Disclaimer: I ow nothing!
Such Happy Days
one-shot
firefox369
White snow drifted downwards from the cloudy, gray sky, blanketing the world in a sea of the cold rain. Delicately, the cold flakes fluttered to the ground, ending their dizzying dance as they stuck together and landed without a single noise. But the white, untrampled ground would not stay that way for long.
Pat. Pat. Pat. Feet stepped out into the frozen outside as soft, light blue eyes stared at the seemingly endless drop of the miniature stars, trying to count how many there were before they hit the ground. In the end there were too many and the being slowly lowered his gaze to stare, confused, across the street.
"Kagome-chan, what are you doing out so late?"
"I should ask you the same, Naruto-kun" the girl replied, returning his confused yet curious gaze.
"You'll catch cold wearing what you are right now, why don't you go home and put on a few more layers before wandering alone at night during winter?"
Kagome giggled, cocking her head to the side as she leaned forward, hazel eyes lighting up with mirth, though they seemed filled with sadness at the same time.
"That's rude of you, Naruto-kun, you should know that I came here alone. I left the rest of my family back in Tokyo in order to start my life over."
Naruto scowled, crossing his arms and giving a 'hmph' of annoyance. "Excuse me for forgetting that tiny little detail."
"I highly doubt that 'tiny' is a suitable word for it" she laughed and he pouted, the whisker-like marks on his cheeks becoming more prominent as he did so. "Ne, Naruto-kun, do you know what day it is?"
"Of course, who wouldn't?" he grumbled as she walked over to him hugging her sweater closer around her small, shivering frame.
"Then, do you always celebrate New Years alone?"
The pout gradually began to fade to be replaced by a goofy grin. "No, Iruka-sensei has come over to my apartment in order to be there with me some years. He hasn't been here recently, though. I can't blame him. He's busy."
"Then, would you like to celebrate it with me? It's the first year I've been without my family on this day."
Naruto blinked once in shock before a smile curved the sides of his lips upward. He stepped towards Kagome, for she had stopped a few meters away in case he rejected. She didn't want to move, for moving meant that her legs would press against the freezing cold cloth of her pants. She was shivering enough as it was.
"Sure, I'd love to. Why don't you come inside, you look freezing."
Kagome narrowed her eyes. Was he teasing her?
"No duh, I'm cold. I didn't have to worry about such cold weather where I came from, baka" she bit out, voice shaky from the force of her shivers.
"Okay, okay, Kagome-chan, just hurry up and get inside before your toes get frostbite and have to be amputated."
"I'll show you amputated" she growled, but quickly hurried to the door, which Naruto had so kindly unlocked for her while he was speaking, and inside of the building anyway. A sigh escaped her lips as the artificial heat of the building surrounded her and warmed her body to the state of being slightly painful.
Her fingers stung.
So did her toes.
A scowl formed on her face as she gazed turned to gaze at Naruto. Darn him and his innocent words, he had jinxed her, she was sure of it! She had wandered through the feudal era, where there were no heaters, and camped outside in the biting cold for days on end without feeling like this, yet all she did was stand outside for a few moments and already her appendages were stinging!
Yes, he had jinxed her, she was sure of it.
"Is there anything I can do for you, Kagome-chan? I can get you something to drink once we get back up to my place."
"No, no, I'd feel bad if you did such a thing, Naruto-kun. Don't worry about it, I don't need anything of the sort."
"Ahhh? Your lips are blue, Kagome-chan! That isn't a healthy sign!" Quickly, Naruto grabbed her wrist and dragged her up too many stairs to count and something that seemed like a never ending corridor before skidding to a stop in front of a beat-up door. He dug in his orange pants, eyes shut in concentration as his hand bulged in the large pocket before his eyes lit up with joy and he released and excited "Aha!"
Quickly, he took out the ring of keys he had and shoved one in the door, turning the key until there was a loud 'click' that would have woken anyone within a five mile radius if they weren't already awake.
"I'll have to apologize, my room isn't exactly the cleanest right now" he laughed nervously.
"Oh, no, I'm sure it'll be fine."
Hesitantly, he turned the knob and swung the door open to reveal the pigsty he lived in. Empty bags and cups of instant ramen were strewn all over the place, along with random sheets of paper and clothing.
You could hardly see the floor.
Kagome sweat-dropped at the sight. It was a lot worse that she had anticipated.
"Eh heh…" he laughed and Kagome glanced at him, giving him a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry about it. I wasn't expecting you to be the cleanest person in the world" she informed and Naruto blinked, staring blankly at where she had been a moment before.
"Ne! Kagome-chan, is that supposed to be an insult?" he demanded, charging into his home to see her leaning down to pick up a cracked frame on the ground. All noise escaped his voice box as he waited for her reaction. A soft smile formed on her face as she turned to face him, amused.
"You kept it after all, huh?" she laughed, the door creaking shut behind them, and Naruto looked away, a light blush on his cheeks as he pouted once again.
"So what if I did?" he grumbled and her laughter grew louder.
"No, nothing, I just wasn't expecting it is all."
"I apologize for not taking care of it as well as you would have liked."
"No, no, seeing that you framed it is quite a surprise in itself. I know that you don't exactly have a sufficient amount of funds."
An awkward silence fell between the two before Kagome sighed, gently placing the framed down and propping it up correctly.
"Naruto, come here for a moment, please."
He hesitated, not sure if the lack of an honorific was a good thing or a bad thing, but he obeyed nonetheless.
"It's New Years, so relax a bit, would you? Do you know how much time there is before the chimes will go off?"
"About another few minutes or-"
Bells rang in the distance and Kagome quirked an eyebrow at him, smiling wryly at him.
"A few minutes, huh?" she teased and he blushed once again.
"G-gomen na-"
Once again, he was cut off as foreign skin touched his cheek in a quick peck. Kagome then looked away, at the ceiling, the ground the walls, anywhere but at him. Until she saw a cocky smirk make its way onto his features.
Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist and yanked her into him, placing a chaste kiss on her lips as the final bell rang echoing across the entire village of Konoha, alerting everyone that the New Year had suddenly arrived.
Meanwhile, in a cracked frame, a photo of two people standing side by side, one with blonde hair and the other with black, smiled at the entire world. Their cheeks were pressed together. While one made a peace sign with her pointer and middle finger, the other made a vulgar gesture of flicking someone off. Scribbled on the bottom of the photo, in messy, black ink were the words: If days are hard, just remember this time. Stay strong, Naruto! Ganbatte! Love, Kagome
When Naruto finally relinquished his hold on her wrist, her cheeks were flushed pink and the echoes had long since disappeared.
Smiling dreamily, he gently held her against his body, breathing in her soothing scent.
Such happy days, he had with her. Such happy days indeed.