I felt guilty for writing so many fluffy oneshots...

(My Pathetic Counter-Argument: Without fluff, we'd have nothing to put in our stuffed animals!!)

Thus, I attempted something *hopefully* less fluffy.

On another note, it's New Year's Eve! Yay!

My New Year's Resolution: Get an A in math! (Haha, like that will ever happen.)

Their voices were muffled through the steel door, but Uchiha Sasuke could make out bits of conversation.

"Hey, Boss, I got 'em! All two hundred orders of 'em!"

"Poifect. Show me the goods."

"Be careful. They're real fragile, Boss."

"I know, I know. Do I look like an idiot to ya? You think you some wise guy, huh?"

"N-no, Boss! Never!"

Sasuke heard a click, as if something had been opened.

"Poifect. These are poifect."

"S-see, I told ya, Boss! Didn't I tell ya?"

"Yeah, I guess you did. Let's get outta here so we can sell 'em on the Black Market."

"Good idea, Boss! I'd hate to get caught by those shinobi they've been lettin' on the loose."

"Don't worry. I gots some guards stationed behind this door. They'll take care of any of 'em shinobi."

Uchiha Sasuke smirked. Those so-called guards were lying unconscious next to him. Really, all it had taken was a single glare from his Sharingan to knock them all out. So pathetic. He itched for a real fight, something to actually challenge him, like a spar with Naruto. However, the dobe's Hokage position forced him to stay in the Fire Country.

Sasuke, being an ANBU captain, had been assigned a mission all the way in the Wind Country: Locate illegal trading business. Infiltrate headquarters. Write massive, superfluous report over every action taken. This mission was so simple that even a fresh-out-of-the-academy Genin could do it.

However, Naruto insisted that he must complete this mission, claiming that it was a favor for the Kazekage. Then he asked if Sasuke could bring the Wind Country's famous spicy ramen on the way home.

Tch.

Sasuke signaled his squad to attack on command. With one kick, the steel door burst open. Two shady figures stood in the middle of the room. They hunched over a table that had suitcases full of cash and… snow globes?

What kind of moron sold snow globes in the Wind Country?!?

He knew for a fact that the Wind Country consisted of an endless land of sand with a few dry, mountainous areas. This place was hot, no denying it. The people of the Wind Country loved the scorching heat. Sasuke didn't understand how most of them wore robes with numerous layers. He remembered that Temari once noted how Konoha was cold, compared to Suna. Tch, if Konoha was cold, then Rock Lee actually had a chance with Haruno Sakura. Therefore, Sasuke concluded, selling snow globes in the Wind Country's climate was just plain stupid.

"What are ya doin' here? How'd you get past the guards?" a sturdy man with a serious unibrow problem demanded.

"Boss," the lanky man next to him gulped, "I think it's 'em shinobi we been worryin' about."

Without a word, one of Sasuke's teammates threw two senbon, which hit the men squarely in the neck. The both of them slumped over, unconscious. Sasuke nodded at his teammate in approval.

TenTen had earned a reputation as a weapons mistress back in their Genin days. Over the years, she sweet-talked Neji into letting her borrow a secret Hyuuga scroll about the Chakra Pathway System. Once she finally obtained the scroll, she memorized the location of key tenketsu. With her deadly accurate senbon and knowledge of chakra points, TenTen proved to be a valuable teammate on Sasuke's squad.

He watched as one of his other teammates calculated the amount of money in the suitcases. With an IQ over 200, Nara Shikamaru was no doubt a genius. His laziness was his only drawback. Fortunately, a certain sand kunoichi motivated him to finally shed his Chuunin status. After that, it took almost no time for Shikamaru to join the ranks of the ANBU.

"There's over 2.5 million ryo in these suitcases," Shikamaru reported with a slight yawn.

"For snow globes? That's crazy!" the final member of Sasuke's squad exclaimed incredulously.

Inuzuka Kiba smelled like dog. He was also loud and rambunctious, like Naruto. Akamaru, his insanely huge canine, sometimes left "surprises" in some of the worst places. Sasuke didn't particularly like Kiba, but he was useful as a sensory type.

