Merry Christmas! Happy Chanukah! Happy Kwanzaa! And Happy Holidays! Whatever and however you celebrate, I hope you're staying safe and having fun(as long as it's legal), and I hope to bring you another ounce of joy with this chapter. Think of it as one final christmas present. Now, as you read this, please remember that I have never been in a romantic relationship before, and have only been writing for about half a year. It's going to be trashy, but I think we could use a little trashy every now and then. Trashy is simple and full of naive happiness. I think we should be able to enjoy such a thing on Christmas.
Welp. I guess I wasn't good this year because we still don't have the rights to Naruto. Such a shame.
=
Naruto had mixed feelings about christmas. Before Sasuke, it was lonely, but he usually didn't have to face a beating. After meeting Sasuke, Naruto had tried to hide how lonely he was, but Mikoto knew of his situation and swept him into the family without hesitation. Of course he didn't attend the Christmas party for the entire Uchiha clan, but it was the first sense of family Naruto had known.
The year of the massacre, Christmas held no joy. Naruto and Sasuke spent that year sitting by the fire in silence. Mourning the family they had lost.
Every Christmas after, the two had spent together, celebrating with the little family they had left. It wasn't a big party, but it was all they needed. As they got older, Sasuke started getting invited to more and more parties. Mainly from the girls in class, but a few from the more prominent clans of Konoha, mainly for political reasons. Naruto had worried Sasuke would leave him every time, but Sasuke always stayed with Naruto.
This year though, was a bit different. This year, Naruto wanted to do something special for Sasuke. In the past few months, Sasuke and Haku had been really busy and hadn't been able to meet up very much. Tonight, Naruto wanted to give them one of the most rare gifts of all. Time.
To send his gift, Naruto sent a letter. Telling Sasuke that they'd meet up tomorrow and that he and Haku had the night for themselves. When he read the letter, Sasuke was thankful to Naruto, though he felt a bit guilty. Knowing that Naruto would be upset if he didn't take the gift, Sasuke did as Naruto asked, knowing that Naruto would've felt guilty otherwise.
So instead of spending Christmas with Sasuke, Naruto decided to walk around town to keep his mind busy. It was a rare event in Konoha, it snowed, only happening once or maybe twice a year if they were lucky. Naruto only had a scarf to wear, to keep him warm.
The streets of Konoha were never so peaceful. Even those who also decided to go for walks didn't throw dirty looks at him. This one night of the year, they kept to themselves. Naruto smiled when he passed by windows that revealed happy families, enjoying the warmth of each other.
Naruto had expected to spend the night walking the streets of Konoha, like he usually did when he was trying to distract himself, but didn't want to train. Instead, he was found by Sakura and Lee.
"Naruto! I am so glad to see you!" shouted Lee. Thankfully with the return of Tsunade, Lee was able to make a full recovery from his injuries and could now walk. In all honesty, Naruto didn't recognize him at first. Instead of his usual green jumper with leg warmers, Lee was dressed like a gentleman. Black dress pants with a mint green button down shirt with a black vest on top. His hair slicked back.
Sakura was not as fancy, wearing knee high socks and low heels, with a large red coat. She did not do anything with her hair.
"Woah! What's the occasion? Going on a date?". Both Lee and Sakura turned red, struggling to respond.
It was Sakura who answered, "N-no, we-we're going to a party". After getting the first sentence out, Sakura was able to gain control of herself. After clearing her throat, she continued. "Ino is throwing a party tonight and invited all of the Konoha 12, and Haku. She sent one to you too".
Naruto raised an eyebrow at this. Sakura sighed, "At least she tried to. For someone everyone knows, only your teammates actually know where you live. Anyways, she gave it to Sasuke to give to you, I guess that never happened".
Naruto sighed, "Yeah, Sasuke may be talented, but when it comes to mail he is the absolute worst. He can memorize a jutsu in less than a second, but he can't remember to send out or deliver something for squat".
