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Chapter 9: The Missing Key

Thomas certainly had a way with words, but I wasn't going to let them get to me. There were more important things at hand.

I wanted to see Mikoto right away about the mark we'd found on Naomi's arm, but decided against it. I still had nothing to show for my work after 2 weeks. I felt like she would be disappointed if we came to her now. I needed to dig a little deeper, I decided as I bit into a steaming hot ham and cheese sandwich, into all the pieces that were missing. I needed to know what was behind that secret door and what Noami tried to hide in this box. Maybe I'd finally get some answers.

Thomas and I switched seats so he could drive as I sifted through our newfound information. I waited patiently, not wanting to get any precious papers dirty with cheese or grease as I stuffed my face in the car. Finally, with a full stomach and hands wiped off with a napkin, I opened the lid. Old sawdust smell wafted to my nose.

Newspaper articles, missing people reports, a photo of Madara and two women, and tons of blue paper resembling the blueprints. I pulled out a folded piece of paper that had burn marks on the edges. I was careful to unfold it. There was a picture of Madara's face, and then underneath in scraggily writing read "Sorcerer of Konoha, beware!"

There was another pieced folded on top. The paper wasn't as yellowed as the other and there were no burn marks. I opened it just as carefully. It wasn't Madara this time. It was the father from the murder, Fugaku was it? Bold red letters lined the bottom of the parchment, saying "Cursed family of demons!"

How awfully interesting.

I went to grab a third piece when the road started getting bumpy. I looked out the window. We started the tread up the dirt path to the manor. I quickly put the papers back and put the lid on. We needed to sneak this into Jonathan's van without getting caught. Then, I'd make up some excuse to leave and come out here to search through my treasure trove. After sneaking up to the van and safely locking our prized possession inside, we ascended the staircase to the manor. It might have been my chipper mood from finally discovering something, but the clouds didn't seem so grey today.

To my surprise everyone was sitting in the living room, even Sasuke. Jonathan fiddled with an ancient tube TV, adjusting the antennas on top. I'd never noticed it before, hidden in the corner, since the rooms were downcast and curtains always closed. Ino wielded a blocky remote in her manicured hand, fishing through fuzzy channels. Sasuke sat on the couch with his arms folded and furthest away from Ino.

Sasuke was the first to notice us. He simply nodded our way. Ino, always keeping an eye on the handsome suspect, noticed his movement and waved to us.

"Hey! Took you long enough!" She piped.

"Sorry about that, we ran into some…unexpected obstacles." I replied.

Sasuke's eyebrow popped up. He had to be curious to know what we found, if anything at all. I couldn't show him, not yet. He was still labeled a suspect. I didn't even know if we'd found anything relevant. I needed that excuse now, I was dying to dig through history. It looked like Sasuke was about to ask about it. Think, Sakura, think!

"We stopped at a gas station and I bought you one of those mocha lattes you like so much Ino, but I left it in the car. Will you go with me?" I asked sweetly.

Ino wasn't much of a fan for chocolate, that was my area, but I knew mocha lattes was her kryptonite.

True to her girlish nature, she wouldn't let me to go somewhere alone. Ino hopped up and strode toward me. She and I both knew we were due for some girl time anyways. I turned at the door back to the men in the group, and narrowed my eyes.

"Boys," I said in a threatening tone, "behave." And continued with Ino back towards the Manor's entrance.

Once we passed out of sight I pushed her towards the van.

"Hey! What about my latte?" She whined, and I shushed her.

"I lied, I needed to talk to you alone." I told her. I gingerly unlocked the back and we crawled inside. I shut it softly, then whirled on her.

We spoke at the same time:

"So what happened?!"

We stared, waiting for the other to continue. I broke the silence.

"You go first." I suggested. I couldn't wait any longer; I had to know if Sasuke was as conniving and suspicious as we were making him out to be. Had they found a secret hidey hole? Mad scientist lab? Torture chamber?

