Pain's Stoic Pleasures
Chapter Seventeen: Forever Home Free

Tsunade looked down at the unconscious form of Sasuke. The boy had really managed to overdo it this time. He had been so worried about Naruto that he had forgotten to do the simple things like eating well or sleeping. It was sweet that his worry for her grandson extended so far. Still, she mused as she injected a nutrient supplement into his arm via IV, he should know better than this when it comes to his health. He wouldn't be much used to Naruto if he was dead, after all.

She looked over at the other bed in the room. Naruto lay still and peaceful beneath the white sheets. Tsunade could feel her anger growing at the late Orochimaru. If Sasuke hadn't killed him, she most definitely would have. The young blonde began to stire beneath his covers. His eyes opened slowly, scanning the room impassively. He turned towards Tsunade, surprised to see Sasuke in the bed next to him.

"What happened to him?" he wanted to know.

Tsunade smiled softly. "He was worried about you and managed to run himself into the ground. He forgot to eat or sleep and finally just collapse though. He'll be fine after he's rested."

Naruto nodded, if only because he knew he was supposed to make some sort of reply. In truth, the news was processing very slowly. Tsunade watched him, almost seeing the information strive to make some sort of sense. She was glad she hadn't mentioned Sasuke's mental distress. She wasn't sure that Naruto would understand. She grimaced as she stepped around Sasuke's bed. Even though his condition wasn't bad enough to warrant being in the ICU, Tsunade had put him in bed in here. She figuring he would want to be near Naruto.

Speaking of which… she turned to Naruto with a grave expression on her face. "Naruto, I have something very important to tell you."

The blonde looked at her solemnly.

"You have a deadly heart disease. It's too far along for us to be able to do anything about it. I'm sorry."

Naruto looked at her, nothing but shock in his eyes. "I-I'm going to die?" he stumbled over the question.

"Yes."

"How long?"

"There is no way to tell. Probably less than a year."

Naruto nodded and turned onto his side, back facing Tsunade. He wanted to get away from the knowledge, but he was careful not to injure his shoulder further. He lay there, curled almost within himself, chewing on his bottom lip furiously. He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to face it.

He was going to die! How could one cope with that? Sasuke wouldn't want him around if he couldn't do anything… if he was dying. He was dying! Why would anyone want to take care of him? Promises only existed for the healthy. Once someone became sick, no one cared anymore. He knew that. It was why he had been careful about his health for years. He never even had a cold.

"What do I do now?" he whispered.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Where will I go?" Naruto bit out brokenly, barely aware he was speaking. "No one wants to take care of a sick whore."

Tsunade blew out an exasperated breath. "You could always stay with me, if you want."

Naruto finally sat up, turning only his head to face her. He would have turned completely on the other side if not for his shoulder. He had a hard look in his eyes. "Why would you do that?"

The doctor pursed her lips together. It was now or never. "Because you are my grandson. If I didn't offer you a place, then I might as well throw what family values I have left out the window."

There was a pause before, "You're related to me?"

Tsunade nodded.

The young man's face twisted into a glare. "Then where the fuck have you been all my life?" He gritted his teeth together.

"Searching for you!" she snapped. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down. "If you must know."

"Y-you've been searching for me?" he asked. She nodded.

Out of habit, Tsunade took a glance at the clock on the wall.

"Dammit," she growled. "I have other patients to attend to." She made her way to the door, almost exiting before turning back to Naruto. "Remember. My door will always be open to you."

Naruto nodded as he watched her leave. He definitely had a lot to think about.

It had been a few hours before Sasuke finally awoke. He yawned loudly, breaking Naruto out of his thoughts.

"Hey, Naruto," he greeted when he realized what must have happened. "How are you?"

Naruto ignored the question. He didn't even look at Sasuke. "Did you know that the doctor lady was my grandma?"

Sasuke blinked, not fully grasping what was being said. "What do you mean?"

"She told me she was my grandma," he explained. "Isn't that funny? She said I could live with her if I want."

"Do you want to?" Sasuke asked, ignoring the clutching feeling in his chest at the thought of losing the blonde. There were no guarantees he could keep the boy safe, or make him happy. The past occurrences were proof of that.

"I don't know."

"Why not?"

"It doesn't seem right."

"Really."

Naruto nodded. "I'll have to think about it." In his mind, he wanted Sasuke to offer, to give him hope.

Instead, Sasuke nodded thoughtfully. Naruto did his best to keep his plummeting mood off his face. He couldn't let Sasuke know how hurt he was by the fact that the boy obviously didn't want him.