"Heh, Akamaru found something interesting," Kiba announced. "A business card of the vendors associated with the snow globe company."

"We'll have to stop these vendors from selling these illegal snow globes, as weird as that sounds," TenTen concluded.

"How troublesome," Shikamaru muttered.

Sasuke couldn't help but agree with the laziest member of his ANBU squad. This mission was nothing but frivolous. He understood that illegal trade was one of the Wind Country's major economic problems, but snow globes were just a waste of time.

He picked up one of the offending knick-knacks and shook it. Tiny snowflakes swirled inside of the glass orb. They twinkled and shimmered, as if charged with chakra. Inside the center of the snow globe, an angel stood. Her eyes were closed, but it didn't matter; her long, dark hair obscured most of her face anyway. Large, white wings emerged from her back. Her hands were stretched out towards Sasuke, as if wanting to embrace him.

Funny, the angel vaguely resembled Hyuuga Hinata. Although a deadly shinobi, she somehow remained innocent and naïve. Constantly adoring Naruto, she never paid any attention to the Uchiha. She would never want to embrace him.

Not that Sasuke cared.

TenTen noted, "These things are useless, but at least they're pretty."

Sasuke grunted and stuffed the snow globe into his kunai pouch. He turned to the rest of his squad, who searched and analyzed the remainder of the room.

"Kiba, I want you to return these snow globes to the closest factory. Shikamaru, catalog and bring this money to the bank. TenTen and I will deal with the vendors," he ordered. "Be at the ramen stand when you're finished."

Naruto better be happy when he gets his spicy ramen or else.

While he interrogated the vendors with TenTen, the snow globe in his kunai pouch lingered in the back of his mind. Why did he keep one? Because he was angry at Naruto for wasting his time? Because it was pretty? Because it was free?

Because it reminded him of a certain Hyuuga Hinata?

No, the idea was more absurd than Jutsu Juice, Naruto's favorite energy drink. The dobe claimed that Jutsu Juice could double the effect of any jutsu. Sasuke claimed that it tasted disgusting. A concoction of avocado purée, grape juice, crushed ice, and raw chakra? Completely gag-worthy. The product was a complete hoax that fooled everyone with its overpriced six-pack.

Uchiha Sasuke most certainly did not have any feelings for the heiress. He felt confident that he could break the snow globe at any time, thus proving his blasé standpoint. However, the snow globe didn't even remind him of Hyuuga Hinata. He just kept it for the report he'd have to write after the mission was over.

At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

"Is that the last vendor?" TenTen asked once they finished questioning a particularly feisty man.

"We have one more to go," he grunted.

As they searched for the last vendor listed on the business card, Sasuke's mind dangerously drifted back to the Hyuuga heiress. Why had she suddenly taken his conscience hostage? Instead of carefully scanning the area for potential threats, he imagined her smiling with a cute, rosy blush. Impersonating his lazy teammate, Sasuke labeled this situation as troublesome. Hinata was not going to affect his performance on the mission. He would not allow it.

"Over there," TenTen gestured to a vendor next to a greenhouse.

The two ANBU appeared in front of the vendor. His receding hairline and huge gut indicated that this man was laughably weak. The Uchiha didn't even bother interrogating him; he wanted this mission completed quickly. Then, perhaps his mind would finally clear of blushing beauties. TenTen handed the vendor a slip of paper.

"You've been fined 100,000 ryo for possession of Black Market goods," Sasuke stated bluntly.

"You have no proof that these are from the Black Market," the man spat. "I purchased these snow globes from the Iron Country. They're legit."

"Then we would like to see your vending license," TenTen said.

The man shifted, uncomfortable. Sasuke couldn't help but smirk from under his ANBU mask; they caught him. This vending stand was as legit as a doppelganger.

"Who are you to question me, anyway? How do I know that you didn't just buy faux ANBU masks at a carnival?" the man questioned.

