3 little christmas stories...

Author's notes: Well, this is new to me! I had the feeling that I have to make one more christmas story. It'll have three couples. Do you really want to know before you read? Well, if so, they're NejiHina, SasuNaru and KakaSaku. Happy now?

This fic is actually inspired by that stupid movie "love actually". We have 3 different stories here which will have 2 more chapters. I will post chapter 2 tomorrow and the final chapter on christmas. Prepare for fluffyness and a lot of happy ends.

***

story 1 – Thank you, dear fangirls!

Naruto shook his head in disbelief. It had happened again. Again! To make such a mistake once was excusable. But doing the unthinkable twice, being that stupid once again… god, maybe Sakura was right after all. He was a clumsy dumbass.

Uzumaki Naruto was sitting on his couch in his dark living room, staring out of the window questioning his sanity. Why? Because today was probably the worst day of his life. He had done it again. Today, at the christmas party, in front of everyone.

He had – accidentially – kissed Sasuke! Again!!

As usual, they had been arguing. Sasuke had called him names like "dead-last" and Naruto had gone crazy over it. He had been a little tipsy from the drinks and had come a little too close to Sasukes face when calling him an "arrogant bastard who cares only for himself". And then someone had bumped into him and their lips touched. Once again.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!" Naruto roared and grabbed a fistful of his blonde hair. After that entirely embarassing incident, he had fled the scene, so he wasn't sure about Sasukes reaction. The Uchiha boy had probably cursed him and was now planning Narutos early, painful death. And so were the Sasuke fangirls. Especially Sakura. "I bet she hates me now," he whimpered.

It was christmas evening and his best friends hated him. This was definitely the worst christmas ever.

***

Sasuke sighed deeply when he heard a loud knock on his door. Probably another fangirl with another stupid present. He didn't want to see anyone right now. Not after today's events. Not after what Naruto had done. His brows furrowed at the thought. Naruto, you're going to pay for that!

To distract himself, he got up and went over to the door, to take a look at the unwelcome guest. The door opened and a pink-haired girl with a bright smile greeted him. "Good evening, Sasuke-kun!", she said. And before he could tell her to leave, she walked past him into the living room. He sighed and followed her. At least she was a distraction. He watched her as she eyed his room curiously. "You don't have any christmas decoration in here, huh? Looks pretty sad."

"Well, I don't like to celebrate christmas," he explained patiently. "It's… a family holiday."

Her smile disappeared. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. If you… if you feel lonely, you can come over and celebrate with me and my family."

"Thanks for the offer," he said, not intending to accept it.

Sakura nodded briefly, then she held up the bag she had been carrying. "Oh, I almost forgot! I have a gift for you… it's… not much, but… well… Merry Christmas, Sasuke-kun!" She handed him the bag with a blush and he took it quietly. After a moment of silence, Sakura muttered: "Why don't you open it? Would you rather get a gift from him?"

"What?", Sasuke hissed.

"Nothing," she replied sadly. "I have to give away some other gifts as well, and I don't want to be a burden… Uh… Bye, Sasuke-kun!" She walked past him and he didn't stop her. In fact, he didn't move until he heard the door close.

Carefully, he opened the bag and revealed a neatly wrapped present. He stared at it blankly. He remembered the last christmas he had spent with his family. The laughter of his mother, a faint smile on his dad's face, and Itachi, sitting quietly in the edge, as if he wanted christmas eve to end as soon as possible. With a sigh, Sasuke put the gift back into the bag and put it away. He didn't feel like celebrating. Or like getting presents.

There was still that damned kiss on his mind. That stupid Naruto, why did he have to be such a dumbass? Involuntarily, Sasuke touched his lips with his fingers. He had tasted like miso ramen. Just like last time. His lips had been so… warm. And his eyes, they were so deeply blue when they stared at him like that.

He remembered what Sakura had just said. Would you rather get a gift from him? It couldn't be. She hadn't meant Naruto, had she? How could she know…?

Angrily, Sasuke shook his head. No, he didn't want these thoughts. Not now.

He shivered. It was cold in here. He checked the windows, but they were all closed. Maybe the heating was broken again. He touched one of the radiators and his assumption was confirmed. It was cold. Oh, just great.

The janitor was not at home and he wouldn't return until after the holidays. Sasuke buried his face in his hands. That meant, he was going to be stuck in a cold, lonely apartment for seven days. Great. Awesome.

Sasuke cursed. What was he going to do now? He knew there was a reason why he hated christmas. Because every year something happened to make it even worse.

***

story 2 – Smile for me

The smile left Sakuras face, when the door closed. She had seen the expression on Sasukes face. He probably was going to throw away her gift. He was never going to return her feelings. Today, she had realized that. When Naruto had accidentially kissed him, there had been a slight blush on his cheeks. And the look in his eyes… There was no mistaking it. Sasuke was in love with Naruto.

Sakura clenched her fists. Why Naruto, of all people? Why?! He was stupid, he was loud-mouthed and clumsy. He wasn't even good-looking! He was too short, and had that spiky hair. She sighed. Why did someone as gorgeous as Sasuke have to be gay?

But as much as she hated the thought, she had to accept it. Sasuke and Naruto were her friends, if they really got together, she had no other choice than to accept it. She decided, that she was going to be angry at Naruto for a while. Until she had gotten over Sasuke. Then she would even help them get together and be happy for them.

