Important A/N: I mentioned in the summary this is AU, let me clarify that, as later on in the story this will become important. Basic AU background, Naruto's trained with killer Bee, so he has some control over the Kyuubi. However the shinobi nations have yet to agree on how they should handle Akatsuki, Sasuke, and how to handle the remaining Jinjuriki. So unlike in the manga where they have joined forces they are arguing and there is lots of tension; in other words they are in a 'cold war'. Naruto did not complete his training with the killer Bee, but was pulled back out of fear that he might be captured by another country, 'solving' the Sasuke disagreement; or that he and Killer Bee would be captured, solving the disagreement about Jinjuriki ownership.

Chapter 2: Adjustment and Comfort

Naruto's POV

My body aches as Kiba's sister helps me to lie down. I was able to walk here from the hospital with minimal support. I usually draw on the Kyuubi's chakra a little when I am in too much pain, but for the most part I am letting myself heal naturally. I wasn't able to heal myself at all while I was captured, because of the chakra suppressors, but my body has caught up with the major wounds.

"If you feel any discomfort, tell me. I do know how to heal humans, it's just that animals are my specialty." Hana explains and slides an extra pillow under my head.

"I brought the food." I recognize the voice to be Kiba's, and I relax a little. Out of all the people in this house, including animals, Kiba and Akamaru are the only ones I'm familiar with.

I was sniffed by three noses when I arrived at the house, that's when I met Kiba's sister. She explained that she has three canine companions, unlike Kiba and their mother. The house seems small, thought I can't see it. It didn't take long for Akamaru to walk me to my room, and even now I can hear the clatter of dishes from what I presume to be the kitchen. So either my bedroom is very close to the kitchen, or the house just isn't that big. I will have to get use to my new surroundings. I'm sure I'll have time to memorize the set up once I'm well enough to walk around.

"Back up," Kiba growls and I hear slight whining coming from the door. Hana chuckles. "he hasn't even been here for an hour and already he's railed the pack up."

"I'm sorry Kiba, you know the brothers are just curious. They only got one good sniff in, before Akamaru hurried him into the room."

"Well, they can sniff all they want once we get him settled in." Something comes to rest in my lap. "Can you feed yourself?"

"Of course." I say, somewhat annoyed by the question. Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I don't know where my mouth is! I trace a finger around the edge of the dish and find the chop sticks placed over the bowel.

"How has your stomach been handling food?" Hana asks politely.

"I haven't been eating much, but it doesn't reject anything."

"Good, because we don't have a lot of light food, like soup and such in the house." Kiba chimes in. I poke something with my chop sticks, trying to get a feel for the size of it before I attempt to pick it up. I bring the item to my lips and eat it. It's steak, cooked well and in some sort of sauce.

"I didn't know if you would want your steak medium rare, like we usually eat it. I hope the food is to your liking." Kiba's sister explains, and I hear another growl somewhere in the background.

"It's great! Thank you." I say with a cheery smile. Though I don't feel much like smiling, I can't break the habit. Besides I wouldn't want to insult Hana's cooking. The food is actually very well prepared, it's been a long time since I've had a home cooked meal. I don't have much skill in the kitchen and usually just stick to instant ramen. The steak is almost sweet, but not over powering. I pock around the bowel and discover there are also mixed vegetables hidden inside.

A sudden slamming noise startles me. "Kiba!" Hana's soft voice becomes low, though it doesn't become a growl.

"Well, tell you dogs to behave!"

"Have you fed them yet?"

"No, you know we eat first, they're probably just upset because Naruto is eating before us, it's throwing everything out of wack!"

Hana lets out a long winded sigh. "We'll leave you to finish your meal, so we can have our own If you need anything don't hesitate to call."

I hear the door sliding open, along with shuffling and growls. Though I can't tell which ones belong to humans and which to animals. It seems like Kiba's family doesn't usually have guests over.

I finish my food in dark silence. Thought I've been on my own for many years, I don't remember every feeling so lonely. Not being able to see has put me in a whole new world. I feel isolated and cold; not to mention frustrated. I don't want to start wallowing in self pity. I've had enough crying sessions when I was younger, but somehow the depressing feeling inside my chest is hard to fight.

Kiba's POV

If someone were to come in on a family meal at my house they would probably be appalled. My mother and I don't have the best of table manners, and all of our pack is present. Today I'm in charge of setting the table; which I don't have a problem with since Hana cooked the meal.

I set three plates on the low dining table, while my mom fills three bowels up with rice. I'm handed those bowls and put one next to each plate, and my mom starts to pour tea into the cups that I also set in place. The table setting is rather civilized and like any other. However I set down a red clay bowl next to my seat, a black one by my mother's seat, and three grey bowls around my sister seat. In my house the pack eats together, so we share dinner with our companions.

