His skin felt cold and his breath came out in rushed pants. He found it hard to move his body, muscles refusing to do what was commanded of them. He could feel his heart rate slowing, but ignored it in favor of trying to create some kind of connection between body and mind. His limbs felt tired and his eyes were dropping slowly, yet he still found a way to say his next three words: "I banish you," came his tired voice, before sleep over took his soul.

When morning had arrived, he found himself in a white room filled with the foul smell of medicine and chemicals. He let a weak groan escape his chaste lips once he realized where he was, the hospital. "I see you're up," whispered a voice. Naruto let out a irritated growl at his partner.

"How long was I out?" he asked, his voice laced with gravel as he moved into a sitting position. His ribs were fractured, he could tell by the unsteady stuttering of his chest. His left arm was bandaged up, his dirt filled nails exposed and bit to a pathetic nub. He could still remember the feel of his body collapsing under him, his damaged knee protesting every flinch.

Everything fucking hurt.

"Three days. The doctors were worried you were going to slip into a permanent coma. I should probably tell them you're awake." A flash of pink hair as she left the room and reemerged with a fidgety nurse and stoic doctor. Words were shared but the only ones that mattered to him concerned his discharge day and healing rate.

"The ribs should heal in approximately three to six weeks. Everything else is simply bruising and some cuts that required stitching. Regardless of this, we want to keep you overnight for observation and we'll see about discharging you tomorrow."

Naruto sighed and nodded. There wasn't much he could do. When they left his attention shifted to the other remaining figure.

"You know this is your fault right? Withholding information was the stupidest thing you have ever done Sakura. I thought you learned that already." The silence was heavy as Sakura clenched her hands at her sides. They went limp as she hung her head, fighting back every emotion that wished to resurface.

"Why are you here?" Sakura looked surprised at his question.

"Well... I found a new mission for you while you were... incapacitated. The owner, a man named Kabuto, has been complaining about the usual: seeing ghosts, hearing voices in the middle of the night, objects being moved or thrown, etc. But what's unique about this site is that even the rooms are being rearranged, frequent sightings of faces, and seeing or smelling blood. These events are taking place in a Victorian style mansion, which was home to two infamous Japanese serial killers that laid just on the outskirts of London. Uchiha, Sasuke and his guardian, Hatake, Kakashi were said to have migrated from Japan after the massacre of the Uchiha clan by Sasuke's older brother.

With such a dark past it isn't much of a surprise that Sasuke later suffered from a psychotic break and preyed on the people of London in its wake. He showed antisocial characteristics but had avoided trouble due to his isolated location. When he was 35, Sasuke was accredited with first degree murder, kidnapping, and grand thief. It was later found out his guardian was his accomplice and was charged with the same things. No one really knows how many deaths they were responsible for since neither ever confessed, but let's just say the population of nearby towns and cities dropped enough to be noticed. They were both supposed to be hanged, but before they could be, they disappeared. They were never seen again and are suspected of having died in the mansion. The owner has said that their spirits now inhibit the property, along with a few other wandering souls of the past.

Kabuto, aged 30, has been living in the mansion for only 6 months. He says, the mansion was a gift from his uncle before his tragic death 8 months back. He claims his death was a result of these ghosts, so he has hired us to get rid of them," she explained, looking at him to see his reaction. "He wants to avoid the same fate obviously." Naruto's smile was a grim twist of chapped lips that bled when stretched too wide.

"How much money?"

Sakura sighed. "$100 thou down payment, $500 thou overall, grand total of desperate."

"When do we start?" he smirked at her, his eyes a sparkling mess. "In less than two weeks."

He couldn't wait to get out the hospital.

He was discharged in the morning. His body ached from movement, but he was a big boy. Plus, he had endured worst, his burn marks could attest to that. When he entered his house he left no room for relaxation. After checking that he received the money for the last job, he began his own research on the job. Sakura was thorough, but after what happened on the last job, doubt had lapped at his mind. Plus, it never hurt to do some extra reading.

A copy of Sakura's research was cradled in the inside pocket of his bag, the one usually reserved for his laptop. He had read it constantly since Sakura's departure, the majority of it already memorized. He went onto multiple search engines and searched for both the Uchiha massacre and the two serial killers. Both searches gave him a few dozen hits, but he wasn't surprised. The murders had occurred before the beautiful invention of the internet and most of the information he needed was probably at the library. The majority of the links were scholarly papers citing other scholarly works and snippets of news articles.

