Greetings, fellows. Here's chapter 12 for you. I know it took a while, the end of the year is a busy time for me. With the addition of an earthquake and other problems popping up it's been hard to find time for this. I should be able to get writing done faster after Christmas, but I will keep going before then when possible. I do have some future chapters mostly written, but they won't come for a while. Expect forecasts of development in this and the next two chapters, with a hint of snow. There's a little something from japanese culture in this chapter that I wanted to introduce-I thought it appropriate for the scenario and figured it would help the characters bond. Thanks to everyone who left a review, fav and follow, I appreciate it and I'm sorry for taking so long this time around.

Sukki18: I feel touched you liked my story this much. I have read Chipped Mask, and I agree with you that it is an excellent story. The story will have some dark spots, but I don't want to make it too dark. There'll be fluff along the way too. It is sometimes difficult to keep things in order, but I grab onto the brief parts that are available and try to incorporate them. The chapter to do with the Hidden Lock Village stemmed from a small clip, for example.

Eliza: Yeah, this story is a learning experience for me on writing a character. I'm also trying out first-person rather than third-person, so I understand if it's not great. The thoughts of other help me to grow. Thanks for stopping by regardless.

It'd been a few months since the Chunin Exam. Winter had crept up on us, it seemed. Temperatures dropped with the arrival of familiar falling fragments of ice. Sales of winter clothing rose as well. It was customary for most people in the village to don a scarf at least-some shinobi would also wear them. The trailing fabric could be hazardous if it caught something, but for some warmth took priority over safety. The smarter ones would tie the scarves securely so they didn't flap about.

The civilians and children usually wore more layers, me included. I swapped out my usual black jacket for a warmer grey one and protected my hands with matching gloves. Numb or slow hands as a result of cold could be bothersome when training to throw shuriken or practice jutsu. Some days when it was particularly cold, I would wear a blue scarf.

Speaking of training, I had been doing it consistently since the exam. I still somewhat resented myself for the moment of weakness I'd had in my battle with Genma. This motivated me to try and improve my skills so that I wouldn't face another similar slip-up in the future. My main areas of focus were agility, stamina and chakra control. The first two were because I didn't want to lose focus at a critical moment. The latter was more for refinement of the Chakra Leech Jutsu. I found that as time went on and my chakra control slowly got better, I could more easily absorb precise amounts of chakra from my containers.

So, when winter had come, I dedicated myself to training more than ever. One of the bonuses of doing so in winter was that there tended to be more space in the training fields. A lot of people preferred to practice somewhere warmer when it snowed. I was an exception to this rule; I liked the cold and the solace it brought when I needed it. That wasn't to say that I just stood out in the ice all day shivering. Although there was one winter day I found particularly memorable.

"Aunty Kushina, I don't need another layer. Honest."

I was swiftly gulping down some hot chocolate and protesting at the cumbersome brown thing my aunt was waving in front of me.

"You'll get sick if you don't wrap up well. The wind's quite blustery today." replied Kushina, glancing outside through a nearby frosted window

She was right about the weather. Even from inside the house it was easy to hear the low whistle of rushing air. Still, I was determined to go outside and do some practice.

"Aren't ninja meant to get used to bad weather conditions though? It's not like they just stand around waiting for the sun to.."

I trailed off when I caught my aunt's eyes. Their gaze was sharp, unflinching. The message was clear enough to me: Wear. The. Coat.

"..buut then again, warm clothes were developed so our vigilant protectors don't have to get used to the weather."

I smiled in what I hoped was a charming manner and took the heavy fabric. I turned around to put it on, pulling down the hood to hide my frown. The leather was quite thick, a bit old and worn but still usable. I chugged the last of my warm beverage and set the cup down on the table.

Clothing reluctantly on, I gave a quick wave to my aunt and opened the door to the frigid outside world. Snowflakes drifted in front of my face, occasionally blown around by the freezing wind. I was beginning to feel a little grateful for the coat and it's powers of insulation.

Although as I crunched through the snowy pathways it became an annoyance once again. Whenever I turned into the wind the tail of the coat would flap around loudly. On top of that the lashing leather kept whipping at the back of my legs.

By the time I made it to the training fields I was thoroughly ticked off. After entering the gate and picking a sizable area to begin in I promptly ditched the bothersome thing.

I took it off and wrapped the sleeves tightly around a low branch on one of the nearby trees. After tying them in what I thought was a secure knot, I went back towards the training area.

