Hello everyone - I am back from rehab (it took longer than I thought it would) but I still have to take things slowly. The main story will probably remain on hiatus until the beginning of next year, sorry about that, - but I've written this little Christmas story to tide you over a bit, and to find the voices of my characters again.

Thank you for your patience, and without further ado I present to you:

Linewalkers -The Night Before Christmas

Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way,
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.

It was snowing. Naruto leaned through the window and grinned at the sight of the fluffy white covering the treetops. It looked like the trees were wearing sugar crowns.

A hand grabbed him by the back of his shirt and yanked him back inside. "Do not lean out of the window, child. It is dangerous."

"Sorry, grandfather." Naruto threw a sheepish look at the displeased-looking ghost.

The man sighed and gently lowered him down. "If you wish to go outside and play with your friends, you may."

Naruto's head snapped up. "I can? Really?"

"I just said so, didn't I?" Tobirama repeated with a raised eyebrow and placed a thick woolen scarf around Naruto's neck and adjusted it carefully. "Just remember to dress warmly. It is cold outside."

Naruto waited obediently until the man was done before he threw his arms around him and squeezed. "Thank you!"

Tobirama placed his hand on the child's head. "Of course," he replied softly. "You should go now," he added after a while. "Least you lose too much daylight."

Naruto agreed readily and stormed towards the door.

Brimming with excitement, he threw it open and almost collided with Shisui, who looked like he was just about to knock.

"Shisui!" Naruto grabbed his older friend's arm and dragged him down the stairs. "Look, it's snowing!"

Shisui laughed and allowed himself to be dragged downstairs. "Yes, I see it." He grinned. "That's actually why I am here."

Naruto tilted his head. "Huh?" He squeaked in surprise as Shisui suddenly bent down and picked him up. "Hey what are you doing?!"

Shisui tapped Naruto's nose and snickered as the child batted his hand away. "Let's go play."

"Play?" Naruto's eyes sparkled.

"Play," Shisui repeated. Then he looked around and lowered his voice. "But before that, we have to do something very important and very secret."

Naruto threw him a curious look.

"Shisui?" Naruto asked slowly as they peeked around the snow-covered tree.

"Yes, Naruto?" Shisui replied and narrowed his eyes in deep concentration.

"When you said we were going to do something very important and very secret," Naruto began wryly, "I didn't think that you meant this."

Shisui threw him a serious look. "This is very important and very secret," he assured Naruto grimly.

Naruto was not convinced. "Do you really think this will work?" He pointed at the strange contraption Shisui had invented.

"Of course, it will," Shisui answered immediately. "Now be quiet. It's starting."

Naruto obediently shut his mouth and followed Shisui's gaze.

The two friends held their breaths as Uchiha Itachi rounded the corner. The boy stopped about five feet away from them, and rolled his eyes at the dango box sitting innocently in the middle of a poorly hidden snare trap.

"I don't think it worked," Naruto whispered towards Shisui.

"And here I was sure the dango would do it," Shisui sighed.

"You two know that I can hear and see you, right?" Itachi interrupted in a very dry tone.

Shisui threw down the branch he had used to cover his face "Quick, we have been discovered. Run!"

Shisui grabbed Naruto, and the two fled towards the Senju compound. "Ne, Shisui?" Naruto asked between two jumps. "How long do you think it takes him to find out that the box is actually a spring trap filled with snow?"

"Oh, not long at all," a third voice answered. "In fact, it only took me a few seconds."

Shisui slid to a stop and Naruto nearly bumped into him. The two of them threw nervous looks at Itachi. The young Uchiha was leaning against the wall, looking very calm and very composed.
Judging by the state his clothes were in, Shisui's trap had at least partly worked.

"So," Itachi began conversationally, "how should I thank you two for this wonderful gift?" He pushed himself off the wall and took a threatening step forward.

Shisui itched back. "Uhm… you could laugh about it and let us go?" he offered weakly.

Itachi smiled and grabbed a handful of snow. "Try again."

Naruto shared a look with Shisui, and they bolted down the street and fled into the first building they could find.

The shinobi working at the T&I department were quite surprised when two kids suddenly barged in and ducked behind the counter.

Morino Ibiki raised an eyebrow as he realized that he had Uchiha Shisui and Uzumaki Naruto hiding behind their coffeemaker. "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded, not sure if he really wanted to know.

That was the moment the door opened again and Uchiha Itachi casually walked in. He bowed slightly towards Ibiki. "I apologize for the interruption, Morino-san, but I believe my companions just ran inside. Please allow me to take them off your hands."

Ibiki snorted and turned back to his papers. "They are hiding behind the coffee maker," he informed Itachi drily. "Get them out."

"I will," Itachi agreed calmly. "Shisui, Naruto. Are you coming out on your own or do I have to fetch you?"

