Family Portrait

Family Portrait
by Kami

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Naruto nor the song Hurting Each Other, I do own the characters Joi, Taizen, and Namida and also the premise for this story.

Summary: In a family portrait, looks can be deceiving.

Warnings: Contains yaoi, mpreg, and domestic violence. Not your thing? Then don't Read! By the way, Sasuke is a little bit of a bastard in this story...I never really liked him anyways. So, if you don't like stories where Sasuke is a bastard to Naruto, this story is not for you. Also a small lime...no lemon this chapter...wouldn't want to spoil you guys to expecting one every other chapter. I've always liked to tease first.

A/N: Welcome to chapter 2. This is where things start to get a little more interesting. By the way, this is a AU/AR and some characters, such as Orochimaru and Jiraya, may be a bit OOC, but I will try to keep the others as much in character as possible. Also, there will be a tad bit of humor during the dinner scene with Orochimaru and Jiraya, to lighten the mood of this chapter, because everyone knows kids say and do the darnedest things, and it kinda goes with the title. FYI-Please don't take offense to my rant, the rant is so that other reader's and I will have a mutual understanding, and maybe they will think twice before flaming me.

Rant: I feel the need to clarify a few things: first off, I detest SasuNaru. The only reason I am writing it in this fic is because this is an eventual GaaNaru. So don't plan on things getting better between the Uchiha and Naruto. Secondly, don't get pissed because I made Sasuke a complete bastard. I have a warning at the top of both chapters stating that. Understand that Sasuke is my least favorite character in the series. Lastly, if you read the first chapter, Naruto sent the children out of the room. They had no idea that Joi, their oldest daughter, was listening from upstairs. There is a warning clearly under the summery, before you click on the story link, that says Language; that means there are gonna be potty mouths in this fic. Plus this is not a lovey dovey romance fic...this is reality...this goes on every day. Do you really think the people in real life that's going through this think about whether or not their kids can hear the nasty words coming from out of their mouths. Usually, they send the kids out of the room before an argument or a fight breaks out, but they can't totally control what the kids do. And yes, sometimes the kids witness the abuse...that's just the harsh reality. And that's what I'm good at writing, harsh reality.
Someone told me once that good authors don't write about things they think are true, they write about what they know...well, this is what I know. So, don't say I don't know what I'm talking about...I lived it! I experienced it! I suffered through it! This isn't just a fic...it's a statement. End Rant.

I would like to extend a great big thank you to those who reviewed. Without people like you, I would have no inspiration to write.

As I said before in chapter 1, Feedback is welcome and flames only serve to warm me on cold nights.

Added Note: Domestic Violence is very real. If you know someone or see someone that is being abused, don't ignore it because you think it's none of your business or because you think that person brought it on his or herself. Tell Somebody! It's not right for someone to have to suffer because their lover or spouse can't control their temper. By calling the authorities, you can save the life of that person, and the lives of that person's children, if they have any.


Thoughts ()

**************************************
No one in the world
Ever had a love as sweet as my love
For nowhere in the world
Could ther be a boy as true as you love
All my love
I give gladly to you
All your love
You give gladly to me
Tell me why then
Oh why should it be that

We go on hurting each other
We go on hurting each other
Making each other cry
Hurting each other
Without ever knowing why

~The Carpenters~
****************************************

Chapter 2-Humiliation

Things seemed to be back to normal in the Uzumaki-Uchiha household. It had been a week since the incident between the blond and the raven, and the horrible bruise that had almost taken up the left side of Naruto's face had finally faded. And of that he was glad. It had been the first time Sasuke had ever hit him, and it hurt his pride and his feelings more than it had hurt physically. And the morning after, Sasuke only added insult to injury by humiliating him in front of their children. But afterwards, he smoothed things over. Sasuke would never apologize with words, his actions made the apology. Naruto's bronze cheeks flushed rose as he remembered how Sasuke had made things up to him.

*Flashback*

Joi slowly glided away from the sink towards the cherry wood table the rest of the family occupied, a worried expression in her onyx and crimson mix-matched eyes. As she sat down, she glanced up at her father, Sasuke, and he turned from his newspaper to fix her gaze with his typical look of indifference, “What is it, Joi?”

“I think you hurt Mom's feelings,” she murmured softly, as if to keep Naruto from hearing her, her gaze lowering towards the empty place where her plate had been, “He's crying.”

Sasuke let his mask drop momentarily, an expression comprised of surprise and guilt crossed his usually emotionless face. He then gave Joi a rare soft smile. “Why don't you take your brother and sister out to the back yard to play a little while, ne? Give me and your Mom some time alone.”

A brief fearful look passed over Joi's pale face, but she nodded and rose from her seat, pulling Namida out of her booster seat, and grabbed Taizen's hand, leading the two out the back door. Sasuke lay his newspaper down neatly on the table, emerged from his chair and walked up behind Naruto. He could hear the blond's sniffles as he pulled a plate from the sudsy water and began to scrub the remnants of breakfast off of it.

“Naruto?” Sasuke murmured softly close to the blond's ear, gently placing his hands comfortingly on Naruto's shoulders, “Uruwashii? (1)”

“A dobe,” the blond man managed to say between quiet sobs, as he rinsed the dishes in the second compartment of the double sink, “Is that all I am to you? A stupid baka who can't do anything right?”

