CHRISTMAS LISTS FOR DUMMIES: A GUIDE TO GETTING THE PERFECT GIFT
AUTHOR: fantasylover12001
RATING: PG-13/T
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto.
SUMMARY: Naruto prides himself on being the best gift-giver but he hits a serious speed-bump when it comes to buying a gift for his best friend (and secret crush) Sasuke. Will he find the perfect gift in time? Or will he learn that sometimes the best gifts aren't always necessarily wrapped?
PAIRING: SasuNaru, KakaIru, LeeSaku, KibaHina, ShikaIno, NejiGaara
AUTHOR NOTES: I apologize for messing up where Gaara lives. I don't have my old issues of SJ with me and wanted to update quickly so I didn't check. Next time I'll check. Thank you to those who reviewed and gently corrected me, I plan on going back and correcting the part so it's right.
CHAPTER 3: STEP 4-FOR THAT HARD TO SHOP FOR PERSON...
Tip: There is always someone difficult to shop for. If it's someone you don't know well, try getting to know them better to get inspiration. If it's a family member, a gift from the heart always works. If it's a friend, chances are they'll appreciate any gift you've put thought into.
Naruto sighed once again.
"Would you please stop doing that?" Sasuke asked in irritation.
"Well, maybe if you actually talked once in awhile, I wouldn't sigh," he shot back.
"We're on a mission; we're not here to socialize."
"This isn't a mission, it's baby-sitting," Naruto grumbled.
Sasuke snorted. "I'll be sure to tell Gaara you think he needs a baby-sitter."
Naruto panicked. "Don't you dare!"
Sasuke just smirked and kept on walking.
'Bastard! Just wait until I get back to Konoha! Tsunade-baba is going to get a piece of my mind! I don't care if she IS the Fifth Hokage!' Naruto glared at Sasuke's back as he fumed silently.
"Hurry up, Dobe," Sasuke called back to him.
"Don't call me that, bastard!" Naruto yelled. 'Forget a piece of my mind! She's getting my most powerful jutsu!'
Tip: Taking a break from thinking about presents can help. Sometimes when you're NOT thinking about it, a present idea can come to you.
Sasuke's patience was being sorely tested, but then it always seemed to get tested
around Naruto. If the blond sighed one more time he was going to crack. It had taken half a week to travel to Wind Country, now they were headed towards Sand Village. Sasuke hoped the presence of Gaara and Temari would distract the blonde from boredom when they got to the village.
He supposed he could talk to Naruto to keep him occupied but talking was never one of his strong suits. Talking to Naruto was even harder for him so it was best to stay as silent as possible. Unfortunately for him, staying silent meant the blonde found other ways to occupy himself. At first, he had chatted.
Sasuke didn't necessarily mind this, it was slightly amusing hearing the blonde talk about what he thought about everything from snow (he loved it), to Iruka-sensei's and Kakashi's sensei's relationship (weird, but Iruka-sensei seemed happy so he didn't mind), to the new store that had opened up down the street from him (a party store that evidently had great deals on wrapping paper).
Naruto tried to get him to talk but he didn't budge and the blonde finally gave up. After that he started humming Christmas carols. Every Christmas carols under the sun. Sasuke was greatly relieved when he finally got bored with that. After they got to Wind country Naruto marveled at how warm it was when Konoha was covered in snow. Then he ran out of sights to goggle at and grew bored. Thus leading to the sighing every ten minutes.
Sasuke had never been so happy to see a village in his life when they got to Sand.
Gaara and Temari were at the village entrance when they arrived. Gaara looked as serious as ever but a small smile came to his face Naruto rushed up to him and practically glomped him.
'He's the only one I know who would have the guts to do that' Sasuke thought in amusement as he watched the blonde enthusiastically greet the siblings.
As Naruto and Temari exchanged gossip Gaara nodded at him. "Uchiha."
Sasuke nodded back.
