I've been wrapping presents all day it seems like and Sasuke's been locked in his bedroom with Naruto all day as well. Also, Naruto's been hanging around more since the night Sasuke and I kissed. Things have been relatively the same, but we've shared a few more moments together. Sasuke walked with me to the hospital to pick up a few files and I let Tsunade know my idea for the poison extraction. That night I fell asleep in my office while trying to figure out how much of the herb I needed and Sasuke carried me to my bed and kissed me good night. Needless to say, I blushed in my sleep.

I'm carrying a large pile of presents from my room to put under the tree, tomorrow all of my friends and senseis would come over for breakfast and presents. A loud crash from Sasuke's room startled me and I ran to see what was happening. Slamming open the door, Naruto has Sasuke in a head lock and they are bickering at each other.

"That's enough! You two go spar before you tear apart my house!" My voice raises as I walk to them tearing them apart. Naruto is sporting a fresh bruise on his face and Sasuke's knuckles are red from the hit. Sending chakra into my hand, I quickly heal the wound. I mean seriously, these two are always finding a reason to fight.

"We can't Sakura! If the teme gets caught sparing Tsunade is going to kick his ass." The loudmouth rubs his head nervously, it's like he's hiding something from me. Rolling my eyes, I plop down on the bed beside Sasuke as he moves slightly closer to me. My skin heats from his closeness.

"Whatever. Are you two going to go out and get the stuff I need for tomorrow?" I lean against Sasuke playfully batting my eyelashes at him. I just really don't want to leave the house. I still have one more gift to wrap and I need to recipient to leave. The last thing I want is for these two knuckleheads to walk in on me wrapping Sasuke's gift. Sasuke didn't bring much with him when he returned, all he had was the katana that is locked in his closet. I went and picked out new weapons and gear for him, because I know once the marriage is out of the way Tsunade will reassign him to active duty.

The man beside me returns the pressure and I move from my seat slightly, he's a bit bigger than me so I'm easy to move. Looking over at him, I notice a slight pinkish hue to his cheeks. Naruto starts pouting but stands from his place on the ground, stretching I hear his stomach growl.

"Yeah we can Sakura. But first we can stop for lunch!" He pulls Sasuke to his feet and I laugh at the childish act. Team 7 has slowly returned to normal over the past few weeks, but there's still a lot of damage to fix.

"Hn. Dobe I don't want ramen." Typical Sasuke, he's going to eat ramen either way. He enjoys giving the blonde such a hard time.

"Oh well. You two get out of my house. There's a list and money sitting on my desk Naruto if you want to grab them." He runs from Sasuke's room and I hear my office door open, then a loud yell followed with a laugh. Sasuke and I look at each other with confusion covering our faces. He leans his face close to mine and I can feel his breath against my skin. We've never had a moment with someone else around, it's been private so far as we try to figure everything out. Although in two weeks everyone will see that we are married. I push my lips against his in a quick peck as I leave to see what Naruto yelled about. Fresh flowers had replaced my dead ones on my desk and there were even more flowers around the room. My jaw drops as I walk into my office; I was in there early this morning getting my list together before I locked myself in my room. Who did this?

"You have an admirer Sakura. I wonder who it could be…" The idiot is stroking his chin acting like he's in deep thought, but I know the only two things he thinks of are ramen and Hinata. What in the world happened to my office? It's like Ino's flower shop threw up in here. If Sasuke has something to do with this, I swear I'm going to kill him. As if he could read my mind, looking at him there was a huge smirk on his face…

"Looks like it Naruto. Maybe it's some weird stalker."

"Hn. I don't think it's a stalker." His voice is deep and there's a hint of sarcasm behind it. Sasuke was trying to joke but it's giving away him secret. Laughing, I throw the list and money to the raven haired man. He's by far more responsible with tasks than Naruto ever will be.

"Alright you two have fun, I have things to finish." I pull them by their arms to the front door, they are barely able to get their shoes and coats on before the cold air hits them. I shut the door in their faces and laugh as I hear Naruto shouting outside. Time to get everything finished.

Sasuke's POV

I have to say I'm even more impressed with myself. Getting Ino to bring all those flowers over in a ten-minute window before Sakura noticed was difficult. They brighten up the colorless room and Sakura was in better spirits every time she walked into her office. The flowers must've been more important than just a decorative piece.

I figured she could use a little something extra with the holiday being tomorrow. Sakura's always been a fan of the season since I can remember. Back during our genin years, she would give us small gifts and treats. One year Sakura gave us all a new kunai set, mostly for decoration, with our clan emblems etched into the metal. I think my set is packed away with the items from my old apartment, Tsunade said she would have them taken from storage and placed in the remodeled house. Naruto has been helping me get the final things ready for the home once it's complete. With some luck, in a few days I will return back to my childhood home.

