The snow that had been falling all week continued the trend as it drifted lazily to the ground. The thick crunch of boots in snow could be heard everywhere, an undertone to the frequent laughter of children as they threw snow at eachother. Occasionally a shriek would be let out as friends took the opportunity to dump some of the cold white powder down each other's shirt. Aoi ignored this as he continued to walk through the village, drawing closer to the large red building to which he had been summoned.

With a brief knock, Aoi heard a faint 'come in' from the other side of the door that led to the mission office. Needing no further provocation, the blue haired boy entered the room. Eyes darting to the side, Aoi took in who he assumed would be on his team for the mission before his gaze returned to the row of mission attendents before him. Seeing that Aoi had entered, the man in the middle, jonin by protocol, sifted through a few papers before finding the one he needed.

"Now that you're all here, I would like to get started explaining the mission." Everyone nodded at the jonin's words. "In a small village two day's travel from here, it appears that the village elder has recieved a letter threatening attack. It was left unsigned, but they suspect it to be a thieves guild. Your mission is to capture the thieves or, if you are unable to locate them before the attack, protect the item it is they intend to steal. More details will be given by the leader of the village when you arrive there." The man folded the papers, holding them out for Aoi to take. "You should be back by the end of next week should the mission go as planned."

Taking the outstretched papers from the man's hand, Aoi turned to face his teammates for the mission. They smiled at him faintly in recognition, but it was clear that all three of them weren't happy about the current circumstances

Thinking nothing of it, Aoi started out the door. Noticing this, the other three followed after him, pulling scarves tighter as they stepped outside. When they had caught up with him, Aoi began to speak. Without uttering a word, the other three knew he was team leader for the mission, as he was the only chunin in the group.

"We will leave in an hour. Meet at the gates by then so we can leave." Aoi turned back to see their faces still looking slightly depressed. "Is something wrong?" he tilted his head to the side, not understanding why the had a look like that on their faces.

Karoi looked up, brought from her reverie by his words. "Ah, no... It's just..."

"This sucks!" Kodomo finally shouted, stomping his foot much like a five-year-old would. "Why do we have a mission on Christmas!?"

"Saying that won't make the mission disappear. Besides, maybe we can celebrate Christmas in their village once if we hurry." Ryo looked over calmly, unfazed by Kodomo's angry aura. "Let's go get ready for the mission." Kaori sighed slightly before all three walked off.

Aoi looked after them for a few moments before he tilted his head to the side. A question mark practically appeared over his head as one could sense his confusion. "What's Christmas?" He thought about it for a few moments before shrugging. If he needed to know, he eventually would. Continuing down the street, he headed to his apartment to get ready.

A sudden force slammed into him from the side, and Aoi took a small step to balance himself from the sudden weight. Looking down at the object clinging to his arm, Aoi saw the bright orange hair of Jinhai through the coating of white it held locked in its clutches. Jinhai met his gaze, a cheeky smile plastered on his face.

"Aoi-sensei, I haven't seen you since the academy let out for break!" He released Aoi's arm, but his smile didn't faulter. "Can you come play with me? I'm building a snowman right now."

"I have a mission that I must get ready for." Aoi stated, shooting down Jinhai's request.

Something seemed to occur to Jinhai as he looked at Aoi. "Aren't you cold?" Aoi tilted his head to the side slightly, not understanding entirely. He was wearing what he usually did, and though not warm he didn't feel anything more than an uncomfortable chill on his face, neck and arms. The latter only because Aoi now tied his hair back in a simple rat tail, while leaving only a section of his hair to cover his tattooed eye.

When Aoi didn't respond, Jinhai seemed to get an idea. "Wait here!" Watching the boy run off, he couldn't help but wonder what the small child was doing. Moments later though, Jinhai was back, a midnight blue object gathered in his hands. Grabbing an end he threw the rest at Aoi and laughed at the chunin's look of slight shock as the fabric wrapped itself around his neck. "I was going to use it on my snowman, but you need it more!"

Grabbing an end of the fabric, Aoi noticed that it was frayed and torn in places. He looked down at the smiling face of Jinhai and offered the best smile he could as well. Remembering something he had seen, Aoi patted Jinhai's head. "Thank you."