He was able to piece together a story. The Uchiha massacre was done by the protégé of the family, Uchiha, Itachi who was next in line for the inheritance. No one exactly knew what happened, but Itachi ended up going on a killing spree, starting with his mother and ending with his father. The weapon had been a sword, part of the family's grand collection of artifacts from all over the world. When authorities had stumbled onto the scene, the house had reeked of dried iron and rancid flesh. The surrounding neighbors were left unharmed, since they were too far to even know what had taken place in that household. There had been one survivor, who followed in his brother's footsteps, regardless of location. Though they had relocated, the Uchiha name had already dug its roots into high society and was a respected enough trading company to still hold weight, even overseas. With Kakashi, a merchant, now acting as the head of the Uchiha Corporation, he and his fellow ward were able to live in a luxurious and secluded location.

It was said that neither of their neighbors had known about their activities and had described them as "respectable." Kakashi was usually described as "cheerful" and even "humorous." But there was nothing humorous about the graves that were found throughout the property, many of which had traces of bones that were suspected of being human. Naruto didn't quite understand how they were charged with so many crimes when there was barely any circumstantial evidence.

When Sasuke had taken over the companies, he was able to expand the Uchiha name even further than his family or his guardian, quickly becoming one of the youngest and most successful businessman of his time. Everything went to shit in 1886 after Sasuke had sold his operations to other companies, the first being sold to the Hyuugas in Japan under the proposition that the Uchiha name remain intact in the name of the company no matter what. Smart. He read the excerpts that he could from old newspapers that were cited in papers.

"Uchiha Sasuke and Hatake Kakashi, you are both wanted for murder, thief, trespassing, manslaughter, and kidnapping. You will be kept on house lock down until tomorrow morning at 5am. We will then take you to the public square, where you are both going to be publicly lynched for your actions without trail." An officer had quickly informed the two suspects. They were locked in a small room in the mansion, guards standing outside the room in the case of an attempt to escape, while there was a public announcement was made a few hours later.

Yet the lynching never came. Sasuke and Kakashi's bodies were missing when the guards came into the room. The policeman searched every possible room, however, the two serial killers had seemed to have disappeared. Without their hangings, justice for all those who were said to be killed could not be severed. To this day their whereabouts and possibly their graveyards remain mystery, along with the identities of their victims.

Naruto stared at the computer screen, his mind struggling to absorb all the information at once. A small smug smile tugged at his lips. "Until now," he whispered. He was going to discover the answer to why the murders occurred, and rid the mansion of the spirits. Well that was the plan. But when your name is Uzumaki Naruto, nothing ever goes according to plan.


'Cause you don't understand I do what I can but sometimes I don't make sense
I am what you never wanna say but I've never had a doubt

Faint - Linkin Park


The car ride was heavy with silence minus the constantly changing radio flowing between static and a crackling tune. It was worse than the plane ride, where at least Naruto had his own window seat, his vision obscured by the beautiful view and the unfamiliar faces around him. Sakura had sat several seats over, a nervous wreck on the plane. Flying had always made her nervous. Now they were back on the ground, a lone space between them meant for a third person occupied now by tension.

The car slowed to a steady halt, a house looming in the distant, obscured by trees curled around it. The area was covered in green and brown, the wild had reclaimed her land.

"We have arrived," declared the voice of the driver. Naruto nodded at the driver, stepping out of the taxi and onto the decaying grass. Sakura followed after him, making sure to keep a modest distance between her and her partner.

The driver went to the back of the car, helping carry the equipment. He set them on the front of the large gate that led to the haunted mansion, before taking his leave. Naruto had tipped him a considerable sum and watched him drive the road. Everything was silent, the only sound was the distant roar of a car engine. They waited a few moments, observing what they could of the house from their angle as they waited to be greeted.

Up close the house looked lonely, vines twining through planks of wood and a tree lodged from a window on the upper floor. The roof looked dented, probably weather damage, and there was evidence of a garden that had wilted long ago, the stone surrounding it setting it apart from the land around it. On the porch was a man with dulled silver hair and glasses. He looked rather young, even when dressed in a business suit sans tie.

