I’m on a roll with these holiday stories. I know I’ve written three already, but I would be so mad at myself if I didn’t do this one. The one to focus on was obvious, but the hard part was getting it so it wasn’t like the song.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto, nor do I own the Christmas shoes.

The Christmas shoes

It was the holiday season, but Sasuke Uchiha was feeling anything but merry. He was waiting in what felt the millionth line for his Christmas shopping. He hated the holiday season; all it was to him was just a commercialized time where people acted like sentimental idiots.

All around Konoha he had seen others together. Neji was decorating with Tenten at the square, Hinata was with Naruto eating ramen, and he ducked when he saw Ino shopping with Shikamaru. He had grown more and more annoyed with each couple he passed, and now in the long line, getting those last few gifts, he was glad that it was almost over.

He yawned as the line started to become shorter, and he glanced at the person in front of him. He blinked to see that it was a young boy, who was just pacing around like any child would.

Sasuke wondered what he was doing when he noticed what he held in his arms, a pair of white dress shoes. On closer inspection Sasuke noticed that the boy’s clothes were dirty and worn out, along with the boy himself.

He stared at the little boy, as it was his turn to pay. He held up the shoes and spoke in a quiet voice that shocked Sasuke,

“I would like to buy these shoes for my mommy please. It’s Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size. Please hurry; daddy says there’s not that much time left. You see, she’s been sick for quite a while and I know that these shoes will make her smile. I just want her to look beautiful if…if mommy meets angels tonight.”

The cashier seemed to have not heard the part about his mother as he scanned the price, but Sasuke heard it loud and clear. He was just trying to get something nice for his sick mother. Inwardly Sasuke wondered what his mother was sick from, while he outwardly groaned at the jar of pennies the boy pulled out.

The cashier counted those pennies for a long time, most of the others in the line got impatient and moved to a different one. Sasuke stayed behind, mostly due to his stubbornness. He was not going to let a minor setback get him to budge.

After the counting was done, the cashier sighed a sigh the Sasuke could tell just meant bad news.

“I’m sorry kid, but there’s not enough here.”

The boy’s eyes widened as he searched his pockets for some kind of change. He couldn’t find any. On the verge of tears, he turned to Sasuke,

“Mommy made Christmas good in our house. Most years she just did without presents. Mister, what am I gonna do?” the tears started to spill from his eyes, “I have to buy her these Christmas shoes. But how?”

Sasuke stared at the little boy who was softly crying, all he wanted was something for his mother, but a bad circumstance made it impossible. He almost saw himself in that little boy, a child who was about to lose the most important person in his life. Closing his eyes, he did the thing that he never thought he would do.

He laid the money down and said to the cashier, “I’d like to pay for those shoes for him.”

The little boy looked up at Sasuke in surprise as the cashier gave him an odd look. He ignored the cashier, but smiled at the boy. And with a small giggle, the boy wiped away the tears with a smile that Sasuke would never forget.

“Thank you mister, mommy’s gonna look so wonderful.” The young boy said as Sasuke handed the shoes to him, and he ran off with a smile on his face.

Sasuke paused, watching him run down as fast as he could. And for the first time in a long time, he felt like he had brought happiness. He knew that he saw something close to heaven’s love when the boy thanked him and ran out.

Sasuke was not usually one to put stock into a higher power, but now he felt as though that heaven had sent the boy to remind him about the real spirit of Christmas. He knew it, somehow. Closing his eyes, he silently wished that the boy’s mother would have a good Christmas.

“Sasuke!”

His eyes snapped open as he saw Sakura coming towards him, she had some bags in her hands as well, meaning she was doing some Christmas shopping as well. She panted as she came to a stop in front of him.

“I thought it was you.” She said, “I just got done with Christmas Shopping and wondered if you wanted to get some hot cocoa of something. If you wanted to.”

Sasuke was about to turn her down, when he remembered the little boy. His words rang through his ears.

“I would like to buy these shoes for my mommy please. It’s Christmas Eve and these shoes are just her size. Please hurry; daddy says there’s not that much time left. You see, she’s been sick for quite a while and I know that these shoes will make her smile. I just want her to look beautiful if…if mommy meets angels tonight.”

Sasuke turned to Sakura, who was pink in the face. Whether it was from him or the cold was yet to be determined, but something about the situation felt like he could make an exception. Somewhere in the background a piano song that he could not identify was going off.

“Sure.”

“I want her to look beautiful if mommy meets angels tonight.”

Happy holidays!

AN: I cannot begin to describe how much fun it was writing this one. I love the song so much. In fact, me almost crying while hearing it started the holidays for me. And listening to it reminded me of Sasuke. It sort of fell together like that, which made it a lot easier. And if you can, give my other fics a look.

Millie: You sure you won’t get busted for this one?

Me: I did the best I could NOT to make it a song-fic, so please keep that in mind.

Millie: You can’t be stopped can’t you?

Me: NOPE! Merry Christmas! Or have a happy Hanukah if that what you celebrate. XD