Christmas Challenge 08

Title: Christmas Challenge 3 of 12 'Skating'
Summary: Jack Frost, Ice Skating, and Mittens
Authors: Kiterie and Fuyu no Akegata
Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto or any of it's characters, if we got paid to do this we'd quit our jobs and do nothing but... and there'd be more smut. :P

------

"Iruka-sensei, Iruka-sensei!" Chiyo squealed tugging on his hand. "It's snowing Iruka-sensei!"

Smiling, he crouched down. "Do you want to go out and play in the snow, Chiyo-chan?"

The tiny girl bobbed her head, practically jumping up and down in her excitement. "I wanna make a snowman and a dog with antlers..." she began, her expression strangely serious despite the bouncing.

"Then what are we still doing inside hmm, Chiyo-chan?" He tossed a quick glance in Santa's direction and tried to decide if Kakashi really had something to do with the snow but couldn't make up his mind on the matter and shrugged. "Well you better go tell the others so we can pick things up before we head out.

Shizune came into the gym, laughing and shaking snow from her coat, big fat flakes lodged in her hair and just starting to melt in the warmth. Even smelling the slight taint of alcohol in Tsunade's punch couldn't wipe the smile from her rosy-cheeked face. She acquired a mug of punch for herself and came back to the Hokage's side. "Why didn't you ever make Kakashi be Santa, before? He seems to be doing a great job, so far. No crying children, Iruka hasn't collapsed in a fit of apoplexy, and he's even got an ice skating pond set up, outside."

"He also managed to get through a verse of one of Jiji's perverted carols, and somehow Gai found out he was going to be Santa and came dressed as an elf... and dragged his poor team with him." Tsunade gestured with her beverage in the direction of a corner that even from a distance looked very very green but mostly devoid of people.

Iruka moved around the room letting the other teachers know and slowly herding the kids out the door. It took one of the teachers standing in front of the door checking for hats and mittens to keep the kids from just bolting out into the cold weather.

The kids piled outside with the teachers slowly following along behind. Tenten and Neji were the last two out, Tenten practically dragging the boy along behind her. Iruka held the door open and resisted the urge to laugh, understanding the teen's resistance to being seen in the silly looking outfit.

Closing the door behind them, the chunin turned to find his boyfriend leaning against the wall looking smug. "Yeah... okay, you make a good Santa, you're a regular old Jack Frost." He paused, smirking. "Even if you do look really silly."

"Silly?" Kakashi looked down at himself, trying to see what Iruka meant. "You wound me, Iruka." The beard hid his face, but a pout was very audible in Kakashi's voice.

"Santa shouldn't be so skinny and I could have sworn that costume was in better shape last year when Ebisu wore it." He laughed and shoved Kakashi's shoulder. "And where the heck did you get the idea to put antlers on the dogs? They're probably ready to kill you now."

"Probably," Kakashi fake smiled in agreement. "I saw a Christmas special through a window... there was a mean looking green guy and a dog with an antler pulling the sleigh."

"Then why aren't you in green?" Iruka teased lightly.

Kakashi just blinked at Iruka. "He was green, not dressed in green. Besides, I learned my lesson with Ebisu... And Gai is wearing more than enough green for the rest of us."

Laughing the brunet turned to watch the kids who were excitedly sliding across the ice with their sandals, some of the older ones put on the blades on but most of kids just didn't seem to care and were happy slipping around and occassionally falling.

Iruka smirked and glanced at Kakashi out of the corner of his eye. "Went all out, I see. Pull this off too well and she's going to make you did it again next year and the year after and the year after that...."

"She'd still consider it after my song? What kind of Hokage is she? Doesn't she care about our impressionable youth?" Kakashi chuckled and slouched against a tree, watching the children slide around the impromtu pond.

"I think she liked that particular tune," he chuckled. "And, be careful or you might start wearing green and making up silly rules."

Kakashi glared at Iruka. "Do the mini-nin always make you this mean?"

"You spend 8 hrs a day with them and see how sweet you are at the end of the day." The sensei chuckled, shaking his head. "No, wait they'd probably all end up tied to the ceiling with socks stuffed in their mouths before lunch."

"It wasn't a sock, it was a mitten. And he tried to bite me, first. It was self-defense." Kakashi was assuredly pouting, now.

"Oh well excuse me, the difference is so important," Iruka said rolling his eyes. "Big scary copy-nin can't take a little kid biting him?"

"Not in front of the pack. How am I supposed to work with my ninken if I don't have their respect? The little brat was compromising the village's security." And surely that wasn't a whine coming from Kakashi...

Iruka burst out laughing at the idea of a pregenin brat 'compromizing the village's security'. "Oh yeah I'm sure the pack would lose all faith in you if you hadn't strung the kid up by his toes."

Shooting a glance between the ice and Kakashi, Iruka smirked. "How about we 'test' your theory..."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Grinning, Iruka grabbed his hand and pulled him over to where the blades were lying. "Come iceskate with me, prove 'Santa' actaully knows what he's doing and isn't easily intimidated."

Kakashi laughed. "I had an extended mission in Snow Country when I was younger, Iruka. Skating doesn't scare me..." And neither does the horde of mini-nin.

"I was more concerned about you not knocking over the mini-nins than you falling on your ass. Though.... that would be entertaining." Iruka chuckled, pulling the blades on his shoes and standing up.

He watched Kakashi put on his own, noting the the fingerless gloves. Stepping carefully through the snow he tapped Miko on the shoulder and whispered in her ear. She reached inside her purse and handed him what he'd asked for. Returning to where Kakashi was now standing, Iruka held the mittens out. He flashed a quick handsign and leaned over to plant a kiss on his boyfriend's nose before then dropping the justsu. "Wouldn't want you to get frost bite and not be able to hold the reins.

Kakashi smiled a little shyly, thankfully accepting the mittens, and then slid slowly onto the ice. Within seconds, he worked up speed, weaving in and out of the throngs of children before coming once again to a stop before Iruka, grinning happily. "Coming?"

Laughing, Iruka slid out on the ice, smirking. "Hey kids... Santa needs a hug!" And immediately the thirty or so kids in close proximity practically fell over themselves as they moved to give 'Santa' a hug.

There's definitely an evil little chuunin sensei on the naughty list... Kakashi suffered in silence, only occasionally sending a baleful one-eyed glare Iruka's way. Eventually, the children settled down and they began skating again.

BAM! A hard-packed missile of white impacted with the back of Santa's head, exploding into a shower of frozen dust.

"Just spreading the holiday cheer," a tall, scarred man in a trench coat and bandana smiled quite sadistically as he passed.