If there was one season that Sakura could never fully be comfortable with, it was winter. Back in the Leaf Village, she would dread the months that bookended the year. The frigid temperatures made her bones ache, the chill in the harsh winds would cause her breathe to hitch. The snow itself made the streets slick and hazardous. Civilians and shinobi alike would always forget that hypothermia was not something to take lightly. The hospital back home always had patients coming in with injuries of some variety related to the winter. Sure, the snow was pretty when it descended from the skies above. But once it hit the ground, mixing with the dirt in the streets of Konoha, it looked less than pleasing.

Sakura knew that her opinions weren't widely shared. Most of her friends loved the snow, the excuse to cuddle close to loved ones and enjoy warm drinks and play chid-like games in the snow. She didn't judge them, necessarily; she just preferred the spring and fall seasons. Not too hot, not too cold, no risk of heat stroke or toes freezing off.

So when she woke up one morning to see a haze of white fluff outside her window, Sakura was not excited. Not at all.

Glancing at the clock next to her bed, Sakura noticed that she still had an hour until she needed to be at the hospital.

Ever since her fainting episode a few weeks back, Sakura's main focus had been handling the more critical cases and healing Naomi. Sasuke had insisted—rather firmly, Sakura recalled—that she temporarily step back from some of her duties. Sakura had protested this initially, reminding him that the whole reason she was here in Oto was to assist in building a functional medical facility. "Yes," he had said, giving her a stern look, "and you have brought it up enough that you can begin handing off some responsibilities to those whom you trust." And so, after more arguing between the two, Sakura had agreed to allow Ken to take over some of the medical lectures. He already had a strong background in medical knowledge; Sakura would handle the lectures specifically over medical ninjutsu.

At first, it had been hard to relinquish some of her duties; the workload she had given herself since the attack had kept her busy enough to focus on nothing else. But as Haru and Ken both pointed out—and she didn't disagree, professionally speaking—there was nothing good that would come of her if she overworked herself. Plus, after the first few days of forcing herself to get some sleep and actual meals, Sakura would admit to feeling better. Her mind cleared, allowing her to focus more properly on how to bring back Naomi.

After another few minutes Sakura finally rolled her body out of bed, tensing as her toes touched the cold hardwood. The snow and freezing temperatures came suddenly overnight, so she was not fully prepared in terms of her wardrobe. As she pulled out a long sleeve and jacket from her closet, Sakura made a note to herself to buy clothes more appropriate for the weather.

When she eventually stepped outside to leave her apartment, the woman had half a mind to stop at a store on the way to work to grab a heavier coat. The wind was harsher than normal, biting into her exposed skin like scalpels. Remembering that it had rained a few days prior, Sakura wondered how much ice was hidden underneath the layers of white. There was already almost six inches on the ground, waiting for something to come along and mark it with footprints. Sakura debated with herself for a moment, then decided to just head straight to work. She could buy clothes later.

When Sakura stepped through the doors of the hospital, she knew she had made the right decision. Despite the fact that the snow had only been in the village for at most twelve hours, there were already a number of people waiting to be treated for ice-related injuries. On top of that, the snow that had been tracked into the lobby was now a wet slush on the tiles. Sakura carefully walked over to the receptionist counter. The counter was currently being handled by the same girl that managed it during the attack a month ago. "Everything going okay so far?" Sakura asked. Her eyes roamed across the cases being written on the surgical board.

"Not bad," the teen answered. "Nothing major just yet; mostly sprains and a couple of fractures from falls." The girl smiled over at Sakura. "I'll let you know if something interesting comes in." Sakura internally sighed; the less ice-related problems to deal with, the better her day would be.

A few minutes later, she was on the floor where Naomi's room resided. The halls were quiet and slightly chilly. Sakura idly hoped the building's heating system was in working condition. Since she arrived in the summer, it wasn't something they had checked at the time. Since the floor was reserved for critical care, it was relatively empty. Most of the more serious cases from the attack had been moved to a different floor or discharged altogether.

