"I think I need to steer clear of that shop for awhile…" Naruto was walking on the boardwalk past all the shops. He had never been so terrified then he had been just moments ago. 'Why do all the older women hit on me?' Naruto thought unhappily as he was passing a vintage comic store.

He was walking past a small gift shop that displayed many gifts for all genders and ages. Naruto's eyes lit up as he pressed his face against the display window of the shop. He grinned excitedly, rubbing his palms together eagerly. He spotted a long silver necklace with green jewels encrypted between the braided chain. It sparkled and shimmered beneath the lights in the window. He knew sakura would like it.

He straightened up and walked into the store calmly, but it was obvious that he was eager to buy that necklace. He just walked in when another boy pushed past him and went up to the counter. "Hey, can I get some service here?" the boy asked rudely, ringing the small bell impatiently.

A young boy about Naruto's age walked out from the back room. "Yes, and please you only have to ring the bell once" the young man said politely. The boy with brown hair and blue eyes sniggered. "I can do what I want! I'm superior and you know it" he said arrogantly. Naruto growled under his breath as he watched the boy carry on in an ignorant mannerism. He cracked his knuckles, resisting temptation to throw the glass vase beside him at the boy.

"I want that necklace in the display window." The boy said with a rotten smile. The young man behind the counter nodded with a glare. Naruto's eyes widened. "There is no way that I'm going to let a slime ball like you get that necklace!!" he declared loudly. Both of the boys turned and stared at Naruto as if he was insane.

"Yeah right someone like you couldn't afford a nice piece like that" He said smugly, running his fingers through his lustrous brown locks. Naruto growled "Oh yeah? I bet I can. And I'm pretty sure that it'd be better purchased by someone with manners too" he retorted back.

The boy laughed rudely. "Haha, I've never been insulted by trash before" he said as he slapped his knee. Naruto felt his hairs p[prickle with irritancy. "Oh shut up. You think you're all that! Well guess what buddy? You're not even close to being all that. Because I am" he said cockily as he stretched his arm out and gave the boy a "peace" sign.

The boy laughed and turned back to the cashier. "Go get it you idiot. Don't just stand there all day" He said as he picked up a pen and flung it at him. The boy glared at him with great loathing. "Young man, you said you wanted to purchase the necklace did you not?" He asked, inclining his neck far enough to look at Naruto with a questioning expression. Naruto smiled brightly. "Uh yeah I did!" he said gleefully.

The rude boy slammed his fist on the glass shield of the counter with a big sneer. "Excuse me? I asked for it first!" he said loudly as he turned and glared at Naruto. The boy behind the counter laughed heartily despite the rotten mood he was in. "I don't sell my treasured items to heartless little worms like you. This guy here though, he didn't do anything to piss me off, so he can buy the necklace" he explained smugly to the boy.

The boy looked constipated as his face turned a bright shade of red. He was stuttering with unintelligible words. "He does NOT DESERVE THAT FREAKING NECKLACE!" the boy yelled as he gripped the counter tightly. The young man sighed and walked over to the display case. He took the keys out of his pocket and turned them into the lock.

He bent down and handed the necklace to Naruto with a bright smile on his face. "Here you go sir. Would you like it wrapped or the way it is?" he asked politely. Naruto glanced down at the necklace. "Wouldn't it be hard to wrap?" he asked innocently. The young man let out a hearty laugh. "Haha no, I'll just put it in a box" he said as he took the necklace from Naruto.

The tomato boy looked as if he were going to explode. He dropped to the floor and started kicking and screaming as if he were a six year old boy. Naruto couldn't help but to burst out laughing. He had never seen such a sight as funny as this. "IT'S NOT FAIR! I ASKED FOR IT FIRST! IT ISN'T FAIR AT ALL! IT ISN'T I TELL YOU! WHERE IS ALL THE JUSTICE? IT ISN'T FAIR IT ISN'T FAIR IT ISN'T FAIR!!!" was all that could be heard in the shop.

