Little Wonders

Hana gazed in awe and wonder at the present covered floor before she dashed back down the hallway.

"It's Christmas!" She cheered. Hinata and Naruto were woken abruptly by a bouncing, giggling Hana.
"Hey! It is too!..." Naruto grinned, he still felt a little tired from staying up later than usual.
"Has Santa been?" Hinata, rubbing her eyes, asked Hana. The girl's face glowed in delight.
Her vigorous nod and grinning were all the words she needed.
Naruto smiled.
"Probably gave her coal..." Naruto snickered cheekily, in a whisper to Hinata, too loud to be a real whisper.
"He did not!" Hana pouted, crossly. Naruto grinned sheepishly.
"Oh? Prove it?" He challenged, provoking Hana's determination.
Taking the challenge, Hana pulled on Naruto's arm in attempt to get him out of bed.
He smiled to Hinata and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before following Hana's arm pulling to the lounge room.
Hinata followed behind, not once taking her eyes off the delicate ring around her finger. Set in silver, a flower made of lilac tinted gems with a thin band that wrapped perfectly fitting her finger. A small inscription inside the band read "I'll be by your side, forever". A warm flush spread across her face as she recalled Naruto's proposal.
The warm, buzzing happiness from last night still ringing in her mind.

Presents covered the seats, and pooled around the couch, smaller presents laid underneath the canopy of the tree.
Hana let out a giggle of childish glee. Naruto stood by the open doorway, Hinata joining him, leaning against his chest. A warmth filling the room.
"Can..." Hana looked around at all the presents, secretly taking stock of all the large ones that had her name written on them.
"Can we open them?..." Hana turned to Hinata and Naruto. Hinata smiling. Naruto chuckled.
"I think Santa would be disappointed after going through all that trouble for us to not open them."
Hinata nodded, both her and Naruto joining Hana on the floor, and the present opening began.
Hana slowly finished unwrapping all of Santa's presents, until only personal presents were left.
Hana was adamant about giving Naruto his present first. Naruto slowly peeled back the wrapper on a small box. A square wooden box, about the width of a shuriken, handmade with wood glue and had evident markers that Hana had made her gift entirely by hand.
"Open it!" She gleamed, excited to see his reaction.
Naruto slid the lid off, to reveal a pendant necklace. On a rope strap hung a tiny, hand made clay toad.
The bright orange colour of the frogs skin stood out against the black spots decorating its back, and black sides. The underbelly painted a pale yellow.
Naruto smiled, it was delicate in how tiny it was,. He could only imagine the work that went into it. Naruto grinned.
"Hey, he looks a bit like me!" Naruto said holding up the pendant for Hinata to see. Hinata giggled cheerily.
"He does too!"
"Y-you like it?.." Hana blushed. She'd been a little worried since it was handmade. She didn't have much money to buy them both a present as Hinata's had cost a lot of her pocket money, even after the salesman lowered the price. Naruto nodded, a giant grin on his face.
"I love it. Thank you Hana." He held the pendant out and lowered his head. Hana took the pendant and slid it over his head. Naruto smiled as the small pendant hung from his neck. Hana then turned to Hinata.
"Now open your present!" Hinata looked down to see a thin box, small but larger than Naruto's present and rectangle shaped. The box was a pale lilac, almost a white; wrapped in a dark purple ribbon tied in a bow. The box appeared store bought.
"Alright.." Hinata unraveled the ribbon and lifted the lid of the box to reveal a delicate hair slide, intricately decorated in a floral pattern of silver. The centre of the flowers were decorated with small purple gems set into the silver work.
"Beautiful.. It's beautiful Hana!" Hinata smiled, Leaning forward as Hana slid it into her hair. It stood out beautifully against her dark raven hair.
Hana grinned, a blush across her face.
"I guess I'll give you both your presents now..." Naruto leaned forward on his knees expectantly. Hana bounced on the spot energetically. Hinata reached behind the bottom of the tree to reveal two wrapped presents. One about the size of a book and the other the size of about two obento boxes, only much, much heavier. Hinata handed the book shaped one to Hana, the larger one to Naruto.
"I got these presents for you individually but I think they can be shared... You two are so alike.." Hinata giggled to herself. Hana teared through her wrapping to reveal a coupon book with 2 years worth of ramen orders. Slid between the pages of the coupon book was also a year long subscription to ramen orders. Her face lit up in pure happiness.
"I'm sooo not sharing!" Naruto chuckled. Hana smiled to Hinata.
"Thankyou Mama" Hinata felt her heart squeeze. She smiled, a light blush crossed her cheeks.
She leaned to Hana and squished her little body in a bear hug, though still very gently.
She let out a giggle.
"You're very welcome, my little Usagi.." Then release the small girl from her light grip.

