Warnings: swearing, shounen-ai

Disclaimer: Naruto (and all of its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto and not me), the Polar Express doesn't belong to me either.

A/N: please forgive the Polar Express references in this chapter. I loved the movie and it seemed like a great way to get to the North Pole XD

Chapter 9

Sasuke wasn't sure exactly how he expected Naruto to react. There were loads of options in his mind; very few of them good.

Naruto kissing him back really wasn't one but he sure was glad it was the one the elf chose. The blonde wrapped his arms tightly around Sasuke's neck as he allowed for the kiss to continue.

As they pulled apart they both eyed the other with confusion clearly written on their faces.

Naruto opened his mouth to say something but just as he did something between them glowed a bright red. Blue eyes widened in shock and the elf jumped up from his spot on Sasuke's lap to frantically pull at a chain around his neck.

Sasuke watched in stunned silence as Naruto pulled the chain up from underneath his shirt, revealing a crystal pendant. The pendant glowing wasn't like the specks of light that usually surrounded Naruto when he used magic. This glowing was a bloody crimson and somehow warningly and urgent.

The door to their room was slammed open by an alert-looking Kyuubi, clutching a pendant just like the one in Naruto's hand. Kyuubi's had the same threatening radiance as Naruto's. The two elves locked eyes, an unspoken understanding seemed to flow between them.

"We need to leave," they said in unison. Itachi came up the hall to stand next to Kyuubi. He looked to Sasuke for some sort of context. Sasuke shook his head. He knew about this as much as his brother.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked when he finally couldn't keep his curiosity under control anymore. Naruto eyed him sadly.

"We have to go. There's something wrong back at home," he explained. Kyuubi whispered something into Itachi's ear, making the older Uchiha nod solemnly before the orange-haired elf drew a glowing circle around himself before disappearing. Itachi left the room as soon as his elf was gone.

"You're leaving right now?" Sasuke asked, alarmed at the sad look on Naruto's face. He didn't want Naruto to leave. Ever. Especially not now when he'd actually gotten to kiss the elf. Weren't they supposed to talk about that?

"I'm sorry, Sasu-chan," Naruto said, flashing him a pair of big blue puppy eyes. "But I have to come when they call for Red Alert. Even Kyuubi doesn't ignore that, as you could see."

"But I don't want you to. Surely they can get whatever they want from someone else?" he tried. The blonde shook his head. There really was no way of stopping him from going? Sasuke felt desperation rise in his chest and tried a new approach. The last one he could think of.

"Can I come with you?" he asked urgently. The blue eyes widened in disbelieve and shock. Naruto opened his mouth with what would clearly be a refusal to let Sasuke come with him.

"Please, Naruto. I want to come with you," he asked, using a pleading tone his voice hadn't experienced since he was a child. Naruto looked downright tortured at the sound. He'd never denied Sasuke of anything he'd asked him. Not even when he asked for his stuffed animals to come to life. Naruto sighed in defeat and Sasuke felt like grinning with victory but kept the kicked puppy expression on his face to seal the deal. The blonde snapped his fingers twice and a stack of squared pieces of paper appeared in his other hand, neatly stacked. Their edges were tinted yellow and Sasuke wondered just how old they were – they looked as old as Naruto had admitted he to be. The blonde fanned them open and eyed each of them closely before picking out one. He handed it to Sasuke with a worried look on his face.

"Okay, listen. We don't do this very often," Naruto began explaining. "Each of us only get a certain number of tickets so I need you to not lose this, alright? I know you're not exactly known for being irresponsible but still, it could happen. If you lose this I can't guarantee for you. This is your visa in our world, so to speak."

"Ticket?" Sasuke asked as he turned the piece of paper in his hand. Surely enough, as he studied it closer it did appear to be a really old form of train ticket with the words 'Yule Express' written in golden letters.

"Yes. I can't bring you with me. It demands too much magic and it's also kinda illegal," the blonde explained, brows still furrowed in worry. "Just keep the ticket on your person and the train should be here at midnight sharp. I really really have to leave now. "

The blonde hugged Sasuke close briefly before stepping away and vanishing in his glowing circle with a quiet "bye, Sasu-chan."

Sasuke turned the piece of paper in his hand and gasped as his name appeared underneath 'Yule Express'. Naruto's name was written in red ink at the nether corner of the ticket, he noticed. He jumped in surprise as the sound of the timer in the kitchen went off. He slid the ticket into his pocket and went downstairs just as his brother pulled dinner out of the oven. He sat down by the table.

"I'm leaving, too," he said and watched as the older Uchiha stopped dead in his tracks. Itachi turned to look at his little brother.

"You're what?"

"Naruto told me a way to get there," he explained and tried to read his brother's expression. He couldn't. "I'm supposed to leave by midnight."

Itachi studied him for a few seconds before nodding and turning back to preparing their meal. He put the food on the table and the two brothers ate in silence. Sasuke kept eyeing the big antique clock on the opposite wall, causing Itachi to shake his head at him. Time moved so slowly without the elves. Without Naruto.

He decided to get some sleep and snuggled on his bed, not daring to change out of his clothes in case he lost the ticket. Maybe he wasn't the only one who'd be in trouble if he lost it. Maybe Naruto could be in trouble as well. Was that why he was so hesitant to let him come?

With half an hour left to midnight he sat himself by the window. He watched the snowy world outside his house and smiled. He couldn't help it. The snow wasn't just kind of magical anymore. It also reminded him of the blonde Do-Gooder.

He remembered how Naruto had said it would arrive at exactly midnight, so he went downstairs and clad himself in his jacket and put on his gloves before going outside. Standing in the middle of the winter wonderland Naruto had given him he felt completely surrounded by magic.

He kept his eyes on his phone as he watched the time near midnight. The numbers on his phone finally read 00.00 and he gasped in surprise as the ground began to shake. The snow shone magically and birds hiding in the trees of his garden flew hurriedly away.

He was then entirely blinded by a bright light coming his way and he held up his hands to shield his eyes. He heard a loud whoooo and as he opened his eyes he saw an impossibly large old-looking train parking in his garden. Golden letters across the side of the train informed him that this was indeed the Yule Express. A door opened in front of him and a tall woman climbed off. She extended her hand expectantly and spoke in a loud voice.

"Ticket, please."