Sakura was the first to speak, sputtering out a greeting as he approached them. He simply nodded.

"My name is Kabuto. You are Mr. Uzumaki and Ms. Haruno?" the man questioned. Naruto did not like the way his eyes gleamed behind those round glasses, but he nodded in confirmation. His whole demeanor shifted. Kabuto's shoulders had slumped and he sighed, running a hand through his tied hair.

"Thank goodness for your arrival. As you must know, your job is to rid my house of those monsters," he hissed out in distaste. "You can take as much time as you need, as long as the goal is achieved. But I do prefer if those things are rid of by this month. If that cannot happen, than that would be too bad for me, now wouldn't it?" Kabuto asked with a frown. Naruto stared at him, never showing any type of emotion as the man spoke. The job would be done when it is done. Ghosts, if they are even the culprit here, are quite easy to flush out but hard to actually rid of in its entirety.

"What is the most active part of the house?" The basement wasn't a surprise nor was the living room. There was an attic but no evidence of activity there. The kitchen seemed to be a hot spot for activity, quite a few cups had been lost to these mishaps as Kabuto had dubbed them.

Naruto nodded, his shaggy blond hair bobbing with his head. "Alright. I am going to have a look around the house and set up my things. I will be in touch with you." And with that Naruto walked away from the other two beings and through the open gates. He first obligation was to observe the mansion and make notes. He took out his camera and clocked away.

He slowly made his way inside, attempting to remember the way the textured walls against his fingers. His observations were interrupted by footsteps behind him and the heavy breathing of his partner.

"Sakura," he whispered coldly, glancing her way over his shoulder. He bit back a laugh at the sight. Sakura had decided it was wise to carry all the heavy and delicate equipment on her body, her back hunching and her forehead covered in sweat. She was breathing hard, her knees bended and would only lift slightly so she could move another step. For a fleeting moment, he thought it was cute, but the feeling melted away to coldness as he remembered why recalling her in that light was a bad idea.

He sighed and plucked two of the duffle bags from her grasp. Sakura tensed up as his fingers swept over hers and latched on to his belongings. "These machines must be handled by a professional with the utmost care," he scoffed. A vicious grin spread over his face as soon as Sakura opened her mouth to protest. She shut it closed in terror as he pulled out a pocket knife and held it to her exposed throat.

"You know Sakura," his voice was husky, a far cry from the last time she had heard him use that voice with her. "You would look so much better in red instead of in this dreaded color," he said, the knife tracing over her clothing. "And you would be so much better if your mouth was sewed shut or if I ripped out your throat box," he growled out and sliced her cheek. The small cut dripped blood and it fell onto her clothing.

"See," he said softly. "I said you would look good in red," he stated with a forced smile that sent chills up Sakura's spine. The tone he used was abnormally cheerful. He would get like this, sometimes, when he was on the verge of going back into that dark place. But he had promised her that he was getting better, that he was getting help. But that was before I did that stupid thing. But she doubted that with Narutos' cruel smile. It was sad really, Naruto used to smile so fondly at her. His eyes used to settle on her face with tenderness. It was all gone now. Everything from the intoxicating touches to the sugar sweet kisses. All gone because of one stupid mistake. Okay, several, but still.

Sakura shook her head. It was of no use to think of the past, not when it came to Naruto. He was now immune to her flirty touches and sugar coated lies. He would never be hers again.

"I'm sorry," she whispered at Naruto's retreating back. He never bothered to turn around, never bothered to forgive or forget. Sakura sighed and bit back a sob. After all, she had a lot of work to do.

Naruto walked down the dim light hallway once again, by himself. The itch at the back of his throat was almost unbearable. He raised his hand and coughed into it, grunting in disgust as the blood trickled down his tan palm. No one knew that he was ill. No one knew what caused this illness. No one knew anything. They never knew anything. But now was not the time to dwell on anything that wasn't the job.

It was time to work.

When he entered the first room, all he could see was darkness, and was barely able to make out the shadows of the furniture. This didn't faze him at all, and he took out his flash light once again and pointed it inside the dusty room.