Sakura muffled a laugh. The idea of Sasuke being so forgetful being incredibly humorous. "Anyways, come. You can come with me and Lee. You don't need to be fancy. He's just dressed like this because I was able to get to his place before he sent out and got him to change into actual clothes".
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Actual clothes huh? It looks like he's going to a wedding".
Lee smiled, "Yes! Sakura helped me! I usually just go to parties in my shinobi attire, but now I can show the flames of my youth in style!". He then gave Naruto a thumbs up with a wink.
Sakura's sweat dropped, and Naruto chuckled.
"Well by all means, continue"
Sakura looked at her watch and slightly panicked. "Come on! We're going to be late! Hinata's going to be there too!". Naruto would've inquired further, but Lee and Sakura were already off. To quicken they're arrival, Lee picked up Sakura bridal style so they could hop across buildings, her heels preventing her from doing so earlier.
[}{]}{]
When they arrived, they were welcomed at the door by Ino, who had decided to wear the ugliest sweater ever seen. Naruto was hesitant to step through the doorway, fearing that he'd get yelled at by Ino's parents. He instinctively steeled his emotions when Ino's father came to the door, throwing on a mask of happiness. To his surprise, instead of being thrown to the curb, Mr. Yamanaka welcomed him in.
Naruto was completely dumbfounded as he was led through the door and into the house. As of custom, he took his shoes off before stepping further into the house. Choji had seen from the living room and shouted, "Hey Naruto! Come and join us!".
Not knowing how parties worked, Naruto did as told, joining Choji on the couch along with Shikamaru. Looking around, Naruto saw that Sakura meant it when she said Ino invited all of the Konoha 12. Naruto opened his mouth, planning on asking what he was supposed to do, but Choji seemed to have thought he was about to ask a different question.
"They banned me from the kitchen. Apparently I'd eat all of the food if I was". Naruto's train of thought was completely broken as he broke into laughter. Choji joining him. Shikamaru even cracked a smile.
When they stopped, Choji and Naruto talked a little while more, Kiba joining them for a little bit. Naruto was distracted when he saw Hinata enter the room, trailing behind her cousin.
It seemed that even to such an informal event, the Hyuga's had to dress up. Hinata was in a lavender purple Kimono with white trim. A dash of makeup on top of that. While he found her stunning, he also thought she looked uncomfortable.
Excusing himself from the conversation, Naruto walked up to her, a smile on his face. "Hi Hinata. Surprised to see you here".
Hinata's eyes widened at the sight of Naruto, "I-I umm. Father gave me the night to myself so I thought I might try to socialize…". Naruto had a skeptical look on his face. Hinata tried to change the subject to avoid further questioning, "Anyways, ummm. On the topic of parties, what do you do at them?". Hinata was embarrassed to ask the question, but if she couldn't ask him, then who could she ask?
"I umm. I think we just talk and have fun. I've never been to one with friends before. And the last one I went to was years ago. What about you? You're a Hyuga, shouldn't you know how to party?"
"I never attended a party for fun. I only went to them if they were political parties, and those are… more formal"
Naruto nodded his head in understanding. "Well, I guess we're just going to have to find out right? It looks like everyone's gathering in the living room, maybe we can get a spot in the corner and watch".
Hinata nodded her head in agreement. Unfortunately for them, there was little room so they were thigh to thigh, and shoulder to shoulder. Both Hinata and Naruto blushed at how close they were. Ino, Tenten, and Sakura smirked. Neji had a small scowl.
"Alright", said Ino, grabbing everyone's attention. "We have snacks, we have friends, now we just need some entertainment. Now, three ideas have been suggested. To watch a movie. To play Two Truths and a Lie. And to play Truth or Dare. All for the movie". Choji and Shikamaru raised their hand. "Those for Two Truths and a Lie". Only Lee raised his hand. "And for Truth or Dare?". Tenten, Kiba, Sakura, and Ino raised their hands. Neji, Hinata, Naruto, and Shino just watched. Going with the flow of the party.