“No, koi,” the raven began to place gentle and loving kisses along the tanned neck, “You're my everything. Without you, I couldn't survive. I've...just been really frustrated and stressed lately. Orochimaru is on my back about my manuscript being over a month late. You know how he is, koi. I just need you to bear with me a while longer. This will blow over as soon as it's finished. Then we can take that vacation in Cancun you've been wanting to take, just you and me.”

Naruto shuttered at the raven's lips brushing softly against his neck, his azure eyes fluttering closed as he tilted his head to the side to expose more of the flesh of his neck, allowing Sasuke more access to nip and suck on the sensitive place next to his ear, “But...nnn...what about the...kids...ah...”

Both were beginning to become quite aroused and Sasuke began to grind the hardening, clothed bulge against the seat of the younger man's tight, blue-denim jeans, “Iruka can watch them while we're gone. We need some time alone. It's long overdo.”

Naruto gave a small giggle as his cheeks began to flush, feeling the raven's clever fingers of one hand slide up underneath his orange tee shirt and against his abdomen, gently gracing the skin of his pectorals. He yelped as Sasuke pinched a dusky nipple firmly between his forefinger and thumb as the other hand slid slowly along his hips, across his thighs, and ghosted teasingly around the jut now protruding through the crotch of his jeans.

“Not here,” the now fully aroused blond whimpered, “What if one of the kids walked in?”

“Then I guess we'd better take this upstairs then, ne?” the raven spun the younger man around to face him. A sultry vulpine grin crossed the blonds face as he wrapped his arms around the older man's neck. Sasuke eyed the nasty purple and yellow colored bruise on the left cheek of his blond's face. He gently cupped his hand on the bruised cheek causing Naruto to flinch slightly at his touch. The raven's brows knitted together as an overpowering amount of guilt washed over him. He leaned forward and gently brushed his lips against the bruised area, “Aishiteru (2), Naruto...more than anything in this world...aishiteru.”

*End Flashback*

Naruto sighed as a crimson blush tinged his cheeks, remembering the most passionate and best sex that he and Sasuke had in years. But it was not the time to reminisce. He was at the coffee shop for an interview, not to sit and think of hentai moments between Sasuke and himself.

The coffee shop “The Shougi House” stood next to the grocery store where Naruto often did the family's monthly shopping. It looked like a small out door cafe with mosaic bistro tables and chairs littering the outside. On the inside of the coffee shop, a glass display case exhibited muffins, pastries, balaclavas, doughnuts, cookies, and other different sweet treats that made the blond's mouth water. The shop was adorned with pictures of a oriental motif greatly contrasting with the mosaic floor tiling.

Naruto sat at one of the bistro tables, sipping on a small latte and taking in the surroundings with an air of anxiety. He knew he shouldn't be nervous...it was just an interview for a part time job. For the umpteenth time, he swiped his hand across the white polo shirt he was wearing as if trying to get rid of invisible wrinkles. His right leg jiggled anxiously beneath the table as he ran his fingers through thick locks of blond hair. (Where the hell is the manager? He told me to be here at 4 pm, and he's already kept me waiting for 30 minutes. I've got to get home and get started on dinner! What's taking him so fucking long?) As the blond young man contemplated leaving and looking elsewhere for work, he heard said manager yelling, quite possibly at an employee.

“Damnit, Gaara!!” The manager growled, and Naruto, feeling slightly intimidated, flinched at his tone. Maybe working there wasn't such a good idea, “Thirty minutes late!! Thirty minutes late!! Do you have any idea how troublesome it is to have to be at the register until you get here so I can do an interview?”

“Like I give a rat's ass,” Came the deep, cool and smooth response, “If it's as 'troublesome' as you say, why don't you go ahead and fire me. This job isn't worth my time, anyways.”

“You know I can't do that,” the manager sounded as though he was hissing through his gritted teeth, “I promised my girlfriend that I would give you this job to get you off the streets.”

“Just because you're fucking my sister, don't let that stop you.” The 'Gaara' person retorted with a bored tone, “Fuck, I made more money 'dealing' in one day than I make in a week at this shit hole.”

“Just stand by the register and do your job,” The manager sighed, exhausted with arguing with the antagonistic employee, “Troublesome...”

A brunette man emerged from the inner shop and made his way towards Naruto, who had finally made the decision that working there was not a very good prospect and was preparing to leave. The pony-tailed brunette caught him just about when he was ready to walk away.

“I have to apologize,” the brunette drawled almost lazily, as he cast a look of disapproval towards the inside of the coffee house, “I'm kinda hard pressed for employees so I was here by myself, waiting for that troublesome guy on night shift to come in. That's the reason I was late getting to your interview.”

“That's alright, I really have to go anyways,” the blond offered him an apologetic smile, “Thanks for the latte, but I think I've changed my mind.”

“Onegai (3)! Don't leave!” the brunette gripped Naruto's arm to prevent him from walking away, a serge of panic apparent in the man's voice, “All I need is fifteen more minutes of your time!”

The blond sighed in defeat; Sasuke would not be happy that he came home late, but he would be less pleased if he came home with out getting this job. “Alright, just fifteen minutes and that's all.”

“Great,” the brunette sighed in relief, and finally removed the dark green apron he was wearing, revealing black slacks and a solid white collared button up shirt, “I'm Nara Shikamaru. Please, have a seat.”

