Author's Note: Hello my lovelies. So here is the second chapter. I don't have much to say, but I really hope you guys enjoy it! Please Follow, Favorite, and Review. Enjoy!


Naruto sighed as he finally got up from his table to throw away his garbage. He had been sitting at the café for two hours and if he didn't leave now he wasn't going to be there when the hay and food was delivered. With a farewell glance at Sasuke, Naruto left the café and began walking back to the barn. It only took about thirty minutes but it had begun to rain as he approached. The guy from the shop and two other men were unloading the hay and feed form a pickup truck. Naruto waved as he approached, using his other hand to cover his eyes from the light rain.

"Thanks guys!" Naruto said, walking up to them. They had just put the last bag of feed by the door.

"No problem. I told you it was going to start raining," the brunette said with a laugh. "We can help you get all that inside."

"No, I'm fine," Naruto said, shaking his head quickly.

"Really dude, it's not a problem," the man said, grabbing a bag and heading towards the door.

"No, really!" Naruto said, trying to stop the man. He grabbed the latch to the door and held it down. The three men looked at him strangely, and one of the men, the one with dark brown hair in a short ponytail, walked forward.

"What's going on? A bit weird to be so protective of your horse." Naruto wanted to glare at the man but suddenly the doors rattled, as if something had hit them. Damn it! Naruto thought. Vixen must smell the hay and grain. With just that bag of apples he was probably still hungry. He could be such a pain.

"What was that?" The third man asked, eyes wide.

"Nothing," Naruto said quickly, silently threatening Vixen.

"Come on dude the rain is getting worse. Just let us help you," the first man said, trying to push past Naruto. This man could be just as stubborn as Naruto. Another shuttering of the doors and Naruto fell back, allowing the three men to heave the door open to reveal Vixen, who took the chance to leap out the door and soar towards the hay. Naruto cried out, cursing Vixen and his damn appetite. His dad was going to kill him.

"Holy hell!" The first man cried, falling back in an attempt to get out of the way. The other two were starring with wide eyes at the large reindeer now munching calmly on hay.

"T-that's a reindeer," the third man stuttered out.

"A giant reindeer," the second man said, eyes wide. Naruto groaned, running up to Vixen and banging on his back angrily.

"Damnit Vixen why can't you think with your head instead of your stomach! I told you not to cause any trouble!" Slowly, as Naruto continued yelling and banging on Vixen, the other three men got up and slowly moved closer.

"You…you just called that thing Vixen?" Naruto froze, turning to look at the three men starring at him in a mix of confusion and wonder.

"Uh…yeah…"

"As in, like, Santa's reindeer?" the third man asked.

"Yeah but it's just a name, you know. Obviously, this isn't Santa's reindeer," Naruto tried, giving a forced laugh. None of them seemed to buy it.

"That thing flew," the second man said.

"Yeah, and it's huge," the first man added.

"It has to be the size of a moose," the second one said.

"Don't be silly," Naruto tried. "Reindeer can't fly."

"That one did," the third man said.

"I think you guys are losing it," Naruto said with a laugh. "Thanks for dropping off the stuff, but we should be good now," Naruto said, patting Vixen on his side. At that moment, Vixen decided he was done with the hay and with a pus of his legs he was sailing back into the barn.

"Damnit! When we get back I'm going to make sure you're grounded for Christmas! Who needs eight reindeer?" Naruto yelled pelting Vixen with a large snowball. After a few moments of huffing and puffing, Naruto realized what he had done and the other three men were just staring at him with impossibly wide eyes. His dad was going to be so mad he had used magic.

"Uh…" Naruto turned with a sheepish grin. "I can explain."

And so he did, for the next hour. He told them about who he was, where he was from, and why he was in Konoha. They were taking it surprisingly well, but Naruto supposed it was easy to accept after watching a giant reindeer fly.

"So have you found what's causing the interference?" the man with the ponytail, Shikamaru, said. Naruto shook his head.

"No. I've spent most of the day getting settled in." Naruto thought back to the café and a small blush popped up on his cheeks.

"Well where are you staying?" the first man, Kiba, asked. Naruto looked back at the barn.

"There I guess. I used to sleep in the stable as a kid so this is fine."

"Dude," Kiba said. "You can't stay in a barn. You'll freeze." Naruto shrugged, patting Vixen. They had moved into the barn after moving all of the hay and feed in and Vixen had finally settled down and was laying behind Naruto.

