Hey everybody, thesaiyanjedi here! I know that a lot of you are waiting for my next chapter of my fic "Shinachiku's First Adventure," but I had this other idea floating around in my head for a awhile and I wanted to get it out there before Christmas.
This is pretty much just a simple NaruSaku family story set during the holidays. It takes place in the same universe as "Shinachiku's First Adventure," when the kids are both a lot younger, but I did not give either of them set ages here to leave things up to reader's imaginations. Those of you who have read my other story up to now may notice a few common threads and ideas that carry over into this story, but really this was intended as a standalone.
Funny story, another writer on this site, luffy8557, has contacted me and told me that my work on "Shinachiku's First Adventure" has inspired him to write his own next gen NaruSaku story; it's called "Minato," and I suggest you all give it a look! Anyway, at the same time I was thinking about this idea for a Christmas story, luffy8557 directs me to his page and I see that has already beaten me to the idea. His NaruSaku Christmas story, "Uzumaki family Christmas morning," is very different than mine and again I suggest you give it a read as well. So, in other words, a fellow writer whom I helped inspire has now, ironically, beaten me to another idea I've been thinking about! But in all seriousness, I did my best to make this story as different from his as possible.
I think this is a very simple, sweet, cute, funny, romantic, and in one scene even rather sexy story about what life is like in the Uzumaki household during the holidays.
And for that record, no, I do not know if the Naruto characters actually celebrate Christmas in canon. Heck, I'm not even sure if there is any defined religion in Kishimoto's original vision (besides Hidan and his following Jashinism, but that's a totally different thing).
Well, with all of that said, let's get on with the story!
It was Christmas time in Konoha. Wreaths and lights and holly were everywhere, and snow covered the ground as it fell through the air. Villagers were up and about making merry, spreading cheer and, of course, were rushing to get their Christmas shopping done. One of those people was the Orange Hokage himself.
Naruto Uzumaki was on a mission. Not a mission out of the village, nor anything having to do with escorting feudal lords or hunting missing nin. This was a mission he undertook every other December; he was doing Christmas shopping for his family.
It was tradition that for every year that Sakura did it, every other year Naruto would take a turn by using one of his Shadow Clones to fill in for his Hokage duties for a day so he could do the shopping. Most of the time people didn't notice it, but on rare occasions someone might pick up on it and find it annoying. But at the same time, most of them found it touching that he would pull a stunt like that not to be lazy, but to make time to do something for his family.
He roamed a major retail stone looking for something, anything that either his wife or his kids would like. At first he figured on just getting them clothes, but decided that would be too easy. And so as he wandered the store, he found himself going through the jewelry department scanning through whatever they had to offer.
And then he saw it: a necklace, a golden band, fairly pretty in design, with a large green stone in the middle, exactly the same shade as his wife's eyes.
"It's perfect; Sakura will love it!"
Naruto called out to the jeweler who had his back turned. "Excuse me sir!"
The jeweler turned around to face him. "Yes young man, how can I help y—" The jeweler got a look at him and froze in his tracks.
'Oh here it goes,' Naruto thought to himself in annoyance.
The jeweler suddenly got very excited. "Lord Hokage! It is an honor to be servicing the great Naruto Uzumaki!"
Naruto would often get embarrassed when he got attention like this. It was funny, when he was a child he would have been thrown out of stores like this if he even dared to walk in here. Boy, how things have changed. "Yeah, thanks. Anyway, what can you tell me about this necklace here?"
"Oh, that's a lovely peace. The jewel is an emerald of a rare subdued hue."
"Okay, I like it. I'm thinking about making it my wife's Christmas present."
"Oh, excellent choice! Lady Sakura would look lovely in it! The emerald it exactly the same shade as her eyes."
"Thank you. So how much is it?"
"Well, the retail price is 3,000 ryo…"
"Alright then." Naruto got his wallet out.
"But for the Hokage, it can happily give a discount and drop the price to 2,000 ryo!"
"That's really not necessary—"
"Oh but it is, my Lord! Please, it is no trouble at all."
'Why is it that every time I go shopping someone always tries to give me a discount?' Naruto thought. But he sighed, "Alright, I'll take it."
"Very well sir! Would you like this wrapped for you?"
"Oh yes, please!"
Within minutes the necklace was rung up and wrapped and Naruto was off looking for gifts for the kids.