Ino clapped her hands together, an excited gleam in her eyes. "Okay! This is going to get interesting! He he he. Now what should the punishment be if someone doesn't follow through with their dare or truth?".
It didn't take long for someone to answer. "How about they have to steal Tsunade's Sake?" Naruto suggested. Everyone's eyes went wide at the suggestion. Tsunade may not have been Hokage long, but already people knew that she and her Sake were practically inseparable.
Ino smiled at this, "Yes! I like it Naruto! Okay, so just some ground rules. Truths have to be yes or no questions, dares can't be sexual", Ino shot a glare at Kiba. "The dares can't be to tell the truth. And if a dare is too disgusting or too far, we'll take a vote. If a majority of the people think it's okay, then the dare is safe. If the majority don't think it's okay, then a new dare must be made. Now, in the spirit of the christmas feast, I say Choji goes first".
Ino's nomination for who went first was accepted, and the chaos of Truth or Dare began.
"Umm… hmmmm. Oh! I got one! Shikamaru, truth or dare?"
"Truth"
"Did that girl from the hidden sand village actually kiss you?".
Every female present(except for Hinata), acted in unison when they said, "WHAT?!"
Shikamaru's face was bright red. He mumbled his first answer, having to speak up after Ino snapped at him for mumbling. "Fine. Yes, she did kiss me".
Sakura and Ino giggled, imagining what Shikamaru must've looked like.
Since they were going in a circle, it was Shikamaru's turn next. After composing himself again, Shikamaru cleared his throat and said, "Alright. Choji, truth or dare?"
"Dare!"
Shikamaru smirked. "I dare you not to eat any more food tonight". Choji's jaw dropped, he asked if he could have just one more candy cane, but even that Shikamaru said no to. And so, Choji crossed his arms and sat back into the couch, sad that he no longer could have food at the party. Ino sent a silent thank you to Shikamaru.
Next was Kiba. Sakura and Ino shivered, imagining what disgusting thing he'd ask them to do. "Shino! Truth Or Dare?!".
Shino's eyebrows raised in surprise. He didn't expect himself to be called on. "Dare" he answered, wanting to maintain his sense of mystery.
Kiba smiled, "I dare you… To take off your coat and glasses".
Only one thing ran through Shino's head, 'Shit'. The others couldn't believe how amazing of a dare that was.
Hinata and Naruto looked to each other in wonder, 'I'm so glad I came to this party!' they both thought.
After moving to the center of the room, Shino mentally prepared himself for what was to come. He visibly shook, a battle waging within himself. Hesitantly, he reached up to grab the zipper to his coat. In one quick movement, he unzipped it and took it off. The sight he left them with left many amazed, and disgusted. His arms were covered with holes into his body, beetles casually walking in and out of them. Then Shino completed his dare by reaching up and removing his glasses. People were amazed at what they saw. His eyes were green like the leaves, stunning, and vibrant. Although they didn't get to see for long because he squinted his eyes.
"Hey! No hiding them!" said Kiba.
"I have sensitive eyes. My glasses help block out light". Before waiting for someone to say something, Shino returned his clothing to his body as quickly as Naruto ate ramen. Secretly terrified of the response from his peers. He had expected them to kick him out of the door, but instead, they just continued on with the game. Sakura even tapped the spot next to her where he had been sitting. With his coat back on, Shino smiled. Thankful to have such an accepting group.
Next was Tenten. She giggled with devilish delite. "Let's see". It was then Tenten spotted a sneaky little bunch of leaves over a doorway that led to the back wash room. Returning her gaze back to the group of genin before her, Tenten scoped out her victims. Then she landed on the perfect pair. "Naruto. Truth or Dare?".
Naruto hesitantly answered "Dare". Unsure of what chaos would ensure. He didn't want to risk any unnecessary truths.
Tenten struggled to contain her glee. "Naruto I dare you to stand under that doorway over there, and I dare Hinata to join him". Naruto shrugged, and Hinata was confused as to why she was roped into this, but they made their way to stand in the doorway. Everyone else was confused as to how this was a good dare.