The little boy beamed up at him. "I'll let you borrow it, but remember to give it back so I can put it on my snowman!" Aoi nodded, his solemn expression once again on his face. Soon enough, Jinhai ran off to play again, and Aoi returned to what he had been doing.

_+_

The four entered the village from which the mission had come. It was relatively small, especially compared to Konoha. Ryo was the one to voice the thoughts on most of their minds. "Is there really something that important here?"

Kaori looked over at him before nodding in agreement. "I wouldn't think so, but I guess you never know."

"Let's go." The group had stopped on a small cliff overlooking the village when they had come into view, but as Aoi walked past them it spurred their motion.

The snow was deep, especially in this village as it was built at the base of a mountain. It was apparent that it gradually deepened as they had come closer to the village. Now, if one were to simply step in it, the crisp white powder was likely to come up to mid-thigh. None of the shinobi were fazed by this however, as they simply put chakra into their feet to stay above it.

When the four entered the village, people turned to almost collectively stare at them. Aoi, unfazed, continued to walk while the other three flinched back slightly at the movement. Gathering what courage they could, they followed after Aoi, the stares boring into their backs. Some felt curious, while others were decidedly less welcoming.

As they came closer to the middle of the village, the snow was disappearing from under their feet. Someone had obviously come and cleared the walkway, and now the snow that had been there was piled up against the walls of the houses. When they reached a park set in the middle of the village, they stopped. This is where the mission requester had told them to meet, and now all they had to do was wait. The gray clouds overhead finally let some of their load fall, the fat flakes drifting to add to the snow already piled up on the ground.

Not even ten minutes had passed when a chubby man, who was verging on being a little more than chubby, came up to greet them. "Are you the Konoha shinobi that came here for the mission request?" Aoi stepped forward to greet the man.

"Yes, we are. Are you the one who sent the mission request?" Even before Aoi had finished his question, the man was nodding his head with such vigor it was a surprise he didn't injure himself.

"I am. I am. Thank you so much for coming, I owe you a great debt." He bowed low and Kodomo had to repress his laughter, the sound coming out at something of a snort. The chubby man must have thought it was a sneeze because he immediately straightened. "I'm so sorry, you must be cold from the long journey. I wouldn't want you getting sick, so please follow me to my home."

Reaching out, he firmly clasped his hands around the wrists of Kodomo and Aoi, pulling them along as he walked off. "My name is Grimlu, and I'm the leader of this village." He took a sharp left, throwing Kodomo off for a second.

Aoi nodded his understanding before remembering manners suggest he introduce himself. "I am Aoi. My teammates are Kaori, Kodomo, and Ryo." The old man nodded smiling brightly.

"What a pleasure to meet you all, I'm hoping you will be able to take care of this situation." The man stopped suddenly, and the rest came to a halt behind him, with Kodomo bumping into Ryo slightly. "Please come in and have a seat, I will get some tea prepared for us and then we can talk."

_+_

A woman entered the room, gently placing several cups full of steaming tea down on the table before leaving. Aoi and his team sat on one side of a rather long table, kneeling on the plush cushions that were scattered around it. Grimlu sat on the other side, taking a long sip of his tea before sighing in appreciation of the brew. Kaori wrapped her hands around the teacup, enjoying the warmth that seeped through and warmed her hands.

"Well I suppose I should get on with what the mission entails exactly," Grimlu spoke, suddenly serious. "I'm sure as you came to the village you didn't expect it to have anything worth stealing, but unfortunately that would be false. You see, our town has a treasure, a giant piece of amber about the size of a head with a dragonfly trapped inside. The value on this is more than one would expect given it's plain appearance."

Ryo cut in, interrupting the older man. "So you're saying that our job is to protect the priceless peice of amber?" Nodding emphatically, Grimlu's jowls swayed back and forth rather comically. "Why did they let you know in advance? Why not just come in and take the amber while you were unaware of the threat?"

