C.M.D: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! AND HAPPY NEW YEARS TO ALL!

Baa Baa Black Sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yessir, Yessir,
Three bags full.
One for the Master,
One for the Dame...

Winter quickly descended upon the village, sneaking up on the inhabitants one night while they were sleeping. Though there was no snow -they were too far south for it after all- cold winds swept down from the north all the same, nipping harshly at exposed flesh and making noses run. The ninja village was facing its most fearsome enemy yet: the Flu. Infection was at its all time high now, and the Academy was dealing with the approaching epidemic as best as they could. Children were bundled up, heaters turned on full-blast and tissue boxes littered every teachers desk. All measures were being taken. Still for all their efforts some kids were bitten by the cold bug and had to be escorted back home, where they would then be tended by their parents.

Sasuke wasn't quite as lucky.

The machines beeped and whirred and made all manner of other noises around the child; pushing deeper and deeper into his head, promising to be a powerful headache later on. But the noise wasn't the most frustrating thing to the boy. No, it was the spinning and fuzziness filling his head; the unbearable heat covering his body contrasting the iciness of his toes and fingers, and the rolling, bucking queasiness of his stomach. All in all, Sasuke knew without a doubt that he was sick.

A gentle hand pushed away his bangs, and the child forced his eyes open to stare up at the figure leaning over his bedside. Mikoto's face peered down into her son's; brown eyes crinkled with worry, a wry smile on her lips. "Oh Sasuke," she whispered softly, taking care not to speak to loudly, "How is it that you managed to get so sick? You're such a healthy boy."

Blue eyes and blonde hair came to his mind, but Sasuke did not mention it to his mom. He was busy trying to keep the rising vomit down. Eventually, the boy lost the fight, and his mom held him upright as he puked into a basin. She rubbed his back soothingly as he hiccuped in disgust, wiping at his eyes angrily.

"Don't worry about it, otouto-kun," came Itachi's voice. The ANBU stood off to the side of the room, hands crossed behind his back. He had requested the day off from the Hokage, so that he might come and visit his younger sibling in the hospital. He knew the boy would need the extra assurance. "Even the best of shinobi get sick sometimes," the bigger raven comforted.

The older boy stepped forward to help lay his brother down in bed, while Mikoto took the basin out of the room to dump it. Itachi sat himself in the chair by Sasuke's bed, smiling at the child encouragingly. Sasuke only frowned back, eyes swollen and nose bright red. "I don't like being sick," the little raven grumbled hoarsely. He swallowed and could taste the bile left behind from his own vomit. He frowned deeper at the after-taste.

Itachi reached over and gently flicked his otouto-kun's forehead. "I know," he answered. "Naruto's worried about you. He was so upset to hear that you were taken to the hospital."

Sasuke snorted. "Good. He should be upset; he made me sick in the first place."

"Now, now otouto-kun...," Itachi scolded kindly, ruffling the child's black hair. "You know as well as I do that Naruto-kun did not mean to make you sick. So be nice to him, okay?" Sasuke only pouted at the reprimand and the bigger boy leaned back in his chair. "He really likes Usagi-kun, doesn't he?," the shinobi added as an after thought.

Sasuke didn't reply. He didn't know what to say, but the memory brought another kind of heat to the boy's cheeks. Ever since he had given that rabbit to Naruto, the little boy had treated it like the most precious thing in the world. He toted it around with him everywhere -even to school- much to the Uchiha's embarrassment. Still, the Uzumaki loved Usagi-kun; and either ignored or was oblivious to the other children's teasing. Sasuke believed it to be the latter. Thinking about the blonde brought another thought to mind; one that made the raven's stomach do those nauseating flip-flops again. He glanced about the room anxiously, noticing that his mom had not yet returned, before fixing his attention back on his brother.

"A-aniki...?," the boy whispered. The ANBU peered curiously at the child. "W-why... why doesn't Naruto h-have a mommy?"

