Family Portrait

by Kami

Disclamer: I don't own the characters of Naruto nor the song From the Inside, I do own the characters Joi, Taizen, and Namida and also the premise for this story.

Summary: In a family portrait, looks can be deceiving.

Warnings: Contains yaoi, mpreg, and domestic violence. Not your thing? Then don't Read! By the way, Sasuke is a little bit of a bastard in this story...I never really liked him anyways. So if you don't like stories where Sasuke is a bastard to Naruto, this story is not for you.

A/N: And again I was kidnapped...by Neji Hyuuga this time! Why won't these characters leave me alone until I'm done with the story!! So frustrating having plot bunnies tossed left and right at me while I'm trying to concentrate on this story alone. My Internet decided Sunday was a good day to die...yes, I'm also in a bit of a funk right now...call it Holiday Blues...yet another thing in my way.

And yes I know Sai seems a bit...OOC in this chapter...but in the last chapter I did say that Sai felt that the only person that was worthy of his emotions was Naruto, and Naruto has a tendency to bring out his emotional side. And FYI, Naruto and Sai are not blood brothers. They were adopted, but they aren't blood related.

Okay, reviewers this is the one we've all been waiting for! The truth is about to come out! Who's the liar? At the end of this chapter, we'll see who gets chapter 5 dedicated to them! On with the fic!!

This Chapter is dedicated to my friend and beta, Kurai Kisu! Without her, I would still be struggling with depression and writer's block!!

Thoughts- italics

Flashbacks- bold italics


I don't know who to trust

No surprise
(Everyone feels so far away from me)
Heavy thoughts sift through

Dust and the lies
(Trying not to break but I'm so tired of this deceit)
(Every time I try to make myself get back up on my feet)
(All I ever think about is this)
(All the tiring time between)
(And how trying to put my trust in you just takes so much out of me)

Take everything from the inside

And throw it all away
Cuz I swear for the last time

I won't trust myself with you

Linkin Park


Chapter 4-First Time For Everything

Dull, dark-grey eyes frequently glanced from the highway to the distraught blond figure sitting anxiously on the passenger side of the silver Mazda 626. Sometimes Sai wished he had been in Sasuke's place and not Naruto's adopted brother. If things had been different...if Sai had been the one the golden haired young man had fallen in love with instead of the Uchiha, maybe Naruto would have been happier, maybe their kids might have had a better role model, and maybe Sai would have never turned to cocaine for a release.

The normally stoic raven sighed silently to himself. Yeah, Naruto is the only person that's capable of making me feel 'anything'. If he had been mine...I probably wouldn't wanted anything to do with blowing coke. But Naruto wasn't...and Sai did. And in that moment, the frail looking raven knew that the repercussions of his drug usage in the past had now come back to bite him in the ass...figuratively speaking. He had relapsed and, instead of turning to Naruto for some kind of guidance, he continued to use. He couldn't bare to see disappointment in those azure blue eyes...eyes that belong to the only person that ever accepted him and encouraged him when he had hit bottom. After his last relapse, only one thing kept flooding through his mind. The look on his beloved adopted brother's face if he learned that he was using again. He had cried, truly cried, as the image passed though his mind over and over. Sai knew at that time that if he ever saw a look like that on Naruto's face, he being the factor that caused such, he would never be able to forgive himself, even if he needed his support more than ever.

"I love you...you know that, right?" Sai managed anxiously. His hands shook and he gripped the steering wheel to ease his nervous hands. He then smirked with a sideways glance as he added his 'term of endearment', "Dickless."

The younger man wiped away the remaining tears from his azure eyes, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "I love you, too...Asshole." But as suddenly as Naruto's smile appeared, it was gone and a look of concern replaced it as he gleaned the anxiousness that his brother was failing to hide from him, "Sai? Are you alright?"

"I'm just fine," The elder of the two men smiled one of his fake smiles, the blond noted.

"Liar...you haven't given me one of those smiles in years," Sai flinched at the disapproving tone in Naruto's voice, "On top of that, you've never tried to hide anything from me before..." Naruto stopped speaking momentarily, realization dawning on him about his older brother's actions, "Sai, are you using again??"