"Ah, yes that is a rather astute question. Ryo, was it?" Nodding in affirmation he gestured for Grimlu to keep going. "You see, it simply isn't that easy. We have the amber locked in several safes in order to protect it, the largest being about three meters all together. In order to even look at the amber, one would need all six codes from the six prominent families around here. Seeing as I haven't told anyone the code I know, it is impossible to open."

Kodomo opened his mouth to ask how they intended to steal it, but Grimlu wasn't done talking yet. "However, there is one day a year that the amber is brought out without exception. Every Christmas it is tradition to put the amber in the town square. Everyone in the town is given the opportunity to touch it, and wish for good luck."

Everyone nodded their understanding. "So the thief is coming on Christmas Day to steal the amber, their only chance." Kodomo looked up and Grimlu nodded affirmation.

"That doesn't answer why they would announce it though." Ryo looked deep in thought and Kaori looked over at him. Ryo was a puzzle solver, and didn't like questions to be unanswered.

Grimlu waved that off. "Pride I'm sure, after all, if one were able to pull this off with someone knowing, it would be quite the feat." Kodomo nodded, accepting the answer, but Ryo looked dubious.

"I suppose..."

"Anyways, there are still two days before Christmas, we're holding a festival for the two days leading up, so feel free to enjoy yourselves." Grimlu smiled in a carefree manner, assured by the shinobi's presence.

_+_

Aoi sat still in the corner of a room, his line of sight encompassing the safe, the hallway, and Kaori who sat on the other side of the room. Even though Grimlu had insisted that they didn't need to, Aoi had decided that they would take shifts watching over the room in which the safe was. Ryo and Kodomo were out wandering the town, enjoying the festival and gathering what information they could at the same time.

Kaori let out a sigh, having just finished braiding her hair for the twentieth time in the last half hour. She glanced over at Aoi before looking up and resting her head against the wall. Aoi's gaze focused on her at the sound, and he shifted slightly in his seat. Opening his mouth to say something, he hesitated until Kaori looked over at him.

"I... I am sorry if you are bored." Kaori's eyes widened slightly at this. "I feel that this is a neccessary precaution however."

Recovering from her brief shock, Kaori waved her hand back and forth dismissing the matter. "Not at all, I completely understand. Sure it's boring, but better safe than sorry right?" Aoi nodded, the blank mask still in place on his face. "So you're teaching at the academy now?"

It may have been Kaori's imagination, but Aoi's expression seemed to visibly soften at the mention of the academy. He nodded briefly. "Yes, the class I teach should graduate next year."

"It's odd, we're the same age, yet you're already teaching and preparing Konoha's children to follow in our footsteps to become shinobi themselves." Chuckling slightly Kaori looked over at Aoi, "though I guess that started because of the chunin exams six months ago. I never really apologized properly for that."

Aoi's head tilted in confusion, the hair over his eye shifting slightly to the side. "Well it was my fault that you were injured then. If I hadn't forced you to stop, that sand shinobi wouldn't have caused the initial injury to your leg."

Though it had been quite awhile since Aoi was declared fully healed, he still walked with a constant limp, though it was slight. The doctor had warned he probably always would. There was a silence as Kaori waited for Aoi's response. "If you had not made us stop though..." Aoi paused before nodding to himself and continuing. "If we hadn't stopped though, they would have died."

Leaning forward quickly, Kaori was interested and shocked to say the least. "What do you mean? Their injuries weren't that serious from what I remember."

"I noticed it from the hospital window, that part of the village looked crushed. When I asked a nurse she said one of the snakes that was attacking Konoha fell there. If we had not helped them, they would have been crushed to death." Kaori sat back considering that.

The silence stretched for a while, only the faint hum of the lights overhead making any sort of noise. After a few minutes Kaori looked up, breaking from her thoughts. Her gaze was on Aoi, and noticing this he looked over at her.

"I didn't ask back then, because I was afraid of the answer I might get, but I need to know. That sand shinobi that attacked us when we were rescuing those people, the one you stayed behind to fight?" The popular response of a nod from Aoi showed he remembered who she was talking about. "Did you kill him?"

"Yes."