"Earth to teme. Are you listening?" I cut my eyes over to Naruto and he's looking at me with such confusion. We've walked to the grocery store in the middle of the village without me even noticing, some ninja I am. I see our sensei standing outside of the store talking with another jonin.

"Hn." Keeping my composure, I'll never admit to him that I was zoned out thinking of Sakura and my, no, our new home.

"Kakashi sensei is here. Let's see if he will help us get this list finished. Oh…and nice blush earlier." Naruto snickers and runs over to the silver haired ninja. Kakashi and I haven't spoken much since returning back to the village. The only conversations we've had were about Sakura, and with the most recent events he would do a double take at us. Sakura and I haven't had any public displays or any unusual behavior so we can keep our privacy. I'm taking things slow for now because I'm still trying to figure out my feelings for her. They are more complicated than I originally thought. Following behind the two men, I continue to look at the floor.

"Hey Kakashi, Sasuke I'm going to take this stuff back to Sakura's. Don't you have to pick a few things up Sasuke?" I almost forgot that I have to pick up Sakura's gift and the rest of my clothes. Naruto made a few clones appear and they were gone before I could argue about being alone with Kakashi. I looked at the copy ninja and started walking down the street towards the shop.

"Have you and Sakura talked yet?" Of course he's going to try and get into my personal business. Kakashi has always been protective of Sakura, more of a father figure than a sensei. It's reasonable why he's taking so much interest in the events between us. He knows how she truly cares for me.

"Hn."

"Talkative as always Sasuke. I'm going to assume that is a yes." Walking into the shop, I was greeted by the woman who owns the shop. Smiling at me, she turns to walk back into the storage room. A huge box was in her arms and thudded loudly on the counter.

"Young Sasuke, your parents would've been proud. I hope the lucky young lady enjoys these." I hand her the money and I look at the new red shirts sitting on top of the pile. Hopefully Sakura will accept these and wear them after we are married. Kakashi joined my side and peeked into the box of clothing, a small white box is wedged between the stack and the edge of the box. My gift for Sakura tomorrow…

"You went a little overboard don't you think." A chuckle escapes my mouth as I carry the box with me out of the building.

"Possibly." Honesty is the best option from here on out. I'm still not a man of many words and only a few people will hear what's on my mind, but I can try and be more open to others.

"Sasuke, you have been through a lot in your short life…I've watched all three of you grow into exceptional ninja. Each one of you took a different path, but they all led back to each other." His voice is sincere and he's speaking from the heart.

"Ah." It's true. No matter what happens between us, Sakura, Naruto and I have always come back to each other.

"I failed as a sensei. I wasn't able to protect the three of you and guide you in the right path. Eventually Naruto left the village as well to train with Jiraiya around the country. Sakura was the only one who ended up staying in the village for those two years. While she trained with Tsunade, I stayed my distance hoping that it would help her development. There were days when I knew she felt utterly alone, her entire team abandoned her. From afar I watched her mature into a strong, independent shinobi, but there was one thing that never changed. She's always been loyal and dedicated to you Sasuke."

Even while I was away from the village, I would be informed of my team mates improvements. Kabuto would always have the newest information. For her to continue to love me after so much betrayal is something I could never deserve.

"As I said, I've seen both of you grow from children to adults. I may only use one eye, but I see everything. As genin, I saw the way you protected her. You were kinder to her than Naruto, up until you almost killed him on the hospital roof. That day I made a promise to her, I said that things would go back to the way they were. A promise I should have never made…" Sorrow. Kakashi hides more than just his face behind that mask. Every decision we've made effected more people than we thought, a pang of guilt rushes through me.

"Sasuke I know that this isn't your decision, but I believe this is just speeding up the natural process. You've cared for Sakura for a long time. Things will never be as they were before. That doesn't mean we can't try to make a new beginning. After the holidays and you two get settled into the compound, Team 7 will reunite."

"How can you be so sure about me?" Kakashi sounds so sure of my feelings when I'm not so sure myself.

"Just a hunch." A smirk is visible through his mask. A cocky grin grazes my face and I let out the breath I had been holding. Sakura's house was visible from our spot and in a matter of seconds we would be on the porch.

"Oh and if you need some marital advice, you can borrow one of my icha-icha books." Pervert. There's no way in hell I would ever use one of those porn books. A shiver runs down my spine and I stop for a moment. I've been too busy talking with Kakashi that I didn't think of a way to distract Sakura from seeing the box full of clothing.

"I'll handle her. Hurry up." Kakashi opens the door and I smirk jumping into the back yard to sneak in my room.

Sakura's POV (As Sasuke is leaving with Naruto)

My feet carry me back into my newly decorated office. The smell of roses is filling my home and it relaxes my body. My front door opens and I sense Ino's chakra in the room. She has something to do with the fact that my office is a mini flower shop.

