You, Always {Uchiha Sasuke}

Journal

        "Satoshi... You shouldn't have," Ayu goaded.

        In front of her was a computer screen of the copper haired boy in his woolen Christmas sweater and slanted Santa hat. Satoshi watched promptly as the brunette hugged her half ripped open present to her face with reddened cheeks.

        He smiled leniently by the sight of her gladdening expression. "It's the first time I did something so girly, so don't judge if you read a corny line in there."

         She laughed after scanning her eyes through the filled pages in his journal - a journal full of his thoughts and memories of her over the past few months. A laugh subdued under her breath while closing the book.

        "I'm sure it won't," she told him sweetly, lightly kissing the creme, matted cover. "The more I look at it, the more I miss you."

        "I miss you, too," he said sadly but his heartwarming smile still stretched over his lips. "How are the others?"

        "Fine, as usual," she shrugged. "They're downstairs in my kitchen, burning sugar cookies I believe."

        "And what about Sasuke, particularly?"

        Then Ayu gave a brief pause since she detected the nit-pick of worry in his voice. A week has already passed since the incident of stopping Sasuke with a gun point at his head and she didn't tell a single soul about the event. It wasn't her right to announce it to the world that he was a depressed little frog.

        "He," she idly started, careful of her word choice, "finally came back to school a week ago. He's not fully recovered from it all which I didn't expect him to be. He's just... slowly trying, Satoshi."

        A subtle sigh broke out from him as his green gems aimed down at his desk. Eventually, he nodded with each word she said. "Well, that's good to hear. It seems like he's improving."

        Ayu fell silent; the memory of the raven's fragile state appeared in her mind. Even now, it was hard to imagine him crawling up to his feet, considering how challenging it is for him to cope the loss of his family.

        She was brought back by the sound of her name calling from the lower levels of her house. It was Sakura at the bottom of the stairs.

        "You should get going before they burn your house down," Satoshi noted playfully.

        With a forced grin, Ayu waved happily to him at the screen. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

        "Of course," he smiled and returned the gesture. "Stay safe! Merry Christmas, babe."

        After addressing their typical 'I love you's to each other, Ayu abandoned her laptop and left her room to attend the pinkette's need who was still calling her, impatiently. Once she reached to the top of the stairs, her serene eyes found the salmon-colored head at the bottom with a flour-covered apron on her and a gunky whisk in her hand.

        Judging from her appearance, Ayu feared that she dropped a flour bomb in her kitchen.

        "There you are!" she said angrily. "Can you please find Sasuke while I help Naruto frost the cookies? We're going to open our presents once we're done."

        "Sure," she nodded obediently like a child and descended down the steps in search for the Uchiha.

        Her hunt for him was like finding Waldo. Ayu checked every room he could possibly be until she peeked a look outside of her patio door. A familiar, spiked haired boy stood in the middle of her backyard with his back towards her, almost like he was watching the specs of snow fall above him. He looked mesmerized, tranquil.