Thank you for the feedback! Hope you enjoy this chapter…I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere.

Chapter 7: Seeking Sasuke

Nervous, Naruto ended up staying up most of the day trying to prepare himself for that evening's date. Mostly this meant that he took a long shower and decided what to wear (black dress pants with a button down red shirt). The rest of the day Naruto tried to sleep, but the different possible scenarios that could happen ended up keeping him awake.

He was concerned about what Sasuke would expect from him. He had joked about being Sasuke's chew toy, but was that going to be the end result of their date? He rolled his tongue over and felt Gaara's inflicted wound and decided he wasn't quite sure he was ready for that. This also would be his first date, ever, and it was with someone he had only known for about a month, and only stopped screaming and running in fear from for a little over a week. True, he had kissed Sasuke, if a brushing of lips could be considered a kiss. He was positive he wasn't ready to be doing anything more…committed… than that brushing of lips, but if he learned one thing from his encounter with Gaara it was that it was pretty much pointless to struggle. If Sasuke decided to progress their relationship faster than what Naruto was prepared for, there was very little he could do to stop it.

Despite his fears, he was excited about his date. He would be getting out of this house, and he was excited about a change in scenery. But he was also excited about being alone with Sasuke. Here in the house, there was always another vampire not too far away. Back in the village, there would be no one to interrupt them. Of course, the flip side to that was that there would be no one to save him either.

Annoyed with his conflicting feelings, Naruto flopped back on his bed. Since Naruto had been here, and excluding the how of how he arrived here, Sasuke had been very good to him. Kakashi assured him that Sasuke would never push or pressure him. So it was unfair to Sasuke to be expecting the worse from him on their date.

With these thoughts in mind, he resolved himself to be optimistic about their date.

Naruto hadn't realized he had fallen asleep until he was waking up. That was the first thing he realized. The second thing he realized was that it was dark out. Panicked, he shot up in bed…and almost slammed face first into Iruka.

Iruka chuckled. "Good evening, Naruto." Several thoughts ran through his mind, from Sasuke being insulted that Naruto was sleeping and canceling their date to Sasuke simply leaving without him. Iruka didn't take long to relieve Naruto of his panic. "Sasuke would like an hour to get ready for your date. Is that all right with you?" Naruto sighed in relief.

"Yeah. That's fine." Naruto sat back down on the bed and let his heart rate calm. "Why does he need to get ready?"

"Well, I suppose he wants to insure that there are no…mishaps tonight. He is out feeding." Naruto shuddered.

Iruka went to leave, but Naruto stopped him. "You can stay, if you want. If there's nothing else you have to do." Iruka smiled at him and sat on the edge of the bed.

"I have nothing else to do. Are you ready for tonight?" Naruto stopped halfway to the bathroom and faced Iruka.

"Um…sure." Iruka waved Naruto off. He cleaned himself up and was in the process of brushing his teeth with Iruka answered him.

"Don't be nervous." Naruto eyed him warily. It would have been more impressive if he didn't look like he was foaming at the mouth. "I'm serious. You have nothing to be worried about." Naruto spat and rinsed his mouth before answering.

"Says you. You're a vampire. You'd at least have a chance…" Naruto cut himself off, but Iruka seemed to get the hint. The affect of Gaara's assault was still fresh in his mind.

"Not really. I'm still a fledgling, and still comparatively a lot weaker. But I can guarantee you that Sasuke will not push you into anything you aren't ready for."

"How can you guarantee that?"

"Well, because I know him. There are two points in your favor. The first is how he was raised."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yea, in the same way Itachi was, right? That's not realling comforting, Iruka."

Iruka chuckled. "Yes, but even Itachi was taught the basic terms of chivalry. He just chooses not to follow them. Sasuke, on the other hand, does." Naruto paused in pulling his pants up. Perhaps he should dress more casually?

"Chivalry's dead." He decided to go with jeans instead. Iruka's laugh caused him to pause.

"Yes, or un-dead in this case." Naruto caught the meaning and smiled back.

"But, surely after all these years, Sasuke would have out grown his early teachings?"

"I was curious as well," Iruka said. "I asked Kakashi, who has always been with Sasuke, basically that same question. He said that Sasuke has never dated anyone before you. He believes, then, that Sasuke will fall back on what he was taught."

Naruto had finished buttoning his jeans and was looking through his closet for a different shirt. "He's never been on a date before?"

"Have you?"

