25 Days of Christmas- Day 18
The stop at the onsen to buy a gift certificate for Sakura went well and didn’t take long at all. Iruka warned him that the next stop would be nowhere near as pleasant. He wasn’t kidding. Kakashi shuddered at the crowded shop. There seemed to be people everywhere, even a few shinobi using chakra to stick to the walls to avoid the crush. Kakashi wanted to be on the ceiling, or better yet, anywhere but here.
But Iruka had firm hold of his arm as he towed him into the crush. Iruka grinned as he pointed to a wall of stockings, the kind for hanging on mantles, not for on feet. Kakashi followed the tugs on his arm until Iruka reached the wall. “I have stockings for Naruto and I, but I have to get ones for you and Sasuke.”
“So he is coming?” Kakashi asked, glaring at one old woman who had elbowed past him to reach for a stocking. She wasn’t intimidated and snatched the gaudy gold stocking like he might try and take it from her.
Iruka shrugged and deftly sidestepped a pair of giggling teenagers. “Don’t know. But I believe in being prepared. I’m hoping Naruto will be able to talk him into it. If not, I may go try and talk to him.” His eyes saddened. “No one deserves to be alone over Christmas.”
He selected a dark blue stocking. “I think this one will do for him. And for you…” He contemplated for a moment before picking up a pale silver one decorated in snowflakes. “This one.”
Kakashi snorted under his breath. “Let me guess, Naruto’s is orange?”
Iruka grinned. “Did you know he can knit? He says one of the old grannies, who wasn’t afraid of him, taught him when he was still very young. He knitted stockings for both of us, couple of years back.” Iruka laughed. “And yes, his is the most awful shade of orange you can imagine, but I was so proud of him for making it. And then he made one for me.”
“Is it orange too?”
Iruka shook his head, chuckling. “It’s an odd sort of silver-gray-bluish color. I have no idea where he found yarn that color, but he looked up a picture of a real dolphin and said that it was the closest thing he could find to its color. I never had the heart to tell him I got sick of the dolphin thing when I was a pre-genin. It means a lot to me that he put that much effort into it. He can be incredibly thoughtful when he’s trying to be.”
Kakashi thought about that for a moment and nodded. Naruto could be very thoughtful sometimes, until you forgot he acted the idiot. Then he would do something stupid and you would remember…
Iruka picked up several kinds of candy and the odd trinket. Then he got a mischievous grin on his face and started hunting the shelves with a single-minded determination.
“What are you looking for?” Kakashi asked curiously, trailing after the chuunin.
“Every year, Naruto and I have this thing where we find what is probably the singularly most spectacularly ugly and useless thing ever to use as a stocking stuffer, along with the usual thoughtful and useful gifts. Whoever can make the other groan wins for that year and has to display the thing prominently in their house until next Christmas. Naruto won last year, so this time I’m going to win.” His childlike look of joyful mischief was startling. “You look over there and I’ll look over here. Call me if you see anything.”
And then he was alone in the throng. Kakashi shrugged and began perusing the shelves. He was getting better at this, he thought as he dodged a pair of mothers with toddlers in tow. He’d been in the store for nearly twenty minutes without wanting to flee in terror or blow something up. He saw something that caught his eye and picked it up to look at. It was a clear stone with a snowflake etched inside.
“I like snow.” Iruka’s remembered voice rang in his ears and with a smile; he decided that he would get it for Iruka. Something else stood out in the corner of his eye and when he turned to look at it he couldn’t help but curl his lips in dismay. That was probably the singularly most ugly thing he’d ever seen. It was perfect.
Hiding the small snowflake crystal in his sleeve, he picked up the statue and used his chakra to leap up. He stuck to the ceiling and looked around until he spotted Iruka. Smiling, he strolled upside-down along the ceiling, until he was right next to where the chuunin was shopping. He released his hold on the ceiling and dropped noiselessly down next to Iruka. “Yo.”
Iruka was too well trained to jump and shriek like the civilian woman nearby did, but he did startle and had a kunai out before he even blinked.
“Kakashi!” he scolded. “Idiot. Unless you have a deathwish, don’t do that again.”
Kakashi ignored that, holding out the small statue he had found. “How’s this?”
Iruka stared for a long moment before his lips curled up in the most devious smile Kakashi had seen from him yet. “Oh, yeah. That’s perfect.”
He took it from Kakashi and leaned up to drop a brief kiss on his masked cheek. “Perfect, Kakashi-san.”
Iruka smiled as he dropped it into his basket. “I know the crowd in here is probably getting to you. So if you want to wait outside while I check out, go ahead. Then we’ll get the things for cookies and something for lunch.”
Kakashi nodded and was about to go when he hesitated. He turned and pressed a masked kiss to Iruka’s forehead before trotting off. He made it to the front and dropped enough to cover the crystal snowflake and tax into a startled salesgirl’s hand, darting out of the store before Iruka could see him. He felt strangely exhilarated as he stowed the small crystal in his hip pouch.