The young man stepped over the temperamental boy and behind the counter. He bent down and grabbed a pretty red wrapping with glistening white snow flakes decorating it. "Is this a good paper to wrap the box with?" The young man asked. Naruto nodded as he stifled his laughter.

The young man handed the box to Naruto and thanked him between gasps of laughter. "H-Have a nice day sir" The cashier said as Naruto pulled the door open and walked out towards other shops. Naruto was still laughing when he stopped in his tracks. "Damn! I still have to get something for Gaara, Lee, Hinata, and Ino…damn" he said as he turned back towards the shop of everything.

He opened the door again but this time it was quiet all for except the slow melody of "jingle bell rock". The whining boy left and the owner must have been in the back. Naruto looked around at all the shelves covered with a wide variety of things. He spotted a small stuffed teddy bear that was a bright baby blue with fuzzy fur.

Naruto knew Hinata would like that. He grabbed that instantly. He also spotted a self guide book to being "the legendary Taijitsu master" which he knew Lee would obviously adore. He grabbed that as well. "Hmm…something for Gaara and Ino…" he said to himself as he brought his index finger to his lips thoughtfully.

He was looking around the top shelves when he spotted a large novel about the sand village. It was based upon the history of the legendary village. "Nah…He'd probably dump sand all over my head" He said as he carried on, strolling down the aisles slowly. He glanced up and down but saw nothing that Gaara would like.

Finally he came across a tall lantern that was circular and interesting looking. "Hmm…" he said as he flicked the switch on. Slowly the inner body of the lantern turned, slowly at first but then gradually picking up speed.

Naruto watched as an eerie melody played softly from the lantern. He saw small figurines inside, standing in front of what seemed like the sand village. Sand started swirling inside of the lantern, making Naruto's jaw drop in awe. "Gaara would freak" He said coolly as he grabbed it.

"Now for Ino. It's kind of obvious that she's really girly. So maybe I should buy her a bracelet of something" He said to himself as he strolled down the aisles. He spotted a rack of jewelry near the counter. He made his way towards it, looking at all the shimmery silver and gold.

He saw a gold bracelet with small pink flowers dangling form it. It seemed to be a charm bracelet of some sort. He thought of Ino and how she owned a flower shop. He grinned when he knew he was finished all of his shopping. "Now I know what store to come to whenever I need something" he said as he placed all of his items on the counter.

He rang the bell once and waited patiently. The young man came out of the back room and smiled at him. "Let me guess, you forgot a few people on your list?" he asked. Naruto nodded as he took out his wallet. He looked up into the young man's face, staring at his wire rimmed glasses. "How much?" he asked, still staring at the boy.

The boy's eyes lit up. "Oh yes, I have to ring them in. One moment please" he said as he grabbed the book, the lantern, and the bracelet and rung them in. He smiled softly. "Would you like them wrapped?" He asked, leaning on the palm of his hand. Naruto nodded. "I don't care what kind of paper either, whatever works is fine" he told the man as he bent down to grab the paper.

He wrapped it quickly and expertly and handed them to Naruto. "That comes to a total of twenty thousand yen" he said, smiling brightly. Naruto almost died. "W-what?" he asked a sif he had heard incorrectly. "Twenty thousand yen please" the young man repeated, holding his hand out.

Naruto sighed and reached into his wallet. He grabbed exactly twenty thousand and handed it over to the man. "Great I have enough for one bowl of ramen" he said as he rolled his eyes. He turned and gave a bleak smile to the cashier. "have a nice day" the man said politely as Naruto slumped away.

-00-

It was only four days from Christmas and Naruto was eager to open Sakura's present. So far he had got presents from Iruka, Kakashi, Sasuke, Hinata, Ino, and all the others except Gaara, who never gave presents to anyone because he had a hard time picking things out.

Naruto was walking down the board walk to kill time until his training started. He looked into many of the shops, browsing about and observing some potential gifts he could have bought Sakura instead. He grinned as he passed the sniveling boy from the other day in the shop.

