Disclaimer: I do not own any NARUTO characters! Even though I want to… I'm just joking Masashi Kishimoto-sensei…
A/N: This is a one-shot fiction, just something that I write for Christmas. Please read and you can review if you want to…
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Title: My Christmas Angel
First, she seemed surprise and then she nodded slightly with her cheeks reddened a little. And he immediately went away with a…rather satisfied expression.
Naruto, Sakura, Sai and Yamato stared at the event with questioning looks; what did Kakashi had just said to Ayame that made her red and made him pleased? They must find out the reason. The four of them approached the Ramen stall slowly and Ayame noticed them almost instantly. She smiled, "As always, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto was about to say no but when he sniffed in the aroma of Ramen's hot soup, he quickly changed his mind, "Make it two bowls, I'm staaaaaaaaaaaarving."
"Come in right up," Ayame informed while Naruto happily took his seat by the table. Sakura, Yamato and Sai could only sigh; they wouldn't be surprised at all if he was killed because of Ramen one day…
The three of them took their seats by the table while Naruto cheerfully eating his Ramen ("Itadakimasu!") and looked at each other, excluding Naruto that was only focusing on his Ramen. Both Sai and Yamato looked at each other and then they both looked at Sakura; they decided she was the best person to ask about it. Sakura was about to argue but then when she imagined either Sai or Yamato was the one that asked about it, she was certain Ayame wouldn't tell them a bit. After all, females only trust females…
Sakura decided to give it a try, "Ayame-san, you seem happy today. Something's good happen?"
"Eh?" Ayame looked surprised, "Is it that obvious? I guess I'm not that good in hiding things…"
"So, something makes you happy… Care to share it with us?" Sakura asked.
Ayame seemed to be uncertain for a while, "…Well, don't tell anyone okay… I trust you four."
"Okay, cross our hearts," Sakura promised and the other three shinobi nodded in agreement.
"Well…," Ayame blushed a little, "…Kakashi-san asks me on a date."
"What? A date?" the four of them blurted out in unison and Naruto immediately forgot all about his Ramen.
"Uh-huh," Ayame nodded shyly and began to tap her fingers – just like Hinata always did – and lowered her reddening face, "He asks me if I want to accompany him tomorrow and I…agree with him."
"I have never thought…," Naruto let his sentenced unfinished.
"Kakashi-sensei is…," Sakura lost of words.
"I guess we should never judge a book by its cover," Sai stated.
Yamato looked away and gritted his teeth, "And I always have thought that I can trust him…and now he's the one going out with her instead of me… What a big liar he is…," he muttered under his breath angrily.
"Sorry?" Ayame asked him curiously.
"N-nothing," Yamato quickly answered, "I'm just beginning to feel the pain of being stabbed from behind."
"Huh?" Ayame and the three teen ninjas looked at him with a confused face.
"Just forget about it… I'll get him the next time I see him," and when they were still staring at him with a confused face, Yamato hastily shrugged them off.
"So…how's the date?" Sakura asked immediately when the four of them – Naruto, Sakura, Sai and Yamato – 'visited' Ayame at the Ramen stall.
"Sorry?" Ayame turned her attention to the pink-haired kunoichi almost instant.
"The date. How was it?"
Ayame giggled for a while, "I guess I was a bit emphasizing things a bit before…"
"Eh?"
"It's not a date actually," Ayame said sheepishly, "Kakashi-san was actually asking me to help to choose a Christmas present for a young lady. He was troubled by it for weeks and was pleased when I actually agreed back then…and I thought he was asking on a date where the reality was the other way round."
"Oh, is that true? Thank God…," Yamato sighed in relief.
"What are you feel relieved about, Yamato-san?" Ayame asked curiously but he didn't answer it and hastily shrugged her off by ordering four bowls of Ramen, one each for the four ninjas. She hastily left the conversation and went to work. It was silent for a while…
"Wait… a Christmas present for a young lady?" Naruto suddenly stated.
"Christmas is drawing near. No wonder if he wants to buy one," Sai said.
"I know that. It's just…for a young lady? Get it?" Naruto emphasized the word 'a young lady' with his hands. At first, the three ninjas seemed confused but then, shock went across their face.
"I can't believe…," Sakura let her sentence unfinished.
"If it is anyone else, I believe it but from Sharingan no Kakashi? It can't be…," Sai shook his head slightly.
"Kakashi-senpai… is this for real?" Yamato stated with an unbelieving expression on his face.
The four ninjas looked at each other and then shook their heads, "No way."
Hatake Kakashi walked cheerfully along the snowy road, humming 'Jingle Bell' along the way. In his hands was a big box nearly as big as half of his body and was wrapped in emerald green papers with golden ribbons. In his mind was nothing but to see her smiling face…
Kakashi reached a small hut made of woods. Some of the bottom parts of the walls were already plastered with bricks and concrete and when he stared up to the cloudy sky, he knew he should quickened his work on renovating the hut to become a more comfortable place; he just couldn't imagined she had to live through the upcoming blizzard in a nearly-wreck hut. He scanned the area for a while and then knocked the wooden door gently.
