Good day, dear readers. I have another new chapter for you today - this one's a bit shorter, but it sets up the coming chapters nicely. As much as it saddens me to say this, it's definitely the beginning of the end for our heroes. There's only five or six chapters left, with an epilogue planned, until this story reaches its conclusion. Yes, I also know that an ending is long overdue - what can I say, I'm selfish and wanted to have some more fun with these characters.

Anyway, as usual, thank you all for reading and reviewing, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

50. Freshly Fallen, Silent Shroud of Snow

A young Sasuke stood in the middle of the small island near the Uchiha mansion, surrounded by trees. His eyes were closed, and in his hand he held a small, rubber ball. A breeze blew by, rustling the leaves and causing his black hair to blow to the side.

Then he heard it – the snapping of a twig. Hurriedly, he spun around and chucked the rubber ball into a nearby bush. A moment later, a smiling Itachi emerged, rubbing his cheek.

"Well, you got me."

Itachi tilted his head to the side as he dropped the ball in his little brother's hand. "Now what makes you say that? You think I wanted to get hit in the face like that?"

"Because you always win when we play ninja. The only way I could beat you was if you let me win."

Itachi bent down and stared his brother in the eye. "Well, well… aren't you the observant one? I guess you got me."

"I knew it," Sasuke said, turning his head to the side in frustration.

"Okay, so I let you win that time. You know what, though? There's more to being a ninja than being able to listen well. You also have to be able to deceive others, and to be able to see through others' deception. Today, you were the better ninja in that respect."

Sasuke's eyes brightened. "R-really?"

"You bet. Now, what do you say we head home for dinner?" Itachi asked, turning his back to the younger Uchiha. "Come on, I'll give you a ride."

Hopping onto his brother's back, Sasuke was positively beaming as they headed back to the canoe tied up on the shore. They then rode back to the mainland, where Sasuke raced up to the mansion while Itachi secured the canoe to the dock. Upon stepping inside the house, however, he heard voices coming from the kitchen, causing him to grin mischievously.

Time to put those ninja skills to the test…

Sidling along the wall, Sasuke stood at the edge of the kitchen and listened as his parents spoke in hushed tones.

"Are you sure about this, dear? Isn't there any other way?" his mother asked.

"There was another way, but unfortunately that option's no longer on the table. Obito would've been a perfect candidate, too… his death was truly unfortunate," Mr. Uchiha replied, sounding rather frustrated.

"But… he's our son. What if… I mean, there's only a 25% chance…"

"What other choice do we have?" Sasuke's dad exclaimed, pounding his fist on the table. "If the Sharingan Project fails, we're finished! We have to take that chance!"

His heart palpitating, Sasuke suddenly felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder. Glancing up, he found a very serious-looking Itachi staring into the kitchen. He cleared his throat. "Mom, Dad – we're back."

The Uchiha parents were quiet for a moment before their father finally spoke. "I see. Go wash up, then – dinner will be ready soon."

After hurrying along to the bathroom, Sasuke stood beside his brother at the sink, washing his hands and arms thoroughly. He felt scared, for reasons he did not quite understand. "Itachi? Do you know what Mom and Dad were talking about in there?"

The elder Uchiha paused. "Yes, I do… and it's nothing you need to worry about, okay?"

"Will you tell me?"

Smiling, Itachi poked his brother in the forehead. "Sorry, Sasuke. Maybe next time…"

XXXXX

Sasuke awoke moments later with a headache. He hadn't been sleeping well for the past few weeks, after his visit with Itachi. Every time he closed his eyes, it seemed, his mind inevitably drifted back to their happier childhood days. It wasn't unusual for Sasuke to dream about his past like this, but under the circumstances the visions were not particularly welcome. Every morning, they left the Uchiha troubled and confused as he tried to fathom just what had driven his brother to murder their parents.

Of course, Sasuke only wished that his dreams were the extent of his problems. Gazing out his window to the snowy landscape below, however, it became increasingly clear that other pressing matters needed to be dealt with. Exams would be coming up before too long, with Christmas following not far behind. The exams were an easy enough fix – he just actually had to sit down and study for an hour or so per subject, and he'd pass with flying colors. Christmas was another matter entirely, though – Sasuke had realized the week before that he would have to enlist some help, and since he had yet to talk with Gaara about their little fight, he figured he could kill two birds with one stone.

