Yuletide – A Christmas Story
December 22nd: Konohagakure
The winter season brought many wonders to the villages across the land; whether it was glorious or atrophic. Konohagakure, or the Village Hidden in the Leaves, celebrated the winter season festively, having performances, fireworks, or just parties.
The snow cascaded from the sky, slowly hitting the already covered concrete. Villagers walked through the snow, that seemed to be at least eight inches high, carrying bought presents, groceries for a party or Christmas dinner, or just things they bought for themselves for Christmas. One blond haired, blue-eyed shinobi, by the name of Naruto Uzumaki, was one of those villagers who traversed through Konoha's town centre buying things for the holiday season.
Naruto was twenty-two years old, and he was one of the most respected shinobi of the village. Although, he had not been; before, he was hated and scorn upon as the demon of the village. His father, the Yondaime Hokage Minato Namikaze, sealed the Kyuubi no Yoko inside of him as a newborn baby, in order to save the village. But it came as a cost: Naruto had lost both his mother and father. Through his childhood, he had been tortured, teased, and ignored.
But that was all in the past, and the present held many great things for the Uzumaki. Anyways, Naruto yawned lightly, his orange scarf moving a bit as his jaw did, and he continued to look down a tattered, white piece of paper.
"Okay, so I bought the two-liter bottles of Coca-Cola…and I bought three bottles of sparkling cider…" He read to himself, looking down the list at what he needed left. Naruto smiled, and put his list away, "So now I only need to go to the ramen shop…"
Naruto carried a plastic bag filled with supplies in his right hand as he arrived at Ichiraku's Ramen, his favorite childhood restaurant, even though he STILL loves it. Teuchi, the head chef, smiled and welcomed his best customer.
"Ah," he stated, putting down his ladle, "Naruto my boy! How are you?"
Naruto chuckled lightly, "Fantastic, Teuchi-san," he answered, "just preparing for a Christmas party."
Teuchi nodded, and leaned on the counter, "Wonderful! So what kind of ramen do you need?"
Naruto thought about it for a moment, "Well, um, actually I was wondering if you could actually come to the party as guests, and I could help carry ramen there."
At that moment, Ayame, Teuchi's daughter, came in with a washrag and her apron around her waist. She noticed Naruto, and smiled, "Hey there Naruto-san. How's it going?"
"Hey Ayame, I was just asking if you guys would like to come to my Christmas party." He replied, and Teuchi and Ayame both nodded, "Sure thing!" Teuchi said. Naruto smiled, "Great! I'll be back tomorrow to set up what kinds I need. Thanks again you guys!"
"No, thank you, Naruto!" Teuchi said, and waved him goodbye.
Naruto walked off, and headed towards his home. Recently, since the defeat of Madara Uchiha and the remaining Akatsuki, Naruto had received a large sum of money. He had enough to buy his own house, instead of an apartment, and whatever he had left over he used for furniture and food. But now that he was a Jounnin, he could get even more money on missions for food over the years.
His front lawn was covered with snow, and some of the Christmas lights were covered as well. The lights were blue and silver, which shined brightly around the edges of his house. On his front door, there was a snow white wreath that hung around the door knocker. He sighed, giving a content smile, and walked up to his front door.
As he was about to open his door, he noticed something on the doormat. He hunched over and picked it up. It had a label on it, most likely a present, which stated, "Merry Christmas, from Sakura. Do NOT open until Christmas Day." Naruto smirked, and tucked the box under his arm, and took out his key. He unlocked the door, and walked in. Naruto took off his boots at the front door, and put the groceries on the kitchen counter. He then took off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack.
After putting away all the groceries, Naruto walked into his bedroom and sat down on the floor. He put his hand under the bed, and searched around for something. Finally, he pulled out a black box with a silver bow on it. He opened it, and inside was a beautiful necklace.
It was silver with emerald jewels embedded in some of the links. Naruto smiled softly, and closed it.
'I hope she'll like it…' Naruto thought, putting it back under the bed.
He stood, and walked back into the living room. There, he had three boxes: One filled with blue and gold ornaments, the second filled with garland, and the third filled with tree lights. The Christmas tree sat in the corner near the fireplace, a water canteen on the end of the tree to keep it alive.
He took out the Christmas lights and untangled them one by one. It took about an hour to untangle them all, and he fitted them on the tree. He plugged them into the wall and they lit up in multi-color. As he was about to get the ornaments up, a knock sounded at the door. Naruto put down a gold ornament and walked over to the door, "Coming!" He announced.
