I have here for you a holiday special chapter! Here is proof I'm not giving up on this fic even if the updates are as slow as a molasses-covered snail in January.

I have a very important question for my readers. I have more of this written (I actually have a rather great deal written...) but a lot of it is flashback\backstory of Hidan, Tobi, and Deidara. Would you like me to post those, or just wait for a more suitable place in the story to pop up, even if that takes significantly more time? Third option: should I post those parts in a separate, connected story (they do have some rather important background information, though...)? I'm so conflicted!

Please let me know your thoughts, and Merry Christmas~!

Minor edit: What the hell is it with FFn devouring dividing lines?!

Hidan, Tobi and Deidara were sitting on the floor in the middle of the living room, bottles, jars, and yards of colored paper spread out around them, with still more presents to go through yet. All three had been drafted to sort through the mountains of courtesy gifts Tsunade had received for the holidays.

Hidan sighed as he unwrapped another colorful bottle, calling out loudly, "I think all your patients think you stink, Tsu-chan."

The light blond head popped out from around the corner, where the sneaky broad was undoubtedly wrapping their Christmas gifts while they were suitably distracted, "Why's that?"

He held up both hands, two bottles in his left, a green and blue one respectively, and a large orange one in his right, "Because we have enough soaps, shower gels, body washes, and 'scent mists' to last all of us until next Christmas." he lowered the bottle and stared at it thoughtfully, "That, or they think you're a french whore in your spare time."

She smirked and shook her head, "Right, like I have time to be a french whore between seeing that you three are taken care of, my residency, and studying. I'm lucky I have time to breathe, let alone sleep. My pillow and I have a rockier relationship than my boyfriend and I did."

Deidara nodded, "And we all know how that turned out, un."

"Exactly. At least I have you three to help me use it up."

"Not fucking likely! No way in hell am I going about smelling like 'Lavender Breeze'. I get my ass kicked enough, thank you very much."

Deidara scoffed, holding a spritzer bottle aloft, "How about 'Summer Morning', un?"

Hidan shook his head and held up the orange bottle, "Seriously, what the hell is 'Sunset' supposed to smell like, anyway?"

The blonde teen held up the blue bottle he'd discarded, "And 'Fresh Spring Water'. If your fresh spring water has a smell at all, something's wrong with it, un."

The albino popped open the top on his bottle and sniffed it, his nose scrunching at the scent. He held it away from his body, "I'll tell you one thing. I don't know what the hell sunset is supposed to smell like, but I know for sure what it doesn't smell like, and it doesn't smell like orange blossoms!"

Deidara held his bottle at arms' length, "Yuck, un!"

Hidan smirked and held up another, this one pale purple, "How about Caress of Twilight?"

The blonde male cast him a suspicious look, "Was the french accent really necessary, un?"

"It's a snooty name, funny french accent is a requirement."

Tsunade watched the two teens bicker good naturedly, the third of the trio far too enraptured with opening presents and looking at the pretty colored paper and bottles to notice the conversation going on around him.

Hidan held another bottle away from him, obviously having just sniffed it, "I've had watermelon before, had watermelon candy before, and this is nothing like either of them! Seriously, what were these bastards thinking? They had to be fucking high. "

"Hopefully, un. It'd be scary if they thought like this regularly."

The pale teen nodded, "They have to be on some good drugs, like the stuff those Greek fuckers used to come up with the constellations. Ursa Major and Minor my ass: Big and Little Dipper. This pomegranate shampoo smells exactly the same as your fresh spring water body wash."

Deidara tossed a clear bottle with jewel-green goo in it over to the magenta-eyed boy, "Try this stuff, un. It's a 'Holly Wreath' hand soap."

Hidan unscrewed the lid and held up the stopper, "Looks more like snot to me. The little black dots aren't doing a thing to discourage the image, either."

"True, un, but not what I meant. Smell it, it's sharp, but not like anything I've smelled before."

"I don't know, smells a bit like a cross between lemon-lime soda and grass, in my opinion." he shook his head and put the soap down, sending Tsunade a look somewhere between scathing and pleading, "Can't you tell people to get you better gifts? Like nail polish, at least we can use that. Even the brighter stuff we don't like can be given to Hanabi and Moegi."

Tsunade was about to reply when her phone beeped, warning of an incoming text. She checked the small device and scowled, "Damn. Sorry, brats, I have to go. There's an emergency case at the hospital. I'll be back later."

Tsunade stepped through the door and was stopped by the platter of chocolate treats held out for her by Tobi, "Tsunade-sama is home! Tobi and Hidan-sempai and Deidara-sempai found chocolate presents!"

She smiled and took the plate, "I see that. Thank you, Tobi-kun."

Hidan looked over his shoulder from the couch, "Yeah. You got boucoup boxes of mystery chocolate. Quality boxes, but still mystery chocolates."

Looking at the plate, it was easy to tell who had sorted which piece of candy. Having had years more experience, and been taught by his mother how to even accomplish the task of sorting 'mystery chocolates', Hidan's pieces were each cut perfectly in half. The boy's skill with a blade was downright scary sometimes: not a fleck of the shell on the confections was out of place.

Each of Tobi's had a small piece missing out of them, that boy couldn't just hack all that sugar to bits without tasting some of each. Always careful, the tops of the chocolates were slightly smooshed because Tobi put them on a solid surface and cut straight down.

All of Deidara's quota had only the very edge taken off to show what was inside, the blonde wanted nothing to do with tasting any flavor but his chosen ones. The pyrotechnic used a paring knife and peeled the edge off each candy, leaving flawless sides and little crumbles of chocolate on the plate under the treats.

Tsunade inspected the plate and smiled, "Thank you, boys. You saved me all the almond and caramel chocolates."

"You're the only one who likes them, anyway, un."

Hidan flaunted his own platter of sweets, "I've got coconut and solid chocolates."

Tsunade smirked and shook her head, sitting on the couch next to the pale teen. Hidan's taste in candy ran opposite his taste in ice cream. Where he liked cherry-vanilla ice cream because 'chocolate-covered chocolate is just too fucking sweet', but he hated the mix of fruit and chocolate in candies, and adored anything truffle-esque.

Deidara hoisted his prizes in the air, "I've got all the mint, un!"

Hidan grimaced, "And you're welcome to all the fucking disgusting, toothpaste-filled chocolate you can stomach. Blech!"

And Tobi got, well, everything else. The masked teen wasn't exactly picky. Tsunade sat in the chair Deidara had just vacated in his rising argument with Hidan, munching on candies and sipping at the glass of milk Tobi had thoughtfully gotten for her as she watched her younger siblings. The elder blonde couldn't help the smile that overtook her face. Merry Christmas to me, no better present than happiness and camaraderie.