She sniffed, as a tear rolled over her cheek. It was going to be a very sad christmas. It wasn't easy to let go of a love she had held on to for years. She couldn't help it when the tears started to come like waterfalls and she decided to take a walk. She didn't want to come home crying.

***

Whistling his favourite song, Kakashi prepared everything for a hot bath. He had already placed his favourite book – the famous Icha Icha Paradise – next to the tub. Now he needed some good wine and it would be a perfect evening.

He had no christmas tree or any other christmas decoration in his room. Christmas was a holiday for couples and families, Kakashi mused. He didn't have any family and he wasn't dating anyone either after his short relationship with Anko had ended three months ago. His eternal rival Gai had invited him over but Kakashi had decided against it. Gai was alright, but putting up with his excitement over just about anything a whole evening was too much. And Kakashi was positive that Gai had invited his favourite student Lee too. When they were together, they were really unbearable. Kakashi could imagine them giving each other a present and hugging each other with joyful tears streaming down their faces and…

Kakashi shook his head. Okay, he had to get rid of that disturbing thought. Gai was a nice guy, but he was also a little weird.

And Kakashi preferred to be alone on christmas and spend it as a nice, relaxed evening. The fact that he was alone did not depress him at all. He wasn't the type to regret anything. Okay, he was currently alone, so what? When he had been younger, he had usually spent christmas eve with his best friend. They would get drunk and then walk around in Konoha trying to find beautiful girls to hit on.

He grinned beneath his mask. Good old times.

On his way to the bathroom he stopped by the window to close the curtains. He saw a familiar color. Pink. He took a closer look to make sure he wasn't mistaken. His student Sakura was walking past his window. And she didn't look too happy. Her shoulders were shaking and she was wiping her eyes. Was she crying?

Kakashi closed the curtains slowly. She shouldn't be out in the cold and darkness all by herself. And he was her teacher after all, wasn't he responsible for her well-being? Kakashi rubbed his chin and pondered the thought. Well, the hot bath could wait. Cheering Sakura up and sending her back home wouldn't take so long.

With a sigh, he grabbed his keys and left the apartment, running after his student. "Oy, Sakura!", he called after her. She spun around and stared at him with red, puffy eyes. Kakashi sighed inwardly. Being a teacher meant to never be off duty.

When he invited her into his apartment, he felt utterly responsible and praised himself for being so kind and unselfish.

***

story 3 – Don't call me brother

Christmas. Neji hated the holidays. They reminded him of how pitiful his life was. How much he missed his father. When he entered the house, returning from a very unsuccessful training session, he heard the faint laughter of Hanabi. The main family was celebrating, giving each other gifts.

He snorted. What a useless tradition. At times like these he felt that christmas was only made to make him feel worse about his situation. After his father's death, his mother had stopped celebrating any holidays. Right now she was probably in her room trying to fall asleep and get this evening over with. He decided that it was best to do the same.

When he walked past the living room door, he heard a voice call his name. To his surprise, it was Hiashi. He stopped and entered the room. As he had suspected, the main family was gathered around a huge christmas tree. Hanabi was busy unwrapping tons of gifts, Hinata was seated next to her father with a present seated on her thighs, smiling slightly. Neji tried to hide his anger. He knew that it wasn't Hiashis fault, that his father had died. Hizashi had sacrificed his life on his own will. But after years of grudge against the main family, it was hard to get rid of it. Yet, he bent over slightly and greeted the head of the main family with a nod.

"Neji-kun," Hiashi said. "Why don't you celebrate with us?"

Neji raised an eyebrow. That invitation caught him by surprise. Hesitantly, he stepped closer to Hiashi, unsure of what to do. Hinata smiled at him. "Father has a gift for you, Neji-niisan." She got up and took a blue present from under the tree. With a blush, she handed it over to him.

Neji stared at the gift, dumbfounded. He appreciated the gesture. Hiashi was only trying to make peace with him after all these years. But it was hurtful. They were a family, he was still only a member of the branch house. He didn't belong here. He clutched the gift and said politely: "I appreciate it, Hiashi-sama. Thank you. But I'd rather be alone right now."

Slowly he turned around and left the room. He practically fled into his own room and leaned against the wall. He was alone and he would always be. He put the gift away. No doubt that it was well-meant, but he couldn't bring himself to unwrap it. Not right now.

***

Hinata watched her cousin leave. Hiashis brows furrowed. "What's wrong with him? I just didn't want him to be lonely today."

"He is just sad, father," Hinata said. "His father is dead. Today must remind him the most of his childhood and his father."

"But he shouldn't be alone on christmas eve," Hanabi said, while holding a gift against her ear and shaking it.

Hinata silently agreed. Even though he had almost killed her during the chuunin exam, she couldn't hate her cousin. Actually, she liked him. She had always admired his strength and his collected calmness. It made her sad that he refused to celebrate with them. "F-Father…," she whispered. "Do you mind if I try to talk to him? I want Neji-niisan to be happy today."

Hiashi eyed her but then his face softened. "Okay, maybe you can convince him. But hurry up or Hanabi will unwrap all of your presents too."

Hinata laughed and stood up, heading for Nejis room.

…tbc…