Alrighty so here's the next chapter plus your first bit of backstory.

For those of you who care there's an author's note at the bottom which reponds to some of the reviews I've read. But regardless of what you've thought thank you all for reading and reviewing. It makes me happy inside.

Read and Review for more :)

Oh yeah a disclaimer:

I don't own these characters. This plot though. Yeah that's mine get your own.

And oh yeah this hasn't fully edited yet. Sorry in advance. I'll probably fix it tomorrow.

Chapter 8: Reflections

Naruto was still trying to process Sasuke's words as he stepped into the shower. He really was some kind of ridiculous amount of drunk. Still compared to the last encounter this one had gone better, "I don't feel like crying at least…" Actually Naruto had no idea how he was feeling. In all his many years he had never once heard the Uchiha apologize. He supposed he was a little depressed because the Uchiha had said the "L" word after all and Naruto had learned long ago that love was something that left you destroyed. His parents had taught him that lesson the hard way… Still Naruto wasn't sure that the raven actually loved him really. Pretty words from a pretty mouth. Naruto shook his head to clear his thoughts and immediately regretted it, "Too drunk! Too fucking drunk!" he swore bracing against the shower wall as the nausea rolled through him.

Deciding that he had had enough of the pelting water the blonde turned off the water and after drying off pulled on his favorite pair of pajamas. They were actually ridiculous, Sakura had purchased them for that very reason, cartoon bowls of ramen danced across the pj set saying delicious in various different languages. Still being who he was Naruto really loved them, and since usually he came home drunk and passed out in his street clothes it was nice to be able to wear them.

Sitting down in front of his computer Naruto opened up his files intending to tweak up a couple of his cityscapes before submitting them to Urbanscene in the morning. He actually had a contract with the magazine and it was Naruto's most stable source of income aside from the dojo. The chief-editor was in love with Naruto's work. "There's just something so gritty and real about your work. I actually want to try and get you hooked up with a friend of mine see about getting you a gallery…" Naruto had, of course, politely declined. He was no artist.

Images of bright lights and dancing bodies filled his screen as Naruto tried in vain to focus on his work. "Right…." as though the blonde could think of anything but the man he had come home to find standing in front of his door.

"The dude actually apologized!" Naruto was truly incredulous, maybe they were both growing up at last after all. Getting away from the pasts that had been chasing them for over a decade. Naruto laughed at himself over his excitement that the Uchiha had actually apologized. "If he keeps doing shit like that I won't be able to move on!" Naruto chatted to himself mildly, and in the sanctity and privacy of his own home and mind Naruto was able to admit that he hoped that the raven did keep it up. Of course it wasn't like Naruto didn't understand why the Uchiha was such a jackass, Sasuke's "Period of Hell" (as he, Sasuke, and Sakura referred to the timeline of events that led to them being in a group home together) had started before Naruto's and lasted a lot longer. Although Naruto had been put into foster care at the age of ten, and he had met Sakura in another home about a year later, he hadn't met Sasuke until he was twelve, Sasuke thirteen and Sakura fourteen. They had all happened to end up in the same group home.

The three of them had all had an unspoken vow to never say what had happened during each of their "Periods of Hell". But Naruto had learned in the system early on how to at least get an idea of how bad it was by how the kid acted. It was especially easy to see in some of the newcomers, who hadn't learned to quite shield their emotions. For others, like Sasuke, it was told in how completely they didn't show anything. There were many different kinds of abuse in this world and though the trio had all ended up in the same place. They hadn't suffered the same things.

Though Naruto didn't know what had happened to Sasuke he knew it had to have been bad by the stone soldier that came walking through the doors of the home. His hands had been empty. As Naruto's had been the night he'd been taken into custody. If a situation was bad they took you straight from wherever they picked you up. There was no stopping at home for a change of clothes. Sasuke's complete lack of anything when arriving at the group home was odd though...