Eyes widening to nearly twice their normal size, Kaori sat back, leaning on the wall slightly for support. She went through his answer in her head. He hadn't hesitated when he answered, almost as if he knew the question was coming. Aoi had killed someone, and that was more of a shock than if Aoi had actually turned out to be female. Kaori knew that people killed others, and that shinobi did it often in their careers, but Aoi was the same age as her, yet didn't show any remorse as he admitted to killing a man.

When she got her bearings again, Kaori ventured to ask another question. "Have you... I mean that, well... Did you kill anyone before that?" The action she had dreaded came true as Aoi once again nodded. "Why?"

Aoi paused. It was one question he wasn't asked often, and he had to consider his answer. He had ended many lives, and he knew that, but why? Had he killed just to kill, to protect himself, or even by accident? The reasons why people kill flashed through his mind, and he wondered why he had himself. Looking into Kaori's eyes, he could tell that she wanted an answer to the question.

"I... do not know." Confusion came over Kaori's eyes, but Aoi didn't register it as he continued to talk. "It was never something I thought of. I never considered 'why' I did anything. Training, killing, eating, or anything else. I did these... out of habit?" Matching confusion to that Kaori showed came over Aoi's expression as he continued to think and speak. "I do not remembering wondering. Not until I came to Konoha... Why did I never wonder? Why did I not seek to know more? Why did I not question what I did? Why did I not ask why sooner?" Aoi trailed off, seeming deep in thought.

 Kaori stared at him, uncomprehending at the blue haired boy next to her. He sat there staring straight forward, not an ounce of sadness touching his expression. Finally, Kaori came to a decision. "Aoi, what were you doing before you came to Konoha?" Jumping ever so slightly as he was brought from his thoughts, Aoi looked over at Kaori, who wore a warm and accepting expression on her face.

With Tsunade as Hokage now, the ban on telling people his entire past had been lifted. She said it was better to keep things in the open, instead of sweeping them under the rug. That in mind, Aoi opened his mouth, and for the next hour related his life to Kaori. Slowly her face changes from shock to pity to understanding. When he was done a silence stretched, but it wasn't awkward for either of them. The rest of the time sitting outside the safe was spent like this, until finally Ryo and Kodomo appeared at the foot of the steps.

"Sorry we're a little late, we'll take over now." Ryo looked between the two, sensing a change in the atmosphere before shaking it off.

_+_

"So Aoi, is this your first festival then?" Kaori looked over her shoulder as she led the way through the streets. Here and there a villager would give them a distrustful glare before continuing on their way. Smells filled the air, causing the mouths of passersby to water. Looking around with wide eyes, much like a child, Aoi nodded his head. A soft giggle escaped Kaori's lips, but before he could ask she was talking. "I suppose we should try and do as much as we can then."

Clasping his wrist tightly, Kaori led him to a random booth that held a small toy bow. The arrows had suction cups to the end, and it seemed the goal was to simply get the highest score possible. Kaori placed some money on the table and the man behind the booth smiled at them in a friendly manner, giving Aoi a sly wink of approval. Kaori explained the game and they both started to shoot the arrows. The distance was no more than three or four meters, and being trained shinobi, they were able to hit the center of the target five times with no problem.

The man gestured to the stuffed toys hanging around the sides of the stalls, and Kaori quickly snatched a tiny panda holding a piece of bamboo in its mouth. Aoi looked at the animals before reaching out and grabbing a small bird shaped one. Turning, Aoi was unable to say anything as Kaori was once again dragging him through the falling snow to another stall. The stall held masks of all shapes and sizes.

Grabbing one of them, the silver haired girl slid it over Aoi's face before he had time to react. Spinning him to face a mirror, she couldn't help but giggle. Looking at it, Aoi saw it was a fish, and the wide eyes were cut out so he could see. Reaching up, Kaori took it off and replaced it with another. When he turned to look at her, his eyes widened at the mask she wore. It had devil horns and the face was rather frightening. Eventually they walked off, Kaori running towards another stall with cat mask off to the side of her face. Following after with a mask of his own, rather plain with swirling designs randomly set on it, he wondered what this feeling was.

