Christmas Time is Here

Keiko resisted the urge to laugh as she watched her husband struggling with the insanely huge Christmas tree he had picked out. She tried to explain to him that bigger is not better where trees for the indoors are concerned, but stubborn as ever, he wouldn't listen. He wanted everything to be perfect and on a grand scale since it was his baby girl's first Christmas. He took being crazy about his kids to whole new level.

"I could help," she offered as she and the children watched.

"Nope. I got it!" he insisted, overcorrecting the lean of the tree and bringing it down on himself – again.

This was getting painful to watch. "The children and I will be upstairs in the playroom."

The doorbell rang when she was halfway up the staircase.

"Were you expecting anyone?" Naruto bellowed from the living room.

There was a crash and a girlish scream from her husband; proof that even the most masculine men still sounded like ten year old girls when they screamed. The doorbell rang again.

"I'll get it!" he yelled impatiently, letting the Christmas tree fall and wincing as it crashed to the floor.

"Thanks, sweetie!" she yelled from upstairs.

"Now she talks to me," he muttered, stomping to the door. He snatched open the door not expecting to be happy with seeing who was there. Jiraiya! He had someone to help him tackle the tree issue now.

"Hey, kiddo! What's up?" Jiraiya asked, grabbing him in a big bear hug.

'Would this old man ever see me as older than eight?' Naruto wondered, grunting as the surprisingly strong man squeezed him. "Uncle, I'd like to breathe now. I've kind of made it a habit," he groaned feeling his lungs begging for air.

"Where's your beautiful wife?" he inquired, unceremoniously dropping the blond on his feet.

"Upstairs with the kids," he answered, nearly falling backwards when the man shoved his suitcases into his chest.

"Here. Take these," he ordered, heading for the stairs.

"Hey! I need your help with the tree!" he yelled as the white haired man disappeared up the stairs. He rolled his eyes and snorted when he heard the ruckus above from everyone being glad to see Jiraiya. After dropping the suitcases on the floor, he headed up to join them.

Jiraiya was sitting on the floor with them holding Koko in his arms and Takeshi on his lap. Keiko was sitting next to them with the pleased, content motherly look on her face that she wore most of the time. Naruto was surprised the old perv with the foot fetish didn't have his hands on Keiko's feet like he usually did.

"Hey, I've got a present for you two. I hope you like it," he said, moving Takeshi off his lap and handing Koko to her mother. He ran out of the room and Naruto could only assume back downstairs.

"Your suitcases are by the front door!" Naruto yelled after him. He sat down by his wife, gathering his son into his lap. "We're putting the old perv out in what used to be your office."

"Fine with me," she answered with surprising compliance. As of late she had been quite grumpy and argumentative.

After the Sasuke incident, Naruto had immediately converted her office into a guest room to prevent her from even getting tempted to start seeing patients again. He had hired a records company to pack up and seal all of her patient files before taking them to a storage facility. Never again would he allow his wife to put in danger like that. She was far too precious to him and their children.

Jiraiya returned with a book, shoving it into Keiko's hands. He watched proudly as she opened the book to the dedication page before reading the dust jacket to see what the book was about. A big smile spread across her face and tears sprung to her eyes. He knelt down to kiss her on the forehead as the tears brimmed and spilled over her lower eyelids.

"What? What is it?" Naruto asked, taking the book from her when she held it out to him.

"It's for us. It's our story," she sniffed, putting her arm around the man's neck to hug him. To her of course, Jiraiya wasn't an old man because he was ten years or so older than her.

"No way!" he yelled, grabbing the book. "You didn't get all perverted about it did you?"

"No. I kept the love scenes tasteful. Probably more so than you two do in real life," Jiraiya joked, nudging Keiko gently while she turned a beautiful shade of dark pink. "Actually, Junior, if you recall, I got a lot of the information from you."

"Naruto!" his wife exclaimed with horror. It was his turn to blush. His crimson colored skin rivaled his wife's light blush.

"Well, we had just started out and damn, I was proud to have you. I still am. I couldn't help but brag…about everything," he mumbled avoiding her burning gaze.

After taking a deep breath, Keiko remarked, "It should make for some interesting bedtime reading."

"A little to the left!" Keiko yelled at the men as they adjusted the tree. "You're other left!"

