A/N So this turned into a more school festival theme. There were so many good ideas and different things I could feature but of course could not due to length. However some of your suggestions inspired me for later chapters such as going to a temple, praying, and getting their fortunes read by a shaman that I think I am going to make their own chapter when they are older in high school, then maybe a more celebratory festival when they are older after school. I think Hanami and one in Nara was suggested so I will have to look into those. So if you didn't see your favorites in this chapter it because I decided to save it for later. Also most of my knowledge comes from google and drama/anime shows so if there is something wrong please forgive my ignorance.

The Festival

Sasuke fidgeted with his yukata as he stepped out of the SUV and glared at the school building. It was bad enough that he had to come here every weekday, but to force him to come on a Saturday? It was criminal.

"Oh my goodness, it already sounds, smells, and looks wonderful from all the way over here," Mikoto exclaimed, as she came up next to him and looked out towards the activity fields across from the parking lot. "The committee sure did a wonderful job this year."

"Auntie, aren't you the president of the committee?" Shisui asked as he came around the other side of the SUV with Itachi.

Mikoto gave a not so humble smile. "Am I? Well, no wonder it looks perfect," she appraised as she looked back to the festivities.

Next to his mother Sasuke rolled his eyes and looked out to the reason why he was here, and not at home playing video games. Towards the end of every school year, the school put on a festival to raise funds for the next year, as if a private school like this was ever low on money. He was pretty sure the festival cost more than it even made because when Konoha Middle Academy put on a festival, they spared no expense.

The field was lit up brighter than a stadium during the biggest event of the year. Music could be heard echoing out from the main attractions that Sasuke could already spot from afar. Several carnival rides had been set up in the middle of it all, and the tall Ferris wheel in the center was already operating as it spun riders around in its carriages. And already his mouth was watering from the aromas of the food vendors wafted over to him.

"Holy fu–"

"Shisui!" Barked Mikoto.

"–fu-udge," Shisui finished, giving his aunt a sweet look which she saw right through. He wrapped an arm around Sasuke's neck and ruffled his hair. "I'm telling you little Saucy, this school is way better than when I went here!"

Sasuke shoved him off and glared at him. Shisui went unphased by the murderous expression being directed at him as Sasuke unsuccessfully tried to tame his hair. Instead, Shisui gazed out at the festival and pointed eagerly to the Ferris wheel.

"Oh look! Make sure you ride that with someone you like."

Sasuke gave him a confused expression. "Why?"

"Because you have to kiss whoever is with you if you get stopped at the top! Otherwise it's bad luck. Wouldn't want to get stuck on the top with Naruto...then again, I heard what happened in your second year, so maybe you do want to ride with him if you liked itー"

Sasuke slapped a hand over Shusui's mouth as he looked around quickly. Shisui stuck his tongue out and Sasuke wrenched his hand away in disgust as he quickly wiped Shisui's saliva off.

"How do you even know about that!" Sasuke hissed in a panic, causing Shisui to grin. "Don't ever tell anyone or bring that disgusting event up again! Do you have any idea how traumatizing that was! I tasted stale ramen for weeks after that." He shivered at the memory.

"Okay then, that's a no to Naruto on the Ferris wheel." A wicked grin stretched onto Shisui's devilish face. "I guess you can always take your girlfriend on the tunnel of loooove," Shisui sing-songed.

"Sakura's not my girlfriend," Sasuke quickly defended.

"Not yet," Shisui winked. "Oh and by the way-" he began as he started to walk away backwards- "I don't recall saying anything about Sakura? But hey-" he threw a pair of thumbs up- "I ship it."

"Shut up Shisui," Sasuke snapped. "What are you even doing here? This festival is for students and their families. You're like some pervert coming to prey on underage girls."

Shisui let out an offended sound. "Since when was a cousin not family?!" he challenged before gesturing to the sign. "And besides, the sign says welcome friends and family of Konoha Middle Academy." He pointed to Sasuke. "You may have disowned me but I went to this school and I fancy myself a very good friend." He let out a proud sniff. "I have many fond memories of this place. I made out for the first time in that abandoned music room in the east wing." His eyes brightened as if hit with an idea, and bent down close to Sasuke's face as he whispered conspiratorially, "Tell me, is that where you and Sakura go to–"

Shisui was cut short as Sasuke's hand went to his face and shoved him away. Adjusting his yukata again, Sasuke stomped off ahead of the group. Behind him, Shisui was laughing like a hyena, Itachi was stoically hiding his amusement, and Mikoto jabbered away about the decorations as they crossed through the gates, into the designated festival grounds.

