Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto: Shippuuden, it is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.
ACHOO!
This sound echoed throughout the house of a certain blonde haired man, causing him to get up with a quiet groan. "For fucks sake..." He said, rubbing the back of his head. "That sneeze was so bad, it made me bash my head against the backboard." He muttered in pain. This thought caused him to look down at the edge of his bed; he sighed inwardly when he saw how little room there was between where his feet were, and where the bed ended. "I need a new bed soon... This old thing is getting too small for me." He pointed out, before swinging his legs off the bed, and adjust himself to a sitting position.
He got up and stretched his arms, letting out a loud yawn while his muscles started to wake up. He walked into the kitchen and began brewing a pot of coffee, and while it was preparing he tapped his stomach, specifically his seal. "Oi, Kurama you up yet?" He asked, hearing a growl emerge in his subconscious.
Kit, just because that's where the seal is located, that doesn't mean I'm going to hear it. Your loud voice is more than enough. The demon bluntly stated, a small yawn escaping his lips as he spoke.
Naruto laughed nervously while he poured himself a cup, he knew Kurama wasn't a morning person and was expecting pretty much anything from the demon. "I guess I deserve that." He admitted, before taking a sip of the hot liquid. He walked over to the window, and looked outside to the snow-covered streets of Konoha. Winter wasn't exactly his favorite season, he didn't like having to bundle up just to stay at a comfortable temperature, but he couldn't deny how beautiful the village would look with a blanket of snow.
His eyes perked up a bit when he saw a certain pink haired woman walking down the street, specifically toward his house. "Speaking of beautiful." He said to himself, before finishing off his coffee. He went into the other room, and started to prepare for the day, and for her.
Ugh... It's like all you do is vomit up rainbows. Kurama exasperated, barely capable of withstanding Naruto's sheer positivity.
"Oiii, Naruto!" The blonde looked out from his room, just before finishing getting ready for the day. As he did, he heard the door to his house open and close. "S-Sheesh it's cold today!" The voice said, with a couple of shivers resonating in her words.
The blonde ran out of his room, skidding on the floor to greet his guest. "HELLO, SAKURA-CHA-! Gueh!" The blonde choked out, as he was knocked to the floor by a quick jab to the gut.
Sakura put her hands on her hips, all the while staring down at the blonde in annoyance. "Baka! What are you trying to do, scare me to death?! And why don't you have a shirt on? You're just going to get sick!" She lectured the blonde, not in the mood for his carelessness.
Naruto laid on the ground, trying to recover from the sudden hit. "S-Showwy, Shakuwa-chuan..." He slurred, before getting up, and walking down the hall. "P-Please make yourself at home, while I finish getting dressed." He said, rubbing his stomach as he walked into his room.
Sakura huffed a bit, before taking off her shoes. "Baka... Why does he always try to surprise me like that?" She grumbled to herself as she stepped into the house. She looked over at the blonde's thermostat, her eyebrows furrowing at the sight. "Well, that explains why it really isn't that much warmer in here. He can't adjust his heating." She said to herself while she looked at the broken thermostat.
She walked into the living room, and was surprised by how... Clean it was. Granted, when compared to, say, her house it was alright at best. However, the last time she paid Naruto a visit, it was a pigsty. It was a refreshing change, honestly. She sat down on his couch, and jumped a bit from the cold fabric. "I should've stayed standing... I would've been warmer." She muttered, before letting it go, not really caring now that she was off her feet.
It wasn't even 10 seconds later, before Sakura heard the door to Naruto's room open. He walked into the living room with a black sweater on, waving to the pinkette. "S-Sorry about earlier, Sakura-chan. I wasn't expecting you to visit, is all!" He explained, laughing a bit as he started rubbing the back of his head.
Sakura huffed a bit, before folding her arms. "Still doesn't justify you surprising me like that." She said, giving him a hard stare. She closed her eyes, before leaning back a bit. "Whatever, it doesn't matter now." She muttered, letting out a frustrated groan.
Naruto's eyebrows raised a bit in confusion from Sakura's reaction. Normally she would berate him for his childish behavior for at least 10 minutes, but now she just looked drained. "You okay, Sakura-chan?" He asked simply, causing her to open an eye toward him.
