Sorry for the wait, would you care to try one of our complimentary cupcakes? If you don't like sweets may I suggest a fine dosage of angst?

For those who have checked out my profile page lately.... I told you this chapter would be out before September 6th!

Just a warning, this chapter is much longer than any other chapter I've ever written so for those who like short chapters... too bad I'm sure you can be happy enough with the fact that I'm not updating three months later haha. Anyway... please enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or "Concrete Angel" by Martina McBride

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Chapter Fourty Seven:

"I know you're going to be leaving soon but..."

Kiba looked around the living room that was filled with open boxes and a mess of objects. Most boxes weren't full or even half full. Sasuke was moving about the room, organizing things from the desks and shelves into specific boxes. He was leaving all the bigger things out it seemed.

"Do you really need to start packing now?"

Kiba had dropped Sasuke at home after leaving the hospital and told him he would be back after he finished some errands for his mother. Kiba returned to see the entire house in the same kind of shape as the living room. There were open boxes scattered in an organized manor about the kitchen, the hallway and even the downstairs bathroom. Of course those rooms actually had some boxes closed, taped shut and labelled so it wasn't that much of a mess.

"And do you really think you're gonna need so much stuff?"

"I'm not packing this to move, Kiba." Sasuke spoke to him without pausing in movement or without looking up from the items he was going through. "Some things I'm donating and other things I'm storing in the basement."

"Right, in case you ever come back."

"Yes. In case." Sasuke's voice was more solemn than Kiba had heard it in a while.

"Don't you think this is drastic?"

For that Kiba received a harsh look.

"I know we've gone through this and this is probably the only way but running away forever? Can't you come back after Naruto's legally an adult?"

Sasuke sighed loudly. He placed the last thing that he held in his hand in a box and turned to face Kiba. "We'll think about that when the time comes. I just want Naruto to be happy and if he's somewhere people don't know him and treat him like they do here... things will be better for him."

"You never know. A few years down the road people could change their minds-"

"These people have had fifteen years to change their minds about him! This town will never think of Naruto as anything but his mother's son! He won't be able to have an actual life if he stays here!"

Kiba was surprised by Sasuke's loud outburst but he knew his friend had a valid point. "Yeah..."

Sasuke ran his hands through his hair and shook his head. His face clearly expressed how stressed he was at this given point in time.

"Look man... I'm sorry. I know you're right but... you're my best friend."

Sasuke glanced back up to gaze directly into his friend's saddened eyes. He had no idea his friend could be this emotional.

"Don't worry, Kiba. If you get too lonely you'll still have the group that you forced me to join." He said this with a smirk on his face and Kiba couldn't help but laugh.

"You needed socialization ya emo loner," Kiba grinned and Sasuke merely shook his head but kept smiling.

"So you need any help sorting things?" Kiba looked around the room and if Sasuke was going to do this with the whole house it might take him longer than five days.

"Sure. You might slow me down though."

"I can't help it if you're an organized freak and I just let things flow." As Kiba said this he gazed about. Sasuke was right, he wouldn't know where to start. He peered into the nearest box and was again surprised to see how neatly everything was packed. "Damn man, you are anal."

Sasuke sighed once again. "Look, why don't you go to the other rooms and move the boxes marked storage down to the basement for me."

"I know, I know. I'll only be in your way." Kiba laughed his way out of the room.

----

"So..." Kiba peered into the empty rooms that he could see from the hallway. It had taken them, or rather it had taken Sasuke, long into the evening to pack everything that needed to be packed. The only rooms they hadn't touched were Sasuke's parents room and Itachi's room.

"Yeah?" Sasuke looked up from the last box that he was labelling as "donation."

"I guess there's no reason for you to go to these last couple days of school..." Kiba looked upset. Nothing new considering the circumstances but Sasuke had thought Kiba had, to a degree, gotten over trying to convince Sasuke to stay.

"Why are you so concerned, Kiba?" Sasuke stood up and faced his best friend. "I'll have to repeat a semester of high school, it's not that big of a deal is it?"

"Well... it's kind of depressing, don't you think?" Kiba averted his eyes. "I mean, you are my best friend regardless of how close I am to the other guys. I just figured we'd be graduating together but now you're leaving and I'll be out of high school before you... it's weird ya'know."