Sasuke lowered his eyes when he saw Itachi stiffen slightly at his question, the older raven exhaling slowly. What a dilemma. It was obvious that the younger Uchiha was feeling stupid for opening his mouth -it was written all over his flushed face- and even Itachi was feeling thrown. He had thought all the "mom" discussions were over, but it seemed that the boy wasn't quite finished and indeed had come up with a lot more questions. Knowing that this could equal nothing good, the shinobi shifted in his seat, folding his hands together in his lap. How to approach this...? "I... don't quite understand what you mean, Sasuke," the ANBU started slowly. "What do you want me to say?"

Sasuke raised his eyes back up to the older raven, biting his lip as he tried to figure out what to say. The words were hard to come by, and even then, his head was beginning to ache the longer he tried to formulate his sentence. "We... have mommy, and she's always there," the child finally managed to mumble out. "B-but... Naru doesn't. Why? Where is his mommy?"

The fever seemed to be returning full force again. Sasuke's features were paling incredibly again, a cold sweat clearly visible on the boy's brow. Itachi rose to his feet, gently pushing his brother down onto the mattress. He pulled up the sheets, tucking his otouto-kun in; pushing the damp, black bangs out of the younger's face. Sasuke did not resist the motion, but instead grabbed the older raven's wrist, looking up at his nii-san imploringly. "A-aniki...," Sasuke whimpered.

Itachi sighed. "Sometimes... people have to go away Sasuke. We can't stop it; it's impossible. Naruto's mom... for her, it's the same. I know she didn't want to leave Naruto." The ANBU paused, falling into a contemplative silence. He wondered how much he could say to his brother; how much the child would understand... and how much he was entitled to tell. There was only so much he knew about Kushina, after all.

"Let me tell you a story," the older boy began again. "Just a little bedtime story, okay?" Sasuke did not protest, so Itachi continued.

"Once upon a time, there was a King and a Queen. The King was called Sun for his brilliant yellow hair, and the Queen was called Rose for her own red head. They lived together in a beautiful kingdom, surrounded by extravagant forests and protected by the strongest soldiers in the land."

"How strong?," came the weak inquiry.

Itachi smiled. "Very strong," he assured the child. "No other kingdom could fight these soldiers, who were trained and blessed by the greatest of talents. But it was more than great soldiers that brought peace to the kingdom -it was also the astounding kindness and love of the King and Queen. All those around them would be touched by their light and warmth; happiness filled their lives."

"Though nothing could compare to the joy everyone felt when Rose gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. They called him Star; he had the same light and warmth in his heart like his parents, the same brilliant gold hair. But trouble fell on the kingdom," Itachi told, lowering his voice respectively. "The Queen fell into a terrible illness that no one could cure. The kingdom mourned the loss of their Queen, but none more so than the King himself. He became lost without Rose, and it seemed like the kingdom might then fall into ruin. Yet, he still had little Star and everyone hoped it would be enough after some time."

Sasuke yawned a little, shifting slightly under his brother's soothing petting; trying to get more comfortable. "What happened to the Queen though?," he mumbled tiredly, straining to keep his exhausted eyes open. Itachi chuckled a little, tweeking the younger one's nose lightly. The child made a tiny sound of annoyance.

"Unfortunately," the ANBU explained sadly, "there was nothing to be done for the Queen. But the King could not be persuaded to let her go; and so, he locked her up in a white palace, away from the rest of the world."

"A-and... yawn... the Star?"

"The Star remained by the King's side, small and tender still, burning with all his brilliance. Yet it seems that the tiny Star's flame might be snuffed out by the King's protective hold, because of how afraid he is of losing his little boy; and if that is to happen... then there will be no light to lead the King out of the night and into the day once more."

Itachi fell quiet as his story finished, staring down and noticing that his otouto-kun had finally slipped off to sleep. The raven's eyes softened at the slumbering child below; leaning down to kiss the boy's forehead and tuck the sheets more securely around his tiny form.

"Is he asleep?"

The shinobi straightened up, turning to the doorway as his mother walked back into the room. In Mikoto's hands was a clean basin. "The nurses gave me a clean one," she said, lifting the basin in her hands slightly. "I'm glad to know that he's finally gone to sleep," she continued, turning her attention to her youngest son. "He's always so fussy when he's sick... never resting as he should."

Itachi smiled wryly at the comment. "Was I that bad as well?"

