Sasuke Uchiha twirled his pencil in the air, leaning into his chair as he nodded at the storyboard he recently completed.

A smiling green-eyed girl with pastel pink hair made a peace sign, beaming at him as her story unfolded through words and pictures. Spinning in the swirly chair he bought from Tenten just a few months ago, he stared out into the scenery outside his window, admiring the soft cherry blossom petals that fell into the spring lit blue sky, adorned with clouds, birds and the shining sun. He purposely had planted the sweet-smelling trees outside of his first-floor office at Studio Leaf, the place he decided to apply and get a job at months after his college graduation.

College, hmm?

It's been two years since I ended my education.

And two years since...

Shaking his head, he smiled to himself as he gazed at his graduation photo, taken with Naruto, Hinata, Karin, his parents and Itachi in a wheelchair. Next to the memorable photo was a plaque, with his degree in computer programming and art, polished to the brim.

He never got over his meticulous cleaning habits.

Turning back to his desk, he rested his cheek into his palm as he stared at his character, the girl he created over three years ago, not knowing what to name her until his second year of drafting her out.

Meeting the right person at the right time helped shaped his energetic, lively and cheerful protagonist, whom he named Sakura Haruno, whose adventures followed the everyday life of a college student, desperately trying to finish her work on time, being with her friends, impressing her crush and living life to its fullest.

After launching the first panel of Sakura, what ironically was also the title of the story, as a webcomic, it gained popularity to the point it became classified as one of the top slices of life stories of the year, which then awarded Sasuke the "Rookie of the Year", and when the comic series soon caught the attention of Studio Leaf and head production company Kono Media, it became an instant hit, raising viewer ratings to the point it skyrocketed off charts.

( I would like to point out that this is a tribute to Masashi Kishimoto, who also was awarded Rookie of the Year when he debuted Naruto, and which also became 10 % of the income of VizMedia, as Naruto became one of the top shows they produced. We all know that Studio Pierrot messed up, as well as Viz, but honestly, kudos to them. They literally animated, voiced and backsonged one of the most famous and fastest growing fandoms in one episode per week! That's some serious dedication and hard work!)

Thanks to Itachi, his career jumped with the wise advice that the older man gave, he had successfully entered the animation industry, named for one of the most innovative and creative studio tellers. Sadly, after the release date and airing station for the first episode of Sakura, Itachi Uchiha passed away from a seven-year-long battle of secondary brain cancer.

It was quite ironic the day the episode aired.

It was Sakura's birthday.

It took a very long time for Sasuke to push himself to move forward. In his story of Sakura, he included characters that resemble the people he loved in real life, such as his family, Naruto, Hinata and portrayed himself as the main male lead. In a slump, he barely worked, and rather stayed in bed thinking, blaming himself that he couldn't do more. Bottles of alcohol appeared after he quit in his room, and his room was a mess.

With the help of his best friend, cousin, and coworkers, he was pulled out of his darkness. He quit alcohol with their encouragement and was proud to say he was one year free. He resumed his obsessive cleaning routines and threw himself back into his daily routine of doing what he loved the most: drawing.

Noticing as he went back to staring out his window, he realized that the moment Sakura had passed... the snow had finally stopped falling. The white, cold powder that was symbolic in his stories often reminded him of Sakura. She was just like the snow... never seemed to stop swirling and falling, making everything beautiful and special like she always did.

His vision then returned to a picture frame on his desk, of three people grinning widely at the camera. Sakura was leaning on his shoulder, with him putting his head on hers as Itachi's back rested on Sakura's back. The three of them were making a familiar hand position that was often in Menma, taken right after the major minute marathon. Next to the photo frame was a stack of leather-bound journals, which were Sakura's diaries that he took inspiration from to write.

I still watch Menma, you guys. Sakura, I bet we would have ended up like Charasuke and Sakuya. A new series came out... it's the new generation of Menma, called Konoha's Next Generations. It's pretty good. Sakuya and Charasuke have a young daughter named Mikoto...

I wonder if what our child would have been like.

I bet they would be as beautiful as you are, Sakura.

"Mr. Uchiha!" A voice called out, snapping him away from his memories and thoughts. He looked up to see his secretary, who had an irked expression on her face as she clutched her binder filled with details of the day.

"Ah, yes, Ms. Yuki. What is it?"

"Your press conference is waiting for you, sir! Please hurry!"

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I'll be right there. Please notify the press then."

"Of course, sir!"

With that, the young lady dashed out, quietly closing the office door. Sasuke stood up and picked up the photo frame, as a breeze rushed into the room, making his curtains flutter, and making his suit jacket ruffle. His hair flowing with the wind as he smiled and traced Itachi and Sakura's figure on the picture.

