Idk how I feel about the chapter name yet lol, but I'll remind y'all if I ever change it

Tysm for the love and favourites so far from this story!

I want to give a special thanks to lovelyjapeli for writing such a wonderful and fun review! I too haven't tasted fruitcake, but love those Danish butterscotch cookies! And what you do every year sounds like fun, so that's great!

Again, thank you guys for the love!

Enjoy!

The smell of burning bread filled Sakura Haruno's kitchen. Sakura pinched her nose and waved her mitts through the air, lifting a burnt fruitcake from the oven and throwing it in the garbage. Unfortunately Sakura still had trouble with baking fruitcake no matter how many times she tried. Sakura sighed, looking at the big pack of flour Sasuke had given her that was a quarter done already. Sakura wanted to get this absolutely right! Especially since she only had one chance, having only one bag, Sasuke's flour bag.

Just then the retro phone connected to Sakura's kitchen wall rang. Sakura wondered who'd be calling her so early - the time being 5:30 a.m.

"Hello-?"

"Sakura! O-M-G! I need your help ASAP! I tried doing a five way call, but Temari is away, Karin is probably sleeping, and Hinata isn't picking up! So I only have you, please!" Ino blabbled on and on.

"Hold you horses," Sakura sweat dropped, "What happened?"

"Sai! I heard he likes domesticated girls!" Ino weeped tearfully.

Sakura found this quite ironic, seeing how much of a city girl Ino was.

"I see..." Sakura smiled, "And what are you gonna do about it?"

"I don't know! Hinata is the pinnacle of a beautiful housewife, and you're pretty close! Please! What do I do? He wants to visit my house tonight - and my house is an apartment!" Ino groaned.

"Look, I'm sure he'll be okay with tha-"

"You don't get it Sakura! I don't want to take those chances! Sai is the one, I feel it! I wanna be perfect for him! That means being his idea of perfection! Just like how you wanna be with Sasuke!" Ino accidentally teased.

"Hey! Don't bring Sasuke-kun into this!" Sakura blushed, "I thought you wanted my help? I won't hesitate to hang up!"

"Kidding!" Ino quickly chipped, "Please! I'll owe you!"

"I mean I was going to help you even without owing me, but I'll take that... I have an idea," Sakura nodded. She wasn't sure just how good it was, but it was something.

Sakura shut the door behind her, on her way to Hinata's. She wanted to apologize for making Hinata drive for no reason. It was odd though because when she called last night, she didn't answer. Sakura was walking down the street, eyes keen on Hinata's house, when in the window she swore she saw something - or someone.

"Naruto?!" Sakura exclaimed.

She was so distracted she failed to see the obstacle blocking the sidewalk, and fell over.

"No, Shikamaru," He said, without remorse that she had just fallen.

"Ow!" Sakura rubbed her back, "Didn't we agree that you'd lay on your lawn? Not the sidewalk?!"

"I tried it once or twice, wasn't the same," Shikamaru laid back down, his arms supporting the weight of his head.

"What are you even looking at? The sky is filled with clouds, no shapes or anything that interesting," Sakura's head lifted to the skies.

"Snow. I'm waiting for the first snowfall," Shikamaru answered.

"Snow?" A smile spread across Sakura's lips. There hadn't been much snow at all, only coldness from the winter. "I can't wait for snow! Hey, can you remember to tell me when it happens?"

"Hmm," Shikamaru propped himself back up onto his elbows, "I may be busy."

Sakura gave him a suspicious look, "You're never busy."

"That may be true... even so, I think you may be too," Shikamaru's eyes landed on something behind Sakura.

Sakura followed his line of sight and saw Sasuke meet her eyes. Sakura blushed lightly and turned back to Shikamaru, who had laid back once again.

Sakura got up, pondering whether or not she should pretend she didn't see him. Should she thank him for the flour? Or was it one of those things where it happens and you never speak of it?

"What a drag, just go talk to him," Shikamaru drawled out.

Sakura smiled, nodding to herself, "See ya, Shika!"

Sakura skipped across the road to Sasuke who was walking down the sidewalk.

Sasuke stopped in his tracks when Sakura approached him.

"Hi, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura greeted.

"Hn," Sasuke wasn't much for greetings.

"Where you heading?" Sakura bit her lip, regretting being so nosy.