Naruto replaced himself back in his seat at the bistro table, his hands began to fidgeting beneath it out of the brunette's sight. However, the anxious aura that the blond was exuding caught Shikamaru's attention.

“Hey, man, relax,” He gave the blond a lazy, yet reassuring grin, “This isn't the Spanish Inquisition and I'm not Pope Alexander VI (4),” He waited until the younger man had calmed, then glanced down at the application the blond had given him, “Uzumaki-Uchiha Naruto?” The blond only nodded in affirmation, “Uchiha? Are you by any chance related to Uchiha Sasuke?”

“By marriage...” Naruto offered the partial truth, not sure if Shikamaru could handle his sexual orientation.

“Wow, that's awesome,” the brunette's grin broadened, and the blond shifted uncomfortably underneath his gaze, “I have all his books! So, he's like a cousin or a brother by marriage?”

“He's...” Naruto lowered his gaze to the table, blond bangs falling forward hiding his azure eyes, and finished with a hint of embarrassment coloring his cheeks, “...my husband”

“Your...husband?” Shikamaru's thin eyebrows rose high on his forehead in surprise, and Naruto immediately regretted telling him, “Hey, it's okay. I don't judge...I was just surprised. My girlfriend's brother, Gaara, is a bisexual and I don't have a problem with it, as long as he keeps his hands to himself. So...if he's your husband, why are you looking for a job here? I would think he'd have plenty of money to support the both of you.”

“That's just it,” Naruto grimaced bitterly, “He's stingy when it comes to money...I wouldn't be surprised if he had an uncle named Ebenezer Scrooge.”

Shikamaru laughed at the blonds comment, “Figures. So, he's an ass when it comes to money, huh? He's not the only one; my dad's a tight wad himself. I actually had to get a government loan to open this place. Been running it for two years and still owe money.”

Mediterranean eyes met chocolate brown, and Naruto suddenly felt a grateful smile tug on the right side of his mouth at the brunette's empathetic confession, “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Shikamaru grinned leaning lazily back in his chair, and glancing again at the blond's application, “According to this, you've never worked before. I take it you don't have any experience, which is fine. I'd train you myself, but it be a bit troublesome add that to the work I already have to do. We get a pretty heavy flow of customers, more during night shift than day, so I'll need you on nights with Gaara. He'll be the one training you...though I doubt it'd be a good idea,” he added as an afterthought. He rose from his seat and motioned for the younger man to do the same, “Come on, I'll introduce you.”

The blond apprehensively followed the brunette into the inner part of the coffee house. There behind the cash register was the most Gothic looking man that Naruto had ever seen. The man's blood red hair looked untidy and unkempt, his brows were shaved and the left brow had two evil looking spiked barbells pierced through it. Above the piercings was the kanji for love tattooed in red ink, and he wore a thick layer of kohl around his sea-green eyes giving him a fright inducing aura. His face wore an expression of bored indifference, yet told the blond that a person did not want to get on this guy's bad side. He wore a black Grateful Dead tee shirt and underneath a long sleeve fishnet shirt. The short nails on his fingers were painted a glossy black color, Naruto could see. The boy had his arms crossed along his lithe, apron clad chest, fingers tapping along his arm boredly. The legs of his black cargo pants hung low over his black leather combat boots. Naruto came to a conclusion, this guy was not one to trifle with. The red head glanced at the nervous blond and smirked, flicking his tongue out provocatively revealing a silver barbell pierced through his tongue with a black spiked tickler at the tip of it. Naruto shuddered at the red head's display.

“Gaara,” Shikamaru grabbed the red head's attention, “This is Uzumaki-Uchiha Naruto. You'll be training him on night shift starting tomorrow night.”

“Mmmm...fresh meat...” the smirk widened across the red head's face, and Naruto fought back the urge to run...very far away. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

“Ignore him,” he placed a reassuring hand on the blond's shoulder, “He just does that to scare people off. He's really just a troublesome pain in the ass, if you ask me.”

“And you would know?” The red head, Gaara, arched a non-existent brow, “I wouldn't fuck you even if you promised me a partnership to this dump.” Gaara had a way of twisting words towards the perverse, the blond noted. Gaara's gaze then turned back to Naruto, “This guy, however, wouldn't have to promise me anything.” Translation: I would love to fuck you.

“N-No, thanks,” the blond stuttered nervously underneath the gothic red head's gaze, “I'm married.”

“Your point?” the red head glared at Naruto with an expression of bored indifference that reminded him of Sasuke, “Just because you're married doesn't mean we can't fuck.”

Naruto narrowed azure blue eyes, “I'm not interested.”

Gaara merely snorted at the blonds retort, “Suit yourself. It's your loss.”

“Gaara, leave him alone,” Shikamaru finally interjected, muttering 'troublesome' under his breath. His brown eyes focused on the young blond next to him, “Can you come in at 3 pm tomorrow?”

“Of course, I'll be here,” A large smile was plastered across Naruto's face. Finally he had accomplished something; there was no way Sasuke could complain.

***************************

“I'm home!” The ecstatic blond shouted from the front door, as he placed the car keys on the key holder next to the wooden coat rack. In his left arm, he held a box of a dozen glazed doughnuts that Shikamaru had given him. The young blond turned to see Sasuke sitting in the plush blue armchair facing him, his left leg crossed over his right. He looked too well groomed for a typical dinner with the family, as he sported a pair of black slacks, a long sleeve button up shirt, and a black tie; he looked as though he was ready to attend a funeral. He eyed the doughnuts in Naruto's arm and fixed him with a stony glare.

