Haruno Sakura sighed. It was that time of the year again and the mall was milling with last minute shoppers. Finally able to jostle her way out of the crowd, Sakura examined the smiling faces of fellow shoppers. Everyone was grinning from ear to ear, brimming with Christmas spirit. Everyone except her. It did not make sense. Christmas was supposed to be spent with loved ones…Her face creased with sorrow. It hurt even to look at couples holding hands and whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears on the street. It’s not fair! Sakura though, fighting back her tears.
Oh Sasuke…Why did you have to go? Couldn’t you just stay for Christmas?
It had taken Sasuke a long time to come to terms with his feelings for Sakura. Sakura reminisced the time he confessed and she felt a fresh wave of longing and sadness wash over her. Just when they were about to date officially, Kakashi sensei had to send him off on the research mission. What great luck, Sakura thought silently. The path of through love never did run smooth, I guess.
The cold air smelled of dew and grass and as the streets grew busier, the pinkish glow in the sky faded. “Yo, Sakura- chan!” Uzumaki Naruto raced from across the street to where Sakura was standing. The blond haired, bright- eyed boy looked as energetic as ever. He was holding two mugs of steaming hot chocolate. Steam was wafting above the heavenly smelling chocolate drink. “Oops!” The running Uzumaki Naruto lost his balance and fell, letting out a yelp as the two cups of drinks went flying in the air.
Sakura stopped the moment she heard her name called. Naruto! Despite herself, she began to laugh at his little slip up. Naruto sure knew how to cheer someone up…
“Oh damn! What a waste…” Groaning, Naruto stared at the overturned cups of chocolate with moist eyes. “Anyway, it’s kind of sad to spend Christmas alone, isn’t it?”
Sakura’s face fell- just for a moment. “Not really.”
Naruto realized he could have hit on some delicate strings. “Hey, um, why not come over to my house? We can make hot chocolate there too,” Changing the subject, Naruto beckoned to Sakura with a smile.
“Come on!” Naruto grasped Sakura’s wrist and pulled her along.
“Naruto…” Sakura protested mildly. It could be a nice change, she mused, and allowed herself to be dragged along.
Naruto raised the mug with both hands and emptied it. Then he smacked his lips and sighed contentedly. He and Sakura were in the living room of his apartment. It was sparsely decorated, just a simple table in the centre, a shelf containing few books at the right hand side and a battered but comfy navy blue sofa. Sakura stirred at the hot chocolate listlessly, taking occasional sips. Crossing her legs Indian style on the wooden floor, she exhaled deeply.
“Sakura- chan… Is something troubling you?” Naruto’s eyes swam with concern. She shook her head and replied in a falsely cheerful voice. “No, I’m perfectly fine.”
Quietly, he slid down beside her. He winked at her and beamed. “Cheer up! It’s Christmas, you know.” A momentary smile flickered across her face.
“Oh god, Naruto… You’re such a pig!” Sakura giggled softly. A chocolate moustache had formed just above his lips. Slowly, she began to wipe it away with her handkerchief.
“Sakura…” Naruto’s eyes looked at her questioningly. She lowered her eyes, visibly embarrassed. Cursing inwardly, she admonished herself. What was she trying to do? Rough and calloused fingers lifted her chin gently. For a few heart stopping moments, the two of them stared intensely at each other, their eyes doing all the communicating and her mug of hot chocolate was neglected.
It was not long before they closed in. Lips brushed against lips and Sakura inhaled deeply, her nostrils flooding with Naruto’s reassuring scent. Squeezing her eyes shut, she sighed in pleasure. The feeling was euphoria and it made her heart sing with joy.
Then she remembered.
Her eyes flew open and she broke away from Naruto. “Sasuke…” Her face turned pale and her voice faltered into nothing more than a mere whisper.
Sakura felt tears brimming in her reddened eyes. Choking with emotions, she gave Naruto a melancholic smile. “I’m sorry…” She felt overwhelmed by confusion. What had she just done? But it did not feel wrong, she protested weakly. It’s unfair to both Naruto and Sasuke. Why did she lead him on in the first place? Sakura murmured softly to herself. It was clear she was in a daze. Is this desire or something more? She did not know. All she knew that when she kissed Naruto, it felt…
It felt so right.
They were sitting with their backs against each other. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Leaning against each other, they began to reflect on what they had just done.
Naruto began to speak and for once, the bubbly boy was quiet. “Sakura- chan… This feeling… I think I love you.”
Sakura opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Her heart ached and Sauke’s face floated into her mind. There were so many things to think about! She felt a headache coming on.
“Sakura- chan… If you’re really so uneasy about this, let’s pretend nothing happened.”
Sakura looked up. No, she could not pretend it did not happen.
“Naruto… It’s impossible.”
“Sakura- chan, then take it as one of my Christmas gifts to you.” The mood was instantly lifted and all signs of sadness were erased. She knew that once Sasuke came back, things were going to get serious. But for now, all she could think of was the fact that she had just gotten a ‘Christmas kiss’.
“Merry Kiss-mas, Sakura- chan!”
And the duo burst into fits of uncontrollable giggles.
-FINISH-
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Chapter notes: Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended. xDD
Hey guys! This is my first fic here. It can be found on ff.net too! Recently, I’ve become a Naruto addict. This is a, um, PRE CHRISTMAS story since I will be going away for a Holiday soon. Thus, I have to submit it now. I would really love to hear what you think on the one- shot, slight NARUTO X SAKURA story. So comments please!