"Naruto's. I forgot I was supposed to drive him home yesterday from the mall," Sasuke shrugged as if it didn't really matter.

Sakura blinked. Yesterday? He was supposed to drive Naruto home, but forgot because of her? No, that couldn't be right. Sakura inwardly smacked herself for being so conceited. This was about Naruto, c'mon! Wait, wasn't Naruto with Hinata?

"I think I saw Naruto in Hinata's house..." Sakura couldn't really believe it herself. Had Hinata worked up the courage to confess to Naruto or was Sakura just losing it?

"You think she brought him home?" Sasuke guessed.

Sakura made an 'o' shape with her lips, "That would make a lot of sense. Then why was he in there? Should we go check?!"

Sasuke's right eye twicthed, "No, I just wanted to see if Naruto wasn't sleeping at the mall or Te would have my head..."

Sakura pouted, "Okay..."

Sasuke was about to turn, his eye catching the laying figure of Shikamaru. His eyes unconsciously narrowed. He looked back at Sakura who waited for him to make the first move to leave.

"Watch your step," Sasuke then turned back on the path to his house.

Sakura blinked twice, confused by the statement. There wasn't even any ice patches yet.

"O-okay!" Sakura waved. Sakura whirled around, to face the direction of Hinata's house. It was time

Sakura hand hovered before the door. What if they were having a moment and she'd just be a pain and interrupt it?

Suddenly the door burst open, Naruto coming out almost bumping into Sakura.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto held out his hands before he tumbled over.

"Naruto!" Sakura sweatdropped.

"I've gotta go now, but I'll talk to ya later, alright? Bye!" Naruto then scampered off.

"Bye?" Sakura abruptly turned to Hinata who stood in the doorway, beet red and hands clasped together.

"Hi?"

"So tell me what happened!" Sakura urged.

Hinata shook her head madly.

"Please?" Sakura began making herself hot cocoa, "Also, do you want one?"

"N-no, th-thank you, I've al-already had one," Hinata

"Then spill!" Sakura plopped onto Hinata's couch.

Hinata recalled the events, clear as day:

Flashback...

"Sakura-chan?" Hinata called Sakura's phone.

"The caller ID's phone is shut down, please try again later..." The automatic voice answered.

Hinata pursed her lips pensively, stepping out the car into the dark and cold parking lot. It would've been creepy, but luckily the parking lot was lit with Christmas lights and decorations. She scanned the area. No Sakura in sight. Hinata started getting really anxious for her friend. Her eyes rapidly looked around the area for her possibly in trouble friend. That's when she saw the only shop light illuminating from the closed mall.

Hinata timidly walked towards it. A sign that said "Ichiraku Ramen," hung over top in blinking neon green and red lights. The big window showed a couple of people inside, some at tables, one or two sitting on the counter seatings. Hinata wondered if someone may have seen Sakura leave, so she entered. She was quite nervous to ask, but this was for Sakura's sake!

She opened the door and a billow of hot air hit her face, warming her skin. A man with grey hair and a warm smile welcomed her. She didn't feel so nervous to ask anymore.

"Hi miss! What can I do for ya?" He called.

"U-uh... H-have you s-seen a girl with pink ha-hair by any chance?" Hinata stuttered out her question, afraid she sounded stupid.

"A girl with pink hair, huh? Oh! You mean Sakura?" He concluded.

"Y-you kn-know her?" Hinata's eyes widened a fraction.

"Yup! Don't worry, I saw her leave with Sasuke out there!" He nodded in confirmation.

Hinata's eyes widened even more, "W-with Sasuke?"

"That's right!" He answered.

"W-wow... how do you know them?" Hinata was still surprised how easy the information came. And how he knew them. And how Sasuke and Sakura were together!

"They come here sometimes with Naruto," At the mention of Naruto's name, Hinata unconciously leaned forward, "In fact, he's here right now! There you are! Where were you?!"

Hinata froze. Naruto was here?!

Naruto shouted, "I was tryna call Sasuke, ya know! Teme didn't even warn me he'd go with Sakura!"

"Funny you mention that, this little lady over here was just asking about them," The man gestured to Hinata.

Naruto squinted his eyes, walking closer, "Hinata?"

Hinata slowly faced him, "H-h-h-hi."

Naruto's eyebrows rose, "Hinata! Hey! You're here for ramen?"

