STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIED


W i s h M e M y P e r f e c t C h r i s t m a s


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o

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"I haven't done any of my Christmas shopping…"

Ino paused, flicking her hair over her shoulder and tapping her chin, stopping to see if there was anyone she recognised.

Nope, no one.

She scowled.

"Who am I going to do my Christmas shopping with, then?" She considered this, before ticking of an imaginary list on her fingers. "Sakura's out on a mission, Naruto's with Hinata, Hinata's with Naruto; Chouji's eating and Neji's too scary."

Sigh.

"Tenten and Lee are training, Kiba's training too and Shino's way too creepy."

She sighed again, massaging her forehead with her fingers. "Sai's busy painting, like normal, and there's no way I could get anyone else to go with me."

She thought for a second.

Then, it came to her.

She clicked her fingers in triumph, before grinning. "Shikamaru! Shikamaru can't say no to yours truly!"

"He never can!"

She grinned, winking for better effect.

"Let's go, then!"

-

-

"Come with me!"

"…No."

"Aw, why not? What are you doing then?" Ino grinned; she was, after all, a master at manipulating the minds of others.

Sometimes, though, she forgot Shikamaru was a genius.

"I've got shopping of my own to do… It's troublesome, but-."

"Are you getting me anything?"

"Nothing that I'm aware of…"

"Well, then! We can go together!" Ino beamed at him, before pumping her fist into the air. "Oh, yeah; that was so easy!"

"Wait…"

"Nope! Come on, Shika!"

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Seventh Wish
The Perfect Gift!
"My s-seventh wish i-is to find the p-perfect gift for K-Kiba and Shino." And you.


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"N-Naruto…"

"Yeah, Hinata?"

"I r-really need to d-do some Christmas s-shopping. I meant t-to do it e-earlier, but you s-showed up too f-fast."

"Whoops! Sorry!" He grinned sheepishly. "So, d'you want to go now?"

"Y-Yes."

She paused.

"My s-seventh wish i-is to find the p-perfect gift for K-Kiba and Shino."

And you.

"But y-you have to k-keep it a s-surprise."

Naruto only looked slightly crestfallen. He perked up after hearing the word 'surprise' though, and nodded his head. "Of course, Hinata! I've got some shopping to do too. I've got to get a present for Sakura…"

And you.

"Maybe you can help me out?"

Hinata smiled.

"N-No problem. This'll b-be such fun."

-

-

It was actually a very cold day, and Hinata realised that almost the moment she stepped outside. Tugging her scarf tighter around her and pulling on her fluffy green gloves, she gazed up at Naruto; he smiled back at her, his ears hidden by a pair of orange earmuffs. Her eyes flickered down to his bare hand, swinging teasingly by his side, and she longed to hold onto it.

"C-Can I h-hold your hand, N-Naruto?" She whispered, blushing furiously.

"Of course!"

Her fingers stretched out to his and she took his cold hand in her own; they looked like lovers, walking down the streets of Konoha together, holding hands.

Naruto grinned.

"Where d'you want to go first?"

"A-Anywhere you w-want to go."

"Hm…" He paused, tapping his chin with his other hand. "Hinata, what do girls like? I mean, Sakura likes studying and books but that's a pretty boring Christmas present, right?"

"R-Right," Though Hinata secretly thought books were the perfect Christmas present.

"So what should I get her?"

"W-Well…" Hinata frowned, concentrating. "W-We could head o-over to one of the j-jewellery stores. They s-sometimes have nice r-ribbons in it, which I'm s-sure Sakura would l-love."

"Great!"

He grinned, squeezing her hand.

"Let's go there, then!"

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Ino pouted, watching in disbelief as Naruto and Hinata walked past, chatting and smiling with each other. Hinata hadn't even fainted once, though she was blushing madly.

But that wasn't all.

They were holding hands!

"You don't think they're dating, right?" Ino asked her 'date', who was currently leaning against a shop-wall in a rather lazy manner.

"No… They're still at the 'just friends' bit."

"Naruto's so stupid! She's loved him for ages!"

Shikamaru blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you somewhat worse?"

What's that supposed to mean?

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!"

"…How troublesome…"

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"This one?"

"N-No. It w-would clash with her h-hair."

Naruto discarded the orange ribbon and sighed. "What colour, then?"

"G-Green, I suppose."

"Right!"

