A/N: sorry this chapter is so short! I just wanted to make clear parts of the arrangement Naruto signed. I've had a lot of comments saying how they wished Naruto had punched Nagato which made me smile! I would have loved to written that in but I'm trying to show that Naruto is still has a fearful mentality. In future though I will definitely keep that in mind!

…..

The apartment Naruto and Sakura had walked into wasn't small but it wasn't big either. It was cosy though. The kitchen was small but the living room was a pretty reasonable size that could fit Sakura's lounge furniture and dining table in with room to spare. The bedrooms were partially furnished which Naruto was thankful for considering he only had his suitcase to bring with him and he would rather not try to convince Nagato to hand over a spare bed from his old house. There were two bathrooms, one connected to the lounge and the other, slightly smaller one attached to one of the rooms. The walls were a light cream colour with wooden trimmings around the window and the floors matching. Naruto could appreciate a wooden floor because in his mind they were far easier to clean.

"This is it, this is the one Naruto!" Sakura squealed as she poked her head behind each door. "And the price is pretty reasonable to!"

"Are you sure about this Sakura? I mean, this place is the best one we've seen but if you're not one hundred percent sure then we can keep looking" Naruto agreed with Sakura though. The price was just above what they wanted to pay but he didn't think they would find any better. It was close to the hospital where Sakura worked and was only a ten minute walk to the shelter. Naruto would still have to drive to get to his job but he was use to that anyway. What stood out most to Naruto though was the security of the complex the apartment was in. It had a code at the front door and one for the garage; along with this there were camera's set up that had a guard watching over at the front desk. Right now Naruto felt he would be happy with anything as long as he could feel safe.

"Yes! This place is perfect, as long as I get the bedroom with the bathroom" she sent him a side glance to judge his reaction. Of course she would want that bedroom.

"There's more sun in the other room which suits me" he smiled back. Even if he did want the room with the bathroom he wasn't prepared to fight Sakura over it. He had spent the past few weeks taking note of how long she hogged the bathroom at her old apartment and the clutter was like a bomb filled with beauty products had exploded. Compared to that all Naruto had was a comb, tooth brush and a bit of soap for the shower.

"Then it's settled!" she clapped her hands and bounced over to the real estate agent that had let them in to inspect the place. Naruto took this time to look around properly and felt a calmness wash over him. He had missed living in places like this, it helped ground him and remember his roots. Flashy mansions filled with expensive furniture and art had always made him feel out of place and uncomfortable but here, in a place like this he knew he would be able to relax and rebuild his life. "Naruto! You need to come sign"

"So the bond is two weeks rent and another two weeks in advance and you both will be locked into a six month contract that will be possible to renew for a longer period If you see fit" the agent smiled at them, relief sketched onto the exhausted man's face. Naruto didn't blame him for he felt the same way. They had seen at least ten other properties today and he was starting to feel nothing would meet Sakura's expectations.

"Are you okay with that?" Sakura asked warily as Naruto scrawled down his mark on the contract. He nodded quickly, sure it would take up his savings but he did have a steady income coming in to cover every cost after that. Gaara had also made sure that Naruto created a new bank account under his name and switch his salary payments to be paid into it as Gaara feared Nagato would cut off Naruto's access to their joint account. He had been right, Naruto had tried to make a withdrawal a few days ago and was told his card had been frozen. Thankfully he had managed to take out his savings and transfer it before that had happened.

"When do you to think you will be able to move in? As you can see the previous tenants have already left so it is available to be occupied right away" Naruto decided to leave that decision up to Sakura since it would be mostly her belongings that they would need to move.

"Next weekend, we work during the week so that's the only free time we will have and it gives me time to sort out a moving truck" The agent nodded and handed them their copy of the contract.

"That should be no problem, come down to the office during the week to pick up the keys" they followed the man out of the building and thanked him one last time before making their way to Gaara's. He had rung in the morning saying that he had gone over the agreement Naruto had signed and needed to discuss it with him. Sakura had instead that she would come with him.