One of the boys next to Naruto had noticed as well: "Usually they take them to the county building and get them one of those emergency overnight bags if they can't go back to the house…"

"Also," another boy spoke, "Usually there's a family who'll hold him for the night. Are things so crowded now that they just sent him here?"

"He looks like he was just pulled off the battlefield…"

"So many bruises…"

"So pale…"

Suddenly those onyx eyes had turned their way, piercing them with a cold stare, but though a few flinched nobody backed away. These were a different breed of child. It was Naruto who took the lead though, stepping forward and offering the raven-haired child his hand. "Hey I'm Naruto and the first thing I wanna say is you'll be okay here. Everyone's really nice."

Sasuke had looked at Naruto hand and then at his own, but didn't move except to raise his gaze to meet Naruto's, an unreadable expression on his face. However, before the blonde could say something else the social worker behind came in the door behind Sasuke, and all eyes turned to look at him. Iruka rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Hey guys I grabbed another friend on the way home." He smiled sheepishly, "Hey Sasuke looks like you're already making friends, that's great. Naruto why don't you show Sasuke the boys' rooms. Grab a duffle with essentials from Kakashi's office and then he can get cleaned up in the showers. You have a spare bed in your room so he can have that one kay?"

Naruto nodded but added, "The clothes in the duffle won't fit him," (they never did) "he can wear some of mine."

"If you'd like. We'll go get him new clothes tomorrow anyways. But after he gets cleaned up take him back to Kakashi's office, so he can tell Kakashi if there's anything he wants them to get from his old house."

Iruka was perhaps going to continue but Sasuke was already shaking his head. "Burn it all for what I care. I haven't been back there in over a year anyways," Sasuke's voice had been hard, and a look of true sadness had passed over Iruka's face at the words, but Naruto didn't miss a beat.

"Then I'll take you to meet Sakura instead. We got permission to go to the movies today, I'm sure if we ask you can come too."

Iruka had nodded, "Of course you can, but you still have to meet with Kakashi all the same. Even if you don't want anything," he added gently.

Naruto had nodded for Sasuke, "I'll take him," he chirped cheerily dragging the raven behind him up the stairs. He had turned and looked at the newcomer as he dragged him along, "I don't have a lot of clothes but you can pick out whatever you want. Even my favorite shirt if you'd like. I bought it myself Iruka took me for my birthday!"

Naruto shrugged away the memories, a feeling a shame overwhelming him even as a small smile graced his lips. He had been Sasuke's first friend in that place. He hadn't ever forgotten that, but he'd pushed it to the back of his mind. Naruto pushed himself away from his desk and went into his room. He caught sight of a photo he'd forgotten to put away and it stopped him in his tracks. Walking over he picked up the faded photograph. This wasn't a photograph he had taken. It was one he had found. It had been in his pocket when he'd gotten arrested for stealing and taken to the police station and in his hand when he had gotten on that bus and left Sasuke behind. In the photo a couple and a baby smiled happily. The man had bright yellow hair that matched Naruto's.

Looking at the photo took the smile off of Naruto's face. Sighing he tossed the photo in the bottom drawer where it belonged and slammed it shut. This photo was his reminder and it had just reminded him tonight why he had left Sasuke in the first place. His mother's words rang in his ears, "If you love someone they will use you and then they will throw you away. Remember Naruto. If you don't want that to happen you must always leave first. If you leave first it won't hurt so bad..." the red-haired phoenix of a woman had turned to a shell of mere ashes before her son's eyes. His last memory of her was her turning away from him with tears dripping like liquid flame down her face. Her words went on but soon they were drowned out by the unprecedented words that the raven had spoken since they had reunited:

"You left me! I waited for you and you left me!" And his later ones, "I'm sorry..." and the worst words of all, "it wasn't a crush. I fucking loved him!"