“Don't worry, Sasuke.” the blond heaved an exasperated sigh, “They were free.”

“Hn...” The infamous Uchiha grunt. The raven removed his left leg from its resting place and steepled his forefingers together against his lips, “Why are you so late?”

Naruto glanced at the grandfather clock next to the fireplace, reading the hands on its face stating that it was 5:18 pm. “I'm sorry...the interview took longer than I thought it would. But I got the job!” He gave Sasuke his trademark grin, a feeling of pride swelling within him.

“Hn...” Another Uchiha grunt, and Sasuke was on his feet walking towards Naruto. A feeling of dread began to rise within the blond as the raven neared him, the grin sliding from his lips. It was if time had went into fast forward, the feeling of Sasuke's pale hand gripping his blond locks tightly and yanking his head painfully backwards at breakneck speed. “Dobe!”

“Itai (5)!” Naruto felt the warm tears welling up in his sapphire eyes. He could hear his heart pounding loudly and quickening with fear as he saw the ferocious anger in his husband's eyes. “What's wrong, Sasuke? What did I do wrong?”

“Have you forgotten what tonight is?” the raven growled between clenched teeth, and the blond nodded. What was so special about that night? His husband only gripped his hair tighter, “Tonight, my publisher and his company partner are coming for dinner! Luckily for you, he called before you got home and said he would be an hour late. So you've got an extra hour to make up for your incompetence!” Sasuke roughly shoved his blond husband to the floor in front of the stairs that led to the upper level of the mansion. “Go get the kids ready, then start making dinner! And it better be done before they get here!”

Naruto nodded his acknowledgment to the raven, wiping the tears from his bronze cheeks and slowly ascended the stairway towards their children's rooms.

*********************************

“Do you want your hair up, down, or in a braid?” Naruto inquired as he brushed his ten year old daughter's long straight raven hair.

She glanced up at him with her mix matched eyes, reminding him of his Tou-san, Kakashi. Though his Chichiue, Iruka, had no favorites among his children, Kakashi favored Joi out of the three, because her eyes favored his, though they weren't blood related. The blond just hoped that Joi didn't turn into a germ-a-phobic like her Sofu (6) and start wearing a hepamask around everyone like he did. The only time he ever took it off was when he and Iruka were alone and the whole house had been sanitized.

“What is it, Baby?” Naruto kissed the top of her raven head, well aware that he was no longer brushing it.

“Can I bleach my hair?” She asked her gaze now planted firmly on her lap.

“Why would you want to do a thing like that?” His brows knitted inward in concern, “Your hair is beautiful the way it is.”

“Dad doesn't think so,” Joi sighed depressingly, “He said that I look so much like Itachi-hakufu (7) that it's sickening.” Naruto thought his heart would break right then, seeing his oldest child, his baby, hurting inside.

“Your Dad is wrong,” the blond wrapped his arms around his daughter's shoulders, and lovingly kissed her cheek, “Your Itachi-hakufu is a very attractive man, and you are a beautiful young girl. Your Dad's just frustrated and taking out on everyone he loves. As soon as his manuscript is finished, he'll be back to his old self. You'll see.”

“I hope so,” Joi replied, but the tone of her voice told Naruto that she had serious doubts. Steering away from the touchy subject of Sasuke, she added, “I want a french braid!”

The blond let out a small laugh, “One french braid, coming right up!”

****************************************

Naruto bustled about the kitchen, setting freshly cooked vegetables in serving dishes on the counter, his thick blond hair pulled back in orange barrettes to make it appear tame. He was wearing an orange colored summer sweater with a pair of black velvet slacks which gave him an air of femininity yet without taking too much away from his masculinity. He was removing the pork roast from its place in the oven, when Sasuke came strutting into the kitchen, his aura flared with both anxiety and anger.

“Aren't you finished yet?” He all but yelled at the blond, “They'll be here any minute!”

“I'm almost done, Sasuke,” Naruto placed the roast on a few well placed oven mitts next to the vegetables in serving dishes, “Don't worry, everything will be fine.”

“What the hell are those?” the raven motioned towards the barrettes in the younger man's hair.

“I wanted to look nice, and my hair wasn't all that cooperative when I tried to style it,” Naruto explained, his azure eyes focused on the white tiled linoleum of the kitchen floor, never meeting Sasuke's onyx ones.

“They're ridiculous!” the raven scowled in disapproval, “Take them out! They make you look like a fag!”

Azure blue eyes rose from the floor to focus on onyx ones, then narrowed at the use of the word 'fag', “I am a 'fag', Sasuke. And the last time I checked, so were you!”

“Well, at least I don't make an obvious display of it!” the raven retorted as he snatched the orange barrettes painfully out of Naruto's hair, causing the blond to wince. He stuffed them in his blond husbands hand roughly, “And go put something else on. I didn't marry a cross dresser.”

As the raven turned to leave, Naruto heaved a burdened sigh, azure eyes again fixed on the linoleum floor, “Sasuke...are you ashamed of me?”