Sakura expected Naomi's room to be empty of visitors, but stood corrected when she opened the door. Haru sat next to the young woman's bed. He was leaning back into the guest chair, head hanging forward so his chin rested against his chest. Sakura smiled softly at the sight; she hoped Naomi could sense the support this man was offering. Walking in, Sakura gently shook Haru's shoulder to wake him. He didn't even jump when he woke. 'I wonder how long he has been here . . .'

"What time is it?" he asked groggily.

"Just after ten. Have you been here all night?"

Haru nodded as he stretched out his arms. He yawned before answering. "Came in around 11 last night after it started snowing." He paused, eyes glancing out the window. "She loves the snow. I don't know, I just thought that maybe it was a sign that she would wake up."

Sakura was silent for a moment, not quite sure what to say. It was the kind of optimism she would have displayed in her youth. The idea of looking for signs from the universe to indicate the outcome of a wish was something she gave up during the war. To see it before her now was somehow refreshing. After another look at Haru, she grabbed the tall chair on the other side of the bed and placed it at Naomi's head. Sitting in her usual position, fingers spreading over the woman's temple, Sakura gave Haru a hopeful smile.

"Maybe it is a sign."

In another part of the Sound Village, the Otokage sat behind a two-way mirror. He stared into a large room that was almost empty save for three individuals. Two stood with strict professionalism, not giving away any intentions. The third was expertly bound to a chair.

Sasuke followed the interrogation with rapt attention, waiting for any new details to be released. This whole charade had been going on since 5am that morning. By some stroke of luck, a Jonin team had found one of the council members hiding out in a nearby town. The old man was brought in during the night and put into a guarded prison cell as the team went to alert the Uchiha. Isamu had been the one to wake him up with the news. Surprising no one, Sasuke had ordered the interrogation start as soon as possible.

Sasuke stared through the glass at the council member. Denza, a man in his late fifties, had always come across as mild-tempered. He was never forthcoming on any particular issue. He had rarely spoken in village meetings and always appeared rather ambivalent on any controversial opinion.

Sasuke never would have guessed that this man — this quiet, mousy-looking man — would have been the one to organize the attack on the village.

So far, the interrogation team had been able to confirm that the entire council was involved. The attack had been planned for over six months — not even a year into Sasuke's tenure as Otokage. This fact alone confirmed what Sasuke had suspected all along: he never had the trust of the council.

The council had been chosen before the village was officially renewed, various members picked by the heads of other villages. Sasuke understood the intention: find a group that had the interest of peace at the heart of their decisions while also supporting the rebirth of The Sound as a new village.

From the start, Sasuke had never been particularly satisfied with the chosen members. Since they originated from different areas of the country, he never really expected them to fully trust him. But he never would have guessed that they would do anything to risk the safety of innocent families.

"Do you think he'll break?" Isamu asked. The Jonin had been by Sasuke's side the entire morning, showing absolute allegiance.

"That depends."

Isamu spared a glance at his leader, a curious gaze in his eyes. "Depends on what?"

Sasuke watched as the interrogators in the room continued to drill Denza with questions, trying to be as imposing and intimidating as possible. Denza, however, remained rather unfazed, almost seeming bored at this stage.

"It depends," Sasuke said slowly, feeling his eyes bleed red, "on whether or not I get involved."

Sakura and Haru sat in a tense silence, neither wanting to break it. Both had a plethora of thoughts going in their heads but could not voice any of them.

It was just after four in the evening. This was the third time that they had left Naomi's room all day; the first two were just to stretch and use the bathroom. Currently they were in a darkened room with backlit monitors lining the walls. A variety of enlarged MRI scans were placed on the monitors, casting shadows around the room. The scans had been taken earlier in the day after a long healing session for Naomi. Sakura and Haru quietly analyzed the brain scans; neither had spoken since settling in the room.