"It's your choice, I suppose," Sasuke murmured, almost inaudibly. He got up from his bed and walked over to Naruto's.

"What was that?" Naruto asked, having not heard what the dark-haired man had said.

Sasuke looked over at the boy. How long had they known each other? It had just been a little over a month since Neji had approached Sasuke and Naruto had come into his life. A little over two weeks since he realized how much the blonde had meant to him.

Did these things always happen within such little time?

"Get some sleep," Sasuke told him, ruffling the golden locks of hair.

Naruto stared at him suspiciously, but he was tired and it would be nice to sleep. It wasn't long before the blonde had closed his eyes and his breathing evened out.

Sasuke shook his head and left the hospital room, walking down the sterile halls until he reached the front entrance. He stepped outside. It was cold. The chilly October air penetrated his skin. He didn't mind though.

He would need to figure out a way to keep Naruto safe. That was his biggest worry. Orochimaru was not a threat, but his brother was. Even if Orochimaru had still been alive, Sasuke probably would be worrying about what Itachi would be doing more. His brother could be quite evil if he wanted to be.

The bad part was that he normally wanted to be.

Haku appeared at Sasuke's elbow, having followed the young man out of the hospital.

"I hear you haven't asked Naruto to live with you," he murmured quietly.

Sasuke sighed. "I want to make sure it's safe first."

"And how can you do that?"

"By making sure Itachi doesn't interfere."

Haku nodded thoughtfully. "That's a tricky situation."

Sasuke could only agree.

It was less than two hours later that they arrived at this place. Sasuke took a deep breath as he stared up at the mansion before him. This was it. He couldn't associate with the man inside anymore. He couldn't bring himself to call that man "brother" any longer. Not after all that had happened. He would break out from under the man's hold. He realized now that he should have done it years ago. Still, for the safety of himself and of Naruto, he would do it now.

"Sasuke?" a voice beside him asked. The young Uchiha turned to see Haku and Zabuza standing there. It had been Haku who had spoken. "Are you ready?"

Sasuke could only nod. The three of them entered the mansion warily. They were greeted by Itachi's chief of security.

"Sasuke-kun," Kisame said as he approached them. "This is a surprise. We weren't expecting you."

"I need to speak with Itachi," he growled. "Where is he?"

"Itach-san is away on business," the man responded. "You'll have to wait for him to get back from his meeting."

Sasuke looked at the man in front of him levelly. Not one emotion played on his face except the arrogance expected of him in situations such as these. "We three shall wait in his office, then."

"I-"

"Is there a problem with that? He is my brother after all. I should think that I should be able to wait in his office, especially when it pertains to business matters."

"I-"

"Please tell Itachi when he gets here that I would like to meet with him."

"But-"

"Good day."

Without waiting for any sort of reply, Sasuke shoved past his way past. Kisame stared after him, fuming. Still, that was Itachi's brother and as such, Kisame could not and would not lay a hand on him.

The three visitors reached the office without any more interruptions. When Sasuke closed the door behind, Haku began to laugh.

"That was wonderful, Sasuke!" he let out between his snickers. Even Zabuza had the ghost of a proud smile on his lips. Sasuke shrugged.

"You two seem to forget that I am a businessman, even though I'm still in high school," he grumbled softly, remembering that it had been a while since he had been to school. Not since Naruto had been taken by that pedophile. He thought about how the school would react to him just reappearing soon. He supposed they wouldn't mind. He was ahead of his class, already owned his own business, and could easily get a college degree. He shook his head. His teachers probably wouldn't mind, and the school had most likely been let out because of Orochimaru's death.

He didn't regret it in the least. After his initial breakdown when he looked at Naruto a mere two days beforehand, he hadn't revisited the idea. Killing Orochimaru was the right thing to do. For himself, for Naruto, for the world. If they didn't agree with him, then they didn't have to.

Besides, no police had come after him yet, so he supposed that was a good thing. Maybe someone had intervened.

The raven-haired teenager was roused from his thoughts by his brother entering the office. Itachi was the perfect example of a businessman. His gray suit was pressed, preventing any wrinkles; his shoes were polished; his tie was straight and his hair in a ponytail at the base of his neck. Sasuke was always taken about whenever he saw his brother's pristine appearance.

Maybe it was just because he couldn't get past the fact that Itachi used to hate suits and now barely wore anything else.

"Sasuke, what a surprise," Itachi murmured silkily. He nodded at Sasuke's subordinates. "Zabuza. Haku. A pleasure, as always."

