After the death of his parents in a car accident and his older brothers suicide, Sasuke is left alone in the world. Naruto is a kind-hearted cop who takes him in. Sasuke wants to find more than a house, he wants a home. Will he find it?

Warning: NaruSasu pairing, AU/AH, slash, yaoi, romance, mature, hurt/comfort

Disclaimer:

I do not own any of the characters; they belong to the brilliant Kishimoto.

Chapter Two

Sunday, June 5, 2005 – 1:20AM

"What are we supposed to do with him?" asked Shikamaru, quietly clicking through the computer files, while barely seeming to read them. "There is no one listed here that could possibly take him in. All of his parents' relatives are deceased, and he doesn't seem to have any god parents listed. Even our emergency foster carers are full. Every person Chouji has called is either in another country, or isn't willing to take on the burden of another mouth to feed – especially a teenager about to go into university. In fact, Ms.–" he read off the screen. "Shimura even pointed out that he'll be 18 soon and that he should be able to care for himself."

"No local emergency housing? How about a shelter maybe...?" asked Lee, looking at the boy in question who was sitting in the tea room.

"They won't accept him," Shikamaru said, already shaking his head in dismissal. "Technically he doesn't need a house and emergency housing is only for the homeless. He also doesn't fit the criteria for going to a shelter...Anyone have any ideas?"

Naruto raised a hand. "He can stay with me if he wants."

"But—" started Shikamaru.

"I'm registered as an emergency care contact. You can check," he blushed and scratched his head, embarrassed to notice that they were gaping at him in shock.

"You?" said Lee incredulously.

Naruto frowned at him. "Yes, me. It's not that much of a shock, is it?" Again, they all just stared. Shikamaru clacked away furiously on his computer to confirm or deny. Looking up, he gave the others a nod. "See...? Look, I was adopted when I was a baby. My adoptive parents were really good people. They used to foster kids that were in their late teens, and when I got old enough to understand that it's unusual, I asked them why. They explained...well, basically, many families are happy to look after a cute little kid but as the kids get older and often start to have more issues, many foster parents don't want to deal with it and will only foster under fourteens. When I starting working, and had a place of my own...I thought I should do my part. Everyone deserves a chance."

With everyone seemingly still in shock, Chouji was the first to speak. "I think...that would probably be okay. His brother wasn't murdered, so there's no conflict of interest as there would have been with an investigation. Also, we know you; you're kind and a responsible guy. I really don't see any other option and...well, if the kid doesn't object to it, I really see no problem..."

When everyone nodded in agreement, Chouji walked across to the tea room purposefully. They watched as he and Sasuke exchanged words, with Sasuke looking surprised and suspicious. After a couple of minutes they saw Sasuke nod his head, and Chouji smile.

Chouji re-entered the room. "He says it's fine," said Chouji happily. "I really think he was afraid of going back to his house alone. So, if you're all set then, Naruto...I'm heading off. It's been a long night and we're not getting overtime, so, I think you should all consider doing the same. G'night."

2:06AM

Naruto unlocked the front door, flipped on the lights and ushered Sasuke into his front hallway. Sasuke looked around disinterestedly – it was really a fairly average place. Medium double-story suburban house, most likely three or four bedrooms, decent front yard, double garage and only about a 30 minute drive from police HQ.

Naruto locked the front door and was leading Sasuke towards a homey kitchen. Catching a glimpse of Sasuke's pale, drained face over his shoulder, Naruto changed paths, turning right towards the staircase, and instead led him upstairs while he said, "I think we'll skip the tour 'til tomorrow morning. We're both too tired for anything but sleep right now. You'll be in the guest room opposite my bedroom upstairs – it's nice, has its own en suite and everything."

They reached the room and Sasuke looked away from Naruto awkwardly and cleared his throat, blushing."I...uh...I don't have any, you know, clothes."

"Ah, don't worry about it, for now I'll loan you a shirt and some trackie pants and tomorrow we'll go shopping for some new stuff," Naruto replied, assuming he wasn't ready go back to his own house and this was confirmed when Sasuke made no objection. Grabbing some clothing out of the wardrobe in his own room, Naruto quietly handed the bundle to Sasuke. "If you need anything during the night...anything at all...don't hesitate to call out. I'm a light sleeper, so I'll be there in a flash."

Sasuke nodded slightly, slipped into the room and gently shut the door. He slid into the clothes Naruto had given him noticing that they were miles too big for him. He went into the bathroom to wash his face, and stared at his reflection. There were deep purple circles beneath his eyes, denoting his weariness and grief. After splashing his face with cold water, he crawled into the big double bed, and curled up beneath the crisp linen sheets and soft doona. He heard the floor creak as Naruto moved around his own bedroom and bathroom across the hall, preparing for bed. Closing his eyes, he drifted into a restless sleep.

Naruto awoke, his sleep interrupted by a distressed scream from the guest room. The red numerals on his beside clock indicated that it was 4:34am. Quickly throwing a t-shirt over his Calvin Klein pyjama pants, he crossed the hallway briefly rapping his knuckles on the door before entering.

The room was dark, but Naruto could see the outline of Sasuke, hunched up against the headboard, hands over his face, screaming. Naruto turned on the en suite light, opening the door to emit a faint glow and chase the shadows from the room. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he placed his hands lightly on Sasuke's shoulders and gave a gentle shake. Naruto asked, "Sasuke? Are you awake? What's wrong?"

"I-I-I was dreaming and...oh god...th-there was s-s-so much blood...and I tried...but it j-just kept going...and his h-hands, his hands – they were already so cold...and I couldn't h-help...an-and he's gone now...I'm all a-a-alone now...they all left m-me. Why did they a-all l-leave me?" The screaming had abated now, and the boy in front of him dissolved into ragged, heart wrenching sobs.

After a moment of indecision, Naruto settled back against the headboard and pulled the slim youth into his arms, gently rocking him and making soothing, shushing noises. It was no surprise really that Sasuke had had a nightmare. So much had happened within the last few hours, on top of his parents' recent deaths. Sasuke's cries slowly ceased and his breathing slowed. They stayed sitting like that for a while, Sasuke allowing Naruto to comfort him until he fell asleep once more. Naruto eased the sleeping boy back onto the bed and covered him up before returning to his own bed.