The raven turned and gave the blond a calculating side glance before doing an about face and returned to his blond husband, his angry features now softened. He gently cupped the younger man's chin, lifting the blond's face to meet his gaze, “No, koi, I'm not ashamed of you. I'm ashamed of the stupid things that you do...but I still love you.” With that said, Sasuke placed a chaste kiss on the corner of Naruto's mouth.

*********************************************

The three children were lined up in front of the doorway along with Naruto and Sasuke, prepared to greet their guests. Joi, a cookie cutter image of Itachi albeit her mix matched eyes, had her long raven hair pulled back into a french braid and wore a blue floral print cutout halter dress with matching light blue slide on dress shoes. Taizen, who had his spiky raven hair done similar to Sasuke's, wore a green short sleeve polo shirt tucked into his black slacks which had legs long enough to hide his new black and green sneakers he demanded to wear. Namida looked absolutely adorable, her long wavy blond hair pulled into two pony tails and tied with red ribbons and was wearing a red plaid patterned sundress with lacy white socks and red mary jane shoes.

“Now, I want all of you to be on your very best behavior,” the raven said pointedly at the children as three pairs of eyes focused on him, “These men are very important to my work and everything needs to be perfect!” He gave a sideways glance to his blond husband, “I trust you can handle keeping them under control?” The blond nodded silently, and Sasuke seemed satisfied, “Good.”

The raven moved towards the younger man, cupping his hand within both of his and raising it to his lips and placing a chaste kiss on Naruto's hand, as he took in his blond husband's new apparel, “Much better. You look perfect.”

Naruto now wore a white polo with a dark brown blazer, light khaki slacks and dark brown loafers, but his frown only showed his displeasure with the attire. But instead of replying with a smart retort, he kept silent, intelligent enough to know it would possibly earn him a back handed slap in the face.

The door bell rang silently and the blond tensed, fidgeting with the sleeves of his blazer nervously. (Please, Kami, let this go well.) As Sasuke opened the front door, a pale thin man who looked to be in his forties entered, followed by a man with long shaggy white hair. Both men were dressed in suits, the pale man, who Naruto guessed was Orochimaru, had his long black hair pulled back in a ponytail low on his scalp, the other man, Jiraya, also had his white hair back in a ponytail albeit not as neat.

“I'm glad you made it, Orochimaru-san, as well as you, Jiraya-san,” Sasuke smiled and politely shook hands with both men.

“We thank you for your invitation, Sasuke-kun,” Orochimaru graced the raven with an eloquent smile, and turned to face the blond, “I don't think we've been introduced. You must be Naruto. I must say that when he spoke of you, he never told me how lovely you are.”

The blond's tan cheeks flushed at the comment, his azure eyes fixed to the floor in a slight submissive manner, “Thank you.”

“Here. Let me introduce you to the rest of my family,” Sasuke pulled the pale man's attention towards the children standing before him. He motioned first to the eldest, “This is my oldest daughter, Joi,” The raven girl bowed her head respectfully, “This is my only son, Taizen,” The young raven boy regarded Orochimaru with calculating azure eyes, a miniature image of his father, and gave him an “Hn...” in response, “And my youngest, Namida.”

What happened next caused a chaotic chain of events. Namida, who looked like a chibi version of Naruto except for her onyx eyes, grabbed the hem of her sundress and lifted it into the air, displaying her 'Four Princesses' panties, “Hiiiiiii!”

A stunned silence was followed by a loud guffaw of laughter from Jiraya, a slack jawed Orochimaru who was too stunned to say or do anything, a gasping Naruto, and a blushing and embarrassed Uchiha.

Naruto immediately pounced on his youngest, pulling the hem of her sundress back down, and chuckling nervously, “Sweety, don't do that!”

The blond glanced up at his raven haired husband, biting his bottom lip with an expression of apology. Sasuke only glared at him through dark narrowed eyes; Naruto knew that he would pay for Namida's display later.

“Thanks a lot!” Jiraya managed between laughs, wiping mirthful tears from his eyes, “I needed a good laugh today. So, where's the food? I'm starving!”

****************************

Naruto set about spooning the food on his two youngest children's plates as Sasuke and Orochimaru chatted adamantly about the raven's new manuscript. Jiraya's face was flushed from the amount of sake he had consumed and was suspiciously eying the eldest daughter, much to Naruto's discomfort. He had heard the rumors about Orochimaru having a taste for young children from Sasuke, and he had expected that from him, but not from Jiraya. Soon the conversation was changed by Orochimaru to include the blond.

“It looks simply delicious, Naru-chan,” the pale man commented causing Naruto to blush for a second time, “You didn't have to go through all this trouble just for us.”

“It was no trouble, really,” the blond flashed Orochimaru a bright smile, and sat down in his place at the dining room table.

“Sasuke-kun tells me that you have an Associate's Degree in Accounting. He also tells me you've been seeking employment,” the pale man leaned in Naruto's direction, “We've been needing someone in our Accounting department with good bookkeeping skills, that is, if you're interested.”

“Don't bother,” Sasuke replied before the blond had a chance to speak, sipping the rest of his sake from his cup, “He barely passed those courses. He couldn't even balance a check book to save his life.”

Naruto shot the raven a venom laced glare, that went ignored. He placed his napkin on the table in front of him, “Excuse me. I think I've lost my appetite.” With that he rose from the table and walked into the kitchen as narrowed onyx eyes followed him.