"Well," Ino started hesitantly, looking down. She looked deflated. That meant a good thing for me right? She'd be upset at Sasuke for ditching her, after all.

"I was determined to follow what you said and asked Sasuke to give me a tour as soon as you left." She said slowly. I frowned.

"Don't tell me he said no. You weren't supposed to take no for an answer."

"He said no. Then alright, after like the fifth time."

My eyes sparkled.

"He led me off towards the kitchen first, somewhat reluctant. He kept to himself mostly."

"And?"

"And he gave me the tour of the entire first floor. We just walked around the house for 15 minutes looking at rooms, then came back here. I took that as 'end of tour'." She admitted.

My mouth dropped. "You're kidding."

"No. Like I said, he was reluctant but gentlemanly about it. He's been sitting in there watching us fiddle with the TV since. " She let out a dreamy but depressed sigh. "It's such a shame he refuses to fall for my feminine charm."

I sighed too. I had planned on Sasuke not being reliable when she asked him to give her a tour, but this worked in favor for him I guess. Maybe he wasn't as suspicious as we kept making him out to be. I didn't want Sasuke to be bad. He had the typical suspicious characteristics. He was quiet, aloof, and sometimes (okay, most of the time) off putting, but I didn't feel any malevolent intent. I saw stubbornness. Maybe even…sorrow and loneliness. He had to be feeling lonely spending all this time here with weirdos like us. But what was the sadness lurking in him? He hid it well, but I could see it in his silent demeanor. A quiet suffering he pulled deep down, hiding from the world.

I knew that look all too well. I'd seen it on my own face for a long, long time after my parents died.

'His mother is dying you dolt, and here you are treating him like he's the one to blame.' My thoughts huffed.

"It seems as though Sasuke will remain an enigma. We'll back off, but be weary of him." I said softly. Ino's baby blues lit up.

"Definitely." She chirped.

I had a feeling she wasn't thinking about the investigation, but rather Sasuke's physique. Honestly, I couldn't blame her. I acted all high and mighty, but it was difficult not sneaking a peek. He was the type of man that just caught your eye, even if you were walking down a busy New York street.

"So," Ino continued, "What did you find at Mikoto's?"

"We didn't go to Mikoto's. We went back to Emberson's historical society." I revealed.

Ino scrunched her nose and stuck her tongue out.

"Gross, why would you wanna go back there and see Naomi again?"

"The original plan was for Thomas to distract her and I would sneak into the back, but it didn't work out that way." I explained.

"She wasn't there? Sounds like you'd be happy about that."

"She was…but at the same time she wasn't." Images of her slumped body passed over my eyes. I shuddered.

Ino frowned. "I don't follow."

"Noami was there, but it wasn't her. It was her body and everything but she was completely different, like she was being controlled."

"She probably has some personality disorder." Ino reasoned. But it wasn't that simple. She hadn't seen what happened, or what was consuming Naomi's arm. I showed her the picture I took on my phone. She took it from me and squinted her eyes.

"Ew, looks like an infected tattoo." Ino stated.

"It isn't. It's the same mark Mikoto has that started running up her arm. The one she says is making her sick."

Ino zoomed in closer and gasped. The bubbling skin was unsightly, even on a camera phone. She pushed the phone back into my hands.

"That's terrible."

"And get this, there was a box full of Uchiha history she was hiding from us in the back."

"I knew she was a bitch. Why would someone do that?"
"Someone who had something to hide."

"But controlling another person? Are you sure she wasn't being blackmailed?" I shook my head at her.

"Not in the conventional sense." I replied.

"What do you mean?" She asked, confused.
"Don't be alarmed…but some spirits can learn to jump bodies." I explained. Her jaw dropped and her eyebrows drew together.
"…what?"

"It takes time. And a lot of power. But I've never heard of anything doing it from so far away…" I said, wondering myself. I never
"You think some ghost from the Manor did this?"
"It's too coincidental not to be."

