CHRISTMAS LISTS FOR DUMMIES: A GUIDE TO GIVING THE PERFECT GIFT

AUTHOR: fantasylover12001

RATING: T/PG-13

DISCLAIMER: Sadly I do not own Naruto, I'm just a lowly fangirl who has too many plot bunnies running around in her head. I am also not making any money off of this, if you don't believe me, look at my bank account.

PAIRINGS: SasuNaru, mentioned KakaIru, LeeSaku, KibaHina, ShikaIno. There also might be some NejiGaara, I haven't decided yet.

WARNING: There is yaoi. If you do not like yaoi for whatever reason please keep it to yourself and do not flame me for it, I don't tolerate flames about that because ultimately it will not accomplish anything except making me mad. You don't want to see me mad.

AUTHORS NOTE: Thank you everyone who gave encouragement for the first part! I know that was short but technically that was the prologue, I probably should have titled it prologue...Here is the actual first chapter which is a lot longer.

CHAPTER 1: STEP TWO-GATHERING IDEAS FOR PRESENTS

Tip: it is a good idea to start with the no-brainers first. These are usually people you know so well that you automatically know what to get them, or the people who have been kind enough to supply a list. Starting with these will give you more time to think up gifts for the people who are harder to buy for.

Naruto decided to start with his closest friends first when he started to figure out presents. Kakashi-sensei was the easiest. He knew that Jiraiya-san was finished with the next volume of Icha Icha Paradise and was able to talk the man into giving him an advanced copy to give his sensei. Iruka-sensei would most likely be annoyed that he was indulging the man's perverted tendencies but really, it was perfect for him.

He was still debating on what to get Iruka-sensei as he walked to his favorite ramen stand. But luckily he knew what to get for Sakura already. He had decided to buy her a nice journal to write in so she could get out all her feelings if she wished. He also secretly hoped that this would help cool down her "Inner Sakura" which she had been letting out more and more lately. Maybe his head wouldn't get smacked so much if she had other ways to vent.

The blonde paused as he sat down and looked at Sasuke's name on the list.

'He's going to be one of the difficult ones' Naruto thought with a slight frown.

But then, he reflected, Sasuke had always been difficult to figure out. Nothing about the man was predictable or easy. Naruto and Sakura had almost given up on the Uchiha but then he showed up about a year after Naruto returned to Konoha and traded secrets about Sound with Tsunade-baba in return for being let back into the village. Whatever the two had talked about in the Hokage's office when he returned still remained between the two of them.

No one was sure what to make of his sudden change of heart until Orochimaru had shown up in Konoha and it became clear he was working with Itachi. There was a huge battle that cost several lives but in the end Sasuke and Naruto teamed up and were able to kill both men. Sasuke was finally able to avenge his clan and Naruto finally got his best friend back.

Though it didn't feel like that sometimes. The battle seemed to prove to everyone that Sasuke was once again loyal to Konoha, and he was slowly let back in. He passed the Chuunin exam a few months after Naruto and Sakura did and was allowed on missions as long as there was someone with him. Then a year later he became a Jounin and then just a month ago, he joined the ANBU having finally earned back everyone's trust.

Sasuke was still as stoic as ever but he seemed to have loosened up some. He wasn't as cold as he used to be when he was younger. The man could hardly be called humorous but at least now he socialized a bit. It was as if killing Itachi lifted a great weight off his shoulders.

But to Naruto, it seemed like Sasuke was still cold to him. Maybe it was his imagination, but he just thought that it seemed like ever since he returned to Konoha, Sasuke was avoiding him. He talked to Naruto, sure. But it was usually the blonde who had to initiate contact or when the others were around. He wasn't that way with the others.

Sasuke actually talked to Sakura once in awhile now. The two got along a lot better now that the pink-haired girl was over her crush on him and seriously dating Lee. True the conversations they had were usually when he ended up in the hospital due to injuries and she was assigned to treat them or something but still...he actually talked to her.

Naruto knew for a fact that he regularly spared with Neji and Lee as well as Kakashi occasionally. But then, Neji and Kakashi were on ANBU with him and Lee tended to spar with everybody. So maybe Naruto was blowing this out of proportion. Or maybe he wasn't and Sasuke couldn't stand to be around him now that he knew about the demon fox.

'So why am I bothering to get him a present at all if he's not willing to even talk to me?' the blonde wondered. But he was able to answer his own question rather quickly. 'Because you like him more then even Sakura did when she had a crush on him.'

"Idiot," he muttered to himself.

He wasn't sure when exactly his feelings for Sasuke started to run deeper then friendship. That was probably because for the longest time he was in denial. He knew when he realized it though. It was when he saw the man for the first time after four years. It had been like a hole that had been in his chest was finally filled. The minute he had seen Sasuke standing there, slightly wounded but alive, he felt the crazy urge to run into the man's arms in relief. Then those dark eyes settled on him and his stomach started to feel funny.

He had tried to pass it off as just plain relief that Sasuke was back and had finally been able to come to his senses and break Orochimaru's curse seal. But soon every time he was near the other, his heart started pounding and every time their eyes met Naruto kept feeling the crazy urge to blush.

