It's cold as shit! I'm freezing my balls off and I still have a shit ton of community service hours, most of which involve being outside in the damn snow! Ugh! I'm taking trash out to the dumpster behind the old folks home and then, I have to shovel the snow from the entrance to the building. After that, I have to go to anger management. I hate everything right now. But at the same time, the quicker I get this done, the quicker I can just get on with life. I've been keeping my eye on Sakura lately and I notice that when she's really irritated or under a lot of stress, she fiddles with her hair and she gets a bit of an eye twitch. When she's sad, she goes on a cleaning tirade or keeps herself busy with some type of chore. I also noticed that when she trains, she DESTROYS EVERYTHING in her path. I won't lie, she's almost taken me out quite a few times and if I didn't have quick reflexes, I would most likely be dead right now. And I've also noticed her weakness for children. She turns to pudding when it comes to babies and small children and Momo pretty much has her wrapped around her finger. When she's with Ino, shit just gets weird fast, but it's really funny to watch. And she's got a knack for making people feel bad about themselves, too. She's been giving Kakashi the cold shoulder and she's the only girl I know that can make the great Kakashi of the Sharingan, the ever so famous copy-nin, bow his head in what may just be shame with a hint of self-loathing. She's also a softie for a few people, mainly her beloved Tori. When he finally came back, she tackled the guy to the ground and clinged to him for who knows how long. Lucky bastard. They're STILL together, too. Which is stupid. Stupid topped with a big helping of fuck everything.
"Sasuke-san! Hanpei-san wants to see you before your time is up!" one of the obnoxious nurses shout. I grunt.
"Okay". I shovel the snow on my way inside and shake off the few flakes on my head and shoulders before heading to his room. Me and him have gotten pretty close over the past few months, so now he calls me 'sonny'. Or 'smartass little shit'. Either way. I knock on the door and he tells me to come in. The door creaks as I push it open and he pats the chair next to his.
"Come on in, sonny. Have a seat and chat with me", he says, the huge cigar hanging from his mouth. I do as I'm told and get comfortable."So, how's life been treating you?"
"It lets me know everyday that I'm still it's bitch. That's how it's been treating me", I mumble, trying to warm up. He lets out a deep chuckle.
"Yup. That sounds about right. And your little friend?". I scoff.
"Still with Tori. Unfortunately."
"Welp, it happens to the best of us. You'll get your chance, sonny. And when you do, make sure you make it count, cause you only got one chance and it only takes one time to shoot it all to shit, so man up, do what you need to, and if she still rejects you, don't regret it. If it's meant to be, it'll happen. And if not, you still tried", he says, patting my back. I smirk a bit and nod.
"Yea, I guess you're right"
"Damn right I am. I'm too old to NOT be right"
"Ya know, I'm starting to think you use age just to get your way"
"And one day, you'll get to also. But until the day I die, I'm gonna use it as much as I can, so don't question me, smartass little shit". Heh, there it is.
"How long did it take for you and your wife to finally get together?" I ask out of the clear blue.
"Oh, boy. Longer than I would've liked it to. I went after her for years before she finally agreed to date me. And when we finally did start dating, I had to stay on my toes and make sure not to screw it up. I worked too hard to finally get her. She turned me down 3 times when I asked her to marry me and she finally said yes the 4th time"
"Really?"
"Yup. We were on a date, sitting on top of Hokage mountain on the 3rd Hokage's head. It was a cool, clear night and we were huddled together with a few blankets, just enjoying the view. I had my arm around her waist and her head was on my chest and we sat there, staring out at the village before a little voice in the back of my head told me to ask her again. So I pulled the ring from my pocket and asked her to marry me again. I expected her to turn me down, but instead, she said yes and ever since that night, we've been together". Wow. I didn't think people like that really existed. I had heard of things like that only in fairy tales and sappy chick flicks. Before I forget, I pull a small box from my pocket and a card and hand them to him.
"Before I forget completely, ummm Merry Christmas, Hanpei-san", I murmur. He lets out another deep, fatherly chuckle.
"Thanks, sonny. I got something for you, too", and he hands me a box.
"Thank you", I say. He ruffles my hair.
"Don't worry about it. Now, go on and get out of here. You're free from this hell hole until the day after Christmas. Go enjoy it while you can". I get a hug from him and make my way out of the old folks home, sans the janitors suit. The snow starts to fall again, this time gently and slowly instead of the storm we had earlier (which was hell). I left the house before Sakura woke up this morning, so I haven't gotten to see her all day, but she's most likely either in the hospital or glued to Ino, Tori, or Momo. On my way, I see Naruto at the other side of the street, waiting for me. I will admit, I feel bad for being a nark for Tsunade, but if it's for her own safety, than oh well. She already dislikes me, so it's not like I can make that any worse. My back leans against the fence next to Naruto and we both look up at the snow falling.
"So…how are things with Hinata?" I ask, getting rid of the awkwardness. He nods.
"Really good, actually. We're meeting up later on tonight to go out"
"Where? Ichiraku?"
"Nope". I raise a brow.