"But, the place isn't even that active. You even said it yourself, it doesn't seem haunted."

"Were missing something. I know we are. And the answer could be right here."

I opened the box in front of us.

"We don't have a lot of time before they wonder where we are. Get digging."

TTTTTTTTT

This Madara guy might as well been H.H. Holmes.

Blueprint after blueprint was spread out in front of us, all in multiple designs and versions of the house. Some had designs for doors I didn't see in the manor, some had extra rooms, one even had a plan to build a third floor! However, the initials at the bottom of each blueprint were never the same. It was a different contractor each time. I knew a brief amount about H.H. Holmes. He hired separate workers to designs traps in his building, then kill them and hire new ones so no one but him knew the full layout of the place making it easy for him to trap victims.

Why would Madara do the same? It could've been Fugaku as well, planning on adding on to the Manor, but most of the dates were within a couple years of each other. Madara was Fugaku's grandfather, he wouldn't have been old enough to order these commissions.

"Explains why that room was covered, I guess." Thinking about the hidden room at the end of the hall. "Maybe they simply remodeled over it."

"And left the door? That's too strange, where does it even lead?" Ino asked, curiosity peaked. There was a swell of pride in my chest at Ino's interest in being involved. I really did miss spending time with her like we used to. Even if it was about dead people and not idle girl stuff.

"That's what everything points to, doesn't it?" That door. I needed to get inside. Whoever had covered it had done so for a reason they didn't want others to know about. Maybe it held the reason behind this 'curse'.

There was no way Sasuke would let us break the door down though. We had to find a different way in; we had to find the key.

"That hidden door in the Manor had a keyhold. There has to be a key. We didn't look hard enough the first time." I said. We didn't even know what we were looking for the first time.

Ino nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah…"

The blueprints weren't the only disturbing find. Almost a dozen missing person reports were sitting in a pile to my right, each with the last name 'Uchiha'. Next to it was a stack of newspapers going back to Madara's time with headlines like 'Uchiha killer still at large!' And slowly, Madara's good Samaritan image fell with each missing relative until it got to the same article I'd seen before of a bitter, angry man. The Uchiha curse had started long before the murders I was investigating. I gazed back into Madara's ink eyes.

"Maybe there's some truth behind what they say about him messing with dark magic." I said, pointing to Madara.

Magic wasn't real. But, satanic rituals was. It wouldn't be too off the wall to connect him to the occult if the townspeople were calling him a sorcerer.

I took a sharp intake of breath.

I would've noticed if it was something much darker here, wouldn't I? Perhaps it was a priest they needed, not me…

"Sakura, what's wrong?"

"Uh, nothing." I stuttered.

I didn't want to freak Ino out more than she already was so I couldn't tell her where my thoughts had turned. How could I tell that there wasn't a demonic entity roaming these halls, risen over a hundred years ago by the Uchiha? That was the goal of most occult groups, to raise the evil entities they worshipped. What if Madara, or another follower, was successful? The townspeople had even called them demons, there had to be a reason. Madara had underground dealings back in Japan and even Mikoto said he was fascinated by the dark arts.

I quit. I needed to quit. Right now. I couldn't deal with it if it was…

I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself.

I had to think about others, like Mikoto. She was counting on me. She wouldn't deceive me if she knew if there was something darker here. There's been zero evidence of such a thing; I shouldn't get worked up. I opened my eyes with determination and reached for the last pile.

1905 September 1st: Uchiha Harvest Ball to celebrate season crops.

1905 November 28th was the murder of the main family.

1908 July 13th was when the other Sasuke Uchiha disappeared

1910 July 13th: Village hidden in the leaves goes up in flames.

I wonder if Sasuke's disappearance had been related to the town being burnt down. It was the same date, only 2 years later. The death of all his loved ones must have driven him mad when he barricaded himself in the manor. Did he take it out on the town and then return to the Manor to die?

