Gabby-Nikki: Based off of a song I heard when I was in the car with my Grandfather. It was Christmas, playing on the radio, and I liked it.

Ena: Why am I here?

Gabby-Nikki: You love Christmas!

Ena: Monroe from Grimm loves Christmas. Which reminds me, you need to start on that fan-fiction request from Grimmlock.

Gabby-Nikki: And that's why you're here...to remind me!

Ena: -_- Anyway, Gabby-Nikki I don't own Naruto. Have a blast.

Gabby-Nikki: ~Been so long that you forget, the way I used to kiss your neck...remind me! Remind...me!

Ena: Wrong song!

Bring Him Home Santa, Will You Please?

A four year old boy sat on the swing in front of the Ninja Academy in late Winter. The ground was covered in a thick white blanket of snow, and the air was filled with snow crystals, dancing down from the sky to their final resting place on the sheet of cold covering the ground.

The boy, with eyes the color of the ocean, stared up at them in awe. He had seen snow before, he had felt snow before, but it just never ceased to amaze him.

"So…pretty…" he whispered softly. Then he looked down at the pencil and paper in his small, tanned hands and remembered what the Old Man had told him earlier that day.

Flashback

The Old Man; aka the Third Hokage, had taken Naruto to the ramen stand for lunch that day. It really didn't happen often so Naruto was curious…and a little nervous.

"A-Am I in trouble, Old Man?" he asked quietly.

The kind, wrinkled face that Naruto had grown so used to, looked down at him and smiled. "No, Naruto. Not today. Unless, there's something you're not telling me…?" He asked slyly.

Naruto blushed. "N-No Old Man, I've been good. Very good. Super good. Super very good," he said quickly.

Sarutobi chuckled. "Yes, yes…now. Naruto. As for the reason I've brought you here…," he started.

Naruto's big, blue eyes looked up at him in curiosity.

"…Today is the Christmas Eve."

Naruto blinked. "Christmas…Eve? What's that, Old Man?" He asked.

Sarutobi blinked, then shook his head in slight pity. "Christmas Eve is the night before Christmas Day. Christmas is a day when people give presents to their precious people, and spend time with friends, and family-"

Naruto blinked, then looked down shamefully. "I…don't have family…," he mumbled.

Sarutobi sighed and rested his hand on Naruto's head. "It doesn't matter. You have a friend, me. And Iruka, he's your friend," he said.

Naruto blinked, then managed a small, forced smile. "Iruka's not my friend, he's my mom!" He exclaimed.

Sarutobi threw back his head and laughed, because it just so happened that Iruka had stopped in to see if Naruto was there, and had heard that. His face twisted into a scowl.

"I'm your mother, eh, Naruto?" he asked dangerously.

Naruto froze, then shrieked; "I'm sorry, don't hit me, I'm sorry, don't hit, please-oh-please-oh-please-oh-please!"

Iruka and Sarutobi flinched. That boy was shrill!

"I'm not going to hit you, Naruto! It's time to go. I'll walk you home, I just need to pick something up at the Academy first, ok?" Iruka asked.

Naruto smiled. "Ok, mommy!" he exclaimed.

Iruka twitched, but grabbed Naruto's hand and began to walk away just the same.

Sarutobi watched them go, but then remembered the present he had for Naruto and ran after them.

"Naruto!" He called.

Naruto and Iruka turned around to face him.

"Yes, Old Man?" Naruto asked.

Sarutobi smiled and handed him a thin rectangular box. Along with the box, he handed him a piece of paper, and a pretty green-and-red pencil with a pine-smelling eraser.

Naruto looked at the stuff in confusion. "What for?" he asked softly.

Sarutobi smiled and patted his head. "It's your present. And the paper is for writing a letter to Santa," he said.

Naruto looked at him confusedly. "Who's Santa?" he asked.

Iruka frowned and held Naruto's hand a little tighter.

Sarutobi frowned, but forced it to turn into a smile. "Santa is a man who rides through the sky in a red sleigh with eight reindeer. He delivers presents to good girls and boys. All you have to do is write him a letter, then throw it in the fireplace. The ash's will go to the North Pole where he lives, and he'll send you whatever you asked for."

