Sasuke grinned, "Very good Sakura! You'll get your audition in the orchestra yet!"

Sakura's eyes sparkled, "Really!"

"Yes. You're piece is almost perfect! You'll do fine!" Sasuke looked at his watch, "Sorry, Sakura! That's all the time we have for today! You can come by tomorrow morning if you have any doubts."

She nodded. "He's grown on you."

Sasuke looked at her quizzically, "Who?"

"You know! Naruto-kun." She opened her case, "before he started coming here, you were very restless and never said anything nice about any body." She finished packing and looked up at him, "Plus, you smile all the time, just like him!"

"Whatever," he scoffed.

"Where is he today anyways?"

"I let him have to day off, he said that he needed to do something after school and didn't know how long it would take. In fact, over the years he has always asked for a day off around this time." He heard a soft knock on the door. "Hold up Sakura. I'll be back."

He opened the door, "Hello, Uchiha-sama."

An elderly woman was bowing in front of him, his brow quirked. "Please come in, would you like some tea?"

"Oh no Uchiha-sama! It will only take a moment. You see it's about one of your students…"

This got his attention. "Come, I insist." She bowed lower, coming in.

"Now, who is the student?" Sasuke asked, pouring the elder tea.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Sasuke stopped pouring, "What did he do?" he scowled.

"Oh! It's nothing wrong! He's such a nice boy! But it's just…" she avoids the dark haired man's gaze. "Since you took him in four years ago, he has practiced every day for two hours after he comes home from here. I've noticed that he has improved immensely."

"He is almost as good as I am! At such a young age!" Sakura chirped, giving a wave to Sasuke as she headed out the door.

"Yes, but…you see…there are these new tenets that live in the apartment building and…they don't understand beautiful music as we do Uchiha-sama." He nodded. "Is there a way that perhaps you could let him practice here? I know that it's a strange request and I'm very sorry about the inconvenience! But I know how much he loves that instrument! Ever since he was eleven that's all he's done, all he talks about. I don't want to take that away from him just because a couple of people don't like it." She smiled.

He smiled in return. "How does his parents feel about it? He never has brought them up, I've wondered. Usually I meet the parents of my students, but he-"

"They're dead Uchiha-sama." His eyes widened. She nodded, "Yes, they died when he was about three. Then he lived with his grandmother for seven years. Shortly after she died, he came to you."

"The apartment that he lives in is the one that he and his grandmother shared. The inheritance from his parents and grandmother isn't much, but it pays for the apartment rent and his schooling, plus plenty to go to college on." She smiled. "I'm very thankful for you letting him take lessons, even if it's not a constant lesson once a week. His teachers have told me that his lessons have improved. He used to be so lonely at school, but he has made a few friends, and he smiles." She looked the Uchiha in the eyes. "You're schooling has really helped him turn around." She sipped her cooling tea.

"You said that his parents are dead?" he whispered, more to himself than anyone else.

"Yes…" her smile faded. "Today is the anniversary."

Sasuke's face fell.

III

Naruto smiled sadly, holding his violin to his chest. "Sorry Obaachan, I still haven't earned your violin back from my teacher yet, you'll have to stand this new one." He held it to his chin. "It's a new one this year too! I just keep growing and growing! He laughed, "This one has a better tone, and Uchiha-sensei says, I can't tell, but he must be right. He's always right." He began to play. "Uchiha Sasuke…he is the greatest Obaachan…the greatest. He's always had faith in me…we'll once he started listening to me. It took about a year and a half. And Sakura said that she might even let me have her slot! She's starting a professional career, and she doesn't need Sasuke anymore. But…if I take her spot, then that means that I couldn't go to school all day. I would miss out in science, one of my worst subjects…." He played the scale in the second section flawlessly. "I know that Vivaldi is your favorite Obaachan! I made sure that Sasuke taught me before today. I thought you'd love it." He closed his eyes, swaying with the music he was creating, smiling as he felt a warm wind surround him. "I guess you do."

"Oi, Naruto."

Naruto smiled, "Hello Uchiha-sensei."

