Chapter Two; Brotherly Love
"I can't believe that you talked me into this." Sasuke said while Naruto pulled his car into the parking lot and parked it there.
"Relax Sasuke, we'll just get the things we need at the store and then I'll start working on your car." Naruto told him while taking his foot off the brake and then turning off the engine. Sasuke rolled his eyes while he and Naruto removed their seatbelts.
"If you break it you can start working on your will." He told him.
"Hm! Well that's the perfect attitude to have at Christmas!" Naruto snapped.
"Let's just get this over with." Sasuke said before they both climbed out of the car and slammed their doors tightly shut behind them and locked them tightly. "You still never really told me what we're supposed to be looking for anyway." He pointed out.
"Well, I figured that we could bake some gingerbread cookies for the homeless shelter considering that there are many homeless children there as well. And we could also dress up as Santa Claus and his elf." Naruto told him. "What do you say to that?" he questioned him.
"That depends, do I have a choice?" Sasuke wondered before Naruto quickly shook his head.
"No, not really." He responded.
"Well in that case, count me in." Sasuke told him reluctantly as Naruto grinned.
"Great! Let's go." He told him while quickly looking both ways he darted a crossed the parking lot. Sasuke just simply groaned and rolled his eyes again and then slightly shook his head.
"As long as I live I will never be able to understand how Naruto always has so much energy." He said to himself before he started following him inside the grocery store. As soon as he entered the store Christmas music was blasting in the background and a great enormous Christmas tree greeted him at the door. Sasuke heaved a heavy sigh while he slowly tilted his head back and looked at the bright and shining silver star that sat on top of it and remembered how Itachi would always let him put their own star on top of their tree.
"Hey Sasuke, are you frozen back there or what?" Naruto questioned him before Sasuke quickly turned his head and looked back over at him.
"Sorry. I was just thinking about something." He told him when all of a sudden he heard a rather loud noise and a horrified petrified scream afterwards.
"Huh? That was weird. That sounded like gunshots." Naruto said while he turned his head and listened while Sasuke gave a loud gasp.
"Get down!" he exclaimed before he grabbed ahold of his shoulders and pushed him down onto the floor before sitting beside him behind the Christmas tree.
"Hey! What was that for!?" Naruto cried before Sasuke quickly covered his mouth.
"Shut up you idiot! Do you want to get us both killed!?" Sasuke snapped inside a whisper but Naruto quickly grabbed ahold of his hand and pushed it away.
"What!? Sasuke are you nuts!? We're ninjas and people need our help!" Naruto exclaimed before he quickly leapt to his feet. "And besides, we're trained for this!" he told him.
"Naruto listen to me, I realize that you have a reputation of being the number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja, but even you have to know that you can't possibly go after somebody with a gun." Sasuke told him.
"I have to Sasuke, I'm the hokage and everybody in the village looks up to me and trusts me to protect them." He said.
"Naruto you can't possibly be serious!" Sasuke exclaimed.
"I'm sorry buddy but I don't have any choice. I made a promise to protect the Hidden Leaf Village and I never go back on my word. That's my ninja way." He told him before he turned around and ran away.
"Naruto!" Sasuke hollered feeling his heart pounding frantically against his chest before he leapt to his feet. "Naruto you better get your ass back here." He muttered underneath his breath while he trotted after him. "Otherwise I'm going to kick it all the way to the North Pole and back." However as he skidded to a stop at the end of the aisle he realized that his brother was now out of sight. "Damn it!" he exclaimed.
Meanwhile Naruto had found the crook. "Ah there you are!" he exclaimed as the man in the black hood gasped and slowly turned to face him. "Stop in the name of the law! By order of the seventh hokage!" he cried.
"Huh? Naruto Uzumaki?" the other man questioned him.
"That's right! Your goose is cooked pal!" Naruto snapped.
"You must be out of your mind if you hope to face me and win." The other man said before he pointed his pistol at him and cocked it as Naruto gasped, but before he could react the other man was thrown up against the wall by his throat. Sasuke glared at him angrily with his devilish red sharingan eyes. "You're Sasuke Uchiha." The man gasped.
"That's right. And that's my brother you're pointing that thing at." Sasuke told him before he grabbed ahold of his wrist and turned it three hundred and sixty degrees. The man shrieked out in pain before Sasuke grabbed ahold of his gun and unloaded it before throwing it a crossed the room. "Now I suggest if you don't want me to break anymore bones in your body that you better leave him alone. Otherwise, you'll have one billion bolts of electricity going through your spine." He threatened.
"Yes Sasuke, right away!" the other man squeaked as Sasuke quickly let go of him and watched him run away. Then he quickly turned his head over to look at Naruto and narrowed his eyebrows and glared. "I thought I told you to get down and stay with me!" he hollered.