The car swerved, nearly missing a road sign. The frail raven started hyperventilating, his dark gray eyes wide with something akin to horror. He should have known...since they had gotten closer during his recovery, Naruto could read him like an open book. He refused to turn his eyes to look at his blond brother who was urging him to pull to the side of the road.

As soon as the car was in park and the ignition switched off, azure blue gazed upon the form of the shaky raven, "Sai...tell me the truth. Are you using again?"

It was too late to deny it and Sai refused to lie to the only person that he was capable of loving even if the truth was painful. He stared down at his abnormally pale hands before closing his eyes and replying, "...yes..."

A tense silence.

"It's okay, Sai," the older man's eyes shot open with surprise at the tone of those words. He had expected disappointment, maybe even anger. But the young blond's voice sounded reassuring instead, "We both knew it wouldn't be easy. I just wished that you let me know about this sooner. But we can't change the past, ne? I'm here for you, and you should know that. I will never turn you away."

At those reassuring words, Sai finally broke down, fear being driven away along with the tears, relief taking it's place. Warm tan arms wrapped gently around him. He briefly noticed the discomfort of Naruto's cast pressing against his arm as the younger man embraced him. It seemed like an eternity that he sobbed in his younger brother's arms. But in that moment, time didn't matter. He needed this comfort, this support. He needed Naruto's love.


Sai listened as Naruto's breathing sounded heavier and heavier with each draw, as he pulled into the driveway of the Uchiha manor house. The young blond was trembling, even as he set the vehicle into park and cut off the ignition. He knew that his adopted little brother and the Uchiha were having problems, but he hadn't thought it was so awful that Naruto would dread coming home. Something more was going on, he could feel that Naruto wasn't being completely honest with him either. He had refused to tell Sai what had happened prior to the phone call, but hearing his ray of sunshine sobbing over the phone, he could surmise that it was something serious. Because it would have to be something really horrible to make Naruto cry that hard.

"Um..." Sai bit his lip momentarily, trying to find the right words to say to his frightened little brother, but the younger man spoke up before he could say anything.

"Sai, I would feel safer if you stayed the night," Naruto managed in a low raspy voice, "Onegai...just tonight. I'll never ask this of you again."

The frail raven placed a reassuring hand on his blond brother's shoulder, "Don't worry...I'll stay with you as long as you want me to."

A small smile graced the bronze whiskered face and a tan hand grasped the pale one on Naruto's shoulder, "Arigatou, Sai."

The two brothers exited the vehicle and made their way towards the front door, Sai, taking the initiative, place a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder to still his anxious and heavy breathing. The crunching sound of their feet on the gravel walkway was the only sound that could be heard as they made the ominous trek to the front door. Anxiously, the younger of the two fumbled around in his pockets searching for the house key and, with a shaky hand, inserted it into the slot of the doorknob. Easing the door open warily, the pair of brother's entered the foyer, stopping short to see the little blond Uchiha drawing on the cream colored wall of the foyer with a black crayon.

"Namida!" Naruto rushed over to his youngest child, pulling the crayon out of her tiny hand and turning her to face him, "What are you doing?! You don't draw on the walls, honey! It's nearly ten o'clock, why aren't you in bed?"

"Daddy said he is busy and leave him alone," Namida pouted, trying to get the crayon back from her mother but failing, "I wanted to draw but couldn't find no paper."

That was all it took to pull Naruto out of the anxiety and fear he was experiencing. An ominous silence and in a voice that almost shook the whole house the blond screamed, "SASUKEEEEEEEE!!"

Never in all the years they grew up together had Sai seen Naruto in this state of rage. His blond brother's azure eyes now appeared to be glowing a feral demonic crimson that caused him to cringe.

"Dobe...are you trying to wake the whole neighborhood?" The door to the study slide open to reveal the Uchiha holding a thick stack of unbound papers in one hand, glaring with an impassive expression on his pale features. His onyx eyes glaring at Naruto momentarily before traveling to meet Sai's gaze. "What the hell is that crack head doing in our home?"