"This is for you guys. I hope you're proud of me."

Then he placed the photo down and left his office, letting the breeze enter his room. To him, it felt that Itachi and Sakura were the wind... telling him that they couldn't be prouder, and how much they loved him.

Sasuke had walked out into the street, looking around as he made his way to the area where his press conference was being held. A small smile was placed on his lips as he took a deep breath in and then exhaled, he stared up at the sky and shook his head lightly. He walked down the sidewalk, he passed by a store that had some kitchen supplies displayed in the window. "I wonder if Hinata would enjoy something like that as a wedding gift.." He muttered. He had other places to be so he couldn't think about the wedding gift that much. He made it to his destination, sneaking in through the back of a brick building to avoid all the raging fans that were surrounding the front entrance. Sasuke had grabbed the handle to the backdown and opened it. He was instantly grabbed by a make-up artist and hairstylist who were touching his face and grabbing his hair, trying to make it perfect for his interview. He grunted as he was pulled into a room and pushed into his chair. Of course, the make-up artist did a natural look and the hairstylist just fixed up his hair and sprayed it with hairspray.

Before he knew it, he was standing behind a curtain, hearing all kinds of voices talking about him and the very topic he had gone there to discuss. He frowned as he curled his hands into fists as she flashed into his mind. He then shook away the thought and grabbed ahold of the curtain. He pulled it open and all eyes landed on him, the room fell to a dangerous silence. Sasuke stared out among the crowd, then it erupted with sound as every news reporter spoke at a time. They pointed cameras at Sasuke and lifted mics up to him.

"What gave you the idea to create this anime?"

"Did you have any idea you'd become an anime sensation?"

"How long have you been animating?"

"What did you study in college?"

"Is it true that you've lived in Konoha your whole life?"

Sasuke was overwhelmed but there was a news reporter who had her hand raised as she desperately wanted Sasuke to call on her. They made eye contact and he pointed at her. "What's your question?" He asked her.

The woman smiled. "What inspired you to create this beautiful story?" She asked Sasuke, her eyes shining.

Sasuke smiled as he shook his head before staring back out into the ground. "At the beginning of the story, a girl saved a boy from getting hit by a truck, that was the start of their friendship." Sasuke took a small pause before he continued to speak. "Two years ago, I was saved from getting hit by a truck and the girl that saved me was named Sakura Haruno. She was my inspiration to switch careers and become who I am today. Without any of her help, I wouldn't be able to do any of this." Sasuke looks behind him, looking back at the curtains. "The journal please." The press was confused as to what Sasuke was doing but his questions were soon answered. He held up the journal to show the press. "This is one of the many journals Sakura had given to me. I've taken plenty of what she's written as a journalist and writer and implemented her ideas into my anime." Sasuke gets choked up just talking about her, a single tear rolled down his cheek but he quickly wipes it away. Sasuke's eyes wander over to the window, looking out at the clear skies. "I owe Sakura everything.." He muttered.

The same woman who asked the original question perked up. "Where is Sakura to this day?" She asked.

Sasuke tried to keep the smile on his face. "Sakura isn't with us anymore, she passed away two years ago." Everyone in the audience gasped which made him flinch lightly, but he covered it up. "She had Acute Myeloid Leukemia, you can only survive five years with that kind of cancer. By the time I had met Sakura, she was already in her fifth year. It snowed every day I saw her, almost like a sign. I knew she was dying, and she knew it too, so we agreed to get married." He smiled at the thought. "It's silly, I know, but I loved her." Sasuke's smile was then replaced with a frown. "I stayed the night with her, and we talked, then she passed away in her sleep. I looked out the window, and the snow had eventually stopped." He wanted to leave, but he had to continue. He took a deep breath in and glanced around.

"I suppose... Her soul was lost, was swept away, in the ceaseless snow."

Thank you to all our readers who supported, voted and commented on this story. Its Roku here, and being part of this collaboration helped me grow into the writer I am today. It makes me sad that this story is over, even as we lose people on the way here. This book gave me more than I can ask for - friends, laughs and maturity. Not just to you, reader, but to my writing mates who helped make this possible. Thank you!

Hey, and to Baku, Fang, Ara-san, KG, RoaringTides and Gwen: FUCK YOU ALL, MY CHAPTER WAS CORRUPTED WITH US FIGHTING, AND BAKUBRO, YOUR KIRI IS GONNA COME DOWN THERE, I SWEAR I WILL YOU IDIOT.

Jk you guys are the best.

- Written by alixremn14