Hana hands me two plates of meat, one with cooked steak the other raw. I set those in the middle of the table, and next come the vegetables, also one bowl cooked the other raw; though the raw bowl is much smaller.

Once everything is set we all sit down, and take what we like. I slip some raw food into Akamaru's bowl in between bites and he eagerly eats it up. Of course there is the usual fight between me and my mom over the last piece of meat, and like always Hana snatches it up for herself.

"Kiba, go check on Naruto and bring his dishes in to be cleaned." My mom orders and I obey grudgingly.

I slide open the door to the guest room. Naruto doesn't seem to notice, and I shake my head in disapproval. He's completely oblivious, no wonder Tsunade asked my mom to show him how to better use his other senses.

"You finished?" Naruto turns around sharply; foggy blue eyes stare blankly into mine. The sight is almost chilling. However his eyelids slide back over into place, hiding the murky blue pools.

"Um, yeah." He reaches to the bowl beside him lightly, so he doesn't knock it over. Once he has it in his grasp he tightens his grips and hands it to me. I take the bowl from him, and look him over for a minute.

"Have you tried to get any sleep?"

"No, I'm not really tired." He says with a soft smile on his face. I study that smile, and for some reason I don't believe it's genuine. I suppose if I went blind I wouldn't have a lot to smile about either.

"I have a radio in my room, if you'd like to listen to it." I offer not knowing what else to do for entertainment, but if I were him I wouldn't want to sit alone in a silent room.

Naruto's smile grows wider. "Yeah, that'll be better than just sitting here."

"Ok I'll be right back." I take the dishes into the kitchen, and turn to leave.

"Kiba, were are you going?" My mother asks.

"Just getting the radio out of my room for Naruto, so he won't be boarded out of his mind."

"That's so sweet of you," Hana chimes in. I glare at her but turn my attention back to my mother.

"Do keep him some company. I'm sure he feels out of place here. He's more familiar with you."

"What am I, his baby sitter?"

"The Hokage entrusted him to us, and we will not be bad host! Now go keep him company for fucks sake, it's not that much of a chore."

"Fine, I'm going." I snort out, before leaving to get the radio out of my room I find Akamaru laying on the floor of my bedroom, blocking my way. My room is pretty small, as the bed and shelves take up most of the room, and Akamaru fills up the remaining floor space when he's lying down.

"I need to get to the radio, buddy." I announce and Akamaru barks before picking up the battery powered radio and handing it to me. "You want to come along with me and keep Naruto company?"

I get a wide yawn in response and Akamaru lies back down. "Guess I'm on my own." I go next door into Naruto's room, and sit down. Naruto's head turns toward my general direction.

"I brought the radio." I say with a shrug of my shoulder. I sit it down and turn it on. "Mom told me to keep you some company. Must be boring all by yourself in here."

"It's not that different from the Hospital." Naruto says.

"That's not really a complement." I say, and Naruto grins at me. We soon fall into a silence and the radio softly plays music in the background. I look at Naruto, who hasn't moved out of his sitting position since dinner. I think back to the boy I use to know. How I use to make fun of him because he sucked so bad at performing jutsu. Now, he's a hero, and all those boisterous claims of becoming Hokage don't seem that far-fetched. There's something different about him. Sure he grew up but I noticed that after he came back to the village from his training with that old sage. He's changed again, and it probably has everything to do with losing his eye sight. It almost pisses me off. Naruto doesn't seem like the self pitying type.

"So what's it like, being blind." I ask bluntly, not caring if it's insensitive.

Naruto is taken aback by my direct question. That suspiciously fake smile falters for a moment, but sets itself back in place before he answers. "I don't really know." He laughs. "I haven't had much time to think about it."

"Bull shit." I tell him. "You've had plenty of time to think about it, it's probably the only thing on your mind."

"Well maybe I don't want to talk about it!" Naruto shoots back, a little bite in his tone. This pleases me. It's better than that bogus smile.

"Well, we have to talk about something." I growl out but keep my voice low.

Naruto falls back onto his bed and crosses his arms over his chest. No trace of a smile on his face as he seems to think about my question with slight irritation.

"It sucks." The simplistic answer doesn't fit the philosophical look he has on his face, and I start to laugh. "Oi, don't laugh!" Naruto blindly swings at me.

"Well I figured it sucks."

"What's it like to stink like dog's breath all day?" This makes me stop laughing and I glare at Naruto.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," there's a smile back on Naruto's face; a smug smile.

"Probably feels the same as walking around like a fashion disaster does."

"Yeah but I'm blind now, I have an excuse. I can't possible dress myself in a coherent fashion w`hen I can't see what I look like."

"You had a fashion problem long before you had an eye sight problem."