Naruto unlocked the door, and opened to see a pink haired, green eyed girl standing there. Her name was Sakura Haruno, also twenty-two years old and one of Naruto's old teammates when they were Gennin. She had always had his heart, unbeknownst her; and he gave her a warm smile.
Sakura smiled, "Hey you, can I come in?" Naruto nodded, and moved out of the way, "Sure." Sakura walked in, removing her shoes right next to her friend's, and took off her coat. She was wearing a short sleeve shirt with a white long sleeve underneath, and blue jeans. She shrugged to get the cold off of her, and looked at Naruto, "So, how've you been?"
Naruto laughed sheepishly, "Good…you?"
Sakura sighed, "Good, I guess," she said, "the constant going to stores and stuff kinda gets me." She joked, and Naruto smirked, "You're tellin' me."
Sakura noticed the tree, "Oh, so you are decorating your tree?" Naruto looked behind him at the tree, and returned gaze to his friend, "Oh yeah, just started. Wanna help?" Sakura shrugged, "Sure, just tell me what I need to do." Naruto smiled, "Well, let's just get ornaments up there." He said, as the both walked over to the box filled with the ornaments.
They began putting ornaments all over the tree as they talked about old times and recent events. Sakura smiled, putting on a blue cone ornament, "So, are you doing anything this Christmas?" Naruto nodded, "Yeah," he said, taking another ornament, "I'm having a party. Do you wanna go?" Saying 'party' brought a smile to Sakura's face, and she nodded, "Sure! Do you need any help with preparations?" She implied.
Naruto thought about it, "Actually yeah…I kinda suck at baking…And I've tasted your cookies, which are really good. Think you could help me make some sweets?" Sakura winked at him, "Sure thing." Naruto blushed a little at the wink, but shook it off mentally.
As they finished off the box of ornaments, it became a little silent. Naruto then broke the ice, "So…what are you doing tomorrow?" He asked, taking both empty boxes to his nearby closet. Sakura followed, "Nothing much, why?" Naruto closed the closet door, and smiled, "I was wondering if you'd wanna eat lunch with me tomorrow," he said, "not as a date though, just as friends?"
Sakura smiled softly, "Sure, why not. What time?" Naruto looked a little shocked that she said yes, but he answered, "I'll meet you at your house at one tomorrow?" Sakura nodded, and smiled, "I'll be there. Need any more help with anything?" Naruto looked around, "Nope, that's mostly it. I'll start with the garland tomorrow."
The pink haired girl nodded and put on her coat and boots, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Naruto nodded, but stopped her, "Let me walk you home." Sakura hesitated, but nodded. Naruto put on his jacket and his boots, and followed her out, closing the door and locking it behind him. As they walked, the snow fell lightly and stuck to their hair loosely. They arrived at Sakura's residence, and she turned towards Naruto as she pulled out her keys, "Thanks for walking me, Naruto."
"No problem, Sakura-chan. See you tomorrow!" He said, as he walked away back towards his house. Sakura smiled, and looked at her hands. Her keys twirled through her fingers nervously, and she closed her eyes lightly.
'He's so kind…I just don't know if I can tell him yet.' Sakura thought, finally opening her door. Naruto arrived back his house, and fell asleep in his king-sized bed quickly. The next day was a new opportunity.
December 23rd: Naruto's House
The next morning, Naruto stretched his arms above his head and yawned. The sun peaked through his window, and he scratched his scalp. He swung his feet out of his bed, and walked over into the bathroom. Naruto took a quick shower, brushed his teeth, applied deodorant, combed his hair out, and got dressed in a pair of black jeans, orange tank top and black jacket along with his boots, and went out into his kitchen.
He opened his fridge and took out a carton of eggnog, which he had found a liking to, and poured himself a small glass of it. After drinking his eggnog, he put the carton back into the fridge and readjusted his jacket. With that, he headed out to run some errands. Naruto looked at his tattered list again, and he noticed that he had to invite his friends to the party. First he went to the Inuzukas', where his friend Kiba Inuzuka lived, and knocked on the large, oak door. Sounds of barking came from inside, and the fowl stench of wet dog scented through the air. Naruto laughed, 'Natural…' He thought.
Suddenly, the door opened and Kiba appeared. Akamaru was behind him, his tail wagging at immense speeds. The brunette smiled, and looked at his blond friend, "Naruto! What are you doing here?" Naruto scratched the back of his head, "I came to ask if you wanted to come to a party on Christmas? It's at my house, and there's free food."
Kiba laughed, and nodded, "Sure, why not. What time?"
