SS: I made a decision to write another chapter, but this is the last one. Enjoy!
Disclaimer/Note: I do not own the characters from Naruto. Grammar and spelling errors are not made on purpose. I stayed up til 2:00am spending a total of about 4-5 hours writing this! (I don't even really know why it takes so long to write because I'm a fast typist... -sweat drop-) Anyway... NO FLAMES or I will file abuse.
Snow Part 2
One Year Later...
Naruto slowly opened his eyes upon hearing a loud banging. A long and annoyed groan escaped his lips as he slowly sat up, eyes drooping and body stretching. "What the heck is that banging?" He questioned, dangling his legs of the bed and gazing around. "It's annoying the hell out of me! This is my holiday vacation, don't I get to sleep in?" Rising to his feet, the teen trudged out of his room and down the hallway. The banging grew louder by the second as he peaked his head from around a corner and downstairs. He took each step slowly and steadily, as he forced his still sleepy self down the staircase. A tiny slip and he'd probably be falling down unable to stop himself. Step, step, step. Just one more and he'd-- "AHHHH!!!" It figures. The last step he slipped and fell onto the ground. "Ouch… son of a--"
"Naruto?" A calm and quiet voice echoed into the room. That voice was so familiar yet it seemed a bit different. It was too kind and soft to be who he thought it was. It had to be someone else, it just had to! Alas, the teenager was wrong because a sleepy Sasuke walked up to him smiling a little. "What happened? You forget to put your brain in today?"
"Can it, Sasuke!" He groaned rubbing the back of his head. That really hurt. Something suddenly caught Naruto's attention. The annoying and loud banging had stopped! "Hey, were you banging something just now?" He couldn't help but ask the raven haired teen who seemed to be the cause of it.
"Banging?" Sasuke gave his rival a strange look, scratching his head. "I wasn't banging." He rubbed his eyes and yawned, as he continued. "I woke up because I heard some loud noises. It was probably someone else."
"No one else is here but you and me!"
"Oh?"
"Sasuke… you're acting totally clueless. Are you up to something?"
"What are you talking about?"
Naruto sighed. There was no point trying to argue with him, both were still trying to wake up as it seemed. Something took over Naruto's attention suddenly. Sasuke started coughing and turned away from him. "Hey! Are you ok?!" Worried and confused, the teen grabbed one of his friend's arms, turning him around. The coughing seized and the two just stood there staring at each other. "Sasuke?"
"I'm fine… just go make yourself some breakfast. I need to be alone for a little while…" With those words said, the Uchiha disappeared upstairs as the blonde headed for the kitchen. It'd be best to leave him be, right?
"I wonder what's wrong with Sasuke…" Naruto mumbled to himself, pulling out a toaster. He was troubled by the fact that his best friend just started coughing out of the blue. He didn't seem to be choking on something, nor did it seem like he was faking. He shook his head. "Oh whatever. I should stop letting this bother me. It's probably nothing to even worry about." Opening the refrigerator, he pulled out some butter and syrup. Some pancakes and buttered toast sounded like a good idea. In the next minute, the freezer door was open and a box of pancakes was placed on the countertop, followed by a loaf of bread. As Naruto placed some bread into the toaster, his eyes shot up to a calendar hanging from the wall. "WHAT?!" He practically fainted.
It was Christmas day! He totally forgot! Last year's memories started to flood his mind. The image was so clear in his head that it seemed like just yesterday that it happened. "Sasuke and I were out at the park… watching snow fall…" He blushed a bit remembering how he felt so warm even though it was freezing out. Just cuddling up against his friend had made that happen. "That's right…" He smiled closing his eyes and just picturing it. "That was when we repaired our friendship… it was kind of just falling apart, but--" A loud coughing interrupted his peaceful thoughts. "What the--?!"
"Na… ru… to…" Sasuke was coming down the stairs, coughing practically every second. When he made it to the last step, he collapsed onto the floor.
"SASUKE!" Naruto screamed and ran over to him, not even caring that his toast was burning. "Sasuke! Sasuke!" He shook him gently and frowned. "Sasuke, please say something!"
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"Naruto…?" After about fifteen minutes, a groaning Sasuke turned his head right to left a few times. His eyes rolled open halfway as he stared up at the other boy hanging over him. "I told you earlier… I'm fine…"
"You're not fine!"
"I am… too… I'm perfectly--"
"Sasuke, stop lying to me! You're sick!"
