PASSING SEASONS
Harmonies of Winter
If the last season was slightly cold, winter was practically unbearable. Sakura liked it mostly, because it brought magnificent views with it, and forced people to stay inside and enjoy long dinners and hot drinks, avoiding going outside for as long as possible. People spent their time together in warm places and slept longer in the morning for the darkness kept them in their dreams longer. Winter brought joys as well as awful pains with it – such as the nasty cold that Sakura had the luck to experience on her own skin right now. She could hear her teeth clatter against each other as the cold shook her whole body. Her fingers were numb, and she long forgot how it felt like to feel her toes. Her thick winter coat didn't do much, even if she was clad in five pieces of clothing underneath it. Even her gloves felt like ice on her hands. Her dripping nose only made matters worse and she could feel her whole face burn in pain of the cold. To make the matters worse, it was heavily snowing. She could hardly see her hands in front of her.
All right, not true. It wasn't that bad. And she and Naruto have been outside for less than fifteen minutes. Only it felt like a lifetime. They were currently walking through the village, moving so slowly that they hardly even moved at all – that's what happens if the wind and snow want you to stay still. The whole village was covered in thick white, while snowflakes didn't seem to stop falling any time soon. It was only mid-day and yet it seemed it would be getting dark in just a few hours. Naruto and Sakura were supposed to go shopping for the winter festival that was just around the corner. As so often, the elders made them do all the work, while they would stay in and have a drink. While the two of them fumed because of the unfair treatment, they couldn't help but admire the beautiful view winter presented them with. Children's loud screams and laughing echoed around the area, as the young ones played outside in the snow, building snowmen and igloos, and had snow fights. It reminded them all too much of their childhood. Not that they stopped playing in the snow now that they were a little older – it was just that… today seemed far too uncomfortable to do anything beside cosying up inside the house near the fire with a hot mug of tea in hand.
In the middle of the road, both of them stopped and looked at each other, and without words understood that they were both the same opinion. ''Going outside was such a bad idea.'' For a second they contemplated about what to do, but soon they were nodding at each other, and with new power started running towards Naruto's flat that was the closest. Who in their right mind would want to stay out in this cold and shop? Not them, that's for sure.
With new determination, they made their way through the almost empty village – the majority inside in their warm homes. Only the loud children were a sign of life. Sakura and Naruto were just passing them, smiling at their enthusiastic and energetic power to not notice the cold and enjoy playing around in the snow. Thick hats and scarfs around their neck made it impossible to recognise who they were, only their voices were distinguishable. Sakura knew them all; far too many times did she have to heal a scratch or broken leg from falling off tall trees. She sometimes even found weird things in their noses and throats – children were simply way too curious and sneaky for their own good.
Sakura and Naruto were about to pass them, when suddenly they felt snowballs hitting their back. They stopped. ''Not so fast.'' Someone said behind them and they turned around, only to come face to face with cheeky little grins and sparkling, mischievous eyes above cheeks, coloured red by the cold. Naruto went immediately into his boyish mode, grinning right back, and Sakura was just about to protest, wanting to whine about going inside, but it was way too late, for the snowballs were already flying. She squealed when the first hit her straight in the face, but quickly closed her mouth because the snow was already inside.
''This means war!'' she heard Naruto laugh, and she wiped her face to get rid of the snow, and glanced at him. He wasn't next to her anymore, but running after the cheeky girls and boys, laughing hysterically. For a moment she contemplated to just turn away and walk into his flat, but she was already grinning and following him, gathering some snow in her hands, before she could really set her plan to escape home in action. ''You're going to pay!'' she yelled, throwing snowball after snowball at the children and running after them. It seemed the little brats were ready for something like this because they had a strategy to hide behind their snow walls they had built before and exchange some kind of coded messages to each other, and Naruto and Sakura had no chance. They laughed helplessly as they ended up lying in the snow next to each other, the children burying them into the snow.
''No! Not inside my coat!'' Sakura yelled in protest, while laughing helplessly and feeling the cold wet snow drip down her naked skin underneath as her clothes weren't able to help her anymore.
''Now we only need a carrot, and you'd be perfect snowmen!'' one of the girls exclaimed, as all of them got slightly tired of running around. They were now sitting around Naruto and Sakura, while the two of them were still lying on the snow. ''Idiot! To be snowmen, they need to stand. They can only make snow angels like this!'' one of the boys exclaimed, but was hit on the shoulder by another girl, most probably by his sister, for calling others names. The boy quickly apologized and started brushing off snow of Naruto, while a few others did the same to Sakura.
''Let's make snow angels!'' and soon they found this activity way more interesting than anything else and Sakura and Naruto followed their lead. At one point, Sakura stopped in her movements and focused on the sight above her. The sky was dark blue with thick snowflakes falling, and the wind dancing around her ears. She could feel the cold underneath her, and she could hear the giggles and chatting around her as the children had fun, and when she glanced to her side, she caught Naruto's eyes that looked at her at the same time, and suddenly, she didn't feel cold at all. Her cheeks coloured with fresh heat and her heart caught up with her rushed breathing from all those activities in the snow. Here they were, lying in the snow near each other, snow angel shapes underneath as the snowflakes gently caressed her tender cheeks. The harmony of children's laughing, wind rushing and the crisp cold, entangled with Naruto's eyes twinkling with unspoken emotions, and his soft breaths coming out in thick puffy clouds, made her fall in her daze again, her hands itching to touch Naruto's cheeks and feel if they were as hot as hers. She only caught sight of Naruto's hand in the last moment, before his fingers grazed her cheeks gently, his breathing shaky and his smile gone, replaced by an intensity of his expression, as if he was determined to make a step he needed a long time to persuade himself to make. Her breath hitched in the sudden anticipation.