"Namida, go upstairs to your room," The enraged blond managed through gritted teeth, his knuckles cracking as he tightened his fists, "Your father and I need to have a serious talk."

"But, Mommy-" the tiny blond chibi whimpered but was abruptly interrupted.

"I said GO!" Naruto growled out, causing both his daughter and the frail raven beside him to jump. With wide frightened eyes, Namida scurried up the stairs to escape from the wrath below. Feral azure eyes narrowed at their source of fury, "What the hell is wrong with you tonight? What in the hell have you been doing that was so important that you couldn't spare 15 minutes to put the kids to bed? And you call me a 'dobe'. At least I'm responsible enough to put my children's needs before my own, teme! And who in the nine hells made you The Almighty? Walking around with your nose stuck up your own ass, treating me and the kids like dirt, and belittling me and my family...Who the fuck do you think you are?"

Sai stared at the lithe blond before him with terrified awe. Naruto was radiating an aura of rage so fierce, that the pale raven felt as if the very air was burning around him. His blond brother must have been bottling up his rage for so long that now he had finally reached a breaking point. However, it didn't seem to phase the Uchiha in the least. He only walked casually towards the blond, and suddenly backhanded Sai's little brother, causing the young blond to collide against a stand in the foyer, all of it's contents crashing to the floor. A breath caught in Sai's throat, his eyes widened but he could not force his body to move.

Recovering from the blow, Naruto fixed dazed eyes on Sasuke's face as it smugly glared down at the helpless blond. He thrust the stack of freshly typed papers into the younger man's face, "You see this?" The blond slowly nodded, not speaking and the Uchiha smacked his face with the stack of papers, not enough to hurt but enough to humiliate, "What is it?"

"A...manuscript..." the paler raven was surprised at how small and fragile his younger brother's voice had become compared to a few minutes prior.

"Exactly, dobe," The Uchiha's voice was eerily calm. Then another slap to the face with the stack, and the blond flinched, "Which manuscript?"

"T-The...one you were supposed to turn in...two months ago," Sai could hear the fear in Naruto's voice. He needed to do something to protect his brother, he just couldn't get his body to move on command.

"That's right. I finished it tonight. I'm surprised that you've actually have a brain in that empty head of yours," Sasuke taunted, giving his blond husband one more smack with the manuscript for good measure, "Of course you never seem to use it. You've proved that with you're idiotic tendency to open your big mouth. Which reminds me, you sicked that psychotic boyfriend of yours on me." Azure eyes widened with dread as the young blond shook his head vigorously, "Don't deny it. I know you've been fucking him." Onyx eyes narrowed as a expression that promised pain followed, "But that's not why I'm pissed off. You just had to open you're big mouth, didn't you?"

Sai watched in paralyzed horror as a barrage of fists came wailing down on his helpless blond brother, Naruto...I need to do something...Move...DAMNIT MOVE!! Before the frail raven realized what he was doing, he suddenly grabbed the Uchiha's wrist in a intense death grip before he could land another blow on the broken male sobbing uncontrollably on the floor.

"Leave. My. Otouto. Alone." A low and deadly calm tone passed Sai's lips, his dark grey eyes fixed on the Uchiha before him, a stoic expression gracing his abnormally pale features. The frail raven's eyes widened with surprise, when, suddenly his arm was twisted painfully behind him.

"Stay out of this, crack head!" A cracking sound came from the older raven's arm and Sai cried out in agony as his vision blurred from pain induced tears. His knees buckled beneath him as he held his fractured arm close to his chest in a state of oblivious shock.

"Sai!" the elder brother barely managed to hear his name, the pain in his arm so intense that he merely slumped the rest of the way to the floor barely aware of his young brother's strangled cries as the younger raven gripped the slender tan neck cutting off the blond's airway.

"MOM!" Sai suddenly snapped out of his stupor at the sound of his oldest niece charging down the stairs followed by the tromping of two pairs of smaller feet. Joi had appeared along with his nephew and tiny blond niece appeared surrounding the volatile raven while he was choking the life out of the now pale blond. Joi gripped her fathers arm tugging as hard as she could, "DAD, STOP! YOU'RE GONNA KILL HIM!"

