Shades of Cool

"Cocoa"

The first time Sakura had ever seen snow, she was six years old. Her mother and father took her out to the open forest where everyone brought their children to play during the cold months, and it snowed the entire time they were there. Back then, the training grounds were a place children only saw when it snowed-on the rare occasion that it did. She never developed much of a bond to the frozen world it created and preferred the warmth of summer, or the crisp heat of spring. When visiting the training grounds, the scars on the wooden posts from shinobi wearing their knuckles raw meant nothing to a child such as herself that had only been brought there to sled down the hills, and build forts with friends among the naked trees. She remembered the icy the crystals making her nose burn and chap with each sniffle. And how even though her surroundings were cold enough to freeze the ground, underneath her many layers, she would sweat.

When she looked out her window that morning after "sleeping in" to approximately 6:30 am, the memories of her dissatisfying experiences with snow filled her thoughts. Konoha had been lie this before she left, but this snow wasn't shoveled to the side and salted like the street in the city were. She didn't have a sniffle yet, but she would. She had brought her woolen gloves, and they would get soaked. Snow would sneak it's way into her boots and surprise her with a sudden nip of chill and dampen her socks only at the heel. This sort of thing didn't happen while she traveled because she wasn't supposed to be comfortable when she traveled. Now that she had been able to sleep in a room with hardwood floors that weren't stained or beaten to death, her expectations had soared. If she went outside now, she risked getting her hair wet. Oh, the horror!

She stumbled to her closet while laughing at herself and found a deep plum-colored robe hanging int he far back. She hummed to herself a nursery rhyme as she slipped her arms through and fastened the belt around her waist until it was taught, secure enough not to fall open.

"...Snips and snails, and puppy dog tails..."

She left the room with a bounce in her step, finding great enjoyment from everything lavish.

"...that's what boys are made of..."

Her feet were ice cold and so she trotted down the hallway on her toes, searching for a closest that might be hiding slippers.

"...sugar and spice..."

She noticed something that looked like a small cupboard and her heart pounced. She reached for the handle and door opened abruptly, only to reveal an empty shelf. She stopped humming the weak tune and began to rub her hand together vigorously. If she continued down the hallway, she would probably find the kitchen.

"...and everything nice..."

She forgot the rest of the song, but no matter that, she had entered a room that was not the kitchen. In fact, empty shelving units suggested that this could have been a library at one time. But unfortunately for her, here was not a scrap of paper with words in sight.

I'm lost.

The house was that big, but maybe if she had not been raised in a two-bedroom apartment, she would have a better sense of navigation. No-perhaps if she was a better kunoichi she could find her way through something as basic as a traditional floor plan. She walked further into the room and counted two chairs that were covered by white sheets, almost like rectangular ghosts. She felt an impulse to see what the chairs looked like, but she forced her hand to remain at her side. Light from the east window combined with the light from the north one, and for a moments she felt like if she closed her eyes she could imagine a man using the morning light to read while a symphony played in the back ground. When she opened her eyes, it was empty and cold.

"When did you get up?"

Sakura flinched, jumping a bit, and slipped on the tail of her robe.

"Is it comfortable down there?" Kakashi asked. He looked at her in a particular way that reminded her of what it was like to work alongside him. He wore a grey cardigan that she never imagined him to ever adorn, and dark wash jeans that fit him in a particular way that the angle she was at cast shadows that her eyes should not have been able to pick up on.

"I'm liking it very much," said her fluttering voice, trying to twist it into a sarcastic note.

I am not looking at what i shouldn't be looking at.

"Gee, Sakura," He said, taking her hand. "Scaring you is awfully easy."

She let go of his grip after gaining balance and smoothed the fabric down, "I was not, and do not-you didn't scare me."

"Uh-huh," he hummed.

"You're dressed already," She said. "it's too early for this."

He briefly examined himself, "What about it?"

"It's not even seven yet," She said.

"I wake up at four."

She rolled her eyes.

"If you'd rather I walked around in pajamas like you do," he said, eyeing her attire before she could muster a defense.

"Normal people walk around unkempt in the morning," she said. "Normal people sip coffee and read the newspaper before they get dressed."

"Consider me abnormal."

She tapped her foot against the floor.

"Decadent, isn't it?" He said, pinching the fabric on her shoulder. "I'm sure if you look around, you'll find more clothing like that."

She silently inquired about the robe with an expression.

"Oh," He said, scratching the back of his head. "Could've been a great grandmother's."

"I love wearing dead-person clothing," She murmured.

"It suits you."

"What time did you want to confirm our arrival?" She asked.

He took a few steps backwards, "Whenever you were ready."

"I'm ready."

"Are you sure?" he asked, turning away from her.

She followed him down the hall, "It takes, like, five minutes for me to get dressed."

He scoffed and they stopped outside her room.

"It does," She said.

"I'm sure you're telling the truth," he said. "But-you know."

"Do you want me to doll myself up?" She asked, "I that what you're trying to say?"

He looked at her as if he didn't know what she meant.

"Coming from someone wearing a sweater," She hissed.

It actually looks very fashionable.

"You've got 15 minutes, Haruno," He ordered. "I'll leave without you."

"You told me a few seconds ago that we'd leave when I was ready," She said. "You're lying, Hatake."

"Put some clothes on and then we can go to town," He chuckled.

"By the way, you might look a bit more normal if you remove your mask," She suggested.

"In this cold weather?" He asked. "I could get frost bite."

They walked for almost twenty minutes before catching a glance of the first building. Sakura yipped joyfully like a child, begging Kakashi to walk faster. When he didn't, she ran ahead of him happily as she tried to close in on the nearest cafe or bakery; if it had hot food, she wanted it. Their feet crunched marks in the untouched path and their breath created a mirage of steam. The rooftops peaked out from the filmy sky, looking almost as if someone had taken grey paint and roughly put them on by hand.

"Behold!" Sakura cried, pulling her scarf below her chin.

"You're going to make your throat sore," Kakashi said.

Sakura ignored him, "Can we get hot cocoa?"

"Official business, Sakura," He reminded.

She kicked at the snow.

"Afterwards," he promised.

They both looked ahead and exhaled every now and then; Kakashi looked for the law enforcement office and Sakura looked for anything edible.

"When was the last time you were here?"

His eyes looked at her blankly.

"I mean, you don't seem to remember anything."

"I don't," he confessed.

"Nothing?"

He shook his head, "I was a kid and kids can't even be bothered to learn their address half the time."

Sakura imitated his tired posture, "I don't know why newlyweds would vacation here."

"Hm?"

"Aren't we supposed to be, I don't know, married?" She asked.

"I suppose it looks boring, but there's a charm," He said.

Where?

All the windows they passed reflected the street, completely dark and void of any human essence. It was pretty, like it could have been on a calendar under the date of "December", but was it a place to live?

"It's definitely out of the city," He chuckled.

The air was fresh and crisp, unlike the exhaust fumes that would sometimes tie it'self around her tongue. And so quiet that the sound of a squirrel chewing on something was the only ambiance.

"Ahead," she nodded.

Kakashi squinted, "there it is."

"It's a small little building compared to Konoha's," Sakura noticed.

A note on the entrance quickly explained the city:

Gone until 12/17

"Did everyone leave on a trip, or what?" Sakura asked, looking around herself uncomfortably.

"Could be something going on, like a festival," He suggested.

"I bet there's lots of food," She whimpered. "Wherever they are, they must be enjoying themselves."

"Well," he groaned, "It's the fourteenth."

"I feel like we're going to be stuck in that house for two days eating canned beans," She said. "Cabin fever."

He turned them around, "I'll give you an axe so that you can chop fire wood."