He didn't see anything interesting. It was only a dining room that had grown dusty over time and whose door needed oiling. He walked inside, looking for a switch. He walked past the maple 6 seat diner set, the maple bookshelf in the corner, and the silver lamps. Going near the stove, he found the white light switch and held his breath as the light filled every corner of the room. He greedily sucked in the rich and elegant colors of the walls. The large dining room looked like one that had once belonged in a castle, not just a dark looking mansion. It didn't seem like it housed killers but rich spoiled brats.

He giggled childishly at the thought and started going through some of the cabinets, taking pictures of everything he saw. He left the room for a moment, picking up the cameras he needed. He walked back inside and set the cameras down on the dining room table. Running his greedy fingers over it, he smiled at the smoothness of the table, but frowned at the dust now covering his finger tips. Ignoring it, he went to the window with a silver frame and opened it, breathing in the fresh morning air of England. Smiling again, he took up the cameras and set them up, making sure they had enough tape to last for a couple of days. Not to mention, he checked that the cameras had enough power to make them last as long as the tape. With one last look at his handiwork, Naruto walked out of the room, and back into the empty hallway.

Cracking his knuckles, and lifting his arms above his head until he heard a satisfying pop, Naruto began to go back to work. Stretching would be the only type of relaxation he was going to allow himself until everything was set up, from the cameras to the voice recorders. Everything had to be perfect or nothing goes right. Chuckling at old memories, he finished setting up the rest of his equipment. Double checking everything, he walked up the empty gray staircase, the one that led to several rooms on the upper floor. He knew it was better to stay on the floor where most of the activity was, but he had to go upstairs for safety reasons. Not to mention, ghost activities messes with his precious internet.

The neon red numbers on his digital clock seemed to mock him with his inability to sleep. He sat up in his black sleeping bag, the unbearable coldness of the building making him shiver, and yearn for the empty bed in the room. He resisted the urge to escape the enclosed space of his sleeping bag for the two mattress bed, labeling it as dangerous. He remembered from his amateur days when he had laid in the bed for the first time in an abandoned church. He had been informed of several hangings happening a floor above that bedroom and him being the amateur he was, still laid in it.

He still remembered the feel of the rope around his neck, a steady pressure pressing against his flesh as he struggled to breathe. He had bolted up from his spot, running out the door to the main entrance on the first floor before catching his wits. He frowned, remembering the names Sakura had called him for fleeing. Growling, he shook off those useless thoughts, deciding to waste his precious time on the computer screen.

No matter how much research he did, he always got the same background history. But he needed more. No matter how much information he gathered, it never felt enough.

Naruto sneered, having no other choice but to talk to Kabuto. He made a mental note of what he wanted to ask, not wanting to waste any more time. For now, all he had to ask the guy was for any available files on the background of both the house and the people who lived and worked there. Not to mention, having a copy of the original and the final blue prints for the house would come in handy, especially since the house was extremely old and must have some secret pathways. He needed to check in the bedrooms for some kind of journal, if he would be able to find it, that dated things before the incident. However, for that to happen he would need a copy of the keys, since most the the rooms were locked, a fact that irked his nerves greatly.

Sighing, he leaned back in his chair, his arms behind his head. For a brief moment, he felt a sudden gust of air against his neck followed by a brief scrape of nails. He shivered, suddenly slamming forward in alarm. His neck snapped to the side, now alert. All he saw was an open window, the crescent moon silently shining down on him. But Naruto was no fool. He's been doing this job for far too long, and has learned to be suspicious of everything, even the slightest breeze. And right now his gut told him something was not right, someone or something was in the room with him, he just couldn't see what. He slowly rose from his seat, quickly checking the camera followed by the motion sensors, only to find nothing out of the ordinary, no outlines of another figure, no body heat. Nada. Frowning, he sat back down, his shoulders tense. Once again he lunged forward, his body quivering in pain and blood flowing onto his hand. He cursed, cleaning up the mess with a bleach covered paper, angry at the damn unnameable disease that infested his body.

The cursing increased in volume, the sound of bone hitting a solid surface inflicting more pain upon his person. Growling in agitation, he resigned toward his sleeping bag, nursing his wounded knee as best as he could. He closed his eyes, the wind gently rocking him to sleep, only to snap open in an instant to the sound of a hurling cry. Alarmed yet keeping his cool, Naruto checked his cameras followed by the motion sensors, yet found nothing out the ordinary. He heard the cry again, sounding inhuman and distant. He growled, glaring at the useless cameras that he has trusted for years.