The boy glared at him and pushed passed him with an air of arrogance. "Jerk" Naruto said under his breath. He kept walking until a low seductive voice called out to him. "Oh, it's the handsome young man that came into my shop the other day" The old lady said as she stroked Naruto's arm soothingly. Naruto pulled back and shifted his eyes around his surroundings. "I have to go" he said hastily as he sped off towards a different shop.

"That was…the creepiest thing that happened to me today" he said as he looked over his shoulder to see if the old lady had disappeared. He made his way to a small coffee shop and sat down at on of the outside tables. He let out a contented sigh. He grabbed a newspaper from the stand and started to read it. "Hey Naruto" came a voice from behind him. He blushed and grinned to himself. It was Sakura clearly.

He turned, the stupid grin still pasted on his face. "Hey Sakura-Chan" he said brightly and stood up. She smiled and cocked her head slightly. "What's up? Are you going to training today?" she asked. Naruto nodded eagerly. "Yeah of course, you should know by now that I always go Sakura-Chan" he said as he grabbed his shopping bags.

"Oh, what's all that?" she asked, pointing at the bags. Naruto grinned widely. "It's Christmas presents!" he said cheerfully. His expression softened to a mild realization. He bent down and was searching through his bags. "Here, merry Christmas" he said softly as his face grew hot and his palms became clammy.

He handed her the red wrapped bow as he offered her a soft smile. Sakura's eyes welled with tears. "Naruto-kun you didn't have to!" she said, wiping away the tears with her sleeve. Naruto smiled. "Okay then I guess I could return it" he said jokingly. Sakura laughed and grabbed it before he could put it back in the bag. "No way are you returning it! That's so nice of you Naruto. You're the first boy to give me a present so far!" she said as she blushed for Naruto.

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "Ahaha, it really isn't a big deal-"he said modestly as he was cut off by a tight hug from sakura. His face turned bright red as he hugged her back. "Uh…" He was smitten, completely and utterly smitten by Sakura.

"Well I have to go and see Ino at her flower shop" she said brightly as she pulled away from Naruto. Naruto smiled. "I'll come with you, I bought her a present too" He said as they started walking off towards Ino's parents' shop. "So…what are you doing for Christmas break?" Sakura asked, glancing up at Naruto with a small smile.

Naruto grinned and pulled his head plate slightly down. "I don't know yet. I'm probably just going to go down to Irchiraku and visit chef of something…I don't really have anything special to do he said lightly as he watched the snow fall around them. Sakura's eyes were filled with thoughtfulness for a moment and then something inside of her clicked.

"Well if you're not doing anything on Christmas day…maybe you can come over and we can unwrap presents together. I know it's supposed to be family only but mother likes you a lot so I'm sure she won't mind" She said as she watched him carefully, hoping to see a positive reaction from him.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, he turned his head and gazed down at sakura with his light blue eyes. Sakura smiled and nodded. "Are you serious? You…you want me to come to your house?" Sakura smiled and nodded once more, taking Naruto's hand this time. Naruto blushed and turned his gaze to the small shops.

If sakura noticed she didn't show it. She smiled and held on to his hand lightly as if it wasn't any stranger then the creepy old lady in the women's shop. Naruto didn't pull back for her sake and his safety; instead he laced his fingers between hers as they walked down the narrow busy streets of Konoha.

They turned the corner and found their way to Ino's flower shop. Naruto pulled the door open and waited for Sakura to enter. She smiled and lightly thanked him. Naruto nodded silently. He hadn't spoken a word almost the whole walk to the shop, but sakura was fine with that obviously, her big dopey smile of a faint fan girl was clear to everyone that she liked Naruto, everyone noticed except the big idiot himself.

"Hi Ino" Sakura said brightly. Ino was resting her head on her folded arms, half asleep because business was slow and Ino barely had any energy left from her training earlier that day. Ino looked up sleepily like a pampered cat that didn't care for anyone but herself. "Hi. What's up?" she said lazily, stretching her arms above her head. Sakura smiled and Naruto stepped up beside her.

Ino looked at Naruto with a slightly disgruntled expression. "Nice clothes… "She said quietly, silently laughing at Naruto. Sakura frowned at her. "Be nice Ino, he came here to give you your present" she scolded softly. Ino blushed and turned her nose up. "So he didn't have to" she said arrogantly.

