Christmas Memories
N/A: Modern AU.
Some days after the accident were better than others. For the most part, Naruto seemed back to his old self. He joked around, went to work, and was able to recite the details of the day they officially met. There were odd moments here and there that threw him off. He would go to Lyrios's restaurant belonging to Lady Chyio, and when she asked him, "The usual?" he would stare at them blankly.
So it wasn't entirely surprising, just disappointing, when Naruto seemed confused by the presence of Gaara and Kankuro at his doorstep early in the morning on December 10th.
"Guys, it's eight in the morning," Naruto said, politely stepping aside to let in his red-haired best friend with his calm demeanor, as well as his brown-haired joking partner with a smile that seemed about to break off his face.
"Dude, it's Arbor Day," Kankuro said.
"Arbor Day?" Naruto asked, frowning slightly.
"Arbor Day. Every year, we head to Sand Harbor to buy a Christmas tree."
"Naruto, was that the door?" Temari called from the next room. "Oh, hey, how are you two? Obviously, we're not ready yet."
"Obviously," Kankuro said, pointing out the obvious.
"Did you know about this?" Naruto said as he looked at Temari.
"You didn't tell him?" Gaara asked raising an eyebrow.
Temari looked upset. "Sorry, guys. I was going to mention it, but I forgot. Okay, I'm really sorry."
"'I forgot.'" Naruto looked back and forth between the Sabaku brothers. "Funny."
"Naruto, why don't you take a shower and get dressed?" Temari said, quickly pasting on an obviously nervous smile. "I'll go make us some breakfast."
"Okay," Naruto said, looking unsure, but walking away obediently.
Temari dragged Kankuro into the kitchen, Gaara followed quietly behind them, and they waited patiently for the sound of the shower. "I can't believe I forgot to tell him," he said, collapsing into a chair. "I don't know, I think in the back of my mind I thought he'd remember on his own. Sometimes he does."
Kankuro stopped in the middle of making coffee to see Temari with her head buried in her arms. "Hey, hey, it's okay, nee-chan," he said, patting her on the shoulder, while Gaara looked worriedly at his older sister.
"Maybe we shouldn't do this," Temari murmured, still burying her head in her arms.
"Yes, we should. The doctor said it wasn't going to be instant, remember? We have to be patient and help him. If we get frustrated, he'll only get frustrated," Kankuro said, pouring cups of coffee for his siblings.
"Patience sucks," Temari exclaimed.
"Yes." Gaara said after drinking some coffee.
A few hours later, they were parking Gaara's Jeep in the lot of a tree farm. "I'm going to look at the wreaths," Gaara said.
"Just an artificial tree in your apartment, but I'm sure you'll love the smell of pine, won't you, Gaara?" Kankuro said, laughing. He received a sharp look from Gaara in response.
"You can accomplish that with an air freshener, you know," Naruto said, breaking his red-haired companion's moment of intimidation.
"Mr. Cynic," Kankuro said, a note of approval in his tone. "You almost sound like Gaara." Judging by the boys' smiles, it was clear it had been an unscripted (and successful) attempt at levity, a nod to their former relationship.
"Get out of here," Temari said. "We'll find you two later."
"For manual labor," Kankuro said, rolling his eyes. When he opened his eyes, they nearly popped out of his head. "Wait, it's my turn to go with Gaara." When he turned around, he saw his little brother's sinister smile.
"That's why we're keeping you close, Kankuro. I wish you success and no harm done." Temari hooked her arm through Naruto's. "Shall we, Naru-kun?"
"Sure," he said, to Temari's delight, taking the lead. Everyone was smiling as they parted; except for Kankuro, of course; and Temari spent a happy moment enjoying the slight chill in the air, the scent of pine (which was exactly as good as Kankuro said), and Naruto's easy chatter. It was the first time in a long time that Naruto seemed relaxed enough to make small talk; normally, gaps in his memory made him anxious and made his attempts at conversation seem more focused. Hearing him joke and chat with ease was like a Christmas present in itself.
But of course, it couldn't last. "What do you want for dinner tonight?" Temari asked, thoughtfully stroking the branches of a fir tree.
When he didn't respond, she continued, "Naruto? What the...?" She stopped mid-sentence as she turned to look at him. Naruto was still, silent, his mind obviously elsewhere as he stared at the tree behind her. He had that twisted, scared expression again, the one that made her want to cry. "Naruto?"
"I don't know what kind of tree we usually have," he said quietly.
"Naruto..."
"I don't know what kind of tree we got. I know we get the same kind, every year. That Hiruzen-jiji, Iruka-sensei, Ero-senin, Shizune-neechan, and Tsunade-obaachan and I have decorated the same kind of Christmas tree since I was a kid. I remember sitting under it, opening presents with them. I remember the year Jiji bought me a bike. I remember little popsicle stick ornaments. But I can't remember what kind of tree it is." Naruto turned that fearful look on Temari, and it was all he could do to keep from breaking down right there. "I can't remember, Temari-chan."
"It's not important," she insisted, proud of herself for the calm and evenness in her voice. "You remember Hiruzen, Iruka-sensei, Jiraiya, Shizune, Tsunade, and the bike. That's what's important, Naru, not the tree."
"But it is," he said. "It's important because I care. It's the same tree every year, it's part of my life. I want my life back." At this, Naruto fell to the ground and buried his chin in his hands. "I want my life back."
"You'll get it," she vowed, kneeling beside him. She felt the chill of the ground seeping through the knees of her jeans, and even though it wasn't that cold, she somehow felt like she'd never warm up. "It's a tree, Naruto, just a tree. I promise. We don't have to get one today."