"Okay, we're here". Naruto said, hoping to retreat back to the safety of the corner as quickly as possible.
"Look up". That was the only thing Tenten said. And only thing she had to say. Everyone saw the mistletoe. Although only one didn't know the tradition.
"Okay so there's some sort of plant over me and Hinata. Now what?". Ino and Sakura struggled to hold in their laughter. Neji was infuriated, he was about to tell Tenten to knock it off when she pinch his thigh. He reluctantly withheld his opinions. Allowing Tenten to have her way.
"Oh, I think Hinata knows what to do. Oh and it has to go both ways", Tenten explained.
Now Naruto was even more confused. He turned to Hinata for answers, and was met with a tomato. He had never seen Hinata more red. "Umm, Hinata? You okay?".
Hinata looked up at Naruto, then she looked to Tenten with an evil glare. Tenten through a smile and a thumbs up back. Just like Shino, she went for the fast approach and get it done with ,before she over thought about it. She turned back to face Naruto who had followed her glare to Tenten. Hoping to do it before he caught on, Hinata moved in to kiss his cheek. Tonight however, it seemed Kami had other plans. Right as Hinata moved in, she had closed her eyes. Not noticing Naruto turn his head back to face her.
Before he could process what was happening, Naruto was met with Hinata's lips on his own. Feeling that it wasn't his cheek she was kissing, Hinata opened her eyes to see Naruto staring right back at her. The two stayed there for a couple seconds, in shock. When they reclaimed they're senses, and fully took in the situation, the results left everybody but Neji laughing. Hinata's brain once again short circuited and she fainted. This time into Naruto, bring him down along with her as she fell to the ground. Acting fast, Naruto pulled her head into his chest as they fell to protect her.
Naruto returned to the corner with Hinata passed out in his arms, and his face burning red. Her head resting on his shoulder. Neji nearly erupted at the sight, but a little pinch to his thigh kept him from doing so.
Trying to keep the party going, Ino move the train along. "Neji, it's your turn". A smirk fell upon Neji's face. He was about to have Naruto do a nasty dare, or reveal a painful truth, but a sharp pinch to his thigh, once again stopped him. He grumbled in defeat.
As he looked for another target, he found someone who he believed would be quite amusing to watch do a dare. "Kiba. Truth or Dare?".
"Dare! Bring it on Hyuga!"
Neji smirked, "I dare you, to spend a full day in a cat cafe".
Kiba's jaw dropped. Everyone burst into laughter, those who were me reserved smirking as their laughter. Kiba was about to deny the dare, but then the thought of having to try to steal Sake from the Hokage made the dare seem so much better in comparison.
"Fine! I'll… go to a cat cafe" Kiba said in defeat.
After multiple bursts of laughter, Ino finally composed herself and had her own turn. "Finally! Now! Sakura. Truth. Or. Dare?"
Thinking she'd be able to escape torment, Sakura answered "Truth".
"Is it true I heard you shouting Lee's name when you...hmmhhmmhmh". Moving the fastest she had ever gone, Sakura covered Ino's mouth with her hand, her face matching Hinata's from earlier. "I've changed my mind. Dare".
Ino smiled devilishly. "Okay Sakura. In the christmas spirit, I'll let you switch. Instead of answering my question. I dare you to kiss Lee. And not a little peck on the cheek. A hard smooch on the lips is what I'm talking about".
Both Lee and Sakura went red. Lee started apologizing when Sakura walked up to him, but was silenced when she grabbed his vest and pulled him into a hard kiss. Lee's flames of youth had never burned brighter.
When they broke, both were gasping for air. They silently retook their seats. Lee wrapping an arm around her and pulling her a little closer than before.
It took a second for the rest of the group to regain their wits. Next was technically Hinata, although, with her current situation it made things a bit difficult. Trying to wake her up, Naruto lightly shook her. She stirred, but instead of waking up, now clung to Naruto, snuggling her face into his shoulder.