Sasuke, and every other one of his schoolmates, were dressed in the attire of the traditional festivals. This made it easy to pick out who the students were in the crowded masses. Here and there one could spot some faculty members, parents, or older siblings wearing the traditional attire as well to embrace the theme of this year's school festival of 'insert theme'. The rest of the masses wore their normal modern clothing. However in a way it all blended in with the rest of the modern and traditional aesthetics. The LED lights of the carnival rides flashed with a rainbow of colors along with the golden glow of the paper lamps that lit up the vendor stalls and walkways. Traditional foods like yakitori and dango filled the air with their sweet and savory aromas as they mixed with the more modern offerings of treats such as cotton candy and funnel cakes. Even the game stalls were a balance of traditional and modern, ranging from goldfish scooping to gun-shooting ranges, ring toss to senbonbiki lotteries. All of it was enough to keep anyone distracted and entertained, but Sasuke only had one goal in mind.

"Have you seen Sakura around yet?" Sasuke asked Naruto casually.

As soon as he had come through the main entrance, the blonde had come out from nowhere wearing the traditional black yukata and donning a brightly colored obi tied around his waist. It had already come loose due to the blondes wild movements but he seemed to be either ignorant or unphased by the lack of dignity one gained while wearing the traditional attire.

"I saw her earlier when I first got here, she was doing her shift at our class booth with Neji's cousin, you know that quiet girl that always faints," he rambled off as his eyes stayed glued to a ramen stand that was advertising to buy three bowls and get one free.

"We should find her before going to meet up with the rest of theー

"Sasuke! Naruto!"

Both boys turned at the sound of their names to find Sakura approaching them. Naruto waved wildly back while Sasuke quietly took her in with an odd expression on his face. His head tilted slightly as he examined her, confused. She looked weird. Not in a bad kind of weird, but just...different. He was seeing the same smile, the same bright green eyes, and warm aura that Sakura always had. But there was just something not quite the same.

Her short hair, which had grown a little longer over the past school year was pulled up into a delicate side bun and adorned with a cherry blossom branch ornament. From it, hung a few tear drop rubies by the side of her neck that let out a small tinkling sound as she ran carefully up to them. Like the rest of the students, she was wearing a traditional kimono made of a ruby fabric that had a pattern of her namesake blossom woven into the silk. Around her waist was a tightly, and perfectly knotted obi that was a dark shade of forest green to match her striking eyes. It was then, as she came closer, Sasuke realized just why exactly she looked odd

She was wearing makeup and he could hardly wrap his intelligent mind around such a conclusion, because Sakura didn't wear makeup. No doubt it was Ino's work and influence as Sakura's blonde friend wore makeup like it was Halloween. But Sakura had never seemed interested in such things before. Yet...here she was. Smiling at him with her lips painted a cherry red that made them look fuller as her cheeks glowed with a healthy flush. But it was her eyes that caught his attention the most. They had been lined with a dark and perfectly drawn eyeliner as a dusting of red and gold eye shadow made her eyes stand out even more colorfully and Sasuke found himself unable to look away from them.

After Sakura's glasses had been broken, she had opted for a pair of contacts as she had always been bothered with her glasses always falling down and getting dirty. In the barely over a year's time she had worn them, Sasuke had slightly forgotten just how vivid her eyes really were. He had always found there was a strange power in her eyes that made him want to do anything and everything for her. Now, that power was tripled and he found himself swallowing dryly as she looked back at him.

As soon as she got to them, Naruto wrapped her in a hug before becoming distracted by the ramen stand again. When he released her, Sakura came up to Sasuke and wrapped her arms around him, causing Sasuke to stiffen. Hugs from Sakura were not anything out of the norm. However, like everything about her tonight, there was something odd about the feeling of her arms wrapped around him and her body pressing against his.