Sitting up in bed, Sasuke gazed around the freshly painted bedroom. He had done a decent job of making it a close replica of his old room in the Uchiha mansion. Blue walls, blue bedspread, speakers in the corners, sword on the wall – it felt like home. Throwing his legs over the side, Sasuke scratched his bare midriff and adjusted his black boxers as he stood up. It was only then that he actually looked at the time on his clock – it was 12:30.

Shit! I was supposed to meet Gaara half an hour ago!

Hurriedly, Sasuke threw on some clothes and picked up his cell phone. Not surprisingly, there were several texts from Gaara, each less polite than the last, with the last message simply reading "…". Cringing, Sasuke pocketed the phone and rushed out of his room, where he nearly ran headfirst into the very redhead in question.

"You're late, Uchiha," Gaara said, his arms crossed impatiently.

"Umm… sorry about that. I didn't sleep well last night," Sasuke admitted embarrassedly. "Hope you weren't waiting too long."

"It's okay – I really wanted to spend my Saturday sitting at the bus stop," the redhead said before turning towards the stairs. "I finally decided to come over to see if you were alive."

"Didn't mean to worry you," the Uchiha replied as he followed Gaara down the stairs.

Glancing back over his shoulder, Gaara raised an eyebrow. "Who said anything about being worried?"

Sasuke felt a sinking feeling in his gut. If he hadn't been sure about Gaara's feelings towards him before, he certainly was now. He wondered why he was even bothering trying to make peace with the other teen. For all Sasuke knew, Gaara would always view him as a rival in love and nothing other than that. He felt that he'd never be anything but an obstacle for Gaara to overcome on his way to Naruto – either that, or he just really, really hated Sasuke. Both were distinct possibilities.

After they had bundled up with their winter gear – a black jacket, boots, and a blue scarf for Sasuke, and a red coat with a matching stocking cap for Gaara – they stepped outside, the snow crunching under their feet. At first, Sasuke wasn't sure what to say, so he instead observed the scenery of Konoha in December. There were a few rabbit tracks in the middle of the yard, their imprint just visible on the dusty snow as the sun shined down above. A bitter wind blew by, causing Sasuke to wrap the scarf around his neck more tightly as he and Gaara stepped onto the slushy sidewalk.

To Sasuke's surprise, it was then that Gaara broke the silence with a forced cough. "Uchiha… I'm sorry. About what happened at the party, that is…"

"That's partly why I wanted to meet you today… I wanted to apologize, too. It was wrong of me to play with your emotions like that," Sasuke said, staring down at the path before him. "I know it can't be easy for you… I mean, I got jealous just at the thought of you taking Naruto from me. For you to have to sit by and watch, though… it can't be easy."

Gaara chuckled. "It's easier than you'd think. Lee helps."

"You love him, don't you?"

"More than I'd like to admit," Gaara replied, staring skyward. "I guess it's hardly fair of me to want them both, isn't it?"

"You can't really control how you feel," Sasuke concluded, glancing over at the other teen. "If you love them both, there's not much you can do about that."

"I know… but I can control my actions. I knew exactly what I was doing at that party, and it wasn't right. I wanted to sabotage your relationship… but I understand that now. I'll back off."

"You brought up a good point, though. I was hiding things from Naruto – I guess I needed you to help me recognize that. So… thanks for that," the Uchiha said, his cheeks burning slightly, and not just from the cold wind.

"And I guess I have to thank you, too. I was trying to ignore those feelings I still had for Naruto, hoping they'd just go away as I grew closer to Lee. You made me confront that part of myself, though… it helped me make a decision."

"So… you've made a choice?" Sasuke asked, his breath forming a cloud before him. "Between Naruto and Lee, that is?"

"You could say that, yes. Lee… he cares about me so much. I want to return that kind of love, and I can't do that if I'm still longing for Naruto."

Sasuke remained silent for a moment as the duo approached the bus stop. As luck would have it, the bus was already there waiting for passengers, and so they hopped on, taking a seat near the window in the back. It was then that the Uchiha decided to come clean.

"Gaara… there was another reason I wanted to meet with you today."

"I know," Gaara replied simply, a slight smile crossing his lips. "I take it you want me to help you find a gift for Naruto?"

Sasuke was stunned. "H-how did you know?"