"I'm fine. It's much colder at home, and Vixen is like a big heater." The three men shook their heads.

"You should at least get some blankets and stuff," the last guy, Choji, said. Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, blankets would be nice. I didn't bring any."

"Well we should get going then," Shikamaru said, standing.

"Huh?" Kiba asked, looking confused.

"To take him shopping. He obviously doesn't know where anything is, and after what you told us about at the shop, he clearly doesn't understand how buying stuff works," Shikamaru continued, and Naruto blushed at being reminded of his ignorance.

"Oh, okay. And we can help him find whatever is interfering with Santa's list!" Choji cheered.

"Yeah! It's no fair we get no presents," Kiba said, grinning. Naruto laughed and stood.

"Cool, thanks guys." They began to walk to the door when Naruto stopped. "Oh, and I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but you can't tell anyone. I'm probably in trouble just for telling you guys."

"No problem."

"We understand." Naruto nodded and they continued walking towards Kiba's truck. This would make things much faster. It didn't take them long to get back to town, and the rain had let up some. They pulled up in front of a small shop not far from the café and Naruto couldn't help but glance down the road, wondering if Sasuke was still there. Naruto followed the three men into the shop and smiled at what he saw. This town was amazing. It seemed like every shop was decorated in some fashion. This shop had a very homey feel with a large faux fireplace and stockings hanging from it. Around the room were table with blankets stacked on them. The walls had tapestries and there were large pillows on the floor. It made Naruto want to flop down and nap. There was a smell in the air that Naruto didn't recognize. It was a bit spicy and floral.

"Hello! Can I help you gentleman find anything?" A small woman came from behind a doorway hidden by a wall of hanging beads. She looked like someone's grandmother, and not completely unlike what most people thought his mother looked like.

"We were just looking for some blankets. Something really thick and warm," Kiba said, smiling at the woman. She nodded and led us over to a table with large blankets of all colors.

"These are very nice. They are made of a faux fur and are very plush. I have one myself at home," she said, pulling the corner of the blanket out for them to touch. Naruto grinned as he felt it. It reminded him of some of the blankets they had at home.

"I like it. Um, do you have anything that could be used to lay on? Like a floor cushion?" Naruto asked. The woman nodded and led them over to where the pillows were piled up.

"I have a few good futons. Feel free to try them out." Naruto nodded and plopped down on the nearest futon. It was very comfy, but not quite big enough. He saw one a few feet away that looked perfect, and once he laid down he confirmed he was right. Naruto quickly picked out a few more blankets and pillows and they were soon waiting at the counter.

"Dude, I know you needed blankets but do you know how much this will be?" Kiba said, waving at the futon box and the bags containing the blankets and pillows. Naruto shook his head.

"Alright sweetie, that will be $365.98. Are we paying cash or card?"

"Card," Naruto said, handing the woman the piece of plastic. The woman smiled as she swiped it and handed it back, along with a receipt. Naruto thanked her as he and the other three carried the stuff back to Kiba's truck.

"Man, I can't believe you spent that much on blankets. That's more than the stuff you got from me," Kiba said, shutting the bed of his truck. Luckily it had a cover. The rain had mostly stopped now but it could start up again any minute.

"Is that a lot?" Naruto asked. They were walking down the street now. The guys had mentioned that they were hungry, and Naruto told them he knew a place nearby.

"Uh, yeah. You're spending money like you got it growing on trees."

"Does it…do that?" Naruto asked, thinking that was strange. The other three began laughing, and Naruto felt his cheeks heat up.

"No dude. That's my point. Where do you even getting it from? I can't imagine you get paid at the North Pole," Kiba said, and Shikamaru elbowed him. "Oh, sorry. At home." Naruto shook his head.

"I don't. We don't use money. Honestly, I don't really know how it works. My mom just gave it to me, said I would need to pay for things." This made Kiba laugh hard.

"Man, you sound like some rich kid."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No," Shikamaru started, also laughing. "As long as you don't act like one." Naruto nodded and opened the door to the café for the other three men to enter. It was a bit busier than it was before, but there wasn't a long line. Only a few people. It gave them all time to decide what they wanted. Naruto guessed it was because of the rain that so many people were now sitting in the shop.

"Back already?" Sasuke asked as Naruto walked up. Part of him was surprised Sasuke remembered him, after all, it had been a few hours and he must have had plenty of customers, but the other part of him was glad. Clearly, he had made an impression.