There was a warmth spreading through him, something completely different than simple temperature. Inexplicably, he knew it was a good feeling, though he had no idea what it was. Remembering to a warm day after a mission, Naruto's words rang through his mind.

"What is joy? Hmm..." Smiling brightly, Naruto's face was lit up with an inner light. "It's like the sun. It warms you and makes you feel good. It's like you know that you will remember the moment, and know that when you look back it will be with a smile on your face."

Remembering where he was, Aoi quickly walked after Kaori as she beckoned him to another stall. Faintly, Aoi's mouth turned up at the corners in a small smile before returning to its natural line.

_+_

Dark clouds threatening snow and a quick wind snatching at kimono and yukata alike, Christmas Day had come. A line stretched down the main street of the village, and every villager was in it. The mayor stood at the head of the line with five men behind him. Setting down an oak box, he opened it to reveal the soft shine of the amber. Setting it on the pedestal, he placed a hand on it, as did the other five. Then their hands retracted and they started toward the back of the line. After that, everyone came up one at a time, laying a hand on the smooth surface before stepping off to the side. By the time everyone had touched the amber, there would be a ring around the town square. They would all join in a collective prayer for good fortune before the night ended and everyone returned to their homes.

Aoi, Kaori, Ryo and Kodomo were sitting on the rooftops, radios on watching the proceedings. They were on edge, but as the night progressed nothing seemed to happen. The wind had picked up, and now blew small flakes of the snow piled on the ground into people's eyes and bare skin. After the prayer, the mayor stepped forward, placing the amber back into the box, then turning and heading back toward the building in which it was kept. The shinobi followed behind on the rooftops, still on edge even though nothing had happened yet.

In a sudden gust off wind, everything was blanketed in white, and a shout of alarm rang out from Grimlu. Massive clumps of snow started to fall from the sky as all four launched forward to see what had happened. When he saw Aoi's blue hair being wildly whipped around by the wind, the mayor began to talk.

"They took the box right out of my hands. I'm pretty sure they ran that way!" Grimlu pointed to the east, and without further direction the four ran off, Aoi leading the way.

The wind began to blow the quickly falling snow in their faces. Aoi pulled a scrap of the blue scarf Jinhai had given him up over his mouth so he could breath easier. Looking back, Aoi noted that the other three had done the same with their scarves. Pressing the mic button, Aoi began to speak.

"We need to catch the thieves. They most likely will not stay in the village, so when we reach the edge spread out. If you find them, radio it." The howl of the wind drown out the sound of his voice, but the mic was able to pick it up and transmit it, though it was crackling and not of the best quality.

The second their feet touched the deep snow at the edge of the village, they put chakra into their feet and kept running. Kodomo went North-East and Ryo took South-East. Aoi veered off to the left slightly, and Kaori took off to the right. The blizzard made it nearly impossible to see anything farther than ten or twenty meters in any direction, but they kept going.

This was why, when three figures seemed to rise up from the ground in front of Aoi, his eyes widened in the slightest signs of shock. As if from some sixth sense, one of the figures turned, seeing Aoi behind them. He shouted, his voice mostly drown out by the storm, but it was enough to get his companions' attention. They turned and Aoi was barely able to make out a box in one of their grasps. Touching his mic, he said he had found them before launching himself towards them.

_+_

Kaori and Ryo both heard a soft buzzing hum on their mics before it cut off. There was a deeper undertone, but it was nothing more than noise. Both realized at almost the same time that the storm was probably messing with the equipment, and someone was radioing. Ryo, closest to Aoi assumed it was him and took off running in the direction he thought Aoi would be in. Kaori however, hesitated. It was either Kodomo or Aoi, as they were closest to her. Looking both directions in the bleached landscape, she weighed the options before taking off running.

_+_

Aoi's hands were numb, but he still felt a cold eminating from the metal of his si as he grasped them as firmly as possible. His left si came up, aiming for a quick stab to the stomach of his opponent. The snow blurred his vision, and he misjudged the distance, stabbing forward to soon. The man he had been aiming at scoffed slightly, pulling a long machete that hung at his hip. He came forward, swinging wildly in an attempt to take Aoi's head off. Even off balance as he was, Aoi was able to duck under the swing.