The raven sighed. To be honest, he was trying not to think of anything like this. Anything that seemed as though these plans were holding him back he attempted to push aside. He didn't want to regret doing this or resent the fact that he was leaving. He loved Naruto more than the ideal high school life... which he never really cared for in the first place. But Kiba was making him feel sorry for doing this.

"Kiba. I really don't-"

"No, Sasuke. It's okay. I know you have to and want to do this for Naruto's sake. And I really want Naruto to be happy and safe too. I just had to get his off my chest. I can't let you leave without actually telling you how important your friendship is to me..."

Sasuke stared in awe at his best friend. He didn't realize that this was what Kiba was trying to tell him. A smile spread across the raven's lips and he stepped closer. "You mean a lot to me too, Kiba. You've always been there for me, even though I know I wasn't the all that cooperative with this whole friendship thing."

Kiba laughed at this and Sasuke was glad to have his laughter around. It broke the seriousness of things, or at least lessened it. Sasuke needed that. Things have been far too serious lately and it was comforting to be able to joke and laugh once and a while.

"You're a great friend. If you hadn't been here for me... I don't know where Naruto and I would have ended up. Hell, if you hadn't been there to talk Naruto's ear off, he might still be in a coma."

That earned Sasuke a soft punch in the arm and they laughed softly.

"Thanks man... Glad I'm useful." Kiba smiled back.

"Don't worry, you are."

Kiba moved forward with his arms outstretched.

"You're not initiating a hug are you?" Sasuke's eyebrow rose at his friend's stance.

"Yeah I am." Kiba grinned. "I gotta hug my best friend at least once in my life before you're gone forever."

"I won't be gone for-" Sasuke sighed as Kiba's arms pulled him close into a friendly hug. "You're impossible."

"Yeah I know. But you love me."

Sasuke patted Kiba's back, "Yeah I guess I do."

"I'm gonna miss you, ya'know." Kiba choked out as they pulled away from each other.

"I'll miss you too, Kiba. As annoying as you are." Sasuke smirked, receiving a soft glare from the brunet.

"I'll come over tomorrow after school then. See how you're making out."

"Actually you should just go to the hospital, I'll be there around that time."

"Okay, sounds good. See ya, man." Kiba waved as he walked out of the door.

"Yeah, later." The door closed and Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair as he leaned against the hallway wall.

He waited until the sounds of the car were long into the distance before turning back to the business at hand.

With a sigh that came straight from the soul, he made his way up the stairs and turned towards the one door that always haunted him. It had loomed over him even more after he watched his brother die in the hospital.

His hand shook as he reached for the doorknob. He was still afraid of his brother even though he was dead... it was pretty pathetic. Being afraid that a dead man was going to pop out at any moment. It was the memory more than anything Sasuke convinced himself. The memory of how his loving older brother turned into this monster... but everything seemed blurry now. Everything changed after Itachi spoke those confusing words...

"...everything I've done was to protect you." Itachi's voice whispered in his ear.

Everything Itachi said to him in that hospital room as he was dying was hard for Sasuke to face. That was partly why he had pushed it aside for so long and focused entirely on Naruto. After he died, after the police questioning, and after they took Itachi's body away to dispose of it "properly," Sasuke simply forgot he had an older brother. Although he didn't know what they wanted with his body because a limp and lifeless body couldn't possibly give them any way to find the Akatsuki. Sasuke did know that he was disappointed that they took his older brother away from him. He may have been confused about his hatred towards his brother but he had wanted to give him beloved older brother the proper burial that the brother he had been in the past deserved.

Sasuke pushed the door open slowly and breathed in deeply before he took in the sight of the room that had not changed for years.

Cautiously, he stepped into the bedroom and for the first time say the room for what it was. There was no hatred, fear or haunting impressions from dreams clouding his thoughts as he gazed about the room that was just a bedroom. The bed was off to the left, the dresser on the far right of the room sitting to the left of the only window, the closet was across from the end of the bed, and his desk was on the right of the window.

