On this Very Christmas Night
I don't own Naruto
Snow fell down from the heavens giving all of Konoha and the surrounding lands a white Christmas, something that didn't happen often. All of the shinobi were gathered together, or at least the ones that were there for Christmas. But all of them that gathered there didn't realize that something was going to happen that Christmas night.
"Merry Christmas Naruto," said Iruka, the loud mouth ninja's former teacher.
"Merry Christmas Iruka sensei," said the orange jumpsuit blondie,
"M-merry Chris-Christmas Naruto," stammered the blue haired Hyuga,
"Merry Christmas Hinata!" he shouted, "Merry Christmas Neji."
"Hn," said the protégé,
"Be more festive Neji," said Tenten coming in behind her teammate.
They were all gathering in the Hokage manor to celebrate the coming and ending of another year. "Welcome Konoha shinobi, and our visitors from Sunagakure." said Tsunade, she nodded to the sand trio, Garra, Kankuro and Temari.
"Hey Naruto!" shouted Jiraiya coming up from behind him,
"Ah!" Naruto shouted and turning around, "Don't scare me like that!"
"You were asking for it." the toad sage said with a laugh,
"Merry Christmas Naruto," said Sakura coming over from talking with Shizune and some of the older ninjas.
"Merry Christmas Sakura," said Naruto,
"Hello," said Kakashi coming over,
"Merry Christmas Kakashi sensei!" shouted Naruto,
Neji walked outside into the snow wonderland. It was too loud in there and he needed sometime to think. The coming of the new year meant another year he had survived being a ninja, another year that he could risk dying. "Neji," came the voice of his teammate Tenten, she was the only female, very few teams had two females or all females. They were only a few kounchis and most were medical nins. Tenten on the other hand was strong there would be no way she'd allow herself to become a medical nin.
Over the years, though Neji would never admit it, he had developed strong feelings for the female ninja. The weapons mistress as she was becoming well known as. "Tenten," he said quietly, acknowledging that he heard her and was out there.
"Neji, why don't you come inside? Naruto, Kiba, Choji and Lee are having a drinking contest only it's with eggnog."
"All the more reason to stay out here. It'll get loud and I want some peace and quiet."
"Well, Guy was just worried and I told him I'd go and find you." said Tenten and she started to walk back inside.
"You can stay if you like, I don't mind you being around." Then Neji wanted to smack himself for saying it.
"No really Neji, I don't want to bother you." Then she went back inside and he could tell that she was hurt.
"Drink, drink, drink!" was chorused around the four boys as they had all combined drank at least 150 shots of eggnog. Naruto was grinning with excitement and he waved for another shot to come his way.
"I'm going to beat you," said Kiba not wanting to lose to the blond ninja.
"Don't get cocky," said Lee also waving for another shot.
"More, more," said Choji before he passed out onto the table.
"Well he just lost," said Naruto happily as a team of medics took him away to revive him, or just make him rest for the rest of the night. Then the blond downed two more shots of eggnog.
"Starting to get dizzy," complained Lee,
"You've drank about thirty shots of eggnog, I'm not surprised," said Tenten coming up behind him.
"I give," said Lee,
"It's down to me and you then," said Kiba, "I'm so going to beat you,"
"I'll never let you beat me." said Naruto,
"Look Shikamaru, mistletoe," said Ino pointing at the piece of greenery over them a few feet away. Shikamaru sighed,
"No Ino, I don't want to kiss you under the mistletoe, contrary to what you might believe not every boy wants to kiss you, myself included." said the lazy ninja,
"I bet Choji or Sai might," said Ino walking off,
"So then," said the recognizable voice of the oldest sand trio, "Who is it that you want to kiss under the mistletoe?"
"That would depend on who she would want to kiss under the mistletoe with." he whispered,
Temari pulled him under and brought his lips to meet hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck while he found her hair and pulled them out of her normal four pig tails.
"It looks like they're sucking each other's face off," said Konohamaru as he watched the mistletoe with his two teammates Moegi and Udon.
"Explain to me again why we are watching everyone under the mistletoe and not Naruto in the drinking contest." asked Udon to Moegi who had dragged the other two to watch everyone kiss under the mistletoe.
