Chapter 3:

Everything was quiet when they returned to the village. The residents were all in their homes, the animals were locked up for the night, and there were no figures in dark clothing. Everything seemed peaceful. Still, Naruto felt a little nervous about being in the village at night. It looked creepy with no one around and no sounds. Like a ghost town.

Everyone on the team told him that there were no such things as ghosts but he had always been afraid of them. There was just something about going up against a being who was no longer of this world which could not be touched yet was able to touch others. A ghost was already dead. They could touch you but you could not touch them and they could disappear whenever they wanted. That's what freaked Naruto out the most, aside from the different horrifying forms they could take on. He had stayed up late watching scary movies before and wasn't able to sleep for the next two days, plagued by horrifying images of rotting flesh and wide ghostly eyes and dislocated jaws constantly propped open in an eternal scream rushing towards him in a relentless attack. Clearly the others could not understand why he was so afraid of them, but ghosts were scary. No amount of ninja training could prepare him for a ghost attack. How on earth would he combat one of them if they could not be touched?

The others didn't seem frightened at all. Neji and Sakura just seemed annoyed and disappointed that they could not catch up to the dark intruders. Sai had his head turned the other way so Naruto could not see his face. He had no idea what Sai was feeling... or if he could feel anything about this situation. With his friends close by, Naruto was put at ease. He felt a lot better knowing that he wasn't alone.

They returned to the inn. Neji went in first followed by Sakura. Sai paused at the door, looking at the stone lions. He smiled and bowed his head to them, as if in greeting, and then walked inside. Naruto raised an eyebrow. "And he mocked me for patting one on the head and saying hi?" Naruto shrugged and entered last, closing the door.

The innkeeper was at his desk reading something. He looked up when they entered. "Well? How did..?"

Neji shook his head. "They ran off. We couldn't keep up."

"Oh, I see." The innkeeper didn't sound too disappointed.

"We'll try again tomorrow evening. You said they return at the same time every night, correct?"

This mission was nowhere near over.

Sakura had a room all to herself while the boys had to share the room next-door. Neji had the bed closest to the door and Sai had the bed closest to the window. Naruto was right in the middle. Since it was already midnight, everyone decided to turn in. As Naruto removed his headband, he looked to the side and noticed that Sai wasn't in bed yet. He was looking out the window.

"Sai?"

He didn't turn.

"It's late. Aren't you going to bed?"

Sai looked over his shoulder then back out the window. Was he looking at something? Out of curiosity, Naruto approached the window which faced the river. Naruto could see the water shimmer under the cloudless sky. The water seemed to twinkle with the endless flow of stars. It was pretty to look at. Naruto looked at Sai who was looking at the sky. Perhaps he wanted to paint it. Maybe that was why he was staring at it so intently.

Naruto patted Sai's shoulder. "Come on, it's late. Time for bed."

Sai seemed reluctant to leave the window but he willingly came along when Naruto pulled on his arms. Sai stood between the two remaining beds, looking down.

"That one's yours, remember?" Naruto said, pointing to the one on the end.

Sai knelt down and pulled back the covers. He rested his head on the pillow, facing the window. He hadn't said a word since they had gotten back. Naruto would have been more worried had he not been enjoying it. It was nice not having to hear Sai's inappropriate comments. Sometimes he wondered if Sai even knew he was insulting people. It was nice that Sai spoke his mind, and yet...

Naruto got into the bed between Sai and Neji trying not to think about it. If Sai wanted to be quiet, that was fine by him.

The next morning, Naruto needed a little help getting up. He had overslept and breakfast was already being served. Neji came to fetch him. Finding Naruto sprawled out over all three beds, he groaned and purposely stepped on Naruto's leg. "Wake up, Naruto!"

Naruto grabbed his pillow and threw it over his face. "What? What do you want?"

"I want you up. Everyone's already started eating without you and-"

Naruto sprang up in bed. "Breakfast? Why didn't you say that first? I would have been up yesterday."

"Ten minutes ago would have been fine, too."

The two entered the dining area of the inn. The innkeeper spared no generosity when it came to their morning meal. The innkeeper had agreed to give them free rooms and food as long as they were on this mission. This was good news for everyone. Naruto sat down and started filling his plate. Some of the food went straight from the table into his mouth, never making it to his plate. He reached across the table, grabbing pieces of toast and melon. He piled his plate high with eggs and sausage and cheese and rice and berries until it started to overflow.

"Knock it off!" Sakura snapped, holding her fist up threateningly. "You are such a pig!"

"What? I'm hungry." Naruto shoveled his meal into his open mouth with a spoon. As he ate, he noticed that there was still plenty of food left. It looked like Sakura had already finished eating, or had been grossed out by Naruto and lost her appitite. Neji was eating his meal more quietly, keeping his eyes down so he wouldn't have to watch Naruto eating like an animal. Sai smiled his usual grin and ate his bowl of rice without a word.