What captured Sasuke's attention first was the bed. Something about it seemed different than before. He moved closer and was astonished how emotional being in this room was for him at this time. Somehow, all the memories that came instantly to mind weren't the memories that haunted him for years. They were memories from long before that time when Itachi had been his hero. They were from when Itachi was a loving older brother, the pride and joy of the Uchiha clan.

Sasuke didn't think he wanted to pack anything from this room. It was heartbreaking to imagine that this room had changed from when he used to lay on Itachi's bed and watch him work at his desk.

At the foot of the bed, he realized what was off about the placement. The pillows had been moved. The blue pillow which used to be on the left was now on the right side where the white pillow was supposed to lie. Sasuke's memory for detail was flawless, he knew he wasn't imagining this. Someone had been in the room and, judging by the way the sheets appeared, slept in the bed.

"Itachi?" Sasuke questioned. That was the only person he could think of who could sneak into this room without him noticing. However, why would Itachi rearrange the pillow. He knew that Itachi had as much of an eye for detail as he did, if not more. He had to have known that Sasuke would notice this subtle change.

Sasuke's hand swept over the pillow and he bit his lower lip to restrain his tears.

"What were you telling me, Itachi? Why did you say that to me? What are you protecting me from? I need to know!" Sasuke broke and lowered himself to rest his head on the bed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Sasuke breathed into the sheets and gripped them tightly in his hands, "I want to know, Itachi. I want to know what you meant. I... I never wanted to hate you but you made me. How could I not hate you after what you did? I thought you kept me alive to torment me... how am I supposed to think that you had good intentions just because you said that?"

He was so angry with his older brother for leaving him with absolutely no answers to his abundance of questions. He hated how his brother had been so mysterious for his entire life, right up until the death he maintain the air of mystery.

"Ugh... fuck Itachi... why have you made my life so difficult?" He cursed as he pulled himself together and went to get the folded boxes, tape and knife that he left in the hallway. He didn't want to pack anything but he didn't think it would be the best idea to leave everything out and exposed.

He started with the closet which was probably the worst idea he could have come up with. It had never taken him so long to go through someone's clothing. Itachi's scent clung to every article of clothing. The most familiar pieces of clothing that Itachi had worn all those years ago evoked so much emotion within him. If packing his brother's clothing hurt this much, he didn't think he'd be able to get through going through his parents' closet.

Some of the clothes he felt too important to give away or pack into a storage box so he decided to bring them with him. He didn't know if he could bring himself to wear them but he had to take them with him regardless.

Next he moved onto the bed. However, the only thing he could do with the bed was straighten the sheets and put the two pillows back the way they originally were because there was nothing under the bed and Itachi didn't have a bedside table.

Moving in the same clockwise motion he worked his way through the dresser. Keeping some clothes, packing others.

Going through the desk he found was interesting. In the desk drawers there was still school work that proved how much of a genius his older brother really was. The lowest grade on all the marked tests that Itachi had kept was a 97. Sasuke felt a little bit of the old jealousy that he'd always held towards the brother he had always been compared. He gritted his teeth as he packed the high graded tests and papers and report cards.

Going through so many of these remarkable papers and perfect answers he realized that he was ashamed of his brother. He had so much potential. He could have been someone great but now his memory was tainted with blood, violence, heartache, and a weird red clouded cloak.

Sasuke's heart stopped, as did his lungs, when he opened the center drawer to find his name inside. Sitting on the top of all the folders and papers in this long, narrow drawer was a small envelope addressed to him and in Itachi's handwriting.

Itachi had been in the room. This confirmed it because this couldn't have been left here from all those years ago... it was impossible.

After much hesitation and thought about what may be inside this envelope, Sasuke picked it up and turned it around to open it. Written on the back of the envelope was: "Little brother. Please read this only when you're ready to learn the truth."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at this. It was obvious to him now that this letter had been left to him recently because the handwriting had altered from his previous style of writing used on his tests. So that proved that the Itachi his older brother had become left him this note and not the loving older brother who used to care about him. Would this prove that Itachi never stopped caring about his younger brother? Or could it be another lie of a corrupt murderer?

He moved quickly to tear open the envelope to gain access to the letter inside but his hand froze before he could even get a good grip on the edge of the paper. Sasuke hands shook so hard that it was nearly impossible to even hold the envelope.

