The Red Fox And The Ferret

Another one by the amazing Fond Memories

Winter Bloom:

An unblemished field of white lay nestled amongst dark, barren trees, their branches scraping at the sky despite being heavily weighed down with pristine snow, their efforts most commendable. The normally blue sky was a near-opaque gray, backlit by pale, cold sunshine trying futilely to filter through the clouds that barred it, the beams, on occasion, only briefly flitting through the tiny crevices in their shifting forms. From those behemoths fell crystalline flakes of snow, gently, tenderly, but thoroughly frosting the already glimmering surfaces below with a fresh powdering of the icy white substance.

In the branches of one of the many soaring trees, two thickly cloaked women sat daintily side-by-side on the chilled bark, very little of their figures distinguishable under their warm wrappings. Against their sublime, alabaster surroundings, the visible shocks of wheat blonde and blood red hair on the ladies' heads stood in stark contrast, even more so than the dark caramel skin of the latter. The two looked on quietly up at the monochrome sky, two chilled hands woven loosely together between them.

"Ne, Temi?" The redhead asked, turning her head so that her golden eyes could behold her companion.

"Yea, Kari?" The blonde responded, her blue eyes remaining fixated on the snow drifting down around her.

"Do you ever miss your village?" Karui questioned her nakama quietly, but without hesitation, as if her query held not an underlying fear but rather a calm curiosity.

Temari closed her eyes, a small smile crawling onto her face. For a long moment, she did not answer, and, when she did, she spoke of her old home.

"It was always very dry in Suna, and windy, constantly. The days were scorching, the sun blinding; at night, the temperature would plummet. The skies were almost always clear, and you could see all the stars...And then there were the sandstorms. Everyone learned to never venture out in one, but rather to wait for it to blow over...When I was younger, we were taught that accomplishing our missions was the most important thing in our lives as shinobi...sometimes, my sensei would treat my team to Suna Dango if we completed a particularly challenging mission. It was...very different from Konoha." She trailed off, looking down at her lap, her untied hair falling into her face.

Karui hummed lowly next to her, thinking of her own village.

"In Kumo, it mostly thunder stormed. Sometimes, it would snow, but really, it was just rainy, and cloudy; but the lightning...oh the lightning, it was magnificent. Terrifying and beautiful...and so was the ocean. You could always see the coastline from the mountain edge...I loved just staring at that sea, thinking it was my only friend..."

"And do you miss it?"

"You never answered me."

Sighing, Temari glanced up at the former Kumo nin, squeezing their fingers lightly.

"Sometimes, I miss it, yes. I miss that harsh weather and the stinging of sand in my eyes; I miss Gaara, and Kankurō, and Matsuri-san, everyone..."

"So do you regret coming here?" Karui ploughed ahead, uncaring of whether or not her questions would make her fellow kunoichi uncomfortable. Temari smiled at her kindly, shaking her head.

"No. I don't. Konoha is my home, just like it is yours. The people we love...the ones who are waiting for us...our husbands, and friends, they're here."

At that, Karui grinned, glad to know her own thoughts were paralleled by the other girl.

"Yes, this is my home." Temari murmured, her other hand emerging from her cloak to settle in a distinctly affectionate manner on her abdomen. "My children might not know the sand I grew up in, but every year they will see snow."

Beside her, Karui blinked.

Then blinked again.

And again.

Temari faced her friend fully then, biting her lip to fight off a large smile, her eyes shining.

"Kari, you've become my most treasured nakama these past years, both of us knowing that melancholic nostalgia of our birthplaces. Frankly, you're my best friend, and I wanted you to be the first person I told; Shika's with Chōji now and all, so..." She trailed off once more, holding her breath as she stared at her friend.

Karui blinked once more.

And then she practically screamed, bouncing in her seat and throwing her arms around the blonde's shoulders, mindful of her belly.

"Oh Kami! Temi! Temi! You're going to have a kid! OH MY KAMI YOU'RE HAVING A KID! There'll be squirts runnin' around everywhere!" She shrieked happily. Temari laughed, the joyous sound carrying in the crisp air.

"I don't know about that, Kari. They'll be Naras, after all."

"Yea, but their momma's badass. You'll get 'em into shape, lazy dad aside." Karui drawled, pulling back.

"Thanks Kari!" Temari giggled.

"This is great! I'm totally teaching the squirt how to dance." Karui cried. Temari prodded at her forehead, and she turned her attention back to the blonde.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you...Inuzuka Karui, will you be my child's Godmother?"

And for the nth time, Karui froze, blinking.

Once. Twice. Three times.

"FUCK YES I'LL BE THE GODMOTHER!" The redhead yelled, her exuberance exploding as she once again nearly crushed her nakama. Temari laughed again, tears in her eyes, her arms snaking around the other woman's form, holding her close.

Crunching footsteps were heard, and then voice was calling to them, popping their little bubble.

"Oi! Enough with the love...we gotta get home, Tema!" Nara Shikamaru called, Chōji and Kiba, with Akamaru, at his side. The girls swiveled around and stared down silently at the men, their faces blank but their aura slightly off. And then, before anyone could blink, Kiba was tackled to the ground in a flurry of powdery snow, Karui straddling his waist and fiercely gripping his collar.

"Dogboy! We're going home now! I WANT PUPPIES, DAMMIT!" She screamed, shaking him. The poor man just stared.

"WHAT THE HELL WOMAN?" He yelled.

While Chōji tried to prevent Kiba's unintentional murder, Shikamaru and Temari started back to the village, the lazy genius' arm laid across his wife's shoulders, pulling her close, the two completely ignoring their friends' bickering in the background.

"So," He drawled, with the faintest of blushes, "I figured we could go get some Tofu soup for dinner. I even bought some chestnuts."

Snuggling closer to her husband, Temari pouted.

"No. I do not want Tofu soup. Let's go for octopus." Shikamaru stopped shortly in surprise, snorting.

"You hate octopus. Or squid. Or anything with tentacles."

"Well I want it, so that's what we're eating, baka" Shikamaru sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Cravings are a definite drag." He grumbled. Temari smacked him lightly.

"I swear by Kami, if the first word our child says is 'drag', I will happily castrate you."

"Oh, c'mon Tema." He whined.

"Octopus. Now." His wife replied, kissing his jaw. Shikamaru grinned lazily, his narrow eyes alight with utter joy, his features soft. Temari wore a similarly shining expression.

"Yea, yea. Anything for you, aisai."

"I love you, anata."

"Love you too." He mumbled, eyes falling to her tummy. "And you." He whispered.

Of course, their tender moment just had to be interrupted.

"SOMEBODY FUCKING SAVE ME!" Kiba howled from atop a galloping Akamaru. Karui was literally hot on their tails.

"GET BACK HERE DOGBOY!" She bellowed, her sword drawn from seemingly no-where.

Shikamaru sighed, dragging a hand over his face; Temari's eyebrow twitched. Chōji jogged up beside them, munching on a bag of chips.

"Great times already!" He said brightly around his mouthful of food.

Oh yes. Great times indeed. And with so many more to come.

After all...their families were just only starting, and their love could only grow