Sakura was about to go over to Ino and pulverize her but she felt a quick arm embrace her wrist. "Don't" Naruto said softly, staring into her green eyes with a stern expression. Sakura blushed and nodded in silent agreement. Naruto stepped forward and gave a small smile to Ino.

"Happy holidays Ino-Chan" he said merrily despite her crippling stare she gave him. "Yeah you too" she mumbled. She was always judging people on their appearances. Naruto bent down and started rummaging through hi shopping bags. He remembered Ino's present was the one wrapped in bright red with small snow flakes and topped off with a white bow. He smiled as he lifted his eyes up at Ino.

"Here, I got this for you. But apparently you can't open it until Christmas…or else it'll go bad or something…" Naruto rambled on, telling Ino not to open it or do anything with it. Sakura furrowed her brow in a slightly jealous manner, irritated that Ino was getting Naruto's attention when Naruto clearly liked her. "Naruto-kun I think we should be going. Ichiraku is just a while away...and I'll treat you if you want-"Sakura was stopped in mid sentence.

Ino smiled at Naruto brightly and hugged him in a long affectionate hug. "Thank you Naruto-kun! That's so sweet of you...Buying me a present" she said sweetly. Sakura rolled her eyes in disgust as she watched Ino butter Naruto up and hook him onto her thumb.

'Naruto doesn't even like her. Who could like a pig like her anyway? Naruto likes me, not her' she thought angrily. Sakura walked up to the hugging duo and peeled Ino's arms off of Naruto's neck. Naruto was faint and blushing like crazy. Sakura felt her anger boil over the pot, ready to scald the next person to step in her way. "COME ON…err…Naruto…let's go eat" she said through gritted teeth as she watched Ino smirk at her with a satisfactory glance. She felt like pounding Ino's perfect face and hurting her like there was no tomorrow.

Ino pulled on Naruto's sleeve. "Come by later Naruto-kun, I'll have your present by then, and we can have a nice dinner and just hang out at my house after" Ino said seductively. Naruto's face was drowned with over heated blood. His face was as red as a tomato. Sakura could feel the hair on her arms prickle in simmering fury, ready to kill.

"Sorry Ino but I already invited Naruto over for dinner at my house. Mother has it all planned" Sakura said through gritted teeth. 'I have to keep myself composed' she thought determinedly. Ino glared at her, temporarily forgetting about Naruto. "Don't be mad because he likes me better billboard girl" she said nastily, flipping her bangs around so they were out of her eye.

Naruto fell to the floor, totally overwhelmed by both attractive girls fighting over him. 'Wow…this is so cool! Sakura-Chan fighting for me!! And Ino is too! Ehehehe hehe' His eyes were spinning, he watched the small birds rotate around his head. "Naruto-kun!" they both cried as they dived for him, piling over him with a heavy impact.

"Neh-Neh…..Neh.." Naruto couldn't breath. Their weight on top of his chest pressured his rib cage, making it harder to breathe every second. He had to push his limits in order to breath, Soon he saw everything turn black.

"Naruto-kun! Look what you did pig nose!!"

"Look what I did?! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT HAD TO GO AND JUMP ON HIM!!"

"Naruto-kun! Wake up!"

"It's because you're fat and your weight was too much"

"EXCUSE ME MISS SNOBBY PIG!"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!!!"

Both girls turned and saw Naruto sit up. His face was a bright feverish red and it looked as if he had just gotten out of a three week cold. They went after him at the same time, pummeling him to the floor once again. Naruto groaned and the girls started to argue.

"See what you did? You and your big forehead" said Ino ignorantly. Sakura just stuck out her tongue. She bent down and gently pulled the unconscious Naruto onto her lap. "He's totally out of it. I think we may have knocked the air out of him" Sakura said quietly. She brushed the hair off of his forehead and caressed his cheek soothingly. "He's also burning up, but I'm sure it isn't a fever" she said with a small chuckle.