Orochimaru's eyes followed the blond with concern. When he walked through their front door earlier, he could see the fake happiness that the Uchiha had tried to exude. The pale man was good at spotting liars and Sasuke was one of the worst. He was well aware that something about Sasuke and Naruto's relationship was not right, having been through an unhappy relationship himself prior to the one he was now in. He had used the same deception on friends, trying to make them believe that he and Anko were indeed a happily married couple. A lot of his friends weren't happy with his choice of a bride, she being half his age. They had warned him that she wasn't in it for love, only his money. They had been married for a full two years before he realized that it was true.

“Excuse me,” He plastered one of his smooth grins across his face, distracting the Uchiha from his menacing contemplation of how he was going to handle the blond's abrupt change in attitude,“But could you tell me where the closest restroom is?”

“Oh, um...” the raven took a moment to collect his thoughts, his blond husband completely forgotten much to Orochimaru's relief, “Down the hall, across from the kitchen.”

Of course, Orochimaru had no intention of using the washroom facilities. He only offered that excuse to check on the upset blond; he was, after all, a master at deception and, with that experience, it allowed him to easily detect a liar. And the Uchiha bought the petty ruse, hook, line, and sink 'er. He walked silently into the hallway, hearing distinct sobs coming from the direction of the kitchen. The pale man grimaced; the Uchiha could really be a tactless, insensitive bastard.

He pushed open the swinging door of the kitchen slightly and peered inside, his golden serpentine eyes focusing on the blond man sitting at the kitchen table. Sapphire eyes were red and puffy and tanned cheeks were flushed and wet with tears. Orochimaru's heart went out to the blond as he remembered the many tear filled nights he had when he was married. Anko would be going to 'attend an office party' so she said, and would refuse to let him go with her saying that she was too embarrassed to be seen with him.

The pale man entered the kitchen, Naruto being oblivious of his presence, and made his way over towards the kitchen sink. He grabbed the clean dish clothe next to the sink, turned on the faucet to dampen it, and wrung out the access water. He casually sat down in a chair next to the weeping blond, nudging him as he offered the damp clothe. Naruto accepted the kind offer with a murmured, “Thank you.”

“Are you alright?” Orochimaru's delicate brows knitted inward in concern, the blond gave a sarcastic chuckle as he wiped his eyes with the damp clothe.

“I try to do everything to make him happy, but it's never enough...I'm never enough,” Naruto hiccuped out between sniffles, and glanced up at the pale man in suspicion, “Why are you being so nice to me?”

“I surmise that it's because I can empathize with you and your situation,” Orochimaru began, and the blond's expression changed to that of surprise, “Don't look so surprised. Not everyone has been in a happy marriage.”

“You were married?” The blond gave the pale man a calculating look, believing that his desire for the underage was probably the cause of his marriage's demise. Fortunately for Orochimaru, it was easy to tell what Naruto was thinking, the blond being extremely easy to read.

“Please, tell me you don't believe all those things that Sasuke-kun has been telling you about me,” Orochimaru's face was marred with a painful grimace, “I know about all the rumors that has been flying around in my company about me and I assure you that not a single one is true.”

Azure eyes blinked at the pale man beside him in momentary contemplation, “Honestly, I'm not sure what to think. I mean, I've only just met you, but until someone can clarify what the truth is, I can't help but feel a little wary of you.”

“I understand,” the middle aged man nodded, a hint of disappointment and hurt in his voice, “People don't seem to realize that when they repeat slander, it causes defamation of a person's character and can ruin a good person's reputation. A lot of my employees see the way I handle business and judge me based on my professional behavior.”

“Hm, Sasuke says you can be quite a snake,” Naruto gave Orochimaru an amused smirk, the first smile he made since they began talking in the kitchen, and the pale man softly chuckled, the hurt and disappointment momentarily forgotten.

“Yes, I admit I don't like taking no for and answer,” Orochimaru began in earnest, “But only with business. My personal life is entirely separate. Furthermore, when managing a business like mine, there are times you have to be ruthless.”

“You have to be ruthless in order to publish a book?” the blond arched a fair brow in disbelief.

“My, my, but you are naive!” The pale man couldn't help but laugh at the blond's comment, earning a pout in return from said blond. When he finished, Orochimaru began to explain, “When you start a business, you must be aware there is a lot of competition out there. You have to be prepared to 'play hard ball', as they say. If a publishing competitor is interested in the same author that my company is interested in, I have to be prepared to offer something better than the other company. Signing an author means making money, and loosing an author to another publishing company can cost money. Same thing goes when you have a signed author that is late with his manuscript. I usually give my signed authors a two month leeway after their time frame is up, because I understand that sometimes writer's block can be a nasty obstacle to overcome. But once the two month period draws to a close, I have to lean on the author, put pressure on him to come through with the manuscript. If he doesn't, then I have no choice but to drop him, because if the deadline isn't met, we could lose money. Understand?”

“I think so...” Naruto replied but his puzzled sapphire eyes told the middle age man that he just confused the blond further, eliciting a small laugh from him.

“Don't worry about it,” Orochimaru reassured, “Just understand that I'm only ruthless when it comes to business. Personally, I'm quite the opposite.”

“Oh, okay,” the blond smiled brightly, the reason why he had come to the kitchen to cry completely forgotten. But as quickly as the smile had appeared, it faded, “Orochimaru-san...would you do me a favor, onegai?”