Mikoto giggled lightly, walking over to Sasuke's bedside. She placed the basin on the night table, brushing a stray bang away from her baby boy's face. "Not in the same aspect, no. But you were still a handful to deal with when you were sick. Restlessness seems to run in the family." The woman sighed, and slowly reached for her coat that hung over the railing at the foot of the bed. "Visiting hours are over," she said. "We'll have to leave for now."

The teen walked over to his mother's side, gently steering her out of the room. "The nurses can take care of Sasuke. He'll be fine," he assured the woman. Mikoto peered over her shoulder all the same as they left, staring longingly at her smallest raven.

"I know... but all the same, I feel better when he's at home with you and me."

"Indeed," Itachi agreed. He hoped his little brother would be well again soon.

It should be noted beforehand that Uchihas were not the best at sitting still. They believed that time spent sitting and wallowing about could be time better spent on improving one's self -whether that be through training or other such activities. Sasuke was a perfect example of this. Because of the approaching christmas holidays, there was no homework for the raven to do, and Sasuke refused to lie around in bed all day doing nothing; sick or not. Taking Itachi's bedtime story to heart (Sasuke knew it to be a test of his shinobi skills. A coded message for him to decipher on his own), the child had prepared to set out and complete his mission of finding Naruto's mom, before his own mom came to visit him that afternoon.

The first clue: The Queen being put in a white castle.

This came easily to the little boy. The white castle in the story could only have been the hospital. Not only was it a little ways away from the rest of the village, but almost everything inside of it was white. The walls, the doors, the equipment... With this established, Sasuke knew his quest would be easier. When his nurse came in to check up on him and give him his medicine, the raven decided to stall and question her with as much subtlety that a seven year-old could manage. It proved effective enough. The nurse, charmed by the Uchiha's adorable features and large, innocent eyes, thought nothing of the questions asked of her. She answered them all without hesitance as she checked the raven's temperature and measured out a spoonful of cold syrup.

"So there are even sicker people here?," Sasuke gaped in perfect imitation of one of his denser classmates.

The nurse chuckled at the cute reaction. "Oh yes. Not just little boys and girls have to come to the hospital when they're sick, but big Shinobi too," she answered. "They go to a different section though, so that they can be looked at by the Medic nin."

"B-but," the Uchiha protested, "this is such a big place! How do the shinobi know where to go when they're sick?"

"They follow the signs. The hospital has signs at all the elevators and at each of the nurses' desks on every floor. The signs tell you where you need to go to get the help you need. When the shinobi come in they usually head for the ICU floor upstairs."

"Is that the very top floor...?" Sasuke slipped in, hoping it was not too soon for such an inquiry.

Oblivious as ever, the nurse did not catch on to the Uchiha's ploy. "No, no," she smiled, shaking her pretty, little empty head. "We have another floor above that, for all of our terminal patients. They are people that can't go home and have to stay with us for a very long time until they're all better. The top floor is made especially comfortable for them."

Sasuke didn't know how true this was, but he decided he didn't really care because he had finally gotten the answer he needed. If Naruto's mom was anywhere in the hospital she would probably be on the top floor, as far away from everyone else as was possible, just like in the story. Pretending to take the sleeping medication that the nurse had given him, the raven snuggled back under the covers and feigned sleep until he was sure that the coast was clear. Gracefully, like the third-grade shinobi wanna-be that he was, the child crept out of his room and down the hospital hallway. He avoided the nurses' desk at the end, ducking into open doorways whenever one of the staff came walking down the hall. With his measure of skill, he was able to escape all notice, and triumphantly Sasuke found the stairs. As empty as they were, he was able to run up the steps freely, all the way to the last floor.

The door creaked slightly as Sasuke opened it, and he couldn't help but cringe slightly at the sound. His black eyes searched the hallway warily, looking for any personnel that might pose a threat to his mission. But there was no one to be seen, and even less to be heard. Sasuke frowned at this little bit of news, slipping around the side of the door and onto the empty hallway. He padded undeterred down the white halls, wandering through the bland maze aimlessly. After a while, the Uchiha gathered enough courage to open up doors instead of just peering into open doorways. Most of the rooms though were empty... Still, the raven kept his eyes open for anyone with red hair, like a rose.

