A note from the wolf:

Prepare yourself for a fluffy chapter! :3 On a side note, I changed the rating of this story from K+ to T because things heat up a little more than I anticipated. ;) (especially in Part 4, as you will see in a couple of days!)

Declaimer: The characters in this story belong to Masashi Kishimoto, but this plot is rightfully mine.

Summary: A SasuSaku Christmas special. Sasuke won't attend the Academy Christmas Party but Sakura is determined to keep him company on Christmas Eve... even if it takes getting lost in a blizzard. Can Sakura melt his heart of ice on this special night? Warning: This story will make you feel warm and fuzzy.

Part III theme song: Baby It's Cold Outside

Let It Snow – Part III

Minutes later, Sakura's surroundings transformed. She was roughly pulled through a door and into the entrance of a small house. It was musty, freezing and pitch black, but she was instantly relieved of the onslaught of hail. Her saviour (or kidnapper, for that matter), was indistinguishable. She licked the frost off her thawing lips and spluttered, "Who are... What is...?" but was unable to finish because the person started leading her down the hallway and to a room on the left. She was forced down onto what she assumed was a couch, and before she had a chance to say anything, a dim light flicked on.

The stranger was no longer in the room. Sakura's heart started to pound. Was the stranger hiding? Was this an ambush? She heard a cupboard door open somewhere across the hall, followed by footsteps returning to the room. Sakura reached in her weapons pouch for a kunai and crept back to the doorway. Moments later the stranger returned, and Sakura reached out to pin him to the wall, but a hand snatched her wrist before she could get to him. She froze when she caught sight of his face.

"Is that any way to treat someone who just saved you?" Sasuke asked, raising his eyebrows at her poised knife.

"Sasuke!" Sakura gasped, dropping the kunai onto the floor and withdrawing her hand from his grasp. "I'm sorry I... I... um, thought I was being kidnapped."

"Care to explain what you were doing out there by yourself?" he asked, ignoring her comment and leading her back to the couch. Sakura stared at him, flabbergasted and struggling to grasp the reality of the predicament she was in. He waved a hand in front of her blank stare to break it. "Why aren't you at the party?" he asked, bringing her back to her senses.

"Oh. I left," she said.

"Evidently," he said, his brows furrowing with concern. He handed her an icepack. "Now put that on your head," he instructed. "Based on that answer, I'm guessing your head got hit pretty hard. So why were you out there?"

Sakura rolled her eyes at his insult but held the icepack to a particularly painful spot on her hairline. "I was... looking for you," she said, biting her lip. "To, um, warn you about the storm." She peered up at him sheepishly.

"Stupid," he said, shaking his head, but for a fraction of a second, she thought she saw him smirk. He left the room.

That was when Sakura's brain registered that she must be in Sasuke's flat in the otherwise-abandoned Uchiha residence. Her eyes darted around the room, which she presumed was a living room. It was extremely tidy but colourless and everything was covered in dust. A fireplace that clearly hadn't been touched in years was in the far corner. Why would he ever spend time in here anyways? He used up all his spare time training, so he probably only ever ate and slept in his house.

Preoccupied with her thoughts, Sakura didn't notice Sasuke return until he placed a tray down on the coffee table before her. She jumped with surprise. "You alright?" he asked with genuine concern, raising his eyebrows and settling into an armchair across from her.

"Fine," she said a little distractedly. Sasuke clearly didn't have people in here, if at all. Who knows when he last had company? Sensing his disbelieving stare trained on her, she turned to face him and changed the subject. "So you tried to beat the storm home too, huh?"

"Not exactly," he said, turning away. "I was actually buying something. I got caught in the storm so I took shelter down the road. But then I felt your chakra nearby so I went to find you."

"Oh," Sakura said, touched by his kindness. "Thanks, Sasuke." That was when she realized how freezing she was. When he made comments like that, her face usually grew at least fifty degrees hotter. But not this time.

