Chapter 1

Ghostly Encounter?

Drip, drip, drop.

It's been raining very hard all day causing Sasuke to miss training. He wanted to train despite the bad weather but realized it's not a good idea. Last time he attempted to do this, he caught a really bad cold and got a fever so he needed to stay home and rest for almost a week. His body's just too weak that time that it wouldn't allow him to do any physical activity no matter how much his willpower badly wants to. Because of this, he wasn't able to train for a longer period of time. He learned it's a short term gain, long term loss. So right now, he's just sitting alone in his house, watching the rain pour through his window.

'I've wasted a lot of time already. When will this stupid rainstorm stop?' Sasuke thought impatiently. He feels very useless and bored without doing anything productive. He stands up and tries to do something that will benefit him instead of hopelessly sitting down. He starts to read some books about ninjutsu and genjutsu but he already knows everything that's written in the book so it's rather pointless. He then tries doing some taijutsu in his living room, considering it's the largest part of his house, but ends up breaking a few things.

'This is annoying...' he thought as he picks up the broken glass and puts them inside a plastic bag. 'I need to train as soon as possible if I want to become stronger. I have to... if I want to kill him.' The thought of his brother just angers him, making him feel more aggravated.

Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice that he accidentally got cut by the sharp shards he's collecting. He came back to reality when he felt a tingling sense of pain and the scent of iron reached his nose.

'Great,' he thought sarcastically. He still continues cleaning up before he treats his fresh wound. He throws the plastic bag filled with broken objects in the trash can then proceeds to get the first aid kit given to him by his teammate, Sakura. Who knew he would actually have to use this? He washes his wound with running water then dries it off with a clean towel. Now that the blood's washed away, his cut can be clearly seen now. It's about three inches long which runs across his right palm. He sits in his couch then starts treating his wound. It's difficult for him to do it properly using only one hand though, even if he's ambidextrous. He proceeds anyway even though it kinda looks like a mess with all the wrinkled and uneven parts. But what's important is that it's completely covered, right? Doing some ninja training inside his house really wasn't a wise idea. He mentally added this to his list of 'Idiotic Things I Will Never Do Ever Again'.

He sighs then looks out his window. He has already ran out of ideas on how he can get some training today. So, though it's really silly, he tries to sing, more like chant this old nursery rhyme that's believed to make the rain stop, hoping it will work though it's unlikely.

"Rain, rain go away. Come again another day. I just want to train today."

Instead of calming the weather down, the rain poured harder, complete with all the booms and strikes of thunder and lightning which startles him a bit but he still remains calm of course. He shakes his head thinking how ridiculous he is right now. He looks out his window again, realizing it's already night time. That's it. He completely missed a day of training. 13 hours have passed by with him stuck in his house doing nothing. You see, when he woke up this morning, it's already raining. Just how much water evaporated to cause this much rainfall? He stands up and decides to fix himself some dinner instead of feeling disappointed by the wasted day. There's nothing better to do anyway and he can't let himself starve. He just prepares some cup noodles for he is not in the mood to cook something complicated. As he's waiting for his noodles to cook, he hears something that catches his attention. Behind the splashing and dripping of the rain water that he's been hearing the whole day, there's a foreign sound emerging in the background. He focuses more on the sound but the rain's just too loud for him to distinguish what it is. But one thing's for sure, it's coming from the outside. 'It sounds like a feminine voice... a crying girl?' He ignores this after he realizes that his noodles are already cooked. He grabs a pair of chopsticks to start eating but before he could...

"THUD!"