Ino smirked. "I guess we'll just let her sleep for now. Naruto, I guess it's your turn".
Naruto gave a sheepish smile in response, "I… umm….. How about… Neji! Truth or Dare?". It was now Hinata started to wake up, although she was only paying attention to what she was hearing, not the position she was in.
"Truth" Neji answer coolly"
As Naruto fumbled for a question, Hinata was able to wake herself up entirely and help her "friend" out. "Is it true that you peep on Tenten during training?". Tenten and Neji both went red. Everyone else went wide-eyed and was staring at Neji for a response.
Neji silently bowed his head in defeat. "Yes".
It was then Hinata noticed her position and turned a bright read. She was initially going to get off and return to her spot, but found herself enjoying being held by Naruto. Instead she pretended to pass out again, snuggling up to Naruto after a few seconds so he didn't think she was consciously doing this.
Now, sitting right next to Tenten, Neji expected her to tear him apart, tell him off, or express some sort of anger. Instead, she leaned over, using Shino's turn as a distraction and asked, "Did you like what you saw?". Neji was able to restrain the blush to only his ears this time as he replied with a head nod. Tenten's self esteem went up tenfold, boosting her confidence to the point that she felt daring enough to lean onto Neji's shoulder.
Shino had dared Lee to confess how Gai and he made the crashing waves genjutsu when they started acting weird. Apparently, Lee had no idea it happened, although he did add that Gai-sensei probably would use a seal to make it.
The group nodded in understanding. All secretly making plans to find and destroy that seal for the greater good.
Next up was Sakura, who was out for revenge. "Ino. Truth or Dare?".
Knowing her friend, Ino chose truth. 'Dammit! I was going to have her shout "I'm a pig" in the middle of the street. Well, I guess I can still have fun with this. " Is it true that you use a padded bra?".
Ino froze in shock. As did most others in the room. Sakura was the only one who seemed to be enjoying the situation. Ey waited for Ino to whisper, "Yes". But that wasn't enough for Sakura.
"Sorry, could you repeat that a bit louder? I didn't hear you". Ino shot her friend a cold and threatening look.
"Yes! I wear a padded bra". Ino slumped in her seat in defeat. It took a little while to actually get to the next and final person. Sakura was the one to continue the party. "Lee, I believe it's your turn".
Lee gulped in nervousness, "uhh… who hasn't been asked yet?". All eyes turned to Tenten. Now it was Tenten's turn to be nervous. Neji instinctively placed an arm across her lap.
"Ahh… Tenten. Truth or Dare?"
"... I guess I'll finish the night off with a dare?"
Lee nodded in understanding, trying to think of a good dare. He looked around the room for inspiration. "I… dare you tooo….. Ahh… Oh! I know! I dare you to take out your hair buns for a full 24 hours!". Lee had a proud grin on his face for coming up with such a dare.
Tenten was thankful for it being so tame, as did the others. A nice way to finish off the night after such an exciting night.
Tenten got off the couch and stood in the center of the room. After a brief couple seconds, her hair buns fell and everyone was put speechless. Her hair perfectly framed her face, curving slightly at her neck, as if it chose to remain at that length. When she returned to her seat on the couch, Neji opened his mouth to compliment her, but nothing came out.
Tenten smirked, 'what the hell'. While Neji was still star struck, she leaned in and kissed him. Instead of being speechless, now they were shocked. Neji being the most in shock and pulling a Hinata and passing out. Tenten smiled and turned back to the rest of the group. "In the christmas spirit right?".
Ino and Sakura smirked, Hinata had used her byakugan to spy on what was happening and was able to watch her cousin pass out and nearly broke her cover in the process. 'I knew it!'.
Since everyone had now gone the party had come to an end. Shikamaru and Choji were the first to leave, with Shino soon after. Tenten had positioned Neji so his head rested in her lap as she pulled her hand through his hair. Sakura and Lee eventually left, waiting to have some private time as they walked around Konoha. As more and more people left, Naruto started to think of how to get Hinata home without waking her up.