A few minutes later, Iruka came out. He was grinning as he took Kakashi’s outstretched hand.
But Iruka had firm hold of his arm as he towed him into the crush. Iruka grinned as he pointed to a wall of stockings, the kind for hanging on mantles, not for on feet. Kakashi followed the tugs on his arm until Iruka reached the wall. “I have stockings for Naruto and I, but I have to get ones for you and Sasuke.”
“So he is coming?” Kakashi asked, glaring at one old woman who had elbowed past him to reach for a stocking. She wasn’t intimidated and snatched the gaudy gold stocking like he might try and take it from her.
Iruka shrugged and deftly sidestepped a pair of giggling teenagers. “Don’t know. But I believe in being prepared. I’m hoping Naruto will be able to talk him into it. If not, I may go try and talk to him.” His eyes saddened. “No one deserves to be alone over Christmas.”
He selected a dark blue stocking. “I think this one will do for him. And for you…” He contemplated for a moment before picking up a pale silver one decorated in snowflakes. “This one.”
Kakashi snorted under his breath. “Let me guess, Naruto’s is orange?”
Iruka grinned. “Did you know he can knit? He says one of the old grannies, who wasn’t afraid of him, taught him when he was still very young. He knitted stockings for both of us, couple of years back.” Iruka laughed. “And yes, his is the most awful shade of orange you can imagine, but I was so proud of him for making it. And then he made one for me.”
“Is it orange too?”
Iruka shook his head, chuckling. “It’s an odd sort of silver-gray-bluish color. I have no idea where he found yarn that color, but he looked up a picture of a real dolphin and said that it was the closest thing he could find to its color. I never had the heart to tell him I got sick of the dolphin thing when I was a pre-genin. It means a lot to me that he put that much effort into it. He can be incredibly thoughtful when he’s trying to be.”
Kakashi thought about that for a moment and nodded. Naruto could be very thoughtful sometimes, until you forgot he acted the idiot. Then he would do something stupid and you would remember…
Iruka picked up several kinds of candy and the odd trinket. Then he got a mischievous grin on his face and started hunting the shelves with a single-minded determination.
“What are you looking for?” Kakashi asked curiously, trailing after the chuunin.
“Every year, Naruto and I have this thing where we find what is probably the singularly most spectacularly ugly and useless thing ever to use as a stocking stuffer, along with the usual thoughtful and useful gifts. Whoever can make the other groan wins for that year and has to display the thing prominently in their house until next Christmas. Naruto won last year, so this time I’m going to win.” His childlike look of joyful mischief was startling. “You look over there and I’ll look over here. Call me if you see anything.”
And then he was alone in the throng. Kakashi shrugged and began perusing the shelves. He was getting better at this, he thought as he dodged a pair of mothers with toddlers in tow. He’d been in the store for nearly twenty minutes without wanting to flee in terror or blow something up. He saw something that caught his eye and picked it up to look at. It was a clear stone with a snowflake etched inside.
“I like snow.” Iruka’s remembered voice rang in his ears and with a smile; he decided that he would get it for Iruka. Something else stood out in the corner of his eye and when he turned to look at it he couldn’t help but curl his lips in dismay. That was probably the singularly most ugly thing he’d ever seen. It was perfect.
Hiding the small snowflake crystal in his sleeve, he picked up the statue and used his chakra to leap up. He stuck to the ceiling and looked around until he spotted Iruka. Smiling, he strolled upside-down along the ceiling, until he was right next to where the chuunin was shopping. He released his hold on the ceiling and dropped noiselessly down next to Iruka. “Yo.”
Iruka was too well trained to jump and shriek like the civilian woman nearby did, but he did startle and had a kunai out before he even blinked.
“Kakashi!” he scolded. “Idiot. Unless you have a deathwish, don’t do that again.”
Kakashi ignored that, holding out the small statue he had found. “How’s this?”
Iruka stared for a long moment before his lips curled up in the most devious smile Kakashi had seen from him yet. “Oh, yeah. That’s perfect.”
He took it from Kakashi and leaned up to drop a brief kiss on his masked cheek. “Perfect, Kakashi-san.”
Iruka smiled as he dropped it into his basket. “I know the crowd in here is probably getting to you. So if you want to wait outside while I check out, go ahead. Then we’ll get the things for cookies and something for lunch.”
Kakashi nodded and was about to go when he hesitated. He turned and pressed a masked kiss to Iruka’s forehead before trotting off. He made it to the front and dropped enough to cover the crystal snowflake and tax into a startled salesgirl’s hand, darting out of the store before Iruka could see him. He felt strangely exhilarated as he stowed the small crystal in his hip pouch.
A few minutes later, Iruka came out. He was grinning as he took Kakashi’s outstretched hand.