''Naruto-san!'' one of the boys called suddenly, and his hand disappeared back to his side. Sakura pretended she didn't feel any disappointment. Naruto stood up, shaking off snow and pulling Sakura to her feet. He quickly let go for her hand.
''Let's make a big snowman!'' another of the children exclaimed, as if they all just agreed what to do next. Another boy took Sakura's hand, and when she looked at him, he wore such an innocent expression, she was almost tricked to believe he was an angel. He quickly grinned, pulling her with him and making her help him with the snowman. Sakura chuckled, still a little shaken from the impact of the sudden rush of emotions she felt a moment before, but agreed to help out. ''But only one. Naruto and I will return home after, because we're not wearing appropriate clothes and we're dripping wet from the snow. We don't want us to get sick, do we? I can't treat you in case you have to go to the hospital tomorrow if I'm sick myself, can I?'' she smiled at the girl next to her, fixed her hat back on her head as it hung to the side. The girl nodded, concerned for her nin a little, and quickly helped out making the snowman. Sakura could feel Naruto's eyes on the back of her head, but this time she didn't dare to turn around. Her heart needed a time out.
''Ok, let's do this.'' She heard him say, before he chuckled and made a big snowball in a minute. The group was in awe at his incredible skills, and Sakura allowed herself to admire him a little, smiling gently at his enthusiastic approach. They completed the snowman a few minutes later; it was a huge fat one, still missing his hat and nose, but a girl ran home a few minutes before and came now running back with a huge carrot. Naruto took her in his arms and held her high up so she could put the carrot on the snowman's face. He laughed at her happy squealing and let her go as a boy came running back from home with a big old pot, and once again, he lifted the child up and helped him put the improvised hat on their snowman. He was once again beautiful – Sakura thought, watching the blonde fox. Happy and caring, just like he always had been. He was incredible.
The next few minutes everyone admired their work, before the children became impatient again, and started playing tag, falling into the heaps of snow when they ran too fast. Sakura could feel her body shaking now, and she looked at Naruto to see if he was ready to go. He was still gazing at the playing children before he turned to her again, a big smile playing on his lips. ''Ready to go?''
''More than ever.'' She whined, grabbing his arm and pulled him with her, yelling a goodbye to the children, who threw snowballs at them in their cheeky goodbye. Naruto and Sakura escaped quickly and rushed into his flat, practically throwing themselves into the warmth of Naruto's kitchen.
''That was fun.'' He grinned as he started taking out vegetables from his storage room and pulled out a big pot from his cupboard and started preparing a soup. ''Yeah, it was. But next time we should really expect it and wear something waterproof.'' Sakura shuddered, helping him out, but he shooed her into the bathroom to take a hot bath. ''I'll follow you if you don't go right now!'' he joked and laughed as she squealed and locked the door behind her. She smiled to herself, a little flustered and embarrassed, but mostly quite happy as she warmed herself in hot water. She didn't take her time because she knew Naruto needed a hot bath as much as she did. She rushed out as she was finished, a fresh set of clothes on her that she had ready in his flat for whenever she wasn't able to go home. They had this weird habit of staying at each other's places sometimes, simply talking through the night or just eating dinner together, then conveniently forgetting the time and sleep on the emergency futon they both had in their closet.
As soon as she was out of the bathroom, she pushed the protesting boy out of the kitchen and continued cooking where he was forced to stop. The soup was nicely simmering and smelled incredibly good as they were both warm and cosy at the table, drinking tea, listening to the evening singing of monks outside and chatting about the day. Occasionally they stared through the big windows, admiring the wonderful view of falling snowflakes onto the now quiet village, already illuminated by late afternoon lights, for it was already dark. The pure white snow twinkled in the lights, settling the feeling of calmness around the area, and Sakura could not help herself but get lost in the beauty. She didn't realize she was in a quiet daze until she felt Naruto's eyes on her again. Embarrassed, she avoided his eyes, quickly standing up, rushing to the kitchen and taking out their matching bowls for the soup. She prepared a big portion for him and a smaller one for herself and carried them one by one to the table.
''Thanks.'' Naruto smiled, fetching chopsticks and two spoons for them. They took their time eating, chatting and joking about their friends, and made plans for the next days, while sounds of soft music echoed through the village from the temple, and the snowflakes danced in the sky, drawing patterns no one understood but everyone admired. Sakura didn't let herself daze off again – it happened far too often when she was with Naruto.
It became harder to pretend that the tension between them and all those sparkles flying whenever they caught each other's eyes, touched, or even just fell into that cosy little silence, were still just a figment of her imagination.
It wasn't scary, not with Naruto, but it was a new sensation, and she just wanted to enjoy its reflection first before trying to dive in. She would give herself a little more time.