IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: I am going to be changing my penname as I've stated on my profile page. I'm changing it to include my alias last name so it will become "Arra Frost" within the next few minutes. I hope there is no confusion. Formally "arrafire" (no I'm not switching my favorite elements, I love fire and hate the cold, it's just that Frost is my favorite lastname and is my grandmother's maiden name, I always use it as an alias and I want to use it here as well).

I also have a livejournal account now (Arra_Frost) for those who want to check it out.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Concrete Angel

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Chapter Thirty Eight:

The car ride was long and silent. Tsunade speeding across the pavement, Naruto clinging to the arm of his seat for dear life. If being separated from Sasuke was supposed to make him safer... he neglected to see it at the moment.

What he found most terrifying about this particular drive was how calm Tsunade appeared in the driver's seat as she spun the steering wheel about. She appeared as though the reckless driving were perfectly natural, as if there was no reason Naruto shouldn't be afraid that any minute they were going to run into another object, be it another moving vehicle, a telephone pole, or a human.

Nor was she affected by the way Naruto nearly flew forward and out the windshield every time she slammed on the breaks at a red light. It was a good thing her seatbelts were sturdy because if they weren't Naruto would not have been held back in the Naruto was most thankful for, however, was how good Tsunade's brakes were because each time she stopped, it was a mere milli-second away from running a red light.

Then suddenly they stopped and no longer moved. Tsunade turned off the engine and unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Thank god," Naruto sighed to himself as he fell back in his seat, letting his heart rate slow to a speed that wouldn't kill him by exploding his heart if he got up. This woman's drives were like a deadly combination of red bull and vodka...

"Come Uzumaki, pick up the pace." Tsunade yelled at him as she opened the door to the back seat, taking the bag in her hand.

Naruto groaned, slowly entangling himself from his restraining seatbelt. He almost wanted to thank the strap of thick fabric for keeping him alive in this car ride from hell.

For the first time, as Naruto exited the car, he actually looked about to see where exactly they had stopped. Without kneeling to kiss the solid ground, glad to have it beneath his feet once more, he gazed about and examined his surroundings.

They were in a paved driveway that was surrounded by a well kept green lawn in front of a large, mansion-like house that resembled Sasuke's a great deal. It was as tall as Sasuke's, but appeared much longer and there was a big porch before the front door and along the right side of the front of the house.

"Stare at it longer, maybe you'll magically teleport inside," Tsunade spoke sarcastically to the boy, glancing back as she walked up the rock pathway to the steps of her patio.

With a long sigh, Naruto followed. Now he was officially separated from the one he loved, and in the care of someone who's true intentions were unclear.

----

Once Tsunade's black car zoomed off into the distance, Sasuke raked his hand through his black hair and wandered back into his now empty house. It would seem so lonely here, even after only a couple days of having someone share the space. It was strange how much of an impact Naruto had made, after being alone for eight years in this house, having one person there for three days can make the place seem lonelier... even though it had always previously been this way.

So here he found himself, three hours later in the day, sitting in the same place on the couch, thinking much different things than he had been at seven am.

Naruto was not in the bathroom, not in the house at all for that matter, and Sasuke was alone with his answering machine that held his brother's haunting voice.

He thought he'd have at least one week, just one week of peace, but that all went to hell. First disturbed by his paranoia, then his bestfriend and now his older brother. Everything was his fault.

His fault...? Naruto's nightmare he had this morning found its way into his mind again. Sasuke had promised his boyfriend that he wasn't going anywhere, that he wasn't going to leave his side... ever. And what had he done? He left to go talk to Kiba and came home to send Naruto away indefinitely.

Had he really done the right thing? Should he have sent Naruto to go with Tsunade, the strange doctor with unconfirmed motives?

Sadly, Sasuke knew his decision was right. Naruto would not have been safe here and he had a good feeling that Tsunade, in an odd way, cared for the boy. If the blonde had stayed here, Sasuke would not have been able to protect him from his brother, who would surely be here in a matter of time. Itachi was far more dangerous than anyone Sasuke knew.

Now, with Naruto out of the way, he would be able to sit and wait for his time, a time he'd spent nearly a lifetime waiting for. The return of his brother. The person he hated more than Emi.

As if on cue, the telephone rang.

----

"Wow!" Naruto couldn't hold back his cry of amazement as he stepped into Tsunade's home. It was vast and beautiful, the walls were colorful, and everything was bare. Completely empty. It was as though the woman had just moved in and hadn't had time to put up decorations or furniture. There was no way she could be too poor to fill her home, she was the head of the hospital, that would just be impossible.