The bluish black haired teen coughed a couple more times and looked away. "I… guess I can't really hide it that well, can I?"
"You don't need to hide it, idiot! I can get you some medicine. So don't do something stupid like that ever again." The blonde sighed and scratched the back of his head for a few moments. "I understand that you're not the type to tell people when something's wrong, but…" He paused, sighing again. "You have to learn to be more open. You practically passed out just now and you can't even think straight. I need to take you to a doctor. Come on."
"No."
"Yes, now let's go."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Stop being a stubborn moron, Sasuke! You need some medicine!"
"Just leave me alone I told you for the millionth time now I'm--" The teen burst out coughing again not able to finish.
"You're fine, huh? You even admitted to me that you couldn't hide it well, so please come with me so that you can see a doctor."
"No."
"You're being more stubborn than usual, you know?"
"I'll… go see a doctor by myself."
"You need me to take you in case you pass out, stupid!"
"I'm 17 years old, Naruto. I don't need your help."
"You're sick and you do need my help. I'm 17, too in case you've forgotten and if I were you, I'd except help when it's offered."
"You're not me, are you?"
Naruto glared at him and crossed his arms, biting his lip. The only way he could really force Sasuke to let him take him to a doctor is if Naruto knocked him out or something. Although he felt like beating the crap out of his friend right now, he knew that wouldn't be the best idea. After all, it's not right to hurt someone who's sick. That would be just as bad as beating on some old person who could barely even walk. "Please Sasuke, I'm begging you to let me help you."
"Just… let me be." The teen rose to his feet and started to head upstairs again.
"Wait, what about going to see a doctor?!"
"Forget about it. I'll go later."
"Idiot! You need to go now before you get even more sick!"
"My body is fully capable of healing itself, anyway."
"You need medicine to help, though!"
"Whatever."
"Sasuke Uchiha!"
Slam! The door to the room Sasuke was staying in, slammed shut.
"Oh you bastard… you're so selfish. Here I am all worried about you, yet you only think of yourself. You're sick. You're really sick! You need some medicine…" Of course Naruto wasn't really caring if his friend could hear him or not. Right now he was just spouting to himself because he was so annoyed and angry. "You're just going to get more ill if you stay locked up in your room all day." Out of nowhere the banging started up again. "What the…?" Naruto ran up the stairs and quietly snuck over to Sasuke's closed door. He placed his ear up against the wood and listened. It was coming from his room! It stopped suddenly and the teen still stood there listening. He thought he could hear his friend speaking to someone.
"I'm so stupid… don't you think? I hurt other people without even trying to. Heh, for you life is so simple. You just eat, sleep, play for a bit, eat again, snuggle up on someone's lap purring, sleep some more…" Sasuke started to laugh. "Hey… cut it out, that tickles!" The laughing stopped short, though for he started coughing again. "Sorry… I scared you, didn't I? Here, want to play with your feathers?"
Naruto slowly opened the door. "Sasu…ke…?" He blinked and stood there silently just staring.
"What the hell are you doing in here?! You should learn to knock!" Sitting in the teen's lap, was a black and white cat. It was purring and staring up at Naruto with soft, cute eyes. Duh! The banging was from Sasuke playing with the cat! He was probably wacking some of those toys off the floor and chasing the kitty around. The blonde had no idea that Sasuke had been keeping a pet with him. The other teen began to cough again and gave his friend a dirty look. "Stop staring at Lily, will you?"
"Lily?"
"Her name," The raven haired teen replied pointing to the cat. "You don't like cats, so just go away and leave us be."
"Whoa, wait!" Naruto shook his head. "I love cats now! I think they're really cute, honest! One time a cat helped me out figure out a jutsu, believe it or not… So uh, how long have you had her?"
"Since last year," Sasuke replied petting the creature behind the ears. "I took a walk around Konoha two days after Christmas and found a box. There was a sign on it that said 'free kittens and puppies'… She was all alone. Her brothers, sisters and puppy friends had all been taken by other people so I decided to keep her. After all…" He stopped and sighed a bit. "She kind of reminded myself of a younger me. Abandoned and all alone… No family or friends…"
Naruto smiled softly and walked over sitting next to his best friend. "I had no idea. That must have been why you wouldn't let me look inside that carrying case you brought with you here…" He giggled. "You named her Lily? Gee Sasuke, I had no idea you liked flowers!"
"Shut up!" He screeched, coughing. "I… thought it'd be a cute name… I did find her near a dead lily patch."
