Necromancy

Summary: (n.) a method of divination through alleged communication with the dead.

Disclaimer: Don't sue unless you are just that desperate to earn a quarter. I don't own Naruto.

A/N: at long last, the second part of my story. Enjoy!

The man sighed, slightly annoyed that he could not see his breath in the chilled air. Outstretched before the black memorial, he gazed up at the grey clouds that blanketed the heavens, blocking the warming sun. If someone had stridden into the clearing at that moment, they would have seen a home-sick warrior, too tired to complete the journey that seemed so close to an end.

Perhaps they wouldn't.

If someone had stridden into the clearing at that moment, they would have seen a thin blanket of silver frost lying upon the ground, resting like lace upon the fragile strands of grass.

The light wind gently caressed his cheek, softly reminding him that he should feel the cold in his short-sleeved uniform top and his lightweight pants. He felt a small tug in his chest when he realized he did not. He briefly closed his onyx eyes, trying to recall the sensation of biting ice and howling winds to his senses. Now, it only chilled him when he finally acknowledged that he was numb.

Sitting up, he ran his left hand through his hair, remembering faintly how it had felt when she had done it.

The soft crunch of footsteps alerted him of another's approach, and he slowly turned to the newcomer. Once he recognized the figure in the distance, he left the ground and dusted himself off, leaning against the frozen black marble behind him.

The person stopped before the memorial, clasping his hands tightly and offering a short prayer before reaching into his pocket to withdraw a pack of cards. Opening it, he removed the pair of jokers, and he chuckled as he tucked them back from where they came.

"I'll keep these, teme." Closing the pack once again, the blonde set it on the ledge of the monument.

Sasuke shook his head as he stared at his teammate and best friend, who had meanwhile dropped all formalities and plopped onto the hard earth. The whiskered youth glared at him, clearly agitated.

"You sure did something, going out and dying, you know?"

"You start out like that every time, dobe. You were never one to come up with original comments."

"But you did!" Picking absently at the grass he furrowed his brow. "You really did a number on Sakura-chan, too. Not physically, but, well, you know…"

At the mention of the woman's name, the man with ebony hair sighed. "Naruto–"

The blonde growled dangerously, cutting Sasuke off. He clenched his jaw tightly, gritting his teeth in the process. "I mean, what kind of guy does that?! What kind of guy proposes to his girlfriend, and then goes off and gets killed?!" Resting his forehead on his curled fist, he huffed, trails of "smoke" streaming from his mouth. "I mean, seriously, man."

"It's not like I intended to, dobe." Pushing off the stone, he sat down in front of his comrade. "…You know I would never mean to do that."

"Yada, yada, yada. Some people say you don't talk enough, but I say you talk too much." Note the one who's talking now... to a dead man no less. Sasuke made as to smack him on the head but paused, knowing he could not really touch those tangible. "We've been telling her to move on, you know?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He really wanted to hit Naruto. "But she keeps refusing, saying she couldn't betray you like that. Damn, she's loyal." Laughing a bit, Naruto stared right into the Uchiha's eyes before stopping completely. Worry clouded his usually-clear azure orbs. "She's starting to act strange, Sasuke-teme. She's always walking around in a daze now, which is not good, especially since she's Tsunade's assistant."

Sasuke looked away, his mask of ignorance and indifference crumbling away to reveal the mounting concern for the pastel-haired woman.

The blonde's face suddenly lightened as he jumped to a new topic. "Hey, did you hear? Kakashi-sensei has a," he waggled his eyebrows suggestively, a giant grin tugging at his lips, "female companion."

Sasuke snorted and rolled his eyes at his mood swing, leaning back to rest on the pads of his hands. "Really, now? What's her name?"

"She calls herself 'Reia'. She's really cool, and the leader of my ANBU team. Her fire manipulation skills make you look like part of a magic act." Sniggering lightly, he couldn't help but feel excited for his old teacher. "She's a couple years younger than him, but they look great together." Standing, he raised his hand a few inches above his head. "She's about yea high, just a little shorter than sensei."

"I didn't know you studied me that closely, Naruto-chan."

Both Sasuke and the loud-mouthed ninja jumped in surprise. A woman about twenty-seven or so stood before them, poorly covering a chuckle that threatened to slip from her lips. The Uchiha man analyzed her, taking in the overall appearance of one of the few who could sneak up on him.

She had a slim, light build and long legs that connoted speed. She stood presented in her ANBU uniform, giving Sasuke her rank, her wolf mask hanging haphazardly from her waist. Her dark brown hair lightly brushed her shoulders, and her bangs hung a bit before her almond-shaped emerald eyes, eyes that spoke of great skill and experience.

Ruffling Naruto's hair affectionately, she smiled widely at the boy. "Tsunade's looking for you. You had better hurry – you know how she gets."

"But I haven't told him about you burning sensei's books, yet! And why does baa-san need me, anyway? I just got back from a mission!" He scratched his head, apparently in deep thought.

Reia acquired a mischievous glint in her eye, patting him on the head as she gestured towards the village. "Maybe she's going to make you hokage." The comment instantly sparked Naruto's interest, earning an "are you serious?!" in reply. "No, I think it's something about a missing mission report."

The dark-eyed man brushed some stray strands of hair from his face. "You really shouldn't tease him like that. It makes him seem even more pathetic." He watched idly as Naruto prepared to depart, uttering another short prayer and bow before poking the brunette beside him playfully.

Strangely, as the pair turned to leave, the Uchiha could have sworn he saw the woman wink at him.