Naruto eyes widened and sparkled with innocent joy. "R-Really?" he exclaimed.

Sarutobi smiled and nodded.

Naruto grinned. "Then I'll write to Santa! Because I want a family to protect, just like Old Man!" he exclaimed.

Sarutobi smiled sadly, and left. "Merry Christmas, Naruto."

End Flashback

Naruto stared down at the paper and pencil in his hands once more.

"I… I don't know what to wish for… if I wish for a family, Iruka might be sad because he's like my family… I don't want him to be sad…but what am I missing?" He wondered to himself.

"A Father…"

Naruto jumped at the sudden voice that seemed to come from nowhere. "W-Who was…?" he asked shakily.

Then Iruka came out of the school carrying a large box. "Come on, Naruto!" he called, running towards Naruto's house.

Naruto blinked, then smiled, chasing after him.

"Okay, mommy!"

I'll think about it later…

Iruka and Naruto sat down next to the window of Naruto's apartment, smiling. The box Iruka had brought had been filled with Christmas decorations. They had decorated Naruto's entire apartment, and were now taking a break. Iruka took this time to hand Naruto a box.

"What's this, mommy?" Naruto asked innocently, pretending he didn't notice he was still calling Iruka 'Mommy'.

Iruka flinched at the nickname that was now sure to stick, then sighed. "It's a Christmas present, Naruto," he said.

Naruto grinned. "Thank you, mommy!" he exclaimed.

Iruka rolled his eyes. "Naruto!"

Naruto giggled. Then he stared at the wrapped gift in his hands, then to Iruka. "What is it, 'Ruka?" he asked.

Iruka rolled his eyes. "Well, if you asked for a Barbie doll and a soccer ball, you got your wish. There weren't that many presents left in the store," he said.

Naruto grinned. "Ok, I'll put that on my list!" he exclaimed, writing the items down. Iruka sweat dropped. He had been kidding!

Then Naruto realized something, and turned to Iruka.

"What do you want for Christmas, 'Ruka?" he asked.

Iruka blinked. "Huh. Well…," he murmured, thinking. He hadn't really considered Naruto asking this question. Then he just happened to catch sight of a certain beautiful silver haired, masked man walking on the street outside the apartment. He blushed slightly and smiled. "Maybe…"

Naruto blinked. "Maybe what, 'Ruka?" he asked. Iruka didn't answer. "'Ruka?" No answer. "Mommy!"

Iruka jumped. He had almost forgotten Naruto! He blushed and stumbled over his reply, blurting out the first thing that came to mind.

"A husband! A mother needs a father to help take care of a child as unruly as you! So what if Fire Country needs him on missions, Kakashi should be here helping me! Naruto, you may be my son, but a mother has needs too!" Iruka slapped his forehead. Had he really just said that? Dammit, Naruto's nickname was contaminating him!

Naruto blinked again. "A…father…?" he asked slowly.

Iruka blushed again, then got up. "U-Uh I just remembered, I have somewhere to be right now! Bye Naruto, Happy Christmas!" he called, fleeing the apartment as fast as his legs could take him.

Naruto shook his head, then looked down at the paper in his hand and frowned. "A…father…?" he repeated. "I don't have one…" Tears welled up in his eyes. "I don't have a daddy…why am I just realizing this?" he asked himself.

"Because you've never had a family, so you don't know what is supposed to be in a real family."

Naruto jumped. "The voice again…," he said. "Never had a family?"

"A mother, a father, and a child. That's what a family is made of. But you don't have one do you?"

Naruto's tears grew bigger. "No… I don't have a family…" he mumbled. "But Iruka-okaasan…"

"Iruka is your okaasan? Really, how naïve can you be? Iruka isn't your okaasan."

Naruto's tears began spilling out of his eyes. "B-But…Iruka-okaasan said…I'm his son…" he mumbled.

"Fine, fine. Think of Iruka-okaasan anyway you want, I don't care. But without a 'Father' he'll be quite upset, don't you think? He might even leave you."

Naruto's tears overflowed, and streamed down his face. "Iruka-okaasan would leave me? N-No! NO!" Naruto screamed, breaking down into hysterical sobbing. "I don't want to be alone again! I'm scared of being alone! Don't leave me alone!"