"I'm sorry Sasuke but_" Naruto began.
"He could have killed you Naruto! What would I have done if I lost you?" he questioned him.
"But Sasuke, you didn't even give me a chance!" Naruto protested.
"Well maybe I had a good reason for that. I already lost one brother remember? And I really didn't want to lose another one. Especially so close to Christmas." Sasuke told him as Naruto breathed a heavy sad sigh and hung his head.
"I'm sorry Sasuke, I guess I didn't think about that." Naruto told him.
"Exactly. You weren't thinking at all. And it could have cost you your life." He said.
"But it didn't!" Naruto cried indignantly. "Don't you have any faith in me at all?" Naruto questioned him while tears poured out of his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. Sasuke took a deep breath.
"You know I do." He told him as he turned and started making his way towards him
"Well you sure don't act like it!" Naruto snapped before leaping a step backwards.
"Look Naruto, I only want to protect you. I don't want to see anything happen to you. You're way too precious to me." Sasuke told him. "But I guess you're right. It's time that I start having more faith in my little brother. I promise that I will forgive you if you promise to forgive me." He explained. "Is that a deal?" he asked him before Naruto hurried towards him and embraced him tightly in a silent response to his question before Sasuke wrapped his arms around him and closed his eyes while he deepened the embrace. "I'll take that as a yes." He said while he smiled warmly at him and leaned his chin down on top of his head.
A few moments later they broke apart. "Come on. We better make sure that the cops find that guy. Then we can get back to our shopping list." He told him before he turned around and started walking away as Naruto gave a slight nod.
"Right!" he replied before a moment of silence fell between them. "Uh Sasuke?" he questioned before his friend stopped and looked over at him.
"What?" he questioned him back.
"Thanks. You know, for coming after me and sticking up for me like that." He told him as Sasuke just simply grinned at him.
"Hm!" he began. "Don't mention it. For nobody threatens my little brother." He told him. "Come here." He said with a slight wave of his hand.
"Uh,.. uh uh." Naruto replied with a shake of his head taking another step back as Sasuke laughed.
"Why not? I won't bite." He told him.
"Well,.. uh,.. you're not going to poke me in the forehead again are you?" Naruto wondered before Sasuke laughed again.
"No I won't. I promise." He assured him as Naruto grinned before stifling a laugh and then darted over to him.
"So what is it then?" he asked him.
"Hold still." Sasuke replied before he hoisted him up into the air and then placed him on top of his back.
"Uh,.. this is awkward." Naruto said quietly while turning his head completely around in different directions.
"Relax. Itachi used to do this to me all the time." Sasuke began while he grabbed ahold of Naruto's legs and started walking away. "The only difference is, that I was probably a lot lighter than you are. You really need to cut back on the ramen." He told him glancing back at him with a smirk. "By the way, you really should be honored that I poke you. Itachi used to do that to me as well. That's how he showed me that he loved me." He explained.
"Wow Sasuke, Itachi meant an awful lot to you didn't he?" Naruto asked him before Sasuke suddenly stopped and breathed a heavy sigh while he stared down at the ground.
"Yeah. He did. The only problem is that I didn't realize it until it was too late. I'm never going to make that same mistake again though. That's why I have vowed to protect you with my life. For you mean as much to me as I did to him. I never knew how much a big brother could have for their little brother until I became one myself." He said before he lifted his head and continued walking down the aisle.
"Yeah me neither. I never really knew what it was like to be a big brother before I found out that I was one to Sakura. That might explain why one of her favorite hobbies was literally beating my face into the ground." He said as Sasuke laughed.
"Well something tells me that you deserved it." He began. "But for what it's worth Naruto, I'm really sorry how I've been acting lately." He told him.
"Really?" Naruto questioned him while widening his eyes at him with utter disbelief and astonishment and then blinking them rapidly.
"Yeah. I shouldn't have been such a miserable old Scrooge." He began with a chuckle. "It is the most wonderful time of the year after all. And I really can't wait until Sakura sees what I'm getting her for Christmas." He told him.
"Really? What are you getting her?" Naruto wondered.
"Tickets to that concert that she's been wanting to go to for ages." Sasuke told him.
"You mean Spirit?" Naruto questioned him with uncertainty.
"Yep! That's one. And I have another surprise in her for as well." Sasuke said.
"Really!? What's that!?" Naruto exclaimed eagerly but Sasuke just simply smirked.
"Sorry, I can't tell you that part." He told him.
"What!? Why not!?" Naruto cried.
"Because then it wouldn't be a surprise anymore. I want to surprise you too with it as well." Sasuke explained before Naruto groaned and scowled before turning his nose up at him.
"Fine. Be like that I don't care." He muttered underneath his breath as Sasuke started laughing again. Naruto might have been a pain, but he still loved him with all of his heart nonetheless.