A/N: This is one-shot for Christmas, came with the idea while I was writing an essay for school and I said 'what the hell, I'll do it' … so here it is, hope you guys like it.

Summary:During Christmas everyone is together with their family and friends…well almost everyone…

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Angel

By DeExil

It was Christmas in Konoha and for the very first time in a lot of years it was snowing. Ah yes, the snow, it was what made people smile, it was rare for something like this to happen in the Fire Country and when it would happen people would stop and cherish this rare occasion, the academy would close down and let children play outside and have a good time.

In this time of the year, especially this year, children could be seen playing in the snow and having a good time. Their parents would watch over them and laugh at their antics, they would cherish this moments as something like this never happens very often and once they would grow this would never ever happen again.

This was the time of the year when people would buy gifts for those close to them, when they would spend time with their family and just have fun. This was the time when the entire population of Konoha would share a smile with everyone and would be kind and good among each other, apart for one person.

Only one person was sad this time of the year, only one person would cry this time of the year. He would isolate himself this time of the year so as not to be seen or heard of. This time of the year he would never get presents, cards, or a warm greeting. In this time of the year he would be all alone, not like he wasn't alone before, but in this time…he was completely alone.

Having no parents to look after you, no friends to play with and laugh. It was something that made him detest this time, it made his hearth ache and it made him want to cry himself to sleep. He would lock himself in the house and stay there, he would want to rot there and die. This year he had planned it so, but one person wouldn't let him do so.

"Come on Naruto, you have to see this." called the Hokage at the child's door. "It's not every year you see snow in Konoha." he told the child as he continued to knock on his door.

"Go away!" could be heard from behind the door.

Behind the Hokage stood an Inu masked ANBU, you could see him shake his head at what was happening, it was like every year. The child would lock himself in the house. He would not talk with anyone apart from the Hokage and the ramen stand owner and his daughter, he would not smile and he would not eat. It was disturbing.

The Hokage knocked again at the door. "Naruto come out, or I will break this door." he said, surprisingly his voice still calm and collected

"I said go away!" the child yelled from inside the house once again

The Hokage sighed. "I swear…" he said and turned towards the ANBU "Would you be so kind?" he asked

The ANBU nodded and walked over to the door, taking a paper clip out he started working on the door. In a few seconds a click could be heard and the ANBU turned the knob and opened the door.

As the door opened another door was slammed shut, surely the child locked himself in his bedroom. The Hokage sighed again, it was like every year, Naruto would prove like any other year to be difficult and hard to convince to do anything. The Hokage liked this time of the year but when it came to take Naruto out of his house he would start to hate it.

The ANBU just sat down on the couch and took out an orange book and started reading while giggling pervertedly, the Hokage twitched but decided to ignore him. He walked over to the bedroom door and turned the knob opening the door. As he entered the room and was hit by a pillow making him drop him pipe.

Looking around he saw the child on the bed glaring at him with tears in his eyes. The child had blond hair, three whisker marks on each cheek and deep blue eyes. He was no older that six and he had seen the hardships of life since the day he could walk, it was disturbing and painful.

"Naruto, you need to stop this, you do this every year." the Hokage said picking up his pipe

"Just leave me alone, I don't want to go out." young Naruto cried.

The Hokage sighed. "At least come out for some fresh air while Inu cleans the place for you."

"And plant a explosive tag in my room?" asked the child angrily

"No Naruto, you know Inu wouldn't do that." the Hokage answered sincerely.

The child would become paranoid during this time of the year, just like his birthday, he would think that everyone wanted his harm, or at least everyone except from the Hokage and the owners of the ramen stand.

"I still don't want to go out, leave me alone!" young Naruto shouted as he grabbed the blanket and moved it over his head covering his entire body.

The Hokage shook his head and took the blanket of, he took the child in his arms and walked in the living room where he was the ANBU still reading the orange book. The ANBU stood up and walked over to the Hokage who had placed Naruto down.

The blond looked at the ANBU, or more like glared at him. The ANBU just shook it off and took out a scroll, he unsealed some winter clothes from the scroll and handed them to the blond child. Young Naruto just scoffed and turned around with his arms crossed letting them know that he won't go out.

The ANBU once again shook his head and placed a winter hat on the child's head. Young Naruto tried to take of the hat but the Hokage wouldn't let him, needless to say the two men started fighting with the child to dress him in warmer clothes, it took them half an hour but in the end they managed to get the child dressed.