Eventually, he was successful.

The door opened soundlessly, admitting the black-haired child. Cautiously, Sasuke stepped into the room, seeing or hearing no people. The whirr and continuous beep of hospital machines met his ears; a familiar and assuring sound. Aware that at least someone was here, the Uchiha wandered further into the room, to the white curtain surrounding the source of the noise. He gently nudged the curtain aside, stiffening in surprise. In the bed, plugged in to so many wires and tubes, was a woman. A woman with red hair.

She looked very sick. Sasuke frowned sadly, hesitating, and eventually stepping back. He didn't think he should approach the sleeping woman. Her skin was very pale and waxy looking, her hair thin and stringy around her face. But the most disturbing thing about the woman was how little she stirred... it was hard to see that she was even breathing. Still...

Sasuke thinned his lips in determination, turning around and heading back out of the room. He had accomplished his goal, that was all that mattered. Best that he returned to his own room now before the nurses caught on to his disappearance.

Naruto woke up that morning to misty blue skies and grey clouds hanging on the horizon. The wind was chilly when he opened his window, enough to plume the child's breath and make him shiver slightly. Shutting his window against the cold, Naruto grabbed Usagi-kun off from his bed and hurried out of the room. "Ohaiyo, Uncle Jiraiya!," the blonde chirped as he bounded into the kitchen.

The sannin raised his head from the kitchen table top, grumbling nonsensically in annoyance. All the same, he forced a smile onto his face, rubbing his blood-shot eyes tiredly. "Hey, kiddo," he greeted gruffly, reaching across the table for his glass of water and another painkiller.

The Uzumaki padded up to the old man's side, hugging the black rabbit tightly to his chest. Canting his head to the side, brushing his whiskered cheek against the velvet ear, he peered up at the shinobi curiously. "Where's daddy?," he asked. The blonde had thought his father would be here today.

Jiraiya finished what was in his glass, exhaling loudly. "He went to the office," he answered. "Naru, be a dear, yeah and speak a little softer please? My head's killing me..."

Naruto pouted, and shifted his hold on the rabbit. "Sasuke's sick. Can I go see him today? Auntie Tsunade wouldn't let me yesterday..."

Poor Jiraiya, hungover as hell, hardly registered the blonde's question. The sounds morphed into a drill, driving deep into his skull and causing him tremendous pain. This, more than anything, annoyed the older man. He had spent the night down at the bar, later heading for one of the hostess' clubs; intent on relaxing and enjoying his free time. He had only gotten the call this morning from Minato, asking him if he would do some emergency baby-sitting. Only because he was afraid of saying no, did the sannin agree to watch the little Uzumaki. Grumbling at himself angrily now, Jiraiya only shook his hand at the blonde callously. "No, no," he groaned. "Listen, go... I dunno... go do something. Alright? Just...urgh..."

Jiraiya folded over the table, his headache worsening. Beside him, Naruto pouted; turning about on his heel and stomping out of the room. Naruto didn't know what was happening with all the adults around him. He said one little thing, and suddenly everything seemed to change. Auntie Tsunade held him more often, cooing and petting the boy's head of blonde spikes; turning his attention away from the other women when they were outside. He hadn't seen Kakashi-nii-san in a while, and his absence was beginning to upset the Uzumaki. He was used to the masked shinobi being in his life. Even worse, it seemed like his daddy was constantly upset; going to the Hokage tower more and more often. And every time Naruto opened his mouth to talk about the things he did at school; the expression on his dad's face -though appearing eager- cowed the child before the words could even get to his tongue. He couldn't even bring up Sasuke.

The thought of the raven made the blonde frown further. Naruto headed back upstairs to his room, entering and sitting down on his bed. He held Usagi-kun out at arm's length, studying the coal coloured rabbit. When Sasuke had given him the doll the next day, as the Uchiha had promised, Naruto could not have been happier. He immediately fell in love with the velveteen doll, cuddling its soft fur and petting its delicate ears. Now he carried it with him everywhere, unwilling to part with the beautiful plushie, even for a moment. It gave him courage and comforted him when Sasuke was not with him.