"Yeah she's a beauty," Tsunade commented on Naruto's astonishment, although he wasn't bewildered for the same reason she thought.

"Um... yes... but why is there nothing here?" This question brought the blonde woman's immediate gaze upon him.

"What does that mean?" Her voice was stern and strict, warning him to choose his words wisely.

"Well... it's just... there's no furniture or pictures or decorations or anything. Only walls, floors, doors and windows."

"I don't like feeling crowded." She response was quick but not sincere. Naruto could tell she spat that out so she wouldn't have to go into further details.

"That's no reason no to have a picture or a couch." Was Naruto's own fast response. He was getting better at this socialization thing, or maybe it was just interrogation, since he had to do the same sort of thing with Sasuke.

"I'm not home often," Was Tsunade's next reply, that came not even a second after Naruto finished his own comment.

"Again, not much of a reason." He was starting to have fun with this, getting down to the truth of it as he watched Tsunade's patience wilt away bit by bit.

"Uzumaki! You're pushing it," Finally she snapped, anger evident in her furrowed brows and twitching vain. When she was angry her true age showed a little, and she must be getting old.

"What? I'm only saying how weird it is that you don't have furniture when you're obviously very well off."

"Weren't you supposed to be quiet and shy? God damn that Uchiha..."

Naruto's own eyebrows furrowed. He had been that way before... before meeting Sasuke. Being with Sasuke was changing him, ever so slowly he was bringing out the true him. Perhaps this is who he would be if he never had been hated and abused. Such a strange thought. Naruto never thought he'd be able to imagine a change in himself, to see himself as a totally different person, yet more like him than he could ever be. What would his life truly be like if Emi never existed?

"Come see your room, brat," Tsunade's demand broke his concentration and he looked up to see her walking up a flight of stairs to the right. A beautifully carved stairway but, yet again, empty and bare, expressing no emotion or remnants of the one who owned them.

Sighing, Naruto followed her up to the second floor, which was slightly less bare than the first floor's living room and hall. There was a small desk with a phone in the upstairs landing, the hall leading to several doorways. They passed two doorways, one closed and one opened revealing a very messy office space, probably the most lived in room in this house as the desk, chair, computer, file cabinets and dozens of scattered papers suggested. At the third door they stopped, the room was empty save for a bed side table, a bed and a lamp.

"All yours," She announced, urging the boy into the plain room.

It was almost depressing, thinking of how alone he would be now. Odd how that worked. After being alone, figuratively, all his life, after living with Sasuke for only three days, being away from him seemed like he'd never once been alone.

"You can't miss him, already!" Tsunade exclaimed, reading his mind like an open diary left out on the desk without a lock. She didn't sound like she was mocking, more frustrated and annoyed, which puzzled Naruto slightly.

"What if I do? Why should you care?" Naruto countered, shooting her a look that he hoped would get him a real answer.

Tsunade rolled her eyes, "Look kid, like it or not, you're here to stay, at least for a little while. So get over him and don't sulk."

"It's a little hard to get over missing your boyfriend!" The moment that was out of his mouth, Naruto froze up. He was angry with Tsunade for treating him this way but he hadn't wanted that to slip, it was only their secret for now because Naruto couldn't bare the thought of what would happen to Sasuke if their relationship went public.

"Young love never lasts," Was her only comment. No disgust, no hatred, nothing. Great, something more to confuse the boy, he really didn't need anymore of this. "I don't care if you two are together. It's perfectly natural, just because some people are against homosexuality doesn't mean everyone is opposed to it."

More mind reading, even better. Naruto couldn't help but think. This was going to be troublesome, living with this woman.

"So how long am I staying here?" He figured he'd toss out another easy question, work his way up to the bigger issues which involved, what the hell is wrong with you? Why are you so insane? And, what are your real motives?

"Until you're healed, that's my duty as your doctor."

"Bullshit."

The swear seemed to take Tsunade off guard, as though she never expected the blonde to swear. To be honest, Naruto was a little astonished himself, he never really took to swearing but this was down right irritating. He wanted to know what the real reasons behind this woman becoming involved in his sorry excuse for a life.

"True, but that's as much information as you get," She composed herself rather quickly, tossing Naruto's bag onto his bed, which luckily had bed sheets and pillows, for as empty as this room was. She moved to leave the room, but she paused as soon as Naruto's next words left his mouth.

