Lily: incase you were wondering, the chapters are named after a song by Moby. When It's Cold I'd Like To Die' i thought it fit the story. Ok, because this story accidentally got deleted and i therefore have no reviews, i shall continue BOTH stories!!! MuaHahAHahAhahHa!
Phantom: she gets like this sometimes...
Fly-Girl: especially when she's PMSing.
Lily: but, partly due to raging PMS of doom, i am depressed and will not update on a regular basis! OH! and they're making a Shaman King anime, it'll be on Fox september 6th! *runs off to eat chocolate*
Phantom: -.-


Unfinished Solo Duet
Chapter Two
Locked Away With Freezing Cold

Sasuke looked up at the iron gray sky, hazy with clouds. Small snowflakes drifted down, to settle like a blanket over everything. He glared at the sky and thought aloud,
I hate the cold. Makes me want to die.
And why would that be? said a mild voice from behind him. Sasuke whirled around to see Kakashi standing behind him, snow mingled in his hair, making it even more crystalline than usual. Sasuke flushed and forced down a gasp. he hated not being able to know if someone was there.

I don't have to tell you, snapped Sasuke, his voice as cold and as cutting as the air.
Fine, keep it to yourself, then. Kakashi actually sounded hurt. And he was. The idea of Sasuke dying was, to him, horrible. Kakashi wanted to know why something as ordinary as the weather could make the one he love- one of his students, he corrected himself, want to die.

Sasuke had sensed the hurt in Kakashi's voice and relented.
My parents died in winter. Plus, I just don't like the cold. It reminds me of things that are lost, forgotten, gone and dead. Sasuke ended abruptly as he saw Naruto approach.
Hey, Sasuke! said Naruto as he breathed on his fingers to keep them warm.
Nothing, idiot.

Leave me alone.
Fine then, ice prince. I will. This weather suits you.

Sasuke ground his teeth and dug his feet into the snow. Kakashi, sensing that Sasuke was going to do something with a high fatality rate, cut in between the two boys.

Sasuke, Naruto. Today we'll be doing an extra activity. I've canceled our usual mission for the day and I've signed us all up to go help build the Winter Solstice igloo!
All right! shouted Naruto excitedly.

Every year, the village honored the Winter Solstice by building a giant ice house, an igloo. It was always great fun to participate in it's construction. On December 21st the whole village would gather within the glittering palace of ice and snow, they would stay there, sitting with their families, talking, eating and watching the fireworks, refracted and and glistening, through the chunks of ice, until midnight, at which time they would return home. Christmas was celebrated quietly at home. It was considered extremely lucky to brake off a piece of the igloo and eat it, saying that it would increase your water chakra.

Sasuke stared blankly at the alabaster snow that carpeted the ground.
Sasuke? What's wrong? said Kakashi worriedly. Sasuke had become more withdrawn than usual in the past week.
I... I don't like the igloo.
gaped Naruto, how can you not like the igloo?
My parents died the day after the festival.
said Naruto, noticeably subdued.
Kakashi placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, liking the way the boy's body felt against his. Kakashi thought he saw a tiny blush appear on Sasuke's face.
I understand, Sasuke, but we're signed up for it.
Sasuke nodded wordlessly.

They waited a little longer for Sakura to show up before heading toward the center of the village, to where they working on the igloo. It was already, in width, bigger than the Uchiha mansion and was about one story high. Naruto laughed, began to run towards the igloo and promptly tripped over his own feet.

Sasuke smiled to himself. Despite outward appearances, Sasuke really did like Naruto. He respected that Naruto tried so hard and found his clumsiness rather endearing. He just wished Naruto were a little quieter. Naruto always made him think of a little brother, something that he'd never had.

Sasuke grimaced. There it was. That want, need, for something that he could never attain. He knew he couldn't have it, so why did he keep grasping for it so futilely? Sweat drenched fingers sliding across frosted glass, no grip. But it was as if there was no way to stop wanting, needing. Sasuke hated the helplessness that came with his failure to reach his desires, so he barricaded himself in an icy cavern, locking his heart away; and yet the fingers of desire still feebly tapped the walls of ice around his heart. Ice. Ice and snow. Like the snow in Kakashi's hair. Kakashi, beautiful, with his scarred Sharingan red eye and contrasting winter steel-sky colored eye. The mystery behind his mask. The grace behind the way his body moved. The- Sasuke stopped himself.

No.

No, don't let the ice began to melt and fracture. Keep it strong and thick. Damn Naruto for making him miss the feeling of a family's love. Damn Kakashi for making him want... making him want... everything.

he was snapped back to reality at the sound of his name. It was Kakashi looking down, worried.
I'm fine. Nothing wrong.

They spent their day helping to haul buckets of ice and snow up to the workers on the wall. Naruto, of course, fell over and spilled his bucket. When Kakashi laughed, Naruto threw and ice ball at him, hitting him square in the mouth. In retaliation, Kakashi poured water down Naruto's shirt, tripped him and rolled him around in the snow so that it froze to his shirt. Sakura nearly died laughing when she saw the half-snowman Naruto.

Sakura hadn't been hanging on him as much, realized Sasuke. As a matter of fact, he thought he saw her mooning over some other boy. That was a relief, but, as usual, it would break Naruto's heart. Or, maybe not. Naruto hadn't tried to pick Sakura up once today and he did seem to be staring off into space a lot.

Sasuke may have only one person that he loves, but he can't certainly spot the symptoms on anyone else. Only one person that...? Who did he love? His mother and father were gone and he hated Itachi, so who could it be?

At that moment, one of Naruto's ice balls missed Kakashi and hit Sasuke, he whirled around and ended up looking right into Kakashi's eyes.

Kakashi. Silver hair mingled with equally pure snow. Winter steel-sky colored eye looking right into Sasuke's obsidian. Kakashi's mask was slipping down a tiny bit, allowing Sasuke to see soft, white skin.

Kakashi glanced around to see if the ice ball had hit anyone and had caught sight of an extremely annoyed Sasuke. But when his eyes locked with Sasuke's, his expression changed. Sasuke had the strangest look of desperation, disbelief and hope on his face.

Kakashi couldn't stop staring at Sasuke. His pale skin, cheeks tinged the palest pink by the cold. His black bangs making delicate shadows on his face. His mouth, opened slightly as if to speak. And his eye, his eyes. The darkest black there was. They seemed to absorb light and yet, at times, they spilled out raw emotion.

It appeared that a vulpine cupid had hit his mark, making the beginning of a chink in the ice.