"Yeah, I am. Why?" She answered with a question of her own, feeling the blonde's concern was rather random.
The blonde closed his eyes, and folded his arms as he began to think hard on the matter. "Well, you look mentally drained. You also gave up on giving me a lecture, which you've never done before!" He explained, nodding to himself in agreement. "That fussy side of yours would never let something I do go so easily!" He continued, causing an annoyed look to sprout from the pinkette.
"Tread carefully, Naruto." She warned, irritation filling her voice as the blonde jumped a bit nervously. She sat up, pinching the bridge of her nose. "But yeah, I am a bit worn out..." She admitted almost unwillingly.
The blonde pulled up a chair and sat in front of her, giving her his trademark grin. "Wanna talk about it? I'm great at listening to people!" He said, chuckling at the end of his sentence.
Sakura gave the blonde a long stare, almost surprised by his offer. Almost. She then finally gave him a smile, before standing up. "Sure, but not here." She answered, before looking over her shoulder at the blonde. "Your apartment is a bit too stuffy for a long conversation." She said with a laugh, happy to get a pout from the blonde.
"Oi, I tried cleaning up..." He muttered, before standing up and putting on his jacket. He put on his shoes, and walked out of his apartment with Sakura, his eyes widening when he heard about the secrets of 'dusting'.
The two walked in silence, both not really sure where to go, or what to say really. Sakura looked down, fidgeting with her scarf in frustration.
Come on... I've talked to Naruto hundreds of times! Thousands! I can start one pesky conversation with him!
Sakura's eyes closed a bit, uncertain on what to say, or if she even should say anything. Her eyes made their way to Naruto, who was walking with his arms folded behind his head. He wore his normal orange and black attire, only now he was sporting a black scarf. Honestly nothing changed about how he would normally act around her, and he was probably just waiting for her to say something. She did bring him out after all.
"Hm? Sakura-chan?" Naruto's sudden words knocked the pinkette out of her stare, causing her to look down, hiding a sudden blush. The blonde blinked at the pinkette's actions, only giving a small chuckle. "Sakura-chan, you don't have to get flustered!" He stated to her.
Sakura's eyes widened at his words, knowing he had in fact caught her blush. She turned to him, baring her teeth. "I-I'm not-!" She never finished her sentence, as she saw the blonde giving her a genuine smile.
He chuckled once again while closing his eyes, trying to help make the conversation as casual as possible. "Talk when ya feel like it. It shouldn't be something you have to force yourself to say, ttebayo!" He said, his smile never wavering before looking forward once again.
Sakura looked back at the ground, the fist she made slowly going away as she pouted a bit. "I... I know that, baka." She muttered, her face turning another shade of red.
Why am I getting flustered?! And why is it so bad that even NARUTO caught on to it?!
Naruto's eyes perked up a bit, as he saw a coffee shop a bit down the road. "You want to get some coffee, Sakura-chan? I'm sure a nice hot drink will calm you down!" He said, smiling over at the pinkette.
Said pinkette turned to him, an annoyed look plastered on her red face. "I-I AM calm!" She stuttered, before folding her arms. "I... It's just the kind of thing I don't normally talk about, is all!" She explained, avoiding eye contact with him. Naruto accepted her reason, then walked over with her to get coffee.
They both walked out of the coffee shop with their hot drinks, the blonde sighing in satisfaction after taking a sip. "That's much better~" He said happily, loving the warmth driving out the bitter cold. The pinkette couldn't agree more, smiling after sipping her coffee. The blonde turned to her as they walked, raising an eyebrow. "So, you ready to talk now?" He asked, impatience setting in as he really was getting curious at this point.
Sakura sighed lowly, looking back at him with an embarrassed smile. "Promise you won't laugh? It's pretty stupid, and kinda selfish." She asked him, only to see a nod in response. She sipped her coffee again, before taking a breath. "Well, given what time of the year it is, my family is incredibly busy. My Mother is an even bigger perfectionist than I am, so even the smallest screw up, or slacking off leads to her giving the person an ear full." She explained, before taking another breath.
Naruto nodded to this, before asking: "Alright, and what does that have to do with being selfish?"