Ino looked at her and then at Naruto. 'I thought she liked Sasuke? Well she can't have both boys. So I'm going after Sasuke, he's a total babe' she thought. Sakura looked up at Ino and could swear there were two hearts to replace Ino's eyes. She shook her head and turned back to tend to Naruto. 'She thinks she's all that! Well she isn't. She goes after every guy I like….and it isn't fair that they always pick her over me'

Sakura was having resentful thoughts towards Ino until Naruto finally came around. She smiled down at him when he opened his eyes. "I'm glad you're okay now" she said cheerfully but soft enough to make sure his head didn't throb anymore. Naruto looked at her with a tired gaze. His eyes were glazed over like he was in a trance.

"S-a-k-u-r-a…Ch-a-n?" he asked sleepily. Sakura nodded. "Yepp it's me," she said. She bent down lower to his ear. "Don't worry I wouldn't let Ino pig touch you" she whispered through gritted teeth as she cast a loathing glance at Ino who was now bored and was sitting behind the counter.

Naruto grinned. "Can we go to Ichiraku now…Sakura?" he asked, looking hopeful. Sakura laughed. "Yeah let's get going" she said as she placed her hands in his and helped him up. Sakura blushed and so did Naruto. "Thanks Sakura-Chan" he said indifferently.

She nodded. "No problem" she said, cocking her head. Ino came around the corner and gently grabbed Naruto's hand. "Are you okay now Naruto-kun?" she asked soothingly. Naruto nodded distractedly.

Sakura gave her a warning glance. "We have to go now Ino pi-….Ino, so we'll see you later" she said, dragging Naruto out of the doors and onto the snowy streets.

Ino protested but then slumped back to her counter. "Stupid sakura… You can have Naruto, I'll have the first prize…Sasuke-kun!" she squealed excitedly. Ino was fiddling with a small daisy for the remainder of her work shift when she remembered the present Naruto bought her.

She smiled mischievously. 'Should I open it right now?' she asked herself as she held the small wrapped box. She looked around the room to check if her parents were clear out of sight.

Ino carefully unwrapped the box, eager to see what kind of a dumb thing Naruto had bought her. Something in the back of her mind told her to stop immediately. Ino froze her fingers beneath the wrapping paper.

She set it down, pushing the tape gently back onto the paper. She frowned and slumped down on the counter and closed her eyes. 'I guess I can wait' she thought as she fell into a small nap.

-00-

Sakura was still holding Naruto's hand absent mindedly. Naruto was red as a tomato as they walked down the sidewalks past the small shops and café's. "Auno….Sakura-Chan, were you serious about having me over for Christmas…" he mumbled softly as he glanced down at her.

Sakura looked up and smiled. He wasn't all that taller then her but she would have to tilt her head a little to see his sharp blue eyes. "Naruto-kun…" she breathed softly, Naruto quirked a brow. He looked down at her with a questioning glance. Her cheeks were flushed, a small shade of red appeared on her face.

Sakura swooned. 'His eyes, he looks so much hotter then before..I never noticed…' she said as she kept her eyes on his. Naruto offered a goofy smile. "Sakura-Chan, are you gonna treat me to ramen?" he asked eagerly.

Sakura's eyes turned into tiny slits of anger. "NARUTO YOU JUST RUINED THE WHOEL THING! I SHOULD BEAT YOU RIGHT HERE!!! But I won't because you're too cute-"she caught herself a little too late. Naruto's eyes went big. He ripped his hand from hers, making sakura cry out in surprise. "S-Sakura-Chan?!" He asked bewilderedly. Sakura turned a bright shade of red, sweat streaming down her forehead. "I didn't mean to say that…no…Ehh" she said helplessly. Naruto was still a little weird, but his expression softened. "Don't worry about it" he said with a laid back expression. Sakura stopped moping and let the muscles in her face relax.

Through the whole walk there, both were silent. Naruto was thinking about girls, the many of them that were his best friends…but none of them actually liked him as something more .(except Hinata but he's too thick headed to notice it) 'I have Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Ten-Ten, and Temari….but none of them like me…well I wouldn't really care if Temari did, she isn't really pretty, but the other girls are…especially Sakura-Chan…stupid Sasuke, just once I'd like to have all the girls like me' he said as he stuffed his hands grouchily into his pockets.