Little Namida tried to assist her older sister, also tugging on her father's arm. Taizen, however, decided to take matters into his own hands. Sasuke let out a pained yell as the tiny raven sank his teeth into his father's wrist, biting down as hard as he could. It had the desired affect, the older Uchiha released the suffocating blond, who was now gasping for air. The violent raven tried to detach the small boy from his arm, trying to yank it out of the tiny mouth but to no avail. The raven chibi seemed to have no intention of letting go, the inherited obstinance of the Uchiha blood.

"Let go, you little shit!" The older Uchiha growled out as he violently shoved the tiny boy off his arm, the boy flying backwards and his head landing directly on the bottom post of the stairway railing, knocking the tiny raven unconscious. Sasuke didn't have time to react to what he had done to his son. A fierce roar, no, more like a resounding war cry sent chills down the Uchiha's spine. In only a split second, said man found himself on the ground several feet away from where he stood, blood pouring out of his nose. He glanced up to see his husband gripping a metal based lamp in his left hand, blond bangs hanging low overshadowing his eyes.

"If you EVER hurt MY baby AGAIN," Naruto's growl was low and dangerous, "I SWEAR, I'LL KILL YOU!" His voiced softened as he spoke again to his oldest daughter, "Joi, go upstairs and pack some clothes for you, Taizen and Namida. We're leaving."

"Like hell you will!" Sasuke growled as rose to his feet, wiping the blood from his nose.

Azure eyes narrowed into a grave glare, boring into onyx eyes, "Don't. Fuck. With. Me. Teme." The statement earning a gasp from the tiny blond at his side. "Sai? Do you think you can walk without help?"

"Y-Yeah," The frail raven stammered out, steadying himself to his feet as Naruto, dropping the metal lamp, gently scooped his unconscious son into his good arm. His azure eyes filled with concern as they assessed the damage on the tiny raven. On the left side of the boy's forehead was a large gash...he would need stitches...Naruto inwardly cursed himself. Gaara had been right about Sasuke all along. In a short amount of time, Joi appeared, carrying two backpacks full of clothes and Namida and Taizen's favorite toys, a stuffed bear and a pair of plastic action figures from the little boy's favorite cartoon show.

"Let's go," the young blond ordered, and Joi lifted Namida into her arms as they headed towards the front door.

"Get back here, Naruto!" The threatening tone of the elder Uchiha went ignored, as the group headed towards Sai's Mazda, Joi sliding the blond chibi and herself in the back seat.

"Take Taizen, Sai. I'll drive." Naruto handed the small boy over to the injured, shaky raven, who gripped the child tightly with his good arm and entered the passenger side as soon as his young brother opened the door. The moment the young blond was in the driver's seat, locking the doors and turning over the engine, his raven haired husband came charging out of the house, a look of both disbelief and slight panic in his face.

"Naruto! Naruto!" Sasuke tugged on the handle of the car door, trying in vain to open it. He thought Naruto had been bluffing when he said he was leaving. He never thought the blond was truly serious. "Come on, koi! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

"You NEVER mean it, Sasuke. But you keep doing it," Narrowed azure eyes focused on the panic stricken Uchiha, "There's only so much a person can take. I guess I've had enough."

Tires squealed as the Mazda backed out of the driveway into the road before driving away from the manor, leaving the Uchiha standing in the middle of the front yard staring in the direction the vehicle disappeared. A pale hand clinched into a fist, nails digging into the palm.

"You won't last a day without me, dobe."


It was already nearly two in the morning, and Naruto was calmly sitting in the waiting room of the ER waiting on his brother, holding a sleeping blond chibi in his arms while watching his now conscious son playing with his action figures on the floor. Inwardly, he was panicking. He had no money, no place to go. He couldn't stay with Sai, because Sasuke would use that against him to get the children. Divorce...it left a bitter taste in the blond's mouth. He never would have thought it would come down to that. But the more he thought about it, the more realistic it became. Maybe it was for the best.