Zabuza nodded back in much the same fashion and Haku offered Itachi the tiniest hint of a smile. He couldn't get the fact that Itachi had ordered Orochimaru to take Naruto away, so he couldn't even act as though nothing had happened.

Zabuza's hand slipped into Haku's, giving it a gentle squeeze. Surprised, Haku looked up at his boyfriend. The man was allowing a tiny hint of affection in his eyes. The younger man couldn't help but smile softly in return.

Sasuke didn't notice the interlude between Haku and Zabuza. He was too busy trying to figure out the best way to approach the situation. He knew what he wanted to say - he just needed to think of a diplomatic way of getting it.

"Itachi, I have a request for you," the boy said in a firm, authoritative tone. He could feel his palms sweating, and he tried to be discreet about wiping them on his pants. He didn't know why he was so nervous. This was his older brother. He shouldn't be this nervous.

Itachi had raised him though, albeit badly, he still owed it to his brother that he was alive. He was standing here in order to completely sever connections with his brother and that was a large step for him.

For Naruto, he thought to himself, swallowing nervously. He was acting as though this was his first speech in front of business associates. It had been three years since then.

Itachi sat down at his desk, turning to face Sasuke. "Yes?" he prompted slowly, folding his hands in front of him.

Sasuke gritted his teeth. He needed to do this. He would do this. Naruto depended on him.

"Itachi, my request is that you remove your influence from my property and my companies and never step foot in my manor again. I do not want you in my life anymore."

Itachi's eyes widened slightly. It was the only indication of surprise that Sasuke got. "And why would that be, little brother?" he asked softly.

"You have interfered in my affairs, you arranged to have one of my close associates kidnapped and while doing so, injured one of my servants," Sasuke bit out, a bit more harshly than he meant to. "I believe that is sufficient reason to want you to remove your claws from my life."

There was a heavy silence in the room. Sasuke could feel the nervous sweat on the back of his neck, making the hairs stand on end. He took a deep breath and continued.

"If you do not do this, then I will bring you up on the charges that I just listed, as well as assault, rape and associating with criminals," he threatened.

Itachi's eyes narrowed. This was a route that he never anticipated Sasuke taking. "And what about how you murdered Orochimaru? Do you not think that I could threaten you with that?"

"I will take responsibility for my actions, should it come to that. However, even if I am in jail, you will be as well, thereby still assisting my needs. I hope that we can settle this peaceably, in which we never speak again, except on business terms. Is that all right?"

Itachi was silent for a while. He reviewed the situation. Sasuke had found himself a nearly foolproof argument, and the boy wasn't afraid to go to jail. Then again, being proficient in several forms of martial arts, and an expert in a few more, Sasuke would have no fear of the jail. If anything, the only fear he should anticipate of that place would be boredom. Once Sasuke showed that he could take care of himself, then no one would bother him.

The red-eyed man smiled. That was an interesting prospect. He was about to disagree to the terms, just to see what would happen, but decided against it at the last minute. If he and Sasuke both ended up in jail, the Uchiha businesses would fall to nothingness.

"Fine. Your terms are agreeable."

Sasuke held out his hand to Haku, who was digging around in his briefcase.

"Here you are," he said as he handed a few pieces of paper to Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded to him. "Thank you, Haku," he replied before walking over to the desk. He placed the papers – a contract – onto the table and handed Itachi a pen.

"Just sign here. If you violate these actions, then I will have you brought up on charges," he warned.

It was a simple restraining order around the members of his household, the manor itself, and his businesses but he felt the need to do this in order to keep Itachi far away.

He just hoped that it would work.

Itachi picked up the pen, reviewed the paperwork and hastily signed the papers, handing them back to Sasuke.

"Thank you, Itachi," Sasuke let out. "Goodbye."

With that said, Sasuke and his subordinates turned and began to exit. They had almost made it to the door when Itachi called out after them.

"Sasuke, an answer first, before you leave to never grace my doorstep again."

Sasuke turned to face his older brother. "Yes?"

"Why are you doing this?"

A smirk crossed the younger Uchiha's face as he squared his shoulders confidently. "For reasons you will never understand," he said and exited. He fervently hoped that these would be the last words that he would ever have to speak to his brother.

Itachi stared after him and sighed softly.

Sasuke felt like he couldn't breathe until he had gotten into the car and Zabuza had begun to drive away.

Haku was sitting next to Sasuke. "Are you all right?" he asked softly, draping an arm over the boy's shoulders. Sasuke couldn't respond for several minutes. He didn't know if he was alright.