Naruto smiled. He hadn't realized it, it was then that Naruto realized it. His new dream. He has a family. A happy family that is filled with smiles and laughs.
In this moment, he's the happiest he has ever been. When he thinks to how it could possibly get any better than this he always finds it to be impossible. That he should be thankful for every second that everything is okay. For every smile, laugh, hug and ounce of love that is shown today may just as well disappear in any second. An existence so fragile is he were to touch it, it may break. For a moment he was scared. Darkly scared and aware that not everything is perfect in this world and that for all he knew something bad, devastating may happen and when it does there will be nothing he can do to stop it. But he'd fight like hell if anyone tried to so much as plot against him or his family, let alone endanger them.

It was only after a couple of waves in front of his face that Hinata finally managed to pull him back. Hinata and Hana both staring at him with a concerned yet amused look on their faces.
"Hello!.. Earth to Naruto!..." Hinata said. Hana giggled lightly at him.
"A-ahh… Sorry… I g-guess I was daydreaming…" Hinata stifles a giggle. It's rare to hear Naruto stutter.
"Well, you gonna open your present, or do I have to give it to Hana?" Hinata smirks, then looks over to Hana and winks.
"… I can open it…" He says childishly, and then tears at the wrapping to reveal a small and ornately carved wooden box. Swirling patterns weave around the bottom half of the box and along the edges. The box is shaped as if it were a small chest, locked with a strange seal surrounded by ancient, unreadable writing.
"Umm… what?..." Naruto said, studying the box for any hints to what it was.
"It's umm.." Hinata paused trying to remember what the correct term was.
"It's an… -heirloom!" Hinata recalled.
"Heirloom?" Hana looked to Hinata and Naruto.
"What does Heirloom mean?" Hana asked Naruto, but he shook his head and they both turned to Hinata for an explanation.
"Well it differs from clan to clan but it's often something that is passed down from parents to their children. They could be secret documents, techniques, jewellery or even recipes" Hinata took a moment to think of a simpler way of explanation.
"Like the Hyuuga's have the Byakugan and the Uchiha's have the Sharingan, think of it as a kekkei genkai only it's information or an item that is passed down, instead of a specific trait of the family"
"… That particular box belonged to the Uzumaki clan." Hinata finished. Naruto inspected the box again. Turning it upside down revealed a red ink swirl stained into the bottom of the wooden box. He turned it back to get a better look at the seal placed on the front of the box.
"What do you think is inside it?" Hana asked Naruto. He traced a finger over the seal mark.
"Only one way to find out, I guess." He could understand just one word written on the seal mark.
'Blood'
Naruto takes a guess and bites his index finger until a small droplet worth of blood pools on the surface.
He places his- now bloody; finger on the seal and watches as the blood from the wound evaporates.
Both Hinata and Hana stare in curiosity.
Hinata could not open it beforehand, which was probably a good thing.
It meant the seal still stood in place and worked even after all the time it laid dormant.
The seal deactivates and becomes just another scrap of paper, falling uselessly to the ground.

Inside the small ornate wooden box lies a scroll surrounded by soft red velvet cushioning. It looked like an ordinary enough scroll, yet; the old and intricate sealing technique used to seal the scroll away- said otherwise. Gingerly, Naruto lifts the scroll from its container. The paper is old and soft, delicate to the touch, yet as sturdy as any newly made scroll. Removing the binding thread tied around the scroll he unravels the wound paper.