Subconsciously, he didn't want to know yet. He was afraid to know the truth of his brother's actions.

"... as long as you were alive then my life would have meaning."

Sasuke was too afraid to know what Itachi meant by that. If he had done everything he had done to keep Sasuke alive... then killing the clan... Sasuke shook off this thought. He couldn't bare to know the truth or what Itachi was parading as the truth. That was another one of Sasuke's concerns. Itachi could be lying about everything and in this letter? He had no idea how he would feel about this so-called truth or how it might effect his view on his past.

It was a life altering moment that Sasuke decided it would be best to save for a later time. He sighed loudly and placed the letter in a box of items that he was planning on taking with him on this move. He would wait until he was ready to deal with this. Right now he had to worry about Naruto, not his dead older brother's motives.

----

"You've packed everything?" Naruto asked in an astonished voice.

"Most stuff. I'm going to get Kiba to bring the stuff I'm donating to the Salvation Army. I've already put everything that I'm storing down in the basement and the rest of it is for the move."

"You packed... everything in one day?"

"So we'll be ready to go as soon as you're ready. I want to get you out of here." Sasuke's determined voice caused Naruto to sigh and lean back in the hospital bed.

"Sasuke, don't you think you're going overboard just a little bit?"

"No." Sasuke was genuinely serious. He did not believe he was being the least bit over zealous.

Naruto shook his head and laughed to himself at his boyfriend's behaviour. Although he was glad to have a boyfriend who cared so much, but to love him so much that he would pack up his entire house in one day... that was a little extreme.

"Holy shit we're in trouble!"

Both boys jumped as the door to the room swung open forcefully and a winded Kiba flew in from the hallway.

All three were nearly breathless for a moment but Sasuke spoke first.

"Kiba? What the hell?"

"Psycho bitches!"

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged confused glances as they blinked questioningly at the gasping Inuzuka.

"School! Rumors-"

"If I have to tell you to breathe and not speak in broken words." Sasuke half threatened because he knew his tone of voice didn't need to finish the threat.

Kiba listened to his best friend and breathed very deeply and long to refill his lungs before he continued to inform.

"Your fangirls, somehow, know about you and Naruto. They're spreading it around school like wildfire that 'the Uzumaki kid made our Sasuke gay.' It's ridiculous!"

Naruto looked heartbroken the moment Kiba spoke about them being exposed. "I knew this would happen..."

"Naruto?" Sasuke turned instantly in concern out of his boyfriend's solemn voice.

"Everyone will hate you because of me..."

"So?"

Naruto depressed eyes looked up in shock at how nonchalantly Sasuke spoke.

"I don't care what people think of me, Naruto. It doesn't matter what these idiots think of me now anyway because we won't be here. We're leaving in four days. I'm glad people know that I love you."

"Well they didn't quite say it like that..." Kiba allowed his sentence to trail off as he received a stern, death threat look from the raven.

"But..." Naruto still looked unconvinced.

"Naruto. I love you and I'll willingly tell everyone because I'm not ashamed of you. When we move to wherever Tsunade is relocating us, I will be as open with our relationship as possible. As long as you're okay with being open because I, for one, don't want to hide."

Naruto bit his lower lip. "I don't want to hide either..."

"Great! You guys are officially out of that oversized closet!" Kiba yelled triumphantly, breaking the lovey atmosphere. "Besides, not many people at school are believing them anyway."

Sasuke eyed him suspiciously. "Then why did you make such a dramatic entrance?"

"Oh it seemed like something fun to do. Not to mention Tsunade was threatening me with a needle full of a mysterious green liquid downstairs so I had to run all the way up here to get away from her."

Both Sasuke and Naruto offered the brunet extremely dangerous glares.

Kiba backed away slowly, laughing awkwardly. "Uh... Maybe I'll wait outside..."

Sasuke scoffed loudly but shook his head, "You're a fucking moron, Kiba."

"Um... sorry. But you said it didn't matter anyway..."

"You unnecessarily caused our stress levels to rise well beyond what we can take at this point in time. You are aware one of us is still hospitalized?" Sasuke snapped angrily.

"Yeah... well... I'm sorry Naruto."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I love your humor Kiba... but that was a little mean to do to me." He didn't want to admit that it had hurt him more because he'd been judged his entire life on the basis of someone he wasn't so it was harder to be judged for being who he actually was.