But still, without money or a place to go, Naruto was at a standstill. He couldn't stay with his parents. They would probably tell him that it was his fault in the first place. The young blond wracked his brain for possible friends that would gratefully assist him at his time of need. But only two names came to mind. Gaara and Shikamaru. He bit his lip, weighing out the pros and cons of both and, in the end, he decided to call on Shikamaru, leaving Gaara to the side for a last resort.

Naruto turned to his eldest daughter who was currently nursing a can of soda, "Joi, would you hold your sister a minute, I need to make a few phone calls." The raven haired girl nodded and her mother shifted Namida into her arms.

He made his way to the reception desk inquiring if he could use the phone, stating that he had no money to used the pay phones, and the receptionist politely handed him the receiver and dialed out the number for him.

"Who the hell is it!" growled the lazy brunette from the other end of the line, and the blond winced.

"Um...Shika?" He murmured hesitantly.

"Naruto?" The sound of shuffling. "Where are you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine..." Again the younger man hesitated, "I'm at the ER."

"WHAT?! What happened? Do you need me to come up there?"

"Actually...I need to ask a favor," Naruto bit his lip, dreading the rejection, "I left Sasuke and...I need a place for me and my kids to stay, until I get my next pay check. Onegai...I'm desperate."

A long pause. The blond could hear his heart pounding inside his head.

"Alright, I'm coming to pick you up," and the younger man let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, "Temari and I have a spare room. I know it's a tight squeeze and it'll be troublesome for all of you to sleep in the same room, but it's all we can offer. And don't worry about waiting 'til your next paycheck. You can stay as long as you need to."

"Arigatou, Shika!"


It was silent the whole way to Shikamaru's apartment, after dropping off Naruto's groggy raven haired brother at his apartment. The pony tailed brunette had explained when he arrived that Gaara had informed him about the situation that happened outside the coffee house. He also added that the 'troublesome' goth was still at the apartment and that, before Shikamaru had left to come after the group, the red head was pacing the living room floor, something that the brunette never thought he'd see Gaara do. "You must've made quite the impact on him for him to be acting like that," the lazy manager had stated.

He continuously made frequent side glances directed at the blond, gleaning the fresh bruises on his cheek and around his neck. He thanked Kami or whatever god was out there that Naruto had come to his senses before he was seriously hurt or worse. Soon, they were pulling into the parking lot of the apartment complex and removing themselves from the vehicle heading towards the stairs. Once they reached Shikamaru's apartment door, the lazy brunette fished out his keys and unlocked the door.

"It's small, but it's home," the young brunette murmured as he opened the door, ushering in the small group, Joi carrying a sleeping Namida and Naruto, a now awaking Taizen. The moment Naruto entered the living room he caught side of the young red head, fidgeting on the couch anxiously. The moment the blond caught his eye, he jumped off the couch like he had been shocked and moved closer to his object of affection.

"Naruto," the goth's normally stoic features were twisted with concern, "Are you alright? Did that bastard hurt you?"

The older of the two gave Gaara a reassuring smile, "I'm fine...and...I'm sorry for yelling at you last night. You were right."

The young red head let out a breath of relief, his sea green eyes assessing the blonds condition and landing on the fresh bruise on his cheek, his features twisting into that of pure rage "He did hurt you! I'll kill him!"

"Gaara," Naruto's soft tone attempting to calm the enraged goth, "It's okay now. I left him."

Biting back his anger, the red headed goth gave him a sharp nod, then gave Naruto a sly smirk, "About time."

He started to move past the older man, but the young blond spoke again, "Gaara?"

"Yeah?"

"Arigatou."


A/N: Okay, the winners of the 'Guess Who's Lying' Contest are Onimusha and arashi-otome! Next Chapter will be dedicated to them! Also, I'm thinking about holding a fanart contest for this story, the winner will get a oneshot with the pairing of their choice (excluding SasuNaru because I can't stand writing the pairing, sorry)! Let me know if you want to enter by review and leave your email address for me to contact you! Ja Ne!