A/N: Recently re-watched Code Lyoko and since I noticed a distinctly low number of crossovers, I decided to make one. Hope everyone enjoys!

Prologue

The snow is really cold.

Aelita Schaeffer giggled playfully as she ran around outside her house, batting around the snowflakes that were falling around her. She loved snow.

"Careful dear! Don't wander too far from the house!" Came a shout, and she looked over to see her mother and father looking down at her from up on a hill. Her father, Franz Schaeffer, was still wearing those horrible dark glasses and had that big mustache, but she could see the hint of a smile through the forest of hair. Anthea Schaeffer, her mother, had long pink hair just like hers and always had a big smile on her face.

"Okay Mommy!" she called back, but her smile turned into a pout when her father said something to her mother and headed back inside. He was always away, paying attention to some project of his. Then again, he had taught her how to play the piano, so it was okay. She loved music.

She was in the midst of making her snowman when she heard the sound of a car engine, and she frowned. Cars never came up here, except the one that her father had. She turned around to get more snow, but paused, her eyes widening in terror.

A wolf was glaring at her, its yellow eyes focused and hungry.

She turned to run, but found two large men in dark suits staring across at her. They rushed forward and pulled her mother away.

"Mommy? Mommy!?" she cried out, and looked in terror as the two men pulled her mother into a van.

"Aelita!" Anthea Schaeffer screamed from the back seat of the car.

The young girl ran after her mother, but the van was too fast. Even when it was long gone and the tracks were vanishing in the falling snow, she didn't stop.

Aelita finally fell down into the snow, her tears frozen on her cheeks. "Mommy..." she sobbed, "Don't go...

A howl sounded through the woods, and she looked around in fear. Then she saw the wolf.

The pink-haired girl backed away as it prowled closer and closer.

"Mommy! Daddy!" she cried, but no one was there.

The wolf lunged. She closed her eyes, waiting for the end.

It never came.

After a few seconds, she tentatively opened her eyes.

Aelita had instincts, just like any other human being. Instincts that told her to run when something dangerous appeared. Instincts that told her what to be afraid of.

And right now, her instincts were confused. The wolf was dangerous for any human, let alone a cold and frightened five year old girl.

So when she looked into the wolf's eyes and saw something that didn't make sense at all, she blinked.

The wolf was absolutely terrified.

After a few seconds of examining the shuddering animal, she realized that it wasn't looking at her, but over her shoulder.

So, she turned around.

A man stood behind her. He was dressed all in black, kind of like the two men from before, only he wasn't wearing a suit. Also unlike them, his entire posture just seemed to scream LAZY. His shoulder's were slumped and his hands were in his pockets as he leaned on one foot. His face was hidden beneath the hood of his cloak and an orange scarf hid his mouth and nose.

But then she saw his eyes.

They were burning red, the pupils like a cat's.

The man glared at the wolf for a few more seconds, then a low, primal growl sounded from his throat.

Aelita noticed the wolf running away with its tail between it's legs, but she was too focused on the man in front of her to care. Slowly, his eyes descended until he was looking right at her. He closed his eyes and reached up, pulling the hood and scarf away.

A head of golden hair and a pair of whiskered cheeks emerged. In any other situation, she'd have found the cheeks funny, but now she was too frightened to care.

However, when he opened his eyes again, they were no longer red. Now, they were a deep blue, like the ocean on a sunny day. No longer were they full of menace and fury, but seemed kind and caring.

He looked down again, knelt and smiled. "Hey, kiddo. You okay?"

Aelita, a little less frightened, looked at him with a bit of mistrust. "You scared the wolf away."

"Well, I can be pretty scary when I want to," he chuckled softly. "But I always protect kids."

"Really?" she asked, her eyes wide and hopeful. "Promise?"

He paused for a second and his cheerful manner faded, then came back full force. "Promise."

"Then swear!" she asked loudly, standing up and holding out a hand. "Pinky swear!"

He blinked for a second and gave an amused snort, before holding out his little finger, which she took. "Pinky swear."

Aelita smiled happily; she liked this person!

Feeling a little adventurous, she reached out and petted his whiskered cheeks, and giggled when he let out an involuntary purr.

"Cut it out," he said, but the grin told her he wasn't serious.

She would have gone on, but shivered.

"You're cold," he said, concerned. "Here, let me help." He pulled off the glove of his right hand, put his palm on her forehead, and suddenly she was flooded with warmth that traveled down to the tips of her toes. As he pulled his hand away, she noticed a strange circular mark on his palm.

"Aah, I feel so warm!" she cooed happily, forgetting about the circle, before looking up at the man. "Thank you, Mister!"

She was surprised when his smile looked a bit strained, like he was suddenly really tired. "No problem. What's your name?"

"My name's Aelita! Aelita Schaeffer!" she said happily. "What's yours?"

"It's Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki," he replied.

"Funny name," she giggled.

"Yes it is," he said. "But I like it anyway." His grin faded. "Aelita, did you see who took your mother?"

Her own smile faded as well. "Yes," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Two bad men. They grabbed Mommy and took her away."

He reached over and pulled her into a hug as she sobbed into his shoulder. He held her for a few minutes, humming a tune as her tears slowly dried up.

The pink-haired girl slowly pulled away and wiped her eyes.

Naruto took a breath. "Aelita, listen. I can help you find your mother."

"Really?" she asked, wide-eyed. "You can get Mommy back?"

"Yes, but first-Erk!" his sentence was cut off as a grunt of pain escaped. He fell to both knees and put his hands on the ground. "Damn. I thought it would take longer."

"Mister Naruto, what's wrong?" Aelita asked, frightened.

"No time, just listen," he said shortly. "Your father is going to take you somewhere, a place that never should have been made. It's dangerous there. Something has corrupted what we made, turned it into a weapon." Sweat ran down his forehead, but he continued. "You have to find me there, I'm being held prisoner."

"What? B-but, you're here, aren't you?" she asked, confused.

"No time, no time," he groaned, his voice wracked with pain. "Aelita, you hold the key. Only you can open the prison and set me free. I can help you find your mother, but only if you find me first!" Veins bulged in Naruto's forehead as gritted his teeth. "Go. Go, you have to go. Go back to your father. But sooner or later, he will take you there, and then you have to find me!"

"I don't want to go!" she said, fresh tears in her eyes at the pain he was going through. "I want to stay with you! I don't want you to leave!"

Though the pain was unimaginable, he managed to smile. "Aelita, I'll always be near. I'll watch over you and do what I can to protect you. Even if you feel like you're all alone, I'll be there."

She looked at him with determination and stood up. "Promise?"

"Promise," he said with a smile, and gave her a small nudge back the way she'd come. "Follow the road back to your home. Don't stop running."

She slowly started walking backwards, then turned around and started running.

He looked after her for a while, and gave a last, tired smile. "Good luck, kiddo." He looked up at the sky. "Well, caught me red-handed, huh? Terribly sorry. Won't happen again." The pain increased. "Crap, didn't think that would work."

He groaned in pain and fell on his back, looking up at the cloudy sky. "Guess it's back to being a prisoner, huh... XANA?"

Then with a last, agonized yell, Naruto disappeared into smoke, and the snow fell undisturbed again.

Aelita Schaeffer screamed as she woke up.