Naruto was in tears by now. "Cute! Cute! You said the word 'cute'! Are you really Sasuke?"
"If I didn't feel so dizzy, I'd have put Lily on my bed and beaten the hell out of you by now."
"And if you weren't so sick, I'd have beaten the hell out of you by now, too."
"Like you could."
"You bet I could!"
"Heh… same old Naruto." A smile broke out on Sasuke's even more pale than usual face as he coughed a few times and closed his eyes, leaning against his bed.
"You should get some rest if you're not going to the doctors." Naruto was beginning to get concerned again. His friend's coughs sounded more violent than before and he looked like he was shivering. "Are you cold?"
"Huh? Why are you asking that?"
"You're trembling…"
"I'm not cold. I'm--" Sasuke's words stopped as soon as he felt a hand slap against his forehead. He froze in place, feeling the warmth from Naruto's palm. He didn't even take into consideration that Naruto wasn't joking around about taking him to a doctor. His cat wandered off his lap and hopped up onto his bed, laying down.
"Lily has the right idea," Naruto said removing his hand from Sasuke's forehead. "Get some rest, too. You're really hot, you know."
"Why thank you," Sasuke joked.
"Sasuke, I'm not kidding… you have a fever, I think."
"I'll be ok."
"Sasuke, I don't want you to be in a hospital just because you didn't listen to me!"
"Naruto, start worrying about yourself. I'm fine."
"I'll start worrying about myself when you stop being so selfish! I'm so bothered by the fact that you won't even let me take you to get medicine!"
"Naruto…"
"Just at least go to bed so that I can feel a little at ease."
"I…"
"You're going to go to bed now?!"
Sasuke turned his head away and mumbled something to himself. The next moment he was coughing again and slowly started to tilt toward his friend. Not really understanding what Sasuke was doing, Naruto simply sat there staring. "Na… ruto…" The Uchiha fell backward onto the blonde's lap. Not expecting it, the boy flinched seeing his friend land on him like that. "Naruto… I don't want to go to a doctor…"
"But why, Sasuke? You're not well and you're going to get worse…"
"I want to spend Christmas with you…"
"Sasuke, I-- wait, what?!" Naruto swallowed hard hearing those words. Was he hearing things?
"Please don't make me go… they'll force me to stay at the hospital. I'm already beyond having a regular old cold. They won't just send me home with medication, they'll force me to stay. Please, Naruto…"
"Sasuke…" Naruto felt his heart speed up. He didn't really expect his friend to want to be with him again this year. Then again, it's not like the two of them had any family. They were all they had, that and their other friends like Sakura and Kakashi. He stroked a hand across Sasuke's face, pushing his bangs back to the side so he could see his eyes. They looked so innocent and sad. He hadn't noticed before, but Sasuke was having trouble breathing. He started to cough again and began complaining that his throat was sore. Naruto couldn't bare to look at him like this. "Please, let me take you. You're in pain."
"Could you do me a--"
"No wait. Don't talk. It's only going to make your throat hurt more."
"Naruto, I'll go, but you need to do me a favor, then…"
"I told you don't… huh?"
"Please let me… sit with you in the park again… Just for a half hour or so… After that… I promise I'll go…" Sasuke sat up and let out two muffled coughs. "I wanted to stay with you… you're my closest and most dear friend… but if it worries you that much… I'll go stay at the hospital…"
"That sounds like a good deal," Naruto said helping Sasuke to his feet. He ran out of the room and went downstairs, snagged their coats off the hooks, then rushed back up. He put his on and tossed Sasuke's to him. After that he wandered over to a draw and pulled out a scarf and gloves.
"Who are… those for?" Sasuke questioned zipping his jacket up.
"You, moron. I don't want you to freeze." The blonde wrapped the scarf around the other boy's neck and let him put the gloves on, on his own. "Ok, ready to go?"
"Sure."
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There it was. The little brick pathway came into view and so did those old six benches. Nothing had changed. This year there, though, the girl they'd seen with her dog wasn't there. Naruto had one of his hands wrapped tightly around one of Sasuke's. He didn't want him to wander off or trip on something. They headed over to the same bench they'd sat on the previous year and stood there for a moment. Their memories were flashing before their eyes and it made both smile a little. Quietly mumbling to themselves, they finally took a seat on the cold bench. Nothing was said for a good ten minutes. They both sat there simply enjoying each other's company.
"Hey, Naruto." It was Sasuke who broke the silence. "Do you think it's going to snow this year, too?"
