I hated writing this chapter, because writing Naruto is DAMNED hard for me! It took me forever to get through writing this one! So please let me know if I fouled him up, okay?

Title: Did You Hear What I Heard?
Prompt: Unexpected Guests/Family
Author: Kita
Rating: PG-13

Iruka stepped back from Kakashi, and tugged the towel from his flushed face. "In the kitchen, Naruto."

Kakashi turned to face the doorway, his mask already back in place as Naruto burst into the kitchen, an orange whirlwind of irrepressible energy. "Sasuke-teme is coming for Christmas, Iruka-sensei! I beat him! Ooh, do I smell cookies?"

Iruka raised both hands. "Whoa, Naruto. Slow down. Yes, there are cookies and you can have some if you calm down and explain what you mean. What do you mean, you beat him?"

Naruto flopped down on a stool, panting and exhilarated. His boyish grin seemed to take up half his face as Iruka moved to pour a glass of milk and move several still-warm cookies from the cooling rack and onto a plate that he set in front of the boy. Kakashi remained quietly in the background.

"Sasuke-bastard didn't want to come for Christmas, even when I gave him the card you wrote for him." Naruto explained, shoving a whole frosted cookie into his mouth. "He was bein' a real asshole about it too."

"Naruto, watch your mouth."

"Well, he was." Naruto protested. "He said that he didn't need anyone, that there was no reason to celebrate the holiday 'cause he doesn't have any family left."

Iruka's brown eyes saddened. "Family is what you make of it. Sasuke doesn't have to be alone. You and I aren't related, but we're still family."

"That's what I told him!" Naruto flushed slightly at Iruka's admonishing gaze. "Well, sorta. I said that he was stupid cause he could have family if he didn't have to be such an emotionless, obnoxious jerkwad all the time."

"The sentiment is right, but I think you could have found a better way of putting it, Naruto." Kakashi put in.

"Kakashi-sensei? What're you doin' here?"

"You need a lot more training if you didn't even notice my presence. I'm disappointed."

Iruka popped another cookie in Naruto's mouth to quell another outburst. "Kakashi-sensei is alone too. I invited him to share the holidays with us. Is that alright with you?"

Naruto looked thoughtful for a moment before swallowing and nodding. "Like you said, Family's what you make of it. Since you don't got one, Kakashi-sensei, you can share with us!"

Kakashi just nodded as Iruka sighed and folded his arms. "Now, what's this about you beating him?"

Naruto's lips curved up in a blinding grin. "Well, me and him were training and I told him that if I beat him, he had to come for Christmas. Gai-sensei was there and he told me to make it some sort of 'youthful challenge' or something. So we had to beat each other in a game of 'Traps.' I won, cause I'm way better than Sasuke-teme with traps."

Kakashi chuckled but Iruka frowned again. "I don't know that I would call that a fair competition. You know way too many pranks involving traps."

Naruto's bottom lip stuck out. "Gai-sensei decided on the challenge, not me! It's fair!"

Iruka sighed heavily. "Well, I'm not going to argue with results. No one should be alone during the holidays."

Naruto just grinned. After he had finished off his milk and the cookies, (somehow managing to sneak more off the cooling rack, which Kakashi noted that Iruka pretended not to notice) Iruka packed up a few more in a bag for him and sent him on his way.

He took the plate and glass to the sink, before turning to face Kakashi with a twinkle in his eye. "We should thank Gai-sensei sometimes."

"Eh?"

Iruka smiled and stepped closer, sliding his arms around Kakashi's waist. "He deliberately chose a challenge that Sasuke couldn't beat Naruto at."