A/N: Hello lovely readers. Enjoy this chapter (grin)
Naruto opened his eyes, yawning.
What a weird dream... Cookie-man?, he thought, rolling on his site. He blinked, still a bit tired, and saw a bag on his nightstand. With one glance he recognized the bag as one as they gave the kids the day before, so he sat up with a grin and took one of the bonbons. But then he found a sheet of paper and a small packet under the bag. Rising an eyebrow he lifted both and unfolded the sheet first.
Merry X-Mas, moron
The Bastard
The blond narrowed his eyes but at the same moment a grin was over his face. It's been years the Uzumaki got a present. He unwrapped the quarter quickly and widened his eyes. The quarter was a picture frame out of wood and inside it was a photo. But eyeing the picture in detail he figured out that it wasn't a photo but a very, very good painting. It showed Naruto himself, holding his camera and smiling all over his face on a sunny day. His blue eyes were almost shining themselves and the lad couldn't remember the last time he looked so faithfully happy.
After that strange but relaxing dream and the nice present he felt good, but at the same time he bit his bottom lip.
Opening his door he smelled the sweet scent of fresh pastry and he went into the kitchen, looking sadly at the older.
"Merry Christmas. Are you hungry?" Sasuke asked without looking up from the working place.
"Merry Christmas..." the Uzumaki whispered, starring at the ground.
"What's that voice? Disliked your present?" the raven asked, putting a plate with cookies on the table along with a can of milk. He knocked at the table as well, the sign for the human to sit down.
"N-no! I'm really happy about it! … It's just that... I've... uhm..." the blond stemmed helplessly and sank down in his chair. "I... have nothing for you..."
"Never mind." the Uchiha said and put two cups down. "Marshmellows?" he asked and the youth blinked.
"What?"
"Do you like marshmallows with you hot-chocolate?" the vampire repeated and sat down next to the young man, taking a swallow of his own drink.
"Ah, yes yes. Thanks." The lad put some of the cut marshmallows into his cup and they melted there in once, making the chocolate only more delicious. But the bright-haired nipped on it, his expression still negative.
"Are we going to the centre later?" the older broke the silence and the blond nodded.
"Yeah, I would like to. I haven't seen Gaara for days. I have a small reward for him that he's still there." Naruto tried to grin, but he still felt too guilty. He should have bought something for the bastard anyway. But who could say that stupid teme would gave him anything?
"What are you presenting him? A golden syringe?" the Uchiha growled, thinking of the red-haired.
The youth jumped up and hissed, "Why are you being such a bastard again?! What's your problem with Gaara anyway?!"
"My problem?" Sasuke repeated with a dark face. "My problem is, dear Naruto, he has a life and destroys it by taking fucking drug through his veins." The blond narrowed his eyes, filling them with anger. Whatever the vampire did for him, he wouldn't allow him to offend his friend.
"Ha! Says who is taking blood like heroin!" the lad bellowed. But he did a big mistake, the Uchiha got furious and fist his hands.
With a low but mad voice he spat, "I hate taking and drinking blood. If I would take it just to get high, just for pleasing or another, base motive I would run to the drying-out centre by myself. I almost died trying to stay away from that... disgusting substance." He stood up, starring down at the younger with hateful eyes. "But without blood I can't survive. And before I've arranged my plan I can't die at all." He went to the door, but stopped before he left. "But more than blood I hate people who threw away their life without even thinking of the consequences of being dead."
Naruto looked after him, thinking slightly about said words.
Great... I'm feelin' better and better... Just great...
The two of them were already standing in front of the door to room 133 when the smaller man stopped.
"Listen, I know I was rude earlier. Don't blame Gaara for that, okay?" he asked and deep, dark eyes starred at him, colder than ice. "I want to talk to you later. But please, it is my fault, don't let it out on him." The dark-haired kept starring and nodded after a while. A weak smile came over the tan face and Naruto whispered, "Thank you, Sasuke." And with that the youth knocked on the door, pushed it open and called, "Merry X-mas Ga- hu?!"
The Uzumaki blinked once. Twice.
He widened his tearing eyes, jumped at the person who was standing in the middle of the room and yelled, "Old man!!!" He hugged the smaller man tightly, pressing himself on him.
"Now, now, Naruto-kun. There's no need to cry." an old, male voice said softly and its owner patted the youth's back. Naruto caught himself soon and pulled away, looking at the adult in front of him.
"What are you doing here? I've never expected meeting you here!" the blond smiled, eyeing the man.
"Well, I wanted to see how things are going for you two. You look great!" the old man said. He was really old, maybe 70 years, and his grey hair had already disappeared from mostly all of his head. All in all he was even shorter than the Uzumaki, who wasn't that tall himself. The Uchiha starred at the man, trying hard to remember. He had seen that man before, but where – and more important – when had he seen him?
While he was still thinking the grandfather looked at him as well, rising both of his grey eyebrows.
"Excuse me, boy," he said and Sasuke woke up, looking back neutral.
"Yes, mister?" he asked, carefully. Things could get troublesome if he really was... …
"Do you know a man called Sasuke Uchiha? What's your name?" the governor wanted to know and the raven froze.
The blond was up to answer for him and the vampire said, quickly, "My name is Satori-Matsuke Shinobido, shortly Sas'ke. But I'm sorry, I don't know somebody called 'Sasuke Uchiha'." The Uzumaki rose an eyebrow and opened his mouth, surely planning to say some brainless things, so the raven stepped next to him, grabbed his wrist and said, "Ah, are you thirsty, too? I think we should go taking a cup of coffee for everyone. Come, Naruto, I need your help."
Before said boy could complain or even say a word the Uchiha pulled him out of the room, closing the door.