He shrugged. A chill ran down her spine and she started shaking. "You're cold, huh," Sasuke said, rising to his feet and exiting the room again. Sakura curled up and rubbed her arms with her hands, but instantly discovered that her arms were still in pain. And all at once, she felt throbbing pains running up her shoulders and down her back. She closed her eyes and willed herself to ignore them for now. She was in Sasuke's house for the first time. She wasn't going to let a few bruises ruin this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

When Sasuke returned, he had a blanket and a large hunk of wood in his hands. He'd also changed into a pair of grey sweats and a black t-shirt. He was no longer wearing his forehead protector, causing his unruly black hair to flop into his face. "Drink that," he ordered, nodding towards the mug on the tray before her while setting the log down.

Sakura finally noticed the mug of tea he prepared for her. But before she could thank him or reach for it, he tossed the blanket at her. "Ouff!" she said through a mouthful of fleece. She wrapped it around herself, noticing the little Uchiha crests sewn across it. Her heart was pounding now. Despite the ungracefulness of his gesture, she was impressed by how concerned with her comfort he seemed to be. Now Sasuke was starting up a fire. Once the log was in place and he swept away the dust, he made a few hand seals and breathed a controlled beam of fire into the fireplace. The log immediately burst into flames.

Now that it was illuminated by the light of the fire, Sakura couldn't pull her eyes away from his handsome profile. Her body was aching and she was still feeling dizzy, but maybe this wouldn't end up being such a bad night after all. Sasuke suddenly stood and turned in her direction and Sakura quickly redirected her longing gaze. "So I don't really have company over. Ever," he said seriously. "But the storm isn't letting up and I'm not sending you out there so I guess you're stuck here. And I'm not planning any celebrations or anything, so I'm sorry if this wasn't the Christmas Eve you had in mind." He turned and stalked back across the hallway to the kitchen.

Sakura stared after him with wide eyes. Was it her imagination or was Sasuke... self-conscious? Was he really that concerned about her having a good night? Or was he just trying to prevent her from complaining in the future? Well, probably the latter. But still.

She slipped off the couch, keeping the blanket wrapped tightly around her, and followed him to the kitchen. She found him at the counter chopping up vegetables. He glanced up when she entered then turned his gaze back to the cutting board. "Making a snack," he mumbled.

He definitely was uneasy about something. "I like your place," she said encouragingly. "It's very... er, clean."

"It's not much," he said while Sakura started snooping around the kitchen. She spotted a small paper bag on the table.

"Is this what you bought? What is it?" she asked, picking up the package to examine it. As quick as a flash, Sasuke appeared before her and snatched the bag away.

"Nothing," he said quickly and shoving it in his pocket. "Want some salad?" he added, attempting to change the subject. It didn't work.

"Well it must be something," she said with a smirk, her curiosity peaking. "Why are you hiding it from me?" He determinedly ignored her and returned to the counter to prepare the salad bowls. But his concentration on the salads proved to be a little too intense because Sakura snatched the bag right out of his pocket.

He stared at her nervous grin in disbelief. He sighed. "Well if you want to see that badly then whatever." But before he even got the words out, Sakura started unraveling the mystery item. She tipped the bag to the side and an object the size of her hand landed on her palm. It was a five-pointed red star with gold edges. A tree topper?

It was then Sasuke's hand snuck around her and pried the star out of her grasp. "Satisfied?" he asked coldly. "Don't get your mind all worked up. It's not like I'm going to use it. I only bought it for sentimental reasons."

"You were going to decorate a tree?" she asked in amazement.

"I'm not going to use it," he repeated with frustration.

"Then why did you buy it?"

"I got it because... I just wanted to..." He paused and peered at her over his shoulder in deep contemplation. "Go to the other room. I'll show you."

Sakura obeyed and her mind started racing. What was he up to? Show her what? She plopped herself down by the fire and waited, sipping her tea. He returned a few minutes later with a large, dust-covered (like most other things he owned) cardboard box. He tore off the lid and started rummaging through it. "It's here somewhere," he muttered. Sakura caught sight of shiny and sparkly objects rolling around in the box.