He had recently grown another inch, forcing Sakura to stand on her tippy toes in order to wrap her arms around his neck. This resulted in her needing to lean against him more than what he was used to and their chests pressed up against each other as she gave him a tight squeeze. At first he wrapped his arms around her in return as he always did in an act of 'toleration', but he soon stiffened when he felt a slight softness and curvature that he was not used to feeling. And it was not just his mind that seemed to acknowledge this softness pressing up against him, but also his body. His teenage, hormone raging, puberty altered, body.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he felt his body begin to react and he quickly shoved her away as subtly as he could before she too could feel his own body growing in certain places. She had a slightly confused look but Sasuke looked away from her as he bowed his head and let his long bangs hide his face as it turned the color of his favorite food. He stared at the ground, listing off the different high stances he had mastered in karate. Hoping and praying to the gods that his stupid body would calm down. Thankfully, before anyone else could notice his struggle with puberty, his mother chose the perfect opportunity to notice Sakura had joined their group.

"Sakura!" she exclaimed. "You look beautiful."

Sakura could not help but shyly duck her head in a polite acknowledgement and gratitude of the woman's praise. Tucking her hands behind her back she rocked on the balls of her feet as Mikoto listed things she looked like, ranging from country fairy to empress, then escalating to a spring goddess. With each proclaimed compliment Sakura grew more and more bashful, still not used to Mikoto's generous praise even after nearly ten years of receiving them.

Mikoto let out another squeal. "Oh my goodness we have got to get a picture of everyone! Gods I knew this year's theme was going to be perfect. You three are just darling," she said as she grabbed Sasuke and Naruto and sandwiched Sakura between the two. "Itachi, Shusui, get behind them!"

She opened her purse and dug around for a moment before pulling out her phone and turning on the camera. Holding it up, she focused the screen as they all lined up as instructed. Shisui placed himself right behind Sakura and Sasuke as he wrapped his arms around their shoulders and stuck his head between them. Subtly he turned his head and whispered something into his younger cousin's ear before turning to Sakura and complimenting her outfit, abandoning Sasuke to burn heatedly with embarrassment and rage.

"Sasuke, look at the camera," Mikoto instructed. "And smile. Finals are not until next week, you look like you are in the middle of your college placement exams. Alright everyone one, two, three..."

The phone let out a digitalized snap as she caught the moment.

Sasuke's dark eyes glared up at the camera as he folded his arms. Behind him Shisui was throwing up a pair of bunny ears as he threw a casual arm over Sakura's shoulder and threw up a peace sign with his other hand. Sakura, stood in the center with a wide smile that showed off her metallic braces without any care. Next to her Naruto had caught a whiff of the Ramen stand and was not even looking at the camera. And finally, behind the distracted drooling blonde, Itachi stood with his hands in his pockets, bending slightly so his tall frame could fit in with the group.

Mikoto was not satisfied with just the one and after a lot of rearranging, posing, and complaining, she finally released them to go do as they wished. Thirty minutes later, the trio of young teens were making their way through the walkways to meet with their friends.

From the first day of school, back when he was only five years old, Sasuke had never been a big fan of Ino. However, recently his dislike for the girl had lessened to being tolerant of her as he was forced to adapt to the changes that had taken place over the past several months. As annoying and insipid as Ino could be, he could not ignore how well Sakura did under her care. He both loved and hated this.

Ever since Ino had climbed down from her high horse and offered Sakura a kind gesture, Sakura had in no less terms, begun to bloom. It had been Ino who had suggested she get contacts as Sakura's replacement glasses, while more stylish, still constantly bothered her. And no longer did Ino stand at the sidelines and watch when people started to single Sakura out. Instead, she raged like a wild boar protecting her piglet. Not only that, but Ino's positive self esteem seemed to be rubbing off on Sakura just enough that she had regained the confidence she had in younger years, but not so much she had an inflated ego like the blonde.

But however beneficial Ino's influence was to Sakura, it had taken a heavy toll on Sasuke. It made him feel like he had been inadequate in protecting Sakura. He felt he had fallen short somewhere and failed to provide what Sakura needed to thrive.

He had once brought this up to his mother who had explained to him that he had not fallen short. It was not a failure or flaw, it was called being human. Everyone had strengths to offer but also weakness, and that was okay.

At first Sasuke didn't understand how he couldn't provide everything, but as time went on, Sasuke realized that as they got older, the less he understood about girls. Sakura was going through things, just as he and Naruto were. And that was when he understood. It all went back to this infernal puberty thing again. Just another one of the too many changes they were all going through and he hated it. He felt like he was losing her. The older they got, the more changes occured, and with each change, he felt like they were growing farther apart. And it did not help that a strange, nearly primal instinct within him, wanted her closer than ever.

Speaking of being apart, that was another reason why he hated all of these changes. Their group had grown over the months with Sakura making more friends, and those friends bringing their friends into their ever growing circle. As a result, they certainly spent a lot of time separated. Like right now.