"Why else would you want to meet me at the mall? You don't seem like the type to just hang out with so many people around," the redhead explained somewhat smugly. "Sure, I'll help you. I'll consider this penance, I guess."

Staring out the window as they headed further downtown, passing many people bundled up on the sidewalks, Sasuke sighed. "I… I just don't know what to get him. I don't want to get him just anything… it has to mean something."

"Well, let's start with what he likes. You know that much, right?" Gaara asked, resting his head on the back of the seat.

"Of course I do!" Sasuke replied indignantly, only to pause a moment as he tried to think of a good response. "He likes the color orange… that was the first thing he told me about himself. Umm… he likes foxes, ramen, and videogames…"

"Okay, that's nice, but none of that really means anything, does it? You're not going to get him a big bowl of ramen for Christmas – doesn't really show a lot of thought on your part." Gaara rubbed his chin, realizing that he wasn't getting through to the Uchiha. "Look at it this way – I know Lee loves martial arts, but I didn't get him a mouth guard. Instead, I found something that summed up our relationship."

"And what exactly would that be?"

The redhead chuckled. "It wouldn't mean anything to you, Uchiha. It's something between us… something that we both hold dear." Seeing Sasuke's continued stare, Gaara sighed. "If you must know, though, it's a teddy bear – an old one that I had buried in the attic. He gave me his old bear when I was in the hospital… you see? It's significant for us."

Sasuke frowned. He couldn't think of any particular item that exemplified the relationship between him and Naruto. They had places more than they had particular objects. There was their bridge in the park, their time at Lake Konoha, the sauna at the Uchiha mansion, the showers at school, Naruto's bedroom – places where they came together, both physically and emotionally. But that didn't lead to a good gift – Sasuke couldn't give Naruto a bridge, at least not anymore, after losing most of his fortune.

Damn… why couldn't Itachi have waited until after Christmas to get himself arrested?

The Uchiha shook his head. That was not the way to think about this situation – it shouldn't matter that he no longer had a great amount of money to spend on a gift. He should be able to find something meaningful regardless of his budget.

Come on… there has to be something! The only thing that we really had between the two of us was that project for Kakashi's class… everything else has been some sort of event that can't really be defined by an object…

"Gaara… would something handmade work, you think?"

"Of course it would – those are oftentimes the best gifts of all," Gaara replied, glancing over at his companion. "I take it you have something in mind?"

A smile crossing his lips, Sasuke nodded as the bus rolled to a stop. "I do… and, unfortunately, it's nothing I can find at the mall."

Groaning, Gaara leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, a similar smirk gracing his features. "Fine. Just remind me of this the next time you want me to waste a Saturday."

"Will do."

XXXXX

Across town, Naruto Uzumaki was having the exact opposite problem as his boyfriend. While Sasuke was confident in his studies but struggling to find a gift, Naruto had already completed his Christmas shopping, if only to put off studying as long as possible. With exams coming up quickly, however, the blond was now struggling to catch up on reading and trying to force foreign concepts into his head. The result was a very strong headache as he lay on the floor in his apartment across from Kiba, who was chewing on the end of his pencil while examining an open textbook.

Okay, Naruto, focus. It's just advanced algebra… which you have failed to study for the past month. That's okay, though – how hard could it be?

Staring down at the next question on his study guide, Naruto felt a cold sweat run down his face. There were two boxes sitting side by side, one labeled 'A,' the other 'B.' The question read, "Find the value of matrix AB." Scratching his head, the blond quickly scribbled "the red pill" and moved onto the next question.

Unfortunately, the next question also involved matrices, a concept Naruto had apparently slept through over a multiple week period. He frowned. Sasuke was going to kill him when Naruto asked him to explain it later. Glancing up, he found Kiba looking similarly frustrated.

"Any luck?" Naruto asked with a heavy sigh.

"Are you kidding? I can't understand a word of this garbage," Kiba replied before gently stroking Akamaru's fur beside him. "Maybe if I had a chance to study at our meets I'd be fine, but Gai forbids it – says class is an unnecessary distraction from the important world of athletics."

"How does he still have a job again?"

"I think Principal Tsunade's afraid to fire him – I mean, he's about as far from stable as you can get."

"Well, I don't understand any of this, either. At least I can understand history and English… I just have to sit down and read it," Naruto said, closing his textbook with contempt. "Science and math, though… it's beyond me."