For Hanami it was easy; just get her a new toy. He found a plush doll that resembled a cute little fox, it had nine plush tails; clearly it was meant to be a Kurama plushy. Naruto could not believe it; before the war putting a Kyuubi toy in a Konoha store would have been seen as incredibly offensive. But after the war, Naruto's heroic reputation and the truths revealed in his book have, mostly, helped to redeem the fox in the people's eyes.
"Hanami will love it!"
So he went to the front counter. For the second time, Naruto was offered a discount from an overexcited cashier, and Naruto again accepted it in embarrassment, with a complimentary gift wrapping.
That just left his son, Shinachiku. He searched through the boy's section and eventually he found a sled; he remembered his son saying somewhere that he wanted to go sledding the snow slopes outside the village during winter.
He picked it up and once again the cashier got excited to see him and offered him a discount; he ended up accepting it, again, and had it gift wrapped.
So that was it, his shopping was done. Now it was time to get to the party.
The Uzumaki household was the envy of the Hidden Leaf Village. Three floors (not including the basement level), massive rooms and entryways, large dining room, fully-stocked pantry, a large library, entertainment room, and indoor dojo, spacious outdoor garden, large swimming pool, a hot tub, a bar, even a private hot spring; you name it, chances are they had it.
Naruto's parents had built that house with the intention of moving into it after Naruto was born; Minato being Hokage, it was designed to accommodate and entertain a large number of guests and visitors in addition to giving the family who lived there the five-star lifestyle. Unfortunately after their tragic deaths that night it was decided that Naruto's true parentage needed to be kept a secret for his own safety. So, unfortunately, the boy was forced to grow up an orphan living out of a run down, low rent apartment, hoping every year that none of the villagers would break in and try to kill him, especially on his birthday.
After the end of the war, when Naruto's parentage became common knowledge, Kakashi, who had succeeded Tsunade by this point, had stumbled across his parent's will and decided that it was time to let the boy have his inheritance. By this point that magical night had happened and he and Sakura had just started dating, and so when Kakashi told them about where the house was located, they both went to visit it together. Both of the teenagers were gob smacked by the place; it was amazing! Naruto quickly moved in (Sakura would too a few years later), but he also knew not to take the place for granted. He grew up with next to nothing his whole life, always so sad, so lonely. But now he had so many friends, so many loved ones that helped shape his life into what it was today. So, as soon as he got this house, the first thing he and Sakura did was throw a party for all their friends.
Sai, Ino, Shikamaru, Chōji, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Lee, Tenten, Kakashi, Tsunade, Shizune, Iruka, Guy, Kurenai, Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon, Sakura's parents, all of them were invited. Sasuke, sadly, was the only one who did not attend, but only because he was out of the village at the time. All of them were equally stunned at what they saw when they got there. He gave them all a tour of the place and it just stunned everyone (and made many of them quite jealous) how many rooms there were and how much he had in this house. The party itself was fairly simple with delicious food, games, a pool and a hot tub. They all had a great time, and all of them were welcome to visit whenever they wanted.
The happy couple hosted many parties since then, but one that their friends always looked forward to was their annual Christmas party. Naruto and Sakura never spared any expense; they decorated their home beautifully every Christmas. Lights were everywhere, wreaths and holly lined all the doorways and rails, mistletoe hung from the main living room and an enormous tree was extravagantly decorated. Every year their closest friends would gather to talk, eat, have a few drinks, and exchange gifts with each other before they all spent Christmas morning with their own families.
Naruto smiled as he approached his fully decorated house. 'Oh yeah, this is going to be fun!'
"Honey, kids, I'm home," Naruto said as he walked through the door; no one answered. 'I guess they're not back from work and school yet. Good, gives me time to put their gifts under the tree.'
He did exactly that and then just took a time out to admire his house, checking to make sure that everything was ready for the party.
"Okay…decorations, check…tables and chairs, check…food, check…eggnog, check…drinks, check…music, check…gifts for each of our guests…check…I guess that's everything."
At that point, Naruto heard someone else opening the door. Two very young children, one a young boy with blonde hair and green eyes, the other a little girl with pink hair and blue eyes, entered the house and the girl got a huge smile of her face when she saw Naruto there.