"No. But Sasuke's a lot older than me. By a lot." Naruto finally found a more casual button up shirt. It was bright orange, but Sasuke could just suffer with the color.

"He is. But he never had time to date before." Iruka picked up the hair brush and tackled Naruto's hair.

"And he has time now?" Iruka paused in his attempts to tame his hair.

"No. But he is now making time for you." Naruto chewed his lip and wondered if he should tell Iruka that his hair was a lost cause.

"So, what can I expect from Sasuke's "chivalry"?" He winced as Iruka pulled on a tangle.

"Well, mostly chivalry refers to acts of honor. As far as you're concerned, though, it concerns the rules of courtship." Naruto fidgeted, but Iruka wacked him on the head. "Which is why you have nothing to worry about."

"Why?" Iruka sighed and gave up on Naruto's hair.

"I can understand your concern after your little run in with Gaara. To Sasuke, pressuring the person you are courting goes against everything he has ever learned. It is shameful."

Naruto thought about that. Sasuke had been incredibly patient with him, even when he was throwing temper tantrums. "What was the second point?"

Iruka twisted the hair brush in his hands. "I'm not entirely sure that Sasuke even knows how to let anyone get close to him, especially someone he cares about. He is incredibly strong, both physically and in his convictions. But," Iruka paused before he continued, gathering his thoughts to form an opinion. "But, I think emotionally, he is still that child, waiting for someone to come home. Furthermore, I think he is scared."

"Scared? Of what?" The thought that Sasuke could be scared was foreign to Naruto. Even when Naruto thought it was warranted.

"Of you. Or," Iruka continued quickly before Naruto could interrupt, "the thought of hurting you. You are incredibly precious to him. If anything, Sasuke will tend to be overly cautious in his protections of you."

Naruto didn't think that one could be "overly cautious" when dealing with a vampire, but he didn't voice his opinion. Most of his nerves were calmed, though, and he was mostly looking forward to his time with Sasuke. He finally looked at himself in the mirror. He actually looked half-way decent. Iruka was standing by the door. "Are you ready?" Naruto thought it over. He imagined Sasuke, two days ago, when he was happy. He wanted to see Sasuke like that again.

"Yea, I'm ready."

He met Sasuke by the front entrance, and was unsurprised to see him dressed in his usual all black garb. He nodded once to Naruto before turning and opening the door to the forest outside. Naruto forced down the bad memories of the last time he was in these woods. Sasuke's hand on his back guided him from the entrance to the trees, but no sooner had they stepped into the forest, they were stepping out of it again in front of the village.

Naruto turned to look back at the way they came. "Wait…" He definitely didn't remember the journey from the village to Sasuke's house being so short. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sasuke grin.

"All legends come from some truth. The playmates of your youth were partially correct when they said that this forest was enchanted."

"Huh. Well, that explains a lot." It didn't really, but Sasuke's chuckle was his reward.

"Let us go." The hand on Naruto's back began to nudge him forward again. They walked in silence for a bit before Naruto broke it.

"So, how did negotiations end up?" He knew he didn't imagine the dark scowl on Sasuke's face.

"Surprisingly well, after your little run in with Gaara. He agreed to our terms. I do not know if he was so compliant due to fear of retribution for his trespass, or…" Sasuke cut himself off and glanced at Naruto quickly from the corner of his eye. Naruto frowned.

"Or?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Or his time with you swayed his opinion."

Naruto wrinkled his nose and ran his tongue across the roof of his mouth. "Doubt that." Sasuke chuckled.

When they turned the corner, Naruto was unprepared for the barrage of memories. Across the street was the alley. The alley where he first learned what Sasuke was- where he saw Sasuke kill a man for trying to kill Naruto. He couldn't help how he stiffened. He felt Sasuke stiffen beside him, and Naruto immediately tried to relax. He trusted Sasuke, now, but he remembered the residual fear from that night. Having a brush with death tended to make one gun-shy.

Naruto sucked in a deep breath before forcing his feet forward. "So, why do vampires always wear all black?" He could feel Sasuke's heavy gaze on him as they walked. Eventually, Sasuke answered him.

"Force of habit, I suppose. It helps us blend into the night. As society advanced, however, the necessity is no longer there." Sasuke was still watching Naruto warily, as if waiting for him to take off running. Naruto shifted to walk closer to him, so that their shoulders bumped every once in a while.

"Yea, right. You just do it to try and look all mysterious and stuff." Sasuke finally allowed a grin to twitch to life on his face.

"You think I am mysterious? I was under the impression that you could ask me anything." Naruto laughed.