"I want to get good kissing tips." said Moegi,
"So why are the two of us here?" asked Konohamaru, annoyed cause he really wanted to cheer on for his idol.
"To protect me if anyone catches us." said Moegi, the two boys sighed praying that no one would come under the mistletoe other then Shikamaru and Temari.
Hinata also was watching the couple under the mistletoe and wished that it wasn't Shikamaru and Temari under there but herself and Naruto. But deep down she knew that her crush on Naruto wasn't returned. Naruto loved Sakura and she'd just have to bare with it. She looked out the window to see her cousin Neji out there standing in the snow and looking up at the sky. It probably wouldn't be best to go out and talk to him, she decided.
She turned to watch Shikamaru and Temari again but they were gone from under the mistletoe and she turned her attention now to the drinking contest.
"Wow, this stuff is good," said Naruto holding up his ninety-ninth glass of eggnog.
"Oh shut up and just drink it." said Kiba before his head hit the table and Naruto was declared winner.
"Now what were you saying about beating me?" he asked the now passed out Kiba.
"Good job Naruto," shouted Sakura, Naruto grinned like crazy, pleased with himself.
"Nice going Naruto," said Kakashi,
"G-good job Naruto," said Hinata,
"Thanks Hinata," Naruto said scratching the back of his head, "Are you okay? You're all red," He felt her forehead, and Hinata passed out. "What? He looked up at everyone surrounding him, "What did I do wrong?"
"Naruto, you imbecile, Hinata likes you." said Sakura,
"She... she does," said Naruto,
"Yes, it's amazing you never realized that." said Sakura shaking her head,
"Well he might have, if he wasn't so consumed in you." said Tsunade,
"Hey Hinata, you okay?" Naruto asked picking her up,
"Naruto," she said smiling,
"Hey Hinata, can I tell you something?" he asked putting her down,
"Sure,"
"I like you too," He said smiling, "I was always trying to impress Sakura because in reality I knew that I didn't need to impress you for you to like me."
"Neji," said Tenten braving to come out and face her teammate again.
"Neji," she asked again to the snow covered Hyuga, "Are you okay?" she didn't know quite what to say to the icy Hyuga.
"Tenten," he whispered,
"You've been out here for a long while. Even shinobi aren't immune to hypothermia and frostbite. You should go warm yourself up." she scolded,
"Tenten, I'm sorry for how I treated you earlier. I didn't want to imply that I didn't want you out there. Because quiet frankly, I like your presence, it's kinda soothing."
"Neji, are you okay?" Tenten was confused by her friend words.
"I'm sorry for how I treated you before. I know I've apologized to Lee and Hinata, but I don't think I've ever apologized for you."
"You didn't have to apologize for me to know you're sorry."
"I know, but it felt better for me to get it out into the open."
"Well, I guess I would have to say sorry for thinking that you were a jerk when we first met. I already had that opinion of you even though we were in different classes. I had heard a lot about you being so and so I was afraid when I first met you."
"I was a jerk back then."
"You're not now," she smiled and he gave her a half smile in return.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, I'll try to answer it for you. Can't say I'll be any good but..." she trailed off,
"How are you suppose to tell someone you love them?" he looked at the ground as he said this,
"Well I guess it depends on the person. I mean look at Hinata, to have Naruto tell her that he loves her she'd probably need him to be gentle about it. If someone was to tell me I would want them to just tell me and not be discreet about it."
"Then Tenten, I love you." Neji's eyes went up to hers to see her reaction.
"You what," she asked in disbelief,
"Tenten, I love you. We're always together and I guess doing that I fell in love with you. I realized that you were a beautiful, strong, courageous woman."
"Neji, I don't know how to answer that." she said looking everywhere else other then Neji's face.
"You're in love with someone else aren't you?" he accused,
"No! Neji, I wasn't expecting this. You caught me off guard because I thought I was the only one who harbored feelings. For either of us." she admitted, "Neji, I love you too." Neji caught her in a soft and sweet kiss.
So that very Christmas night was filled with romance and friendship. Even though they knew that in the world around wasn't at peace. Konoha was and for them that was all that mattered. They knew that at anytime that anyone of them could die and that's what made them strive to become stronger then they were the day before.
A.N. Merry Christmas