"Daddy!" Hanami ran into her father's arms and he quickly lifted her into the air in a huge hug.
"Hey there, how's daddy's little princess today? You excited to see all our friends at the party tonight?"
"Yeah!" she proclaimed adorably.
"Hey dad," Shinachiku called out to his father as he walked up to him, "when is everybody coming anyway?"
"Should be in an hour or two," he put his bandaged hand on his son's shoulder as he set his daughter down. "You both be on your best behavior during the party, okay?"
"We will." they both said at once.
The door opened again. In stepped and young woman with a pretty face, pink hair, green eyes, fit body, and a diamond-shaped mark highlighting her broad forehead.
"Mommy!" Hanami was quick to dash into her mother's arms next. "I'm so happy you're home."
"I'm happy I'm home too sweetie," she said as her son approached her.
"Hey mom, Merry Christmas." Shinachiku was the next to give his mom a warm hug.
"Merry Christmas Shina."
Then she noticed her husband was there. "Shouldn't you be at work?"
"I used shadow clones so I could get the last of the shopping done. What's your excuse?"
"I convinced one of the nurses to pick up the rest of my shift."
They both laughed at this before sharing a loving hug, followed by a quick peck on the lips.
"So, are we all ready?" asked Sakura.
"Yeah," Naruto replied, "just did a double check and it looks like everything's set."
Sakura smiled, "Well, might as well relax until the guests get here…And Shinachiku, stay away from the Christmas cookies until the party!"
About two hours later, the family was sitting in the living room when they heard the doorbell ring.
"I'll get it." Naruto got up and opened the door. "Kizashi! Mebuki! Thanks for coming! Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas Naruto," Mebuki hugged her son in law. "But how many times do I have to tell you to call me mom?"
"Sorry," Naruto replied rubbing the back of his head.
"Merry Christmas kiddo," Kizashi said shaking his son in law's hand enthusiastically, "So where's my daughter and those wonderful grandchildren of ours?"
"Oh, they're in the living room. Go ahead and greet them, I'll hang up your coats."
"Oh thank you!" They both handed him their coats as they went into the living room.
"Grandma! Grandpa!" both kids ran up to the old couple as the older woman wrapped them both in a tight hug.
"Oh hello kids, Merry Christmas!" Mebuki loved her grandkids, every chance she got she would spoil them rotten, it was her right as a grandma after all.
"Hi Mom, hi dad, Merry Christmas," Sakura said as she hugged her father.
"Merry Christmas sweetie," Kizashi said.
Naruto was still in the front room about to join them when the doorbell rang again. He answered the door. "Ino! Sai! Thanks for coming!"
"Hi Naruto! Merry Christmas!" they both said, Ino giving Naruto a friendly hug and Sai shaking his hand. They had brought their son Inojin with them. They each hung up their coats and went into the living room to greet the rest of the family, Naruto following them.
"Hey Sakura!" Ino wrapped her best friend in a hug.
"Great to see you Ino. Hey Sai! Merry Christmas!"
"Hello Sakura."
"Hi Aunt Ino! Sai!" Shinachiku and Hanami both walked up to greet the first of their guests.
"Hey kids!" Ino wrapped them both in a hug, "hope you two have been good this year."
"We have!" they both said.
The doorbell rang again. "I'll be right back," Naruto said excusing himself. He opened the door yet again. "Oh Kiba! Hinata! Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas Naruto!" Hinata wrapped him in a warm hug. Even after he and Sakura had been married for years and she had started dating and later married Kiba, Hinata still had a close bond of friendship with Naruto that would never die. If he ever gave an order as her Hokage, or asked her a favor as a friend, she would do it without question. She and Sakura had also become very close friends as a result of this, almost like sisters.
"Merry Christmas Naruto." Kiba merely smiled. When he and Hinata first started dating he did get jealous whenever she would show friendly affection for Naruto like this. But he knew that there wasn't anything romantic about it, they were just very close friends. Hinata was his and his alone.
Naruto took their coats as the couple joined the others in the living room, their children Ōkami and Tsuki at their side. Hinata shared an affectionate hug with each of the kids and a friendly one with Sakura. Kiba settled for waving and greeting everybody.
The doorbell rang again. "Kakashi-sensei! Baa-chan!"
Tsunade gave the blonde a hard bonk on the head. "Jeez kid, will you ever stop calling me that?"