"Don't you know Sasuke?" Naruto whispered to the dark, "Love is the worst thing of them all." Still, the raven's words continued to ring in his ears as he lay in the bed trying to sleep and as Naruto remembered the past his heart truly hurt. The ache continued to grow until at last he whispered almost like a prayer to the empty air of his room, "I shouldn't have listened to you Mom." Naruto confessed gently remembering the first time Sasuke had smiled at him. Naruto figured all he wanted was to see a smile like that on the raven's face again, "I think Mom, that maybe you were wrong on this one."

A large part of Naruto hoped that the raven wouldn't give up on Naruto.

"Yeah right Naruto, he'll probably be over in the morning to take you to breakfast to huh?" Naruto snorted at himself but all the same mulled over thoughts of breakfast with a certain Uchiha for the rest of the night. In the morning he woke up and fixed himself a pot of coffee and set to finishing up his selection for Urbanscene when the doorbell rang. Confused on who would call on him so early in the day he opened the door to feel his jaw hit the floor.

Sasuke was standing there.

"Good morning. Since hopefully you're not too drunk to make decisions anymore, I'm here to take you to breakfast."

Oooooohhhh SNAP! Sasuke has arrived!

Review for more Author's Note Below:

A Quick Letter:

Hello readers:

I've been reading the comments and reviews that have been left and I'm super happy that y'all have all taken the time to write. I love love love constructive criticism, and praise both. Plus I feel the great part about reading reviews is it helps me tailor the story to the readers. Which I always try and do.

Thanks to the named reviewers: Chiko92, fanofdarkness, cary99, inu557, Firefox Vixen, nala87, ovicati, MajesticFluff, queenundertaker, kizukatana, Killua17, hananotsuki hime, IWishIWasACheescake, Neko-NightLover, dramaticmusic, SharinRaven876.

Chiko92 and fanofdarkness as well as ovicati and nala87 all had valid points and I'm especially grateful for your reviews. Also thanks to Chiko for the comments on my word choice. I put a lot of effort into creating a vivid picture for my readers. I'm glad it's working. Anyways regardless as to whether y'all were yaying or neighing thanks for the feedback!

Sincerely yours,

Dark Angel

Then a quick side note: "A Picture's Worth" while it will have a happy ending is not a happy story. It's a drama and is only not classified as a tragedy by the nature of it's future ending alone.

Next:

To Clear up some things regarding the story here are some answers to questions you (may) have been wondering:

1)"Why the Hell are Naruto and Sasuke (mostly Naruto) acting like this!?"

Because they have issues. Serious ones I will address in the future and hint at until then. Why do they have issues? Because I feel that in order to make a drama genre story complete you need to have character development. You can't develop if you're already developed. So yes, I know that both Sasuke and Naruto are acting extremely childish, it's intentional and I agree that you should find their behavior frustrating because it's frustrating behavior. But it's also temporary behavior. jsyk. :)

2)"Backgrounds. Will we get to know them?"

Of course. It's coming. Oh yes it's coming. :) But note that Fanofdarkness is right that I've been foreshadowing throughout this story I find one of the most enjoyable things is speculating about what the Hell exactly went down.

3) "What are some thingd we should Keep in Mind when reading this?"

Keep in mind that Sasuke and Naruto were both in a group home. Which if you didn't know is (generally) where foster kids who can't get placed are put (for various reasons).

Keep in mind also that as a work of fiction my portrayal of the foster care system will not be a hundred percent accurate due to me having to adapt the system to suit the story. It is based on experiences that I/my siblings have had, but I have never been in a group home so that part in particular holds speculation and heresay.

Most importantly remember consider that while children end up in foster care for many different reasons and that none of these are happy and just because you get put into foster care doesn't mean that a) your life is over or b) that you'll live happily ever after.

Anyways… I'm really glad y'all addressed gave such detailed thoughts and concerns. Hopefully this chapter cleared it up at least a little. Feel free to review or PM me for more information. If you PM me I will respond within a timely manner. Pinky promise.