Spinning on his heel, he attempted to knock the man unconscious with a strike to the temple. A massive hand clamped around Aoi's forearm though, stopping the movement. His arm raised, and it was clear that the intention was to remove Aoi's apendage from the rest of him. The machete began its downward arc, and twisting quickly Aoi managed to stop the movement with one foot, while the other continued past to connect with the man's face.

There was no rest for Aoi though, because the second he made contact with the ground, he was jumping over a woodcutter's ax as it tried to cripple his legs. He touched the ground again, only to dodge to the side as the machete once again sang towards him, the kick Aoi had delivered to its wielder only stunning the man. The third member of the small group had managed to fit the wooden box into a sack slung across his back and now came forward with an ax of his own. Jumping back, Aoi was able to avoid being split in half.

A flash of green was seen in his eye as he sent chakra to it. Looking at one of the ax wielders, he was able to freeze their movement. He darted in with an attack, piercing the man's stomach, stopping just short of the lung before he was forced to jump back. The man had grabbed the si, breaking free from Aoi's jutsu with sheer willpower. As a machete swung mere centimeters from his nose, Aoi was unable to reclaim the weapon, and the man he had attacked pulled it free before dropping it in the snow where it was quickly buried and lost.

Now Aoi was facing three men with one si. Though one man was injured, it didn't seem enough damage to cause hit to stop fighting. Added on to that, Aoi knew it would be fatal to try and block one of their strokes, as the heavier weapon was likely to just snap his si in half as if it weren't there. Mind racing, Aoi was able to come up with a plan in a matter of moments, backing of another half dozen paces to create distance. He formed his handsigns, and when he reached out his hands, they closed around water that took the shape of a sword. Almost instantly, when the water met the cold of the blizzard they froze. Though somewhat fragil, the extra reach he got from the swords was needed.

Moving to the side in the blink of an eye, he was coming towards the trio. His eye was shining green again, and he cast the jutsu at the man holding the machete. The man froze in his tracks before inexplicably he was forced to drop he weapon, which was again lost in the deep snow. With a quick slash followed by a stab, Aoi cut through the man's clothing and muscle of his chest before stabbing through his heart. Falling forward with a cry, the man clutched at his chest. Aoi jumped back once more to assess the two axmen. They seemed enraged that their companion was now laying face down in the snow, bleeding out as the snow began to cover his lifeless body.

They came at Aoi from both sides, one swinging high and the other low. It a show of flexibilitly and nimbleness, Aoi bent back and jumped. Passing between the two weapons. Before he was even firmly planted on the ground, Aoi swung out a sword, cutting one of the men across the chest. It wasn't as deep as he had hoped, but the man stumbled back. With a sudden sensation, Aoi turned to see the othe ax bearing down on him, and he brought the two icicle swords up and crossed them, knowing that there was no chance they would actually block the blade, and instead shatter. The thought of stepping back crossed his mind, but the bulk of the other man was still there blocking the way, and he was too unbalanced to step to the sides. Aoi's eyes widened slightly, as he knew that, like the opponents he had faced, he was going to die.

_+_

Through the haze of the blizzard figures could be seen rising from the ground. Even as the approaching person came into view, it was apparent that the four were fighting, and as one moved with blinding speed, they knew that the figure was Aoi. Running forward, they saw Aoi kill one man with swords, even as an ax slammed down behind his quick moving figure. With a sense of forboding, the figure started to run forward, seeing Aoi dodge neatly between the two axes. Blood sprayed out of a wound as Aoi cut a man, but even as he did so, the figure could see the other raising his ax for an attack.

Trying to yell out, their voice was lost in the howling of the wind, and no one seemed to notice the approaching figure. As the figure sped up, everything seemed to slow down. Aoi raised the two swords in his hands, and they noticed they were ice. They knew, just as Aoi did, that it wouldn't stop that ax.

Five meters. Now three. The ax began its descent. Two more meters. With the ax almost making contact with the swords, they launched themselves forward. Aoi felt an impact before he was thrown to the side. The scenery was a blur, flashes of white, black, and silver. Red covered the white snow, and looking to his side, Aoi saw bright, silvery white hair. Kaori.

