It is a bitter cold winter night. The wind is howling and everything is covered in pure white snow. In the midst of this snow-covered landscape is a lone small figure. It is a young boy with no single parent or guardian in sight. The thick snow accentuated the boy's small and thin figure making him look younger than he is. At each step, uneven footprints are left on the blanket of snow as if the young boy is so exhausted that he is dragging his thin frame with sole willpower. Even the his sunshine blond hair and his sparkling blue eyes seemed to have lost their usual radiance in this gloomy weather.

Exhausted, he paused to catch his breath. He was now on a street near his house. Small cozy houses lined the street. Through the dainty little windows, warm glow of lamps flowed out brightening the street. In this warm light, the dark shadow of the little boy stretched behind him making him look even lonelier as he stared at the happy family having dinner in one of the houses. Heavenly aroma of delicious dishes filled the air. The young boy took a large whiff of the aroma knowing that all he could do is to enjoy the heavenly aroma of the food he could never have a taste of.

"Grr..." his stomach grumbled loudly in the silent night but it is nothing compared to the merry laughter that rang in the house. In the house around the table, the faces of the family glowed with happiness as they chatted happily unaware that someone is staring at them with an expression of undisguised longing. After giving the happy family a final look, the young boy turned and continued walking.
In this cold winter night, the young boy's nose turned red and his fingers were so cold that he felt that they would drop if he kept walking in the chilling snow. To him, the journey seemed like eternity as his feet became heavier as if lead was attached to them but he still kept walking. He did not dare to take another rest. He knew if he was to take another rest, he would never be able to move his heavy again. He might freeze to death in this horrendous weather.
Finally, his apartment came into sight. The sight of his apartment gave him more motivation to walk forward. Although he was so tired to the point that he might crash anytime soon, he still move forward with a faster pace. Each footprint became more even as his newfound motivation pumped energy into his body. With his apartment in sight, the journey no longer felt like eternity and within moments, he was outside door of his apartment. Staring at the door, surprisingly, he felt his motivation ebbed and his feet started to tremble, unable to support his weight any longer. Slowly, he reached his hand out to turn the doorknob. As soon as his finger touched it, the freezing cold of the metal shot up his arm and he shrank back. Placing his right hand on his warm chest, he took a deep breath before reaching out to turn the doorknob with his left hand. This time he ignored the child that shot up his heart and pushed the door. As the door opens, he felt his heart grew colder as he took in his living room. The living room is close to threadbare save for a few rubbish lying around on the wooden floorboards, a table and a lamp. The living room was cold and dark. No steamy dishes were placed on the bare table waiting for him to be eaten, no heater is turned on to chase the cold away and most importantly, no one to welcome him with a cheery "Okaeri!" and a warm embrace.

That night, Naruto realised one thing that he will remember for many long years as a drop of tear slid down his cheek. A place where you live alone without the warm presence of your family is not a home. It's a house…

Many Many Years Later:

In Konoha, or outside the door of a particular apartment, a person could be seen. Gone was the little boy whose height could barely reach the doorknob, in his place is a strong young man with a lithe body that brimmed with unmeasurable strength. However, this ninja-suit cladded young man who is just back from a mission is now covered with bandages and can be seen half crouching down. His deep breaths can be heard clearly in the dead silence of the winter night and blood started to seep through the pristine white bandages. The bone-chilling cold of the winter did nothing to help this wounded young man. In this cruel winter weather, the lips and nails of the young man turn purple and his temperature is alarmingly high.

His hand reaches out to push open the door to his apartment . Looking through his blond tresses falling in front of his face, he takes in the sight of his living room. As they say, a sick person especially one with fever can be delirious at times and apparently Naruto is a bit delirious as a sense of deja vu washes over him. After so many years, the living room is still cold and dark, no steamy dishes are set out on the table to welcome him back home, there's still no-one to welcome him home with a simple "Okaeri!" and a warm embrace. Disappointment starts to well up inside his heart but not for long.

"Oi, dobe! What are you doing crouching down doing nothing? I am still here supporting your heavy weight," a cool calm voice spoke beside him pulling Naruto out of his thoughts. Distaste laced the words of the raven-haired man supporting him but Naruto knows better than to take the person's words at face-value.

"Ahhh, shut up Sasuke! Is this how you treat a wounded person?" having been on the receiving end of Sasuke's many cutting remarks, Naruto just fires back a retort without thinking.

"The said wounded person is in no place to say this as he does't even care for himself. Now get in."

Grumbling under his breath, Naruto moves to get in with Sasuke's help. Maybe it's the childish banter or maybe it's the sight of a pouting Naruto. For whatever reason it is, Sasuke actually smiles at Naruto. A smile that Naruto knows it's only just for him and no-one else. Naruto, being Naruto, starts to tease Sasuke about it instead. As a pink flush starts to appear on a very indignant Sasuke's face and the familiar merry banter carries on, Naruto can't help but smile.

I'm glad I have you.

Author's notes:

This is a fanfic that I started writing in the middle of the night. Apparently, 1 am is a good time for inspirations hence this fanfic. This is my first time actually writing something that is more story-like. When i wrote this, I was aiming for a better and a sweeter ending that can make one smile but for some reason it didn't turn out quite the way I planned. With that in mind, I still hope this will make an enjoyable read for you.

Thank you for reading this. I would really appreciate it if you guys can give me reviews.