"I already told you that she was asking for Sakura, listen up," He tsked.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Sorry... you're a real proper lady... I guess you think ramen is stupid or something, sorry to assume that."

Hinata waved her hands in front of her face, "N-no! I l-love you- I mean ramen!"

Naruto blinked twice before a huge grin spread across his lips, "You love ramen too?! I thought I'd have to hide that I liked it in front of you, phew!" At that Hinata was confused why he would do that. Was it to impress her or seem more - what was the word he used? Proper? No, that couldn't be...

"Wanna try the ramen here?! It's the best!" Naruto got a hum of affirmation from Tebuchi.

Before Hinata could accept, Naruto pulled her hand into a seat. Naruto planted himself on the seat beside her, three empty bowls already discarded to the side.

"Do you have any preferences?" Naruto asked eagerly, eyes sparkling.

Hinata blushed, "A-anything you want."

Naruto gave a firm nod before raising his hand to Tebuchi, "Two Naruto bowls please!"

Hinata then blushed even more at the name of the dish - even more so when it showed up in front of her. Sure there was always naruto in the ramen she ate, but this had the naruto in the shape of a big smiley face.

"You like it? Doesn't it look familiar?" Naruto striked a pose.

"I love it!" Hinata began munching on the noodles. She failed to notice the blush residing on Naruto's cheeks after that.

"Everything about it?" Naruto asked, a little pensive than his usual quickness in words.

Hinata - not taking the hint - nodded, "Everything about it!"

Naruto's eyes widened, and he quickly turned, shoving the noodles in his mouth. His cheeks glowed pink and Hinata squeaked.

"You're f-face i-is all red! M-maybe y-you sh-shouldn't eat so fast!"

Naruto slurped up the rest, ready to take Hinata's excuse. But his ramen pride took over. He couldn't say he wasn't able to eat ramen fast! That would totally ruin his ramen reputation here!

"No, it's okay!" Naruto jabbed his thumb onto his chest, "I'm a world class ramen eating expert!"

Hinata giggled at that and Naruto was glad. He was about to order another bowl for himself to wait for Hinata to finish hers when he caught sight of her empty bowl.

"You ate all that?! Super quick too?!" Naruto's eyes sparkled.

Hinata bit her lip, not wanting to seem less attractive, but then he broke into a grin.

"Wow! We should have a contest someday!" Naruto nodded vigorously.

Hinata blinked, confused.

"You're super cool, Hinata! I would do it right now, but I got a head start, it wouldn't be fair to you!" Naruto explained excitedly, "So another day!"

Hinata had to stop herself from smiling so hard, "Y-yes!"

Very soon after, Naruto insisted on paying for Hinata. Hinata kept rejecting it, but in the end, Hinata gave in promising herself she would pay him back.

"How're you gonna get home?" Tebuchi made small talk as he entered the money in the cashier.

Naruto sighed, "I'll have to walk... it's okay! It isn't the first time! Only takes a few hours!"

"B-but it's s-so far, and c-cold!" Hinata exclaimed worriedly.

"No sweat!" Naruto didn't want to make Hinata worry.

Hinata bit her lip. He was so kind! How was she just going to let him do that? She didn't want to seem to pushy though... then again, she did promise she'd pay him back...

"I-I ca-can drive you h-home!" Hinata offered, red painting her cheeks.

The red under Naruto's whisker-like markings intensified, "No! I can't bother you with tha-"

Hinata thought about how Sakura said that everyday she should at least try to get closer to Naruto if she wanted to be with him.

She held up her hand in a pausing manner, "I can!"

Naruto stood there silent in surprise.

Hinata realized just how pushy that was!

"I-I-I mean it's fr-freezing out th-there and it-it's a long w-walk and I owe y-you and-"

It was Naruto's turn to stop her excuses by grasping her waving hands into his.

"Okay!" He accepted.

"Good, see you next time, "Tebuchi winked at the pair.

Hinata felt like fainting, but fought hard not to. She had to be present enough to pay attention on the road! And to be with Naruto for as long as possible...

The car ride flew without a hitch. Naruto blabbled on and on about ramen and this new movie he watched while Hinata listened intently. They made it to the houses pretty late. It did take 3 hours to get from there. It was already 2 a.m.

"It's pretty late!" Naruto observed when Hinata drove into his driveway.

"It is," Hinata agreed.

Naruto unbuckled his seatbelt, smiling at her, "Thanks so much Hinata!"

