Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Mission Iruka Christmas ❯ Perfect ( Chapter 19 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

"You can't be serious?" Iruka hissed.

"I'm quite serious although it really wouldn't matter if I gave him a rock he'd give it some overly impressive meaning if I did. But this at least he might actually benefit from."

"In your opinion! But he doesn't seem to think he needs it," Iruka said frowning at his boyfriend.

"Now I thought the point was to get them something they wouldn't think to get themselves?"

"Sort of but you're also supposed to get him something he'll like."

"He will like it. Because it's from me."

"Your using the fact he's your friend against him."

"Hmm... Yes. I'm using the fact he's my 'eternal rival' as a way to get him to do something for his own good and well for the sake of anyone else attending the party. This is the perfect gift."

"That is wrong on so many levels!" Iruka glowered and then blushed when he realized about a dozen people were staring at him. "Gomen nasai."

"You said I should pick his gift out and I'm picking this."

Iruka sighed and dug out his wallet, "Fine, you stubborn bastard. But if I find Gai curled up in a little traumatized ball somewhere because of this I'm so going to hurt you." He paid the man behind the counter and handed Kakashi the bright red envelope that held the gift certificate inside.

**********

He stared in the window struck by the horrors inside but he would not back down.He would not waste this gift his eternal rival had given him. It was the only gift his eternal rival had ever bestowed upon him and it could be the last.

"Gai-sensei are you going to go in or not?" Tenten asked from beside him.

It was so nice of his precious students to support him in this trial.

"Hai! I was merely studying the hip methods these young men use to turn my eternal rival into the hip and modern person that he is!" he said giving them his good guy pose # 193 which he only used when facing the most fearsome of adversaries.

After the second time Neji had to restrain Lee they decided it was best to take him outside. When the tweezers came out Tenten suggested the stylist and his assistants turn the chair away from the window.

Neji discovered even he had trouble restraining his teammate when they said those words that terrified the young boy, 'The jumpsuit must go.' It left no room for discussion and Gai didn't protest as both Neji and Tenten thought he might. Although from her close up perspective Tenten thought she saw his lip tremble, but she could have been wrong.

It was Tenten who insisted he leave the blindfold on but Neji's genius that made it a challenge not to look until after the party that night.

Lee had to be dragged along behind due to the whimpering and occasional "Gai-sensei is so brave to sacrifice so much for his eternal rival!"

They settled on ramen at Ichiraku's since it was relatively close and neither Gai nor Lee was in any shape to insist on curry for once.

Neji and Tenten knew without saying it that if they weren't so busy keeping Gai and Lee distracted they'd probably have the same stunned look on their faces that everyone they passed seemed to have have. One girl even had hearts in her eyes while another dropped an apple she'd meant to put in her basket.

**************

Ayame looked up when the 4 shinobi entered. She recognized Lee-san, Tenten-san, and Neji-san immediately but it took a minute for her to reconcile the man with them as being Gai-san.

He wasn't wearing his usual green jumpsuit and that alone surprised her. Instead he had on simple black slacks, a dark green sweater, and a black leather jacket. It looked like it was tailored for him.

As if that wasn't enough to send her into shock his hair looked like it'd finally been introduce to a proper razor. It was obvious that it had mousse in it. The most dramatic difference however was the eyebrows. They were no longer thick black lines with lives of their own. Now they actually seemed to suit his expressive eyes. They matched his hair too, she was certain they had been introduced to the same hair care products.

It took her a few minutes to compose herself and she was thankful the shinobi were distracted enough they probably hadn't noticed her picking her jaw up off the floor.

"Hello Gai-san," she finally managed.

He turned to look at her and for the first time that she could recall the flamboyant and confident nin seemed almost nervous. "Hello Ayame-san," he said smiling.

It was definitely a day for first because for the first time the glint of his smile made her breath catch and she felt the heat rise to her cheeks. She couldn't help but think that his smiled seemed about a thousand times more effective with his new look.

"Lee, stop sulking!" Tenten growled at her team mate reminding Ayame that Gai wasn't alone, although for a moment it seemed she'd forgotten that fact.

"What can I get you?" She forced herself to stop sneaking glances at the newly transformed Gai.

"Two bowl's of spicy pork ramen and two of miso-ramen," Neji said staring at her rather intently and ignoring the commotion of his teammates. She blushed under his scrutiny and turned to fill their order.

"You look different today Gai-san," she said setting the bowls down in front of the team.

"My Eternal Rival.." he started.

"Kakashi-san gave him a gift certificate to the salon he uses for a Christmas gift," Neji said cutting his sensei off before he could get into full speech mode.

"Oh!" she said a bit surprised but thinking that it seemed to explain things perfectly. "You look very nice Gai-san." She knew her face was still bright pink but tried not to let it show in her voice.

"It's all for the Christmas party tonight," Tenten put in. "Lee! Stop sulking, seriously. Gai-san isn't dead, it's just a make-over!" The young boy however didn't seem convinced.

"The one Kurenai-san is hosting?"

"Hai! It shall be a Spectacular Event and.." she didn't really hear the rest of it because the minute she looked at him her brain seemed to stop again.

The young konnichi was whispering to her teammate who was still staring curiously at Ayame but she was too busy staring at Gai to really register the fact. So a moment later when the girl dragged her sensei out into the street Ayame jumped and then grabbed a dish rag and hurriedly started wiping down the counter telling herself to stop staring.

"Ayame-san," Gai said and she blushed thinking for a moment that he'd realized how rude she was being with staring so blatantly at him, because she realized that yet again her eyes had betrayed her and were all but devouring the man.

"Yes, Gai-san?" Did she just squeak? 'Oh Kami,' she thought. 'Tell me I did not just squeak?'

"It seems I'm expected..." She noticed his voice was quieter than was normal for him. "To bring a date to this particular occasion."

"Huh?" Her brain was not cooperating. She knew he had said something important but she couldn't even begin to fathom what it was.

"Would you.." He gulped which drew her attention to his mouth and neck and then his shoulders because they were so very close to his neck. "Care to join me this evening?"

There was that feeling he'd said something important. No, not said. Asked. Her brain slowly turned and after a few minutes she managed to squeak out, "Yes." And about 15 minutes after the shinobi left she realized that he'd asked her out and then she had to sit down because her legs decided to give out or the floor decided to move or something but it was a good 30 minutes before she was able to get up.

When she headed to the back to tell her father that she needed the night off he smiled and waved her away, telling her to go ahead and go home. She wasn't even quite sure if she'd actually managed to ask her father for the night off or if he'd just told her to go home before she could get the words out. She decided it didn't matter as she headed home beaming.