Chapter Thirteen; An Uchiha Christmas
Naruto gulped and suddenly felt his body become frozen solid. "Uh oh." Sasuke said to himself while turning his head to look back at him.
"Uh,.. I changed my mind." Naruto began nervously while slowly backing away. "I don't want to do this." He said before he turned around and darted off of the stage.
"Oh no! What are we going to do without Naruto? He's supposed to be playing the keyboard for this song!" Sakura exclaimed but Sasuke just simply touched her gently upon her shoulder.
"Relax, I've got this. This is a job for a big brother to handle." He told her before he turned around and sped away after Naruto. "Hey Naruto wait up!" he exclaimed before he finally caught up with him behind the stage. "What's the matter?" he asked him out of concern.
"I can't do this Sasuke! I didn't know that there would be so many people out there!" he cried before he squatted down and covered his head. "And I'm scared." He admitted.
"Hey,.. it's okay." Sasuke began. "I know you can do it. You made a promise to yourself and to me and Sakura that you would. And that's your ninja way right? You never go back on your word." He said before he gently grabbed ahold of his chin and tilted it back to look up at him. "Besides, I have faith you,.. brother." He told him while gazing at him lovingly in the eyes.
"Really?" Naruto questioned him.
"Would I ever lie to you?" he questioned him back. "Just pretend the rest of the audience isn't even there and that it's just the three of us making music and having fun." He told him with a grin.
"Sasuke! Sasuke! Sasuke!" the crowd chanted in the background before they continued screaming and cheering.
"You better go buddy, they're waiting for you." Naruto told him while Sasuke squatted down next to him.
"Aw that's alright let em' wait." Sasuke began with a wave of his hand. "It's just a bunch of over obsessed fangirls who fantasize about what kind of underwear I wear. Well the joke's on them because I hardly even ever wear any." He said.
"Really?" Naruto questioned. "Gee, that's kind of gross." He told him while making a face. "No offense or anything." He said.
"Well I do wear briefs when I'm wearing jeans but I usually wearing sweat pants anyway. But the point is you're way more important to me right now than they are. Actually you're way more important anytime and all of the time. And if I love you, who cares what they think right?" Sasuke questioned him with a grin before a grin slowly stretched a crossed Naruto's own face.
"Yeah, you're right." He told him before Sasuke slowly got back up onto his feet. "Right. Now let's get out there and show this crowd what we're made of." He told him with another grin and a wink before he dug his cross necklace out of his pocket and placed it around his neck and then turned around and walked away.
"Gosh, no wonder the ladies love him so much. He's such a chick magnet." Naruto said with a giggle before he stood up and followed him back onto the stage.
"We love you Sasuke!" one of the ladies in the crowd shouted.
"Marry me!" Another one cried before Naruto stopped and turned to her.
"Get a grip he's already married. And his wife would literally kill you if she found out you said that. And trust me I know, she's my sister." He told her before he turned around and continued walking over to his group with a roll of his eyes as Sasuke sat down behind his drumkit and started speaking into his headset.
"Merry Christmas everyone." He said before a hundred different ladies started screaming and cheering again. "This song is going out to a very special baby boy." He said before grabbing ahold of his drumsticks while Naruto walked behind the keyboard and started playing a few notes and a few moments later Sasuke started pounding on his drums pressing his foot down on the pedal every once and awhile and then crashing the cymbals with his sticks. A few minutes into the song he started to sing in a rather soft raspy voice. (the song was "Oh What a Glorious Night")
Sasuke and Sakura took turns singing the chorus as well as Sakura playing the tambourine in the instrumental breaks. Towards the end of the song all three of them were singing the chorus as well as most of the crowd while Naruto and Sakura clapped their hands together loudly and Sasuke kept drumming. Everyone screamed as the song finished before they cheered rather loudly and Naruto and Sasuke just simply turned to look at each other and grinned before Sasuke gave another wink.
"I knew that you could do it Naruto." He whispered.