"You're right. You aren't mysterious at all. In fact, you're sort of boring." The look on Sasuke's face was priceless, and it made Naruto laugh harder. By that time, they finally made it to the movie theater. Sasuke reached forward and held the door open for Naruto, but as Naruto walked by he growled into his ear.

"If you would like, I could prove to you just how boring I am not." Sasuke's voice was polite, but the underlying threat was there. Despite that, though, Naruto was positive that the shiver that went down his spine wasn't from fear. Naruto watched as Sasuke entered behind him, but Sasuke was either oblivious to or was ignoring the effect he had on Naruto. "What would you like to watch?"

Naruto turned to see what movies were playing. He wanted to name something that Sasuke may like, but he really didn't want to watch anything gory.

"Well, there's that horror movie?" Naruto watched Sasuke consider it and hoped that he didn't like horror movies either.

"Hm. No, it might make me hungry." Naruto's jaw dropped before he caught the grin that Sasuke shot him. "How about the comedy?" Naruto sighed in relief.

"Yea that sounds good."

Sasuke checked the time and bought the tickets. "We have two hours until the movie. Let us go and get you something to eat. Any place in particular you have in mind?"

A large grin spread across his face. "Well, now that you mention it…"

Sasuke wouldn't let the expression of surprise cross his face, but his eyebrows had been raised since the sixth bowl of ramen. Naruto grinned back at him. Sasuke eyed the towers of empty ramen bowls.

"That cannot be healthy for you." Naruto stared at Sasuke in shock.

"It's ramen. Of course it's healthy!"

The eyebrow twitched again. "Is it?"

Naruto nodded sagely. "It has meat and vegetables in it." Sasuke rolled his eyes skyward before checking the time again.

"We still have another hour before the movie." Naruto thought a bit before he replied.

"There's a park not too far from here." Sasuke nodded once before he stood and paid for Naruto's leaning tower of ramen bowls. He then offered his arm to Naruto, who laughed, and hooked his elbow with Sasuke's.

"Is this where you say something horribly cliché like 'May I escort you?' or something like that?" Sasuke smirked at him before he straightened out his facial features.

"It would be a privilege if you would allow me to escort you to the park." Naruto laughed.

"So, how old are you exactly?" Naruto was so enjoying their walk. He was taking the time to get to know Sasuke. Not the big important things like why he believed in not killing his prey, but the general, mundane, important details. Like what his favorite color was (boring black), his favorite book (a foreign book Naruto didn't recognize), and his favorite type of ramen (the poor soul never had it- was a vampire before it was invented, which led to the current question). And to his pleasure, Sasuke returned his questions. Albeit, it was with a gruff 'And you?' and Naruto was positive that Sasuke already knew the answers, but for the first time it felt like someone was actually interested in him, in what he thought and felt. Naruto grinned and hugged Sasuke's arm closer to him. Sasuke smirked back.

"Old enough that very little surprises me." A side glance. "Well, that was until you." Naruto's eyes widened.

"Me? What did I do?" Sasuke made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat.

"Hell if I know." Naruto was about to voice his displeasure against that answer when they rounded a corner in the path. There was a couple sitting on a bench, kissing each other rather passionately. Naruto grinned at them, and once they passed aw'ed. Sasuke wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"You don't think that's cute?" Sasuke scoffed.

"Apparently, I am also old enough to have been raised in very different times. What you see as 'cute' I see as distasteful." Naruto laughed.

"You're a prude!"

"I am not a prude. I believe in a time and a place for that type of behavior. I also believe that it is disrespectful to your partner to expose them like that." Naruto considered Sasuke's opinion.

"Maybe, at first. But over time, and with someone really special, maybe not. To allow that person to have such an affect on you that makes you loose control of your reservations." Sasuke sighed.

"You have seen the effects of my loosing control. I would not want that to happen with you."

Naruto huffed at the reminder and shook his head. "Yea, but that was in anger. I'm talking about passion." Sasuke looked at him straight in the eye.

"That is a fine line. One I am not comfortable walking."

Naruto watched as Sasuke returned to facing forward, and didn't bring it back up as they continued walking. He could feel Sasuke withdraw from him, and it frustrated him. Sasuke had answered all of his questions, but physically, he was still holding back. There was a tenseness holding stiff throughout his body, allowing Naruto's touches, but not returning them. He was finally able to understand what Iruka was trying to say.