"It was nothi-"

Hinata was then caught into a surprisingly comfy hug from Naruto. He pulled away as soon as it happened, leaving both of them wanting more.

"It wasn't nothing," Naruto looked into her eyes.

Hinata blushed deeply.

Naruto's eyes flickered to her red cheeks then back to her eyes, his smile widening.

Naruto opened the door behind him, both of them waving bye to each other. He leaned down and kept waving even as Hinata pulled out. He headed back to his door just as Hinata made it back to her house. It must've been silly to have driven from one driveway to a closer one, but she couldn't really focus on that right now. All she could remember was the feel of Naruto's smile and arms around her.

"AH!" Sakura squeaked in delight, "That's so romantic and cute and amazing!"

Hinata shook her head, the blush as deep as it was when she recalled the events, "It wasn't really... he's just sweet."

Sakura used her pointer finger to point an accusing finger to her, "It was! And now, what was he doing here earlier?"

Hinata smiled, "To thank me again... and tell me the day he'll be free for the challenge."

Sakura jumped forward to Hinata, "You're literally going on a date!"

Hinata's eyes just about bulged from her face, "N-no! Th-that's n-not it!"

"Stop denying it! You two are made for each other and you and him are finally getting somewhere!" Sakura held a hand to her heart.

"Wh-what about you and Sasuke?" Hinata quickly changed the embarrassing subject to Sakura's embarrassing subject.

"Hey! It wasn't anything compared to yours," Sakura crossed her arms, "Because Mr. Uchiha doesn't see me that way!"

"H-he is-isn't the most out-outgoing, so doesn't that mean a-any little sweet ac-action prove that h-he li-likes you?" Hinata tilted her head.

"Nah! He hates me... he just... decided to be nice for once... or twice... or thrice," Hinata gave a knowing smile,"But that doesn't mean anything! He hasn't showed an inkling of liking me since we've met! I'm just an annoyance to him!"

"What if y-you're growing on him?"

Sakura didn't want to entertain the idea and get her hopes up then broken - especially near Christmas.

"Trust me," Sakura denied, "It's not like that."

"Sakuraaa!" Ino yelled, slamming the door to her red convertible closed, "I'm heree!"

She didn't seem to be home, so Ino put her hands on her hips, looking for any signs of help. Then her eyes spotted Sasuke walking back to his house.

"Hey! Sasuke!" She aggresively waved to the man. Sasuke didn't even glance at her.

Ino groaned, knowing she'd have to walk across the street. She did so and intercepted Sasuke's path to his house.

Sasuke stood there.

"Always the silent type, Mr. Uchiha" Ino put her hands on her hips, "I'll just get to the point. Where's Sakura?"

Sasuke seemed to actually listen when he heard Sakura's name and nudged his head to the left and a little backward. Ino interpreted this as his way of pointing her to Sakura's direction. She could have been either visitng Hinata, Naruto, Tenten, Shino, Juugo, or Choji. Probably Hinata's.

"Don't cha wanna know why I need her?" Ino liked talking about herself so obviously she was going to take the opportunity to tell anyone about her dilemma.

Sasuke walked as if he were going to walk past her.

"Well, I need to impress Sai, so I'm going to use Sakura's house since she is very... what's the word? Home-y? I don't know, but it's because Sai likes girls like that..." Sasuke seemed really bored and Ino huffed.

Then an idea sprung her.

"What kind of girls do you like?" Ino inwardly smiled mischievously.

Sasuke still didn't answer.

"Maybe someone like Sakura perhaps?" Ino decided to bring up Sakura since it seemed that would be the only times he'd respond.

And it worked. Well sort of.

"The opposite," was all he said.

Ino gasped, "How rude!"

Sasuke shrugged and walked past her, deeming the conversation over.

Ino crossed her arms, beginning to walk forward and tell Sakura what a bastard her crush was. Sure a good-looking one, but a horrid personality. She thought he'd change.

"Don't tell that to Sakura," Sasuke suddenly said.

Ino turned her head to find Sasuke still walking away. Why not? Didn't he think she was annoying? Maybe if Ino told Sakura that his type was the opposite she'd try to stop pestering him.

A knowing smile graced Ino's lips.

So he did change.

A/N: Wow, the pacing of this story is unlike my others, but it's kinda of cute, so I'm keeping it lol. Please review, they mean sm to me! Until next time!