Naturally, he opted to carry her. With some help from Ino at the door, Naruto was strolling down the streets of Konoha, making his way over to the Hyuga compound. He enjoyed the weather, holding Hinata close to keep her warm. When he did so, Hinata was caught by surprise and eeped. Naruto raised an eyebrow and then smirked.
"Hinata, have you been faking this entire time?"
She froze, and silently nodded her head into his chest. Naruto laughed. Hinata turned red and buried her face into his chest. "To think this all started because of a game of truth or dare. Would you like me to continue to carry you?". Hinata once again nodded into his chest. Naruto held her even closer as he continued to walk through Konoha, this time Hinata lifting her head to rest it on his shoulder so she could watch the snow fall too.
"I like this softer side of you. You're a lot prettier this way". Hinata's cheeks flared once more.
After a few seconds she replied, "I like it this way more too". Naruto smiled. "Although you could work on how you kiss. While it wasn't meant to be on the lips, it was still a pretty lousy kiss from you".
Naruto grin fell apart like a sand castle to a wave. "Hey! It was my first time! Plus I didn't even know that you kiss under mistletoe!". After thinking about what Hinata said a bit more Naruto added, "Wait. How do you know what a good kiss is?".
Hinata chuckled, a dazzling smile shining through. "I don't, I just know you're bad at it". Naruto dropped his head in defeat.
After a few more seconds of walking Hinata whispered, "would you like to practice?". Naruto halted abruptly at these words.
"What?"
Hinata took a breath to calm herself and started to get out of Naruto's arms. Naruto, who was still processing what Hinata had said, acted without thinking and helped her. As Hinata stood before him, Naruto was wondering if she actually meant what she had said. Hinata was asking herself the same question.
She lifted her gaze from Naruto's whiskers to his eyes. And there she found the courage to give her words meaning. Acting before she lost the confidence, Hinata cupped Naruto's face and pulled their lips together.
With it now being intentional, the two were able to truly enjoy the moment. Naruto found himself being intoxicated by it. Hinata found it to be quite addictive as well. Only breaking it when the two ran out of breath. Their breath creating clouds between them. They rested their foreheads on one another, catching their breath once more.
"It seems you learn fast," said Hinata.
"It helps to have a partner", replied Naruto.
They both flushed an even deeper red.
"We should practice again sometime," Hinata said, continuing to ride off of the boost of confidence. Now it was Naruto's turn to short circuit.
"I.. ooo… aaa… eee… uuu….". He followed this fibberish by fainting himself. Hinata rushed to catch him, at first concerned, but once she realized he was fine, she grinned at how cute he was.
" I guess that's enough for tonight. Let's get you home for tonight Naruto". With a little more effort being needed, now it was Hinata's turn to carry Naruto. Careful to not damage her kimono in the process as she leapt from rooftop to rooftop.
When she arrived, she was just able to lay Naruto in his bed before passing out herself. Once again snuggling up to enjoy Naruto's warmth.
{}]{}
Kurama sighed as he placed the bowl of popcorn beside the recliner he had conjured up. "That was the most trashy romcom ever. While interesting at some points, I think the brat and his vixen did better when they weren't conscious. Though the little vixen got bold at the end there. Oh well. Guess I'll have to wait till they're older for it to continue. I can try to help him, but I think my own vixen would be more of a help". Kurama chuckled at the thought before curling up and falling asleep himself.
*)_(*
Sasuke and Haku had gone out for dinner to celebrate christmas. Haku picking the restaurant, and Sasuke picking desert. Haku had chosen a quaint little drunken noodle shop that they had eaten at. For desert, Sasuke had brought some of his homemade dango for them to munch on. After all the noise and excitement from christmas shoppers and missions. The two relaxed in the comfort of quietness. With it being Christmas, Haku had taken to wearing a dark blue kimono, with beautifully sewed snowflakes decorating it. Sasuke had decided to get a bit dressed up too. Wearing a dark blue turtleneck with khaki pants.
