Sasuke Uchiha and I

Chapter 17 - Smile

Sasuke's P.O.V

Today marks an entire year since Winter passed away. The quirky girl with the crazy immunity to Ninjutsu and Genjutsu has been dead for an entire year. I'm sure she will be missed very dearly.

Unofficially, she isn't dead. She's actually walking next to me right now, but I'm the only one in the entire world who knows that. I'm also the only one who knows that she is smiling right now, lighting up the entire forest, brighter than the sun. 

Seeing her shine so bright makes me guilty half the time, knowing that I put pressure on her because of all my darkness, and half the time I'm thankful that she is willing to be my light. Without her, I would be lost. Without her, I would be bloodthirsty. 

"What are you thinking about? " She silently questions me. Her voice was taken from her, normal people would be driven insane with grief - especially someone who liked the sound of their voice so much - but she picked up the pieces and put herself back together, even though one piece is missing. 

Winter lifts a perfect eyebrow wanting to know what I'm thinking and I say quickly, "Nothing, I'm just grateful that I hadn't killed you a year ago." 

She silently laughs and writes down on a piece of paper, 'You would be totally lost without me, wouldn't you?'

"You know it." I chuckle and she playfully hits me in the arm. 

Every time I'm with Winter I feel like I can be myself. I don't have to act emotionless like I am with Orochimaru, I don't have to be afraid that if I show her my darkness she will run away. I know for a fact she won't run away because she has seen me at my worst and yet she stood by my side and trusted me. 

To be honest, no matter how I act she is stuck with me. I smirk at her as she whacks a branch out of her face and snow falls down on top of her. Because of the high altitude on this mountain where I live, it snows continuously. On a rare occasion that there isn't snow, it rains. 

It's strangely fitting for Winter to be up here with me, it fits her name. It's almost as if fate planned her to be with me on this mountain. As if it was planned when she was born and named 'Winter' that she would live for a year in the snow and rain. 

Winter brushes the snow that hadn't yet melted out of her hair and she gives me a quick smile. For some reason, my heart gets a fluttery feeling but I shove it back down again. I have no idea what that was. 

Third P.O.V

Winter and Sasuke continued walking through the snow-laden forest without the slightest knowledge that they were being watched. They laughed together without a care in their world, for a few moments they weren't focusing on their security and it was going to cost them dearly.

Winter's P.O.V 

It had been great to get out in the fresh air, Sasuke was looking brighter and happier than usual and smiling more often. I can't help but think I'm the reason he's smiling more, but I have no idea why that would matter, the fact that he's smiling is joyful news by itself. 

We walked back to his home, my home as I like to think, and then he said he had to go back to Orochimaru. Trying not to deflate too much in front of him, I told him to not be too reckless and he answered with a cheesy, "When am I ever reckless?"

Personally, I wouldn't mind spending another year with Sasuke. I don't have much to do as his official housemaid seeing as the house doesn't get messed up that often. I only have to vacuum and wash the dishes and the occasional wiping down the bathroom. I mostly sit on my but and read his mother's books, Mikoto is one of the best writers I've ever read. She was pretty bad at the start, thinking back to her first novel 'Paris Gray', but it's almost as if every book tops the next.