After an hour or so of practicing my chakra control, I was finding it hard to concentrate. While my movements were much more fluid without the heavy cloak I was starting to shiver quite badly. Although my hands were protected by gloves and my neck by a scarf, the cold was not completely negated. Before I could start getting slower I switched to more physical training.

While trying out taijutsu on one of the various log dummies, I was surprised to hear the telltale sound of boots in the snow. The training fields tended to be emptier on cold days. By the time I got curious enough to turn my head all I managed to catch was the end of a green scarf disappearing into the forest. I paused for a moment, then shrugged and turned back to the logs.

After throwing a few shuriken I noticed something in my peripheral vision. I followed my eyes to the branch I'd tied the pesky coat to. It was being flung around madly by the wind as if it wanted to escape. Unfortunately that's precisely what happened. The knot I'd tied was not as tight as I'd thought it to be.

I ran towards the tree frantically, but I was not quick enough. The fabric came free of the branch and was blown backwards through the trees.

'No, I can't lose that. Kushina will kill me!'

I followed the crazed clothing past tree after tree. After finally getting close enough to the demented thing, I made a leap to grab it.

I felt triumphant as my hands closed around one sleeve "Hah! Ye-"

My moment of glory was short-lived. I'd come out into a sort of clearing, but my scarf had somewhat unraveled in the chase. It caught itself on one of the trees fringing the area.

Luckily I didn't choke. The scarf rolled off my neck and I landed with an unceremonious "Ooof!" in the snow beneath.

I pushed myself out of the ground, wiping the melting ice from my face afterwards. After sitting up and blinking my eyes to refocus my vision, I jumped upon noticing someone in front of me. Then sighed in relief when I realized who it was.

"Geez, Obito! You nearly gave me a heart attack..."

"Oh, sorry. I was just training, then I heard you fall over."

My friend smiled sheepishly and offered me a hand. I returned the smile and took it, all-too-familiar blush adorning my cheeks as he pulled me up. I took a moment to take in his attire. He seemed to be wearing one of his regular outfits, with the addition of a green scarf. It was the very same one I'd glimpsed earlier.

I decided to explain myself with some embarrassment "Well.. I fell over because I was chasing this," I shook some stray snow off the troublesome coat "and my scarf snagged on a branch. See, it's up there."

I pointed to the blue fabric flapping about in the breeze. Disturbing images swirled around in my brain as I imagined it attached to a body. I was still grateful it hadn't strangled me to death from the high branch.

Obito's eyes followed my hand. He gazed at the scarf for a few moments before speaking "I could get it for you."

I smiled at the polite gesture, an idea popping into my head "Hmmm.. how about a race instead? We might as well get some exercise out of it."

My friend grinned "All right, you're on!"

I tied the coat around one of the slimmer trees, this time making sure it wouldn't fly away again. After a quick starting count, we shot off up the tree. I started to gain a lead on Obito as seconds ticked by, likely because my chakra control was more refined. His movements along the trunk seemed a bit clumsy.

In practically no time I hopped onto the branch holding my scarf captive. Soon after my friend dropped beside me, signaling I had won the race.

"You're fast, Yoku." Obito commented, readjusting his goggles

"Thanks. Although, I bet if I hadn't been practicing my chakra control you could have beaten me." I replied, stretching across the branch

I grabbed my scarf in both hands, tugging and maneuvering it carefully. It quickly came free-with a loud tearing sound.

I stared blankly at the end of the fabric, now split in two "Oh... oops."

After a moment I shrugged and looped the shortened scarf around my neck a few times. Satisfied that it was secure, I sat down on the wood with a sigh.

"What a day..." the branch moved as Obito sat down next to me

I flicked a glance at him and noticed with some alarm how pale he was. His nose and cheeks were red, perhaps signaling he had a cold.

"Obito, you don't look so good.." I said, face creased in concern

He waved it off "I'm just a little cold. This weather is nothing!"

I became more aware of my own body temperature. I was starting to feel more than "just a little cold." myself.

"If we're not careful, both of us will get sick." I quipped, absently tightening my scarf

"I don't think that-" Obito was about to say something, but stopped

He started to sniff and brought a hand to his face to stifle a sneeze. But before I could say "I told you so.", my friend's other hand slipped.

"Whooa-!"

Thinking quickly, I managed to grab Obito's waist before he completely fell off the tree. Unfortunately this didn't save us. Immediately aware of our close proximity, my face went red as a cherry. My body followed suit and lost it's sense of coordination.

