A/N: I has excuse for the late! Yesterday was a snow day for my siblings so we were playing all day. No writing time for me then!

Christmas with the Hatakes
By: Reggie

December 18th: Wrapping Paper

Kakashi surveyed the massive rolls of paper that had been laid on the table for him to look at, picking up a roll of tape to inspect. "Hm, I might just be new at this, but I'm pretty sure that you don't use duct tape."

Naruto made a high whining noise and rubbed his fingers through his hair. "But, Kakashi-sensei, I couldn't find any other tape."

The Jounin bent at an odd angle, trying to keep his leg propped up on a pillow while grabbing Sayuri away from the shiny paper. Personally, he could care less if the presents were wrapped ONLY in duct tape, or not wrapped at all, but Iruka had given them the task of making sure all the presents were all taken care of and placed under the tree. All the ones he'd brought out anyway. Kakashi was sure his own presents weren't in the pile, and now he'd be unable to search since he wasn't allowed to move.

Tsunade took all the fun out his holiday. He couldn't even take advantage of the fact that Iruka would not have to get up in the mornings for school anymore. It just wasn't fair.

Kakashi shook himself from his internal pouting just long enough to sigh and point over to Iruka's desk. "The tape is in the second drawer down on the left."He then watched, bemused, as Naruto opened the drawer on the right first, realized his mistake as he was about to complain, and then opened the correct drawer.

Sayuri started struggling in his hold, obviously not happy with being removed from playing, and Kakashi set her down again. True, he'd just have to pull her away once more in a few minutes, but he wasn't allowed—Iruka said so, and Naruto would certainly tell—to get up and do anything else. That was the whole reason Naruto was over, to "help" him, while Iruka finished cleaning his classroom for the long break.

The blond returned, correct tape in hand, and dropped down by the low table. He stared at the assembled stuff in a rare moment of silence before sighing and speaking, "Kakashi-sensei, can I ask you a question?"

Kakashi 'hmmed' his affirmative answer, reaching down to remove the scissors Sayuri had managed to grab off the low table. She glared up at him and sat up, revealing how she'd managed to reach them in the first place.

"Well, it's just…" Naruto trailed off for a moment, looking obviously flustered. Kakashi barely had time to register just how odd this was before the teen blurted, "Kakashi-sensei, how much do you know about girls?"

The Copy-nin frowned down at Sayuri, and momentarily asked himself if Naruto was serious. The boy knew only too well Kakashi's preferences. Still, the Jounin supposed, he WAS older and did have more experience. He'd dated girls before, and read Icha Icha. "Enough, I guess. Why?"

Naruto fidgeted something that might have in fact been a twitch. "I think I'm really starting to like Hinata-chan."

The Jounin noted the added suffix, and couldn't help smiling. Naruto probably hadn't even noticed he was doing it.

"And," Naruto continued, seeming not to notice his sensei's amusement, "and, I've never dated anyone before. I don't even know if we ARE dating…"

It was at this moment that Kakashi realized what this was. This had all the essential elements of a father-son chat. The kind Yondaime had used to insist they have every so often, so he could keep up with Kakashi's life.

A part of the Jounin wanted to delay Naruto until Iruka got home and make the Chuunin handle it. Iruka was so much better suited for this kind of thing!

But Minato-sensei had always taken such good care of Kakashi, as much as the stubborn little boy would allow, in the absence of his own father…the Copy-nin felt that looking after his son in Minato-sensei's absence was the least he could do to repay him now.

"Well, you've been on dates." Kakashi observed, removing a spool of chakra wire from his pocket and tying a loop in it. "Would like to be dating?"

"I don't know," Naruto admitted. "I always imagined that I'd go bring Sasuke back, and the Sakura-chan and I would date, and then I'd be Hokage."

"Not anymore?" Kakashi grinned under his mask as he tossed the thread. It went a little wide of his target, but that was alright. He'd never tried this before. "Or not for a while?"

"Huh?" Naruto reached down and scooped Sayuri up into his lap, before reaching up and thoughtfully scratching his face. "No, that's always how I imagined it. Though…now that you mention it…lately, it didn't seem as happy as before."

"Hm?" He missed again, but had been much closer this time.

"Like, and first I felt like nothing better could possibly happen, so I'm going to make sure it does. But, lately, even before I noticed Hinata like…it felt more like, that'd be okay, I guess, but I don't know if I want it that way anymore." Naruto must have understood 'hm' to mean 'please, elaborate on what that means'. "Sakura-chan never really liked me that way."

"I think you're more like a little brother to her." It sounded hurtful, but Kakashi found it was always best to embrace these things head on then dance around the painful stuff like it wasn't there.

Naruto nodded, frowning, as he shifted Sayuri to grab a present and begin wrapping. "We're more like a family now, but not in the way I'd imagined. And I guess I was sort of okay with that."

"Then Hinata came in the picture." He'd successfully managed to lasso his target, and Kakashi was now beginning to pull it towards himself.

"It's not like Hinata-chan is doing anything wrong!" Naruto huffed, and the Jounin chuckled softly at the boy's defensiveness. "Kakashi-sensei, she's the best girl in the whole world, I think. I mean, sometimes she's almost too nice, and I'm not sure if she means it, but…she's funny, and brave, and when she's not being so shy she's really cool."

"But she isn't Sakura," Kakashi finished for him again. Target now in hand, he leaned onto his side and rolled it under the table. Sayuri squealed as the toy hit her foot.

"No, she's not. Which is kinda good, and kinda not." Naruto put Sayuri on the floor and began measuring out the paper to cut. He was surprisingly good at this wrapping thing. "I don't want her to be Sakura-chan, exactly. But I wish she wouldn't just let me walk all over her like she does. I'm never sure that she likes what we're doing, really, or if she just says she does because she thinks I like it."

"Have you tried talking to her about it?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto paused in his cutting, blue eyes wide as he stared up at his former teacher. "You can do that?"

Kakashi laughed, now reaching into his pocket for his book. He wouldn't really be reading it, but he needed something to keep his hands busy or he was going to go crazy. "Of course you can! It's not easy, but you can and you should. If something is bothering you in a relationship, you should talk about it."

"You should take your own advice," Naruto muttered, and Kakashi nearly choked. What on earth did that mean? "Okay, I guess I'll talk to her about that. In the mean time…what do I get her for Christmas?"

The Jounin could only stare at the boy, completely stumped. He'd never had a girlfriend for Christmas, and even if he had he would have ignored the holiday completely. Iruka was the first person since his sensei that Kakashi had thought was worth shopping for. "I don't know, Naruto."

The blond hung his head, defeated, and started to fold the wrapping paper. "That's what I was afraid of."

"But…" Kakashi mentally kicked himself, wondering why he was saying this. "I know where we can find out." Ino and Sakura were going to love this, he could tell already.