Like all of the others, this vendor just didn't know when to quit. Sasuke hated dealing with civilians. These self-entitled freaks thought that their lives were so difficult. The Uchiha could almost burst out laughing at the thought. Spending the day selling useless handicrafts didn't even come close to spending the day in a constant state of danger. Haggling prices couldn't produce an adrenaline rush, but close-combat with an enemy did. People with normal lives didn't understand the life of a shinobi. Sasuke had been born into this life, but he stuck with it and planned to keep going on missions until he died.

Death. He remembered how scared he had been on his first C-rank mission in the Land of Waves. When Momochi Zabuza first expressed death intent, Sasuke's heart beat erratically and he succumbed to a wave of nausea. Now, after knocking on its door so many times, he was no longer afraid of death. However, he could tell that the vendor in front of him was terrified by the thought. He kept eyeing the katana strapped to Sasuke's back. Sasuke smirked and pulled it out.

"I'm sure a small fine won't hurt your business," the Uchiha mentioned casually, his blade glinting in the desert sun.

The man nodded with wide eyes, "Perhaps you're right. I'll be sure to pay the fine immediately."

Sasuke nodded, and the two ANBU disappeared. They entered the ramen stand. As instructed, the rest of the squad had already arrived. The establishment, which had a "No Dogs Allowed" sign, actually allowed Akamaru to enter. And Kiba. The two shared a bowl of ramen, which disgusted Sasuke. Shikamaru sat in the booth opposite of the two, where he took a nap. TenTen violently shook her lazy teammate awake.

As Sasuke witnessed all of this, he thought of the bonds he had made with his squad. Once he returned to Konoha, everybody distrusted him. It took years to rebuild the trust between him and the other shinobi. These feelings of rejection had surprised him, among other things. Uzumaki Naruto became Hokage, the Academy changed its curriculum to focus on chakra control, the prices of weapons inflated, and Hyuuga Hinata grew to be quite lovely.

…lovely?

Ignoring that last comment, he ordered a cup of spicy ramen to-go. As the chef handed it to him with a smile, Sasuke realized that he could not deny it any longer. Somehow, his mind kept drifting back to the Hyuuga heiress. He needed closure. Reaching in his kunai pouch, he pulled out the snow globe.

Perhaps it would be useful after all.

The next morning, Hyuuga Hinata awoke in her apartment.

The Hyuuga compound, so vast and impersonal, didn't feel like a home. So her father Hiashi decided to finally renovate the place. (She figured his sudden change of attitude was due to midlife-crisis.) The entire clan moved into a nearby apartment complex. Hinata didn't mind because she received a single apartment for herself. Privacy still didn't exist due to the all of the Byakugan-users, but she now had a place of her own.

Once she moved into her apartment, she seized the opportunity to personalize everything. Lilies from Ino sat on the windowsill, pictures of her friends and family hung on the walls, and a stash of Tasty Taijutsu Twisties hid under her bed. With the help of Sakura, silk curtains with cherry blossom designs framed her windows. Kiba had left a doggie bowl in her bathroom for when he and Akamaru visited. Shino even gave her an ant farm as a house-warming gift.

Home. It had a nice ring to it.

Hinata made her bed and carried out her usual morning routine. After she finished eating a blueberry muffin for breakfast, she hummed "Shinobi Symphony No. 5," her favorite tune. At the age of four, she used to go to a neighboring village to attend orchestra concerts with her mother. Hiashi argued that Hinata should be training instead, but his wife countered that a kunoichi must be cultured. The trips to the concerts ended when her mother died.

The Hyuuga heiress closed her eyes, letting the notes wash over her. Whenever she hummed this song, it reminded her of her loving, gentle mother. Thinking of the woman who once cared for her gave her hope. Hinata felt rejuvenated; today was a new day. With her eyes still closed, she opened the door, took a step and…

…abruptly fell flat on her face.

Her cheeks turned a rosy tint. She hoped Hanabi didn't see her fall, or she'd be the butt of her sister's jokes for a month. Hinata slowly got up, brushed the dirt off of her pants, and eyed the offending object that caused her to trip.

It was a snow globe.

Have a Happy New Year!

Let's hope we'll see some canon SasuHina action in 2010!

(That should be Kishimoto-san's New Year's Resolution. ^_^)