"You're not very good company." Naruto mutters out between grinning lips.

"My mom told me to keep you company, she didn't say I had to be nice." Naruto seems a little more relaxed, and I look him over thinking how much he's changed from that loud mouth boy who couldn't perform a simple duplication jutsu. He's gotten stronger…it actually pisses me off a bit. He seems to have surpassed everyone only to fall back on his ass. Blindness doesn't have to be the end thought, he'll just have to suck it up. Mom will teach him how to 'see' in a different way, and she won't go easy on him either. I smirk at the thought of my mom yelling at someone other than me.

"What have you been up to?" Naruto's question bring me out of my thoughts.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean ever since I came back to Konoha from my training with Jiraiya , I haven't had much down time. Not a lot of time to catch up with everyone either. I know you all have become stronger and changed, but I don't know how it happened, and what you guys did while I was gone. I know about Sakura, but I hang out with her every day."

"Nothing much. Had to go through a lot of clan related stuff. Becoming a man and shit like that."I shrug. "Lots of missions, all of it making me stronger, but I never had a teacher like you, unless you count my mom. You seem to be a popular apprentice. Mom's a tough teacher, and absolutely hates complaining and slacking. I know I got in trouble plenty of times for skipping training." I give him a toothy grin.

"I think I can manage, especially if you survived her training." Naruto teases.

"Watch what you say, I can always tell my mom to go extra hard on you." Naruto laughs a little, but it's not the loud happy sound that it usually is, instead it's a sound of relief. As if this conversation is the most normal thing he's experienced in months; which wouldn't surprise me.

"So what about Hinata?" I ask.

"What about her?"

"Well she just has the biggest crush on you is all." I say sarcastically. "She even told you she loved you."

Naruto shrinks away a little. "She's nice. I like Hinata, she's a nice girl."

"But?"

"But, I'm just not interested."

"Why didn't you say so! Poor thing is still fawning over you! We all thought you were obliviously dense! Don't lead her on!" I punch him in the shoulder.

"Well…I've never had anyone seriously interested in me, so I don't know how to tell her. She's so sweet I don't' want to make her cry." Naruto mutters out under his breath, rubbing at the sore spot on his arm.

"Wow, sounds like someone's full of himself. It won't be the end of her world if you don't like her. At least I hope not. It's not like her father would have ever let you two get together anyway."

"I'm not full of myself! I just know what it feels like to be rejected is all..."

"Well, you could have any girl you wanted now." I say with a wide grin. Naruto put his hand under his head and gives a weak shrug.

"I think I'll try and get some sleep. Thanks for talking to me."

"Alright," I lean over and cut off the radio.

Naruto's POV

I listen to Kiba leave, and the room becomes completely silent. I pull my blanket up closer under my chin, and make myself comfortable.

"Any girl I want." I whisper to myself and ignoring the pain that throbs in my heart. "I don't want any girl."

Besides most girls would only be interested in my fame or strength, like the girls that swoon over Gaara. Only years before they wouldn't have given him a glance, they probably would have run from him. I know that Kiba was just trying to make conversation and didn't mean to stir up bad feelings. In all honesty for most of the conversation I felt more at ease then I have been in weeks. The conversation was easy going, no pressure no urgency, and no important information that I had to remember to finish a mission. It was just a simple talk, and I can't remember the last time I had one of those.

It was just the last part of our talk that caught me off guard. I knew Hinata liked me ever since I came back to Konoha, when I was younger I never noticed it, but being expose to the female world –thanks to Jiraiya—I finally picked up on the little hints. I just didn't know how to react to her confession, there were other things that were more urgent at the time, so I just shrugged it off. However talking about emotions and potential relationships just brought up memories and feelings that I thought I buried a long time ago. Or at least I thought I learned how to manage them.

All the training and emotions I've gone through, it's been tiring. It has taken its toll on Sakura, and she wanted me to stop, but I can't. I told her this, and even though we haven't extensively talked about the topic, she has come back to support me in our search for Sasuke. Sometimes I believe that she and Tsunade are simply humoring me; letting me look for him and hold on to the hope that I could knock some sense into him. However a part of me knows that I won't bring him back, but I don't want him to fall into the hands of someone else. I know that letting me look for him has caused a lot of trouble. The world is becoming so complicated, and I want to do everything in my power to help set it straight, and be fair to everyone. Maybe I am a little selfish when it comes to Sasuke, but I would have taken all the blame, and consequences. I would fight for this world, and for my friends.

"How can I help the people I love now?" I question he empty room, and of course I find no answer. How am I going to become the 'Naruto' Jiraiya wanted me to be. How can I make the world a better place when I can't even see it?

Slowly a heaviness overtakes me, and colors dance before my eyes as I fall asleep.