The Hokage took Naruto's hand and started walking out the door, the child seeing that there is no way out of it complied and followed the Hokage with his head down to cover his eyes and not see the villager's glares. Once they were out of the house Inu started cleaning the house and arranging everything, a few more ANBU came carrying a small Christmas tree.

On the streets you could see people smiling and carrying gifts, you could see children running around and laughing. You could also see the Hokage smiling at them and trying to cheer up a sad blond. But no matter what he would do the child would keep quiet and wouldn't smile.

The Hokage looked around and saw the ramen stand, he smiled thinking it would cheer up the child. Walking inside the ramen stand he helped Naruto take his usual seat and then he sat down next to him. The owner of the ramen stand and his daughter smiled at them and greeted them.

"How are you Naruto?" Ichiraku asked with a smile

The blond looked up at him with dull eyes. "Fine…" he said rather unemotionally

The Hokage and the old ramen chef sighed, just like every year. The old chef prepared the ramen for Naruto and the Hokage. The blond ate what he was given, but unlike any other time he hate only one bowl, he was still grumpy and it seemed like ramen won't cheer him up.

The Hokage paid for the ramen and thought of taking the blond to the park and play with him seeing as no one else would. They bid farewell to the old chef and his daughter and left for the park. The child didn't look too enthusiastically to get there, in fact he didn't even seem to care where he was going.

Upon reaching the park the Hokage let go of the child's hand and turned to look at him, the child just stood there looking at the ground. A smirk appeared on the old man's face as he walked away a little. The child didn't even seem to sense that the Hokage moved away, that was until a snowball hit him and made him fall on his butt.

Looking up surprised he saw the Hokage a few steps away with a grin on his face and a snowball in his hand. The child scoffed again and was hit once again by a snowball. Young Naruto looked at the Hokage and then turned around, he gathered snow in his hands and made a snowball. Turning around he threw it at the unsuspecting Hokage hitting him in the chest.

The Hokage raised an eyebrow and smiled, he made another snowball and threw it at the blond who jumped away to dodge it. The child counteracted with his own snowball and a snowball fight started. It seemed that while they were playing the child's mood started to change, he was smiling again and laughing.

They played a lot and had fun, but alas, at a point everything had to stop. The Hokage was called at the office and had to leave. The blond was left alone in the park sitting on a bench all alone and looking at the children playing. He would have asked if he could join but no one would accept him.

Young Naruto looked down at the ground as tears started to appear in his eyes again, he hated this year, he couldn't play with anyone, he didn't have parents that would buy him presents and strangely the so called Santa Claus wouldn't come and give him present. Sure the old Hokage and the ramen stand owner with his daughter would give him presents, but he didn't have a Christmas tree, and other presents than that he wouldn't receive.

The child continued to cry, people passing him would just smirk feeling better that the 'demon-brat' was in pain. Naruto knew that no one would comfort him and it made him cry more. Suddenly he felt a soft hand on his cheek whipping the tears away. Looking up he saw a beautiful red headed woman with blue eyes looking at him and smiling. She wiped the tears away from his eyes.

"Don't cry." the woman said softly, it sounded angelic.

"W-why wo-wou-would y-yo-you care?" the child sobbed

"Because no one should cry this time of the year, you should be happy." the woman responded kindly

"But I have n-no one to ce-celebrate with…" the child told her with sadness in his eyes.

The woman looked at him sad and shed a tear for the blond. "You know…" she said as she started passing her hand on his cheek "If you want I will spend the day with you."

Naruto was amazed that someone else beside the Hokage would say that. "B-but a-aren't y-yo-you afraid of m-me?" he asked shakily

The woman tilted her head to the side. "Why would I be afraid of you?" she asked sweetly

"Everyone else is." responded the child with his head down in shame

The woman smiled at him in entangled him in a hug, the blond stiffened for a second and then enjoyed the warmth of the hug. He didn't know why but he felt loved, he felt good, like there was someone beside the Hokage that loved him, he couldn't explain it himself, it was something he didn't know how to explain.

"I am not afraid of you." the woman said, she broke the hug and looked at the child's eyes "To me you are just any other child, only that you are one that needs love and someone to play and spend time with." she said with a smile

Naruto started tearing up again, the woman wiped his tears away and stood up offering him a hand.

"So, what do you say?" she asked smiling "Want to spend the day with me?" she asked

Naruto looked at the hand like he was in trance, here was a woman he didn't know offering him a day with her, a day to try and have fun and enjoy this time of the year. Naruto nodded and took the woman's hand. The red head smiled at the child and started walking with him hand in hand back in the village.