Sakura looked up at Naruto. He looked angry for some reason and she was quite disturbed by it. ''Naruto-kun?" she asked as she tapped his shoulder softly. Naruto looked up and gave sakura a big smile. "Is something wrong?" she asked as she placed her hand on his shoulder. Naruto blushed but quickly gathered up his composure. "No, I just think too much Ehehehe" Naruto said while rubbing the back of his neck. Sakura smiled and they kept walking.

They finally reached Naruto's favorite place. The chef gave a hearty slap on the back for Naruto and a polite smile for sakura. She returned it. "So I take it the lady's paying?" asked the chef. Naruto blushed and mumbled "yes" to the chef, whose back was turned to them. Naruto slumped down, suddenly his mood had gone from one thousand to maybe a negative five.

Sakura looked over at Naruto who was resting his chin on his folded arms. His brows were furrowed and his eyes were lowered to the counter. 'He looks upset…hmm I wonder why? Naruto-kun…' she thought with a small frown.

She got up and snuck up behind him. Quickly she covered his eyes. Naruto jumped up and struggled. "WHAT THE- WHO IS THIS! SAKURA HELP DON'T JUST SIT THERE!! DO SOMETHING!!!" he screamed as he tried to pry Sakura's fingers off of his eyes.

Sakura laughed and went close to his ear. "It IS me Naruto-kun!" she whispered with a flirtatious tone. Naruto stopped and pried her fingers off of his eyes and turned around. His bright smile was enough to melt Sakura's heart. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and let out a loud laugh. "Sakura-Chan…" He protested though his smile was still glued to his face.

Sakura chuckled and stared at Naruto for a moment. "Naruto-kun, you look so grouchy" she said with an exaggerated pout. Naruto blushed and lowered his eyes to the table.

Sakura took his hand away from his chin, making his head hit the table. Naruto gave her a resentful glare. Sakura felt the small glass pieces of her heart crack. 'Did I do something to offend him?' she thought as he turned his gaze towards the kitchen.

"Naruto-kun…." Sakura said softly. Naruto looked at her with a slight smile. "Neh?" it wasn't even a proper word but Sakura was going to continue. "Naruto…what's bothering you?" she asked as she grabbed his free hand and held it with her soft tiny ones.

Naruto blushed and turned his eyes away from hers. "It really isn't anything…" he said. But really, there was something. 'Christmas…hnm. Sakura doesn't have to bring me to her house because she feels she has to. I don't want it to be that way. Why can't people like me the way I am…instead of feeling sorry for me and having to oblige to treat me…' he thought bitterly.

Naruto had got the idea soon after sakura had got that look when he said that her present was his very first. He knew that look. Many people had gave him the look of pity or disgust. Christmas wasn't anything special to him, not at all. He could manage without all the happy faces.

Meanwhile, sakura was still holding his hand, patiently waiting for Naruto to explain. "Naru-kun, talk to me…stop being so damn negative! It's Christmas!" she cried as she lightly shook his hand. Naruto looked at her and gave a small smile. The fake smile wasn't good enough because his eyes were swimming with bitterness.

Sakura furrowed her brow in frustration. "NARUTO! TELL ME OR I WILL SERIOUSLY BEAT YOU INTO THE GROUND!!" she creamed with a fit of fury. Naruto cringed and waved his hands in front of her to protect his well being. "O-Okay sakura-Chan…don't hit..me" he said in a small voice.

Sakura smiled triumphantly. "Good. I don't want to see you so down. It isn't like you Naruto, and honestly I hate it" she said quietly as she lowered her eyes to the floor. Naruto smiled and looked at her pink hair. He smiled as he instantly thought of pink cotton candy.

Sakura looked up and caught Naruto staring at her with that dreamy look he used to get when they were younger. Sakura blushed but then pulled herself together. "now tell me" she said bluntly.

