Chapter Eight; Naruto's Secret
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Sasuke groaned as he exited the men's restroom wearing his Santa suit. "The things I go through for Naruto." He told Sakura who started giggling the moment that she saw him.
"Oh come on Sasuke, you look really cute!" she exclaimed.
"That's easy enough for you to say you're basically only wearing a red fancy dress and bonnet." He told her.
"You know you could have at least tried on the white beard though. I mean who's heard of a Santa without a beard?" she questioned him.
"This Santa shaves." He began. "You should just at least be happy that my hat is covering up my ear piercing." He told her. "Now where's Sasame?" he asked her.
"She must still be changing into her costume. Either that or she's changed already and she doesn't want to come out. I'm not sure which." She replied.
"Well considering the fact that I can't go in there and get her you better do that and hurry up before I change my mind about this whole entire thing." He told her before she giggled again.
"Oh Sasuke, you're such a good sport and big brother." She told him before she planted a kiss on his cheek and then walked into the restroom. That's when suddenly Sasuke's cellphone rang. He quickly dug it out of his pocket.
"It's Naruto. Damn it! What does that loser want now?" he muttered underneath his breath before he picked it up and answered it. "This better be good. I'm a little busy at the moment." He told him.
"I know, I'm sorry buddy but I really had to talk to you about something." Naruto said.
"Does it have to be now? I'm about to have a bunch of rugrats climbing all over me and that thought doesn't exactly put me in the cheeriest happiest mood." Sasuke told him with a shudder before Naruto coughed a few times on the other end of the line. "And furthermore you should be in bed right now anyway." He told him.
"I know." Naruto began with a sniff. "But this is important. It's about Sakura." He told him.
"What about Sakura?" Sasuke questioned him back.
"It's just that I'm a little bit worried about her. That's all. She uh,.. well please don't get angry when I tell you this but she told me what you told her about your feelings for me. I figure that it's only because she thought that I needed a wakeup call. Anyway, the truth is, I think maybe after you're done playing Santa at the mall you guys should set some time to spend together alone. Because she told me that she doesn't think that you love her and care about her as much as you do about me." He said.
"What? She did?" Sasuke questioned him with uncertainty. "But we've been married for over a decade now. If I didn't love her as strongly as I say I do then why on earth would I have stayed together with her this long?" he wondered before Naruto coughed a few times again.
"I know. But since I've been sick lately with this stupid old cold and you have been spending a lot of time taking care of me, I think that maybe she's starting to feel a left out." He told him. "And I just don't want her to feel like that. Especially around Christmas. She is my half-sister after all." He said as Sasuke slowly hung his head and heaved a deep and heavy sad sigh.
"Well thanks for telling me Naruto. I had absolutely no idea that she felt like that. I promise that after we leave here I'll find some way to make it up to her, but right now I really have to go." He told him.
"Alright, I'll see you when you get home if I'm still awake. And thanks again for doing this for me buddy. I really appreciate it." Naruto said hoarsely with another gigantic cough.
"You're welcome but as soon as we get off the phone I want you to go straight back to bed do you understand me? I mean it Naruto no nonsense." Sasuke told him.
"But you're not the _" Naruto began.
"I know I'm not the boss of you and I don't have any authority over you whatsoever. I'm only trying to do what's best for you because I want you to feel better. So please, do it as a favor for me alright?" Sasuke questioned before Naruto took a deep breath and heaved a long and heavy sigh.
"Fine. You win." He told him when all of a sudden Sakura and Sasame walked out of the ladies' room together.
"I have to go now. I love you and I probably will be back in time for dinner." He said.
"Alright. Love you too buddy." Naruto began with another rather large sniff before he said goodbye and hung up.
"What was that all about?" Sakura wondered as Sasuke hung up and then turned to face his wife and daughter.
"Uh Naruto just wanted to talk to me about something very important. And that's exactly what I need to do with you as soon as we get back home." He told her.
"I honestly can't believe this." Sasame began with a look of revulsion. "I'm dressed up like a gigantic candy cane!" she cried. For she had on a tall and pointy red and white stripped hat on with a jingle bell at the end of it and a white shirt with a red skirt and pointy shoes. "Not to mention I'm freezing in this skirt! I don't even know why female elves at the North Pole would wear skirts anyway! Especially in December!" she cried while she shivered and folded her arms and rubbed her shoulders while trying to warm herself up.
"Oh Sasame stop complaining. Remember, you're doing this for the children and for your uncle Naruto." Sakura reminded her while pointing a finger at her.
"Yes Mother." Sasame began. "I'm sorry." She apologized while blushing and hanging her head sheepishly and then turned around and walked away.
"Well come on. We better get to our spots before the line starts getting long. Parents aren't going to like it and be very happy if we keep them and their children waiting." Sasuke began with a slight shake of his head. "Believe me. I know. I am one." He told her before they both turned around and started walking away.
…..
Sasuke slowly opened the bedroom door and smiled down upon his little brother that laid fast asleep under the covers before he entered the room and then sat down beside him and gently shook him awake. "Hey." He whispered softly with a grin before Naruto opened his eyes and then rolled over to face him and smiled.
"Oh hey Sasuke. How did it go tonight?" he wondered.
"Well,.. let's put it this way. I didn't cuss at anybody or threaten to beat anyone up." Sasuke told him.
"Well that's good news." Naruto began. "Otherwise not too many parents would want their children writing to Santa Claus anymore if he got sent to the slammer." He said as Sasuke chuckled.
"I know. But believe me it wasn't easy. I really had to hold myself back. There were so many rude, loud, noisy, and annoying children there that I wouldn't be surprised at all if they all managed to get coal in their stockings. They were even worse than you and that's really saying something." He began with a couple of coughs inside his fist.
"Uh oh. You're not catching my cold are you?" Naruto questioned.
"Either that or I'm finally losing my voice for way too many ho, ho, ho's." Sasuke told him as Naruto stifled a laugh. "Well if you're feeling well enough to eat and you're interested we brought burgers home." He said.
"Alright. Thanks. I think I feel a little better for that at least." Naruto told him as Sasuke grinned.
"Come on, let's go then. And I can finally change out of this stupid costume." He said before he got back up onto his feet and Naruto laughed before racing out of the room.