The innkeeper came in, smiling at the group. "How is your meal?"

"Great!" Naruto said through a mouthful of rice, melon and egg.

Still keeping his eyes turned away, Neji answered in a more dignified manor. "It's very good. Thank you."

"Glad to hear it. More tea?"

"Please."

Sai set down his bowl and looked across the table. At first, Naruto thought he was staring at him, but he turned out to be looking out the window behind him. Sai was still looking outside. Was he looking at the river again? No, that faced the other direction. He must have been looking at something else.

Three knocks came from the next room along with a voice. The innkeeper excused himself and went to the next room.

"I thought we were the only guests here," said Sakura.

"Apparently it's a new guest or some other business." Neji stood up to investigate. Sakura followed and Naruto shoved the last piece of sausage into his mouth and followed. He didn't want to be left behind.

The innkeeper was talking to a young man by the front desk. They seemed to know each other. Could that have been his son? The two looked up when they saw the ninja enter the room giving them curious looks.

"Sorry about that." The innkeeper pointed to the trio. "These are the ninja who have agreed to help us." He looked at them, pointing to the young man. "This is Haruki. He is the one getting married in a few days."

The young man didn't look much like an adult. He must have been in his twenties. He was tall and thin and had dark hair and brown eyes. He wore normal clothing with very little stains or tears. He looked rather ordinary. The only thing that set him apart from others was the scar on his forehead. It wasn't any particular shape. Just a straight line above his left eyebrow. Though it was nothing special, Naruto couldn't help but stare at it.

"So you're the groom?" Sakura asked, smiling. "It's very nice to meet you."

Haruki smiled back. "It's very nice to meet you, too. Are you a ninja like the others here?"

She nodded. "Yes, I am. Why?"

Was this man implying that girls could not be ninja? Sakura was going to punch him for sure. Naruto knew it for a fact.

"Just because it seems like such a dangerous job. I found it odd that you would want to risk scarring such a pretty face. Then again, the fact that you don't seem to carry any past injuries must mean that you are very good at what you do. You must be talented."

Sakura turned her head to the side, trying to hide her blush. "Oh, well..." She giggled.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. Who did this guy think he was, flattering Sakura like that? "Hey, aren't you getting married this week? Why are you hitting on Sakura?"

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped.

"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding," said Haruki. "I was just being polite. I didn't mean to imply any..."

"It's ok," Sakura said, pushing Naruto aside. "He's an idiot and doesn't understand when people are just being polite. Don't mind him."

Haruki still looked a bit concerned but managed a sheepish smile anyway. "So there's just the three of you?"

"Three?" Sakura turned. "Where's Sai? Where'd he go?"

Neji looked behind them into the next room. "He's still in the dining area."

"He didn't come out with us?"

"I guess he didn't care."

Naruto looked back at Haruki, still not too keen on him being within earshot of them. "So, Haruki... What are you doing here anyway? You staying at the inn or something?"

"No, but I am having my wedding night here. I've come to check up on how things are going."

"The wedding's here?" Naruto cocked his head to the side.

"Not exactly. Just the evening."

"That's right," Neji said. "It was mentioned that the bride is not allowed to leave the bedding chamber until the next morning after the wedding. So I take it that is going to take place here at the inn."

The innkeeper nodded looking very pleased. "That's exactly right. I have the best room reserved for the happy couple. Not everything is set up yet. But it's being cleaned every day and the bed is made up and the decorations are slowing being put up. I'm saving the flowers for last. We can't have them wilting before the wedding."

"So far everything seems to be running smoothly." Haruki looked very happy.

Neji was listening to the conversation but had his eyes down, deep in thought. Naruto was tempted to poke him to see if he could get a reaction, but Neji had already looked up. "What is the name of the bride if you don't mind my asking?"

"Ayaka," they answered at the same time.

It wasn't like Neji to take an interest in something like that. He must have been up to something.

"We have time before this evening," Neji told the group. "I think we should be productive. I say we continue to observe the village and ask questions to get more information. If this wedding is the main objective, then we should do a thorough investigation. We should speak to the bride. Where is she right now? Where can we find her?"

Both the innkeeper and Haruki looked at each other, concerned.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just that..."

"Ayaka has only recently been in good health. Her father is a bit on the protective side. He may not want you to investigate her. She might get easily overwhelmed. He doesn't want her to get stressed."

"We'll keep it short. It'll be more like an interview. Would that be acceptable?"

Haruki rubbed his neck. "Uh... well... I guess that would be ok." He seemed very hesitant.