The return to Sasuke's house to watch a movie together. Neither of them wanted to go walking around Konoha. When asked what they should do, Haku suggested to play monopoly, having heard about it from some of his squadmates. Sasuke happily agreed, having always won against Naruto. He was disappointed when Haku put him bankrupt in nearly record time.
"You cheated didn't you?"
"I did no such thing Sasuke! You watched me make every purchase and even counted the amount of money I was taking out of the bank. I won fair and square", Haku said in triumph. Sasuke crossed his arms and slouched in his chair.
"Hey, no need to pout. I'm not as open to kiss you when you pout". Sasuke gaped at this, about to defend himself against supposedly pouting so much. He was silenced by Haku's giggling. "I'm kidding Sasuke. I'd kiss you no matter what face you make. Like this one for instance". Haku then stood up, leaned over the table and met Sasuke's lips with his own for a quick little peck.
Sasuke's ears turn red. Haku smiled, seeing Sasuke's tinted ears. "Well since we've finished Monopoly, how about a movie? I saw something about a reindeer named Rudolph being on tonight. Do you know what movie that is?".
Sasuke's heart ached as he was once again reminded of the childhood Haku was robbed up. "Yes, I know that movie. And thank Kami that we're staying in tonight because you will not go one more Christmas without watching it!". Haku's eyebrows raised at this.
"Is it really that big of a deal?"
"It's only one of the most classic christmas movies in existence! It is final. We are watching Rudolph tonight. But first! I have a gift for you to open".
Sasuke ran off to a back room to return with a small box crudely wrapped in bright red and green wrapping paper. Haku gave Sasuke a skeptical look. "I know it looks like shit. I just… I've never wrapped a present before. Usually me and Naruto don't get gifts for each other. Usually it's food".
Haku smirked, "Oh? And you decided to try to wrap a gift all because of me?". Sasuke's cheeks flared up.
"I... well...just open you damn gift!". Haku chuckled as he delicately peeled back the scraps of wrapping paper. What he found under all that paper was a simple black box. Upon opening it, Haku was met with the most beautiful necklace he had ever seen. It had a white gold chain, with blue diamond icicles periodically growing down from it. Each chain link had small designs on it, each with its own meaning. The centerpiece of this jewlery marvel was the Uchiha crest, with the kanji for "ice" in blue on top of it. On the back of it, Haku found the words, "Home is where the heart is, and you've stolen mine".
Haku gasped, "Sasuke, how did you afford this?".
He sheepishly grinned, "Well when you've inherited the fortune of the formerly greatest clan in Konoha, but are alone, there's not a big need to go wild with spending. I finally had something worth spending it on".
Haku blushed at the statement. He delicately lifted the necklace and hooked it behind his neck. Taking pride in it, and internally swearing to never take it off. Haku repaid this gift with a forceful hug. Sasuke smiled, happy his gift was appreciated.
Eventually, the hug had to break. "I'm enjoying this hug and all Haku. But if we're going to watch Rudolph, we're going to have to start it now before one of us falls asleep".
Haku reluctantly let go of the hug and went to find the movie on the TV while Sasuke got some blankets for them to wrap themselves in. Neither of them made it to the end of the movie. Sasuke falling asleep in Haku's arms, Haku using Sasuke's head as a pillow.
As the snow fell quietly outside, the two slept. Haku thankfully had been able to turn off the TV before falling asleep, so as to not waste electricity or disturb their slumber. As the night grew longer and the world grew silent, everyone in Konoha was at rest. For there was no work tomorrow, no school or missions. Tomorrow, people would be able to reconnect with the fuel for their will of fire.
The people they love.
{=\_}{=}
Unfortunately, this is where we must part for now. The story has come to an end. But in hopefully two weeks time, I will return to bring another gift for you to read. Now if you're reading this on christmas day, or eve. Go to those you love, or give them a call, to tell them just how much they mean to you. There are too many superficial relationships in today's world. You have to cherish the real ones.
~I'll come back later to fix the spacing.