The pair of us plummeted towards the ground shortly after.

I groaned after the impact of landing. I shook my head and blinked to clear the brief dizziness, noting I seemed to be laying on top of something. Or, someone.

I was spread over Obito's torso, and as I scrambled to get up I noticed he was face-down in the snow. I hurriedly grabbed one of his arms and yanked him upwards. A few gasps of air later, he was sitting up.

Both of us were shivering now. My friend sneezed again. I was surprised to find myself doing the same. We shared a laugh for a few moments, seeing the humor in what'd just happened.

"I'm sorry Obito, that was a stupid idea." I sighed and stood up

I heard him reply as I untied the coat and pulled it on "Nah, I thought it was pretty fun.."

I tromped back over to stand beside my friend. Both of us looked up at the tree we had fallen from. There was still a bit of my blue scarf snagged on it.

I heard chattering and turned my head. Obito was rubbing his hands together and shivering worse than I. Although the coat was heavy it was quite well insulated, so I wasn't suffering as badly from the winter wind.

"Are you cold, Obito?" I asked, causing him to turn to me

"W-well, um n-not... y-yeah, a l-little." he admitted with a nod, sneezing again

'This is a big coat.. perhaps it could fit both of us.'

Deciding to be bold, I voiced my idea.

"You know, I think I could give you half my coat. It's big, but warm."

My friend seemed to tense up, his stuttering becoming worse "Th-th-that's ok-kay. I th-think I c-c-can.."

"Dude, come on. I'm not just gonna stand here and let you freeze to death." I deadpanned

I huddled closer to Obito and draped the right side of the coat over him. We were standing waist-to-waist, because although the coat was sizeable it wasn't huge. My nerves skyrocketed, so I just focused on the tree to hopefully avoid a confrontation. My friend's shivering died down as the thick clothing quickly worked its magic.

"Th-thanks."

"Y-yeah well, y'know, glad to help."

An awkward silence lingered for a couple moments. I stopped stewing in emotions after noticing the snow seemed to have gained ferocity.

"Well, um, we should probably head home, y'know. The snow is turning into a blizzard.." I held an arm up to protect my eyes from being assailed

"Oh, yeah," Obito sneezed once more, then took off his half of the coat

I pulled the sleeve back on with a grin "Cmon, let's head back to the training fields."

"I guess I'll see you later then. St-stay warm!" my friend waved with a smile as he walked off

I returned the wave and smile "You too. We both should ease up on training for a bit, at least until these colds go away."

I turned towards home, feeling pleasant despite the occasional sneeze or cough. While scanning the shops as I maneuvered through a market district, the timely arrival of yet another sneeze combined with festive decoration inspired me.

"Hey, sir? What's this.. Daruma doll?"

I was standing in a small gift shop, having made my way in to do some browsing. The shelves boasted many colorful items illuminated by lanterns, one of which I was inquiring about. If my memory proved correct, it would be what I was seeking.

The item I was pointing to was a small and rotund object composed of painted paper mache. The "Body" was bright red and yellow, with a black-and-white face. A small bottle of black paint and a brush sat adjacent it. A thin strip of paper was stuck to the shelf under the doll. It read: "Achieve your goals with the help of Daruma."

The elderly shopkeep answered my question with a friendly smile "Ah, the Daruma doll. It's been part of our history for a very long time. It's a symbol of good luck, something to help you reach your goals," the man paused, pointing at the bottle of ink resting beside the doll "The brush is used to paint eyes on the Daruma with ink. This is how you set your goal and finish it. Painting in one eye is a promise to commit to what you want to do. You paint the second eye when you achieve the goal you set."

The man paused again, giving the doll a poke. To my surprise it did not fall over. Rather, it rocked backwards for a moment before righting itself.

"As you can see, the Daruma keeps itself upright. It symbolizes the ability to endure hardships. Some people believe Daruma can help with overcoming illnesses too."

I regarded the doll with new interest "Wow... thanks, that was quite informative."

"No problem. It's part of my job to pass on the knowledge of the past to the younger generation." the shopkeeper's eyes moved to rest fondly upon a boy tending to the counter, presumably his son

"Well, I know my answer. I'll take it!" I grinned, picking up the doll and it's equipment

I merrily made my way towards the counter, already having picked out a purpose for my purchase.