"Oh Sakura, where are you?" Her loud voice echoes through the empty house. I sit in my chair and before I know it Ino's slumping over in the chair across from me. There's a devilish smirk on her face as she looks around the room.

"You like the flowers?"

"I know you had something to do with this, but why?" I lean back in the chair touching a flower softly. There are maybe five dozen roses throughout my room, all the same colors as my original bouquet.

"Sasuke asked me to help. I can't say no to a friend." I mean really? Of course she would do anything to embarrass me.

"Sasuke asked you to help?" But why would Sasuke want to do this for me? There's really nothing going on between us besides our upcoming marriage. A few shared kisses doesn't constitute a relationship. I know he said he would try, so is this him trying?

"Yup. It took us ten minutes to get everything settled. So do you plan on telling me what's going on between you two?" She scoots on the edge of her seat and wiggles her brows at me. Nosey blonde woman.

"Nothing is going on. If there was, it's none of your business." I return her look with a stern one. There's just certain things that she can't know. In a few weeks I know she will be shocked and angry all in one, just like everyone else.

"Whatever, your going to tell me one way or another. So do you need help with anything for tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I need to finish getting everything set in the dining room for tomorrow." I jump from my seat and pull the loud blonde into the dining room.

Boxes filled with plates, cloth napkins and other items are sitting on the floor. For the past few years, everyone has been here for breakfast and gifts. Ino and I started the tradition out of the blue and it stuck, each year we add more decorations and each year the memories become better. Red plates, green napkins and white glasses are decorating the table with empty serving dishes. We found it easier to get everything set up the night before so I didn't have to wake up at four am on Christmas morning.

"Sakura, do we have enough plates?" We've always have more than enough, one to be exact. Even though I was angry with Sasuke and angry with him disserting us, I had enough to save him a place at the table. There would always be a place for him to come back to, but not without a good ass kicking.

"Yes. There's always been extra." I place the last piece on the table and stare at the beautiful display. Tomorrow will be the first Christmas in a long time that everyone would be present. Ino takes the boxes back to my office and I walk back to the living room curling back on the couch. Having so much time off has turned me into a couch potato, but at least I get to go back to work in a few days. The herbs will be ready when I walk in so Tsunade and I are going to try to extract the poison from the chunin. A whirl of blonde attacks me, Ino and I are sprawled out on the couch both laughing. Acting our age is fun but underneath the silliness are tough ninja that can take down anyone.

"So I know you say nothing's going on, but I don't believe you. Sasuke has never stepped foot into my shop." Her fingers run through my hair and twirl it absentmindedly. This is nothing new, over the years Ino and I have stayed up late on this very couch. Many nights I've cried myself to sleep with my head laying in my best friend's lap.

"When I figure out what's going on, you'll be the first to know." Tsunade advised me not to tell anyone about the council's order. I'm letting down my friends trust but my hands are tied in this. Eventually she will get over it but it's going to be a low blow that I didn't tell her until after I'm married.

"You better." Ino's eyes are closing and I can tell she's about to fall asleep. A nap sounds relaxing before I have to work my butt off tomorrow morning, following my friends lead I let the soothing rhythm of the twisting hair lull me to sleep.

Looking around the room, I realize I'm laying in my bed. There's no clothing protecting me from the chill air but my body is hot. The familiar knot is tightening in my stomach and I want to press my thighs together but I can't. My eyes look down my body and see two crimson eyes looking at me, almost suffocating me from the gaze. A new smirk is donning his face, almost animalistic. This look would've scared me as a child but I've honestly never been more turned on…

"Sakura…" He lets his tongue run up my thigh just before stopping at my entrance. Arching my back, I can feel a warm breath of air spread over my entire womanhood. My eyes are heavy and a grip tightens on my thighs pulling me towards him. A thumb rest at the top of my slit, a shock of electricity runs through my body causing me to moan loudly.

"Hn…So sensitive." The same thumb makes a circular motion against me and I close my eyes as Sasuke begins to start a slow torture. I try to move away from him, but I'm being held in place.

"…Sasuke…please…" Trying to catch my breath is out of the question when his tongue runs from my entrance to the spot where his thumb was seconds ago. This feeling is something I've never experienced in my life; it's like being shocked with lightening. Every nerve in my is working overtime and I can feel myself being consumed. The urge, no the need is too much. My hand makes it's way in-between my legs and I pull at the raven hair. The same smirk greets me but I smash my lips to his before he can say anything. This is pure human instinct and it feels amazing…

"I need you…Now…" Gently he pulls away from me and nods, knowing exactly what I mean. Taking his place, aligning himself…one more second and….