"I see Naruto-kun hasn't changed a bit," he said, nodding towards the blonde who was looking at Temari with wide eyes as she explained why she had never seen snow before.
"No, he hasn't," he replied. 'I hope he never does.'
Gaara studied him a bit, looked at Naruto and then back at him, and then sighed. "I suppose you haven't changed either."
'What's THAT supposed to mean?' Sasuke wondered in confusion. "No, I don't think so..."
"Figures," Gaara scoffed. "Idiots. Both of you." Then he walked off.
'What was THAT about?' Sasuke stared after the ninja with a frown.
Tip: If you absolutely can't think of ANYTHING, buy a card, put in some cash, and tell them that you tried your best. They'll probably appreciate that you tried and won't be stuck with an absolutely lame gift that will just add to clutter and never get used.
Naruto was at the end of his rope. He, Sasuke, Temari, and Gaara were going to arrive in Konoha TOMORROW and he still couldn't think up a gift for his best friend.
'I only have two weeks left! What am I going to do! I'm in love the guy, for crying out loud, you'd think I'd be able to think up SOMETHING!
"Naruto," Sasuke came up behind him suddenly, causing him to jump.
"What?"
"It's my turn to take watch," he said simply.
"Oh." he got up and started to head for his tent then he paused and glanced back. Sasuke had taken his seat and had his usual emotionless face on. Seeing it again suddenly made him angry and he stomped back to the other man.
"Why do you have to be so difficult!" he burst out.
Sasuke stared up at him. "Excuse me?"
"You know what I'm talking about!"
The ninja raised an eyebrow at him and said calmly, "No, I don't."
Naruto pointed at his face. "That! I'm talking about that!"
Sasuke frowned at him. "About what?"
"I'm talking about the fact that you have to be such a stoic bastard!" Naruto yelled.
"Oh," he replied and then glanced back to the fire.
"Urgh! Stop ignoring me!"
"It's a bit hard to ignore you," Sasuke said bluntly.
The blonde snorted. "Funny, you've been managing ever since you got back."
Sasuke didn't reply. 'Probably because he knows it's true' Naruto thought furiously. He wasn't even sure why he was angry anymore but he knew that he wanted to get to the bottom of why Sasuke was ignoring him once and for all.
"Come on, Sasuke, don't play dumb," he said, when he continued to be ignored. "You've been avoiding me for almost two years now. Ever since the fight with Orochimaru and your brother."
Sasuke still didn't reply. It started to make him angrier and even more then a little hurt. "I guess I was wrong. You are just like the villagers," he muttered bitterly.
That seemed to get Sasuke's attention because he looked up at Naruto and glared. "Excuse me?"
"You aren't talking to me anymore because you know about Kyuubi now," he stated bluntly.
The other ninja stood up and narrowed his eyes at the smaller man. "I don't give a damn about the stupid fox, Naruto. Do not mistake me for the villagers."
Naruto frowned in confusion. 'He doesn't care about it? Then why is he avoiding me?'
Out loud he asked the same question. Sasuke avoided his eyes. "It's complicated."
'There he goes AGAIN.' "HOW is it complicated?"
"It just is."
Before Naruto could open his mouth another voice interrupted them. "Hey!"
They turned and shifted in embarrassment when they saw Temari standing in her sleep cloths with her hands on her hips. "I have last watch, guys; I would LIKE to get some sleep before then! Argue on your own time!"
"Sorry," they mumbled.
"Whatever. Just PLEASE be quiet." with a pointed look at Naruto she returned to her tent.
"You better get to bed," Sasuke said stiffly after she left.
"But-,"
"Naruto," Sasuke stopped him and looked at him tiredly. "Please. Just leave it."
"Okay," he said softly. He went to bed like Sasuke asked, but it was a long time before he fell asleep.
AUTHOR NOTES: Hmm...this fic turned out more angsty then I was planning...funny how that happened. PLEASE REVIEW!