CHRISTMAS LISTS FOR DUMMIES: A GUIDE TO GIVING THE PERFECT GIFT
AUTHOR: fantasylover12001
RATING: PG-13/T
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto.
SUMMARY: Naruto has always prided himself at being the best gift giver. But he hits a serious speed bump when it comes to giving his best friend (and secret crush) Sasuke a gift. Will he find the perfect gift in time? Or will he learn that sometimes the best gifts aren't always necessarily wrapped?
AUTHOR NOTES: Thank you to all who reviewed and let me know knitting facts. Some of it was helpful towards figuring out the time length needed to make a scarf.
CHAPTER 5: STEP 6-DON'T FORGET TO ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS!
Tip: This is not really a tip, but more like advice. Don't forget to enjoy yourself during the holidays. As cliche as it sounds, the holidays are really about spending time with your family and friends, not about finding them the perfect gift.
"Naruto, maybe you should take a break?" Iruka asked cautiously three days later.
Ever since the knitting lessons had started Naruto had been staying over at Iruka and Kakashi's place (much to Kakashi's displeasure as it interrupted his Iruka-time). Iruka and Naruto had immediately started on the knitting lessons after Iruka had agreed to them. By the end of the night (around midnight or so) Naruto was well knowledged in how to properly hold the knitting needles, what type was best used for what, and was able to make basic loops. Iruka had been surprised at the amount of patience Naruto showed with knitting but then he wondered why he was. Naruto had become a bit more patient over the years, and when he was as determined as he was now he diligently went about any task set before him.
This was proved the next morning when the blonde, normally a late riser, arrived early at the apartment with the yarn and supplies needed to make a scarf and after Iruka showed him how to make rows immediately started to knit. Now clacks of needles were common in the apartment and Kakashi left saying the sound was grating his nerves.
There had been a slight pause in the sound as Iruka showed him how to switch colors and then the klacks started up again. Iruka was slowly starting to wish he'd joined his lover.
"I have to finish this! There's only two days left!" Naruto protested.
"Two? Naruto, Christmas is three days away," Iruka said in confusion. 'Oh boy, he's starting to lose track of the days.'
The blonde shook his head. "I'm giving all my gifts at Sakura's Christmas Eve party. There's going to be a gift exchange there."
"That sounds like fun," Iruka said with a smile.
"It was fun last year," Naruto said, grinning at the memory of his first ever Christmas party.
"Well, don't party too hard. Kakashi and I expect you and Sasuke here bright and early Christmas morning."
The blonde blinked in surprise and said slowly. "Me...and Sasuke?"
Iruka nodded. "Kakashi invited him to spend Christmas with us this year."
"That's good," Naruto said with a smile. "Then he won't have to spend it alone."
"That was the idea. Now why don't you take a break, Naruto? You look like you've made good progress already, you can continue tomorrow."
The blonde frowned and glanced down at the small section of scarf that he had started. "I suppose.."
"Good. Now come help me make Christmas cookies. We haven't made any yet this year."
The blonde shot up at that. "Oh yeah! I was going to give a batch to Chouji for Christmas this year!"
"Well then, lets get started." Iruka started to pull out the cookie ingredients and breathed a sigh of relief. 'Finally...no more needle clacking...'
SasuNaruSasuNaru
Sasuke shivered from his position in the tree. He was on his nightly patrol and mentally cursed Tsunade for assigning him night watch. For some odd reason the woman had seemed displeased with him ever since he and Naruto had gotten back from escorting Gaara and Temari back to Konoha and he guessed this was her way of taking out her anger on him.
Wind blew and Sasuke cursed out loud this time. "Fucking cold," he muttered.
"Now, now, no need to curse," Sasuke jumped and glared at Kakashi who appeared out of no where next to him on the tree. Despite all his developed skills, the ninja still managed to sneak up on him. It was damn annoying.
"What are you doing here? You're not on watch," he muttered at the Jounin, not really caring about the answer.
"Well things are slightly boring at home, so I'd thought I'd come see how my favorite former student was doing."
"I'm freezing my ass off thanks to the old hag who is our Hokage, how do you think I'm doing?" he said, not caring if he sounded like he was griping. He was allowed to gripe, he'd been out there for three hours. Really, Tsunade was a closet sadist; that was the only explanation. "How can it be boring at your home anyway? Don't you and Iruka-sensei usually go at it like rabbits? How can you be bored?"
"That's a rather crude way of putting my relationship with Iruka but I'll let it pass. It's boring because Iruka has been busy to answer your question."
"Oh? With what?"
"He's been helping Naruto with one of his Christmas gifts. Your gift actually."
Sasuke blinked. "MY Christmas gift?"
"You sound surprised."
"I am. Naruto and I haven't exactly been on the best of terms lately."
"You really think that would stop Naruto?"
