Scrooge
Senryu52809 and Shiirya the fox
In honor of the Holidays 2006
Senryu: Merry Christmas, Kwanzaa, Chanukah, Ramadan, or what ever u celebrate, here is a fanfic to you!
Shiirya: We don't own Naruto or a Christmas Carol and we wish everyone to have a happy holiday.
"Christmas is such a beautiful time of year!"
'Tch…Troublesome…'
"And all the villagers are so happy and the children…"
'Can go somewhere…'
"And of course the gifts…"
'…I still didn't buy anything…shit…my mom is going to murder me…'
"The carols, and family, Santa, the tree…and most of all…are you listening Shikamaru?!"
Shikamaru stared at his kunoichi girlfriend. She was crazy in the first place but at this time of year she went insane. Temari had Christmas spirit practically pouring out of her. For instance, right now she was wearing red and white boots, white stockings, a red miniskirt, a white long sleeved shirt, her un-original Santa hat, and a red bag slung over her shoulder filled with presents for random children on the street.
'…Troublesome…'
"I'm listening..."
Temari looked into his dark eyes, making him blush a little. "You should really get into the spirit Shika…I mean it's already Christmas Eve already! You're such a Scrooge."
"I am not…"
"Don't deny it."
"Seriously… I just think Christmas is way to big of a deal…is that really a bad thing?"
Temari gave him a playful kiss as they reached Shikamaru's apartment.
"Yea it is you lazy ass...I'll see you later m'kay?"
Shikamaru smiled a little. "I thought you were spending the night?"
She smiled too and walked away. "I have to finish handing out these presents first! Merry Christmas!"
When Temari disappeared around the corner, Shikamaru finally went inside, through the corridors, and into his room. It wasn't that he hated Christmas, he really didn't. It's just that the whole holiday was troublesome. Why not just wish someone a merry Christmas and call it a day?
-Crash-
"Yo Shikamaru where are you?!"
Shikamaru stared out into the hallway. "…T-Temari?"
…Silence…
He walked around the apartment; nobody was there. After a minute of silence Shikamaru walked back to the kitchen. "Great…now I'm hearing things…"
"Hello! Shikamaru!"
Shikamaru spun around. "Whose there?"
"Look up baka!"
There, surrounded by an orange aura and suspending in mid air was…
Naruto
Shikamaru almost had a heart attack. "What?! How did you…?! WHY ARE YOU IN MY HOUSE NARUTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Naruto grinned at pointed at himself proudly. "I'm not Naruto! I am the mysterious ninja of Christmas past; Ramen Spirit!"
"…Naruto…"
-Silence-
"Naruto!!!"
-Silence-
"-sigh-…Ramen Spirit…?"
"He he, yeah?"
"Get the HELL OUT OF MY APARTMENT!"
"I can't."
"…what?"
Shikamaru grabbed Naruto's collar, led him to the window, and kicked him out. "Try knocking next time!"
He turned away, sighing, to see Naruto standing behind him.
"GYA...! N-N-Naruto?!"
"I told you I'm Ramen Spirit. I'm not leaving until you see some of the true meanings of Christmas!"
Shikamaru Stared dumbfounded.
"Can't we do this in the morning?"
"No! Now come on!"
Naruto grabbed the chunin and flew out the window, sailing above the red and green Konoha in the light of the moon.
"Where are you taking me?!"
Naruto grinned.
"To a Suna Christmas Past!!!!!!!!"
-----------------------------------------------
Shikamaru had concluded that this was officially a dream. First of all he was flying over The Sand Village. FLYING…with Naruto…over Suna which only took two seconds to get to. This was all impossible.
Naruto pointed at a little girl sitting alone by the dunes. "She is why we came here."
Shikamaru stared at her. Blond, blue eyes, pale skin, about seven yrs. old, looked depressed. "Why?"
"You don't recognize her at all?"
---------------------------------------------------
Temari sat in the sand, crying silently to herself. It was Christmas Eve, and the entire village was in the spirit. There were Christmas lights on every street and a reef on every house. Even the Kazekage, her father, had taken time off for his family. She hated this holiday though, every single part of it, it only gave her more reason's to cry. She had tried to enjoy Christmas and put on a fake smile, but in the end her hate reared it ugly head and she had to run away. So she unconsciously ran here, where she usually came for her problems. Before her was her mothers grave, entitled; A wife and mother of three, sacrificed for Sunakagure, may her spirit live on in every villager. For three straight years Temari had been motherless, and for three straight years she had come here to cry whenever life turned its back on her, which was often. Her family was motherless, incomplete, broken. How can they expect her to enjoy Christmas Eve when her mother was dead?! When she told her father this he said "She's dead Temari! The Dead will NEVER come back and you must accept that like the rest of the family has."
Temari still wished, and prayed, and cried for her to come back, but her wishes and prayers were unanswered. Yet she still came here and cried every Christmas, telling Kankurou to cover up for her. All she ever wanted for Christmas was for her family to be complete again, but that would never happen, and what pained her most was that she knew it.
Shikamaru stared at the seven year old Temari, almost in tears himself.
