Flowers and trees of almost every shade surrounded him. The sun reflected off of them and created a scene that reminded Naruto of the pristine oil paintings situated on walls of galleries; flawless and serene and utterly beautiful. He gave a deep sigh and rested his head on the tree that he was sitting against; the burning flame in the sky warmed his face and very slightly calmed the turmoil he felt within.

It had been a few days now since he had told Itachi about the extent of the abuse inflicted upon him by Mizuki and truthfully, he was still shaken. Although the man had been extremely calm and collected, reassuring Naruto that it was okay and that he could never hurt the blond again, talking about every kick, every punch, every assault that he had taken in graphic detail was rather disconcerting. Naruto was strong though. That was what Itachi had said and if the Uchiha believed so wholeheartedly in Naruto's ability to survive, then Naruto would also believe that he had the ability to push forward, no matter how hard it would be.

Now it was all a waiting game. Itachi had recorded the interview and had given it to his superiors as evidence before immersing himself in finding a suitable new guardian for Naruto and this time the Uchiha swore he would find someone who would nurture and care for the blond as he was supposed to and deserved to be cared for. There were no words that Naruto could give to describe the absolute gratitude he held for what both the Uchiha brothers had done for him. They had taken him away from the pain, given him the means to rescue himself and leave behind the part of his life that he loathed; more importantly though they had given Naruto warmth, friendship and love; which, at the beginning, was not something he would even consider associating with the name Uchiha.

As Naruto moved his hands from his lap to run them along the smooth grass by his sides, his thoughts began to drift to Sasuke and his brows furrowed slightly.

They had not spoken about what had taken place as Sasuke had cleaned Naruto's wounds a few days ago, it almost seemed like Sasuke had been avoiding the topic completely, changing the subject as soon as Naruto started to bring it up in their conversations. It was beginning to hurt. Did Sasuke not see Naruto as good enough? Perhaps it was just a fluke and something that Sasuke had tried to do in the moment. Perhaps Sasuke did not reciprocate Naruto's feelings. Perhaps the raven was secretly trying to hint at them just staying friends rather than becoming something more.

It was infuriatingly confusing.

Naruto sighed heavily in irritation at not knowing just what Sasuke was thinking, just what Sasuke was feeling. The emotions that coiled up within him upon seeing Sasuke were so intense that Naruto didn't believe he could keep them to himself any longer; they reminded him of a sparkler on the darkest of nights, sizzling to life and burning so bright that their flare could be seen for miles. He didn't believe any physical pain that he had endured could compare to the sharp agony in his gut that coursed through him upon thinking that Sasuke did not return his adoration.

Engrossed so deeply in his own thoughts, Naruto did not sense another person approaching his area beneath the tree until they were standing beside him.

"I should have known you'd be out here," Sasuke said, "I brought you lunch." Extending a pale arm forward, Naruto only just registered the fact that Sasuke was holding two bowls and upon taking one from the raven he noticed it contained ramen.

"Thanks!" Naruto grinned trying to conceal the battle that raged inside of his head and his heart whenever he was in Sasuke's presence, before tucking into his favourite meal.

Sasuke rolled his eyes softly at the blond's reaction to the particular food and then sat down beside him, eating his own ramen at a much slower and more elegant pace than Naruto did. He had been meaning to speak to the blond boy for some time now, yet did not know how to approach the topic, nor did Sasuke want Naruto to feel pressured due to the slightly vulnerable state he was in at the moment, from leaving his old life behind; watching Naruto bask in the morning sun, from the kitchen window, as his hair glinted like golden nuggets and crystal eyes closed in contentment, had made Sasuke's decision for him. Even if Naruto did not feel the same or did not feel ready to have a relationship with him, he needed to at least inform the blond of how he was feeling. It scolded him to the very core whenever Naruto walked by and he felt an overwhelming desire to protect the blond from any more harm the world was willing to inflict on him. Keeping the emotions to himself was almost unbearable for Sasuke and very unlike him. Normally the younger Uchiha was blunt and sharp, almost the point where he disregarded people's emotions, not batting an eyelash in response to the hurt they felt afterwards. That was just his nature; however, somehow Naruto had managed to completely destroy all sense of normality and conviction Sasuke once held, worming his way so neatly inside Sasuke's walls that they crumpled to dust whenever he uttered a single word. For Sasuke it was maddening and unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

Feeling eyes on him, Sasuke shifted his gaze to the side and locked eyes with vibrant blue; Naruto had finished his ramen noodles and was looking at Sasuke with a strange expression that the raven could not place, his eyebrows were slightly furrowed and his lips were pursed. If Naruto had not looked so serious, Sasuke would have been amused at the expression that graced his features. Instead he raised a perfect dark brow and placed his bowl to the side.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

Naruto looked away at Sasuke's question and the crease between his eyebrows only deepened and his teeth began to nibble at his bottom lip.

A pause.

"I-I just wanted to apologize…about the other day." Naruto began hesitantly. "It was my fault, I shouldn't have tried to – you know – and it's totally okay if you don't like me like that! I can understand if it was an in the moment thing..." he trailed off, mumbling the last parts of his sentence as his face burned from the stare he felt coming from the raven. Naruto had no idea how Sasuke was going to react and he could not even bring himself to look at him after implying, within his statement, that he held feelings for Sasuke.

Sasuke stared blankly at the blond for a couple of seconds before realizing that he was not going to look up. "Naruto." He said, smoothly; willing the blond to raise his eyes once again and as Naruto did, quite reluctantly, Sasuke regarded his face for a moment, taking in the flush on his cheeks and the uncertainty within his eyes.