"Should we pick up dinner on the way? I know it's a bit early but I'm starving!" Naruto gave her a weak smile. He didn't particularly feel hungry, which was a new experience for him but he was nervous.

"Let's just order in, I'm sure Gaara won't mind" They sat in silence, Naruto driving and Sakura looking at the buildings going by.

…..

Gaara lived in a relatively upmarket area in town. It suited him though Naruto thought. It was an area where men of business such as lawyers resided, almost like a bachelor situation but without the influx of girls. The people who lived in the area were workaholics and Gaara's place represented that. It was a clean apartment but case files we splayed out over most flat surfaces to make up for the slight emptiness of the place. When Gaara opened the door Naruto noted how tired he looked.

"You didn't stay up all night working on this did you?" he frowned, inspecting the bags under his friend's eyes. It wasn't unusual to see the dark sacks but Naruto hated to think they were their because of him.

"No, I've just got a lot of cases going on at the moment and trying to keep up with them all is taking a toll on me" They sat down at the breakfast bar which was the only surface not covered in paper and Gaara poured each of them a drink. "How's work at the hospital Sakura? Temari said it's been quite hectic"

"It's alright, the weather has been causing a higher intake but were managing" Temari was Gaara's older sister. She was a hard arse that made sure to keep her family in line and also the hospital's head physiotherapist.

"Good, I've order some food for us, I hope you guys don't mind but I haven't eaten all day" Gaara sat down next to them and hunched his shoulders forwards in a relaxed manor.

"Neither have we, somebody…spent the entire day dragging me around apartments without a break" Sakura poked her tongue out at the cheeky blonde. "Let's get this bullshit out of the way first though, I'd rather not let it ruin dinner"

"Ah, yes…" Gaara shifted uncomfortably and Naruto felt his body stiffen. "It's not exactly…bad"

"Just spit it out" Sakura growled, her mood changing in an instance.

"Well it's pretty straight forward" Gaara reached over the counter and grabbed the intrusive agreement. "The first few clauses basically just state that Naruto will attend events that prick sees as important and that he is expected to be there on time and dressed appropriately but there are two parts that make me…worried"

"Is it the dating clause?" Sakura questioned "Because I've already found a way around that"

"Trust you to find a way Sakura. It's the repercussions that I'm worried about though. It states that if Naruto enters into any relations that he must accept all responsibility and the agreement will be forfeited" Naruto was confused, he had already assumed that would be the case. If you made an agreement and broke the rules then of course that agreement would be broken. "It's basically saying that publicly you will accept the failure of your marriage and hold all blame…it leaves Nagato as the good guy and you'll be hung out to dry"

"I guess that makes sense, I mean they just want Nagato to have a good image right? so taking the sympathetic route works in their favour…" To say it made Naruto uncomfortable was an understatement. He knew he was right for leaving Nagato, the man had mentally and physically abused him but placing the blame on him in the public eye for infidelity didn't sit right to him. He felt like it was sweeping the real issue aside when he was supposed to be someone who stood up against violence. If he shouldered the blame he was agreeing to be a part of a culture of victim blaming and that went against his personal and professional morals.

"That's not all" Gaara handed a page to Naruto and he pointed to the middle of it. Naruto skim read it and his face fell. "By signing this you've agree to be seen in public with him outside events to avoid suspicion towards your marriage"

"I can't…" Naruto didn't think he could cope being alone with his husband. Sure put him in a room full of people that he could easily use to keep a distance between them and he would be fine. To have to be alone with him, even if it was in public made his hands feel clammy with fear.

"You don't have to do this Naruto, you still have a choice" Sakura grabbed his hand in an attempt to comfort him. "Everyone will understand, we will find a way to buy the shelter ourselves"

"If we buy the shelter it was be considered privately owned…our government funding will be cut" Naruto wanted to regret his decision but if he was honest with himself he didn't. He knew what was important and for the sake of children the shelter was helping or could help in the future he would endure the agreement. He would just have to make sure Nagato understood he wasn't going to be pushed around. "Let's not talk about this anymore, Sakura and I have signed the lease on a new apartment so let's spend the night celebrating!"

….