“Of course, anything,” the pale man placed a concerned hand on the blond's shoulder, wondering if there was some problem that the Uchiha wouldn't allow discussed.

“Could you...not pressure Sasuke so much about his manuscript being late,” Naruto's azure eyes were downcast, focusing on the kitchen table, “The stress is really starting to get to him...and it's affecting things here at home.”

“What do you mean?” Orochimaru arched an elegant brow, “His last manuscript was turned in two weeks ago.”

Azure eyes widened in disbelief, “But you were just talking about it at the dinner table.”

“We were discussing his next manuscript. It isn't due for another eight months,” Orochimaru replied, equally as stunned, “He didn't tell you?”

“No...” the blond felt a surge of anger and despair rising within him, the only hope he had of Sasuke getting back to his old self had died, “He didn't.”

*****************************************

It was 9:30 pm, and the guests had left ten minutes prior and Sasuke had seen them to their vehicles. Naruto was scrapping the access food from the dishes into the trash can silently. On the inside, he was seething. He couldn't believe that the raven would lie to him, saying he was frustrated, that he was stressed out because Orochimaru was pressuring him to put out his manuscript being the reason for his asinine behavior. He felt so angry that he was having to put up with the put downs and the rough handling over nothing. He wanted to break something, but resisted the urge to break a few plates over Sasuke's head. He knew that an enormous fight was about to break out between him and the raven, and he was thankful that the children were already tucked into bed. He didn't want his babies to see their Mommy and Daddy going at it like they were in a bar room brawl.

The next thing Naruto knew, he was yanked from his place at the sink by the hair on his head and thrown like a rag doll across the room, falling into the kitchen chairs. Before he could comprehend what was happening, he felt a sharp blow to his face and he felt his nose crack. Blood began to pour out of it, the blond's heart pounded wildly and he tried to catch his breath, shock began to overpower him. Unbidden tears, slowly poured from his azure eyes as he glanced up at the blurry figure towering over him...Sasuke.

“What the fuck is your problem?” The raven growled through clenched teeth, “Do you do that shit just to piss me off?! I was fucking humiliated!” Another blow to the face, “And what was with the fucking silent treatment you were giving me through dinner?! Were you trying to make me look like an asshole in front of them?!” A kick to the side and cracking ribs.

Naruto spat blood that was welling up in his mouth on the kitchen floor. The anger he had felt before Sasuke had begun the beating made a comeback, “You're a liar..” He managed between gulps for air.

“What the fuck did you call me?” Sasuke glared at him incredulously, anger still pouring from his aura.

“You...heard me...Teme...”the blond growled out, the pain was searing through him like a white hot poker, “You...lied...to me...”

“What the fuck did I supposedly lie to you about?” The incredulous glare remained, yet the anger in the raven was starting to dissipate.

“Manuscript...turned in...two weeks...ago...” Naruto tried to sit up from his place on the floor but to no avail, the left side of his face caked in blood from his nose and mouth.

“What do you mean I turned the manuscript in two weeks ago?” The anger was gone, confusion replacing it.

“Orochimaru...told me,” the blond managed to sit up, leaning his lithe, pain riddled body against the wall behind him.

“And you believed him?” Sasuke's jaw dropped a fraction, not believing that his own husband would believe someone he just met, anger, directed at the pale man, returned, “I can't believe that snake would stoop this low!” The raven knelt before the battered blond, “Don't you see what he's doing?! He's trying to turn you against me over a stupid fucking manuscript!”

“Not...just...that...” Naruto still gasping for air, clutching his wounded side, spoke glaring daggers out of narrowed azure, “You...say...you love...me...and...you do...this...”

Comprehension dawned as onyx eyes assessed the blond before him, “Oh god, baby, I'm sorry,” the raven reached out and gently pulled the blond into a gentle embrace, “I'm so sorry.”

To say that Naruto was shocked to hear “I'm sorry” coming from the lips of an Uchiha was an understatement. Uchihas never apologized. But the blond had heard them come from Sasuke's own mouth. This meant that the words were sincere, right?

*****************************

Naruto winced as he tried to smooth tan foundation over the purple bruise on his right cheek and above the bridge of his nose. Sasuke sat on the edge of their bed watching him with nauseating guilt.

“You know you could call in and tell them you can't come in today,” Sasuke suggested, his brows knitted inward as he watched the blond wince every time he touched his face with the make-up application pad.

“I can't call in on my first day, Sasuke,” Naruto sighed as he put the finishing touches of foundation on his face, laying the application pad down and picking up shade of pink colored lip balm.

“Then forget the job, koi,” the raven rose from his place and moved towards the blond, placing a loving kiss on the top of blond locks.

“No, Sasuke,” Naruto lay the lip balm next to the application pad and grabbed his hair brush in order to attempt to style his hair, “You wanted me to get a job, so I got a job. I'm not gonna leave Nara-san hanging just because of a few bruises.”

“You've got cracked ribs, koi, the doctor told you last night to take it easy,” Sasuke placed a small kiss on Naruto's unbruised cheek and wrapped his arms around the blond's shoulders.

The younger man gave the raven a sideways glance, “And who's fault is it that my ribs were cracked in the first place?”

“Koi, I said I was sorry,” Sasuke tilted his neck so his forehead was resting on the blond's shoulder, “How many times do I have to say it, until you believe it?”

Naruto heaved an exasperated sigh, “I'm not sure what to believe anymore.”