"No," Sasuke replied with a sigh. Naruto would always give any friend of his a Christmas gift or birthday gift whether or not they were being an ass. It was just the way the blonde was. He valued each and every friendship he had and made sure to let that person know even if they were having an argument.
"I do hope you at least got a gift for him?"
"Of course," he replied casually even though the gift had been rather difficult to get.
"Good. Iruka would've killed you if you had forgotten," Kakashi said in a tone of voice that implied that he was completely serious.
"Iruka-sensei needs to be less overprotective," he replied bluntly.
"Would you like to tell him that?" Kakashi asked. Something in his eyes told Sasuke that he was smirking underneath his mask.
"No thanks," he said.
"I didn't think so." There was a silence after that. Then Kakashi said casually, "So what is going on between you and Naruto anyway?"
Sasuke glared at him and gritted out, "None. Of. Your. Business."
"Now is that anyway to talk to your former sensei?"
"It is when he's being an ass."
He got the distinct feeling Kakashi was smirking again. "Wherever did you learn such language?"
Sasuke gave his own smirk. "Naruto."
"Speaking of whom..."
"Go away, Kakashi," he interrupted the man before he could go further.
The silver haired man sighed. "You're no fun tonight. Maybe Gai's up for a spar." With that the man disappeared.
Sasuke shook his head. 'To think, he's one of the most powerful ninjas in the land.'
SasuNaruSasuNaru
"I still can't believe you waited until NOW to get a Christmas tree, Naruto!" Sakura said in an exasperated voice. "It's the day before Christmas Eve! All the good trees are going to be taken."
The two were bundled up for the cold weather and headed toward the tree lot as she was saying this and Naruto shrugged. "I've always gotten my tree this time of year. Besides, I live in a small place anyway so I don't need a really big one." He didn't add that getting a tree this time had always given him something to do for Christmas day. Now a days he had people to spend the day with, but those first few lonely Christmases still stuck in his mind sometimes and the habit of getting the tree just before Christmas Eve had never really gone away.
Besides, he had finally finished Sasuke's scarf an hour ago so he felt like celebrating anyway. What better way to celebrate then by picking out his Christmas tree? "You didn't have to come, you know."
"Hey, what are friends for?" the girl smiled at him, causing him to grin back. "Besides, Mom was starting in on Lee again and I was about to blow my top."
"I'm sorry, Sakura-Chan, I've failed in impressing your parents," Lee said next to her, hanging his head in shame.
"Don't apologize, Lee! My parents are just being assholes!" Sakura said vehemently.
"Sakura!" Naruto said in surprise.
"Well they are! They should respect my wishes and be happy for me! Not try and control my life all the time." the girl ranted angrily.
"My Sakura is so beautiful when she's angry!" Lee gushed next to her.
'Oh thank God, the tree lot' Naruto thought. "Hey look guys, we're here!"
The tree lot was surprisingly rather busy and while the trees were somewhat picked over, there were some decent ones left still. Just as the three started to enter they heard their names called and turned to see Ino waving at them, pulling a rather peeved looking Shikamaru behind her.
"Hey, guys. What are you doing here?" she said as she arrived.
"Naruto hasn't gotten his tree yet. You?" Sakura asked.
"Shikamaru hasn't gotten his either," the blonde rolled her eyes.
"I told you, woman! I don't need a Christmas tree! They're too troublesome!" Shikamaru tried to get out of her grasp. The blonde girl's eye twitched and she smacked his forehead.
"Shikamaru, stop being an idiot! You need some sort of cheer in that dump you call an apartment!" The lazy ninja didn't reply but rubbed his forehead and grumbled about troublesome women.
"Sasuke's going to be here soon, too," Ino added with a grin of triumph.
"Sasuke; buying a Christmas tree?" Naruto asked incrediously. For some reason the sight of it just wouldn't come to him.
"Hey, that mansion of his is no better then Shikamaru's place!" Ino said. She ignored his indigent protests and continued, "It's all dark and creepy. There needs to be some color!"
"How'd you get him to agree to come?" Naruto asked, slightly impressed.
The blonde girl grinned in a way not that was eerily similar to Naruto's famous fox grin. "I sent Chouji to the mansion and told him not to leave Sasuke alone until he came here. You know how Sasuke hates having people hover over him. Oh! There they are now!"
The group turned and sure enough, there was a disgruntled looking Sasuke stalking towards them with a slightly pleased looking Chouji following him, munching on cookies. He stiffened slightly when he saw Naruto but headed towards the group anyway. He glared at Ino and ground out, "Be glad I don't hit girls except in fights." Then he stalked into the tree lot without another word.
Naruto couldn't help but start to laugh. The others soon joined him; even Shikamaru was cracking a grin.
'It's great having friends' he thought as he watched Sasuke turn and glare back at them for laughing.
AUTHOR NOTES: Only two more parts, plus and epilogue to go! I hope everyone is having good luck with their Christmas shopping. PLEASE REVIEW!