"Please tell me why you're doing this, Tsunade." His voice was stern and genuine, but calm and pleading as well. He stood still, watching Tsunade's back, which never turned to face him.

"I have my reasons."

"What are they?" He pressed forward, still only talking to her back.

"They're a promise from the past." And with that said, she continued walking, descending down the stairs as Naruto stood in the doorway of his new temporary room momentarily at a loss.

----

Tempting his fate, Sasuke reached for the receiver and held it next to his face. Itachi didn't need acknowledgement from him, so he said nothing and waited to hear the breathing on the other end form into words.

"Hello?"

Sasuke felt like his eyes were going to roll out of his head, that's how much he rolled said eyes when he heard his idiotic best friend on the other line. Leave it to Kiba to call when he was waiting to have a final meeting with his elder brother.

"Kiba, what's up?" Sasuke tried to ask casually.

"Well, I was wondering if I could come over and join you... and Naruto for dinner. Hinata had some family issues come up, so the three of us are planning to meet later. So how about it? Do you think Naruto would mind?"

"No, Naruto wouldn't mind," He couldn't say for sure if he was speaking the truth or not, he couldn't exactly ask Naruto now, nor could he be certain Naruto trusted Kiba after the paranoia act in the bathroom. Sasuke had much more dangerous people to be untrusting of, which made it seem even stranger for Naruto to suspect Kiba of foul play. Though, if it had been a couple hours ago, Sasuke would have convinced his blonde boyfriend that it would be a good idea because it would prove how loyal and harmless Kiba really was.

"Great! I'll be over in a couple hours for lunch!" And before Sasuke could protest and explain where he was planning to go with the rest of his sentence, Kiba hung up.

Sasuke put his phone back on the hook and sunk back into his couch. His dark eyes focused on the clock which read ten after ten before he allowed them to close. Maybe if he just went to sleep, then he could get the rest of this day over with.

Bring... bring...

One eye popped open and glanced at the once again active telephone. However, this time, his hand did not move. Both of them stayed limp beside his body as he lay still with only one open eyelid. He should answer it, might be Kiba again, or Tsunade, or even Naruto, not that Naruto knew his phone number, nor did he believe Tsunade would give it to him. An odd thing not to have your boyfriend's telephone number, but when you lived an abused live like Naruto's, using a phone wasn't a regular option.

"Hello, you've reached – Sasuke Uchiha –please leave your message after the beep."

"Are you lonely little brother? Without having your blondie there?"

A sudden swell of rage, hatred and disgust rose within the raven and he immediately rose from his seat, grabbing the phone and screaming loudly into it, "Itachi! What the hell do you want!"

"Little brother, haven't you learned your manners yet?" His tone was emotionless, casual, as it always used to be, except maybe more so now. His voice never gave anything away and it perturbed the younger so.

"Fuck you!" Sasuke growled lowly, glaring at the answering machine strongly, as though the more he drilled into the piece of equipment, the more Itachi would be able to feel the intensity of his glare. Not that it was physically possible, but Sasuke could only hope.

His older brother merely chuckled darkly at him before the line went dead.

"ITACHI! FUCKING BASTARD!" He slammed the phone back down onto it's station so hard that he heard a loud crack, but he didn't care. He was pissed and shaking and more terrified than he'd ever been in his life. "Sick fucking bastard!" Sasuke swore, throwing the phone book, which lay peaceful and undeserving beside the phone, across the room to nearly smash into a window, missing it by barely an inch.

His entire body shook as he collapsed to the floor, sobbing silently. "Damn you, Itachi..."

----

Sasuke jumped, gripping the utility knife in his hand tighter, when he heard the knock at the door. He attempted to regulate his breathing and racing heart beat, talking himself back to a normal state by convincing himself that Itachi would never knock.

"Come in Kiba!" He yelled loudly enough to be heard from the front door and resumed chopping vegetables for the stew he was cooking.

"Yo!" Kiba hollered back as he opened the door and Sasuke heard the scuffing of feet as his guest walked in, turned to close the door and proceeded to remove his shoes.

"What's cooking?" The brunet popped his head into the kitchen's doorway then looked around with a confused look, turning back to peer in the living room. "Where's Naruto?"

Sasuke nearly smiled at how easily Naruto's given name slid off Kiba's tongue, no longer did he pause with uncertainty before he spoke it. "He's not here."

With an even more puzzled look on his face, Kiba stepped into the kitchen, "Why not?"