Maybe Sasuke was the black mass roaming the halls. So much pain, so much tragedy he had to endure, it easily could've trapped his spirit here and left a painful residue of memories in it's wake.

"Oh! Sakura, here's a picture of one of the Uchiha brother's at the harvest ball." Ino told me as she handed my a newspaper clipping.

It wasn't Sasuke; it was the older brother, Itachi. He had a strong jaw and long midnight hair draping past his collar in a low ponytail. He looked friendly, a small toothless smile to the camera as it captured him walking past. He was a beautiful man.

"He looks like Sasuke." Ino wondered outloud. I nodded, he looked very similar to the present Sasuke. but there were subtle differences between the eyes and hair. All Uchiha had prominent features they shared with their kin, so it would make sense.

"Itachi is Sasuke's great grandfather. He got most of his good looks from him." I commented.

Ino's eyebrow stretched up in a questioning manner at my comment, but I ignored it.

"So, where does that leave us now?" I inquired out loud.

"Still square one? Cause I sure as hell don't know anything." Ino commented.

"No. I think I'm starting to piece it together. The house must be stuck in a loop, recording every tragedy that happened and then replaying it. I just have to break it, somehow."

"A…loop?"

"Places that have experienced extreme tragedies or pain are marked. They become trapped in that one moment, replaying it over and over. It can happen to a person's soul who's endured too much as well." I fingered through the missing report files. "One of these people got trapped. I just need to figure out which one and exploit it."

"But that doesn't explain the curse." Ino stated.

I thought harder.

"Maybe it does. Madara believed in black magic, maybe more Uchiha did. People with strong spiritual energy after dying can mess with living people. So far as to make them sick."

"So you're saying a vengeful spirit is after the remaining Uchihas?"

"I'm sure of it now. One that can travel long distances, like to Mikoto's home or Emberson. If we can find a way to break the spell that is woven in this house, it'll be forced out."

Ino gave me a tired expression. "You do know how crazy this sounds, right?"

I turned to Ino with a grim smile. "I've heard and seen crazier."

We left the box in the van, contents tucked back inside safely. I felt more trusting towards Sasuke, but I wasn't ready to share with him the information we'd found. I didn't want to sound as crazy as Ino said. I made her promise not to tell anyone, not even Thomas, until we were in the safety of the van again. It wasn't Sasuke overhearing us that I was worried about anymore; it was the entity.

Something old, something powerful. But it hadn't driven us out yet.

'It's hiding. It knows what were looking for and wants us to leave. The only way to do that is if we don't find anything.'

That's why the historical society was trashed; we were asking the right questions.

I held a renewed confidence when I walked. I was getting somewhere. But the next step was finding that key and getting into that room, I could feel it. I finally had the upper hand

It only took a few short hours until the sun was setting. Calm and collected, outwardly I waited patiently until it hit midnight. Inwardly, I was bouncing off the walls because things were moving forward and soon enough I'd have this investigation solved with a snap of my fingers. The only thing standing in my way of success, a missing key.

I excitedly barked orders, with Jonathan prepping the equipment and the rest of us standing around until he was ready. Then, it was time to split into groups again. My plan was to keep the partners the same, but switch locations. The boys would take the whole first floor, and us girls would take the second floor. I would have ample time to check the three furnished bedrooms. If there was a key anywhere in the house, my first guess would be there.

I fiddled with my earpiece, making sure it was in correctly, and then cleared my throat to get everyone's attention. Thomas nodded at my cue.

"So, are we doing the same thing tonight? Clear the floors, look for creepy shadows-" Jonathan started to ask, but Sasuke cut him off.

"I would like to be paired with Sakura this time." Sasuke said with a straight face.

We all stared at him.

"Why?" I blurted without thinking. I needed Sasuke with someone else so I could check out those rooms. I feared that if he went with me, anything I did would be scrutinized under his watchful eye. It would be hard to sneak things past him.

"I think we work well together." He replied, and shrugged as if it was common knowledge. I didn't know if he had an ulterior motive or was genuine. He could be keeping an eye on me, making sure I didn't find something.