Sakura was feeling at a loss. She had been carefully and meticulously monitoring and healing the tissues in Naomi's brain, taking extra care to leave minimal scarring. She had really hoped that this would be the day that she would finish the worst damage and see some clear results. She desperately wanted her friend to show some signs of normal brain activity. However, when there didn't seem to be any signs of responding to stimuli after the healing session, Sakura had ordered the MRI.

Looking at those scans now, Sakura was at a loss. The scans indicated that there should be absolutely nothing wrong at this point in time. They showed that Sakura's healing techniques were virtually flawless. All areas of the brain had been healed to near perfection.

So what was going on?

Sakura leaned her elbows on the table in front of her. She threaded her fingers through her hair, tugging slightly from sheer frustration.

"You can tell me."

Sakura's eyes shot over to the man beside her. He wasn't looking at her.

"What?"

"You can say it, Sakura," he said softly. He released a long breath before slumping further in his chair. "She isn't going to wake up, is she?"

Sakura could feel her heart ache. "Haru . . ."

"She won't respond to any stimuli tests. There are no definitive signs of neural activity." Haru stood from his chair and started walking around the room. He flipped on the lights before going and shutting off the monitor screens. Slowly, he pulled the scans down and carefully placed them back into a large folder. Sakura could only watch despondently. "She isn't going to wake up."

Sakura stood as Haru walked back over to her. He handed over the folder, eyes downcast. Sakura tried to find something to say, but was at a total loss. Together, the two walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind them before setting off down the hall.

"You should go home, Haru." Sakura paused at the elevator, pushing the 'DOWN' button before stepping back. "You need proper sleep. We have a major lecture tomorrow that will require focus and a good deal of chakra. I don't want you to miss out on it." The doors slid open. "It would do you some good to focus on something else for a bit. Productivity helps to fight an idle mind." Haru stepped into the elevator; he gave a glance when Sakura didn't follow. She smiled kindly at him. "I have a few things to finish up here. I'll see you in the morning." She let the doors close before he could respond.

They both needed time to process and think. Sometimes the best thing to allow that to happen was to be alone for a bit.

More than anything at that moment, Sakura just felt like being alone.

However, instead of taking her back to her office, her feet led the woman right back to Naomi's room. Sakura wanted to just understand why; she wanted some damn answers. Maybe she had to be faced with the problem directly.

She stood at Naomi's bedside for a few minutes. Outside, the snow was falling steadily, making the world sparkle like diamonds in the setting sun. "I can see why you like it . . ." she muttered softly. Taking her friend's hand in her own, Sakura took in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. She couldn't seem to calm her nerves. "You need to wake up, Naomi." A pause. Then, Sakura could feel her voice grow stronger. "You are healed. The tissues in your brain have been fully healed. There is absolutely no reason they should not be functional. Your body has had time to rest and recover from being attacked. So I am telling you now that it is time to wake up." Sakura gave the hand a squeeze. "It's time to wake up."

Sakura waited a couple more minutes, holding on the the small shred of hope. But at no signs from the woman in the bed, she knew it was time to leave. Grabbing her jacket off the back of the chair, Sakura turned towards the door and quietly walked out, not able to spare another glance at what felt like her biggest failure in the longest time.

A short while later Sakura found herself headed towards the Otokage Tower. Her plan to buy a heavier coat was nixed by stores closing early; people wanted to enjoy the first snow of the season. So instead, she decided to pay a visit to Sasuke. She couldn't quite explain why, but just felt a need to seek comfort from the man. The idea almost made her laugh. Sasuke had never been the best at emotional support, and Sakura would be the first to admit that he still wasn't. But of everyone in the village, he was the one she wanted to see the most. The most recent shift in their friendship made her feel like his presence would soothe her mind. He would never give her a false hope about the unfortunate situation, wouldn't tell her that she could find a way. Instead, Sakura knew, he would offer a silent support and understanding. That was what Sakura wanted.