Kiba hung his head low and bit his lower lip.

"Now that you looked completely ashamed and sorry for what you've done. I'll forgive you."

"Are you little girls finished with your drama yet?" Tsunade barged into the room, oddly enough holding a syringe that held a strange green liquid.

"Were you actually going to inject him with that?" Sasuke stared in astonishment at the blonde doctor.

She gave him a cold, calm look that resembled the sentence, "Why would I seriously do that?" but also resembled the sentence, "I might have been thinking about it." At which point Kiba stepped away from the door and towards the safe area of the bed.

"Either way," Tsunade interrupted the awkward, worried, concerned and mildly afraid atmosphere with a more strict tone, "I've talked with my friend, Shizune, who is going to drive you to the coast. She can be ready to go tomorrow if you two are okay with that."

"Tomorrow?" Kiba's expression showed far more concern than the two who were actually leaving which caused Tsunade's eyebrow to rise.

"I've already packed my house, I'm ready to go now if I needed to." Sasuke spoke without any concern at all, and received a hurt look from his best friend for it. "Although I would need time to say goodbye to my clingy best friend."

Kiba glared at Sasuke but that quickly turned into a pout.

"Am I ready to leave the hospital yet?"

"You're not ready to leave the hospital until I escort you directly out the door and into Shizune's car." Tsunade spoke instantly and shortly.

"Ya'know Tsunade," The Inuzuka's voice changed from brooding and sulking to confront the older blonde, "for only being an unstable, temperamental doctor, you are extremely over protective of our little Naru here."

"Our little Naru?" Naruto mouthed to Sasuke with a horribly confused look.

Sasuke merely shrugged in response before turning back to the conversation at hand.

"I don't need to explain myself to mutts like you."

"True enough." Kiba accepted quickly without any hint of irony. "Although you should explain it to the blondie over there."

Naruto shifted his eyes awkwardly then glanced down at the sheets. He really didn't want to stare anyone in the face at this moment because he was the only one who knew the truth that Tsunade was keeping secret.

"He knows enough."

"Argh! Just be straight forward for once in your life! Can't you say anything clearly without having multiple meanings?" Kiba snapped and actually took a threatening step closer to the doctor.

"No."

Kiba growled lowly but backed down nonetheless.

"If you two want to leave tomorrow, tell me before you leave."

"Okay Tsunade," Sasuke nodded as she exited the room, "thanks."

The door shut and Kiba dramatically collapsed into the chair at the end of the bed. "What is with that woman?"

"What's with you? You're really energetic today."

"Well I am about to lose my friend in less than a day!"

Sasuke exhaled in frustration, "Kiba! We've been through this-"

"Not you Uchiha! Naruto! I've already lost him once! It's hard to lose a friend twice!"

The raven eyed his best friend suspiciously, not to mention he was concerned about his mental state. "Twice? Kiba what are you-"

"I felt like I'd bonded with you when you were in a coma, Naruto." Kiba ignored Sasuke's question and focused in on the blonde. "But then you woke up and I lost everything that I had built up with you. I had to start all over again and now that we've gotten caught up, I'm losing you all over again."

"Kiba. You're really emotional."

The brunet stared at Naruto in disbelief.

"Sorry, I'm just surprised that you're actually so emotional about us leaving. I had no idea that you could get this worked up. But..." Naruto's amazed expression grew softer, "I'm really happy that you'll miss me. You're the only person who has ever changed their view about me and seen me for who I really am. You gave me a choice even though you were raised to hate me. I'm sorry you lost me before but... well I wasn't really here. I'm glad you put in the effort to fill me in on what I missed. Your friendship means the world to me. "

Both Naruto and Sasuke were taken off guard as Kiba rose from the chair and was immediately by Naruto's side, hugging the blonde.

"You damn well better not let Uchiha hog you all to himself and come back here to visit me once in a while."

Sasuke scoffed lightly but Naruto laughed and hugged the Inuzuka back. "Don't worry. I won't let that happen. You're the only reason I'd come back to this town." With a smirk Naruto added, "And maybe to see Tsunade shove that needle in you."