Studying it now, Naruto could not help but feel terrible still even with the rabbit's presence. "'Suke is sick...," he whispered to the doll, reverting to his baby talk. "Me sorry... Me wanna see 'Suke, but e'ryone ignores me. No one let Naru see 'Suke... M-me no like it."

The blonde wiped angrily at his eyes, trying to get rid of the tears that had risen. "Well, I no care anymore!," the Uzumaki told the rabbit, pulling Usagi-kun close to his face again. He mumbled to the doll secretively. "We will go see 'Suke, yes?" The plushie was expectedly silent, but Naruto took it to be confirmation all the same. Feeling multitudes better, the little boy jumped to his feet, twirling the rabbit around the room. Once he was dizzy enough, the blonde scrambled to get dressed and tip-toed down stairs once again. Peeking into the kitchen, he saw that Jiraiya had finally passed out on the table top.

Grinning to himself, Naruto hurried to the door, slipping his shoes on.

Sasuke sat up in bed surprised, blinking uncertainly at the rabbit sitting on the edge of his bed. "Usagi-kun...?," the raven started hesitantly.

He bit back the yelp as gold spikes jumped up along the side, blue eyes just peeking over the white sheets. "Hello Sasuke!," a vibrant voice chirped. Waiting until his heart had calmed down again, Sasuke inched closer to the edge, staring down at the floor. Naruto, dressed in simple black pants and a baggy orange sweater, grinned up at the Uchiha.

"Naruto?," the raven gaped. "How did you get here?"

"I walked," the blonde answered immediately. He pulled Usagi-kun off the bed, tucking the rabbit securely in his arms. Sasuke frowned at this, pushing the sheets off and slipping out of bed. Naruto lowered himself back onto his heels as Sasuke's feet touched the floor, turning to face the Uchiha. Checking to see that no one had noticed the blonde's presence, Sasuke quickly pulled Naruto off to the side, a smile lighting his face. A smile that quickly shrivelled.

"You're shivering," the raven noted. Naruto blinked his eyes up at the older boy, all innocence and confusion. Sasuke frowned and quickly raced back to his bed, grabbing the nightgown offered to him by the hospital and then back to the blonde's side; where he threw it over the Uzumaki's shoulders. "Dobe," Sasuke grumbled, "You should have worn a coat. Do you want to get sick too?"

Naruto shook his head, nuzzling the fuzzy sleeves in gratitude. "Thank you, Sasuke," he cooed, cuddling up both with the night gown and Usagi-kun. Sasuke tried not to blush.

Trying to get back on track, the Uchiha grabbed the blonde's wrist and led him to the door. When Naruto went to open his mouth, Sasuke gestured for the boy to be quiet; sneaking a glance out of the door and down the hall. There was a lot more doctors and nurses walking about now, but they were thankfully further down from the room still. Carefully, Sasuke tip-toed out of the room, dragging Naruto behind him. "I have a surprise for you," the raven whispered excitedly to the Uzumaki, reaching the stairwell door.

"Surprise?"

"Yeah," Sasuke grinned, as they headed upstairs. "You'll never guess it, but I found someone special to you."

"Someone special?," Naruto mumbled in puzzlement. The child let himself be led by the Uchiha, gazing down at Usagi-kun in curiosity. "Who could that possibly be? Kakashi-nii-san?"

No matter, Naruto thought, deciding to let himself be surprised. He was already feeling hyper from making it all the way to the hospital on his own, and now him and Sasuke were on an adventure! Adrenaline pumped through the blonde's body, making him jumpy with joy. Sasuke himself was gaining an extra bounce in his step. He thought being sick was a real hassle, but already he had achieved so much! He had given Naruto a birthday present, he had found the boy's mom... and now he was about to introduce the two individuals! Would Naruto's mom, like the princesses in the fairytales, wake up when her baby boy entered the room? The Uchiha hoped so. He wanted Naruto to be happy, and he was certain that this would make it so.