"Sorry," Naruto said rubbing his head.
"Hey kid, Merry Christmas," Kakashi greeted with one of his classic eye smiles.
"Arigato sensei." He took their coats as they joined the others in the living room where they greeted the kids and Sakura bowed to and greeted both of her former teachers.
The doorbell rang several more times as many more guests showed up. Shikamaru and Temari arrived with their son Shikadai, Chōji and Kumai came with their daughter Chōchō, Lee and Tenten with their son Burandon, Shino and his wife came with their son Bagu, Konohamaru came, as did Udon and Moegi, Shizune, Iruka, Guy, Kurenai, Anko, nearly everyone they knew showed up. Even Gaara and Kankurō showed up as they were in town visiting their sister for the holidays.
The adults all had a great time like they did every year while the kids all hung out and played. They sampled all of the food, shared a few drinks (except Lee, for obvious reasons), and exchanged Christmas presents. In particular, Ino's gift to Sakura that year caused her to blush in embarrassment.
"Ino-pig!"
"Hey, don't knock it 'til you've tried it. Have I ever steered you wrong on this sort of thing before?"
Sakura let out a deep sigh, "You know most women don't get this involved with their friend's love lives, especially after they're married."
"True, but most people's friends aren't me," Ino said with a smug smirk.
The party continued well into the night, everyone getting into the Christmas spirit. But then, to everyone's surprise, the doorbell rang one more time.
"I'll get it," Naruto said confused. He walked to the front door and opened it. "Sasuke! Karin! It's been too long! Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas dobe," the Uchiha said with a smirk.
"Merry Christmas Naruto," Karin said as she gave her distant cousin a warm hug, "Sorry we're late."
"No, no, it's fine. I really didn't even know you two were in the village this month."
"Yeah well, things are slow out in the real world right now and the little one really wanted to see her friends," Sasuke said as a young girl with black hair and eyes, complimented with red-trimmed glasses, appeared from behind her father's legs. The girl quickly embraced the blonde Hokage in an enthusiastic hug.
"I missed you Uncle Naruto," the girl said with affection.
"I missed you too, Merry Christmas Sarada."
The Uchiha family soon joined the party where a lot of people were surprised yet pleased to see them, although Shikamaru did keep a suspicious eye on Sasuke for the rest of the night.
Sarada was greeted by the rest of the kids, many of them happy to see her again since she was so often away from the village joining missions with her parents. But then she blushed as she saw one familiar face in particular.
"H-hi Sarada. Umm…Merry Christmas!" Shinachiku has a slight blush on his face as he greeted his old friend.
"M-Merry Christmas Shina." Sarada's blush still had not left her face.
"Aww, where's a mistletoe when you need one?" Ōkami mocked.
"HEY SHUT UP!"
Both of them yelled at the Inuzuka boy, much to the amusement of their friends…and all of the parents. But suddenly Hanami had to butt in on the moment too.
"Hey," she yelled at the Uchiha girl, "what are you doing with my onii-chan!"
"Oh, hey Hanami," Sarada said unphased, as if she had completely missed her tone. "We were just saying hi since we haven't seen each other in a while."
Hanami huffed in cute annoyance, she didn't know why but it always bothered her whenever other girls got too close to her older brother. Luckily Sarada was someone she had known for a long time and it was Christmas Eve, so it didn't last too long.
The rest of the night was a lot of fun, but as the party was winding down they were all looking for something else to do. Then Hanami got an idea.
"Onii-chan, why don't you sing us a Christmas song?"
Shinachiku was instantly embarrassed. "Hanami?! Not in public!"
"Wait a minute, Shinachiku can sing?!" Chōchō asked incredulously.
"No, no I can't—"
"Oh yes he can," Sakura said further embarrassing her son, "He only does it for his sister and us, and Hanami loves it. His voice is beautiful."
"MOM!"
"Oh! I have to hear it! I want to hear my grandson sing something!" Mebuki was giddy with excitement.
"GRANDMA!"
"Aww come on Shina, do it for your Aunt Ino?"
"I-I don't know…"
"Please Shina, we all want to hear you sing," Hinata added.
"But-"
"Yes Shinachiku! Let the flames of youth carry your magnificent voice to the levels of the sirens of old and bring us all cheer on this joyous holiday!"