Sobs wracked his tiny body, causing pain to flare up in his chest and throat, but the tears kept coming.

"Don't leave me alone! Please! Please! P-Please…" his screams trailed off, as he finally cried himself to sleep.

Kyuubi no Kitsune sat down in his human form and crossed his legs. He flicked long locks of reddish orange hair out of his face, then rested his chin on the back of his hand.

He wore dark blue hakama-pant's and no shirt, with a big black haori half-coat hanging off his shoulders. The kanji for 'fox' was on the back of it, in a thick blood-color.

"Kit…" Kyuubi muttered as he was bombarded by wave after wave of complete and utter despair…and fear. It hurt a little, not much, but the uncomfortable feeling was there. Kyuubi sighed.

"I deserve it…I shouldn't have said that about Iruka leaving." he mumbled. Kyuubi then cursed himself for feeling that awful human emotion…

Guilt.

Naruto was a boy filled to the point of overflow with emotion. And that extra flow had to go somewhere. Kyuubi has more than once almost 'Drowned in Emotion'. He really hadn't thought such a thing possible, until he was sealed, that is. The emotions had infected him, and that angered him to no end. And he usually took it out on his host, usually with nightmares.

Of all the emotions Kyuubi now felt, there was one he hated above all else. It was the one he felt most often, whenever Naruto was around Iruka, Sarutobi, the ramen shop people, of just alone and letting his thoughts stray to those mentioned. Kyuubi hated this feeling above all else, the feeling of…

Jealousy.

Kyuubi had grown dangerously close to the boy, though not much time had passed between the sealing and now. He knew he should have felt angry at Naruto for the sealing, but couldn't bring himself to. After all, it was his own damn fault for being careless. He took to ignoring Naruto for the most part, until the flooding started. Then he took notice of the boy, and everything he went through. He grew a strong feeling of over-protection towards his kit, and was infuriated when those humans decided to give a hoot and try to make it seem like they did no wrong.

"Naruto is mine, all mine, he belongs to no one else, he's MY KIT!" He would often scream, whenever Iruka or the others where near. "MINE DO YOU HEAR ME? MINE! STOP TOUCHING HIM! STOP LOOKING AT HIM! STOP TALKING TO HIM! STOP MAKING HIM LOVE YOU!" Kyuubi would have felt ashamed at him behavior, if it wasn't clouded by overpowering hate.

"It's only fair…" Kyuubi said. "I'm the one who keeps nightmares at bay…when I don't cause them…I give him advice…though he doesn't know its me…I give him as much protection as I can…though a lot of times it doesn't help…I love him more than anyone…though he doesn't know that." he sighed once again. He sat in silence, resting.

That is, until he heard a small voice. He sat up straight, looking around. Then he found the source of the voice, whimpering in despair just outside of Kyuubi's cage.

"Oh, Kit…" He walked over and pulled the boy through the bars, and cradled him on his lap.

"No…family…I have…Iruka-okaasan…no…father…I want a father…" the boy mumbled.

Kyuubi sighed, then rocked the little boy back and forth, to ease the suffering. Once the boy had stopped crying, Kyuubi leaned over him and kissed his forehead softly.

"I'll be your father; kit…all you have to do is wish it."

Naruto awoke with a start. He grabbed his pencil and paper, finally knowing what to ask for having dreamed about it. He smiled softly to himself, as he wrote the words on the paper with his Christmas pencil. He then began to sing softly along with words he wrote, feeling very proud of himself. When he was done, he skipped over to the fireplace and dropped it in. The paper burned up, and the ashes flew out the chimney, and Naruto fell to his knees in front of the chimney, then lay down and slept.

"Merry Christmas, Kit; my son."

/TBC\\\

Gabby-Nikki: Ugh, done with that.

Ena: I liked the depression. Why'd you end it?

Gabby-Nikki: Ena...-_-

Ena: What? Wanna make out?

Gabby-Nikki: No! Damnit!

Ena: You weren't complaining that one time...XD

Gabby-Nikki: STOP REMINDING ME~~~~~! I WAS HALF ASLEEP! TAKING ADVANTAGE!