This was not an ordinary job it seemed.

He grabbed a flashlight, a reliable voice recorder, night vision goggles, and a machine that tested for heat signatures. He stashed them away in the multiple pockets on his vest and pants before heading out.

The hallway was devoid of sound just as much as it was absent of light. That was one that Naruto seemed to hate, something people found quite odd. When there was no noise to keep him company, the higher the chance he would go insane, his mind a trap of memories that he would rather forget. Silently ignoring the goose bumps on his skin, he walked out the room, his footsteps echoing around him.

For a long tense amount of time, he heard and saw nothing. The irritating amount of silence kept him company, the moon slowly leaving his side. He passed door after door, his night vision goggles his only guide. Then he heard it, the loud shrieking irritating his delicate ears, quickly following the sound as best as he could. Corner after corner he turned, but yet was unable to locate that damn noise. It sounded so near but so far away at the same damn time!

He continued on his journey, turning yet another corner before coming to a halt in front of a brick wall.

"What the fuck?" he forced out, his eyes set in a glare. He growled in frustration, his hands gliding over the walls, gently pressing against them in vain. He cursed his luck and got on his knees, his hands immediately began to knock on the floor, listening for any hollow tiles. No such luck. Naruto cursed as the noise grew distant again. He really needed those blueprints.


Well, I didn't know it would come to this
But that's what happens when you're on your own
And you're alright letting nice things go

Pawn Shop Blues - Lana Del Ray


Sakura clutched her hands around the tea cup, wanting nothing more than to throw it against the wall. The flesh wound Naruto gave her was slowly healing up, thanks to the medicine she dabbed on it. Sighing deeply, she stood up, walking around the small room. Sakura knew she should have been at work, but at the moment, Naruto was too unstable to handle. Another sigh, a quick sip, a glazed look at the dark sky. She made her way towards the balcony, which was decorated with small pots of flowers. The steaming cup of tea cooled down generously once she was exposed to the windy night air. Taking another sip, she watched with cold green eyes as her mind took her down memory lane.

"Sakura, would you marry me?" She had only stood there in shock, her pink sun dress gently swaying in the wind. Green eyes stared into azure ones with shock. With one knee on the floor, he smiled brightly at her.

"Naruto...I.." she wasn't sure of what to say. Sure it was a simple yes or no question, but the only difference was that it would greatly impact her future. The smile on his face slowly dropped and she couldn't help but feel guilt. Here he was, risking embarrassment in a public place just to ask her for a chance to be with her for eternity. She thought back to all the sacrifices he made, just for her to smile. He fulfilled all of her selfish desires, helped her out in her time of need, and stood by her the entire time. And had expected nothing in return. She smiled gently at him, ready to repay him for his kindness.

"I do."

Sakura snorted at the memory, thinking of how cruel and unfair it was to lead him into a false sense of happiness. She thought back to their days as an almost married couple. She recalled that for weeks Naruto would stay locked in his study, leaving her in the dark of what he did, even though she deserved it after he had found out the truth. Even to this day she never found out what he did since he always kept his study locked when unused. She mentally cursed herself, quickly finishing up her tea before going in search of old videos. Maybe it would help her find the truth about her ex.

N

"What do you need Mr. Uzumaki?" hissed out a low voice laced with sleep. Naruto knew it was an ungodly hour, he had only intended on leaving a message. But since Kabuto had picked up, well, who was he to waste an opportunity?

"Forgive me Kabuto for calling at such an awful time, but in order to complete this job sooner, I will need you to fulfill a few requests." The line was silent. Naruto took that as permission to continue.

"I need everything you have on the mansion, blueprints, documents, old paper work. Anything that you believe belonged to the original owner or that you believe to be important. I will also require a skeleton key as I need to get into all of the rooms and not just the ones we have discussed."

A grunt, a sigh, and finally defeat.

"Anything else?"

"Not for a while. Thank you, please have them delivered as soon as possible." The line went dead and the room was still.

He hoped he had enough in his arsenal to take on psychopaths.