Chapter Seven

You're Not Alone

The night turned out to be perfect for a festival. The cloudless sky sparkled with stars and a warm breeze was passing lazily through Konoha on feathery wings. The atmosphere was electric with excitement and the buzz of the crowds coming together to experience the fun of the festival was contagious. Flashy lights went off everywhere and music mingled with the voices of the crowd across the entire festival grounds. Everything had only just officially started and yet the place was swarmed with the residents of Konoha as they came out to play.

Naruto waited for Sasuke impatiently just outside the festival area, his blue eyes searching the crowds for his blind boyfriend. The Uchiha had insisted that he meet Naruto there instead of having the Kyuubi boy pick him up at home as Naruto had been doing for the most part since they had started talking again. The blonde was getting anxious and he continued to search the crowds in a worried fashion, his fingers twining themselves together in an absent nervous habit. Naruto was starting to get worried that Sasuke was going to stand him up. Maybe Sasuke was not ready for such a public display of their growing relationship. The butterflies that had been there before their first date returned to his stomach and his mind began conjuring horrific possibilities of the night. Naruto tried desperately to convince himself that everything was going to be just fine, just like it had been before and he denied all bad thoughts from his head.

"Naruto? Is that you?" Sasuke's familiar, cool voice sounded from behind the blonde and Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin. The Kyuubi boy turned his eyes to Sasuke, his heart beating in his throat as he looked upon the glorious Uchiha. Naruto was speechless for several long moments as he drank in the beauty of his date. It seemed that Sasuke had put a lot of care into his appearance, though Naruto was not sure how he had managed that feat at all. The blonde had a suspicion that Sakura must have helped but regardless he had never seen the Uchiha so dressed up. Sasuke was wearing a dark blue kimono with a purple snake embroidered into the silken fabric. It clung to the Uchiha's body gently and almost fit like a girls kimono, but it looked perfect on Sasuke's slender body. The blind boys hair had been flattened with wax so that the back did not stick up in it's usual rooster tail style and his head band had been removed to allow his bangs to fall before his eyes and frame his face.

"H-hai... Sasuke you look... hot," Naruto said, stuttering slightly in his awe at the gorgeous boy before him. No other word could have been used to describe the Uchiha in his dressy clothing, except perhaps pretty. Naruto doubted that Sasuke would have been pleased with being called 'pretty' though, so he had avoided that word all together.

Sasuke put one hand on his hip, a smile graced his lips for a moment before it disappeared as it always seemed to. "Surprised?" Sasuke asked, judging by the blondes tone of voice that Naruto was flabbergasted.

Without answering Naruto grabbed hold of Sasuke's arm and dragged the Uchiha into the crowds of the festival. His mind suddenly filling with idea's of the things that they would do together while they were here. For a moment he was forgetting that Sasuke was blind and he froze mid way through one of the crowds, his hand still holding tightly to the Uchiha's arm when that single thought ran through his mind. Suddenly several of his plans disintegrated completely and Naruto was at a very brief loss for things to do. The festivals rides would be no good without sight and the Ferris wheel was pointless if one could not see the view that it's enormous height provided. "Naruto? What are we doing?" Sasuke asked at the sudden stop. He thought that perhaps Naruto had stopped him before a game stand or something of that sort and forgotten to tell him.

"Huh? Oh sorry, the crowds in front of us are pretty thick. I got stuck for a minute. Come on," Naruto said confidently, even though he was lying. The crowds were actually thinner here because most people had moved on from the beginning of the festival by now. Sasuke did not have to know that though. The blonde's hand slid down the Uchiha's arm and into the brunette's hand before Naruto started foreword once more. The blonde was moving a lot slower then before and now Sasuke could easily walk beside his date because the pace was slow enough for him to keep up. Sasuke frowned slightly, wondering where Naruto's energy had suddenly disappeared to.