Thought left Aoi then, and he acted on pure animalistic instinct. He ducked under the swing of an ax, getting a tear through his clothing and a scratch on his arm. Uncaring, he launched himself at the man, gaining another cut before he ended the man's life with a slice through his neck. He felt a change in the air to his left as the last attacker tried to split his torso in half. Stepping in, he was hit with the handle, cracking a rib. With dead, staring eyes, Aoi thrust upward into the second man's heart, stopping it. The man dropped down, lifeless, just as the other two had done.

Aoi stood there, staring at nothing with a blank look on his face. He heard the faintest of shuffles behind him and turned quickly. Kaori had a hand on the ground, attempting to rise. She failed, the pain from the massive, gaping wound on her back too much. Going to her, Aoi gently rolled her onto her back, knowing either way she was going to die. No one on the team was a medical ninja, and the healer in town, if there was one, wouldn't be any help. Kaori opened her eyes and stared at Aoi blankly, her stormy eyes quickly losing their light. Aoi stared back with an equally blank stare, no emotion present in his eyes.

"Even in the end, as stoic as ever." Kaori smiled lightly. "Can't blame you for that though, with your past."

Aoi nodded, and for some inexplicable reason found himself saying, "You're the first to know everything."

A slight smile made its way to her face. "I'm glad to know that." A silence stretched between them as Kaori continued to bleed and dye the snow crimson. "The storm seems to be calming now."

Aoi nodded slightly, looking down at her. "Why did you take the hit for me?"

"I don't know really..." Kaori looked over at Aoi, "Don't worry though, I don't regret it. People rarely fight for the right reasons, or die for them, but sooner or later, everyone dies. I guess that means we aren't really living to have a long life. We're living to die properly. I guess saving you... maybe this was the proper way for me to die."

Aoi's eyes widened at her words. Saving him. She had saved him. That was why her blood now stained the ground, why the light was leaving her eyes. Had he ever saved anyone? He didn't think so.

"Hey Aoi," he looked into her eyes, "do me a final favor? Smile like you did the other day, at the festival? I didn't quite see it as well as I wanted." He remembered the festival, and the moment he had felt the joy. The memory wasn't as happy as it once was, but he still smiled. It was a little sad, but Kaori closed her eyes with a sigh. "Keep smiling Aoi, even if it takes time for you to be able to do so again. Oh... I almost forgot... Merry Christmas."

She continued to breath for a while, each breath growing shallower. Aoi sat next to her, the smile no longer on his face. He had no expression, a blank slate. After a few minutes, her breathes faded away, and Aoi knew she had finally passed on. Staring down at her, framed against crimson snow with her liquid silver hair splayed around her head, he felt a familiar feeling return. It was how he had felt before ever coming to Konoha. It was almost empty. Almost.

As the storm began to die down, for the first time in his life, Aoi's cheek was wet as tear ran across it.

_+_

...................................................................................... Ah.............. Ahem... I uh.. Hope you liked it? Who am I kidding, I am sadistic and cruel. I suppose I'll just leave now... Oh! The chapter was a bit longer, so yeah. I felt it made up for the lack of updates for the past few weeks. Um... yeah... You can expect slow updates for the next little while, because of school, but I will write this in my free time. I meant to post this earlier, but well we see how that went...

On a happier note than the chapter, I also began my eight month long black belt test! Which means exercise everyday and papers every month... Oh well, I'm super stoked! Right now I'm playing around with my weapons, mainly my staff and kamas, in the hope that I'll create my own form for my performance. It's gonna be awesome. Maybe I'll film it and post it once it's done...?

Oh! I haven't edited this yet, so there might be a lot of grammar and spelling errors, so if you can ignore them, and if you couldn't, then it makes my life easier I suppose. Anywhore...

Random question: What would be the oddest side effect a pain pill could have?

I'll see you guys later, if you don't hunt me down and kill me first I guess... Fan/vote/comment if you haven't, and if you have then thanks!

-Nicky~