The only sound that transpired between them was the music. The notes slowed at the ritard, ending on a solid D. Naruto lifted the bow. "What are you doing here?" he crouched down, starting to place the instrument back in the case. "Don't you have lessons to teach?"

"I canceled the rest for today."

"I'm sorry."

"No…It's quite alright. I feel that everyone needs a day off every once in a while. Don't you agree?"

"Hai…" Naruto nodded.

The wind now played a melody in the silence. "You land lady came and spoke to me today." Naruto stiffened. She told me where to find you. He sat down next to Naruto's crouching form. "She told me lots of things."

"Like what?" Naruto's voice sounded sad.

"She told me that you were doing well in school, that you were making new friends. Just gobs of stuff." Sasuke looked at the boy's sullen face, "She also told me about how much you love to play. And that you have new neighbors that hate you're playing."

Naruto nodded. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I guess I'll have to stop playing…"

Sasuke snorted, swinging at the back on the boys head. "Owe! Why'd ya' hit me!"

"You make sacrifices, but smart sacrifices! You don't give up playing! You give up where you live." Naruto's eyes widened. "You can't make the people leave; there are many different reasons why they would choose to stay. Jobs, family, who knows. But you can leave. You have nothing holding you to it."

"The landlady-"

"You can visit her."

Naruto snapped his case. "Why did you come here? To make me realize all the problems that I have to face. Today is a day that I don't want to remember all the bad in my life! I just want to be here with my grandmother! To make her happy! Why can't you let me do that!?"

Sasuke looked up at the boy, not saying anything, "I see everyone else at my school with their parents, grandparents, they don't have cares, and they don't have to worry about making sure they don't spend too much money, they don't have to worry about homework. If they have problems, then they ask mom or they ask dad, I don't have anyone." Sasuke stood as he saw the younger boy shake. "I have plastered a smile on my face for fifteen damn years and hid what I thought! All I want to do is be here, for my grandma, to remember the happier time, to remember what it was like to be loved." Sasuke's heart wrenched at the sight of tears rolling down the boys face. "Is that so much to ask?" he choked. Sasuke pulled the smaller boy into a hug as the younger one cried, gripping his shirt, soaking it through. "Why is it so hard!? Why does life hate me!?" he sobbed through the shirt.

"Shhh, life doesn't hate you."

"Yes it does!"

"Naruto…" he pulled the boy away from his chest, leading him over to a bench nearby, "Life doesn't hate you. The gods have made everything happen for a reason. You're not hated." Sasuke pulled Naruto to his side, running his fingers through his fingers. "If all they stuff hadn't happen you never would have come to my door step, you never would have taken lessons and learned to play this instrument that your grandmother loved…" Naruto sniffed. "I want you to move in with me."

Naruto looked at the man baffled, "What?!"

"You're landlady and I talked it over and she thinks that it would be for the best. It solves your practice problems and for living arrangements. Plus…" Sasuke smiled, "You will be able to work for me better if you live there."

Naruto laughed slightly, "I suppose, is it really okay?"

Sasuke nodded. "I haven't been fifteen for a while, but I think that I should be able to keep you under control…" he smiled. He felt small arms wrap around his waist.

"Thank you Uchiha-sensei. Thank you so much!" Sasuke smiled, stroking the boy's hair as he ignored his beating heart. "No problem Naruto. Now let's go home."

III

"Welcome home."

It was all Sasuke could get out before he was tackled by the blond.

Welcome home was all he could get out as the man walked through the suite and placed his instrument at the door.

He felt harsh lips on his. He wrapped his arms around the blonde's shoulders as Naruto worked to get both their shirts open.

"Welcome home is all you can say? No praise for a job well done?" he said in between kisses.

Sasuke moaned as the man ripped off his shirt, kissing down his neck and chest. "You get enough praise; you don't need it from me…"

"Sure I do. Everyone needs praise."

Sasuke moaned as he kissed his last rib. "You're not getting any-any from me."

"Well…if I get no praise from you in the whole 'violin soloist role,' then perhaps there is another one of my talents that you can praise." He grinned. "Let's see if we can make you scream like a girl…" Sasuke heard the unzipping of his pants before he landed in a world of euphoria.