"Our left or your left?" Jiraiya asked patiently while Naruto growled from the other side of the tree.

"Aren't they the same?" she inquired, cocking her head like a confused puppy.

The children were sitting at her feet and staring with rapt attention. They couldn't figure out why Daddy and Uncle Jiraiya were abusing the helpless tree so brutally.

"Uh, never send a woman to do a man's job," her husband grumbled, jumping down from his ladder.

"Why? Because we can do it better?" she demanded, putting her hands on her hips and raising her chin in defiance.

"All right, chill,feminazi," he crudely joked. The doorbell rang, and he ordered her to get it. He slapped her on the behind and received a smack to the back of his head.

"Don't make me come down there!" Jiraiya warned playfully from his perch. "Next time get a tree that actually fits in your house, Naruto!"

"Thank you! That's what I kept telling him," Keiko yelled before she opened the door.

"Did we come at a bad time?" Shikamaru inquired when she turned to face him.

"Shika!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. She looked at the pretty blond woman standing beside him who smiled pleasantly. "You must be Temari. Nice to meet you, dear," she said, hugging her as well before inviting them in.

"Another helper!" Jiraiya yelled when he saw Shika.

"What?" Shikamaru muttered in confusion. He noticed the massive greenery consuming half of the living room. "How did you even get that in the house? It's half a forest!"

"Cut off the top and a lot of the branches. I'll use them as decorations elsewhere. Damn, it's so simple but you couldn't figure it out," Keiko griped, picking up the children and leading Temari to the kitchen. Her patience had worn out with fighting the too big tree.

"She's right you know," Shikamaru concurred as he studied the tree that was far too tall and wide.

"Shut up," his blond best friend snapped. He hated it when his wife was right especially when his pride was at stake.

"Can I hold one of them? They're so sweet," Temari cooed, looking from one child to the other. She reached for the cute little boy who had huge blue eyes like his father's and dark hair like his mother's.

"Would you like something to drink?" Keiko asked as they sat down at the table.

"Oh, no thank you," she answered politely, stroking Takeshi's cheek as he looked up at her.

"How did you two meet?" she inquired, repositioning Koko away from the salt and pepper shakers and sugar bowl so the child's grabbing hands could not reach them.

"We met on base. I was transferred there, and he was me CO actually," the young woman answered, apparently a little embarrassed for committing the taboo of falling for her commanding officer.

Keiko smiled at her. She knew how women could be fools and fall in love with men they shouldn't. But sometimes, he's the right man after all. The two women continued to talk and get to know each other. Their conversation was carried on through getting the children's lunch and getting them down for a nap.

"Hey, guys! The children are asleep so keep down the noise. I invited Shika's parents to dinner so we're going to the grocery store," Keiko informed them, walking toward the front door.

Surely three men could handle two children for about two hours; one of those men being the children's father who was more than capable of taking care of them by himself. The kids would most likely sleep the whole time anyway.

Keiko and Temari returned to a house that was quiet. It was distressingly quiet. She noticed the tree had finally been tackled and pared down to size. Its hacked limbs were still scattered across the living room floor and evergreen needles were everywhere. What a mess! The men were gone, but where? A shriek of laughter from Koko caught Keiko's attention and both women ran up the stairs.

It appeared as if some war had occurred in the children's playroom. Toys were scattered all over the floor along with clothes, diapers, and blankets. Three casualties of the battle that had ensued lay at various locations and in different positions, asleep from apparent exhaustion. Takeshi was asleep on his father's chest; obviously this was a war where all the losers were men. Koko was sitting at her father's head happily pulling his spiky hair and squeezing his nose. It was good thing his eyes were closed, and therefore had not warranted her attention. The shopping excursion had taken longer than anticipated including stops at various other stores.

"Koko! Did you kill Daddy and his friends?" she asked playfully and the baby squealed with laughter. "Even big brother didn't escape the carnage. Koko!" she exclaimed in a mock admonishment as she picked up the little girl and kissed her on the cheek.

"She's a fast learner. Those skills will come in handy some day," Temari laughed shaking her head at the sleeping men scattered on the floor among the wreckage. She really liked this family. When she remembered, Shikamaru's mother would be coming to dinner her smile faded. Yoshino did not like her very much. She would go as far as saying the woman hated her.