"We were doing some shopping nearby and my friends got hungry." Sasuke nodded.

"So what can I get you?" he asked. Naruto quickly rattled off the same order as before. Naruto quickly stepped to the side to wait for the others.

"Hey Sasuke," Shikamaru said.

"Shikamaru," Sasuke said, nodding at the other man. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. "What can I get you?

"I'll just have a black coffee and a bagel." Sasuke nodded and Shikamaru quickly paid, stepping next to Naruto. Once they all ordered, it didn't take long for their orders to be brought out and they quickly sat at a table.

"You know Sasuke?" Naruto finally asked Shikamaru, unable to contain himself. He glanced over at the handsome cashier, meeting his eyes for a moment before quickly looking away.

"Yeah, we used to go to university together," Shikamaru said, spreading cream cheese on his bagel. Naruto was pretty sure that was a kind of schooling. That meant Sasuke was smart as well as good looking.

"How come he's working here if he went to university with you? Didn't you go to some elite school?" Kiba asked. Shikamaru shrugged.

"He dropped out when the fire happened. I guess he never re-enrolled."

"Wait, he's Sasuke Uchiha?" Choji asked, shoveling his food into his mouth. Shikamaru nodded.

"Man, poor guy," Kiba said, and Naruto was sure he was missing something important, but he felt too embarrassed to ask. It felt like it was personal business, and he didn't want to gossip about it.

"So why so interested?" Shikamaru asked, a small smirk in place as he caught Naruto starring at said man. Naruto quickly snapped his attention back to the three men and he blushed when he realized he'd been caught.

"No reason," he tried, but Shikamaru didn't believe him. Shikamaru was way too perceptive for Naruto's own good.

"Nah, I think it's the same reason he's been starring at him this whole time," Kiba said, laughing. Naruto's face became enflamed as embarrassment engulfed him.

"I haven't been starring," Naruto mumbled, trying to defend himself.

"So the future Santa has a thing for candy canes," Kiba said, and even Naruto didn't miss that innuendo. He may be a bit naïve when it comes to the human world but some things were universal. Without a second thought Naruto reached out and punched Kiba's shoulder.

"Shut up," he growled, entire face red as a tomato. The other three men just laughed, and Naruto couldn't stop himself from glancing over at Sasuke to see an amused smirk in place. Naruto's face got even redder and swore if Sasuke heard what they were saying he would die.

"Come on, let's go. I want to get the stuff back before it starts raining again," Naruto grumbled and everyone gathered their trash, still laughing.

When they got back to the barn, Naruto was glad to see nothing look out of place. The doors were closed and it hadn't rained yet. Naruto had been worried Vixen might bust through the door. The four of them quickly grabbed the box and several bags and made their way to the barn. Naruto heaved the door open and they all walked inside, talking about where to set everything, when Naruto noticed one glaring empty space where a giant reindeer once was.

"Damnit!" Naruto yelled, looking around the barn.

"Where's Vixen?" Choji asked, and everyone else nodded.

"How could he have gotten out? The doors were still closed," Shikamaru said, and Naruto wondered the same thing. That was until he felt a bit of rain fall on his cheek and he looked up to see there was a large window towards the ceiling that had been opened.

"Vixen must have flown through there," Kiba said, and Naruto cursed. Why had he brought Vixen? Of all the reindeer he was always the most trouble.

"Come one, we need to find him before anyone sees him," Naruto said, pulling a coat out of his bag and heading towards the door. Luckily it was beginning to get dark so there was a good chance no one would see him. Sadly, that also meant it was getting colder and it still might rain.

"How are we supposed to find him? It's not like he would leave tracks," Choji said, and Naruto grinned.

"All the reindeer give off magic. I just have to follow it."

"Like a scent trail?" Kiba asked.

"Yeah."

"But how can you follow it? Is it something you can see?" Shikamaru asked, and Naruto shook his head, thinking of how best to explain it.

"No, it's more like I can feel it. It's a bit like when there is electricity in the air. Everyone and everything at the North Pole is made from magic, so we can all feel it."

"That is so cool," Kiba marveled, and Naruto laughed.

"Yeah, it is. Now come on. That damn reindeer is going to get me in so much trouble," Naruto said, walking towards Kiba's truck. They all quickly jumped inside and drove back to town.

"I can't pinpoint it exactly, but he definitely went towards town."