"Doctor's appointment. He's going to be with his doctor for a while, so he won't be eating with us." Technically he wasn't lying, that's where the blonde was at the moment, and would be for longer than Kiba would assume, but for now he couldn't just blurt out 'I sent him away with his doctor because my brother's coming back to kill me and I didn't want him to be endangered" Yeah, because that would go over well with his overprotective best friend.

"Oh, must have gotten the call after I called." This Kiba also assumed, and Sasuke figured he could get away without answering as he turned back to chop the vegetables and pour what he had into the pot.

"Stew?" Kiba asked as he leaned over Sasuke's shoulder to peek into the pot of boiling water, currently filled with beef and vegetables. Though the boy really didn't need to look since his sense of smell was incredibly heightened, and Sasuke could tell he was using this skill when the Inuzuka inhaled deeply. "Yum, I love beef!"

Sasuke just nodded, he was cooking this because he knew that Kiba liked beef, not to mention he needed something a little more complicated than spaghetti or ramen to distract him after his recent phone conversation with his twisted brother. He finished throwing the rest of the chopped up vegetables into the pot and turned around to see that Kiba had moved to sit himself in the chair that Naruto had took to sitting in. Of course, before Naruto started living with him, that was also where Kiba sat whenever he intruded and demanded food because that was the seat directly across from Sasuke's chosen place.

Sasuke was beginning to doubt if he welcomed this 'change' thing, it was starting to seriously mess with his mind and alter his life drastically with even the most temporary change.

"So are you coming to school on Monday?" Kiba asked in a much more serious tone, focusing his eyes on Sasuke who had leaned back against the counter.

"Maybe," He really hadn't thought that through, whether or not he'd be returning to school the following week. Before he had intended to stay out for the entire week that Naruto was there, but now that Naruto was gone and Itachi had returned, so to speak, he didn't know if he'd even have the chance to go back to school.

Kiba sighed loudly, shaking his head, "Whatever, it's your choice but the teachers are starting to give me weird looks and Kurenai-sensei pulled me aside to ask if anything was wrong with you. I told them you were just sick but Ibiki's not believing it. You've never stayed out of school for being sick before, the only time you weren't in school was when... well, you know."

"Yeah, I know, Kiba. Thanks for covering for me but I need to deal with things before I go back, I'll be able to catch up in no time." Sasuke truly appreciated his best friend's concern for his education, but he had his reasons, most of which he couldn't tell Kiba but he gave the brunet a broad outline, hopefully that was good enough.

"I know you want to take care of Naruto, and I know that what you're doing. He's staying here, living with you. I know it's obvious but I guess I should let you in that I know. But Naruto's been through a lot, as you've said, I'm sure he doesn't need you to be here twenty-four seven to wait on him."

Sasuke chuckled, sadness threatening to display itself in his eyes, "That's the same thing he told me..."

"See, even he knows it. So you should consider coming to school Monday." He said this in a stern voice, not taking his eyes off the raven, who sighed and seemed to give in.

"All right, I'll consider it," He wasn't actually succumbing to the Inuzuka's words, but by saying this he could at least get him off his back for a little while. Not to mention he would seriously consider going back, it was just a matter of external stimuli, i.e. Itachi, that would decide his fate.

Kiba was evidently happy by this answer and went on about conversation normally. "You'll never believe what's happened! It's not much but I guess I should have told you a few days ago. The day that you stopped coming, so did the Sabaku's."

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed and he glared at the thought of those people who put his love's life in danger. Trying to get Naruto to join their gang just because of his mother, or so he assumed. They made him sick. He was glad that they'd left town, probably because of what happened to Naruto. However, he was a little more than pissed that they'd leave and probably get away with yet another crime.

"I haven't seen any one of the three in school or around town, not that they actually went into town much that I've seen. But on Thursday, there was a message sent to the school saying that they were moving and transferring to a new school, but Tenten couldn't find out which one. Gotta love girls in student council!"

That was true. Tenten found out so much for them over the past year, telling them about new schedules, changes to the lunch menu, and even when they might be getting a new teacher.

"Strange huh?" Kiba asked when he didn't receive an expected response from Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded, not wanting to divulge in his thoughts about the matter. Those kind weren't for Kiba's ears, at least not for now. He didn't need Kiba to know that Naruto was shot and injured because of the Sabaku siblings, not Emi. He should eventually tell him that though, and he would if he had the opportunity in the future.

"Well at least you won't have any competition anymore." Kiba teased with a wide grin, bringing Sasuke's attention swiftly back to him.

Sasuke gave a fake laugh but his smile clearly revealed that he was amused. "Very funny, Inuzuka."