It was none other than Rock Lee who made that random declaration, stopping everyone dead in their tracks as they stared at him; poor Tenten could only put her head in her hands. Only Burandon seemed to take pride in his father's…err, youthfulness.
Shinachiku had no comment; he never did whenever Lee or Burandon made crazy speeches like that.
"Listen guys, I'm sorry, but I only sing to cheer up my sister when she is feeling down or once in a while to make my parents happy. I've never done it in front of friends before. I'm just embarrass—"
"Please Shinachiku…" this newest voice stopped the boy's objection. He turned to see where it came from to find it was a blushing Sarada. "…I-I'd like to hear you sing too."
Shinachiku blushed for a moment, but somehow hearing Sarada say that gave him confidence. He smiled, took a deep breath and said "Okay."
The boy called his dad over for a second and whispered something in his ear. Naruto nodded back to him and put on some very specific Christmas music from the album that was playing in the background of the party. The track only had the music, not the words, just what Shinachiku needed. The music started as everyone there paid attention to whatever they were about to hear. A few seconds into the music, the boy started to sing:
Hark! The herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled
Joyful all ye nations rise Hark! The herald angels sing
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic host proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem
Glory to the newborn King
Christ by highest heav'n adored
Christ, the everlasting Lord
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see Hark! The herald angels sing
Hail the incarnate deity
Pleased as man with men to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Glory to the newborn King
Hail, the heav'n born Prince of Peace
Hail, the Son of Righteousness
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by Hark! The herald angels sing
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Glory to the newborn King
Everyone was speechless. Some had their mouths hanging open in shock. The girls there that were his age were all blushing. The boy's parents smiled at him with pride, his mother with tears of joy threatening to come out. His sister was smiling happily that she got to hear her brother sing yet again. And Sarada…she looked like she was in a trance. The silence started to make the boy nervous…until everyone gave him a thunderous applause.
Everybody congratulated the boy for his performance, and his fear of singing in public vanished as a result. Oh course, now the poor boy would often find himself pestered to do it more often.
The party eventually died down and all of the guests went their separate ways, leaving the Uzumaki family to their own devices.
"Alright kids," Sakura said, "both of you get into bed right away so that you can wake up nice and early to open your presents tomorrow."
The kids excitedly ran upstairs to get ready for bed.
Sakura walked up to her husband a whispered in his ear.
"Could you do me a favor? Wait five minutes before you come up to our room."
"Uh…Okay. Why?"
"Call it a Christmas surprise," she said as she gave him a playful wink. She walked up the stairs towards their master bedroom with one of her unwrapped presents tucked under her arms.
Naruto decided to sit on the couch as he counted the minutes until Sakura said to go to bed.
'What is heck is she up to? And what does she mean Christmas surprise?'
After five minutes of waiting, he decided it was time to go upstairs. On his way up, he saw Hanami making her way back downstairs, now in her pajamas ready for bed.
"Where do you think you're going sweetie?"
"Oh, I just forgot to do something before I went to bed."
Naruto eyed her suspiciously and waved his finger at her. "No peeking young lady."
"I won't daddy!"
With a chuckle to himself, Naruto kept going back upstairs as Hanami went into the kitchen and got a spare plate. She then got about three cookies left over from the party and placed them on a table near the Christmas tree.
'He'll eat them,' Hanami thought smiling, 'just like he does every year.'
Naruto made it upstairs and was standing in front of the door to his and Sakura's bedroom. He still wasn't sure what was waiting for him in there, but he figured he might as well knock first, or else risk to wrath of his wife.
"Yes?" Sakura's voice said on the other side of the door after Naruto knocked.
"Hey it's me. Can I come in yet?"
"Just a second!" Naruto heard some noises on the other side to the door that he couldn't make out, but it was over almost as soon as it started. "Okay, you can come in now."
Naruto entered his bedroom and his eyes bugged out at what he saw. Sakura was spread out over the bed wearing some very alluring red velvet lingerie, both the top and bottom halves trimmed with puffy white marabou. The bra complimented her low C cup breasts and her short skong showed off her voluptuous buttocks. She wore white stockings and garter belts as well that tied the outfit together, and a Santa Claus hat for good measure. She rolled around on the bed a bit and turned around, shaking her buttocks to tease him further.
She then got off the bed and stood before him. "Surprised?"