Sasuke leaned against the booth that he, and the other boys in their group were hanging around. Each of them taking turns at the strength tester game as they competed against each other by passing off the hammer and seeing who could hit the lever hard enough to get the puck closest to striking the bell. Both Kiba and Naruto were currently fighting over the hammer, both eager to prove who was stronger. Their childish insults did nothing to make them look like the grown men they were trying to prove themselves to be and the face paint did not help.

Naruto was whiskered with the face of a fox while Kiba was fanged like a wolfish dog. Their boisterous shouts and brags nearly drowned out the rest of the chaotic noise of bells, whistles, music, and laughter around them. Nearby a sleepy Shikimaro let out a groan as he sat at an empty booth with his head down on the table, muttering about what a drag it was to be here. Sitting next to the slumbering sloth was Choji. Having just won a hot dog eating contest, the competitive eater was busy scarfing down an entire bag of cotton candy. After failing to calm down the squabbling pair, Neji joined Sasuke in his silent brooding. Together they attempted to drown out the loud shouting that was attracting far more attention than wanted, especially when Lee began to shout along with them about how they all had the power of youth within them, and were all equally strong if they just embraced their youth.

"Where are Ino and Sakura?" Neji sighed out when settled next to Sasuke. "They would have all of them silenced by now."

"Hn," Sasuke agreed. "Ino had to go to the bathroom."

"And Sakura?"

Sasuke gave him a look. "Ino had to go to the bathroom," he repeated. "Therefore they both had to go together."

"Ah," Neji sounded in understanding.

That was another one of the great and confusing mysteries. For some reason, while boys followed the unspoken rule of not standing next to each other when going to the bathroom, girls seemed to have an opposing rule of law. If one person had to use the restroom, then they all had to go as a group, whether they needed to use the restroom or not.

There was a loud ringing that sounded as a slew of lights began to flash, causing Sasuke to break thought from the unsolvable mysteries and habits of females. Looking over, he saw Choji standing next to the strength test with the hammer in his hands and Naruto and Kiba gaping. Choji gave a half shrug at his accomplishment but perked up immediately when the game operator presented him with a bag full of barbecue chips.

After Choji's second victory of the night, Ino and Sakura returned with Tenten and Hinata, who had each finished their shifts at their classroom booths. Having now all finished their shifts, the group was free to go about the rest of the night, exploring what the other classes and clubs had come up with in addition to the hired carnival attractions that the school had contracted to come in.

They first decided to check out the various rooms that the clubs had set up in the school building. First they stopped by the music club which gave a performance of popular songs played with traditional instruments. After enjoying a exotic rendition of a pop song performed on a shamisen and accompanied with a bow flute and drums, the group moved on down the hall and made their way to the science room where a haunted lab was being promoted by the science club.

As they waited in line for their group to enter, they watched as several other groups trickled out of the exit door of the room, some laughing and giggling with their friends, while others burst out in true terror. The girls stood huddled together, nervously questioning what would be inside each time a scared group walked past them. Hinata was the worst as she was nearly trembling at the knees.

Sasuke watched as Sakura and Tenten reassured her it would be fine and that they would each take up position in front and behind so she would be safe. Ino was already latching herself onto an unfortunate Shikamaru who had been so graciously bestowed the privilege to be the blondes protector. Next to Sasuke, Naruto and Kiba boisterously mocked the groups that came out running and screaming as they scrutinized how scary a group of 'science geeks' could really make a classroom.

"It's not going to be that scary," Kiba scoffed.

"Yeah don't worry, Hinata," Naruto directed towards the raven haired girl, who nearly fainted when Naruto said her name. "These guys are so into science and being smart, they wouldn't have any room in their huge brains to even have imagination as to what really is scary."

As it turned out, the president of the science club just happened to be a horror fanatic and was also a member of the drama club and cinema club, who had all collaborated on the haunted laboratory. Therefore, he had a great imagination and plenty of resources to draw inspiration and authenticity from when it came to setting up the haunted lab.

They started entering the room in a group but were soon funneled into a line as a temporary wall forced them to spread out. It was pitchblack and they all stumbled and walked into each other as they blindly made their way down the first part.

"Ouch," came Tenten's cry of pain. "Who keeps stepping on my foot?"

"Apologies," came Neji's quiet response.