"Party starts at five thirty, ends at nine thirty. See you there, and you can bring Akamaru!" Naruto said, and Kiba waved him off, "Okay, bye Naruto!" Kiba closed the door, and Naruto went off to the next invitee. He traveled to the Hyuuga Estate and walked up to the door. Out to the left of the front lawn, were Neji Hyuuga and Hiashi Hyuuga training. Neji held up his hand to signal a stop, and Hiashi looked over at the front door along with Neji, and they called out to the blond.
"Naruto, over here!" Neji called out, signaling him. Naruto glanced over, and walked over. "Hey Neji, Hiashi-san." Hiashi smiled, "What calls for this visit Naruto?"
"Well I wanted to invite Neji and Hinata to a party I'm having at my house on Christmas." He suggested, and Neji nodded, "I can go. I'll go ask Hinata if she can attend later." Naruto smiled, "Cool, it starts at five thirty and ends at nine thirty. See you then." Naruto said, waving them both off, "Goodbye Neji, Hiashi-san."
Meanwhile, at Sakura's house, the pink haired kunoichi sat at her vanity mirror, looking at herself. It was twelve thirty-five, and Naruto was due to be there at one. She sighed, and rubbed her temples.
'Why am I so nervous? He even said himself that it isn't a date…' Sakura thought, looking at herself again. She stood, and put her hair into a ponytail that reached down to her shoulder blades, and put on a white tank top with a red sweat jacket that zipped up. She also had on a pair of black jeans and her boots were on as well. She checked herself over in the mirror, and smiled. "Okay Sakura, it's not a date." She chanted to herself in the mirror.
Suddenly, a meow sounded in the room, and Sakura looked down at an orange and black striped cat with golden yellow eyes. She petted it lightly, and smiled, "Hey Meriyah, you want some food?" She asked the female cat. Meriyah responded with a light meow, and Sakura stood back up and walked into the kitchen with Meriyah at her feet. She poured cat food into the red bowl, along with some water in a separate bowl, and Meriyah ran up to eat quickly.
Naruto finished up with his friends, and he headed to Sakura's house. He made sure he looked okay, and he made it there about five minutes to one. He knocked on her door, and Sakura walked over quickly. She opened it, and gave Naruto a smile, "Hey…you're early."
Naruto blushed a little, and rubbed the back of his head, "Didn't want to be late." He laughed, "Shall we go?" He said, and Sakura nodded, closing the door behind her and locking it. Naruto and Sakura walked down the street towards town centre, and she pondered where they were going. After walking for five minutes or so, she finally asked.
"So, where are we going to eat?" Naruto smiled, "Well, there's this new place I've been wanting to try," he said, "they've got salad bar, ramen, sushi, international foods, everything! I heard from Chouji that it's good." Sakura laughed, "Chouji says everything is good. Food is like a religion to him."
Naruto laughed as well, "But he highly recommended it, so that means I've got to believe him." He said, and Sakura smiled, "Okay then. So, are you excited for Christmas?" Naruto looked down a bit, but nodded, "Yeah, I just finished inviting people today for the party." Sakura nodded, "That's good."
"What about you, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, putting his hands behind his head. Sakura shrugged, "Yeah I guess. Thank you for inviting me to the party, I didn't really have anything planned on Christmas." She chuckled, and Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Why?"
Sakura crossed her arms, "I don't know, just didn't." Naruto nodded, and they arrived at the restaurant. It was called "Ocean Avenue", and they walked inside. It was true, they had EVERYTHING! There was a ramen bar, filled with ten flavors of ramen; a salad bar and sushi bar with varieties of lettuce and sushi. Then they had menus that contained international foods from around the world. Sakura smiled, "Wow, this place looks good." Naruto nodded, "Yeah, from now on I'm trusting Chouji with restaurant choices." He joked, and Sakura laughed.
Sakura had the salad bar and Naruto had the ramen bar along with sushi. They ate and talked for about two hours, and an iffy subject came across them. Sakura finished her salad, and folded her hands on her lap, "So…Naruto?"
Naruto finished off the last of his fourth bowl of ramen, and he looked at her, "Yeah?" Sakura sighed, "Do you…miss him?" Naruto's heart dropped…Sasuke…
"Well, I guess…Look Sakura—""--Naruto, don't say it…I'm not blaming you for what you did. I would've done the same thing. Besides, it was best that way." Naruto looked down, into an empty bowl, "Sakura-chan, where did we go wrong?"
Sakura was shocked by this question, and she lifted his chin, "Naruto, it wasn't our fault. It was that snake Orochimaru and his hatred towards his brother. Sasuke was bound by revenge and turned on hate, we couldn't do anything." Naruto nodded, agreeing with her, but he looked her in the eyes.