I grunted, shoving my weight against the wooden door. It wasn't the first time it had gotten stuck-nor would it be the last. I pushed once more, holding tight to the wrapped package in my arms. I gasped in surprise when the door gave way suddenly, almost causing myself and my quarry to tumble onto the floor. I saved myself by shooting an arm out to grab the doorknob, sighing in relief when I felt balanced. I shut the door and stepped inside safely. Or so I thought.

Ironically however, I hadn't been very lucky that day. I had failed to notice the end of my long coat had become trapped beneath the door after I closed it. So when I took a few steps to put down the delicate item, any amount of elegance I had regained fell apart.

Unprepared for the sharp tug pulling me downwards, I did what almost anyone would do-I tripped.

I felt the Daruma fly out of my grasp as I landed with a painful thump on the wooden floor. I slowly looked up after my literal fall from grace, expecting to see a half-crushed bundle. What I did see was nothing of the sort-instead, my aunt stood stretched above me with the thankfully uncrushed Daruma caught in one hand.

I let out another relieved sigh, moving into a sitting position "Thanks.. that was close."

"Yep. Even we shinobi have our clumsy moments," my aunt's eyes moved to focus on what was currently lodged under the door, "hmm. Maybe I should get rid of that thing.." Kushina held her free hand to her chin in thought

Now struggling to pull myself free, I was certainly not opposed to the idea after what I had been put through

"Yes! Please! This stupid," I tugged at it to emphasize the following words "thing, needs. To. Go!"

The coat chose that moment to come free at last. Like some last mocking gesture, it sent me tumbling onto my side. I shot a meaningful look towards Kushina from the floor.

"..I think I see your point."

Some hours later, I sat reading an old book in Kushina's spare bedroom. I had temporarily moved in, since the time of year was about family and people coming together. It was a refreshing change in some ways. A house seemed to hold more life-figuratively-when it was fuller. Even after arguments and spats, at the end of the day it was nice to have companionship.

I turned another page. I was attempting to immerse myself in the text to stop my mind from wandering back towards the gloomy state of my own home. It had started off as a cheerful tale of a small family living in a village. But that didn't last long-I was up to the second chapter and the mother of this family had met her doom. One of the two children had vanished too. I flipped the book around and peeked at the title again. "Brothers".

"Hmm. Well, so much for that."

Failing to escape into the story, I folded the page I was on as a bookmark and tossed the book behind me. It went slightly too far, slipping off the end of the mattress and plunging into the tiny, forsaken gap between the wall and the bed.

I sighed and rubbed my eyes tiredly. I decided to shelve the issue for the night, pulling up the blanket of my bed and wrapping myself in it's welcome warmth. The candle I had been using to read was still burning; I turned over and blew it out.

My eyes stared through the shadows for a moment. Mind wandering, I reflected that I wouldn't like being trapped in darkness. I made a mental note to retrieve the book when I woke up the next day. I snuggled further into the bed, absently listening to the hum of voices somewhere outside my room. My gaze came to rest on the wrapped Daruma sitting on the bedside table.

'Maybe I'll stay here for a little longer.'

I woke the next morning to the howling of a blizzard. Hail pattered against my window and added to the noise. I covered my ears with a pillow and rolled onto my side, still sleepy. The fabric failed to block the assault on my eardrums, so I dropped it and moved myself up off the bed. An examination revealed my bedsheet had become twisted around in the night once again. After tidying up and taking another glance at the raging weather outside, I decided to stay in for a bit and do some reading.

My original idea was one of the ninja art manuals Kushina owned, but the first thing to come into my head was the little storybook I'd left the previous night. I kept true to my promise and bent under the bed to retrieve it.

After about a minute of stretching my arm uncomfortably, I pulled out a dusty but otherwise undamaged wad of paper from it's prison. I brushed it clean and flicked to the page I'd marked. Stretching my stiff limbs, I sat with folded legs and decided I'd finish the next chapter before moving onto some manuals. Though depressing at first, I wanted to see how the tale would end.

'I hope life gets better for this family...'

So, that's the end of the chapter. Some fluff and friendship for you guys. Apologies if there isn't much happening, this is a sort of "Breather" before the next proper arc, which will probably start going in chapter 14. The next chapter covers the end of winter and the Rinne Festival. Also, here's a hint for something that'll happen soon: Yoku's name will have some irony to it come spring. Make of that what you will.

Thanks again to all you amazing readers, I'll see you in the next chapter!