Out of desperation he had finally gone to Sakura, who had become his confidante in the past few years, and she bluntly told him that he was most likely in love. For some reason she seemed to find it amusing that it was Sasuke he had fallen for. He found it embarrassing as hell and tried to ignore it as best he could. He had just gotten his friend back (well, sort of) and he wasn't going to ruin it with this which was why he refused to tell Sasuke about it and tried to act as normally as possible around him.

'So what do you get a stoic bastard, who is currently avoiding you, and who you have fallen in love with?' Naruto wondered idly to himself. "This is going to take some thought," Naruto muttered.

"Don't hurt yourself, Uzumaki," a teasing voice came from behind him, causing him to jump.

"Ack! KIBA! You jerk! You did that on purpose!" the blonde yelled at his friend who stood grinning down at him.

"Hey, you're a Jounin, aren't you? I'm not supposed to be able to sneak up on you in the first place," Kiba shook his head and sat down next to him at the table. "How the heck have you managed to stay alive all this time?"

"Skill," Naruto said, sticking out his tongue.

Kiba snorted. "More like dumb luck, I'll bet."

Naruto crossed his arms. "Is there a reason you stopped to see me or do you just like to annoy me?"

"Yeah, Hinata asked me to find and tell you that you're invited to join us for dinner at her place tonight. She wants to have a whole bunch of people over for dinner for some reason."

"Oh yeah, who else is coming?" Naruto asked. He wasn't really surprised. Hinata often tried to get everyone together about once a month. Since she and Kiba had moved into their own place after seriously dating for a year they had been hosting these little get togethers.

"Oh the usual crowd. Shikamaru can't make it, he's on a mission, but everyone else is probably going to be there, I even managed to get Sasuke to come. He didn't want to at first but Sakura and Lee were there when I asked and Sakura-chan guilted him into coming."

Naruto snorted. "Damn. Wish I'd been there to see that."

Kiba chuckled. "It was pretty funny. Girl is good at the guilt thing, isn't she?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You have no idea."

"So I'm assuming you'll be there?"

"Sure." As Kiba started to get up Naruto asked, "Hey, Kiba, you have any idea what Hinata-chan wants for Christmas?"

The other man blinked. "Christmas? Naruto, it's only the first week of November!"

He shrugged. "I start early."

"Oh. Well, I have no idea. I'm saving up to get her this fancy butterfly necklace though, so don't get her anything like that."

Naruto tilted his head. "Butterfly necklace?"

Kiba shrugged. "She kind of has this thing about butterflies and I saw this one in a jewelry store and..." he trailed off as Naruto smirked at him. "Oh, shut up."

"What? I didn't say anything. Even if the idea of you in a jewelry store cracks me up."

Kiba scowled. "I'm going now. Later, Uzumaki. Don't be late or I'm going to let Chouji eat all your food."

Naruto waved his hand. "Yeah, whatever." He'd heard that threat a million times and even when he was late Hinata always made sure to save him food. The girl might of gotten over her crush on him but she still favored him a lot and he knew it tended to drive Kiba nuts.

Tip: Don't be afraid to just bluntly ask someone what they want for Christmas. Sure, it'll mean they know you have no clue what to get them, but they'll know you're at least trying to think up decent gifts and in the end you won't end up getting something totally lame.

Naruto wandered into his apartment later that night, tired but happy and full. Hinata, in his completely biased opinion, was a great cook. The dinner had been a lot of fun. He had been able to catch up with Ino, who he hadn't talked too in awhile and had been able to figure out gifts for five more people.

For Kiba and Hinata he was going to give them a joint present. He had noticed that the apartment they had moved into was a little bare in wall space so he decided to get a wall scroll for them to hang up. He knew a artist not far from the village whose life he had saved a while ago on a mission. The man said, if he ever wanted, he'd get a painting for free. He would make sure to pop over to the man's hut after his mission on Monday and take him up on the offer.

He decided that for Chouji he was going to give him a tin full of Christmas cookies. He and Iruka had made it a tradition to bake some a week before Christmas so he would just take a batch and put it in a tin. He had asked Chouji what he wanted and he'd shrugged and said, "Just get me some food and I'll be happy."

While talking to Ino, she'd let slip that Shikamaru was currently interested in philosophy and so he decided he was going to get the lazy Jounin a book on the subject. Another idea that came to him while talking to Ino was her present. He noticed for the first time that her ears were pierced. He didn't tend to pay attention to that sort of thing so this came as a surprise, though apparently the ears had been pierced for quite awhile. Ino had rolled her eyes at him when he asked her when she got that done. Naruto felt a bit bad that he hadn't noticed and so decided to get her earrings for Christmas.

'It was a fun evening. Too bad Sasuke didn't show up' Naruto thought with a slight frown. He'd been a bit disappointed about that as he'd been hoping to talk to Sasuke and hope that inspiration for a gift would come to him while talking to the other. He would have thought that Sasuke was once again avoiding him but it turned out that a mission had come up that afternoon which was why Neji hadn't been there either.

"Oh well, I have plenty of time left," Naruto said out loud and started to get ready for bed.

Tip: Time is an illusion. Procrastination is never good with Christmas presents. Procrastination leads to the people who mob the stores on Christmas Eve.

AUTHORS NOTE: For anyone who is confused the tips aren't really a part of the fic, they're more like time or scene breaks. They'll be going throughout the fic. I thought they'd be a fun touch and sort of explain the title of the fic. I know Sasuke has been MIA, he'll show up in the next chapter, promise. PLEASE REVIEW!