"Do you still love him?" He asked straight forward, and this took her by surprise. Sakura's eyes shuddered a bit, and she hesitated, "I-I don't…I couldn't love him anymore before he died…He was too focused on hatred…So no, I don't love him, Naruto." Naruto nodded and stood, "Well, are you ready?" Sakura stood as well, and she nodded. "Yeah…let's go…"
December 24th: Christmas Eve
The next day arrived quickly and Naruto finished up the rest of the party preparations. He went to Ichiraku's to complete the catering order, and got some other groceries. When he arrived home, Naruto sighed out of relief.
"Now, just to wait for Christmas…" He said. Naruto proceeded to put away groceries and supplies then went to finishing decorations. The tree was garnished with candy canes as a finishing touch, and the lights outside of his home were finished as well. The night fell, and everything seemed to be in place. Naruto put his hands on his hips and grunted out of triumph, "Yeah…" He said to himself. As he spoke, the snow started falling quickly, and he looked up with a smile.
"White Christmas maybe?" He asked rhetorically, and with that he walked inside. He took out all the presents he had bought his friends, and proceeded in wrapping them, finishing them off with a bow and nametag and put all under his tree. Afterwards, Naruto decided to call it a day and went to sleep.
December 25th: Christmas Party
It was three o' clock, and Sakura arrived at Naruto's house ready to start baking. He smiled, and gave her a hug, "Merry Christmas, Sakura-chan…" Sakura blushed a little, and hugged back, "Merry Christmas. Now, before we get started, I wanted you to open your gift I got you." Naruto's mind clicked on, and he smirked, "Okay then, I have something for you too. Be right back." Naruto quickly went over to the tree, and then back into his bedroom to get his gift from Sakura.
He handed Sakura the necklace case, and rubbed the back of his head, "That's for you." He said, and he looked at his own gift. Sakura's heart fluttered at the sight of the box, and her fingers started shaking.
'Why…am I shaking…?' She thought, and she opened it. Her eyes went a little soft, but filled with surprise and loving care. Sakura picked up the necklace delicately with her fingers, and felt the emerald gemstones. Her eyes started watering, and Naruto smiled, "Do you like it?" Sakura nodded, "I love it! It's one of the best gifts I've gotten in a long time. Thank you…" Naruto took the necklace gently, and moved her hair out of her way, and decided to put it on for her. Sakura's heart raced; feeling the cold material on her neck, and the touch of her best friend. She smiled, and felt it on her own collarbone. "Naruto, open yours now…okay?" Naruto nodded, and ripped open the wrapping paper slowly. The box was velvet as well, and slightly bulky. He opened the box, and a note was on top of…his broken necklace that was given to him by Tsunade! Except it was repaired!
Naruto opened the note, and read it to himself:
Dear Naruto,
I collected the pieces from the broken necklace, and had the jeweler fix it. It's as good as new, and I want you to know; no matter what, I will always be your best friend. Merry Christmas!
Love,
Sakura
'Love? D-Does that mean…No! It's just a friendly love! Yeah!' Naruto thought, taking his own love in denial. Naruto picked up the necklace, and tied it around his neck. It hung loosely, the jewel at the collar of his shirt, and he looked at Sakura. "Thank you…I love it…and I will always be your best friend as well…" He said, and Sakura put on a sweet smile.
After an awkward silence, Sakura finally headed into the kitchen, "Let's hurry and make cookies and something of my family's heritage." She said, and Naruto nodded, following her in. The next two hours were spent making chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, laughing and teasing each other, making Sakura's famous white chocolate covered pretzels, and setting everything up. Teuchi and Ayame also showed up to the party, and the food and drinks were set in the huge living room; Naruto moved the couch and table for room. It was exactly five thirty.
Naruto let Sakura converse with Teuchi and Ayame while he went into his bedroom to get dressed for the party. After fifteen minutes, Naruto walked out in a long sleeve black dress shirt, un-tucked, along with a pair of black jeans and his necklace dangling from his neck. Sakura and Ayame both blushed at the sight of him, and that's when the doorbell rang.
The party had started! Guests rolled in one by one, including Kakashi Hatake, which was Naruto and Sakura's first sensei and Iruka Umino, the Academy instructor and Naruto's closest friend. People were eating, laughing, talking, and having fun. Sakura walked over to a smiling Naruto, who was in a conversation with Kiba. She tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned, "Yeah, what's up?"
"The party is awesome, Naruto-kun." She said, and Naruto smiled sheepishly, "Thanks! I couldn't have done it without you." Sakura nodded, "Yeah, you couldn't have." She joked, and Naruto laughed. Naruto excused himself from both of them, and went to the front of the living room. Surprisingly, everyone was wondering indeed what a Karaoke Machine was doing at the front of the room. Naruto turned it on, and turned on the microphone.