The occasional startled intake of breath or a quick squeal sounded when hanging fake cobwebs and streamers brushed their faces. Every once in a while, a louder yelp could be heard when the group caught up to another and touched the person in front of them as they navigated through the dark. But after a while, once they all got accustomed to the darkness enough to make out each other's faint silhouettes, only the shuffling of feet and heavy breaths of anticipation could be heard. Which made the unexpected loud bang against the wall caused the entire group to let out a unified shout.

As adrenaline spiked, so did the amount of pushing and shoving. The group raced through the corridor only to enter a contrasting bright room of swirled, hypnotizing black lines and white walls as a strobe light flickered on and off. In the center of the room was the only splash of color which consisted of a single red balloon. The group huddled together as they shuffled along the wall as one unit. Disoriented from the flashing light, they tried to figure out the direction that they needed to go, all while they tried to ignore the hovering balloon in the center.

It was then that the wall on the opposite side opened up and a clown that was far too accurately dressed as Pennywise entered and let out a crazed scream of laughter. His scream was echoed by the group as panic flooded the teenagers and they broke ranks. Choji was the first to spot the angled hidden exit and sprinted towards his escape as the rest of the group followed suit. Sasuke, Sakura, and Kiba taking up the rear.

Upon their escape, Sasuke the fabric of his yukata being pulled tight and he looked back to see Sakura grasping onto him. She looked sheepishly up at him but did not let go. Sasuke only gave her slanted smirk before reaching back and pulling her closer as they entered another dark hallway.

Through the rest of the science classroom turned mazed house of horrors, they moved from one terrifying experience to the next. After escaping the clown the maze of temporary walls led them into an extra terrestrial set up, complete with jars of aliens on a self, an abducted and tortured human experiment, and an alien that had jumped out of a small space pod. They had run down a narrow hallway which then led them into a typical slasher room that made their stomachs churn, and the candied apples they had earlier threatened to come back up. Finally, after escaping a small herd of zombies from a graveyard themed section and quickly passing through the grand finale of a mad scientist laboratory with all sorts of disturbing experiments, the group poured out into the hallway, half screaming and half laughing as they all shook and recovered from the experience.

In the safety of the hall and their earlier fright now becoming humorous. They all began to calm down and laugh as they reminisced and teased each other of who was scared the most. Even the ever stoic Sasuke had a goofy smile on his face as he listened to Tenten recount Neji's high pitched scream. A scream which the lavender eyed boy was denying no such thing had ever left his mouth and that it was Naruto who had been the one screaming. As Naruto loudly began to defend himself, Sasuke began to look around the group. As his dark gaze bounced from person to person, his smirk faded and the earlier unease that he had found himself feeling in the haunted science room returned.

Sakura was not with them.

She had been right behind him, holding onto the back of his shirt as if it was Ariadne's thread from greek mythology. However in the disorientation and adrenaline rushed sprint through the labyrinth of horror, she had let go at some point.

"Where is Sakura?" he suddenly asked, causing everyone to look around.

When no one gave an answer, his heart sank and he looked to Kiba who had been in the rear.

"You," he said sharply, "you were behind her the whole time weren't you?"

Kiba gave a sheepish shrug. "She was," he admitted. "But I may or may not have pushed past her when that mummy popped out of its tomb during that classic monsters room. You know, the one with dracula and that frankenstein's monster laying on the table…"

Sasuke grabbed onto the front of Kiba's yukata and pulled him close enough to be nose to nose. It had been a while since Sasuke had gotten into a fight, but not long enough for anyone to forget just how merciless he could get when it came to Sakura.

"And you just ditched her?" he growled. "You didn't think to check and make sure she followed?"

"I swear I thought she was right behind me!"

Sasuke let Kiba go and roughly pushed him away. "Some loyal dog you are," he muttered under his breath, as he walked towards the door they had all just burst through.

"Oi! Sasuke, what are you doing?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke looked back at the group. "We can't just leave her behind!"

"You want to go back in there?"

Sasuke looked at them all with astonishment. What did they mean go back in there? Where else would they be going? This was Sakura they were talking about, of course they had to go back. But as he looked questioning at them, he realized, it was only him that would be going back. The rest were too scared.

"Just wait here in case I miss her and she comes out on her own." They all seemed much more comfortable with that idea and Sasuke did not even spare them a look as he rolled his eyes and opened the door to enter the haunted room all over again.