I glanced over at Thomas and Ino, who'd be paired together as a result. It left my stomach uneasy, knowing both of them weren't that brave in the face of danger. But they were my team, I trusted them didn't I? Of course I did. And now that Sasuke wasn't my suspect anymore, I needed to stop analyzing everything he did for clues. If I opened up, maybe he would too.

This could be a good thing.

Both Thomas and Ino's begging eyes were on me. They didn't want to walk around together with how much they squabbled. And both of them were chickens, one stair creak and they'd be running for the hills holding hands. I'd been leading everything for so long that they were lacking confidence in themselves. I suffocated them and they had no room to grow.

"Alright." I said slowly. "Thomas and Ino will take the first floor, Sasuke and I will take the second floor."

Sasuke's brow furrowed.

"I don't care for being up there." He said quickly. I remembered him saying that when we'd first met him. Ino also said that her tour had only included the first floor, not the second. Was there something upstairs he was afraid of?

"I won't force you to go anywhere you don't want to go." I replied honestly. I dragged Thomas with me everywhere like a rag doll when we did investigations because frankly he was scared of everything. But if there was something he genuinely feared, I would never force him to face it. It would be too cruel to push someone to the edge.

He was resting on the wall, arms folded and eyes questioning. He studied me for a minute. Then he sighed and stood up straight.

"Alright." He relented.

I nodded.

"Meet back here at 5, or contact each other earlier if something happens." I ordered, and then we were off into the night.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Being alone with Sasuke was strange. Usually when I was around Thomas or Ino there was an uncomfortable silence of me straining my ears to hear anything as they trailed behind me. They had a hard time being quiet though. I did my best to tune them out so I could focus. Sasuke was as quiet as a mouse, but my whole body was aware of his presence. Now that I was more comfortable around Sasuke his presence wasn't overwhelming, but he still had a strong pull. He had a powerful stature and an heir of dominance that took over the room.

This made me clumsier than usual.

"Oh!" I gasped as the tip of my toe hit a step, but I caught myself before I stumbled over. I looked over to find Sasuke staring and sheepishly grinned.

We made it to the hall of missing portraits at the top of the steps. Now to decide which way to go first. There were two furnished rooms to the right of me which doubled the chance of me finding something, but I'd already discovered a missing article in the room to the left. There was also the mysterious door that lead to the unknown over there.

I crossed my arms and looked both ways, trying to decide which way I should go. I looked to Sasuke for guidance. He was studying the missing pictures, reading names on the plaques underneath.

"Which way do you want to go first?" I asked him. He had expressed concern coming up here, maybe there was an area he'd had a bad experience that I could check out later without him. He looked down both sides as if he was contemplating the best of the worse.

"To the east." He suggested. I nodded, and we continued walking side by side down the corridor. I held my hands behind my back as silence fell between us again. I remembered the last time we'd been up here Sasuke had so rudely called me annoying with a smirk on his face. Did he really think I was annoying? I know I could be bossy at times, but once I got into detective mode it just took over. That was just business Sakura; not casual Sakura.

I peeked up at him.

"Have you seen it? The spirit." I asked. He looked down at me, one questioning eyebrow up.

"Aren't we not supposed to be talking?" He asked back.

"Oh, uh yeah. Your right." I said, turning away from him and gluing my eyes to a door at the end of the hall. I resisted the urge to peek at him again as I felt his eyes on me. We took a few more steps that barely made any noise, but sounded like an elephant in my head.

"I've seen it a couple of times." He confessed. My head shot back towards him.

"Really? What does it look like?" I asked excitedly, but then reminded myself to stay calm.

Sasuke frowned. "I'm not sure, like a dark cloud? I do my best to keep away from it." He said.

"So, you must be here a lot then huh?" I asked, fishing for answers.

"When I want to be. Someone has to take care of this place."

"You could always hire someone."