….
Sasuke and Naruto pulled into the driveway one after another before finally backing into the garage. Sasuke turned off the engine and threw off his seatbelt before he climbed out of his car and slammed the door behind him before Naruto hurried over to him. "Hey buddy, you did a really great job tonight. The crowd loved ya." He said before bumping fists together with him.
"Thanks, you too. Listen, you better go to bed. It's getting late and we have a very busy day ahead of us tomorrow." Sasuke told him.
"Aren't you going to bed too?" Naruto inquired but Sasuke just simply shook his head at him.
"I can't. I still have some wrapping to do." He told him.
"Really? Isn't singing enough?" Naruto questioned him teasingly with a chuckle.
"Goodnight Naruto." Sasuke told him.
"Okay, okay I get the picture. I can see when I'm not wanted. See ya in the morning buddy!" he cried with a wave before he quickly hurried inside."
"Love you!" Sasuke shouted just as the door slammed before he just simply heaved a heavy sigh. "Does that guy ever really sleep?" he questioned himself unaware that Sakura was standing right beside him.
"He must. He usually sleeps in until noon." She pointed out before he turned towards her.
"But he won't tomorrow. Trust me. Naruto is going to be up just as soon as the sun gets up. He gets just as excited about Christmas as Hiro does. So you better get to sleep too. You'll need every bit of it that you can get." He told her before they exchanged a quick kiss on the lips. I love you and I'll be in bed as soon as I can." He told her before he double checked to see that his car was locked, shut the garage door, and then followed her inside.
….
Naruto laid fast asleep inside his bed while he continued to snore but that's when all of a sudden he woke up and opened his eyes. He gave a rather loud gasp of excitement before turning his head and looking out the window as snow was lightly falling from the sky. "It's Christmas morning." He realized before he quickly leapt out of bed and raced to the window and placed his hands on the glass. "It's Christmas morning!" he hollered again before bursting into joyous laughter and then quickly sped out of his room and down the hallway into Sasuke's and Sakura's bedroom where the two of them where still fast asleep.
"Sasuke! Sakura!" he cried while he climbed on top of their bed. "Wakeup! Wakeup!" he exclaimed before starting to shake Sasuke awake.
Sasuke groaned before he rolled over and pulled the covers up over him. "Naruto go back to bed." He told him.
"Come on silly it's Christmas morning! You have to wakeup!" Naruto cried excitedly.
"What time is it Sakura?" Sasuke asked her before she rolled over and turned the clock towards her so that she could get a better look at it.
"Seven-thirty. It isn't that early. Naruto must have slept in." she said.
"Really?" Sasuke inquired before rolling onto his back. "Then who's watching Hiro?" he said before he sniffed the air. "Naruto, did you make breakfast?" he questioned but Naruto just simply shook his head.
"No. I just woke up." He told him before Sasuke quickly leapt out of bed and put on his robe and then raced out into the hallway before Naruto hurried after him.
"I must be seeing things." Sasuke began at the sight of his daughter standing in the kitchen making pancakes. "The only time you've ever been up this early is church or school and you're not going to either place today." He said but Sasame simply just giggled.
"Merry Christmas Papa, I figured that I would give you Mom and Uncle Naruto a hand with watching Hiro this morning. It is Christmas after all." She pointed out before both of the boys turned their heads and Naruto giggled at the sight of Taki and Chika on the floor with Hiro while he tore inside his Christmas presents.
"Well I see that it didn't take him too long to find his presents." He said.
"Speaking of presents Naruto there is something that I want to talk to you about." Sasuke began.
"Oh goodie!" Naruto exclaimed while rubbing his hands together excitedly. "What did you get me?" he questioned him eagerly before Sasuke pushed him over into the corner and dug a green envelope out of his pocket.
"Here. Merry Christmas Naruto." He told him before he handed it over to him with a grin.
"That's it?" Naruto asked him.
"Just open it!" he hollered.