"Very! When did—"
"It was Ino's present to me this year."
Naruto rolled his eyes, "Of course."
Sakura did a brief but sexy dance move to get the poor man more aroused than he already was.
Naruto decided to go ahead and play along. "So Santa, does this mean I'm on the naughty list?"
"Oh yeah," his wife replied then looked right at him with bedroom eyes. "But so have I. So tell you what: how about this year, Santa gives you a special kind of present." The woman licked her lips at that last part.
'Oh God, how does she do it?!' Naruto thought to himself. 'How does she still find ways to do this to me even after being married this long?!"
Sakura kept that alluring expression on her as she held something above her head… mistletoe. With her other hand she hefted one of her breasts. "So Lord Hokage, ready to unwrap your present?"
'Oh that's it!' "SILENCING JUTSU!"
Both of them grinned as the blonde Hokage then locked the door and reached out to rub one side of her face.
"Merry Christmas Sakura," he said with pure love.
"Merry Christmas Naruto," she responded with just as much love.
With that, he cupped both sides of her face and claimed her mouth in a passionate kiss, which she immediately returned with equal if not superior passion.
'Damn! Ino was right, this outfit really did work!' Sakura thought in euphoric lust as she and her husband's kissing became wild and sloppy, but neither cared. The man soon started leaving kisses down the woman's neck, causing her to moan.
Clothes found their place on the floor as the two lovers found other ways to keep themselves warm the rest of the night…
It was Christmas morning! The sun was rising as the snow kept falling. In his master bedroom, Naruto was just waking up, as the rays of the sun came in through the window. After letting out a yawn he noticed a familiar mass of pink hair lying on his chest.
Sakura Haruno Uzumaki was still fast asleep; her arm draped over her husband's ripped chest. Underneath the bed sheet she was just as nude as he was. The only thing she was wearing was a smile of pure love and contentment.
'How did I get so lucky?' Naruto thought to himself as he kissed his slumbering wife's forehead, right where her seal was. She responded by snuggling even closer into him, seeking more of his warmth.
'I need to remember to thank Ino the next time I see her; that Santa-themed lingerie really spiced things up…'
And then the blood all drained from Naruto's face. 'Oh SHIT! Damn it! Naruto, you fucking idiot! You forgot to buy extra presents for the kids to say came for Santa Claus!'
The poor man felt so guilty that the warmth of his body was cooling off quickly. 'What am I going to do?! Now the kids are going to think that Santa didn't come! They'll be so disappointed, especially Hanami! Oh God, what have I done?!' Naruto was on the verge of tears as the image of his children's heartbroken faces flashed through his mind.
The lack of warmth coming from his body was enough to awaken the slumbering woman in bed with him. "Naruto?" she asked noticing his terrified expression. "Naruto, what's wrong?"
'Oh God, she's going to hate me! The kids are going to hate me! What do I say? What do I say?!'
"Naruto?" Sakura was really getting worried now. "Honey you're scarring me."
Naruto looked at his wife and took a deep breathe bracing himself for the worst.
"Honey, there's something I have to tell you—"
Suddenly there was a loud bang on their bedroom door, freaking both of them out and causing Sakura to instinctively cover herself up with the bed sheet…until she remembered that the door was locked.
"Mommy! Daddy! Wake up! It's Christmas!" Hanami overexcited voice bellowed from outside the door.
Sakura sighed, "It'll have to wait; right now the kids want their presents."
'Oh God, here it comes,' Naruto thought in shame.
Within minutes both of them were dressed in casual clothes and walked down the stairs together to find Shinachiku and Hanami waiting by the tree like…well, like a couple of kids at Christmas.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Hanami called out to her parent's, "He came! Santa came! See, he ate the cookies I left him, just like he does every year!"
Naruto took a deep breathe as he prepared himself for having to break his little girl's heart. "Sweetie, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid Santa isn't—Wait, WHAT?!"
"Yeah, Hanami came back down stairs after the party last night and left some cookies for Santa; we came back in the morning and they're gone! And he brought presents!" Shinachiku was just as excited and his sister was. He held up a wrapped present with a tag on it that said 'To: Shinachiku, From: Santa'; Hanami had a similar gift in her arms also.
