Notes: I'm such a retard. XD Wow! I definitely need to re-read these chapters before I post them up. :P

Part 2: Chapter 2

It was three days until Christmas before I realized I still didn't have a gift for Sasuke. I've never really done the whole present-exchange thing before, so it never occurred to me until he and I went out to look at the decorations the town had put up for the holiday. As we walked down the street (it was early evening) he explained that his town did this every year, and each year they tried to make the decorations better than last. I was impressed—not many people were into celebrating Christmas where I lived, so all this was new for me as well. I told him this as we walked into the marketplace.

He shrugged, "I was never really one to celebrate Christmas myself, not after…" He didn't have to say anymore, I remembered: 'My parents died in a car accident… My brother…'

"Me either," I agreed, taking my hands out of my pockets so I could rub them together. He glanced at me briefly before shifting his stare to the street and the shops along either side of it.

"This is basically where everyone comes for anything they need," he gestured. "From books to clothing, it's all here."

"You sound like an advertisement," I grinned.

"Shut up," he gave me a half-assed glare, but I knew he had thought it was funny too. We started down the street and I couldn't help but try to look into all the windows I could: there was a candy place, a book store, and even a music shop.

"Sasuke, let's go in here!" I touched his arm and ducked into the shop. A few bells above my head jangled merrily as I entered and the shopkeeper looked up from something he was tinkering with on the countertop.

"How can I help you?" he smiled politely, his brown eyes closing slightly behind his glasses.

"Just looking," I grinned back and turned to ask Sasuke if he ever came here…but he wasn't next to me. Frowning, I turned and looked back out the store's big display window, but I couldn't see him. I huffed. Great. Now I'm lost.

"You okay?" the man offered.

"Yeah," I shook my head and gave him another smile. "Just looking for a friend of mine."

"Well, if your friend knows you well enough, they'll know where to find you," he winked at me and I blinked back. He had a point. So I walked deeper into the shop, looking at all the instruments and accessories hanging from the walls and on overcrowded shelves, my hands jammed deep in my pockets for warmth (and to keep myself from touching anything). There were guitars, replacement strings, music sheet stands, trumpets, flutes, and… I stopped moving and let my gaze wander over the row of lyric notebooks sitting on an eye-level shelf. This is…the perfect thing for him. They were all different sizes and colors and different paper-makes; I didn't know which one to consider first. I thought about his old notebook, the blue one with the red and white fan on the cover. It was almost completely full, definitely time for a new one, but how could I choose one he'd like?

"Excuse me…?" I called from the isle.

The man from the front made his way over. "Yes?"

"I'm looking for a present for a friend of mine," I motioned to the shelf of books. "He writes songs for our band. Which one should I get him?"

"In a band, huh?" he grinned and leaned over to inspect the notebooks. "Professional?"

"Getting," I recalled the other day. "I want something dark and simple, something like his old notebook."

"What's his old one look like?"

"It's dark blue, and the cover has a red fan with a white handle on it."

"Sounds like the Uchiha line."

I wasn't sure if I'd heard him correctly: "The Uchiha line?"

"They're pretty underground, but excellent quality," he nodded, reaching toward the back of the shelf and taking out one of the notebooks, handing it to me for inspection. The cover was deep, deep dark red, almost like dried blood, and printed smoothly on the front were three black comma-shapes, the rounded parts aligned in a triangular pattern and the tails curving over to make a spiral-like pattern. I opened it and leafed through the blank pages—same material, same make.

"I've never heard of them," I closed the book.

"Like I said, it's an underground label that makes accessories such as guitar straps and even some clothing. And that notebook you're holding in your hands."

I reached for my wallet. "How much is it?"

Ding ding ding! "There you are."

There was only one person here that would address me like that. I turned to Sasuke and smiled, but it suddenly felt strained. "Sorry," I shrugged. "Got seduced by the window display and I had to come in."

"I know what you mean," he laughed and nodded at the store owner. The man in the glasses nodded back. "I come here all the time," he told me. "It's the only decent music place around here."

"Thank you," the owner responded with a warm smile. "Your friend here was just asking me about what guitar strap I could recommend for him. You've been in this store often enough—any suggestions?"

"My suggestion is to ask Sakura where she got hers customized and do the same." He looked apologetically at the older man. "No offense."

"None taken," he winked back. "If I wasn't promoting my own store, I'd tell him to do the same."

"Haha, thanks," I laughed nervously and took Sasuke's arm. "Let's get home. I'm getting hungry."

"Yeah," he nodded and waved over at the man behind the counter once more. "See you later."

"Bye," he waved to the both of us and we left the music store with another loud jingle. The bag beneath my jacket was crinkling a little too loudly, so to cover it up, I started talking.

"Where did you go for all that time?" I asked him.

"I was looking for you," he answered but didn't look at me.

I grinned. "You got me a preeeeeeeeeeeesent!"

"I—" he abruptly closed his mouth. "Let's go home," he mumbled and scurried up the street.

"Oy, Sasuke!" I followed him, one hand over the notebook hidden in my jacket to keep it from falling out. "Tell me what my present is!"

"No!" he called back and walked faster.

"Oh, come on!" I laughed, chasing after him.

