Disclaimer: I do not own the series Naruto, nor any of its characters. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto and I'm just having fun with the characters that came out of his creative mind. I also do not gain any sort of profits from writing this.

Rating: M

Prologue

Waking up early in the morning to be stuck in a studio, recording all day was not something Naruto looked forward to in the winter. It was so hard to untangle himself from the warmth his thick blankets provided, but he knew he was lucky to have a job during this recession period, so he sluggishly rolled off his bed, shivering as his feet came in contact with the cold wooden floor of his apartment. With half opened eyes, he dragged his feet across the room into his bathroom, and stared at his own reflection in the mirror. He gave himself a lazy, but cheerful grin and proceeded to brush his teeth. He continued to stare in the mirror, though this time, with an amused look in his eyes as his adorable (ridiculous, by Shikamaru's standard) sleeping hat moved side to side at the brushing motion his arm made. Then he took a quick shower, got dressed, and walked out into the cold streets of Manhattan.

Everything seemed normal.

Naruto hopped onto the 6 train, got off his stop, gratefully took the Metro newspaper, and hastily made his way into Hale & Hearty's to grab his favorite soup for breakfast. Though colder than usual, today seemed like any other day. However, Naruto's intuition told him something about today is special; something new and exciting will happen. He quickly went through his mental database to see if he missed anyone's birthday, or had any important meetings with any of the bands he'll be recording today, but found he didn't. He continued to walk, sorting everything out in his head to make sure if he hadn't missed any details, because God forbid he forgot anything about doing something for and with Sakura; she wouldn't be pleased.

Naruto looked up at the blinking red hand sign that told people to stop crossing, and stopped. It was funny that as a New Yorker, he actually stopped when the sign told him to, when it's normal for people to run to the other side of the street even when yellow cabs would race down the road as if it's being chased by a cop.

And then he saw him.

In the midst of a busy crowd of running people, trying to get to their destination as soon as possible, a man that can be best described as light and dark stood there, waiting for the white light, just like Naruto himself. The man was tall with black hair, and a wool coat to match. His pale complexion stood out in contrast to his dark hair and clothing, but what drew Naruto was his aura. He had a certain presence about him that Naruto could feel even from across the street.

Suddenly the light turned white, and Naruto saw the man of his interest walk towards him; more specifically, crossing toward his side of the street. Naruto slowly walked, as if being magnetically pulled onto the opposite side, and his breathing halted for a moment, as well as his steps, when they met halfway. Everything slowed down and his senses were lost. All he heard was the loud pounding of his chest and the brief warmth of the man as he walked right past Naruto. As if a spell was broken, colors filled his visions again, and he could hear the sound of honking cars wheezing past him in annoyance. Someone passed him by, rudely bumping into him without an apology, and Naruto could smell again, the freshly brewed coffee and baked bagels from a small deli store 10 steps from him. He jerked out of his reverie and jogged to the sidewalk, and hesitantly turned his face to have one last glimpse of the man's retreating back.

Naruto stared at his broad, yet lonely looking back. He chastised himself for being so foolish at almost getting himself killed out in the street, and was about to go his way, when the man slightly turned his head to meet Naruto's lingering gaze. Naruto froze again, but the man turned as quickly as he caught Naruto's attention and continued down the street to his destination.

That's when Naruto first saw him.

On a cold, cold December day, yet feeling strangely warm because of a stranger.