"Oh yeah," Kiba laughed sarcastically, "That crap would probably make me radioactive or give me fins."

Kiba pulled away from the blonde and all three of them exchanged glances.

"Well, if you two are leaving tomorrow I should get you some going away presents or something. So, I'll be back tomorrow before you leave. Call me, okay Uchiha. Let me know what's going on."

"Of course, we can't leave without you trying to tie yourself to the roof of the car." Sasuke gave him a friendly smirk as Kiba patted his shoulder and made his way out of the room.

"See you tomorrow Kiba, and thanks."

"Don't say your goodbyes yet Naru." Kiba warned as he left the room.

"So... tomorrow." Sasuke broke a five minute silence that followed after their buffer had left the room.

"Are you really ready to leave that soon?"

"Do you want to leave that soon?"

"How could you have packed that quickly?"

"I wanted to be ready as soon as I could."

"But that insane Sasuke. Packing in one night? Your whole house? Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Is this what you want?"

"I don't have anything keeping me here. It's you I'm worried about."

"Well I'm worried about you."

"Then why are we arguing?"

"I don't know. Does this classify as an argument?" Sasuke was actually confused by this point. He knew their voices probably had elevated stress levels but he wasn't angry.

"It might, I'm not sure."

They lapsed back into a silent phase that was shortly broken by a soft sigh from the blonde.

"So... tomorrow..."

"Yeah..."

"A new start is... kind of exciting." A subtle smile spread across Naruto's lips.

Naruto's sincere smile touched something in Sasuke and he found himself touching foreheads with his boyfriend. Their breath mingled and they let there eyes fall shut as they slowly nosed into a tender kiss. Even when they ended their kiss, they didn't move away from each other.

"I want to go back with you." Naruto finally whispered. "I don't want to stay here anymore."

"I want you to come back with me, too. I want to hold you so much." Sasuke pressed their lips together softly and quickly. "But Tsunade would hunt me down if I took you away from her too soon. We'll have plenty of alone time once we get to the Land of Waves."

"I see that look in your eyes, perv." Naruto smirked.

"Oh we both know who's more perverted here." Sasuke's hand sneaked up Naruto thigh, getting close enough to evoke a quiet moan from his boyfriend's lips.

"Hey! You can't do that here-AH!" Naruto had to bite his lip when Sasuke started to massage his crotch through the sheets of the bed.

"I can't do what, Naruto?" Sasuke breathed sensually in the blonde's ear.

"Mmmm..." Naruto couldn't speak because of the rhythm Sasuke was keeping. "At least..."

"At least?"

"Could you mm... lock the door?" Naruto managed to get out without moaning too loudly.

Sasuke chuckled. He didn't want to get up but he moved away from his boyfriend, who fell back and got a chance to breathe, and locked the door. He turned around to eye up his boyfriend from the door. Seeing his boyfriend in a hospital and wearing a hospital gown may not have been the most attractive thing he'd seen before but he had to admit that the idea of doing it in a hospital was slightly more than appealing.

"What are you smirking at?" Naruto fidgeted nervously.

"You in your sexy gown." Sasuke laughed his way back over to the bed. Though he wasn't sure he was welcome now with the amount of daggers being glared at him.

Sasuke crawled up onto the bed and placed himself over his boyfriend before attacking his mouth hungrily. Not only did Sasuke want to be with Naruto badly after technically being away from him for so long but he also wanted to use this to forget about the other things going on in his life and primarily think about Naruto.

Naruto seemed a little overwhelmed at first but soon pulled Sasuke closer to him, pressing their bodies together repeatedly.

"Aah Sasuke!"

Sasuke removed the blankets from his boyfriend, the clothes from both their bodies and relished in the warm connection of their bare skin. Their bodies moved closer and closer until they moved as one. An irresistible pleasure ached throughout their being, rocking them, caressing them until they cried out each other's names.

"I love you, Naruto." Sasuke murmured as he curled up next to his lover, resting his head on Naruto's damp shoulder.

"I love you too..." Naruto sighed happily, wrapping his arms securely around the raven's shoulders. With a content smile, he gently caressed Sasuke's skin with his fingertips.