Naruto was absolutely dumbstruck. 'How?! I forgot all about the Santa presents! Did Sakura do all this and not tell me? Wait, how could she? I got home before her and we've spent all night together? This doesn't make any sense!' He looked to his wife, but she was just as confused as he was.
'Good on Naruto for remembering the Santa presents, but this still doesn't make any sense. He and I were together all night, so how did he sneak out to eat those cookies? Or put those gifts under tree for that matter? Wait…Ohhhh, I get it!'
Sakura whispered into her husband's ear, "Did you make a shadow clone to do this while we made love last night?"
"No. Actually I was wondering if you did all this."
"No, we agreed that you'd do the Santa shopping this year."
Naruto paused for a moment. "Sakura…I forgot to get the kids gifts from Santa Claus."
"WHAT?!"
Naruto tried to shush his wife but it was already too late.
"Is something wrong mom?" Shinachiku asked confused.
"N-No, it's nothing sweetie! Your father and I were just joking around!" Sakura lied through her teeth to make herself look as inconspicuous as possible. She whispered back to her husband, this time with venom in her voice. "What do you mean you forgot the Santa shopping?!"
"I'm sorry," Naruto whispered back desperately, "I swear I just forgot it until this morning. I didn't mean to, it just happened. I feel really bad about it."
"Then where the hell did those presents come from?! And who ate Hanami's cookies?!"
"I have no idea."
Both parents suddenly got nervous. As shinobi, namely the Hokage and chief medical ninja of the village, they both needed to be on alert for anything. As suicidal as it seemed for anyone to try it, either they or their children could be targeted at any time. And now look what they woke up to on Christmas morning: mysterious gifts that neither of them bought for their kids and cookies that mysteriously vanished the next morning…
"Um…Listen kids," Naruto said while trying to hide his nervousness, "why don't you open your presents from your mother and I first and save your gifts from Santa for last, okay?"
"Okay daddy!" Hanami responded in total innocence.
Hanami opened her gift from her mom first; it was an elegantly crafted box, one that looked like it was made of gold and encrusted with jewels.
"Wow, its pretty mommy!" Hanami said happily.
"Open it sweetie."
She did, and when she did music could be heard, lovely music that accompanied a tiny figure of a ballerina that spin on around on an axis as if she were dancing to the tune.
"I love it! Thank you mommy!"
"Your welcome sweetie; Merry Christmas. Shinachiku, why don't you go next?"
The blonde haired boy furiously opened the present his mom got for him; it was a stack of books all bundled together, but not just any books, manga volumes. What manga you may ask…Shinachiku's favorite manga series ever, Dragon Ball!
"Wow! I got Dragon Ball manga! I'd always glance through it while I was at the book store, but I never had the money to buy all of it! Thanks mom!"
"You're welcome sweetie; I know how much you love watching the anime on TV. And I also got you a subscription so you will get a new volume in the mail every time one comes out."
"REALLY?! AWESOME!"
Naruto whispered to his wife "Nice job Sakura, they sure look happy."
"Thanks," Sakura replied with a slight blush.
"Hey kids," Naruto called out, "why don't you open the gifts I got you next?"
Hanami reached for hers and torn it open. Her eyes turned kawaii as she saw the most adorable plush doll ever.
"Aww…A Kurama dollie! It's so cute! Thank you so much daddy!" She hugged the doll close to her body adorably.
"You're welcome sweetie, Marry Christmas."
Shinachiku was already opening his present and was wowed at what he got. "No way! A sled! Hey dad, can we go to the snow slopes today, huh?!"
Naruto smiled, "Sure son, we'll all go together."
"Sweet! Thanks dad!"
Now Sakura turned to Naruto, "Wow, I'm impressed…now if only you'd remembered about—"
"Mommy, can we open our presents from Santa Claus now?" Hanami asked cutely.
A sense of uncertain worry overcame both parents as they both shared a look.
Sakura took a deep breath, "…Yes Hanami, you and your brother can open your presents now."
The kids rapidly tore at the wrapping paper, and as they did so their parents grasped each other's hands as they prepared for the worst…
"Wow! A Sailor Moon doll! I love her; she's so pretty and cool!" The little girl got into an infamous pose from one of her own favorite animes. "In the name of the moon…I'll punish you!"
"Whoa! Ultimate Ninja Storm 4! I've been looking everywhere for this game! All of my friends say it's awesome! Mom! Dad! Is it true that you and your friends are all in this game?!"