"Can I drink my coffee first?" Shisui inquired hopefully and held the filled mug up. "It's really good."

"The hot chocolate is good, too," Naruto agreed, carefully cradling his own cup.

Itachi sighed. "Sometimes I wonder why I am friends with you two," he muttered. "Fine," he agreed, "Scoot over and get me a cup."

Ibiki had no idea how it happened, but suddenly he and his team were having coffee time with three kids.

How strange.

Well, at least the cookies were nice.

Although he did wonder how Uchiha Shisui had managed to hide an entire jar in his pocket.

While the children were out playing, a certain dog masked ANBU was busy dragging Tenzo towards Naruto's apartment.

Tobirama watched in bemusement as his charge's self-proclaimed brother gave his poor subordinate instructions for growing the perfect Christmas tree.

"It has to be big. But not so big, that a kid can't reach the top. And make it wide, but not too wide. It still has to fit through the door in case Naruto wants to move it. It's also good if it's a bit crooked. But not so crooked that it ends up lopsided. The trunk needs to be strong, too, but make sure Naruto can still carry it."

Tenzo nearly cried in frustration. "Anything else you'd like to order, captain?" he asked scathingly.

"Well," Hound scratched his head. "Now that you mention it, I could do with a coffee."

Tobirama shook his head. Hatake Kakashi was truly a strange man.

Meanwhile, the three friends had said their goodbyes to the nice shinobi and had relocated to the Senju compound.

Or rather, to the front yard of the clan head's house, where Naruto and Itachi schooled themselves in art criticism.

"Who exactly is that supposed to be?" Itachi bent forward and eyed Shisui's snowman with a critical look.

"The Hokage, of course," Shisui replied cheerfully and posed grandly behind his artistic masterpiece.

"He's quite small," Naruto commented and easily put his hand on the snowman's head.

"Old men can be small," Shisui huffed.

"He has no nose," Itachi remarked blandly.

"The snow bunny ate it."

Shisui found himself at the receiving end of two identical 'Really, now?'-looks.

He crossed his arms. "Bunnies like carrots."

"Of course, they do," Itachi agreed amicably, dutifully ignoring the fact that no bunnies were present at all and that Shisui never even had a carrot in the first place.

Naruto snickered and bent down to pick up a fallen twig. He shoved it into the middle of the snowman's head. "There's the nose!"

They scrutinized the finished product.

"It's a bit… crooked," Shisui finally observed.

"It looks like someone had gnawed on it," Itachi added.

"Maybe it was the tooth of time?" Naruto offered easily. He had heard the phrase from Tobirama. For being such a serious individual, the ghost was sometimes strangely poetic.

Itachi nodded slowly. "A rather fitting description in more than one way."

Shisui rolled his eyes and threw his arms around their shoulders. "You can philosophize later. Why don't we go and do that instead?" He threw a profound look at Itachi and wriggled his brows.

Itachi narrowed his eyes. "Do what?"

"That!" Shisui replied and vanished out of sight. A second later, a snowball flew towards the younger Uchiha.

Itachi dodged it and smirked. "You're on. Naruto, do you want to -" He stopped to step out of the way of a second snowball. This time it was thrown by the boy he had just addressed.

Naruto grinned at him and formed another projectile.

"So, this is how you want to play," Itachi commented idly. "Fine. I'll just take down both of you."

He moved.

"Why does he always win?" Naruto complained half-heartedly over a reindeer wagashi and glared at Shisui. "Can't you defeat him at least once?" He pointed at Itachi, who was contently picking out tea leaves. "You are a jonin, aren't you?"

They had congregated around the irori* to warm themselves up. The fire inside the pit was crackling and hardly produced any smoke. Shisui was surprisingly skilled in handling the flames.

Shisui grinned wryly and put the fire tongs down. "Village ranks are not equal to a shinobi's strength, Naruto. It just means that you have gained enough experience to take on more responsibilities."

"He is correct," Itachi agreed and unfasted the teapot from the hook. "And aren't you a good example for this? If strength alone was the deciding factor, you would be a chunin by now. Or, if we apply reverse logic, you would only be as strong as an average genin."

Naruto tilted his head as he handed the cups to Itachi. "So Shisui has more experience than you?"

"Yes and no," Shisui admitted and placed a clay pot between Itachi and himself. "Promotion is sometimes a bit different for ANBU. If they get recruited while they are still chunin and make captain during their service, they usually get promoted after leaving the corps. I moved faster through the ranks because they needed capable people after the Third War had drastically reduced our forces."

Naruto nodded slowly and leaned over to pat Shisui's shoulder. "Well, I still think you're cool. Even if you always lose the snowball fights."

Itachi snorted. Shisui dropped his head, not looking the least bit comforted. "You're not cute at all."

Naruto snickered "So… have you already wrapped your Christmas presents?" he inquired curiously and watched Itachi pour the water into the clay pot.

