The Gift

I never thought a person could stare so intently at a wrapped gift, especially when the gift is for someone else.
Here I was sitting on a bed, my mind racing as I looked at the gift in front of me….should I give it to him?  Literally when I came up with the idea for the present, it seemed like such a good idea.  I bit my lip as I questioned myself.  Why was I so hesitant?
Because this may be the most personal gift I have ever given someone.  I also used my talent to create it, so a piece of me was there.  After I completed the present was when I began to feel guilty.  I decided to take a deep breath and just give it to him.  I'll only know if it was a good idea if he sees it.  Placing my present into the bag I began making my way to meet up with our group.  Tonight all of the teachers at the academy were holding a small get together for Iruka's birthday.  Surprisingly enough I was invited as well.
The idea for the present came into my head after a conversation I had with Iruka.  This was almost right after Orochimaru's attack on the village.  Unfortunately for Iruka, his apartment was nearly demolished.  
"All the pictures from my past are gone." Iruka said.  Despite the smile painted on his face, I knew he was a little upset inside.  He was no good at hiding his emotions from people, so I tried to distract him with my own story.
"You know my mom always annoyed me when she wanted a picture of me and my brother.  Every goddamn Christmas almost…ugh, I hate having my picture taken." I said with a sour look on my face.
"Why?"
"Because cameras can steal part of your soul!" I wiggled my fingers and made a funny face.  Iruka rolled his eyes, but seemed to lighten up.
"But in all seriousness Iruka, I think artistic drawings capture me much better!  And for many people that can be the case too."
Later that night the idea popped into my head.  I would replace what he had lost and as I sat down at my desk the drawing seemed to flow onto the paper.
I lost my nerve at the last minute and couldn't put my gift in his gift pile.  After we had sung happy birthday and ate cake we began handing him presents.  For every gift he had on his signature smile and he seemed happy.  After the party I offered to help carry some of the gifts to his apartment.  The conversation on the way consisted of me teasing him about being an old man and him pouting a little, but the gift was still in the back of my mind.
"Iruka," I finally said as I placed his gifts on his counter.  I walked up to him and took a deep breath.
"I wanted to give you my present…"
"…" Iruka's nose began to bleed and I knew what he was thinking.
"No!  Well, maybe…but I actually do have a present for you." I handed him the gift and crossed my arms holding my breath.
"Ling, thank you." Iruka said as he began unwrapping the gift.  His expression went blank then as he looked down at the present.  He placed his hand on his mouth as his eyes watered.  I don't know whether or not making a grown man cry is okay and I instantly felt guilty.
"I'm sorry, I just wanted to give you back what you lost." To my surprise he wrapped his arms around me.
"This is the best present I've ever gotten.  Thank you so much."  He let go and looked back at the picture.  I had drawn a picture of his late parents and placed it in a picture frame that said family.
"I think you artistically captured my parents to a tee." He wrapped one arm around me rubbing my shoulder.  I leaned up to him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Happy Birthday Iruka."