"I don't like that girl! I don't like her at all!" Yoshino hissed in Keiko's ear as they carried the plates to the kitchen after dinner.

Keiko could tell her friend had been dying to get her alone for hours for this specific purpose. Yoshino wanted to bitch and moan about her son's girlfriend. She rolled her eyes as the woman continued to gripe; she loved Yoshino but she was a champion complainer and nagged at the top of her class of the wife's academy. Her husband and son would be quick to agree just as long as she couldn't hear them do it.

"Yoshino, I know why you don't like this girl," Keiko began, taking the dishes from her friend first so the woman would not have ammunition.

"Oh, Miss Smartypants, why is that?" she snapped, standing there with her hands on her hips while glaring at her friend.

"It doesn't require a degree to figure it out either," she retorted, glowering back just as fiercely. "She's just like you. She's loudmouthed, overbearing, argumentative, bossy, and downright bitchy."

There. Keiko had said it. She felt better but it was impossible to tell how Yoshino felt by her gaping face and uncharacteristic silence. Turning her attention to the dishes, she would allow the woman a few minutes to get over the shock.

"You're right," a throaty whisper came from behind when she was on the last dish.

"Excuse me?" Keiko inquired, gritting her teeth as the dish clattered into the sink. She hoped it had not broken. They had bought this set of dishes in Greece on their honeymoon.

"She is a lot like me. No wonder I can't stand her," the still stunned woman muttered.

"Oh, Yoshino," her friend laughed. "Snap out of it and start the coffee will you? Everyone's waiting on that and dessert."

"Yes, sir, drill sergeant, sir!" Yoshino exclaimed, saluting her friend. She was back to being herself and smart alecky as ever.

"Can I help?" Temari queried when she came into the kitchen.

"Of course, dear. The cake is in the fridge. Can you get it out for me?" Yoshino requested pulling the huge butcher knife out of the drawer.

"I'll take that," Keiko said, carefully removing the knife out of her friend's iron grip. The woman had always had amazing strength in her hands. She handed the knife to Temari and shook her head at Yoshino who shrugged unaffectedly as if she hadn't thought about using the knife on something besides the cake.

Soon all three women returned to the formal dining room with cake and coffee. Shikamaru suddenly stood up to get everyone's attention.

"Mom, you'll want to be sitting down for this," he warned his mother as she sat a plate and cup down in front of him. He waited until his mother had reclaimed her seat to begin. "Since I am with the people I care most about in this world, I cannot think of a better time for my announcement. As some of you know, I have found the woman of my dreams. And sometimes my nightmares," he added, receiving nervous giggles in return as everyone cast a glance at his mother.

Yoshino's gaze was transfixed on her son. Tears were already forming in her eyes. That in itself was disturbing because she never cried. But this was special. She knew what her son was working his way around to. She picked up her napkin and dabbed at her eyes before saying, "Go on, Son. Make your big announcement."

Shikamaru pulled a box out of his pocket and moved around to Temari. He pulled out her chair, then knelt down in front of her. Her trembling hands flew to her mouth as he held up the box.

"Oh, god!" Keiko and Naruto gasped in unison for different reasons. Keiko gasped with tears in her eyes because the moment was so incredibly sentimental and poignant. Naruto gasped in pain because she was squeezing the hell out of his thigh and his jeans had not offered much of a barrier between her fingernails and his skin.

Jiraiya was busy scribbling notes. This was too melodramatic not to document and include in a book. He could make up the sex to go along with it. Every good romance novel needed great sex. He stole a glance at the blond at the head of the table who was suffering him his wife's death grip on his leg. Those two had been an amazing source for his books. He shook his head and smiled.

Shikaku was completely emotionless other than slightly amused. He laced his fingers behind his head and calmly leaned back to watch the show. The reactions of the people around the table were more entertaining than the proposal.

"Temari, will you marry me?" Shikamaru asked, opening the box to reveal the ring.

With complete synchronicity, Keiko and Yoshino stood up yelling, "Yes! Yes, she'll marry you!"

The couple laughed as they glanced between his mom and her best friend who were hurriedly sitting back down with nicely blushed faces streaked with tears of happiness. They particularly enjoyed his mother's reacting that way.

"Well?" He held the ring out to her and waved the box like it was an enticing treat.

"Well, you heard the ladies. They took the words right out of my mouth. Yes, I'll marry you!"