One would think that entering a dark lair of horrors from which you had just recently fled through would be terrifying, especially when going about it alone. But having already experienced the spooks and scares of the now familiar layout, going through a second time made things more trivial to Sasuke than terrifying. That and his entire focus was so strictly focused on finding Sakura that he hardly even noticed the ghosts and ghouls jumping out at him as he walked by.

He was already in the haunted graveyard with the zombies meaning the poltergeist room was next, which had come right after the classic monsters room where Kiba had said he lost her. As soon as he entered the next room, his dark gaze swept harshly around the small area. It was set up like an old parlor with cobwebs and candles all over. To his left was a pentagram and ouija board set up next to the fake fireplace and rocking chair. But his eyes had not even taken in the entire room when they paused on a ghostly body who had cornered a trembling figure. A figure that, despite the dim light, had brightly pink hair.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he zeroed in on the ghoul and marched over, grabbing onto the drama club member's shoulder. The kid spun around, his ghoulish face that had been thoroughly entertained with the torment he had been giving Sakura, quickly dissipated as he came nose to nose with Sasuke.

It did not matter how much makeup or special effects the ghostly kid had, for Sasuke held such a diabolical look in his face, that the kid took off screaming about a real demon being summoned. Sasuke watched as the kid fled before looking down to where Sakura was just now peeking through her fingers to look up at him.

The fear in her apple green eyes was replaced when recognition sparked and she leapt up to wrap her arms around him. As she expressed her relief, Sasuke gave her an awkward pat on the back. However Sasuke did not let it last long, not willing to risk his body to spontaneously reacting again. Stepping away from her, he gave her a hard look over.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I just," she began shakily, "I got a little turned around and didn't know which way I had come from."

There were many words that Sasuke wanted to say to that. Why she hadn't just started walking around and figured it out, why she didn't call out to him, why she had let go of him at all. But all of that would not do her any good. She was already shaken and Sasuke found that recently, he was becoming quite skilled with putting his foot in his mouth when it came to Sakura. So he decided to not say anything at all to avoid the risk of hurting her feelings. She had grown a thicker skin since befriending Ino but there were certain people whose words seemed to matter to her no matter what.

He let out a sigh, grabbing onto her hand. "Common," he said, trying to sound irritated instead of letting the insurmountable relief he felt from manifesting in his voice.

Through the haunted sections he led her, sometimes pulling her in closer while other times letting her relax as they went through the less scary parts. But not once did he let go of her hand, even when it had gone numb and started to tingle painfully from how tightly she grasped it, he never let go, determined to not lose her.

It was getting late. Ride operators were calling for final rides, game stalls were closing, and food vendors were peddling the last of their food off to anyone walking by in the significantly less crowded walkways. They all walked in a group, the girls walking ahead arm in arm as the boys followed, shoving each other and wrestling as they joked around. Sasuke walked stoically with the rowdy bunch with his hands stiff at his sides, wishing for pockets. When a high pitched shout of glee sounded from the girls ahead, he looked up to see Ino turning around to them as she pointed to the Ferris wheel next to them.

"Oh my gosh we have to ride the Ferris wheel before it closes!"

"Ew! Ferris wheels are for sissies," Kiba announced.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed. "It's so lame." He pointed to the go carts. "We should do that instead, it's more fun."

Ino put her hands on her hips. "But it's tradition! You can't go to a fair and not ride the ferris wheel. And it's the last ride of the night, everyone knows the ferris wheel is always best in its final ride when it's dark and all the lights are on."

"But what about the–"

"Ugg what drag," Shikamaru sighed as he interrupted Naruto's rebuttal. "Just forget it Naruto, it's less troublesome if you just let her have her way," he said as he braced his hands on the back of his head and started walking towards her in surrender.

His surrender was a catalyst for everyone else giving up on the fight as Naruto and Kiba trailed behind him and then the rest of the group fell into the line. Sasuke hung towards the back and as he got into the que, he found that Sakura had somehow ended up in the back as well.

"Hey," she said with a smile and rosy cheeks.

The color that had been lost during her abandonment in the horror room was now back in her cheeks after having run around the hall of mirrors. She had been a little shell shocked after her rescue and Sasuke had spent a large part of their evening force feeding her all her favorite treats in an attempt to get her back to her cheerful self. It had been his go to habit of raising her moral since their children and still worked like a charm.

"Hn," he responded in greeting.