His head quickly turns as soon as he hears the loud thud and some splashing too. After a moment of pause, he sets his noodles down on his kitchen table and stands up. He really badly wants to know what's going on outside. Hearing those kinds of sounds just isn't normal. He slowly opens the front door and cautiously walks out. He's met by the blowing of the wind, the roar of the thunder, the flash of the lightning and the heavy pouring of the rain. It's really not a secure place outside. It's a wise choice not to train today but he's still kind of upset he wasn't able to. Standing on his porch, he surveys the area carefully, avoiding to get wet. He tries to look around but the rain's just too strong, making it hard for him to see his surroundings clearly. All he can see are fallen tree branches, large rain puddles and mud. Just then, he sees something unusual in the middle of the street. If his eyes aren't deceiving him, it seems like a human body lying on the ground. All of a sudden, it starts moving! The body's trying to stand up in a very creepy way! Now that it's standing, he's able to take a clearer view of it. It's actually a girl wearing a long, black, long-sleeved dress with her dark long hair covering her face. Things are getting really weird now but Sasuke fights the urge to go inside already. He remains where he is standing and bravely continues to watch and observe the mysterious girl who seems to be crying. So she's the one causing the sound Sasuke had heard earlier! The girl then turns to his direction... She slowly starts walking towards him in a wobbling manner which makes Sasuke's body tense. Sasuke's calm demeanor slowly vanishes as the girl goes nearer and nearer to his location. He looks at the girl one last time before he quickly opens the door to his house. To his surprise, it's pitch black inside his house! He doesn't remember turning off the lights at all. He reaches for the light switch but no light has been produced. He swallows a lump then closes the door and stays outside. He's having second thoughts whether or not it's a good idea to go inside.

"SPLASH!"

He slowly turns around only to see the girl has tripped and has fallen on a puddle, right in front of his porch. He backs away a little when the girl slowly lifts her body. But instead of standing, she just settles into a kneeling position with her head bowed down. Her whole body is trembling and shaking awkwardly. She then lifts her head up and seems to be looking at Sasuke but he couldn't tell if she is since her hair is covering her face.

He has seen enough. This is really creeping him out. For a guy like Sasuke, it's really rare for him to act this way. He's about to rush inside his house already when the girl spoke.

"H-help m-me... p-please..."

The girl stutters softly in between sobs before she falls down again. Sasuke waits for the girl to stand up but this time, she didn't. The girl just lie there on the ground with the rain pouring hard above her. Sasuke realizes that he's acting very ridiculous right now. As an Uchiha, he shouldn't be panicking over some girl in a black dress. So, he slowly walks to the edge of his porch, near enough to reach but far enough for his safety. Kneeling down, he charily lifts his hand and tries to tap the girl's shoulder. She is real. His hand did not pass through the girl's body. The girl is an alive human being after all! Realizing the girl wasn't a ghost, he starts to feel more relaxed and relieved. He completely goes in the rain to get closer to her, not caring if he gets wet. He inwardly feels really guilty and embarrassed. Sasuke sighs then gently carries the unconscious girl bridal style and brings her inside his house. He can't let her die in the rain and she specifically asked for his help. He sets the girl down on the couch in his living room and proceeds to get his flashlight and some candles. He figures the reason why the lights won't turn on is because it's probably just a blackout due to the storm and all. Definitely not because of a ghost playing tricks on him! He lights up a candle and sets it down on a small table near the couch. He goes upstairs to get some towels, blankets, pillows, and a set of his old clothes for the girl. He kneels beside the girl, careful not to wake her up. He can clearly see her now. She doesn't look scary after all. Sasuke slightly moves some of her damp hair away, revealing her innocent and angelic face, illuminated by the candlelight.

'I can't believe I actually thought that this girl is a ghost. Ghosts don't even exist. I won't be able to avenge my clan if I continue being this pathetic and weak. Maybe I've been spending too much time with Naruto and Sakura that their stupidity rubbed off on me.'

His thoughts suddenly got interrupted by a grumbling sound...

That's right. He hasn't eaten his dinner yet.

Author's Note:

This doesn't follow any particular time frame in the anime or manga but it clearly is NOT Shippuudden. So, the genins are about 13-14 years old here. This idea has been floating in my mind for a very, very long time now and I finally decided to put it in words just now.

O_O

So, how was it? Should I continue it? This is my first time writing a fan fic, thus I'm an inexperienced writer. I'm trying to improve and become better though!

Please tell me what you think about it! Constructive criticisms are very welcome and are highly appreciated.

Oh, and please be informed that English is not my native language so I apologize for any grammar, spelling and/or punctuation mistakes. I do proofread my works but I'm still human so I can not assure I didn't miss anything, especially if it concerns grammar. ^_^;

The cover image belongs to frostyshark from deviantART. I don't own it in any way. If I violated something, I shall remove it right away.