"I doubt it," The teen replied looking up at the clear sky with a frown on his face. "I mean, just look at the sky and well, the chances of it snowing on Christmas are small as it is."
"True… but maybe it will."
"Maybe."
"I hope."
"Yeah, me too."
Silence once more overpowered them. They sat there about another then minutes not saying anymore more.
"Do you still think it will snow, Sasuke?" Naruto asked abruptly.
"Actually, I don't think it will," He answered placing a hand, between himself and Naruto, on the bench.
"You still love snow, right?"
"Of course."
"That's good."
"Why do you ask that so suddenly?"
"Well… curiosity, I guess."
"Curiosity?"
"Yes…" Naruto placed a hand ontop of his friend's and swallowed hard. Curiosity was such a stupid emotion! It was making him want to see the raven haired teen's reaction if he were to kiss him. Maybe just one kiss… He felt kind of awkward thinking such thoughts, but he couldn't quite help it. Sasuke looked so handsome right now. With those eyes of his just staring out into the park and that face… Oh that face that he couldn't stop staring at.
Sasuke suddenly spoke, as he turned to look Naruto directly in the eyes. "My curiosity makes me wonder if…" He felt himself thinking weird thoughts as he moved closer to his friend's face. "…you can take my cold away…"
"It's not a simple cold, though…"
"Ah, you're right…" He started to back away with those words, coughing.
"…but I could help." Naruto lunged forward and locked lips with his friend. It only lasted for less than 5 seconds, for both teenagers seemed to be a bit shy at the moment and they shoved away from each other. It had been five whole years since Naruto became a shinobi. Back then, he felt like Sasuke had always been superior in every way to him, but maybe when it came to this, they were both equal… for Sasuke was blushing, too. The two sat there quietly for a little while wondering why they both did that just now. They mumbled amongst themselves then shook their heads.
"Naruto… do you see that?" Sasuke asked, trying to take their minds of what just happened.
"See what?"
"This…" Sasuke held out a gloved hand and a snowflake fell onto it.
"No way!" Naruto screeched as more snow started to fall from the sky. "Those clouds! Where did they come from?! They moved in so fast!"
"Naruto… why did you do that?"
"Wh-what?" The teen's attention turned from the clouds to his friend.
"You kissed me just now…"
"Yea, I did…"
"Why?"
"You mean you didn't want to kiss me?"
"Well…" The coal eyed teen looked to the side for a few seconds then turned back and made a pouty face at Naruto. "I always thought I was superior to you… That's not fair."
"Well tuff luck-- WAAH!! Sasuke!!" Naruto felt himself be tackled down and began laughing as his friend reached in his coat and started tickling him. "Stop… it!" The blonde managed to squeak out between loud fits of laughter.
"Make me!" Sasuke smirked and continued.
"You jerk!"
"Heh, heh, heh…" The teen stopped the tickle attack and kissed Naruto on the forehead before he sat up, coughing only a little bit. "I don't know how you did it, but my cough's not as bad. So uh… Thanks for making me feel better."
"You're welcome…" Naruto blushed and sat up, but not without pulling a wise crack joke. "…darling."
"Don't you ever call me that again. Or you're dead, understand?" Sasuke crossed his arms and gave his friend a pouty glare.
"Looks like you are feeling better!" Naruto laughed.
"I guess I am… heh… Merry Christmas, Naruto."
"Merry Christmas, Sasuke."
Both teenagers smiled. The snow came down thick and heavy, but ever so lightly. It was so calm and beautiful out right now. Needless to say, it was freezing so the two decided it would be best to go back to Naruto's house. Somehow or another, it was snowing out again which made a twinkle spark in both their eyes. They just hoped it wouldn't turn to rain like last year. Strangely, they seemed to know what each other had been thinking just now so they burst out in laughter. "Don't jinx us!" They screeched in unison. As they got off the bench and went on their way, Sasuke asked Naruto something.
"What are the chances that it snows on Christmas?"
"Slim…"
"I mean, what's the percent, Naruto?"
"I… don't know, actually."
They both stared at one another, shrugged and chuckled a bit as they walked home. They knew Sakura was probably waiting for them on Naruto's front porch and they didn't want her to worry. Sasuke took one last look back at the park and smiled softly.
Naruto: Sasuke, I feel all warm and fuzzy! -clings to him, blushing-
Sasuke: Uh... -kind of just stands there blushing-
SS: Aww... isn't that cute? -laughs- So uh... please review if you liked!