[Naruto AU, bittersweet]

Sakura Haruno breathed into her hands, warming them as they cupped around her frozen lips. She crossed her arms and leaned her head back as the snow fell around her.

"Just another year... It doesn't feel any more special than it should be..."

She sighed and continued down the busy Christmas street of Konoha.

"Sakura!"

Sakura turned as Naruto Uzumaki ran up to her, "good morning, Naruto."

"Hey! Merry Christmas, Sakura!" Naruto held out a wrapped present to her, "I got this just for you!"

"Ah!" Sakura smiled, "thank you!"

"Mhm!" He held his hands above his head and adjusted his red scarf, "Sai wanted to find you and give you something, too. But he's out with Ino, now."

"I see." She nodded, "lucky them."

"Yeah. I should probably get back to Hinata now, too." Naruto scratched the back of his neck, "so go on!"

"Huh?"

"Open it already!"

"Oh, okay." Sakura tore the paper and held up the framed image, "Naruto, wow... This is nice! Thank you..." Her voice trailed off when her eyes fell on the boy that stood out from the entire picture of their Genin squad. The boy with black hair and a scowl that set him apart from the rest.

"Hang on, turn it over."

Sakura rose a brow and turned the frame over, and on the back was a picture of their same squad. The only difference is that they were all older, and everyone was smiling. Even the Uchiha.

"Yeah..." Naruto smiled sadly, "it's been, what... A year? I still can't believe he did that..."

Sakura only covered her mouth to keep from crying. She looked up at her friend and threw her arms around him, "thank you, Naruto. This is the best present I've gotten all year."

"You're welcome." Naruto hugged her, "remember, I'm always here for you if you ever need to talk. I know it's hard..."

"Yeah. Thank you." Sakura pulled away, "now go see Hinata. She must be worried sick."

"I got it, yeah." Naruto waved as he turned around and walked away.

Sakura clutched the picture frame in her arms and held it close to her chest. She was being genuinely honest. Ever since the Fourth Ninja War, she felt as if a piece of her was always missing. She thought they'd finally gotten Sasuke back once and for all, but after his fight with Naruto, he left and never came back. They searched, even Kakashi, as the Hokage, sent ANBU out searching for him, to no avail. The memories replayed through her mind as she walked back to her own apartment and watched all the couples pass her.

Sasuke, if you can hear me... Sakura leaned her head back and watched the heat of her breath in the cold. I just want to say Merry Christmas... I don't know if you're really out there or if you're even alive, and that scares me to think that you could be alone, celebrating by yourself. No family or anyone with you to comfort you, but... She stepped into her apartment and locked the door. She headed straight to her bedroom and set the picture frame on her bedside table as she sat on the bed and gazed at the image.

"Sasuke... All I really want is for you to be happy today. I don't care if it's another girl, all I want is for you to be with someone to celebrate with and not be lonely. Please, that's all I ask..."

It wasn't the fact that he was living away from the village and away from his friends, it's the fact that no one knows of his whereabouts, not even ninja from other villages. It's as if he didn't even exist. If anything, she, Naruto, and Kakashi may be the only ones who remember what an Uchiha is.

Even if you really are still alive somewhere out there, there's no way you would ever remember us...

__________________

Sasuke Uchiha leaned his head back and reached out into the cool, crisp air to catch the small flakes of snow as they started to fall.

"It's snowing..." He muttered as he breathed into the air and caught a snowflake on his tongue. He smiled to himself and continued walking until he found a safe cave to stay in. He started a fire and sat down to rest. As he watched the fire, he slowly drifted to sleep.

Sasuke!

He jolted in an upright position and looked around, "that voice again..." He stood up and looked around, "I've heard that same voice calling my name for the past year, now, but I can't... Recognize it..."

Sasuke, if you could hear me...

"Is this Genjutsu?"

We miss you... And even if you're alive out there, please remember us!

"Who is..."

Please don't leave us! I don't know what I'd do without you!

Then he knew. His arm fell to his side and his chest ached. Sasuke walked outside and watched the snow fall.

I don't care if it's me, but I want you to have someone to love, someone to spend Christmas with. I just want you to be happy, today.