"It wasn't an in the moment thing, as you put it." Sasuke stated, trying desperately to mask the humiliating flutter of his heart before asking a question of his own. "Do you? Like me, that is." His face gave nothing away as he asked Naruto the question that had been twisting and turning and burrowing through his mind since he had first met the blond, he did not even allow the embarrassment he felt to show in his facial expressions, after it was spoken in the open air.

Shifting uncomfortably at being asked such a direct question, Naruto's cheeks only burned brighter as he weighed his options; he could outright lie and tell Sasuke that it was completely ridiculous to even think that Naruto felt that way, he could brush it aside with a grin and tell Sasuke he only thought of him as the Bastard he was and in the process protect himself from any rejection that may come from his confession. However, Naruto did not want to do that, on the off chance that Sasuke did return his affections he could not bear hurting the boy that had done so much for him and he needed to let Sasuke know, needed to tell him everything, even if it did not turn out as he so wished, Sasuke would understand, right? He had to.

"Yeah…" Naruto murmured as he raised his hand to the back of his neck and tried to deal with the awkwardness that followed his answer. "Do you?" he asked Sasuke quietly, his gaze once again shifted to the floor, waiting anxiously for the obvious 'no' that was about to escape the ravens perfectly sculpted lips. He was prepared, he would be able to move on eventually, he had to, there wa-

"I do." Sasuke said softly, the arrogant undertone that was usually present in his voice had completely dissipated and Naruto's eyes widened in shock at his reply before locking gazes with the raven once more; Sasuke sounded open, honest and downright vulnerable. It was a tone Naruto had only heard once when Sasuke was supporting him in the hospital. His heart thumped violently in his chest and a warm smile began to spread across his face at the realization that Sasuke, Sasuke liked him back.

Naruto felt his heart explode as a pale hand hesitantly reached out and entwined its fingers with his own tanned ones; he could not even comprehend how quickly his life had changed, gone from a hopeless, endless black abyss of agony to one perfect moment with one perfect boy by his side, helping him along. This was what happiness felt like, he was sure.

Dark eyes glanced down at their connected hands and for a moment he regarded them with serenity before he remembered exactly why he had been looking for Naruto in the first place; Sasuke did not want to spoil the picture perfect moment, however Naruto needed to know where he was going to be staying from now on.

"Naruto," Sasuke said as he looked up at the blond, "Itachi told me to tell you that he found two people who want to adopt you and he thinks it would be a good idea for you to go and meet them this week."

Naruto's blue eyes dimmed slightly upon hearing this news and he squeezed Sasuke's hand tighter; it wasn't that he was not grateful for the new home, but he wanted to stay with Sasuke so badly that it ached and he had enjoyed these past few weeks at the Uchiha residents, in Sasuke's presence. He knew that the Uchiha's parents would be home soon from their trip though; they would not allow Naruto to stay here permanently; besides Naruto needed a stable home and a stable guardian to raise him. He deserved that much for what he had been through.

"Who are they?" Naruto asked, his curios nature immediately took over the dejection he felt seconds ago.

"Their names are Iruka and Kakashi." Sasuke said evenly. "They don't live that far from here and are actually friends of my parents; they've been looking to adopt for some time now…" he trailed off, giving Naruto a moment to process the information and then gave his hand a tentative stroke with his thumb; offering reassurance. "I'm surprised Itachi didn't mention them before, but I suppose he just wanted to be thorough." He added quietly as an afterthought.

Instantly, Naruto brightened and the sparkle returned to his eye upon hearing that they lived quite close. "So I'll still be able to see you outside of school?" he asked hopefully, a cheesy grin spreading across his face.

Sasuke snorted gently.

"Of course, Idiot." He said softly, no heat existing behind the insult; only affection laced his every word as Naruto began to stroke Sasuke's hand with his thumb also.

Warmth radiated off of Naruto's entire being at the response and a spark of crackling energy passed between both boys as blue and black clashed in a battle of utter love and unadulterated adoration; they both began to lean forward in unison, it was absolutely intoxicating for them both to be in each other's presence as lovers.

Their hearts drummed at exactly the same speed, exactly the same rhythm as their lips brushed and then connected. Sasuke could feel Naruto against him, his hair, his skin, his nose, his hands, absolutely everything and the loneliness that had once been such a huge part of his existence withered away like the flowers in winter, disintegrated into total nothingness; until there was only Naruto left.

The blond boy could not breathe, could not think from the sheer pleasure of having the person he so adored pressed against him in such a way. The feeling was indescribable. It was intense and yet subtle at the same time, burning and yet so utterly cooling that his body almost broke at the emotions he felt and could not contain.

And in that moment, that beautiful, perfect, whole moment, Naruto knew he was safe, knew he was loved and had found, not only someone to live for, but someone he would die for without a second thought; without a moment's pause. He could give himself fully to Sasuke and know that, in return, Sasuke would do exactly the same. And as their tongues brushed and dancing and tangled together Naruto was absolutely certain of one fact.

He had found home.

-fin

I really hope this last chapter is okay for everyone and doesn't seem rushed.

I'm quite sad that it's done and I might do a sequel but I'm really not sure how I feel about this story…do you think it flows okay? I need to work on my dialogue I think.

Thank you to everyone who stuck by me through this and read it, the reviews where very much appreciated; your all so lovely : )