The woman took Naruto to a nearby toy store, the owner wanted to kick the child out but the woman seemed to ignore him as she just passed him and started looking a the toy's with Naruto.

"Tell me what you want." she said kindly

"Why would you buy something for me?" asked the child curious

The woman smiled at him. "You deserve it." she responded simply

"But…"

"Don't worry, I have enough, pick whatever you want." she told him

Naruto smiled a genuine smile at her and looked around, strangely his eyes landed on a stuffed toy that seemed to resemble an angel. The blond took it from the raft and showed it to the woman with a smile on his face.

"You want that toy?" she asked

The blond nodded. "Can I?" he asked

The woman smiled and nodded, she took the child's hand and walked to the counter, she paid the exact price of the toy and left the store. They continued walking in the village till they reached the ninja academy, Naruto stopped and looked at it. The red headed woman looked at the academy and then at Naruto.

"You know…" said Naruto looking at the academy "In one year I will join the academy."

"What for?" asked the woman

"I will become a ninja, the greatest the world has ever seen." the child said with pride and it made the woman smile at him.

"I know you will become a great ninja." she said as she placed her hand on his head

Naruto looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back at him and they left. The entire day Naruto spent it with the woman, talking, laughing and simply just enjoying the day as it was. Naruto felt happy for the first time in this year. It was dark outside when they reached the child's house Naruto walked up to his door and stopped there.

The blond turned and looked at the woman with his eyes tearing up. She looked at him curious and crouched down to his level to wipe the tears again.

"Why are you crying again?" she asked

"I don't want you to go…" he responded

The woman smiled at him. "Don't worry, I will stay with you tonight if you want."

Young Naruto brightened up and nodded vigorously. The woman giggled at him and stood up again. The blond opened the door and walked inside. As he flicked the lights open he was greeted by a wonderful sight.

In his living room was a small Christmas tree and about ten presents under it. The tree was decorated beautiful, the blond stood in shock, his shock was soon replaced with happiness. He jumped up and down and cheered making the woman smile at him. He ran to the tree and sat down near his presents. He placed the toy the woman bought for him next to him and looked at the presents.

Naruto took one of the presents from under the tree, as he took it a card fell from the tree and Naruto looked at it strangely. He took the card in his hand and read it.

"From the ANBU, happy Christmas Naruto." it read

Naruto felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked behind and saw the woman behind him smiling at him.

"You see, there are people that love and care for you." she said sweetly

Naruto teared up and smiled. He turned back to his presents and started opening them. He received presents from a lot of ANBU he knew and from some he didn't know. He received various things, from toys to ninja equipment.

It was one present that caught his eyes, wrapped in red with yellow paper and tied with a golden ribbon it had a card addressed to him from a man he had never heard of.

"To Naruto, from Namikaze Minato." it read, unknown to Naruto the woman smiled when she read that.

The blond wondered what it was, he opened the present and took out a long cape, it was white and had red flames at the bottom, on the back there was the design on a nine-tailed fox sleeping peacefully, above the fox were two angels, from what it seemed a man and a woman looking over the fox.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, he looked carefully at the fox and saw a small child sleeping with the fox, he saw the angels looking over the child and it seemed like the fox was actually providing warmth and protection to the child. Naruto smiled and hugged the cape immediately falling in love with it.

The woman also smiled, she placed a hand on the boy's shoulder when he yawned. "You should get some sleep." she said

Naruto nodded, he picked up the angel toy he had bought making the woman smile and walked to his room. He dressed in his pajamas and the woman helped him get in bed, she tucked him in and took a chair and sat near his bed. Naruto looked at the ceiling in thought; he even expressed one of them.

"I wonder if my parents love me." he said out loud

The woman smiled and started passing her hand through his hair gently. "I'm sure they love you, in fact I'm sure they are watching over you right now."

Naruto smiled and closed his eyes drifting to sleep hugging the toy in his arms. When the red-head saw he had fallen asleep she kissed him lightly on the forehead and smiled.

"We will always love you Naru-chan, whatever you will do we will always support you." she said as she faded in a white light. That night Naruto slept peacefully for the first time, no bad dreams flooded his mind, he smiled while he was sleeping, he dreamed of his parents, strangely he dreamed of the red-headed woman and the Yondaime Hokage, both of them hugging and playing with him like they were his parents. Naruto didn't care, he smiled, if they were his parents he was proud.