The trip upstairs seemed faster than before, and when they reached the last floor, Sasuke did not bother to check first if there were any nurses about before exiting the stairwell. Fortunately, there were none still, and the children were unobstructed in their quest. It took him a moment to find the room again, the Uchiha getting a little turned around in his excitement, but eventually they stopped outside the right room. Sasuke, puffing his chest out in pride, faced the blonde; grinning in victory. "Inside is someone who has been missing for a while, someone really precious to you," the raven said, nodding his head sagely. "Naruto, I have found your mommy."

The Uzumaki blinked, slowly absorbing this information. When it finally sank in, he frowned slightly, gripping Usagi-kun in a death-like vice. "M-my mommy...?," he whispered in hopeful disbelief.

Sasuke took Naruto's hand again and led the blonde into the room. Everything was exactly like before, but the very air seemed charged this time, as if something had been waiting all this time for these two to enter. Slowly, the bounce in his step faded and Sasuke approached the white curtain solemnly. He pushed it aside carefully, crossing the threshold with Naruto at his side. Together, the two boys stared up at the slumbering woman on the bed. "I-is... is she sleeping?," Naruto whispered from the raven's side.

Sasuke nodded his head, not tearing his eyes away from the redhead. "Yes. Like a princess."

"W-will she... will she wake up?"

"...I dunno," Sasuke answered slowly. "You want go say hi?"

He looked at Naruto now, the blonde glancing anxiously at Sasuke as well. Pushing his face into Usagi-kun's fur, the little blonde pondered the action. "Yes...," he meekly said after a moment. "I want to talk to her."

Sasuke squeezed Naruto's hand encouragingly, and led the Uzumaki closer to the bed. He let go of Naruto's hand to push the only chair in the room closer to the bed, helping the blonde up onto the plastic seat. From there, the Uzumaki crawled onto the mattress, settling down nervously beside his mother's shoulders. Sasuke clambered up onto the chair after it had been vacated, sitting down. He smiled softly when Naruto glanced back down at him. "I can cover my ears if you'd like," the raven offered.

A smile struggled its way onto the Uzumaki's cheeks, and Naruto shook his head, gesturing that the action was unnecessary. Taking a deep breath, he faced his mom again. This was the first time that the child had ever seen Kushina, but despite all that, the blonde knew without a doubt that this person was his mommy. Tears sprung to the little boy's eyes, and he took another shuddering breath to calm himself down. "H-hi mommy...," he choked, hugging Usagi-kun tightly. "I d-don't know if you know me... b-but, it's me; it's Naruto. Ho-how are you m-mommy? Sasuke -he's my bestest friend, see. He gave me Usagi-kun for my birthday- he brought me here. He s-says that you sleep like a p-princess... You look like one. A p-princess, I mean. Y-you're really pretty..."

Naruto trailed off and Sasuke respectively remained silent. The demon carrier toyed with the rabbit plushie's legs distractedly, before glancing up at his mom again. "I-i... I hope you wake up soon mommy. I-it's almost christmas... I wish y-you could home with us. I know daddy w-would like it v-very much too."

Smiling, Naruto reached out and took hold of one of Kushina's fingers. For along moment, he simply held her finger, not saying anything. "I-i'll come back and see you mommy, n-now that I kn-know you're here," the Uzumaki promised, nuzzling Usagi-kun nervously.

"I missed you, you know," the boy continued softly, "I r-really, really did. But it's okay mommy, 'c-cause you're here and... and I love you. I love you so much mommy."

For a second it looked like Kushina was smiling, and Naruto couldn't quell the little giggle that rose up at the sight. His whole insides buzzed with warmth, making the child feel light and secure. A great feeling that he had never experience before. Naruto was content to just bask their silently, surrounded by this cozy feeling.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"

Sasuke jumped in his seat and even Naruto shrieked in surprise at the angry roar. Frightened, the two children snapped their necks to the doorway where Minato stood, his eyes widened in disbelief and terror; fists shaking at his side. Quickly the man's shock wore away, and he snarled, his attention directly on the Uchiha. "Dammit, you stupid, arrogant brat. I'm going to KI-!"

A shrill, flat beep cut off the Hokage's shout; driving a cold nail of fear into everyone's heart.

C.M.D:... aaaaaaaaand I've probably just ruined everyone's christmas now. Don't kill me!