When she reached the double doors that led to his office, she gave a soft knock. After hearing a soft "Enter," she slipped inside. Upon entering, Sakura paused. Sasuke's back faced her as he stared out the large windows that overlooked the center of the village. His shoulders were slumped, posture lacking its usual regality; there was an air of defeat about him. He turned his head to give the woman a brief glance. Sakura noticed that his lips were turned into a deep frown.

"What's wrong?" she asked, coming to stand next to him.

At this, Sasuke gave her a look. "I was about to ask you the same thing."

"I asked you first."

The dark-haired man rolled his eyes, the corners of his mouth just barely lifting into a smirk. He was silent for a couple minutes. Before Sakura could push further, he told her about the council member that was currently sitting in a cell beneath the tower. Sakura listened patiently as he informed her of the old man hiding nearby, the plot to have the village attacked, to reveal Sasuke as an unfit pick for Otokage. She listened as he explained that the rest of the council had fled the country days before the attack. Denza—whom Sakura barely remembered—had contacted shinobi that had abandoned Kumo rule after the war. Their rogue status started from their disdain for the Raikage refusing to imprison Sasuke after the war. Because of this, the Raikage had no knowledge that any of this was being planned with his former shinobi. The hope of the council was that this would not only prove that Sasuke couldn't lead, but also spark a war between the two villages. The end goal was that Sasuke would be taken out by whatever means necessary.

At the end of the update, Sakura took a moment to process everything. "How long did it take to get all of that? A plan that delicate, I can't imagine that Denza would give the information so willingly."

"Interrogation started at five AM this morning. The village interrogation team was only able to get a small portion on their own. I had to step in about halfway through."

"By step in, do you mean . . .?"

"Mangekyou Sharingan," Sasuke said. "Tsukuyomi, specifically."

Sakura winced; she knew enough about the Sharingan to understand that this was not a casual dojutsu. The amount of chakra it took from the user was enormous and it put a great deal of strain on the eyes. Looking at Sasuke now, she could see more clearly how tired he seemed. It made her wonder how long he had to use the Tsukuyomi on Denza to get all of the necessary information.

"How are you handling it?" Sakura asked slowly. Obviously, he was not okay—of that she was now certain. The Uchiha gave a shrug. This caused Sakura to sigh. "Seriously, Sasuke . . . what's going through your mind?"

There was a long pause as Sasuke tried to find the words to properly answer her question. "I am . . . frustrated." He turned and went to sit at his desk. Sakura followed and sat on the edge of the desk, making sure to move papers out of the way first. "All the work I have put into this village has more or less been for nothing. There is no trust—the council made that perfectly clear. Despite everything I have done, everything I do, it is not enough. I am still very much hated for the sins of my past."

"Sasuke, that's not true! You are not the same man you were three years ago during the war. You have done so much for this village."

"My own council tried to more or less overthrow me. They risked the safety of hundreds of innocent people to do so. They had been planning it for six months, Sakura. Nothing I did made any difference in their opinions of me."

"But, Sasuke—"

"Tell me something, Sakura," he continued, cutting her off. "Have I been deluding myself? These past eighteen months, have I been deluding myself into thinking that I was truly going to be a good leader?"

Sakura's eyes widened at this for a brief moment before narrowing. With a sudden burst of energy, she slid off the desk and walked to grab Sasuke's cloak off the wall. She tossed it over to him before zipping her own jacket back up. "Let's go," she said. When he didn't move, Sakura stalked over, grabbed him by the arm ("Hey!") and yanked him out of his chair. "You're coming with me"

And with that, she dragged him out of the office.

Five minutes later, the two adults were walking down the path away from the Otokage tower, heading into town. By now the sun had almost fully set; however, the village was not dark. Not only were the street lights on, but shops and houses on every road had put up lights and lanterns of their own. The combined lights cast a glow on the snow that reflected as brightly as a full moon on a clear summer night. The snowfall had lightened up since that morning. Now the world around them resembled a snow globe.