Naruto closed his eyes and offered a troubled sigh. "Fineee" he breathed out. Sakura nodded and gripped his hand tighter. She was trying to be as patient as she could. Naruto looked away but Sakura punched him in the back of the head, followed by her annoyed voice. "Look at me when you're going to talk okay?" Naruto nodded. He fidgeted for a little while, playing with the strings of his hood.

"Well…I don't get what's so great...About Christmas" he paused and looked away (sakura turned his head back) "And I don't get why people have to do nice things for me because they…because they feel bad for me. I'm not a helpless kid, I'm not weak and I'm not a wimp. I can live without Christmas; I have for the longest time. It isn't anything special to me"

Sakura looked at him with sadness in her eyes. Naruto looked at her with a serious expression. "And I hate it. I hate how people feel that they have to do something nice because 'I'm the orphan kid who's simple and dumb. I won't be able to make Hokage, no I'm going to end up simple and an average ninja' well they can go crawl back under a rock" he finished with the last part with a sharp stab directed indirectly to sakura. He didn't want her sympathy.

Sakura nodded. "I see. I can't imagine how it feels but I'll tell you something…I don't feel bad for you at all. I was surprised that you never had a Christmas to yourself before…so I wanted to let you into my celebrations. Naruto you know I don't feel bad for you…and somehow I get the feeling that you think I do…" she said softly.

Naruto felt worse then he had felt just moments ago. The realization hit him then. 'She really does like me for who I am. Though she has an odd way of showing it…but…she does show it none the less' he thought miserably to himself. Suddenly he felt Sakura's warm arms wrap around him, her cheek press against his shoulder.

"Spend Christmas break with me and my mother, you know she adores you. Though I have no idea why, but she does. And so you should just come with me, please?" she asked, smiling into his shoulder. She knew just how to butter him up, and that's exactly what she did.

Naruto blushed and stuttered a few times. "I- I …Hm. I don't. I don't know- yeah –y-yeah maybe- I might not –well I could…." His tongue seemed to be stuffed down his throat while he stared at Sakura with a stupid grin. Sakura patted him on the shoulder. "It's alright. I'm going to take that as a yes then?" she looked at him with hopeful eyes.

Naruto nodded hastily; "Y-yeah…" he stretched his arms over his head and then let out a breath. Sakura offered a small smile. "Well aren't you going to order your meal dummy?" asked sakura, lightly punching him in the arm. Naruto grinned and picked up his chopsticks. Sakura lowered her eyes to the menu and ordered a bowl of Miso soup. Naruto didn't need to look at the menu to see what he desired.

"Okay, the usual for the big idiot and Miso soup for the lady!" called the chef over his shoulder to his young lady apprentice. Naruto made a distasteful face. "Miso soup sakura-Chan? You have weird tastes in things you know that?" he asked her, giving her an odd glance. Sakura puffed her cheeks out and let a small deep breath out. "Tell me about it" she said under her breath. She slumped down, her chin resting on her palm.

-00-

"Sasuke-kun!!" cried Ino as Sasuke walked into Ino's house. Ino was hosting a Christmas party for all her close friends a few days before Christmas. Her house was nicely decorated with red garland and pretty white tinsel and different colored ornaments. Sasuke looked at her with a small smirk. He didn't say anything when she tried to hug him. He simply walked away, avoiding all the female beings in the room.

Sakura was sitting with Hinata and Kiba, sipping on a soft drink and holding an anonymous gift that Ino had told everyone to bring. It was secret Santa after all. Kiba leaned forward, glancing at Hinata to make sure she was feeling comfortable. "Hinata-Chan…do you feel alright?" he asked. Hinata had not fully recovered from her long term illness but lately she had been feeling better.

Hinata smiled at him, he was the only one that could receive a full out smile, except maybe Naruto but Hinata had given up on him a long time ago. Sakura leaned forward and smiled politely at the both of them. "Are you two dating yet?" she asked innocently. Hinata blushed and Kiba made a growling sound in the back of his throat. "Neh… well I…" he couldn't finish. After all it was true.