Sasuke was walking on eggshells around him, afraid of hurting him or scaring him. He was being overly careful around Naruto. How was he ever going to get to know him if Sasuke wouldn't let him see who he really was? "So, how old are you? Really?" As Sasuke chuckled, Naruto knew that he wanted to see Sasuke for who he really was, vampire and all.

To be honest, Naruto wasn't sure what the movie was about. He spent most of the time watching Sasuke and trying to think of a way to get under his skin. It was apparent to Naruto that Sasuke didn't quite trust himself around him yet. Naruto knew that he trusted Sasuke, but he wasn't sure how to convince Sasuke to trust himself. He knew that part of the problem was that Sasuke was a vampire. Was that it then? Was Sasuke afraid that he would bite Naruto? Naruto rolled his tongue back and over Gaara's wound. The pain wasn't really all that bad; the initial bite hurt, but after that…granted, Naruto's memory was fuzzy with the fear of an unknown vampire attacking him. But, Naruto didn't think he would mind if it was Sasuke.

Perhaps Sasuke was afraid that he wouldn't be able to stop. Which was a stupid argument, since every time Sasuke fed, he was exercising his control. Perhaps Sasuke's reluctance in letting Naruto close didn't have anything to do with him being a vampire. Sasuke had lost everyone he loved at a young age- maybe he was afraid to let anyone close for fear of losing them. Naruto sighed. He wasn't sure how he could convince Sasuke to let his guard down, if that was the case.

Regardless of the "why," Naruto still had no idea how to tell Sasuke that it was okay to relax around him. He had a couple of ideas, but there were too many possible outcomes for him to be comfortable acting on any of them.

"Did you enjoy the movie?" Naruto looked up startled to see that the credits were rolling.

"It was all right. Did you like it?" Sasuke grinned.

"Some of the cultural references, I did not understand. But all in all, it was all right."

They left and headed back to the house. Naruto was expecting to step through the woods and be back at the house, much like when they came into the village, but to his amusement, the path seemed to have extended, with the house no where in sight. Enchanted woods, indeed. Apparently, Sasuke didn't want the date to end either. Naruto tested his theory by reaching forward and linking his fingers with Sasuke's. Sasuke glanced sideways at Naruto before tightening the hold. Naruto smiled brightly at him. "Thanks for taking me out today, Sasuke."

Sasuke inclined his head. "You are most welcome. I enjoyed our time together."

There was a half-baked plan forming in Naruto's head. He knew what was at risk, and so he was careful to consider the different possible outcomes. After weighing the risks, he carefully replied, "Do I get my goodnight kiss?" Sasuke froze. Naruto waited for Sasuke to respond. After several minutes and still no response, Naruto walked around to face him.

Carefully, Naruto leaned up and kissed Sasuke gently on his mouth. Still no response. Naruto forced himself to not get frustrated, and tried again. He kissed Sasuke harder the second time. He didn't let go of Sauske's hand, and with his free hand he reached up and stroked the side of Sasuke's face. For a moment, Naruto was afraid that he was mistaken, that he had misunderstood. But then, finally, Sasuke responded. There was a hand at his hip, griping and pushing him backwards so that his back hit a tree. The hand that was holding his own hand twisted so it could pin his hand next to his hand. The low growl at the back of Sasuke's throat was the only warning Naruto had before Sasuke allowed his mouth to open under Naruo's attack.

It was the opportunity that Naruto was waiting for.

Naruto curled his tongue so that the tip pulled at the back of Sasuke's front teeth, then ran it across his teeth to the right until he finally found the sharp canine he had been looking for. Carefully, he scraped the top of his tongue across the canine until he found the dip of the fresh wound. He mentally braced himself before pressing his tongue up, tearing open the still healing muscle. The blood immediately started to pool in Sasuke's mouth. Sasuke flinched back at the taste and tried to break the kiss, but Naruto followed his mouth and gripped the hair at the nape of Sasuke's neck. Naruto knew he had to be patient and wait for the pressure of the pooling blood to force Sasuke to swallow. His patience was rewarded.

The moment Sasuke swallowed, Naruto could feel a change overcome Sasuke. He pushed closer to Naruto and sucked hard on his tongue. Naruto could feel Sasuke's canines extending into fangs on either side of his tongue. There was a final push into Naruto's body, and then, with a snarl, Sasuke jerked his head away.

"You…Naruto…what is wrong with you?" Sasuke's eyes were squeezed shut and his muscles were twitching with the effort to restrain himself. Naruto leaned forward and kissed Sasuke's jaw gently.

