Thank you to every single one of you glorious readers! I absolutely love reading through your comments :) It makes writing these stories so much fun! So you have my undying gratitude as I send good vibes your way; do you feel 'em, zapping you in the head and fizzling through your brain?

Onward to the last chapter :D

During Chemistry I casually slid my stool across the room so I could sit next to Karin as we filled out our lab reports.

"Karin." I whispered to her.

"Don't bother me, I'm trying to make some crucial calculations."

"But I have a feeling you'd want to know about this."

"I'm sure it can wait!" Karin leaned closer to her notebook and scribbled down some numbers.

I sighed deeply and began tapping my pencil against the table.

Karin punched a couple numbers into her calculator.

I sighed again.

"What!" Karin hissed.

"Do you like my hair band?"

"Is that all?"

"Cause it's from Naruto."

Karin gasped loudly and sqealed, "WHAT?"

"Shhh," I glanced around and smiled innocently at our teacher.

"Are you for real? I told you he loved you deeply!" Karin sniggered quietly.

"Well actually he's my Secret Santa."

"Ahaha!" Karin turned around on her stool and tapped Suigetsu, who was sitting at the table behind us, on the head. "Boy, you owe me five bucks."

Suigetsu glanced up. "Damn it! Why are you always winning?"

I frowned. "You two were betting about my Secret Santa?"

"Maybe," Karin smirked. "Pay up." She held out her hand to Suigetsu.

He fished about his pockets. "I only have a dollar and three cents in coins."

"Well hand it over. You can just pay the rest later."

"Come on Karin," Suigetsu whined.

"Don't gamble with a genius if you can't handle coughing up the dough later." Karin jingled the change and put it in her jeans pocket.

"I can't believe your making money at my expense," I said.

"Well, hey! At least you know who's been picking locks and shit now," Suigetsu said. All three of us glanced in Naruto's direction. He was reading his chemistry book.

I think Karin was about to say something more when my lab partner stalked over and broke up our little powwow.

"You're supposed to be helping me with our experiment," He sniveled at me.

"Oh, sorry." I got up and followed him away, but made a face over my shoulder at my friends. Karin rolled her eyes.

On Friday everyone was restless during homeroom. It was only a half-day, so we could leave at lunch. Sakura stood up on her desk.

"Who's excited about Christmas break?!"

The classroom cheered.

"Who's excited to give and receive their last Secret Santa gift?"

We cheered again.

"Okay go hand your gifts out!"

With a squeaking of desks, people were up and moving about. I hopped over a desk and met Naruto halfway across the room.

"You'll never guess, but I'm your Secret Santa," I said.

"Well, that's funny cause I'm yours," Naruto said in mock surprise.

"This feels like déjà vu to me," I said. He chuckled and we exchanged gifts.

"A spiral bound notebook! Just what I needed!"

"And you got me Earl Grey tea! You must be a mind reader!"

I think we were getting a few weird looks because of our sarcastic enthusiasm. Karin ambled over to us.

"Secret Santa strikes again," She pointed to the bright pink hat with three pompoms that she was wearing.

"Who is your Secret Santa? Because this person clearly has a fetish for pompoms and neon pink," I said.

"Choji…" Karin shrugged. "The poor guy said he had no idea what to get a girl, so asked his nine-year-old cousin for help."

"That explains so much," I said.

After school I skipped down the school's front steps, elated by the fact that I was free for the next few weeks.

"Hinata!"

I turned around to see Naruto running after me.

"Hey, Naruto."

"I wanted to catch you before you'd left. Um, do you want to do something over Christmas break?"

"Okay, yeah," I nodded. I opened up my backpack and grabbed a slip of paper and a pen. "Here," I scrawled something down, "Is my number. So we can set something up."

He smiled. "Okay, I'll give you a ring." Naruto waved and walked away.

I turned towards home only to bump into Suigetsu and Karin.

"I only caught the tail end of that conversation, but did he say he was going to give you a ring?" Karin held up her left hand and wiggled her ring finger.

"Things are more serious than we thought," Suigetsu bantered.

"A ring! A call! On the phone."

"A likely story," Karin and Suigetsu said at the same time. God, they were around each other too much.

"Ya'll want to get some lunch somewhere in celebration of the beginning of Christmas break?" Suigetsu asked.

"And to celebrate Hinata's engagement," Karin added quickly.

"Shut up." I trudged after my friends through the slushy snow.

"So can I be your bridesmaid?"

I threw a snowball at both Suigetsu and Karin.

The gentle hum of Christmas music drifted upstairs from the kitchen. Perry Como was on the radio, singing about how there's no place like home for the holidays. I breathed in deeply. I could smell the wood fire that was burning downstairs. Outside it was dark; the only light in my room came from the glowing Christmas lights around my windows.

It was Christmas Eve. Downstairs relatives were sipping champagne and making conversation. I had excused myself and was now lying on my bed, just listening. I glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was 9:43. I rolled off of my bed pulled on a hat and coat, and grabbed my boots. I tiptoed down the wooden hallway in my sock feet and crept down the staircase. I guess I didn't need to be quite though; I doubt that anyone would notice me over their lively chatter and music.

While it was dark upstairs, it was bright and vibrant downstairs. Light poured from the living room, where most everyone was sitting.

I slipped down the hallway once I reached the bottom of the staircase, and made my way to the kitchen. I pulled on my boots and snuck out the backdoor.