"I am assuming that you have a plan. Right Naruto?" Sasuke asked the blonde. The sudden disappearance of conversation had stricken the Uchiha as odd and he could tell by the light grip of Naruto's hand in his that the Kyuubi boy was off in his own little world and mind.

"Eh? Oh yeah! Of course I do!" Naruto responded confidently. He decided to drag on with his original plans for the most part, "we're going to the Ferris Wheel."

"Why?" Sasuke asked flatly, suddenly the hints of excitement and enjoyment that had been in his voice before vanished. Better then anyone the Uchiha knew that such a ride was for those who could see what was ahead of them.

"Cause it's relaxing, and the vie - the breeze up there is a lot cooler. I am getting hot," Naruto realized that he had made a mistake the moment he stumbled on that sentence. Even the suggestion had been a huge mistake in itself. Naruto slapped himself mentally but it was to late now. He had to at least follow through with his crappy cover up story. Sasuke sighed reluctantly as Naruto dragged him onto the Ferris Wheel and he was forced to endure the stupid ride. The excitement had turned violently to tension and their night had only started.

"You really do look great tonight, Sasuke kun," Naruto said to the brunette as the Ferris Wheel began to turn slowly and leisurely. It usually ran for a couple minutes at a time to allow the passengers nice conversation and a lovely view of Konohakagure.

"Do I? I wouldn't know since I can't see... What do you look like...?" Sasuke asked, his tone mournful and he was easily set off into depression. Naruto could see the pain of that question etched out on the Uchiha's face and within his voice. Naruto mentally slapped himself again, this was so much harder then he would have thought. Being conscious of Sasuke's weakness and the centre of all this depression was a bit hard for Naruto, and it was unlike the blonde not to say what was on his mind so that made it even more difficult.

"I look... uh... I don't know. I can't describe myself..." Naruto said, he sounded enthusiastic about explaining himself to Sasuke at first, but it disappeared when Naruto really had no words to use on his own appearance. Telling Sasuke that he was drop dead gorgeous somehow did not suffice, and in this case it did not feel so true. Naruto was feeling fairly ugly inside for the choices he had made already this night and his good mood from earlier that day had disappeared completely.

The Uchiha's finger ran back and forth across the steel bar before him, and Naruto watched the trail of that finger as it slid back and forth. Back and forth, leaving a streaky print where Sasuke's finger had been. "Why do you torment me like this Naruto?" Sasuke asked in a whispery voice. No one was listening to them but the Uchiha seemed like he wanted to make absolute sure of that fact.

"Sasuke kun..." Naruto murmured sadly. He had not tried to bring back all the realizations to Sasuke that he was blind in one single ride. He truly had not. "I... Look I didn't meant to. But I forget sometimes, okay? I gotta get used to this to you know," Naruto said, sounding a little bit offended that the brunette would make it sound like Naruto was upsetting him on purpose. Naruto hated this, Sasuke was being so touchy. Now that the blonde was actually trying to be at least a little mindful of what he said to Sasuke concerning his blindness, things were only getting worse. The levels of caution had rose between them rather then lowered with the new found romance and that made no sense. Naruto could see a problem now, the more like a handicap Naruto treated Sasuke's blindness, the more like a handicap Sasuke thought it to be. Perhaps in being ignorant and obnoxious about the whole thing, Sasuke would learn to live with it better. The blonde just could not bring himself to be so mean about it right now though.

"It's a festival Naruto! How dunce can you be? Festivals are all visuals and flashy lights," Sasuke snarled cruelly, ruining Naruto's thought train. He had been trying desperately to think of a way to salvage the situation. The upset and anger in Sasuke's voice shattered Naruto's heart.

"I am sorry okay? I wasn't thinking! Besides you agreed! If you're gonna be such a grouch then why the heck did you say you'd come?" Naruto returned, his upset growing with the tension between them. The Kyuubi boys lip stuck out in an unintentional pout. Naruto was beginning think that he really could not do anything right for Sasuke. No matter what they tried they always seemed to be fighting with each other. What was even more agonizing was that it was always over Sasuke's sight. It always fell back to being about the blindness that the Uchiha was suffering from and it was really bringing Naruto down. His hope in making Sasuke happy was starting to dwindle with Sasuke's touchy and venomous attitude.