"Are those decorations?" she asked, springing to her feet. His back was to her, but she noticed his ears turn red. He didn't say anything. She peered over his shoulder into the box. It had everything he needed to spruce the place up for the holidays: garland, tree ornaments, tinsel, holy, Christmas lights, porcelain figurines, stockings, and was that... mistletoe? "Do you have a tree?" she asked.

"Downstai- ... No." He finally stood and turned to face her with an old leather-bound book in his hand. "It's in here," he said, more to himself than to her, and started flipping through the dust-covered pages. "Ah," he said after a couple of flips. He turned the book around so she could see the page.

It was a photo album. Sakura squinted at the fading, grainy image, and felt her heart stop when she processed what she was looking at. It was an image of Sasuke's family. His parents were standing side-by-side with their arms around each other. A tiny Sasuke, no older than two or three years old, was propped up on his older brother's shoulders clutching a red star. Sakura felt a rush of sadness when she noticed how still and serious Sasuke had become. She opened her mouth to ask about the star, but he answered before she could form the words. "I lost it," he said quietly. "Just wanted a replacement."

Sakura gazed at his face. He was staring straight at the picture with an unreadable expression. And it might have been a trick of the fire's light, but his eyes seemed glossier than usual. She reached out and patted his arm gently. "How about we put up a tree together? In honour of the new star?" she asked with a small, hopeful smile.

"I wasn't planning to decorate," he said flatly.

"It could be a fun way to pass time," she added, tilting her head towards his line of vision to meet his gaze. His dark eyes flickered towards hers. He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before letting out a long sigh of defeat. Sakura nodded her head encouragingly. "And I promise not to tell anyone."

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Sasuke muttered and heaving the artificial tree onto rug in the middle of the living room floor. He stepped back and folded his arms. "There. I got it for you. I hope you're happy." He snatched her empty mug and turned towards the kitchen.

She shot him a quizzical look. "You aren't going to put the ornaments up?" she asked.

He glanced at her over his shoulder with an expression that could only mean "Are you serious?" and he continued to the kitchen.

Fine. FINE, Sakura thought. She would do it. She would decorate Sasuke's living room. He might kill her for it, but she wasn't about to let him ruin her Christmas Eve.

At around ten o'clock, forty minutes after Sasuke brought up the tree, his living room was completely transformed. Figurines, garland and tinsel lined the mantle above the fire and the windowsill, holly was tucked in every corner of the room, a Christmas-themed floor mat was placed before the fire (beneath where Sasuke's stocking was hanging), mistletoe was hanging near Sasuke's front door (which Sakura ensured he didn't know about), and the tree was covered in twinkling white lights and Christmas bulbs. Sakura stepped back to admire her work. She clapped her hands proudly. The room was significantly homier already.

Sasuke finally returned to the living room after forty minutes of eating salad and whatever else he was doing in his kitchen, which was probably anything and everything to avoid entering the living room. His eyebrows shot up when he caught sight of Sakura's work. "You actually put it all up," he remarked, slowly shaking his head and blinking at his now-festive living room.

"Not everything," she said, holding out the red and gold star. She noticed it sparkle in the light of the fire. "It's beautiful," she whispered. Sasuke, who was now pacing around the room uncomfortably, didn't seem to hear her last comment. He was eyeing all of the decorations with a mixture of contempt and familiarity. "Would you like to put this up?" she asked.

He froze in his tracks. "It's probably better if you do it," he said. But he joined her by the tree. Sakura nodded and stood up. After a quick glance up to the top of the tree, she knew she wouldn't be able to reach it.

"Er, Sasuke?" she asked.

"Yeah?" he answered quickly without looking at her.

"I can't reach." He straightened up and stared at her blankly. "If it's no trouble, can I please grab a chair from the kitchen?"