The pinkette laughed a bit, before scratching her cheek. "W-Well... This morning, Mother asked, more like demanded, that I help prepare food for her Christmas eve party. I said no, only because I'm... Not really good at cooking." She said, admitting her bad cooking skills. An annoyed look showed up on her face, as she continued. "Of course, she didn't respond kindly to that. We got into an argument, then I stormed out. And I... Decided to come see you. I figured you would listen to what I had to say." She once again admitted, looking to the side.
The blonde chuckled a bit, before nodding in agreement. "Well, you weren't wrong." He said, smiling a bit before sipping his coffee again. "I'll always listen to what you have to say." He stated, not even realizing what he said to her. He blinked for a moment, then looked over to see a surprised look plastered on Sakura's face. He thought about what he said, and a deep blush appeared on his features.
Sakura laughed at his reaction, causing her to look forward. "Smooth. Next time you try to say something like that, try not to have such a silly look on your face." She said, blushing lightly herself. She then looked back at him, with a sad smile. "Still, it was selfish. I'm sorry that I brought you out here just to complain about my family situation." She apologized, knowing it was rather petty and selfish of her. Naruto could have very well had plans in mind, and he would have set them aside for her. He always would, and it pained her that she knew that. She didn't want to take advantage of him.
Naruto shook his head, his smile fading after finishing his coffee. "Sakura-chan, you don't need to apologize. Sometimes you just need to talk to someone, and as I said before, I'll gladly be that person." He explained, his smile returning in stride.
It was a long silence after that, only to be broken by the blonde. "...Christmas, huh?..." He muttered to himself.
Sakura glanced over at him with a smile. "Yeah. What, did you forget?" She asked jokingly, only to find the blonde not laughing. "N-Naruto?" She asked, stopping and turning toward him, only to find him staring at the ground.
Naruto took a deep breath, before picking his head up, showing a stupid grin on his face as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yup! Totally forgot!" He answered, laughing a bit in response.
Sakura could only frown at the blonde's actions. She couldn't always tell when he was hiding his feelings, but she could now. The blonde laughed again, before walking forward. "Never really celebrated it, only a couple of times with Iruka-sensei, so it just skips my mind sometimes!" He said, hiding any sadness that may have very well been there.
Sakura looked at his back sadly, before looking down while she followed the blonde.
Right... He has no family to spend christmas with... He's all alone. No one should spend Christmas like that.
This coming from the person who was just bitching about said holiday? Inner Sakura snorted in response to Sakura's thought. Clearly, she wasn't happy with her.
I'm not annoyed by the holiday, it's my Mother's strict traditions that piss me off!
That's actually worst, since you're complaining about your parent, to someone who doesn't even know what it's like to have parents! Inner shouted in irritation, wanting Sakura to realize the one thing she hadn't concluded.
Sakura's eyes widened greatly at Inner's words. She was completely right. The pinkette never realized how insensitive she was being to Naruto. She looked back at the blonde almost in fear. Did he find it insulting how much she was taking her mother for granted? Was he hurt by how she practically trampled his situation?
It didn't matter at that point, she knew what she did was wrong and unbelievably stupid, even if she may have overreacted to Inner's words. But how would she make it up to him? She knew an apology wouldn't work, he either wouldn't understand, or he would refuse it, saying that it either wasn't a big deal or that he couldn't be upset with her. Just a gift wouldn't be enough either, no... No she had to do something big for him.
Her eyes lit up, before a smile grew on her face as an idea sparked in her head. She looked up at the blonde, then looked down at her watch. She needed time to prepare. She tapped Naruto's shoulder, causing him to look at her. "What is it, Sakura-chan?" He looked at her with curious eyes, before he saw her waving.
She closed her eyes as she gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Naruto! I wanted to hang out more, but... I should probably go apologize and help my Mom. The party's tomorrow, and all that." She explained, knowing the excuse would work.
Thankfully, it did as the blonde smiled in response. "Alright, I hope you two work things out." He responded, his smile turning into his fox like grin.
She waved him goodbye once again, before rushing off, a smirk forming on her face as the plan rolled together perfectly.
Just watch, Naruto... This is gonna be the best Christmas you've ever had.
And to be continued in Part 2.
Yeah, it's a BIT on the short side. But part 2 should be longer. (Hopefully.)
Also, yeah this is partially the reason why the next chapter of TLF is being delayed.
Later.