"Really? A night without ramen?"
"She's worth more than all of the ramen in the world", he says. I gotta admit, I'm shocked. She's definitely something special if he's giving up a night of ramen for her. I nod.
"That's shockingly mature of you, Naruto-dobe", I chuckle. I expect him to freak out and make a scene, but he doesn't. He shrugs.
"Yea, I guess it is". His eyes stay on the falling snow and I cast a glance at him.
"Why the sudden change in attitude, dobe?". A small smile comes across his face and he sighs.
"I'm gonna ask Hinata-chan to marry me tomorrow morning"
"Really?" I ask with a smirk, "I never imagined you would be the first of the three of us to get married"
"Who did you think would?" he asked, quietly. I frown. We both know who we thought would.
"Sakura", we say at the same time. Our upturned heads turn slightly to the side, facing each other with blank faces.
"Hey, Sasuke-teme?" he says, looking back up.
"Yea, Naruto-dobe?" I respond.
"What happened to us?"
"What do you mean?"
"All of us. The way we used to be. The way we are now. What happened?"
"…Life…that's what happened", I responded weakly. It was a good question. And I don't have a good enough answer. He nods.
"Anything to report on her?". I nod.
"She's been antsy lately. Like she's waiting on something"
"How so?"
"Pacing around the house, running her hands through her hair every 10 seconds, biting her lip to bleeding, fidgeting around, paranoid reflexes, lack of sleep, severe irritability"
"Wow. Alright. I'll report it back on my way to the store"
"What are you going there for?"
"I have to get a nice shirt that's actually warm, too"
"Ah. Alright. See you later, dobe"
"You too, teme", he says as he waves and walks off. I watch him walk away and look back up at the snow falling. A few months ago, we started restoring the Uchiha compound. It'll be finished by New Years. Which means I'll be leaving Sakura's house soon. And I don't know how to feel about that. On one hand, I'm happy to get my own place back, but at the same time, I don't wanna leave. I hate to admit it, but I've gotten…attached.
'We'll worry about that later. Right now, I need to be at anger management', I think, heading down the road to the same building my therapist works in.
Oh, boy. Anger management. I'm so excited…ugh.
Sakura p.o.v.
Christmas shopping SUCKS. Just when you think you've got it all, WHOOPS! You forgot someone. I have five big bags full to the top in one hand as I trudge through the streets, dodging the ice patches. On my way, I see a mess of silver hair leaning on the railing of the small, red bridge over the stream that cuts through Konoha. I sigh. Okay, maybe I was a little bit excessively cruel to him. And it is the holidays. I set my bags down at the edge of the bridge and walk up next to him, leaning on the railing beside him, looking up. I can sense the tension and his uneasiness, but we don't speak. A sigh escapes me and I wrap my arms around him, my head only reaching to maybe his mid-chest. He says nothing, but wraps his arms around me too, pulling me close to keep away the cold.
"I'm sss…I'm sssssss…I'm ssssss…", I say, trying to apologize. I growl in frustration and hide my face in his chest. "Mfknsry"
"What was that?"
"Emfknsry"
"Sakura, I can't-"
"I'M FUCKING SORRY!" I shout. My face reddens at the sudden shout and I sigh, leaning my forehead on the chest of his jounin vest."I'm sorry. For everything. I shouldn't have been such a twat about the situation. I should've just appreciated the fact someone actually gave two shits about me for once and let it go". He keeps me in the hug to keep away the cold and I can tell he's okay now.
"Heh, it's alright. Not much harm done. I just wish I had done more for you, both as my student and as one of my children. It was wrong for me to neglect you as long as I did, so I'm sorry, too". He ruffles my hair."No more fighting, alright?"
"Okay".
Yea. Everything's gonna be alright now.
Sasuke p.o.v.
At anger management
"AND THAN THERE'S THIS ASSHOLE, WALKING AROUND, READING PEOPLE'S MINDS LIKE HE OWNS THE DAMN PLACE!"
"Uh, Uchiha-san, I think that's enough for now, thank you", I hear the guy say. I sit back down, frowning. I'm starting to realize that not everybody gets my point.
"It's still incredibly rude to read other people's thoughts like that", I mutter. He sighs.
"It sounds to me like you have control issues. If you're not the one in control, you have a fit. Take a breather and let someone else be in control. It will do you a lot of good", he says. I nod.
"Alright. Is that it?" I ask. He nods.
"Yes, Uchiha-san. That's it. I'll see you later". I get up from the chair and step back out into the cold. Across the way, I see Sakura and Kakashi hugging. Heh, so I guess they finally made up. That's good. I don't think we have time for an awkward Christmas.
...right?
SakuraHarunoInsanity: I know, I should've gotten this up sooner, but hey. Better late than never.
Sakura: Yup. And besides, some people still read this shitty little fic, sooo yea.
Naruto: Wish me luck!
Kakashi: And let your teacher/parent know that they aren't a complete failure. Unless they are. Whatever. *reading porn*
Sasuke: And please review. Comment. Leave ideas. Something. Please. Review.