Sasuke reached his arm towards the sky and squeezed his eyes shut, "I know you're out there... And I'm sorry... You don't have to worry about me. I'm here, and I just want you to be happy..."

He clenched his fist, fell to his knees, and for the first time in a year, Sasuke cried.

I'm doing this for her... For the village... For everyone, so that they can be happy and live peacefully. He looked up and watched as his hawk swooped down and landed in front of him. He pulled out a piece of paper, wrote for a few minutes, and gave attached the note to the hawk's leg.

"Also." He pulled out a box and set a piece of cloth inside it. He sealed it and held it out, "go."

The hawk took off, leaving Sasuke back at the cave.

______________________

"Okay, Naruto. Hold on a second. The ramen place isn't going anywhere."

"But the 50% off Christmas Special is over in a few minutes!"

Sakura ran back to her living room to grab her purse, then she heard tapping.

"Hey, Sakura." Naruto pointed, "is that what I think it is?"

Sakura opened the window and stared at the hawk as it dropped the box onto the sill and waited for her to take the letter. Once she did, it left as suddenly as it came.

"It's..." Sakura opened the box and took out the piece of cloth, and in it was Sasuke's scratched ninja headband, "S-Sasuke!"

"The note!" Naruto ran to her side, "read the note!"

Sakura.

I'm sorry for making you worry about me. I left with the hopes that the village would forget about me. I want you, Naruto, and Kakashi to forget about me, too. It's for your own good.

But before that, I just wanted to tell you that I've been hearing voices in my head. Voices that were telling me to return to the village and live with you guys again, to fight alongside you guys. I'm just now realizing that those voices and those pleas came from you.

Where I am now, it's snowing, and it kind of makes me feel better knowing that we must be under the same sky, that it's snowing where you are too, right?

Well...

I don't know any better way of saying this, but I'm alive. I don't know for how much longer, though.

Sakura froze.

She clenched the paper so tightly that it crinkled under her fingers.

Please don't come after me, it's for the best. I've only given you and Naruto grief, so I'm relieving you of that burden. I'll be gone before tomorrow, I'll reassure you of that. Before then, I want to thank you for everything you've done for me when we were Genin. I'm sure you've grown to be a strong Jonin by now. After the war, I refused to deny my feelings about you any longer, so I want you to know that...

Sakura felt her throat close as she choked with sobs, "S-Sasuke..."

I love you. And right now, all I want is to see your smiling face again. So please, if you could give me any Christmas gift in the world, I want to hear you say you love me just one more time. After that, I want you to live happily and forget about me. After all this time, you may have come to hate me more and more, and that's okay. I understand. Please do me another favor and live to support the village. I know it's a lot to ask, but I know you can do it. You're strong, and I believe in you.

I always have.

Merry Christmas.

Sasuke

Suddenly, as if she'd been struck by a kunai, Sakura turned pale, covered her mouth, sat on her couch, and squeezed her eyes shut as tears poured from her eyes, "that damned idiot!"

"Sasuke! I'll kill you!!" Naruto clenched his fists, "I need to find him!"

"No, Naruto!" Sakura stared at the floor, "I just heard... His voice... He's..."

Naruto went pale, shut his eyes, and cried, "Sasuke, you dumbass..."

He's... Sakura cried loudly, "he did it... He..."

Naruto collapsed to his knees and punched the floor, "damn it! Damn it, Sasuke! We could've... We could've saved you!!"

Sakura shook her head and covered her mouth, "he killed himself..."

Sasuke, all I want... All I want is for you to come back right now... I'll kill you if you don't come back, you hear?! I'll kill you!! I never told you I loved you! Isn't that what you wanted?! Dumbass! I swear... I'll find you, and... Sakura choked on her sobs as she tore the cloth of the couch. Sasuke!! All I want is for you to come back home to me!! Come back!!

His final words to her echoed in her mind as she knelt next to Naruto, hugged him, and cried.

Sakura... I know that you'll never forget me, so I'll just tell you straight that you're the one that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. But as ninja, our lives can never be perfect, so I'll leave you with this note. All I want is for you to live your life making other people happy. That's what you do best. I know because you always made me happy. I love you.

Goodbye...

~~~

Written by xX_Fang_Xx