"Is that your way of asking if we got you presents?" Shisui teased.

"He is not you," Itachi interjected drily and easily dodged the tea leaf Shisui threw at him in retaliation. "And to answer your question," he filled the cups and discarded the excess water. "I have prepared most of them, but I am still unsure if I have gotten the right gift for my little brother."

Shisui rolled his eyes. "You are still going on about that? I told you, he'll love the practice shuriken you got him. He has been eyeing them for ages."

"It just needs to be perfect," Itachi insisted strongly and looked at Naruto. "What do children your age like?"

Naruto blinked, completely thrown off by that question. What did they like? What did he like? He scratched his head. "Sealing books?" he offered finally before remembering the gifts he had received. "Or… maybe a plush blanket? Maybe with a tomato print on it? He likes tomatoes, right? Or a pair of warm socks?"

Shisui doubled over in laughter. "Tomato print," he snickered. "Socks. Sealing books!"

Itachi fixed Naruto with a completely unimpressed look. "You are even worse than Shisui," he concluded flatly. Then he sighed. "But I suppose it was a redundant question. You are different from children your age, after all." He added ten tablespoons sencha to the clay pot and poured the cups over it.

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "I am sure you chose correctly. But if you want to add something really special, you could always make time to train with him," he suggested softly, "Teach him something that allows him to say, 'My brother taught me.' I'm sure he'd love that."

"That's actually a good idea," Shisui commented,"You know that kid worships you. He'd be over the moon if you did that. Although," he added with a grin, "I don't think he would say no to a tomato blanket."

Itachi snorted. "I'll consider it. Teaching him, not the blanket," he clarified before Shisui could make another comment.

Shisui sighed in disappointment. "What a shame. It would have been hilarious."

Naruto snickered and accepted the cup Itachi handed him.

"Well, I can always give it to him myself," Shisui mused and skillfully ignored Itachi's patented "You-are-an-idiot"- look.

Shisui winked at Naruto and sighed. "I really don't want to go to that Christmas Dinner. It's always so stuffy and boring."

"Is that why you spiked the punch last year?" Itachi inquired drily.

"Me?" Shisui spread his hands out in a gesture of innocence. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Of course not, "Itachi agreed, "You would never do something like that. How could I ever think something so entirely ridiculous?"

Naruto thought he was laying his sarcasm on a bit too thick. It didn't stop Shisui from nodding sagely in agreement, though.

The three children remained huddled around the irori until the late afternoon hours. Then Itachi and Shisui said their goodbyes, saying they still had some things to prepare.

Naruto accompanied them outside, and the three parted at the gates. His feet carried him through the bustling streets. In the light of the setting sun, Konoha was glittering. Christmas baubles decorated the window displays; chains of multi-colored lights twisted around doorframes and golden stars adorned the windows.

The village was in a festive mood.

Naruto walked through the abundance of cheer and light until the voices quietened and the lights dimmed behind him.

The soft crunching his steps produced was soon the only sound he heard as he went deeper into the woods until he reached the flat stone.

The pendant glowed and allowed him entry to the snow-covered path.

Naruto followed the winding path to the top of the ledge. Despite being covered by a thin layer of snow, the Shodai's tree remained evergreen. . Naruto brushed over one of the hanging leaves. It felt warm under his touch.

"Hello, Uncle," he whispered finally. The gentle wind carried his words across the entire clearing. "I came to wish you a merry Christmas. I really wish you could be here right now. Grandfather misses you, and I would really like to spend time with you."

Naruto leaned his forehead against the trunk and closed his eyes. "I hope you are happy wherever you are now." He placed his arms around the tree. "Merry Christmas."

A single tear dropped out of his eyes and fell on the acorn around his neck. Warmth spread through him, and a bright light engulfed the entire tree.

Naruto moved back and stared wide-eyed at the radiant figure materializing itself in front of him.

Was that? Could it be?

"Uncle?" His voice was barely a whisper.

The white light subsided, and Senju Hashirama stepped out of the tree. A soft smile appeared on the man's lips. "Merry Christmas, Naruto."

Naruto threw himself at him.

Hashirama placed his arms around the child and looked over Naruto's shoulder. "How long are you going to stand there and stare, little brother?"

"Hashirama," Tobirama's voice sounded broken. "Brother." Two arms closed tightly around them. "I missed you so much."

"I know," Hashirama replied quietly, "I know." He leaned down and brushed his forehead against Tobirama's. "Merry Christmas, little brother."

Tobirama laughed. It was a deep sound filled with delight. "Merry Christmas, brother."

This night, the three walked back home hand-in-hand. Naruto's joy was complete when he was greeted by his best friends and his brother-figure singing a Christmas carol.

It was just unfortunate that Kakashi's dogs were completely incapable of carrying a tune.

Merry Christmas!