"What are we doing, Sakura?" Sasuke asked, voice showing some of his exhaustion at her antics.

"You'll see," she said casually. "And don't look so grumpy."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and grunted, but continued to walk by her side.

The two passed a number of small shops and restaurants as they strolled around the village. Children ran around the streets, covered in fresh snow, faces bright with laughter. The longer they walked around, seemingly without direction, Sasuke grew more curious about what Sakura was planning. Looking at her, she didn't seem to be in a hurry to get them anywhere specific. Her face was calm, almost reflective. Her eyes shifted between watching the children play and the snow that continued its lazy descent.

Before he could get caught staring—no, observing, he told himself—Sasuke shifted his gaze off to the side. When he did so, he instead caught the stares of two Academy-aged children. They were whispering to each other as they pointed at him, eyes wide. Sasuke's immediate gut instinct was to glare back and stalk the other way. But before he could do so, the kids suddenly ran over to him and Sakura, grins on their faces. He and Sakura stopped walking as the kids came up to them.

"Lord Otokage!"

Sasuke raised a brow, watching the kids stare up at him.

"Can we see your eye?"

Sakura burst out laughing at the blunt request. Sasuke gave her a halfhearted glare from the corner of his eye before looking back at the two kids. The taller of the two hit her partner on the arm. "Sorry, sir—this is my cousin. He's not very polite," she said. The girl clasped her hands behind her back, seeming shy. "You see, sir, we were arguing over what your eyes look like. My cousin says they are not the same color, but I told him that doesn't make sense. A person can't have two different colored eyes," explained the girl.

"Okay but then why would he keep one covered?" The boy retorted. "People don't hide normal-looking eyes, Kiya!" The girl scoffed before turning back to the Uchiha.

"So . . . could you please show us both of your eyes?"

Catching the amused smile of his companion, Sasuke sighed before reaching up and pushing his hair off his face. The kids gasped at seeing the purple Rennegan, seeming to glow mysteriously. Sasuke smirked, an idea occurring to him. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before reopening them slowly. His other eye now displayed the red of his Sharingan, the tomoes spinning slowly into place. The reaction from the kids was priceless: the boy jumped up, shouting at his cousin that he was right and she owed him a trip to the dango shop. The girl looked amazed and also annoyed that she had been corrected by the younger boy.

The two kids thanked Sasuke before running off, leaving the two adults alone once more. The Uchiha stared after the kids, expression carefully blank. Sakura smiled before grabbing his hand, pulling him forward. "Come on," she said softly.

As they continued their walk, more villagers started approaching them. Some to thank Sakura for healing a loved one recently, many more to greet their Otokage. Every interaction, every brief conversation had Sasuke slowly relaxing, the tension leaving his shoulders. One in particular had left him speechless. "We had heard you were out of the village," an older man said. "My brother works in the village patrol; he said you left a few days before the attack and didn't return for almost a week. My wife and I worried that you had been attacked. We were so relieved when we heard you had returned unharmed." The man was incredibly sincere, bowing to Sasuke before taking his leave. The gentleman had been on his way home but wanted to stop and speak to Sasuke. "It isn't every day we see you out and about in the village," he had said with a laugh. "I assume you work long hours."

After a few more conversations with adults and children alike, Sakura decided that it was time they head back to the tower. "I think you've seen enough," she had said simply. "Also, it's getting a bit cold." This prompted Sasuke to question her lack of proper winter apparel. When she didn't have a good answer, he proceeded to take off his cloak and hand it to her. "Our top medic can't be getting sick. It doesn't set a good example," was all he said.

For once, Sakura was grateful that it was so cold: she could feel her face blush as she fastened his cloak around her shoulders. The garment still held warmth from his body; the scent of it was oddly comforting.

As they entered the tower, Sakura made sure to hand the cloak back to him. She didn't want to admit how comfortable she felt wearing it, and definitely didn't want him to notice.