"Sasuke. Sasuke, it's okay." Sasuke growled. Naruto knew a warning when he got one, and remained very still while Sasuke recollected himself. Finally, Sasuke leaned back to gaze at Naruto.

"What were you thinking?" Naruto waited for Sasuke's eyes to return to solid black before he answered.

"I'm tired of you trying to hold back for me. I thought…"

"Did you think that I am holding back for a good reason?"

Naruto forced his frustration down. "Yes, but I really can't think of a good reason."

Sasuke snarled. "Really? Perhaps you would like a reminder. I am a monster, Naruto."

It was Naruto's turn to snarl back. "You aren't, Sasuke. Are you afraid you'll hurt me if you allow yourself to get close to me?" Sasuke didn't answer, didn't have to answer. His level glare was enough of an answer. "Why? Or was your entire "no-kill" policy thing a lie?"

"It is not, but that is different."

"How is it different?" Sasuke punched the tree next to Naruto's head. Naruto was very proud of himself that he didn't flinch.

"Because you are not a source of food."

Naruto huffed and considered his options. "I'm trying, Sasuke. But you have to meet me half-way. I can't be with you if you aren't willing to let yourself be with me. Are you going to let me go?"

The grip on his hand tightened. "I cannot."

"Then you're going to have to get over your insecurities, Sasuke." Sasuke went to reply, but Naruto stopped him with a hand clamped down on his mouth. "And don't tell me you aren't insecure. You are or you would trust yourself with me. I'm not afraid of you Sasuke." Sasuke searched Naruto's face for any sign that he was lying. Naruto let him, knowing that he wouldn't find any trace of deception.

Finally, something shifted in Sasuke's eyes, and he leaned forward and rested his head on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto tilted his head to kiss Sasuke's temple. "It's okay, Sasuke. I'm here."

Naruto stayed up all day formulating plans and back-up plans. If there was one thing he knew he had to do, he knew that he had to face the darkest parts of Sasuke. If he could do that, and not flinch away, then maybe Sasuke would realize that he wasn't going to leave. This slightly concerned him, but he steeled his resolve. He had already seen Sasuke kill a man, so he was almost positive that very little else would be able to phase him.

The first thing he had to do was see Sasuke feed. During his time at Sasuke's house, he had learned the schedule. Sasuke had split the coven in half, making sure that each half had enough of the people he trusted to watch out for Akatsuki. They went out alternating nights, most usually to the night club where he met Sasuke. He remembered asking Choji why they continued to go someplace where people might catch on. Choji had laughed and said that the rumors of the club were part of its allure, and since no one actually went missing or ended up dead, no one was really scared. The opposite, people came from far and wide for a chance to be a "vampire's victim." Naruto remembered wrinkling his nose in confusion, much to Choji's amusement. "You'd be surprised," he'd said.

Tonight was supposed to be Sasuke's night. He had worried that maybe Sasuke wouldn't go out tonight, since he went last night, but the groups had been carefully selected. Sasuke would go, if only for the purpose of keeping an eye on those that needed to feed. The problem was convincing Sasuke to take him with them on their hunting trip. Naruto knew that there was no way that Sasuke would agree to it, but he was pretty sure he could convince at least on of his friends to sneak him along. Fortunately for him, they tended to go in waves- apparently even vampires sometimes had difficulty waking up. Even more fortunately for him, Kiba was going out tonight, and he always ran late. He also always swung by the house, just in case there were any other last minute stragglers, so Naruto would make sure that he would be able to catch him before he left.

With his plan in mind, Naruto was finally able to sleep. He drifted off, remembering Sasuke's hand running down his spine, and whispered words in his ear. "You taste like ramen."

"Kiba! Bud! I have a favor to ask you." Kiba eyed him warily, frozen from running off after a brief glance around the lounge.

"Hey Naruto. Um…can this wait? I have to…uh…" Naruto stopped Kiba from trying to stutter out an excuse.

"Yes, I know where you're going Kiba. And no, this can't wait. I want to come with you." It was worth it to see the look that crossed Kiba's face.

"Are you kidding?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nope. I'm bored and want to go out. What's the big deal, anyway? I've been there before." Kiba opened and closed his mouth a bit, looking rather like a fish out of water.

"But…you, and…But, Sasuke would…I have to..." A few more moments of incoherency, and then Kiba reached forward and grabbed Naruto's wrist. As he was dragging Naruto out of the house, Naruto heard him mutter, "Oh, Sasuke is not going to like this."