Sasuke was silent for several long moments after that question. It was as though he was trying to find a logical answer to give Naruto, even the brunettes face was one of confusion, and his brow was furrowed in thought as Naruto stared at him intensely. "I... don't know," Sasuke said at length. Naruto knew he was lying by the look on the Uchiha's face, it seemed that Sasuke was still in denial of the levels of affection that he might be harbouring for Naruto deep inside.

"That's not much of an answer," Naruto replied miserably to Sasuke, crossing his arms over his chest in slight agitation. He needed to make Sasuke remember how they had felt together in the Lake again.

Sasuke looked like he was about to answer when suddenly they came to a stop at the bottom of the Ferris Wheel. The second the bar lifted Sasuke drifted out of his seat and walked away from Naruto. The Uchiha's steps were quick but very unsure as his hands searched about him for the railing, it looked like he was trying to get away from the blonde as he raced into the crowd of people.

"Sasuke! Wait!" Naruto yelled, running after the Uchiha. It was surprisingly hard to catch him because by the time Naruto had gotten out of his seat, Sasuke had already tangled himself into the crowd of people. With a lot of shoving, Naruto eventually got himself back to Sasuke and pushed the brunette against the nearest wall, pinning him there. "Look! I was trying to be nice about the whole blind thing but it's only made you worse. I am sick of your attitude. Totally sick of it Sasuke. You've been nothing but depressed and acting like a baby since you came back. I don't care when you're mad at me but stop being so damn touchy. I really care about you! I was just trying to do something nice for you. Do you have to throw it back into my face every time I try and make you happy?" Naruto yelled angrily at Sasuke. He was more upset then anything but his upset had kindled quickly to anger when Sasuke had walked away without a word like that.

Sasuke looked guiltily at the ground, really he was just lowering his eyes from Naruto in shame. It was a habit he still had retained from when he would have been able to see facial expression and the fire burning in those bright blue eyes. Sasuke could think of no response for once, no quick witted reply. Naruto was very right and he knew it, but the Uchiha did not want to admit to the blonde that he had been correct in the matter. "It's just... so hard..."

"Stop giving me that excuse Sasuke! How many times do I have to yell at you before you realize that I am here for you? It's only hard because you're making it that way! Stop forgetting that you're not alone!" Naruto asked desperately, both of his hands gripping Sasuke's shoulder. Naruto was feeling desperate and ignored. Naruto bit his lower lip to try and stop himself from being an overflowing bubble of emotion, he knew Sasuke did not like it when that happened.

"I've always been alone Naruto... Forever and ever," Sasuke responded coolly. Trying to mask his own emotions behind a toneless voice.

"You're only alone because you tell yourself you are! And don't say anything about not being loved! At least you remember having a family!" Naruto yelled back in his regular loud fashion. He was desperately trying to keep himself calm but Naruto had always been a loud guy, loud and to the point. It was just like him to grab onto someone and yell at them passionately when he was trying to make a real point.

Sasuke collapsed into Naruto's arms suddenly, his eyes closing and he clung to the blonde tightly. Not a word came from the Uchiha as Naruto blinked down at him confusedly. "Naruto... gomen..." Sasuke whispered into Naruto's kimono. "I'll try and remember that... I really will," Sasuke mumbled into Naruto's chest as the blonde held him tightly. It would be hard for them both to adjust to this new relationship.

Naruto allowed a small smile and pushed the Uchiha out to arms length after several moments. "Alright then... Let's try and have some fun," Naruto said, the energy and calmness returning to his voice. Sasuke smiled and the two linked arms and rejoined the crowds of the festival in an attempt to repair the damage that had been done.

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Thanks so much for all the reveiws and your awesome patience everyone. Here's chapter 7.