Written in perfect, traditional Japanese calligraphy is the title:
"The Secret Sealing Techniques of The Uzumaki Clan"

Naruto's eyes went wide as he unravelled more of the scroll, then he had to steel himself, as he came across a technique that sent a burning sensation through his stomach.

"Shiki Fujin" Also known as "Corpse Demon Seal Exhaustion". The very technique used by the Yondaime, Minato; to seal the Kyuubi and later used by the Sandaime, Sarutobi; to seal Orochimaru's arms. A technique that if used, ends the user's life.

Naruto gripped his stomach. This technique not only took his father away from him, but had cursed him to live as the kyuubi's retainer. Then Naruto chided himself. Such times were past. He knew that if it weren't for his father's sacrifice, Konoha would have been destroyed and the man, Obito; that had been the cause of the Kyuubi's appearance was now long gone. The Kyuubi, Kurama; and he had managed to forge a relationship resembling camaraderie in the time of the shinobi war.
It was a time that Naruto would always find himself looking back on as the turning point for him. The pivotal moment in which he was able to not only keep his promise to Sakura after all those years, was also recognized as a hero, a hokage. the event shortly after that.. Tsunade's death, was not so happily looked upon.

'That was then, and this is now.' Naruto reminded himself.

In any case, the Shiki Fujin was not a technique to be used lightly. He'd have to make sure Hana kept away from learning such techniques. He'd have to reseal the scroll in the box, only he'd also need to alter the seal type. As it was, any remaining Uzumaki blood relative could open the seal. There wasn't many Uzumaki left nowadays but Hana shared enough of the Uzumaki blood for her to be able to deactivate the seal. At least, Naruto assumed she would be able to. He wasn't going to be taking any chances.

Naruto ravels the scroll and tucks in back into the ornate box with care, a grim look crossing his features. Catching this, Hana perks up.
"What did it say?" Naruto looks up to her, shrugs.
"Just a bunch of basic techniques…" He lied.
"Oh.." Somewhat crestfallen Hana lowers her head, Naruto taking this chance to give Hinata a look that said they would talk properly about the scroll later in private.
"Now.." Naruto cleared his throat.
"I think it's time I gave you your present…" He said, grinning goofily.

"Whoa! " Hana stared at the large house in front of her, her eyes gleaming with excitement and curiosity.
"It's HUGE!" She cheered, throwing her arms up in the air for emphasis.
Hinata nodded. It was indeed a large house, perhaps even larger than the Hyuuga's house. And it must have cost a small fortune. It seemed it was also fully furnished and was ready to move straight into.
Hinata smiled sweetly at Naruto. Words could not express her joy at this moment. They we're going to be a family in a proper home and she would marry Naruto as she had always dreamed of doing.
"It's not too big is it?" Naruto asked leaning to Hinata. They watched as Hana burst through the doors and ran straight up the stairs excitedly. They themselves walked slowly together through the doors, Naruto leading the way for the most part. Hinata smiled a little cheekily.
"A little.." Naruto smiled a little triumpantly.
"Good."
"Don't tell me you plan on filling it up with family.." A sly look piercing him.
"Uhh..nooo... no I had no intention-"
"You're a terrible liar you know that, Uzumaki.." Naruto snickered. He'd recently come to know a more cheeky side to Hinata.
"Yeah, but you still love me.." He stuck out his tongue. Hinata giggled.
"I do not.."
"Oh, now who's the terrible liar?" He gently pressed his nose against hers.
They stopped in the doorway to the lounge room and shared a kiss.

A/N:
Sorry this took such a long time to get finished,
I've had such a bad case of writers block
and with work being so busy I haven't been able
to find the time to keep writing next gen.
But not to worry,
I'haven't forgotten about it ;)
It's just been a little low on my priorities lately
but I got the chapter finished today so all is good.

Hope you like it,
SleepyUsagi xo

xxxEDITxxx
Fixed some issues I had with it, hopefully that made it a little easier to follow. :)