This only seemed to make her smile more before turning away from him to move up in line. It did not take long before their group had made it to the front of the line. Given the high numbers of their group they were forced to split up into smaller pairs and trios in order to fit. Tenten and Neji were the first ones to board the ferris wheel. Hinata was about to board with them but the ride conductor had already latched them in before she could even climb up the stairs. This resulted in her getting onto the next cart along with Naruto. Kiba was about to board with them but Ino, ever that match maker, insisted that he needed to ride with her. After the blushing and panicking Hinata was whisked away with the blonde boy, another bench was ready for loading. Ino dragged both Kiba and Shikamaru on the next cart, placing herself in the middle and arranging her 'eye candy' accessories on either side of her. Given his already large size Choji was about to ride solo until the conductor called out for another solo rider. After a moment, a skinny boy with sunglasses holding a bug cage he had won earlier, came forward and joined him. This left only Sasuke and Sakura to ride together.

Once they boarded and the bar was locked into place over their laps, the ride was officially full and it began to rotate without any interruption. As they rose, Sakura let out a small intake of breath which caused Sasuke to turn his attention to her. They were nearing the top and she was gazing out across the school yard. The sun had descended past the horizon but there was a dim light in the western sky that was still a deep shade of indigo before it phased into the black and star speckled night sky. He watched her appreciate the sky then move her wide eyes to the festivities below, her mouth parting slightly with a small upturn as she took in the sight.

As if feeling his gaze, she turned to him. For a moment she seemed to hesitate under his scrutiny but after a moment, she gave him a soft smile. "It's so pretty," she commented.

"Hn," he grunted with a tone of agreement, not really taking in the sights as his attention remained mostly on her.

He was content in this moment, watching her be happy, and listening to her as she occasionally pointed to something she found particularly worth attention or making a comment. The night air had brought about a refreshing cool temperature that was just comfortable enough to not be too cold as the breeze from the movement of the ride rusted their hair lightly. He was so caught up in the moment and feeling relaxed that he had not even registered how long they had been going around when the ride came to a sudden stop.

He jolted forward from the force, grabbing onto the bar as Sakura's body leaned forward as well. She let out a sound of settlement that turned to laughter. Sasuke looked down and saw the conductor had begun the unloading. He looked back up to Sakura to see her smiling again.

"I thought we broke down for a second," she said before leaning forward to look down. "This is always my favorite part. A lot of people always hate the ferris wheel because of how long it takes to get off, but I like it."

As their bench swayed slightly and Sasuke looked around, he could not help but notice and understand what Sakura meant. It was nice. There was just something so calming and peaceful about it. Every once in a while the ride would begin to rotate slowly then pause as another carriage was unloaded. They were in the ascent of the wheels rotation now, giving them a near perfect point to take in the area. There was still music being carried in the air and with the small breeze, the lingering aromas of the food and sweet spring scents filled his nose. And with Sakura by his side, chatting away in her familiar way with happiness, with her face painted and wearing colors to highlight his favorite colorful features of her, he would call this moment almost perfect. Almost being a fundamental word as they moved forward again and came to a stop right at the top.

As always, their bench swung and swayed as the ride was paused and Sasuke was allowed two peaceful seconds in his perfect state before the moment was shattered by a sound. A sound that came from two seats behind them and was produced by none other than a cousin who loved nothing more than to humiliate and antagonize Sasuke.

"Sasuke!" shouted Shisui.

The sound of his name caused both Sasuke and Sakura to turn around where they spotted Shisui sitting on a bench with Itachi. Shisui was busy rocking their cart energetically as poor Itachi grabbed on the bar in front of them, clearly not happy with the teeter tottering of their seat.

"Sasuke! Do it!" he cackled. "You're at the top, do it!"

Sasuke glared down at Shisui with venom in his eyes as he felt Sakura's attention turn to him.

"What is he talking about?" she curiously asked.

Sasuke turned to look at her and jolted back slightly, surprised by the close proximity of her confused face. For a moment, his eyes dipped down to look at her red tinted lips before he quickly raised his eyes back up to look at her eyes. Her brows knitted together in slight confusion but then her attention moved back to where Shisui was shouting up at them. Sasuke quickly grabbed her shoulders and turned her back around.

"It's nothing," he answered. "Just ignore him."

But unfortunately Sasuke's reaction and attempt to not acknowledge his cousin only fueled his older cousins antagonizing.

"Do it, do it, do it," Shisui cheered.