"How do you guys like the party?" He asked, and the whole room cheered. Naruto laughed, and scratched his head, "Well, I thought we could try something a little fun, and have a karaoke contest!" The room cheered again, and Naruto looked around, "Who wants to go first?"
Ino Yamanaka raised her hand, and walked up to Naruto. Her hair was done in a cool bun and ponytail mix, and she was in a yellow dress with no straps. "Hey Naruto, I'll go." Ino said, and Naruto handed her the microphone. "Just pick any song, on the screen, and start!"
Ino nodded, and searched for a minute. Finally, she found a Lady GaGa song she liked, and pressed play. (A/N: Remember it's MODERN. Lol.) The song was Bad Romance:
Ino began to sing, and everyone listened in. Shikamaru Nara stood by, with a smirk on his face, and he cheered obnoxiously.
Ooh, oh, oh, oh
Caught in a bad romance…Ooh, oh, oh, oh, Caught in a bad romance.
Ba ra, ra, ra, ra, roma, roma, ma, ma, Ga, Ga, oo la la, well just bad romance…
I want your ugly, I want your disease, I want your everything as long as it's free…
I want your love, love love love, I want your love…
After Ino finished the three minute song, she stepped down after receiving a standing ovation. Next up came Kiba, who picked a Three Days Grace song he had recently heard, Break.
Tonight, my head is spinning
I need something to pick me up
I tried, but nothing is working, I won't stop, I won't say I've had enough…
Tonight! I start the fire, tonight, I break away…Break! Away from everybody, Break! Away from everything!
If you can't stand, the way this place is, then take, yourself! To higher places!
Kiba finished and everyone clapped. After hearing another Lady GaGa from Ayame, a creepy Marilyn Manson from Shino, and a Disturbed from Shikamaru, everyone started chanting Naruto's name. Naruto didn't really want to go up, but Sakura pushed him up there. He blushed nervously, and smiled. "Okay, okay! I'll go." He looked down the song list, and saw one that caught his eye.
Hey, hey, hey…
You're lipstick stain, on the front lobe of my left side brain…
I knew I wouldn't forget ya, and so I wouldn't let you go my, my…
Your sweet moonbeams, the smell of you in every single dream I dream
I knew when we collided; you're the one I have decided...who's one of my kind…
Hey, Soul sister? Ain't that mister mister on the radio? Stereo, the way you move ain't fair you know?
Hey soul sister? I don't want to miss a single thing you do, tonight…
Hey, hey, hey…
After finishing the song, "Hey Soul Sister" by Train, the whole room erupted in cheers and whistles. Sakura watched him intently the whole time, amazed not only by his voice, but with his song choice. She noticed that the whole time, Naruto was looking at her…her. That did it for her, and Naruto stepped down. The party progressed, and Sakura pulled Naruto aside to his backyard porch. Naruto smiled, "That was more fun than I thought it would be…" He laughed. Sakura nodded, and moved closer to him, "Naruto?"
The blond's eyes averted to their closeness, and he nodded with a blush, "Y-Yeah?" She looked him in the eyes, "Why did you pick that song?" Naruto gulped, and stuttered out of nervousness, "I-I um…I picked it because…it's one of the ways I want to say I love you…" Sakura closed her eyes, knowing he was going to say that, and she was happy.
"Look, I know you don't like me more than a friend, but—"With that, Sakura interrupted him with a finger on his lips. He shut up immediately, and she smirked, "I love you too…" Naruto's eyes widened, and his heartbeat advanced. "R-Really?!" He asked out of surprise, and she nodded. "I was going to tell you tonight, but you said it first…So, will you kiss me already?" She asked, and Naruto closed his eyes.
The pink haired kunoichi wrapped her arms around her blond boyfriend, and moved her cherry lips upon his. Naruto moved into the kissed, and moved his arms around her waist. She pulled him closer, and added her tongue. Naruto added his as well, and deepened the kiss. After a minute or two, they both broke the kiss, and stayed in each other's embrace, touching foreheads. They looked into each other's eyes, and Sakura smiled.
"You are a great kisser…" She laughed, and Naruto closed his eyes and laughed, "Wow, ruined a good moment." He joked. Sakura kissed him lightly again, and noticed something. She looked up, as did Naruto, and they noticed the snow started falling again lightly. Sakura smiled, "We have ourselves a white Christmas…" Naruto nodded, "Yeah, and it's also the best Christmas ever…"
(A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed it! If it was too cheesy, or something needs to be edited, just tell me in a comment! Please rate and review, and happy holidays to everyone!)