"We can't fall asleep like this you know." It didn't take long for Naruto to realize that Sasuke's eyes had been shut and his breathing was beginning to even out.

"I'm not..." Sasuke mumbled, not even attempting to open his heavy eyelids.

Naruto shook his head, kissing the raven on the forehead sweetly.

"Hey Sasuke..."

"Mmm?"

"I've been thinking and... there's something I need you to get for me."

Sasuke lifted his head up at the serious tone in his boyfriend's voice. "What is it, Naruto?"

"Well..." Naruto seemed to lose confidence in what he was saying once Sasuke was staring him in the face. "Would you be able to go get something for me. I want to do it myself but I don't think Tsunade would let me leave the hospital and I don't think I could actually go there."

"Go there? You mean your aunt's?"

Naruto nodded and averted his eyes.

"What do you need?"

"Well... there's a picture in the basement. It's the only picture I have of my parents. My mom is smiling. My dad's holding me as a baby. We're all together. It's the only proof that we were once a happy family."

"Naruto..."

"I... I don't want to leave that picture here. It's the one thing I need to take from this place."

Sasuke chewed at his lower lip. He did not want to enter that house. If he had it his way, he would leave every bit of Naruto's bitter past behind and never bring it up again. He felt it was meant to be forgotten. Though, that was how he'd felt about his older brother and his own horrifying past. Even if it was painful, facing that past and acknowledging it helped him grow. He couldn't deny Naruto the same process. Not to mention, Sasuke was also keeping things of his past that meant a great deal to him. He owed it to Naruto to do this.

----

The house looked ominous from across the short yard. The sidewalk felt much more comfortable than the porch that appeared to be something that was fine on the surface but rotten underneath.

Cautiously he approached the door. He didn't really know what to do if Emi was home. Perhaps he would come back later and sneak in through the basement window because he highly doubted that she would invite him in.

Nonetheless, Sasuke knocked on the door. When he received no answer he knocked louder and longer. Either she wasn't home, or she was passed out drunk on the floor. He understood that now to be a common occurence.

Again he received no answer so he reached for the doorknob. Strangely enough it was unlocked. This probably meant that she was in her house somewhere. He peeked in first and looked around. The inside was far more haunting than the outside. Inside it almost seemed like a normal home, until you caught sight of the random dents and cracks in the walls, in some places there was broken glass and the kitchen was swarmed with empty liquor bottles.

He didn't get the idea that she was anywhere near him as he walked the short distance from the kitchen to the basement door. Either she was upstairs or not here.

Chills ran cold down Sasuke's spine when he opened the door to see the damage on the steps from when Emi pushed him. It wasn't at all comforting for him to be here. He felt horrible for thinking this but at this moment he wished there wasn't a happy photo of Naruto's parents. It would make their move easier and his stress levels might be half-way decent right now.

----

Naruto was startled by a knock on his hospital door. No one knocked on his door anymore. Sasuke, Kiba and Tsunade merely barged right in now. Tsunade had probably told a nurse to finish some of her reports or whatever it was that she recorded on that clipboard.

His heart froze cold in his chest when the door opened and revealed his new visitor.

All of the fear and terror that he'd once felt in his life flooded back to him in an instant.

"Emi..."

"Ungrateful nephew of mine." Emi scowled as she entered the room, locking the door behind her.

Naruto back up on his bed as she stepped closer.

He'd never felt more unsettled in his life. Right at this moment he would rather have Itachi aiming that gun at him instead.

"Why are you here?" Naruto asked in a timid voice.

"Don't talk back to me, ingrate! Do you know the hell you've put me through! All my fucking life I've had to deal with you and your damn mother!"

"She's your sister." Naruto mumbled in a soft whisper.

"What was that?" Emi snapped loudly.

"She was your sister before she was my mother." Naruto growled in a louder, accusative voice. Tsunade was right, Sasuke was changing him for the better. He actually had a bit of courage to stand up to his aunt.

Emi's eyes glared angrily at him but she merely scowled at him in response.

"That blonde bitch protecting you sure has some temper though doesn't she?" Emi purred in a sick, twisted tone.

"Not as much as you."

"Look at that. They implanted a backbone for you while you were here." Emi hissed, "I'll take care of that shortly."

Naruto simply glared as his aunt paced around the room.