He was numb, for lack of better word. He couldn't feel anything. He curled into Haku's side like a child looking for the warmth of family. He knew his family was Haku, Zabuza and Naruto. He knew that, but… he couldn't let go of Itachi that easily either.

For all of the bad that Itachi had put him through, for all of the traumatic moments that he had seen because of his older brother, there had been another side to the older Uchiha. That side had taken Sasuke to the zoo when he didn't know what a beaver looked like. That side had bought Sasuke his first horse because he didn't know how to ride. That side had curled up with Sasuke when Sasuke had wanted to watch a movie, making snide comments.

That was the side his brother never showed to anyone but Sasuke.

The younger Uchiha knew that he was going to miss that side. He felt like an orphan. He had just completely disowned the only family he had left. He could feel the tears threatening to spill over. It would be one thing if Itachi was dead, but he wasn't – he just wasn't the older brother that Sasuke could respect anymore.

Sasuke snuggled more into Haku's side, not even realizing what he was doing. Haku smiled down at the boy, rubbing soothing circles in his employer's back. He chuckled when Sasuke began to curl into Haku. It was almost like having a child next to him. A large child, but a child nonetheless.

He carefully pet Sasuke's hair as the boy drifted off to sleep. His eyes met with Zabuza's in the rear-view mirror and both smiled a little bit.

Somehow, they knew that Sasuke would be okay. The two of them, and Naruto, would be here for him, so that he could realize that family doesn't always have to be blood.

The rest of the car ride was silent except for the soft snores of the slumbering Sasuke.

When they arrived back at the hospital, Haku gently shook his friend awake. "Sasuke, come on, wake up," he whispered to the boy. Sasuke groaned and mumbled something incoherently. Haku grinned and shook his friend hardly.

"Up, boy! Up!" he finally shouted.

Sasuke snapped his eyes open, glaring at Haku before realizing that his head was on Haku's leg. A deep blush settled over his features and he quickly sat up.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Haku just laughed merrily. "No bother, Sasuke-chan," Haku teased. "Now come on, let's go visit Naruto."

Sasuke nodded sleepily and undid the seatbelt, following Haku out of the limousine.

It wasn't long before they made it to Naruto's room. Tsunade was walking out of the room when they approached.

"He's asleep right now, but he's doing fine. I think it'll only a day or two before we can release him," she explained with a smile. "He's recovering quite nicely. Just, when he does leave, make sure you take good care of him. I'll be dropping by once a week in order to check up on him, and you."

"Me?" Sasuke asked softly.

Tsunade nodded. "After all, you worry about him a lot. It's good for him. Good for you, too, but in the long run, you're going to want to be able to sleep and eat on occasion."

Sasuke flushed. He had forgotten about that short time when he hadn't because of Naruto. Tsunade laughed, a clear sound that reassured Sasuke that he was doing the right thing.

"May I see him?" he asked.

"Yes, of course."

The Uchiha turned to Haku and Zabuza. "Please wait out here," he pleaded with them. He needed his alone time with the blonde.

The two servants nodded. "Of course, Sasuke-chan!" Haku let out, not perturbed at all by the slight glare that Sasuke sent his way before he entered the room.

Sasuke looked at the sleeping form of his Naruto. He reached out, running a hand over the boy's face. He started at the golden hair, down across the soft eyelids, tracing his nose next. His finger lingered on the boy's lips, memorizing their shape and softness before he moved onto the jaw line. He smiled, taking his hand back. Naruto still hadn't asked to come home with Sasuke. The raven-haired boy hadn't actually offered either. He wasn't sure how the boy would react. He had the chance at true freedom now. He wouldn't want to stay with Sasuke, of all people.

The Uchiha sighed and opened the book that Haku had brought him a few days back. He was only a little way through it, not being able to keep his thoughts on the characters for very long. Not when he was sitting next to Naruto.

It was a short while later when he noticed those cerulean orbs were open. "Hey, you," he greeted.

"Hi," Naruto replied, smiling up at Sasuke.

They fell into a comfortable silence. Neither really knew what to say and both were waiting for the other to speak first. It was Naruto that finally broke the silence.

"Those chairs don't look too comfortable," the blonde commented.

"They aren't," Sasuke informed him.

"If it's so uncomfortable, why are you sitting there?"

Sasuke leaned back, putting his book down. He was trying to figure out how to respond to that. "Because I care," he mumbled after a moment. He could feel his face heating up until he could have sworn he looked like some kind of red mutant.