Something is shaking my shoulder as I open my eyes slowly. I can feel that my face is hot and there's a familiar wetness between my legs…I just had a fucking wet dream about Sasuke…Am I 16 again? Two coal eyes meet mine with concern and worry filling the orbs. How long have I been asleep? Sitting up, I see that it's dark outside and there's no one else in the house.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?"

"You…said my name..." Please for the love of god let this be a dream. Sasuke heard me moan out his name in my sleep, he must've thought something was wrong and that's why he woke me. Standing I see that the time in close to eight, I have to get a few more things done before I call it a night.

"Was it a nightmare?" Rubbing my eyes, I look at him and shake my head no. There wasn't really a reason to explain my dream to him. I want to have a little privacy. He steps away from me slowly and I make my way to the kitchen. Everything I asked them to get was in the fridge, the dishes were washed too. I'm guessing Sasuke cleaned up while I was asleep. There's nothing else for me to do now, tomorrow is going to be a hectic day with everyone coming over.

Returning back to the couch, Sasuke is sitting looking at the tree. There's a hint of sorrow in his eyes, I sit beside him and place a hand on his shoulder. This is his first holiday being the very last Uchiha, deep down he must've loved his brother unconditionally. I wonder what it would be like if the massacre didn't happen, would Sasuke and I actually be able to have a real relationship? Would they approve of me being on his team? Would they approve of me in general? Soon I will be apart of the clan, but it's not by choice. I feel like an outsider, all the Uchiha's looked relatively the same. They all have outstanding chakra, a Kekkei Genkai and their battle skills are impressive. I'm not from a prestigious clan, nor do I have powerful chakra. It's taken me years to get to where I am, yet I'm still no match for Sasuke and I never will be. There's no way his family would've approved of someone like me.

"It's the first year isn't it?" I keep my voice low, I know he heard me because his body tensed up and his breathing hitched for a second.

"Ah." A man of little words. I'm still getting back to how it used to be, back then Sasuke and I didn't need to talk to communicate. Our teamwork was starting to get cohesive before everything went south.

"You aren't alone though. Even though we aren't blood, we are your family." We've been family since our genin days.

"Hn. It's just…" There's a crack in his voice before it goes silent. Something is bothering him but will he let me in?

"What is it Sasuke?" I move his shoulder so he will look me in the eyes. A pained look is covering his face and my eyes dart over his trying to look for any injuries. My hand moved up his neck and rested on his face gently.

"When I was a child, my mother had a tradition for Christmas Eve." Closing his eyes, he rested against my hand. He's opening up about the most private part of his life, I don't want to rush him into telling me anything.

"She would have us sit in the living room, all the lights in the house would be off. Once Itachi and I were quiet and calm, my mother would bring out hot cocoa. Some times we would watch movies, others we would sit in the living room telling stories." He let out a sigh after he finished. I hold my breath too afraid to ruin the moment, his mother was a kind spirit.

'You know what you should do?'

'Yeah, yeah I do…'

I get up from the couch and Sasuke looks at me completely confused. Running around like a child, I find all the items I need. Once the mixture was finished, I pour it into two large mugs. Giving it time to cool I walk around the house turning off all the lights, leaving only the fire and the tree as our source of light. I hand Sasuke his mug and there's a look on his face that I can't quite describe.

"Sakura, why?" I take a seat next to him curling up in his side. Why? Slowly our friendship has started to rebuild, he kept his promise of trying. This is me trying. If we want to be able to live a somewhat normal life and raise a child together, then we need to have some type of relationship.

"It takes two…" It's the best I can offer and he accepts it. Blowing on my hot cocoa, I take a small sip of the warm liquid. Maybe I can keep a few traditions alive for Sasuke.

A few hours later, the snow is falling on the ground again. Tomorrow there will be a new layer of powder to enjoy. Sasuke and I have sat in silence curled close together, he moved his arm behind me at some point allowing me to move closer to him. For the first time in a long time, I feel safe sitting so close to him. Looking at the clock, it's a few minutes to midnight, which means I need to be heading to bed. I stretch on the couch and Sasuke starts to move to stand up. He takes the mug from me and walks to the kitchen.

"Get some sleep Sakura. I'll clean this up." His voice echoes through the house but it's not loud either. Instead of going to my room, my feet lead me to the kitchen stopping right behind Sasuke's back. An instinct takes over and I wrap my arms around him, just like in the forest. This time it's for the sake of stopping him, it's because I wanted to be close to him. Sasuke stops what he is doing to turn to face me, returning the embrace. The moment was short but as I stepped away I smiled at him.

"Merry Christmas Sasuke." My smile doesn't leave when I see a small smile returned back to me.

"Merry Christmas Sakura." Turning to go to my room, my heart skips a few beats as I close my door. Changing into my sleeping clothes, I pull the blankets close to me and take a deep breath. Tomorrow is going to be a long day…