He scanned the row of ribbons for a green one; Hinata placed one hand lightly on his shoulder and twisted him around, so that he was staring right at them.

"Thanks, Hinata!"

"N-No problem."

"Which one to pick…" He murmured, trailing one finger across each ribbon and frowning in deep concentration.

"The d-dark one would s-suit Sakura."

"That was what I was thinking!" Naruto grinned, snatching the darkest ribbon from it's stand and then pausing. "Let me just have another look…"

"R-Right."

Turning his back to Hinata and shielding everything he was doing from her sight, he picked up a lilac ribbon; it glittered slightly, and he smiled. "Perfect…"

"A-Are we d-done?"

"Yep!" He grinned. "Let me just go and pay!"

He scrambled up to the till, placed the two ribbons on the counter, and then grinned at the man standing behind. "Can you wrap these up in two different colours, please?"

The man blinked, before nodding. "I see, I see… Is it for your girlfriend?"

"N-No!"

"Don't worry!" The man chuckled, his laughter booming and loud. "Your secret's safe with me!"

Naruto sighed.

"But she's not-." He shrugged and paid anyway, picking up the two presents and putting them in his pocket. "Thanks, old man!"

"Have fun with your girlfriend!"

"She's not my-!"

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"-Girlfriend!" Naruto practically roared as he stomped out of the shop. Ino blinked, giggled, and then turned to Shikamaru.

"Hey, hey; is Naruto blushing?"

Shikamaru squinted in the blonde's direction. Sure enough, his cheeks were a little bit pink and he looked a tad flustered; even so, he took Hinata's hand and they wandered down the road. They seemed really happy.

Shikamaru scowled, his eye twitching.

He was not really happy, unlike Naruto and Hinata.

He was being used as a donkey.

So far, he was carrying six heavy bags full of shoes.

"…Life is too troublesome."

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"I-I've got to g-get presents for K-Kiba and S-Shino, now," Hinata murmured, scanning the shops for something they might like. She was looking for anything Kiba-ish, or a shope which just shouted out 'Shino!'

Naruto nudged her, turning around and pointing at a large shop a few steps away from them. 'Pet Shop!' it proclaimed, in bright red letters; the paint was peeling slightly, but she could see the smiling man behind the till and decided, without a second thought, that this was the place to go.

Shino and Kiba would love it.

"W-What should I g-get, Naruto?" She asked, biting her lip as she thought; they approached the shop slowly and Naruto pushed open the door, letting her pass through first.

He tilted his head. "Well, you could get Kiba something fun to do with Akamaru, like..." He paused, glancing around the shop. "Like that!" He grinned, pointing down at a round object at the opposite end of the shop.

They wandered over and Hinata noticed that it was actually a purple ball, with a small screen in the middle. 'Bark-O-Meter!' "What d-does it do?"

"It makes strange noises when you throw it, I guess," Naruto grinned. "It means he can train Akamaru to listen out for certain noises and play with him! Cool, huh?"

"Y-Yes." Hinata smiled and picked it up, placing it in her basket. "A-And Shino?"

"Stick-insects!" Naruto grinned, pointing at a large tub of stick-insects. "I'm sure he'd love them."

"R-Right!" She picked them up and placed them in her basket as well, before pushing Naruto out of the shop. "I-I'll pay, g-give me a second."

"Right, right..." The blonde looked slightly flustered, before leaning against the wall. "I'll just wait here, okay?"

"No p-problem..."

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"I wonder what they're doing..."

"...Why are we following them...?"

"Because I want to see if they kiss! I need to know if they're dating or not!"

"...This is childish and troublesome."

"Your face."

"..."

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"Are we all done, then?" Naruto asked, as Hinata stepped out of the shop. She nodded in reply; the pair linked hands and began to walk down the street, chatting and grinning.

Wish number seven had gone perfectly for both of them.

Behind them, Ino scowled.

"They didn't even kiss!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and leaned forwards, placing her bags in front of her. Her heart-beat fluttered; there was silence for a second. And then she reached up, on her tip-toes, and kissed her friends nose.

"Thanks for coming out with me."

"...How troublesome."

But both of them were smiling as they went their separate ways.


Author's Note:

Oh yeah!
A nice early chapter for my rabid fans.
T'is my dad's birthday tomorrow so, you know, the chapter might be a tad late.
For now, though...

I'm going to go to school, come back, and then boo at the Twilight movie.
Srsly.

xxx
She Who Must Not Be Named
xxx