Sakura clapped her hands. "Oh that's really cute" she said. Her eyes softened as a thought popped into her head. "Do you think Naruto is here now?" she asked. She glanced up at the tall spiral stair case that was draped with garland. Lots of people had shown up and half of them Sakura didn't even know. She spotted Temari and Shikamaru, Ino and….Sakura rolled her eyes, Sasuke, and Neji and Ten-Ten. Chouji was by himself at the food table…of course.

The door opened and sakura almost jolted out of her seat. "Hmm, you know I wouldn't doubt it if Sakura liked Naruto..." whispered Temari as sakura gently pushed past the people and towards the door. Naruto came in, covered in small amounts of snow. "Hey guys…uh…Merry Christmas!" he said, putting on a wide grin. Ino smiled and greeted him, hugging him extra long. Sakura glared and clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. Ino pulled away and went back to Sasuke, torturing the poor guy with her loud arrogant voice.

Shikamaru on the other hand couldn't keep his eyes off of his ex girlfriend. They had been dating for the past year and suddenly broke up when Sasuke came back to Konoha. He couldn't stand the guy and wanted to beat him to death if it weren't for his lack of ambition.

Suddenly the music started and Ino announced that everyone had to dance. Naruto blushed and stood there all alone. He had no one to dance with. Shikamaru and Temari paired up. Ino and Sasuke, Hinata and Kiba, Neji and Ten-Ten; they all had partners. Naruto was about to sit down with Lee, Gaara, Shino, and Chouji when Sakura grabbed his wrist and dragged him literally onto the dancing area. All of them were dancing, including random people that no one really knew.

Sakura smiled at Naruto. "Isn't this the best Christmas party ever?" asked sakura loudly over the booming music. Naruto shrugged. "This is my first" he said with a cute grin. Sakura melted. "Awe you look so cute- ERR UH ONE SECOND!!!!" sakura yelled loudly. Her face turned a dark red. Naruto laughed at her despite the fact that he too had turned a bright shade of red.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto yelled over the music. Sakura had left him and went to go to the refreshment table and grab another soft drink. Naruto had quickly caught up to her. "Sakura-Chan" he panted as he finally stepped up beside her. "Oww…damn girls and heels" he said under his breath as he rubbed his feet together.

Sakura's back was turned to him so he couldn't see the flushed color of blushing on her face. Naruto tapped her shoulder. "Sakura-Chan…" he breathed. Sakura didn't turn around. She nodded her head. "Naruto-kun…" she said indifferently. Naruto smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "I thought we were going to dance" he said as he grabbed her shoulder and turned her around to face him.

Sakura's eyes were glazed over as if she had just woken up from a week long sleep. "I…I can't. I have to go…just for a while. I don't feel good…" she said faintly. Suddenly she fell limp. Naruto quickly caught her and held her in his arms gently. He walked past the dancing people and up the stairs.

He carried her lightly without much effort. 'Hm. I knew she was blushing…but I didn't know it could cause someone to pass out like that' he thought to himself as he stared at the landing. He stepped up and looked around the small hallway of Ino's house. He saw three doors, two to the right and one to the left. He made his way to the first door on the right and opened it slowly.

It made a loud creaking noise as he entered the room. He looked around and saw a long built in couch at the big bay window. He sat Sakura down on it and grabbed the soft blanket that was folded up neatly in one of the baskets. "Jeeze, you seem more and more like Hinata every day" he said. Sakura stirred and her eyes fluttered open. Naruto sat down on the edge of the couch and gently grabbed a piece of hair off of her reddened cheek.

Sakura looked over at him and gave a weak smile. "I do not and you know it" she said with a small laugh. Naruto looked down at her with a great surge of affection. "Yeah I do know it" he said softly. Sakura lifted herself up and put her lips against his ear. "Look" she said as she pointed up towards the ceiling. A small cluster of mistletoe hung above the window.

"It's mistletoe" she said with a small smile. Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "So?" he looked up and then down at sakura with a confused expression. Sakura lifted herself up and told him about mistletoe. He blushed and was about to let out another stuttered sentence when he felt Sakura's soft lips embrace his in a long affectionate kiss.