The parent's didn't hear the question; they were both lost in disbelief. They were not bombs, or weapons, or anything that could cause their children any harm…just toys.
"Mom? Dad? Did you hear me?"
"H-Huh? Oh yeah, sure Shina," Naruto said not really knowing what he was confirming.
"AWESOME! Mom, Dad, I swear I am going to master your's and everybody else's combos and finishers even if it takes me a year!"
Again, the parents had no idea what he was talking about, but they didn't care, they were just happy that their kid's were happy and safe. Still…
'Okay…So where the heck did those come from?' Naruto's head then turned to the plate that once held Hanami's Christmas cookies. 'You've got to be kidding me…'
"Daddy," Hanami excitedly called to her father, "Santa really does exist doesn't he?! He got us great presents this year, didn't he?!"
Naruto turned to look to his daughter and the doll in her hands, then to his son admiring his new game, then to his wife, then the former plate of cookies again…and then he saw the Christmas tree that was set up inside their large living room, with snow continuing to fall outside the window.
Before he knew it, a warm smile came to his face as he took his daughter in his arms.
"Yes Hanami, there is a Santa Claus."
Sakura smiled warmly as she joined them in their embrace. Shinachiku saw them too and decided why not; he got in on the family group hug also.
"Alright, how about your mom and I make us a nice big Christmas breakfast, and then the four of us go have some fun out in the snow?!" Naruto suggested to his kids with his trademark infectious enthusiasm.
The family had a lot of fun. Shinachiku absolutely loved his new sled, and he even let his sister ride it with him a couple of times. The family made snowmen, got into a snowball fight, and made merry all day long. People who saw them out together could only think one thing, 'Wow, what a happy family.'
But eventually the day did have to come to an end and they all returned home. The kids quickly went to change out of their snow gear since Hanami wanted to play with her toys and Shinachiku wanted to start playing his new game. Naruto and Sakura were still in the living room as the kids took off.
"Oh Sakura, I almost forgot!"
"Forgot what?"
"We left the house today before I ever gave you your present."
He got a small, rectangular box from under the tree and handed it to her. "Open it."
She pulled the wrapper off and opened the box. Her hand clasped her mouth in shock at the sight of the golden necklace with it's emerald that matched her eyes.
"Oh my God! Naruto, it's gorgeous!" She wrapped her husband in a huge hug. "Thank you, thank you so much!"
"I knew you'd like it."
"Like it?! I LOVE it! Can you help put it on for me?"
"Sure." He got behind his wife and clasped the necklace in place behind her neck. He turned around to look at her. "You look beautiful."
Sakura blushed, "Thanks. Oh wait! I have a present for you too."
She went underneath the tree and pulled out a present that looked to be the size of a large book. "Open it."
He tore the wrapper off and looked through the leather clad book and his heart nearly stopped…It was a photo album, comprised of old photos of his parents from before he was born. It showed their life's story, from their respective childhood's while they were at the academy, to photos they took with each of their friends (like Kushina posing with Mikoto and Mebuki), to seeing them appear together after they started dating. At that point they became nearly inseparable. There were shots of them on romantic dates, shots of them relaxing at their apartment, shots of them together with his dad's old genin team, and two shots that were the most emotional of all. The first shot was of them on their wedding day with Minato in a white tuxedo and Kushina in a pearl white wedding gown that drew attention to her luscious red hair. The second shot was of them at home holding hands, with Kushina obviously several months pregnant with Naruto.
"Kakashi-sensei and I found that when we looked through their old apartment a month back," Sakura said. "We were trying to see if they had anything over there that we could bring back here to our house, and when I found that I knew you'd love it."
Naruto wiped the tears that were falling from his eyes. "Thank you, thank you so much Sakura. This is…" Naruto stopped the find his words and smiled. "This has been the best Christmas ever!"
Sakura smiled brightly at her husband, "Yes it has."
With that, Naruto claimed his wife lips in a soft but passionate kiss. Sakura quickly gave into it as she wrapped her arms around him softly. They stood there in that embrace for what felt like a lifetime, oblivious to the mistletoe that hung from the ceiling above their heads.
Whew! That went a lot longer than I thought it would! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading it and wish you all a Happy Holidays!