"What was your purpose for walking tonight?" Sasuke asked as they reentered his office.

Sakura considered her words for a moment. She went to sit back on his desk, facing him as he stood near the middle of the room.

"Your council was wrong about you," she started. "They refused to see the good that you have done for this village—no, let me finish," she said quickly, seeing him about to retort. "Tonight, I did not see a village in fear of their leader. They approached you with kindness and respect. The children were comfortable talking to you, the adults showed that they care about you. Your villagers trust you, Sasuke. The civilians and the shinobi. Your shinobi are loyal as hell. They never once doubted your dedication to this village when you were absent. Isamu is completely dedicated to serving you. There is a trusting relationship between the civilians and shinobi—you don't see that in every hidden village. I guess what I'm saying . . . Sasuke, you have proven to everyone in this village just how good of a leader you are. The council was wrong about you because you are not the same man you used to be. You have earned the respect and loyalty people have shown you."

Sasuke stared at the woman before him, eyes wide. He imagined that he looked as shocked as he felt. She had completely caught him off guard. Without thinking—a common occurrence in her presence—he moved toward her. She gazed at him curiously as he paused to stand in front of her. He grabbed her hand and gently pulled her into a standing position. Then, with a great deal of hesitation and delicacy, Sasuke wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against him. It took a few seconds to get past the shock, but Sakura eventually wove her arms around Sasuke's torso. At her response, the man tightened his grip and rested his cheek on top of her pink hair.

The moment resembled that of the one they shared when Sasuke returned after the attack. However, this held no desperation or lingering anxiety. Instead, Sasuke felt at peace, like a weight had been lifted from deep inside his chest. "You're a good person, Sasuke," he heard her whisper. "And you make a great kage. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise."

Sasuke could only respond by placing a light kiss on the top of her hair. He felt Sakura tense before relaxing once more, gripping the back of his shirt.

He knew in that moment a line had been crossed. And if Sasuke was honest with himself, he had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't be the last.

It was around 10 in the evening. A young nurse was making her usual rounds, checking on all of the patients. There were several more this evening that usual due to the sudden weather. She knew they were all minor cases, but it still threw her off her usual groove. Her shift was supposed to end half an hour ago, so now she was rushing to finish her rounds so she could go home.

The final patient on her list was her usual. She had become so accustomed to Naomi's chart that the young nurse was confident that this would not take her very long. Occasionally she would take the extra time to bring in fresh flowers for Naomi's room, but maybe she could skip that tonight. She really wanted to get home.

However, tonight was going to continue to be full of surprises.

Upon opening the door and turning on the lights, the nurse nearly dropped her clipboard. Naomi, normally looking to be sleeping peacefully, had eyes wide open and staring at the ceiling.

Now, the young nurse was not completely unfamiliar with this. It was not unheard of that patients with minimal brain activity could open their eyes. Sometimes things could just happen, and the woman accepted that. Getting over her shock, the nurse made her way over to the monitors beside the bed to start writing down the current vitals and checking that everything was in proper order. She happened to glance down again at Naomi and nearly dropped her clipboard again.

Naomi's eyes were staring directly at her.

Breath unsteady and hands shaking, she put down her clipboard and grabbed a pen light from her smock pocket. She shone it directly into Naomi's eyes. The pupils dilated slightly. Slowly, the nurse walked from one corner of the bed, around the foot, and to the other side.

Naomi's eyes followed her the entire time.

Her heart kicked into overdrive as she raced out of the room to the nearest phone. Dialing a quick extension, she waited for someone at the main desk to answer, nails clicking impatiently on the countertop. "Main de—"

"Mia, it's me! Tell someone down there to get Miss Sakura, hurry!"

I love so many things about this chapter - and there are so many things coming up to look forward to!

Thank you to all who have continued reading and thanks to those that have left reviews! I love reading your thoughts on the story and characterization of this amazing couple.

See you soon :)