"You… care?" Naruto repeated, almost as if he didn't believe him.

"You thought I didn't?" Sasuke shot back.

Naruto ducked his head. His hands clenched the hospital sheets until his knuckles were white. "I… I just… it's…" he stuttered.

Sasuke stared at him for a moment before shaking his head. "It doesn't matter. Yes, I care." It was so much easier saying these things the second time around.

"I…" Naruto went silent.

Sasuke scooted forward on the plastic of the chair. "Tell me."

Naruto shook his head. "It's nothing."

The other boy leaned over the bed, one hand on either side of Naruto's frail body. "Please tell me?"

Naruto blushed at their close proximity. "It's stupid."

"Then don't make a big deal out of it and tell me already."

"I wasn't…" With a sigh, Naruto gave in. "You didn't ask," he said flatly.

Sasuke was puzzled. "Ask what?"

"Ask me to move in with you," Naruto said, almost inaudibly.

Sasuke laughed, resting his head against Naruto's good shoulder. When his chuckles subsided, he didn't move. He didn't feel like it would be right for him to look at Naruto right now. Besides, it felt so good to be this close to the other boy.

"I didn't want you to feel obligated, especially after you found out about Tsunade. Besides, you could have asked."

"It'd've been rude."

Sasuke snickered, but soon stopped with a sigh. There was a moment of silence before he whispered haltingly, "Do you… do you want to come live with me?"

"Yes," the blonde responded immediately. "If it's no trouble and you don't mind."

Sasuke finally glanced up at Naruto, hesitating for a second before pressing his lips firmly against the blonde's. He pulled away after a moment.

"I'd love you to, Uzumaki Naruto." The underlying message didn't even need to be said.

Naruto blushed when he understood. "A-and that'll be my home?"

"For as long as you with to stay," Sasuke informed him with a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Home forever, then. Forever!"

Sasuke allowed the smile to come fully into being as he stole another kiss from the younger boy. "Forever," he echoed softly.

Sasuke looked at Naruto with a small smile on his face. Two days had passed since he had promised Naruto forever.

"They said you could leave today," he told the smaller boy.

Naruto nodded. The nurse had told him that only a few hours before. He felt healthy at the moment, almost invincible with the knowledge that he'd be able to leave this sterile building, even though his arm was still in a sling. He had been told by his grandmother – that title still sent shivers down his spine – that he had to wear the sling for at least a month, possibly more. Naruto didn't really mind, though. He would've been happy in a wheelchair, so long as he was able to leave this place.

"From now, I'll take you wherever you want to go, Naruto," Sasuke was saying as he held Naruto's good hand. Naruto couldn't escape from Sasuke's intense onyx gaze, which was even darker due to the sweltering of emotions. "I'll teach you anything. I'll take do anything for you. Just please… stay with me." The boy looked exceeding embarrassed to be sprouting these words, but the sincerity was still there.

Naruto looked at him strangely before a broad grin worked its way across his face. "Okay."

Sasuke would never be able to express how happy he felt by hearing just that one word. He leaned forward and gently kissed Naruto. The blonde was giving him the most brilliant smile when he pulled back.

Is this love? Naruto asked himself. I really hope so because I don't think anything cpould be better than this.

Sasuke was smiling at him – him! – and he couldn't help feeling as though he were the luckiest man on Earth.

"So, Naruto, where do you want to go?" Sasuke asked. He had been serious earlier when he had said that he would take Naruto wherever the boy desired to go.

Naruto turned to the window with a thoughtful expression on his face. When he turned back to Sasuke, he was still solemn. "Home," he breathed, barely above a whisper.

Sasuke smiled, squeezing Naruto's hand reassuringly. "I think I can arrange that.

It's out of my hands
This was never my plan
But I guess since it's here
I'll stay strong where I stand
I reach for the quiet...I live on what's left

Ego Likeness, I Live on What's Left

Author's Note:

After two years and two months with this story, I can finally say it's completed. Like I promised, I gave a happy ending. Well, I consider it happy. I loved writing this story. I honestly adored writing this story. The characters took my idea and they went haywire with it. I'm sad to see it end, but I know that it's past time for me to finish this. And I'm glad and thankful for all of my reviewers, and especially for those who still read this.

I enjoyed this ride more than many of my others. I put more into the story here, I managed to write it well, instead of just on whim.

I really don't know what to say about it. I don't think there is anything I can say that isn't already written in the story itself.

I hope all of you enjoyed this story as much as I did.

Cheers.

Kyuubi-kun