Sasuke felt his face burn a degree hotter with every cheer. When he hit a certain heated level of anger and mortification, it was like the pressure of a volcano hitting its limit. He spun around in their seat, his quick movement causing the chair to rock as he murderously glared down at his cousin.

"Shut up you pervert!"

Shisui only cackled. "Sasuke, it's tradition! You're gonna have bad luck if you don't do it! This hunk of metal is gonna suddenly fall apart and we are all going to die because you can't man up and kiss her! What's the big deal? Not up to date with you cootie shots? I promise you, it's totally worth the risk of becoming infected with them!"

"Shut it, Shisuー"

Sasuke choked on his cousin's name as he felt a light pressure on the side of his cheek, while at the same time felt Sakura press close to him, bringing her familiar scent. He turned his head to see Sakura biting her lip and looking at him worriedly as she pulled away from him.

"Sorry," she said quickly with wide eyes as if she was the one surprised by her actions. "It was just to get him to shut up."

Sasuke swallowed dryly and nodded, his body still rigid and stiff but no longer out of anger towards Shisui. Instead it was for a whole other reason in which he had no fathom of understanding.

For what seemed like minutes they stared back at each other, locked in each other's eyes. But the moment was completely shattered by a cackle of laughter followed by a high pitched squeal coming from the direction of two carts behind them.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Shisui managed in what should have been an impossible pitch to reach for a practically adult male.

With the reality rudely crashing back to them, both Sasuke and Sakura suddenly became acutely aware of their surroundings. Their close proximity to one another. The highly visible point in which they sat for everyone to look up and see. The fact that Sakura had just seemed to cross a line that had never been crossed in their friendship. And then finally, the lack of escape from it all because he was locked in his seat forty feet up from the ground.

And then suddenly they both felt unnaturally hot for being out in the open cool night air. And in two seconds they were both inching away from each other as they pressed themselves up against their own side of the cart, trying to put as much distance in between them. Sasuke gripped the handle bar while Sakura's hands clenched in her lap as they both stared forward, sitting with their backs straight as a ramrod.

It was painfully awkward as they sat stiffly next to each other as their cart swayed slightly in the air. But it only got worse when the signing began.

"Sakura and Saucy, sittin' in a tree…"

Sasuke's knuckles had turned white as his hands clenched tightly to the bar securing him into this inescapable hell. He was going to kill him, he thought to himself. First he was going to kill his cousin then die of humiliation himself.

The rest of the ride remained awkward and stiff and no longer did Sasuke share Sakura's appreciation for how long it took to unload the ride. He needed off. He was so desperate that he was contemplating just climbing down the skeletal structure of the ride if it at least meant he could escape Sakura's overbearing presence and Shisui's serenade. However he couldn't bring himself to move, the chances of him coming into closer proximity with Sakura as he climbed out was too high and he was not sure he could handle that. The already forced two feet of space on the bench between them, as they each pressed themselves as far enough away from the other, was two feet too close.

When they finally managed to have their turn to unload from the ride, Sasuke had practically ran away after a quick mumble and eye contact free goodbye to Sakura and his friends. He then had to endure a long drive home with Shisui in the same car, which took all restraint for him to not lunge across the back seat and strangle the curly haired Uchiha with his own seat belt.

By the time he got home, he was exhausted and tired and barely managed to make it to his bed without passing out. However the moment his head was resting on the pillow and his eyes fell shut, his mind seemed to gain a buzz of electricity. There was a spot on his cheek that suddenly seemed to be over sensitive and it only took him a moment to realize it was the place Sakura had kissed him on the ferris wheel.

For the first time since it happened, Sasuke found himself actually processing what exactly had happened. The peck she had given him was brief and quick, hardly a brushing of her lips against his skin that lasted less than a second. As he contemplated the feel and sensation, Sasuke could not help but think...it was nice.

Well we got Shisui the boat builder in this chapter and he's shipping! Hope you all like this one, I may have gotten carried away with the haunted classroom, I live for Halloween and I have already been day dreaming about it since the beginning of July lol. At the moment I have two more ideas for the middle school age, unless there are some scenarios that people are wanting to see in the current age our lovely pair and friends are at. If so let me know and I will see what I can think up.

As always take care and be your wonderful and excellent individual selves!

Next Up: The Party Games: The group is now in grade eight. Ino is having her birthday party and no longer are they playing pin the tale on the donkey or and eating cake. Instead its pocky sticks, truth or dare, and spin the bottle.