"Sasuke! Why the hell did ya-?!" the lad yelled but the raven pressed his hand over the other's mouth, lifting his other hand and laying his index-finger over pale lips.
"Sht baka! Be quiet!" he whispered, looking back to the door. He bowed his head nearer to the blond's ear and breathed, "I know Sarutobi from earlier!" He let Naruto go and the youth gasped for air, shaking his head.
"What do you mean, 'earlier'?" the human asked and the vampire took a deep breath, waving his hand so they moved away from the door.
"I guess 10 or 15 years ago-"
"WHAT?!" the Uzumaki yelled and the vampire pressed his hand once more over his mouth.
"Be fucking quiet! And don't EVER call me Sasuke Uchiha inside there, understood? I don't have any idea how to explain him why I look exactly like 15 years ago!" The youth nodded, swallowing. They started walking again and went into the cafeteria, buying some coffee and hot-chocolate.
On their way back the blond asked, "How did you meet the old man? And where?"
"You don't mind if I answer you at home, when we are not in fucking trouble, looser?!" the pale man hissed but when he opened the door number 133 some kind of smile was over his lips. The lad narrowed his eyes, growling in his neck. But an evil smirk found its way in his face.
The bastard wanted to play? Well, Naruto would play with him... …
When the four sat down the Uzumaki asked, "Old man? Who's that Sasuke Uchi-blabla?" He grinned at the raven opposite of him who was narrowing his eyes dangerously.
"Oh, you don't remember?" the grey-haired answered, taking a nip. He licked over his lips and told, "Sasuke was a kind youth who helped out at the orphanage many years ago. He just looked like your friend-"
"Home-mate." the dark-haired interrupted, causing Naruto to wide his eyes before he sighed, "Yes, just home-mates." Sarutobi looked between the two students, figuring out he must have hit a sensitive spot.
He cleared his throat and added, "But he moved soon. You gave him a pet name, wait... Coo... Coper? Cosi?"
"Could it be Cookie-man?" the blond said, moving forward interested. Was his dream some kind of old memory which had been hidden deep in his thoughts?
"Yeah. Now I remember properly: The youth worked in our kitchen and you always came asking for cookies." he started giggling, "There was no way getting you into your bed before you didn't have a glass milk and some cookies." Naruto rose an eyebrow in disbelief, put his elbow on the table were they were sitting and pointed at the Uchiha.
"The bastard is the Cookie-man?" he laughed and got a kick on his leg. "Ouch!!! Bastard!!!" he bellowed and Sarutobi blinked.
"'The bastard is the Cookie-man'?" the old man repeated and the blond got pale in his face.
"N-no! I-I mean that the bastard was- Ouch!!!" he got another kick from the raven whose eyes got extremely dark in alert. "I-I mean th-the bastard is not the Coo- Ouch!!! I mean I've never seen Sasuke before- OUCH!!! I MEAN DON'T LISTEN WHAT I SAY!!!" the Uzumaki yelled between various painful kicks from the older student. The other two were confused, even Gaara starred at them suspicious.
The grey-haired looked at the redhead, turned back and whispered, "Aren't you feeling well, Naruto-kun?"
"Yes yes!" asked boy replied and added, "I mean no! Yes, no! I mean-"
"Drunk." the raven shot out and everyone turned their eyes on him. The Uchiha took a deep breath and explained, "It seems that Naruto had a bit too much punch yesterday night. He's still a bit confused, aren't you?"
The blond nodded enthusiastic and grinned, "Y-yeah. Sorry, I'm a bit drunk hehe." He scratched his head, smiling and the old man sighed heavily.
Hours later the two students sat down in Sasuke's car and drove through the empty streets. Everyone was at home, spending time with their family. But what were those who hadn't one supposed to do?
Naruto starred at the older and whispered after a while, "You worked at the orphanage? … It was you who found me on Christmas, right?" He waited inquisitively and the dark-haired looked at him for a moment before he concentrated back on the road.
"Yes. Who else? I wondered myself how far away you had run." the Uchiha answered, remembering. That was one of the rare times he was thankful to be a vampire, other else he wouldn't have found the little body between all the snow. The Uzumaki giggled a bit, rubbing his nose.
"Thehe! So I hid good! No one would have found me!" he smiled, proud of himself. "And I planned only you founding me, too! So I was away from the orphanage and got even some yummi cookies~" He started laughing and even the raven giggled lowly because of the, well, unique logic in the other's words.
"Ha ha, more than all you forced me to read some fairytales for you and I had to stay by your side while you slept. And how loud you snored! Such a small boy, being louder than a bear..." A wide smirk was over his lips while he spoke, trying hard to hold back a laugh. The blond snorted with laughter and had problems with breathing, thinking he had let him do his bidding so nicely.
"So," the Uchiha said parking his car, "what about some fresh cookies with hot-chocolate?"
"Sounds great, Cookie-man! Hurry hurry, I'm hungry!!!" the bright-haired cheered and jumped out of the car.
The Uchiha put the cookies from the steel-plate into a small box and turned around, walking to the table.
"But these are the last. Too many cookies are bad." he said, sitting down next to the munching blond.
"Oooh... No-hoo!" the Uzumaki cried but the other shook his head. The lad sighed and enjoyed the last (twenty) cookies as much as he could. He got bored and licked over his lips, trying to breath out his question.
"Sas'ke? May I ask something?" he whispered shyly.
"Of course. I hope I can answer you." the raven said and ate one of the biscuits himself.
The blond starred at his fingers and asked, "You asked me if I would like to go home, to my family... And you?" He looked up slightly, eyeing the older.
"The only family I have is Itachi. But... 'family' is not the right word..." the vampire answered, looking at the table. "... It's more like we depend on each other. Weird, hu?"
The Uzumaki was up to say something, but suddenly the phone rang.