Outside it was cold. Snow was falling steadily. Large, fluffy, flakes that drifted down to earth lazily and stuck to the ground, accumulating slowly. I shivered and pulled my hat down over my ears. I skipped and broke into a run. Across the yard. Down the driveway. Onto the street. The Hyuuga household was behind me now. The whole neighborhood was beautiful tonight. Decked out with wreaths and glowing lights, but silent in the snowfall. Peaceful. I laughed; my breath puffed out in front of me. I had successfully made my escape.

In a few minutes I was out of my wealthy neighborhood and into the more working-class side of town. I cut across a yard and jogged up the steps to the front door. Through the front window, I could see that the TV was on. I knocked and held my breath. There was some yelling– but not mad yelling. It was cheerful yelling– and then I heard some movement. The door swung open.

"Hinata!" Naruto beamed at me, making my insides flutter, and let me inside.

"Hi Naruto."

He looked ridiculous in a red knit sweater with reindeer leaping across the front, and his hair was a mess as usual. After being outside in the cold, his house was cozy and warm. I felt my face begin to thaw.

"Merry Christmas!" I waved to Naruto's godfather, Jiraiya, who was sitting on a sofa in cramped living room watching a Christmas special on TV. The house was stuffy and smelled like Jiraiya's infamous "Holiday Potpourri" (It wasn't particularly bad smelling – a spicy aroma of cloves, bay leaves, and citrus – but it was entirely too potent) that Naruto had told me about. He claimed it was the sole reason that Jiraiya was still single. A lopsided Christmas tree was taking up a quarter of the room. Unlike my family's tree that was decorated with only ornaments that matched, Naruto and Jiraiya's tree was covered with weird and clearly homemade ornaments.

"Would you like something to drink?" Jiraiya lifted up his glass. "I made cider!"

"It's spiked," Naruto called from the kitchen where he was pulling on his shoes. "Don't trust him!"

"Oh, come on Naruto! You were just having a bit yourself!"

Jiraiya was a kind man and only meant well, but sometimes I think he forgets how old we are. Naruto smiled sheepishly at me.

"Well, it was pretty good, BUT WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?" He wailed at Jaraiya. "What do you think the Hyuugas would do if we sent Hinata home smelling like booze?"

"It's okay Naruto I already smell like the potpourri," I joked.

"It smells pretty good, huh?" Jiraiya said, excitedly. "I revised my recipe."

"God help us," Naruto whispered as he took my arm and steered me towards the door. "We're going on a walk to check out the Christmas lights in the park."

"Don't be out too late," Jiraiya said as he turned back to the television.

"Jiriaya's super easygoing," I said as we walked down the front steps. "I had to sneak out of the house."

"Seriously?" Naruto looked at me with his eyebrows raised. "Oh man, you're such a bad influence on me."

"Ha! Be scared." I wiggled my fingers mysteriously.

"Oh damn. You're a menace." Naruto joked as he took my hand in his and we walked down the sidewalk. He made the gesture so casual; if he wanted to hold my hand, he'd hold my hand. Simple as that; why make a big deal out of it? I curled my fingers around his hand and fell into step beside him.

On the way to the park we chatted about various things: snowflakes, fruitcake, weird childhood stories, and how creepy we thought Ronald McDonald was. Our conversations were the most bizarre but somehow entirely normal. Eventually we saw the park across the quiet street.

"Race you!" Naruto called as he took off across the street, under the soft glow of street lamps. I laughed and ran after him.

The whole town seemed to be in a peaceful slumber. Outside it was just falling snow, the Naruto, and I.

"What did you stop for?" Naruto called. He was standing in the snow-covered grass. A nearby display of reindeer made from Christmas lights illuminated the area around him. I skipped a step and ran towards him. When I reached him I stopped and stared up at his face. Snowflakes were sticking to his thick eyelashes and his breath came out in little puffs.

"What?" He asked in an amused way.

"I-I…I just," I felt like I was drowning his blue eyes. "I'm about to do something…totally crazy," I breathed. Before I could rethink, I reached up and took his face in my hands. I stood up on my toes and he bent down a little bit, wrapping one arm around my waist. Our lips touched gently. I have to admit, I was thinking really hard, because I had never kissed a guy, and how exactly are you supposed to do this? But Naruto had this calming affect on me. I felt comfortable with him. Or maybe he can just kiss really well.

He smelled like clothes detergent and Jiriaya's bizarre potpourri. It sounds like a strange combination, I know, but you'd be surprised how wonderful he smells: boyish but not doused in the fake smell of cologne like other guys at my school. I pulled back to catch my breath.

"Whoa," Naruto breathed. "I think I like it when you do crazy things."

He took my hand and we once more began to walk around the decorated park. Naruto swung our hands back and forth as we strolled under an archway of lights.

"Oh, hey," I said. "So, I have these concert tickets."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, some lunatic broke into my locker and shoved them in there with about ten yards of Christmas lights."

"Weird."

"Totally…but, see I got this extra ticket, and I have no idea who to bring along. You got any ideas?"

"Hmm. Someone to go to a concert with you? Well, I know this guy. I don't know if you'd like him, but he adores you. In fact…I think he's the same guy who jammed all those lights in your locker."

"Oh, him. He seems like a pretty cool guy. He adores me?"

"Absolutely."

"Well," I leaned my head against Naruto's shoulder, "Between you and me, I adore him too."

Fín!

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