"But it's Arbor Day. We do it every year."
"All right, we'll buy a tree today. And next Christmas, you'll remember again, and we'll know for sure. And if you remember today or tomorrow or whenever, we'll come back, and then we'll get the right kind of tree. I don't care if it's Christmas morning; we'll go out and find the right kind of tree. I promise." She tugged on his elbow. "Come on, get up. Do you want Gaara or Kankuro to see you like this?"
Kankuro had seen him like this several times, Gaara on the other hand had not, but that wasn't the point. Naruto stood up, his mouth set in a grim line.
"Tell me a memory," Temari encouraged. "Something." Regardless of the doctor's instructions, she found that having Naruto recite whatever memory came to mind was a good start for him. It helped him remember other things and helped cheer him up. Temari didn't care if they were stories she'd heard hundreds of times or ones she was hearing for the first time. "Come on, Naruto."
“My first kiss was Hinata Hyuuga,” he said, settling in. “I don’t think you know her. She went to Konoha Junior High, but moved away in eighth grade. Anyway, she asked me to the Easter dance, but when we got there, all she wanted to do was hang out with her friends. I don’t think we even talked. I hung out with the guys and I kept staring at her like the creepiest guy. She was doing that whole thing where she’d look at me and then start laughing with her friends. I was starting to wonder why she asked me if she wasn’t even going to talk to me. Then all of a sudden she comes up and kisses me in the middle of the gym. Well, next to the gym. Then she just left, and then Sakura Haruno’s mom came and picked up all the girls, and Hinata moved out two weeks later.”
"You didn't get your first kiss until you were thirteen?" he said in disbelief.
Naruto glared at him. "You sound like Kankuro."
"Well, I'm surprised. You're Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki. You were, like, the poster boy for high school heartthrob, captain of the soccer team."
"Flatterer."
"My first kiss was when I was twelve."
"So?"
"So apparently you were slower than me," he said smugly.
"When it happens, it's not important, Temari-chan," he said, matching her petulant tone. "What matters is how good it is, how good you are, and how many times you do it afterward."
"Oh really?" he countered, raising an eyebrow. "And how good was it, Naruto?"
Too late, Naruto realized he'd set himself up for the ultimate trap. You could talk about your exes with your current girlfriend, as long as they portrayed you in a less-than-good light. "She was fine," he said. "She was wearing too much lip gloss. Besides, Shikamaru kept saying he'd only go with me because Ino Yamanaka had already asked him to."
"Well, Shikamaru is obviously the best catch," Temari said, flashing him a smile.
"It's not good," Naruto said, but his voice was less strained now, and he didn't seem as worried. He touched the tree Temari had been examining. "This one looks fine. We'll have to do some trimming. It looks a little tall for our apartment."
"You're doing pretty well."
Naruto rolled his eyes, but then smiled. "Have I mentioned lately that I love you?" He had a feeling it wasn't because he'd commented on his height.
"I'd like to hear it again," he said, feigning mild interest with a casual shrug.
Naruto wrapped her in a hug, his arms around her waist, his lips against her hairline, her forehead. "I love you. More than..." He trailed off. It was hard to make comparisons like that when you only remembered half of your life. Conner briefly pressed his lips against Temari's. "I love you," he repeated firmly.
"I love you too," she said, squeezing him back. "And Naruto, you should know..."
"That?"
"We have a fir tree every year. You brought us here. You remembered." Temari laced her fingers through his, holding them tightly. Naruto's smile was cautious but genuine.
"Friends, beautiful tree!" Kankuro enthused, approaching behind them with Gaara at his side with a huge wreath in his hand.
Temari tapped him on the shoulder a little forcefully. "Don't call me friend." Kankuro's cry of pain was heard by many throughout the tree lines.
Naruto stood in front of the tree, carefully fitted into the stand after forty-five minutes of work, holding a folded garland in one hand and a folded slice of pizza in the other.
"Bro, I know your brain isn't quite there, but don't confuse the two," Kankuro said, nodding at Naruto's hands. "We didn't order the tree with extra cheese."
"Why are you still here?" Naruto said, taking an aggressive bite of pepperoni. "You don't live here."
"Naru-kun, don't talk with your mouth full," Temari said from her place on the floor, searching through a series of boxes. "Besides, Gaara's here too, and I don't see you complaining." Gaara was helping with some ornaments for the tree. "And I hate to say it, but she's right. If you get greasy fingerprints on my grandmother's ornaments, I'll have to kill you."
"What do you mean, 'I hate to say it'?" Kankuro said. "What's wrong with me being right?"
"So many things," Temari said, at the same time Naruto and Gaara said "Everything."
Kankuro gave a full-throated sigh, his shoulders slumping dramatically. "I hate all three of you."
"Yeah, that's why you're here eating all our pizza." Naruto exclaimed.
"I helped you see the tree. It's like helping someone move. You get free pizza," Kankuro chided.
"It's not like helping someone move," Temari said.
"Do it yourselves next year, then."
"I don't have to. That's why I have Naruto."
Kankuro rolled his eyes. "What makes you think he'll be around next year? My friend might regain his memory, realize you're too good for him, and disappear into the night."
"I know she's too good for me," Naruto said, to which Temari let out a silent 'aw.' "I'm not going anywhere."
"Even if you get your memory back?" Temari joked.
Naruto stepped over the boxes on the floor, navigating around scattered tinsel, to press a kiss to her cheek. "I remember enough," he said. "Why would I leave?"