"If Tsunade hadn't fired that nurse who told me about you, I would have never been able to pay her to give me your room number."

This confirmed Naruto's fear that Tsunade had no idea that Emi was in her hospital right now. That meant that she wasn't waiting on the other side of that door if Emi gave him any trouble.

"Oh are you scared of me? You damn well should be!" Emi shouted as she suddenly stepped forward to the bed, startling her nephew into jumping back away from her.

She chuckled manically, "You can try and act brave but that doesn't work on me. Your little boyfriend isn't going to save you now."

Naruto felt his blood run cold. Everything that was happening simply froze as his worst nightmare came true.

"How..."

"Oh the rumors don't just spread at school when it comes to the Uzumaki child. Not many people believe that the great Uchiha would taint his name with yours but it still spreads. He comes to this hospital so much it makes me sick. That's right, I watch him. I'm not sure if he actually wants you or if he feels pity for how your mother slaughtered-"

"End that sentence now, Emi!"

"Aww. You sensitive to your homicidal mommy? I could care less about the bitch even if she's my sis-"

"You have no right to talk, Emi. You're just like your sister only without the death count."

Emi's eyes flew wild with that comment. It almost looked like someone lit her eyes on fire, if only someone actually had... Nonetheless, that pissed her off enough to slap Naruto full across the cheek.

Naruto took in a sharp breath but didn't back down, he returned his glower with just as much intensity.

"Although I was going to say," Naruto continued in a low growl, "don't talk shit about my boyfriend."

Emi eyebrows furrowed as though she hadn't expected Naruto to admit this.

"Yeah! He is my boyfriend and we love each other! I refuse to hide who I really am just because you and this ignorant villagers forced me to grow up abused and shunned! I am not my mother and I will never be like her! The only thing I have in common with my mother is our taste in men!"

"You fucking little brat!" Emi snarled.

Before Naruto could react, his aunt had her fingers gripped so tightly around his neck that his airway was cut off.

"You ruined and your fucking mother ruined my life!" She screamed as she pushed Naruto down into the bed. "Now you get the idea that you can make it worse by flaunting about like a little fag! How dare you insult me!"

Naruto gasped for air but couldn't find any. Her grip was too tight and he felt his vision beginning to fail him. Frantically he reached around the bed for the call button. He couldn't allow this to happen. He couldn't allow her to abuse him again without a fight.

Emi screamed wildly when she saw her nephew press down on the little red button. Suddenly she released Naruto's throat and instead began slapping him in a blind fury.

Naruto wasn't capable of fighting back right away. He had to allow the air fill his lungs once again before he could even defend his face with his arms.

She merely continued slapping and clawing at him until Naruto worked up the energy to push her off of him. "Get off!"

Emi fell off the bed and landed hard on the floor.

Naruto laid there gasping, still not able to breath but he was glad to have her away from him. Though these scars were nothing compared to his healing ones.

"You fucking faggot! You can't treat me like this! I own you!" Emi was screaming at the top of her lungs in rage.

Naruto watched her, wary of her actions but he knew help would be up shortly. However, it didn't astonish him any less when he watched her pick up the metal stool from the corner of the room.

"Ungrateful! I'll teach you the proper way to treat your family!"

Without warning she relentlessly began hitting Naruto's body with the legs of the stool. Naruto cried out in agony and tried to hold her off but he couldn't grab ahold of the stool. She was moving too fast and the pain was unbearable whenever she hit his injuries. He felt his bones crack under the force she was striking him.

"Hugh!" Naruto gasped as she struck down on his chest, no doubt breaking some of his ribs and peircing his lungs.

"S-stop!" Naruto could barely speak anymore but he continued to flail weakly to defend off his psychotic aunt. He couldn't let her do this to him anymore. He didn't want to bare this anymore. He just wished this would all end.

Just as he heard the door open, the seat of the stool connected with his face and a concerned female voice shouted his name.

----

After sorting through boxes, cutting himself on broken glass, and nearly peircing his foot on a rusted nail, Sasuke finally found the picture Naruto had craved. No wonder Naruto wanted to have this picture with him always. If Sasuke didn't know any better, he would have assumed that the three people in this portrait were the happiest people on earth.