"Alright! Alright!" Naruto exclaimed with a roll of his eyes. "Geesh!" he cried before using his rather long nails to tear into it and out inside the palm of his hand fell a folded-up piece of paper. Naruto unfolded it and read it out loud just as Sakura came into the room as Sasuke just simply smiled at him. "Dear Naruto, I already know that you'll probably pitch a fight when you get this but I'm sorry. I honestly didn't know what to get you. For how could I possibly get the perfect gift for somebody who_" Naruto stopped reading and glanced up at Sasuke widening his eyes with bewilderment but Sasuke silently nodded at him to keep reading so he continued on.
"For somebody who I love so dearly and makes my life complete. So I figured that instead since I couldn't say the words to your face about how I really feel about you, I figured that I would write you this note instead. You have absolutely no idea how special you are to me. Sure you irritate the hell out of me but you wouldn't be much of a brother if you didn't. For you were always there for me when I needed you even when I thought that I didn't. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have learned how to love again. For after I lost Itachi and I thought that he had betrayed me and my entire clan I built a wall up around my heart because I was afraid to let anybody in it ever again.
However you're the one who changed all that. After I found out that you forgave me even when I hurt you and Sakura so badly, you finally gave me enough courage to forgive myself. The truth is that you're my best friend in the whole entire world. And now matter how angry at I get you know this,.. I will love you always." Naruto read while feeling a lump starting to form inside the bottom of his throat while he continued reading.
"My love for you as well as the rest of my family is stronger than metal and deeper than the largest ocean. And that's why I finally had to tell you. And not only does this letter prove how much I love you but since I couldn't figure out what else to get you I want to spend the whole entire week with you since I know that is the one thing that you would love beyond anything else. And truth be told, so would I. Love,.. your big brother Sasuke." He finished reading while blinking away his tears and wiping his nose on the back of his hand even Sakura had tears rolling down her cheeks.
"You,.." Naruto began before turning to look up at his friend while tears continued rolling down his cheeks. "You really wrote all that?" he questioned him as Sasuke nodded.
"Yes Naruto. I did. And I meant every word too. I take it that you like your Christmas present after all." He told him with a warm and loving smile.
"Oh Sasuke,.. I couldn't think of a more perfect gift." Naruto replied before he quickly threw his arms around him and embraced him. "Merry Christmas Sasuke." He whispered as Sasuke wrapped his own arms around him and deepened the embrace while closing his eyes and resting his chin on the top of his head.
"Merry Christmas Naruto." He whispered back before they slowly broke out of the embrace and Sasuke quickly placed his Santa on top of his head. "You forgot something." He told him smiling warmly at him as Naruto giggled.
"Thanks." He told him and that's when suddenly Sakura started to sing.
"Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth, receive her King!" she sang while the two boys embraced each other again.
"Let every heart, prepare Him room." Sasuke began with a grin in his raspy voice.
"Let Heaven and nature sing, let Heaven and nature sing." Naruto sung before all three of them walked over to the Christmas tree and sung together while tilting their heads back and glancing up at it.
"Let Heaven,.. let Heaven and nature sing! Oh let Heaven,… let Heaven and nature sing!" they sung out while Sasuke grinned and placed his arms around Naruto and Sakura.
"And God bless us! Everyone!" Naruto exclaimed before Sasuke grinned at him and planted a kiss on his cheek and they tightly embraced again.
…
Naruto (still wearing his Santa hat) along with the rest of his family and friends turned to face the audience. "This is Naruto Uzumaki Uchiha here, and we hoped that you enjoyed An Uchiha Christmas! We apologize for the delay, but we were rather ill during the actual holidays so that's why you're getting it so late. Anyway, although it is a few months later than it should have been from our family to yours,.."
"Merry Christmas!" everybody exclaimed together with a wave.
"And a very Happy New Year as well. Believe it!" Naruto cried with a giggle while sticking his thumb up into the air.
And the only thing that I can really add to that is don't forget to review! Believe it! Lol :P