*******************************

“Damn, blondie!” the red head, Gaara,who was currently wearing a black “Psycho in Training” tee shirt with the same black cargo pants and black leather boots as the day before, raised a pair of non-existent brows as the blond entered the coffee establishment to work. Naruto was wearing a white tee shirt with an orange Uzumaki swirl on the front, faded denim jeans, and a pair of white sneakers. He had a plastic splint taped to the bridge of his nose, the only evidence that his nose had been broken, “You looked like hammered shit! You get into some kinda bar fight last night?”

“I don't want to talk about it,” the blond growled out, taking Gaara aback.

“Whatever,” The red head shrugged, and tossed Naruto a green apron, “Might as well tell you now. I'll show you how to do something once. But after that, you're on your own.”

The blond rolled his azure eyes, “Yeah, yeah.”

“First off, the delivery truck just got here an hour ago, I need you to stack the boxes in the cooler,” the red head ordered, an air of boredom in his voice, “Shouldn't be too hard, even though it's your first day.”

“What are you going to be doing?” Narrowed azure eyes focused on the goth.

“I have to stay up front and take care of customers,” Gaara picked a invisible piece of lint off his shirt and flicked it away, “Don't just stand there, get going!”

The blond gave the red head a malicious glare, before heading to the back of the shop. So much for taking it easy.

The red head smirked in spite of himself. (Zippa-dee-doo-da, Zippa-dee-ay, My, oh, my, got a wonderful slave!) As long as he was training Naruto, he could make the blond do all the work and he could stand around and do nothing. Not that he did anything anyway, but at least Shikamaru would quit bitching at him for a while. After a few minutes of picking the flaking black polish off his nails, he heard a loud outcry from the back of the shop. Gaara rolled his aqua-green eyes. (Baka. Probably had a stack of boxes fall on top of him. Guess I better check on him.)

Gaara left his place at the register and slowly made his way to the back where Naruto was. Aqua-green eyes widened at the scene before him. Boxes were strewn across the floor as they had been dropped, and the blond was on his knees clutching his right side, his face contorted with pain. The red head rushed towards him. (Fuck! I shouldn't have left him alone.)

“What the hell happened?!” Gaara questioned, his usually bored tone was now laced with panic, “Are you alright?”

“Hurts...” was all the blond managed, tears were starting to flow down his tan cheeks running the make up off and Gaara could see the hint of a bruise on the blonds right cheek. He lifted Naruto's shirt to reveal a large purple bruise around his ribs.

“Fuck! What the hell...?” the red head examined the bruise, gently pressing it, eliciting a hiss from the blond.

“C-Car accident...last night,” The blond lied through gritted teeth.

“You were in a car accident?” Gaara gave Naruto a incredulous look, “And you came in, to work?” The blond only nodded, “You been to see a doctor?” Another nod, “And he said?”

“Broken nose...cracked ribs...told me...take it...easy...” The blond grunted, the red head was stunned.

“You came to work with cracked ribs?!” Gaara almost yelled, guilt, for pushing the blond do something alone when the red head should have helped, set in, “You should have told me, I would have called Shika and had you sent home...Fuck!” (This is all my fault, I shouldn't have left him alone.)

“I think...I'll be...alright...” the blond groaned as he slowly got to his feet, still clutching his side.

“Why don't you go sit down, and take it easy,” the red head suggested as he helped Naruto to the office and sat him at the office desk, “I'll take care of putting the boxes away.”

As he walked away, Gaara spared the blond one last glance. He didn't believe for a minute that the blond was in car accident. His brother, Kankuro, was on the Konoha Police Force; he would have heard it on the scanner his brother had set up in the kitchen. He couldn't quite finger it, but the situation was somewhat familiar.

************************************

1-Uruwashii=Beautiful
2-Aishiteru=I love you
3-Onegai=Please
4-Pope Alexander VI was the one who gave Spain permission to start an Inquisition in the 15th century
5-Itai=Ouch
6-Sofu=Grandfather
7-Hakufu=Uncle (older than parent)

A/N: And another chapter....a very long chapter. My chapters tend to run anywhere from 10-20 pages. I want to thank all of you that reviewed. *Does an impression of Sally Fields getting her Oscar* You like me! You really like me!! I also wanna thank my beta, Kurai Kisu! Without her, this chapter would look like total crap! So thanks, Kurai!! ^_^ Girl, you rock!! And read her fic Too Many Drinks on AFF; I promise you'll be laughing your ass off!!
By the way, who do you think is the liar? Orochimaru or Sasuke? A chapter dedication to the one who can guess correctly! So, until next time...Ja ne!

Added Note: I did some editing because I noticed I got the two terms for uncle mixed up, otooji is the term used for an uncle that is younger than the parent. A few things I need to add, the reasons behind using the above terms: I didn't use ojisan because it's the formal use of uncle, and seeing as Itachi is despised by Sasuke, Sasuke will not allow his children to refer to him with the respectful ojisan. Hakufu is the more humble term and sounds more casual. I know that Sofu means "my grandfather", but I wanted to use something different than ojiisan for two reasons: 1. because it sounds too close to Jijii, which Iruka owns that title and 2. because when I do use ojiisan, it will be in reference to Sasuke's father. This will save confusion in future chapters.
With that said, Chapter Three will be on its way in a few days.
Ja ne!