Kiba looked up at his roommate with a devilish grin. "Study break?"

"You bet."

Standing up in unison, Naruto and Kiba rushed over to the couch, where they both picked up a controller. Within a matter of seconds, they were in a heated game of Soul Calibur while Akamaru looked on, barking supportively. While their respective characters wailed on each other, Naruto decided to fill the silence with some casual conversation.

"So, any luck with Miss Hinata?"

"Not really, no. I tried talking to her once between classes, but it's like that Neji has eyes in the back of his head," Kiba replied as his character threw Naruto's over the edge of a cliff. "I really didn't want to get kicked in the balls again, so as soon as I saw him coming I took off."

"I'm sure Hinata was really impressed by that," Naruto said with a smirk. "What makes you think she's interested in you, anyway?"

"Dude, she's seen me naked. Who wouldn't be interested?"

"I rest my case," the blond teased as a new match began.

"Look, you weren't there. When we were talking in the hallway, though, there was definitely something there. She was so embarrassed, but she couldn't look away. I don't know… I never really noticed her before, but from the way she was talking it sounded as if she had been watching me for years."

"Well, you can be a bit thick…"

"That's what she said."

Ignoring his friend's remark, Naruto grinned as he slashed Kiba's character in half. "Okay, let's say she was into you – how do you plan on getting around Neji? It's not like he's going to just ignore you. He's obviously protective of her. You're going to have to confront that eventually."

"And what do you suggest I do, huh? Buy him flowers?" Kiba asked wryly. "The guy hates my guts – no amount of buttering up is going to change that."

"Who said anything about buttering up?"

Kiba paused the game just as he character was knocked skyward. "What'chu talkin' 'bout, Naruto?"

"Look, you tried talking with Neji, and he kicked you in the nuts. I hardly think a guy who's willing to kick a naked guy like that is going to listen to reason. Christmas is coming up soon – if you're going to make any headway with Hinata, you'll have to get her a gift. To do that, though, you'll have to show Neji that he can't stand between the two of you."

"Okay… so what do I have to do?"

Naruto grinned. "Kick his ass, of course."

The blood drained from Kiba's face as he spun to face his roommate. "You can't be serious. The guy's a black belt! He'd mop the floor with me!"

"I never said it would be easy, but Neji's not going to let up unless you give him a reason to."

"And you think fighting him is the way to do it? How the hell does that make sense? I love your cousin, and if you have a problem with that, I'll punch you until you don't?"

"Look, Kiba, you're thinking about this like a normal person. That's not who Neji is, though – he's out of his freakin' mind. He thinks he's better than everyone else because of fate. Therefore, only people that he deems worthy would be good enough for Hinata. You just have to show him that fate favors you more than him."

"Do I have to remind you? He's a black belt. He probably knows 20 different ways to kill me with just his pinky finger."

Without a word, Naruto reached over for Kiba's controller and unpaused the game. Before the dog-boy could react, Naruto had already thrown Kiba's character off the cliff, thus granting him victory. Kiba scowled.

"What the hell was that?"

"That was how you can beat Neji. You need to catch him off guard. I'm not talking about a sucker punch or anything – that would just be cheap – but you can challenge him when he'd least expect it. I mean, he'd already be surprised if you wanted to fight him, but depending on the time or the place, you can secure a certain advantage."

"Like… a public setting?"

"No, that wouldn't work. Neji doesn't care who's around – once he's fighting, he'll focus on winning no matter what. That's just the kind of guy he is," Naruto explained before closing his eyes in concentration. After thinking a moment, his eyes snapped open, his lips curling into a wicked smile. "No… public won't work, but I know just what will."

Kiba looked exasperated. "Well, come on! Out with it!"

"You're not gonna like it," Naruto responded before making his plan known. As he thought, Kiba was less than thrilled with the idea, but he knew he had no choice. If he wanted to win Hinata over, he'd have to bite the bullet on this one.

Well, there you have it. What exactly does Sasuke have planned for his beloved Naruto? And what does Naruto have for his Uchiha? Furthermore, what exactly is Naruto's plan for this fight between Kiba and Neji, and will it work out in the end, or will Kiba end up with a broken jaw and virtually no chance at winning Hinata's heart? Find out in the next chapter of For Naruto, Whenever I May Find Him!