"This can't be true…T-Temari loves Christmas."
Naruto sighed. "It's sad isn't it? Her mother died three years ago, January 19th. Ever since that day her life went down the drain…makes you think about stuff doesn't it…?"
Shikamaru unconsciously nodded. He'd always complain and whine about his mother, but now that he saw this…
'Great now I feel guilty…-sigh- '
Naruto grabbed Shikamaru's arm and suddenly the two boys were back in Shika's apartment as though that whole trip to the sand village never happened.
"W-What? Naruto how…but, Temari…"
Naruto flew out the window, slowly evaporating into the moonlight.
"When the clock strikes eight the second ninja will arrive! Take care and have a merry Christmas!"
Shikamaru reached out for him, but he was gone.
"Wait…! Naruto…?!..."
-Silence-
Shikamaru stared at the clock. "Seven fifty- nine huh…?"
10…9…8…7…6…
"Shikamaru?"
Before Shikamaru was Sakura Haruno, glowing pink and dusting herself off.
"Sakura…? You're the ninja of Christmas present? You were four seconds early…"
Sakura gave him a death glare. "First of all you will call me Pink Angel." She smiled…"And yes, I am the kunoichi of Christmas present." 'Pink angel' took Shikamaru's hand and led him out the window. "C'mon I have a schedule to follow…"
"…A schedule? Where are we going anyway?"
Sakura smiled and pointed to a place Shikamaru thought he'd never go back to. "The academy…I want you to see something…"
Shikamaru was confused, but he played along. Finally they landed on the training grounds. Surrounding them were all the village children, each one with some kind of toy in their hands, and a Santa hat on their heads. "Are they having some kind of Christmas party?"
Sakura pointed to the far right corner. "Something like that, look over there."
Shikamaru sighed and looked. There was Temari, in a Santa suit, and handing wrapped presents with red and green bows on them to the children who did not get one yet. She was smiling and laughing, and as jolly as ever, and her joy spread to the children in dolls, puzzles, toy cars, cards, candy, even a puppy or two were handed over with a Merry Christmas from Temari. Shikamaru smiled. "I…I thought she hated Christmas…what happened…she looks so happy…"
Sakura smiled to. "Around ten years old, she decided to stop crying every Christmas. Instead Temari celebrated the holiday to her fullest in memory of her mother, and so that no child would ever feel left out on Christmas like she once did. There was even one Christmas where she got Gaara and Kankurou into a Santa suit…"
Shikamaru was speechless, a thousand thoughts rushing through his head at once and giving him a slight head ache.
Sakura looked at him. "Does Christmas still seem way too big of a deal to you?"
Shikamaru opened his eyes; he was back in his apartment, with Sakura standing in front of him. "What...? How…? Argh not again." Sakura was now vanishing like Naruto once did. "The third and last ninja of Christmas is on her way…Happy Holidays!"
"Sakura wait!" Too late, she was gone. As soon as the last shade of pink vanished, a blue aura appeared in front of Shikamaru. Out of the light was Hinata Hyuuga… she bowed. "Merry Christmas Shikamaru… I am the kunoichi of Christmas future, Blue Raven."
Shikamaru stared at the girl. "Hinata…?"
She blushed. "Umm…that's Blue Raven..."
Shikamaru sighed. "Before you do anything…um, I learned my lesson about Christmas already so…we don't have to go anywhere…"
Hinata smiled…"Oh…?"
"Yeah…this holiday isn't troublesome…Temari showed me that…it's about family and happiness and spending time with the one's you love…right?"
Hinata clapped her hands. "Exactly…Listen carefully Shikamaru. Nobody knows the future for sure. You are free to mold your own future, just like Temari decided to change her future Christmases."
With a white flash Naruto and Sakura appeared on either side of Hinata.
Naruto stared proudly at Shikamaru. "Took you long enough…"
Sakura grinned. "Temari's Christmas isn't complete yet. She's missing something…She's missing you."
Hinata bowed again. "Remember, the future is what you make of it."
"Have a Merry Christmas!" they chorused.
"Shikamaru…?"
Shikamaru spun around, confused at relived at the same time. "T-Temari?" He hugged her tightly, making her blush a little.
Temari was now confused and broke free of his embrace. "Uh…who are you talking to…?"
Shikamaru looked over his shoulder. Nothing was left of the three shinobi but yellow, pink, and blue particles. "N-Nobody…"
Temari smiled. "Oh…okay…uh, I just came by to ask if a can leave my Santa suit here since the hotel is on the other side of the village…"
Shikamaru smiled a little. "Temari…can I help you hand out those presents…I mean it is Christmas…and-…"
Temari hugged him making him fall to the ground with her. "That would be perfect! As a matter of fact I have the perfect job for you…" She got off of him and grabbed the Santa suit.
Shikamaru backed away. "No… way…I'm not wearing that…that thing…"
"Oh…please its Christmas…"
"I said I'll hand out presents!"
"But the kids would love you…Do it for me…"
"Temari…!"
Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata watched them from the kitchen window.
"Do you think they'll be alright…?"
"What could happen?"
…