I couldn't sleep. I had waited up until Sasuke had gone to his room and got the new notebook from its hiding place in my guitar bag. I had to wrap it. Eventually, I couldn't decide on what to use for wrapping paper so I rummaged through my bag again and pulled out one of my spare silver chords. I looped it once lengthwise and once the opposite way then pulled it tight near the center and tied it up with a bow. The string rubbing against itself had screeched unpleasantly and I winced, glancing up at the hallway where his room was. I hadn't woken him though, so now I sat in the armchair with the blanket around my shoulders and stared out the window at the still night. The notebook lay in my lap, the cold string freezing my skin. A few more hours. Then I can give him his gift…

A gentle hand on my face was what woke me up. I opened my eyes and looked up blearily. A black and pale-flesh blob met my vision and I blinked a few times to focus. The blob turned into Sasuke.

"Are you awake, Naruto?" his voice landed on my ears and I purred low in my throat before I could stop myself. My god I love his voice… Then I sat up hurriedly, sleep all but forgotten.

"Christmas!" I yelped.

"Yes," he nodded patiently. "It's Christmas." I leapt up and something struck my feet. Shit! The notebook! I bent over quickly and snatched it up, hiding it behind my back. Sasuke lifted an eyebrow at me, and we stayed like that for a few seconds. Then he lifted a hand, holding out a small light blue gift bag, casting his eyes downward as his face reddened. "Happy Christmas." I took it with one hand, feeling myself turn hot from my neck to the tips of my ears. I pushed the other hand forward, offering him the notebook.

"Happy Christmas," I cleared my throat nervously. He took his gift and looked at it for what seemed like forever. And then I was holding him in my arms. "S-Sasuke…" I felt a lump rising in my throat. He…likes it? I hold him against me and I feel him trembling.

"This… You…?" he tries to speak, sounding breathless. I nod slowly, my free hand coming up to stroke the black bangs from his eyes.

"I found out about these notebooks from the guy at the store," I told him, and then guessed: "Your brother?"

I felt him nod as well. "One of my mother's ideas that he took on after she…" He cut himself off and I just hugged him tighter, laying my head against his. After a while however, he started to calm down and I felt his hands relaxing from their near-death grip on the back of my shirt. "You haven't opened your present," he finally looked up at me. I smiled back softly and reached around him, pulling open the bag as he turned in my arms and watched me lift his gift from its wrapping. It was a pair of navy blue wool gloves with a small metal plate over the backs of the hands, with the spiral symbol on the back of my lucky jacket. The gloves had no fingertips. I looked at him. "I want you to come and visit me more often," he explained, "but I don't want you to be cold. And this way, with nothing covering your fingers, you can still play your guitar."

I kissed the back of his neck and he made a slight breathless noise. "They're perfect," I whispered truthfully.

He leaned back against me and closed his eyes, beaming softly. "Thank you for my gift. I do need a new notebook."

"And thank you for the gloves," I nodded.

Knock knock knock!

"Did you invite someone else over?" I looked up at the door.

"No…" he slipped out of my arms and walked into the hallway. Knock knock knock! "I'm coming!" I heard the door open. "Who—ARGH!"

"SASUKE!" a girl squealed. I quickly grabbed my jeans from yesterday and threw them on as something came hurtling at me. "NARUTO!"

I hit the floor: "What the hell!"

"HAPPY CHRISTMAS!" two female voices chimed in unison and I finally realized that Sakura was on top of me, and had her arms wrapped tightly around my neck. I sat up and off in the main hallway I saw Sasuke do the same, only the woman on top of him was Ino.

"Hi?" I nearly saw the question mark floating above his head.

"Normal people come in on invitation!" I rubbed the back of my head.

"We're not normal people, we're your bandmates," Sakura stood and offered her hand. I took it and got up as well. The other two joined us in the living room.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, not unkindly.

"Well, Ino's parents really didn't take to the fact that their daughter and I were dating seriously," Sakura began, looking oddly unruffled about the subject.

"So I told them to kiss my ass," Ino shrugged with an uncaring smile that matched her girlfriend's. "And we came to visit you guys."

"You're house is right between Ino's and mine," Sakura spoke up again. "So we figured we'd drop by to say hi before heading to my place."

"Her parents are cool," Ino finished. I looked at Sasuke, who was looking at me, then we turned back to the two girls.

"Happy Christmas," I smiled.

"You can stay as long as you'd—" Rrrrrrrrrrrring! Sasuke was cut off by the telephone. "Excuse me." Rrrrrrrrrrrring! He crossed to the kitchen counter, where the black telephone sat shrieking. Rrrrrrrrrr—He caught up the receiver. "Hello?" His eyes suddenly widened, and I saw something in them that I only saw very, very rarely. He hit a button on the phone base and hung up the handheld piece. "You still there?" he asked.

"Yeah," Shino's voice came over the speakerphone. "Hinata wanted me to call you guys up."

"Ino and Sakura are here too," Sasuke offered.

"Even better; we don't have to make another call," Shikamaru's tired-sounding voice replaced Shino's bored one.

"Are you guys on speaker too?" I called and was answered by a chorus of "HAPPY CHRISTMAS!" from the phone.

"How are you all? I miss you," Hinata's soft voice sounded as if she were smiling.

"Yeah, and I've got some new rhythms to let you hear!" Kiba said excitedly.

"Down boy," Shino spoke from the background.

"Anyway, we were just calling to see how you were; I'm glad Sakura and Ino are there too!" Hinata's voice again.

"We miss you too, Hinata!" Sakura beamed at the phone.

And we spent half the day catching up with the others. I have to admit, that was the best Christmas I've ever had.