A small yet sweet voice called from inside the hut and a few seconds later, the door opened and there, stood a young girl. She only reached Kakashi's waist and was rather small for an eleven-years-old girl. Her eyes were deep shining blue and her long smooth dark hair was braided with a dark-blue ribbon. Her skin was fair and her cheeks were rosy red as just as her small lips. She wore a long-sleeved dark blue sweater and a black long skirt that covered down to her feet and she matched it with a long sky-blue kimono robe as her outer coat against the cold surrounding.
When she saw Kakashi, her eyes lit up and she smiled beautifully. She stepped aside and silently, Kakashi entered the hut. The inside wasn't spacey; it was only consisted of a small kitchen, a bathroom and the living room and the bedroom were in one room. Kakashi took off his scarf and his Konoha head-protector. He also took of his Jounin vest and placed them all on a small desk. He sat onto a chair near the fireplace – and silently thanking Kami-sama for not letting him forget to build the fireplace back then – and motioned the little girl to come to him.
The girl happily approached him and Kakashi lifted her onto his lap, giving her the big box. She smiled widely at Kakashi and hastily opened the big box. A minute later, she drew out a big blue teddy bear – nearly as big as she was – and she was amazed by it. She hugged it tightly and was about to do the same to Kakashi but when she noticed he was still with his mask on, she pouted.
Kakashi shook his head slightly and opened his mask, half smiling. Instantly, the girl planted a kiss on his flawless right cheek and hugged both her teddy and Kakashi in her small arms. Kakashi stroked her hair softly and began to remember when he first met the little girl…
Flashback…
Kakashi was back from a mission when he came passed her small hut and she was cutting woods with difficulty; her small hands just couldn't hold the big handle of the axe. Out of pity, he approached her and offered his help. The little girl was more than pleased and later on that day, she gave him brownies and hot chocolate. Both of them kept silent for a while…
"Where are your parents?" Kakashi decided to break the silence.
The girl lowered her head, "I don't know…"
"Huh?"
"The only thing I remember is that I have lived here alone since I was five…"
"G-gomen, I don't mean to sound rude…"
The girl didn't reply and again, silence fell between them and this time, awkwardness filled in the atmosphere. She stared deeply into her mug and Kakashi stared at the silent-dancing flames in front of him. He began to imagine how life likes without any parents to be with since five and he found it unbearable, "Just like Naruto in the past…," he muttered.
Suddenly, Kakashi heard sobs. He looked up and saw sad tears streaming down the girl's cheeks. He hastily shifted and sat beside the crying girl. He took the mug out of her hands and after putting it onto the bare ground, he placed his hands on her small slanted shoulders. The girl continued to sob, "G-gomen… I don't m-mean to cry… I-it's just…"
Kakashi hugged her gently and stoked her hair tenderly, "There, there… Don't cry… Tears don't suit your fair face…"
The girl continued to sob silently and in the following days, Kakashi found himself to spend his time quite regularly at the girl's hut and sometimes spent his night there. He caressed her hair softly while watching her sleeping peacefully. He even sometimes sang her lullabies softly. He didn't know what was it but every time he saw her smile, a blissful feeling aroused from within him and then, he would find himself smiling unconsciously. Both of them grew close to each other that Kakashi left his face unmasked when he was with her and the girl would always run to him if she saw his coming.
On a moonless night, Kakashi had returned from a mission and as always, he immediately went to the girl's hut and to his shock, the hut was dark and left opened. Fear thoughts instantly entered his mind and he abruptly gone into the nearby woods to search for her. Every minutes passed in the searching time nearly drove him crazy because of his concern and fortunately, he finally found her sitting beside a hill's cliff. He ran to her and hugged her at once, "Thank God… I've thought something has happened to you when I saw the hut's empty…"
The girl didn't answer straight away; instead she sobbed silently, "I suddenly remember about my parents…and this is the day when they left me, right on my birthday."
"N-nani? Is it-… R-really?" Kakashi was unsure about what should he said to her.
"It's just that… I've realized I'm all alone here and no one needs me, not even my own parents…," and the girl began to cry again, "Maybe I should be better left dead…"
"Don't say anything like that…" Kakashi said tenderly, "Look, I need you more than you know. I don't know why but the thought of you always gives me the strength to continue my daily life and to return safely from every mission I got. The desire to see your smile often makes me want to finish my mission quickly and immediately fly to you."
"Eh?" she stopped crying.
"From now onwards, I'll be a mother and a father…and also an oniisan to you. And please, for the sake of my happiness, don't say such depressing things again. I'll be here just for you…"
She didn't say anything; she buried herself in his chest and murmured, "Arigatou…Oniisan."
End of flashback…
Now, the girl was half-conscious in his lap, leaning against his chest while hugging her teddy tighter. Kakashi smiled gently while continued to stroke her dark hair and then looked outside. It was beginning to snow…and she had fallen asleep. Carefully, he placed her onto her bed and pulled the thick fur blanket up to her neck. She mumbled something and then loosened her hug on her teddy.
Kakashi sat beside her and tenderly, he kissed her forehead, "Sweet dreams, my Christmas angel…"
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A/N: I'm thinking about making a fiction based on this one-shot… Maybe I'll do it and maybe I don't… Depends on my imaginations… And yes, feel free to leave a review…