Sasuke's slightly unfocused eyes were trained on her face. He pierced his lips and seemed to be contemplating something. Sakura felt a little nervous. After several long moments, he finally spoke. "No," he said, breathing heavily out his nose. "You can get up on my shoulders."

Her heart started pounding when she realized what he was asking. Sasuke wanted her to help him recreate a memory from his past. Based on what he revealed in the photo album, this is something he did with his brother when his family was still alive. "Ok," she said softly and handing him the star.

He moved between her and the tree and squatted so she could easily climb up onto his back. She grabbed his shoulders and hoisted herself onto him. He didn't move at first, and with a rush of embarrassment, she vaguely wondered if she heard him wrong and he didn't intend for her to jump up on him like this. But then he glanced at her over his shoulder and said, "Well? Keep going."

She lifted one leg up to place on his shoulder, and when she started losing her balance, he extended his hand for her to hold for support, which she graciously accepted. She finally made it all the way up on his shoulders and he handed her the star. "Ok, here I go!" she said, grinning, and reaching for the treetop. Once the star was on, Sasuke stepped back to inspect the tree.

"Good," he said quietly without moving. It all felt very intimate as they gazed up at the tree. Sakura could only wonder what kinds of memories were triggered in Sasuke's mind. Something about this moment seemed to be taking him back to his past, and Sakura sat as motionless as possible, hoping not to disturb him. But despite her efforts, a small twitch in her leg seemed to pull him back to reality, and he seemed to realize that Sakura was still on his shoulders and he still had a firm grip on her hand.

"Right," he said, quickly releasing it. In a swift, sudden motion, he spun around and took a step back, so he was facing her as she slipped off his shoulders. He immediately caught her by the waist and gently set her down. They stared directly into each other's eyes. Sakura couldn't read his expression, but if she had to guess, he was probably either confused or amazed. Sakura broke the silence.

"Well, I guess I should finally go and eat my salad now, huh?" she asked quietly with a small smile.

He blinked several times. "Oh. Yes, I put it in the fridge. Come on." He led her to the kitchen and prepared a spot for her at the table. Meanwhile, Sakura found his radio and turned on some Christmas music.

He shot her an unimpressed look. "Just setting the mood!" she said, grinning innocently. He shook his head but didn't turn the music off. Then Sakura wandered over to the window. Through the darkness, she noticed that the hail had stopped and now the freezing rain was reduced to a drizzle. "Well things are picking up out there," she said, folding her arms.

"Yeah," he agreed, joining her at the windowsill.

"I guess I could head home soon," she said thoughtfully. "I won't get pummelled by ice."

"Why?"

Sakura glanced in his direction with her eyebrows raised. "I don't want to impose on you any more than I have to," she said honestly but with a tinge of sadness because she really was enjoying her time here.

He shrugged, still gazing out the window. "I don't mind," he said. She ogled at him. "And well... it's probably slippery out there. And the hail might start up again. I don't want to have to go out and find you for the second time in one night."

"Okay fine then. I'll stay," Sakura said, faking annoyance in her tone and letting out a long sigh. She blew her cover by giggling though, and Sasuke just shook his head and smirked. They continued gazing out the window in silence and the music on the radio became audible. A Christmas song called Baby It's Cold Outside was playing.

I've got to get home – Oh baby you'll freeze out there

Say, lend me your coat – It's up to your knees out there

You've really been grand – The thrill when you touch my hand

Why don't you see? – How can you do this thing to me?

Sasuke cleared his throat and immediately turned away from the window. "Alright, eat up now," he said as he stalked out of the room.

I love Baby It's Cold Outside! Definitely one of my favourite Christmas songs. And how do you like my salad reference? ;)

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it. The fluffiest chapter of all will be the fourth and final chapter, which I will have ready in the next couple of days!

I would LOVE to hear what you think, so please leave me a review! And if you'd like to see what I'm up to, follow me on here and check out my blog on Tumblr!

Thanks for reading!