"We'll make it fast," Neji assured him.

"Should we bring Sai along?"

"Nah, leave him here. It might be better if it were just us anyway."

For once, Naruto agreed completely with Neji. Bringing Sai into such a situation could have been disastrous.

Since Haruki had more work to do, he showed them where Ayaka lived and left them to handle it themselves. Ayaka's house was right in the middle of the village surrounded by other houses. The buildings didn't look that different from each other. They were all made of wood, they were all the same height and size. The only thing that made it possible to tell her house apart from the others was the front door. Unlike the others, their front door had a floral wreathe hanging down like a round, sweet-smelling window. Naruto wondered if it was always decorated this way or if it was on account of the wedding.

Neji knocked twice and waited. The door opened soon after and a large man appeared in the doorway. Naruto gulped and stepped back. This man certainly looked the part of an over protective father. Not only was he so tall the top of his head touched the door frame, but he was heavily built to boot. Naruto looked away and then looked back. The man didn't look any less intimidating.

"Excuse me," Neji spoke up. "We are from the Hidden Leaf Village. We were called here to investigate the uninvited people who have been coming into the village every night. May we come in and meet your family and ask you a few short questions? It won't take long."

The man stepped aside, allowing them entry. "It better not."

Naruto hurried inside, trying to avoid the man's gaze. They all stood in the main room and lined up. The man took off his jacket and hung it up on a hook by the door. Now this man didn't look as intimidating. It must have been the jacket that made him look bigger. Now he seemed to be around the same build as Kakashi. The man had muscles but he wasn't as buff as he looked before. He was still tall, though. And he looked rather mean. Naruto decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Ayaka!" the man called. "Could you please come in here?"

A girl entered the room quickly and stood beside the tall man. "Yes, daddy?"

She was pretty cute. Naruto was glad she wasn't as tall and scary as her father. She was only half his size and seemed very shy and sweet. She had on a long sundress but was wearing a pair of thick leggings underneath. It was rather warm outside, so Naruto guessed that her father had wanted her to dress this way so there was no danger of her being too cold. This was the first indication that he was protective of her. Ayaka was pale, too. Not as pale as Sai but she came close, as if she had never been out in the sun before. She was thin, too. Her eyes were the same color as Sakura's and they were around the same height. And, even though Sakura would punch him for even thinking this, their chests were about the same size as well. Naruto still thought Sakura was prettier. Maybe? Naruto studied the girl a little longer. Maybe they were both equal?

As Ayaka moved closer to them, Nauto noticed that her hair was very strange. It changed color depending on where she stood. At first, it looked the same color as dark straw, then it looked like a light chestnut color. Now it looked like a pale red. It was as if her hair took after a chameleon and couldn't decide what color it should be. That was the oddest thing about her. Aside from her necklace, of course. Unlike most necklaces worn by girls, this one didn't have any sparkling jewels. It was a strange white ornament in the shape of a cylinder. The shape reminded Naruto of an ice cream cone. Now he was hungry again.

Neji had already began asking questions to the family and they were responding. Though he seemed to want to ask more to be more thorough, Neji kept it to a minimum. "And this is it? Just the two of you live here?"

"It has been so for the past couple of years, yes."

Ayaka stroked her father's hand tenderly. "My mother left the family and went to be with someone else. She found it too difficult to take care of a sick child like me."

Her father squeezed her hand and held her close, as if silently assuring her that it was not her fault and she is not of any less worth.

"Has your family ever been threatened in any way?"

"No. If anything we are pitied because of my poor health," answered Ayaka. "Everyone likes daddy and he has many friends and I have well-wishers come by all the time. They are happy for me to get married. I don't know of anyone who wishes ill upon us."

This was good to hear, but Neji knew just because the family wasn't made aware doesn't mean it isn't true. Sensing that the father was getting agitated, Neji quickly finished up. "Thank you for your time and cooperation. It's nice to see you in good health."

The father was quick to open the door and show them out. Ayaka waved them good-bye, a little disappointed they had to leave so quickly.

"That was a waste of time," Naruto complained. "What was the point of that? We were in and out in a couple minutes."

"The point was to meet the family and get any information we can. Besides, it's not like we have anything else to do until tonight." Neji looked up and down the street. "We still have plenty of time before nightfall. It isn't even noon yet. I think we should spend this time looking around the village. Maybe we can set up traps... No, that might not work if we can't even touch the enemy... We can still walk around and make sure everything's in order. We can meet with the other villagers. Maybe we can get more information about this wedding. Find out who is involved in it."

Naruto did not like the sound of this. He would much rather take this time to relax and hang around doing nothing. All these assignments Neji was having them do seemed like pointless busy work. At least they would be occupied until tonight.

Another chapter posted ^-^

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