"No, I have to make sure it has the proper care." He said seriously.

My eyes started wandering, I tried not to look too invested. I backed off the questions so he wouldn't think I was nosy. We had reached our destination anyways.

The house was riddled with empty rooms and locked doors and it was hard to keep track, but I knew this was the red bedroom. I opened the door with ease and stalked inside. Sasuke hesitated at the doorway, looking around, and then took a step in. He didn't move as I walked around the vast room, fully taking it in. He looked like a child awkwardly standing at the end of an underwear isle as his mother shopped for new undies.

This was one of the few rooms that remained dusty and untouched. There was a king size bed with a velvet red comforter and some pillows. There was a nightstand with an oil lamp, a dresser in the corner of the room, a lavish desk littered with papers and an armchair. On the far side was a giant landscape painting of the woods and on the opposite was a watercolor painting of mountains. The decorations were simply and few, not what I'd expect from a family so wealthy.

My attention drew to the desk. Sasuke followed my eyes to were I was looking, and simply crossed his arms and didn't move. I took that as confirmation that I could touch things. I strode over the cherry wood desk and examined the dusty mess of papers on top. They were scattered haphazardly, as if someone was looking for something. I flashed my flashlight over top and squinted my eyes, but I couldn't read any of them threw the dust. I blew over them gently. There, much better.

Medical documents? Reports of names of people with different ailments and treatments that weren't practiced anymore. Scribbled at the bottom in big letters was ' I.U."

"IU?" I wondered out loud.

"Itachi." Sasuke answered from the doorway. I looked up at him; he scanned the room slowly. He didn't want to be in here. This must've been the room he wanted to avoid.

I shuffled the papers a bit, careful not to choke on any dust. It was all medical papers and reports. Itachi must've been a doctor. I stepped to the side and knocked something over. I shined my light on it. I brown leather bag. Looks like Itachi had brought his work with him, then urgently had to leave in the middle.

Next I went to the dresser to raid the drawers. Sasuke coughed as I went to open the first one. I looked over at him.

"Those are someone's personal items." He chastised.

"I'm not going to take anything." I defended. "I'm just trying to find any clues."

"I don't think you'll find them in an underwear drawer." I peeked in the cracked drawer I was about to open and blushed. Now I was the awkward child.

"Why don't you do it then? He was your ancestor after all." I told him, stepping back.

"I think I'll stay right here, it's more respectful." He replied. I rolled my eyes and muttered, "scaredy cat" under my breath. I felt Sasuke's glare on me as I turned toward the bed and stuck my tongue out at him. I patted down the blankets and pillows, feeling for any lumps or bumps underneath. Nothing, it was as smooth as satin. I huffed. Hopefully, I'd have better luck in the next room.

"Come on, I have somewhere else I want to check out." I told him.

The blue room was similar to the red one in its simplicity. The main difference between them was that this room had a fireplace, a couch, and a pelt rug at the far end of the room opposite the bed. Unlike Itachi's desk, this one looked empty except for some heavy looking books. I eyed the dresser first, but I knew Sasuke wouldn't want me digging through it. That left the bed, the desk, in the couch, or under the rug. Sasuke stood next to the bed and watched me search.

"You could help, you know." I said haughtily.

"Is there something specific your looking for?" He asked suspiciously. I shot up from looking under the rug. "No. Just, like I said. Clues."

"You're looking for the key to that door that was covered up, aren't you?" He accused, although his face remained blank.

"Do you know where it is?" I asked, hopeful.
"No." He retorted. He crossed his arms and leaned on the bed's headboard.

"Damn. I thought after what I found-"
"What'd you find?" Sasuke asked, narrowing his eyes. He knew I'd been holding back information. I scratched my head.

"Well, I told you I went to do research. I found some old blueprints and articles about Madara that makes me believe there's something behind it."

"Why do you need to dig around? I though you got rid of these things all the time."

I huffed as I dropped the rug and got up off my knees.

"I don't just get rid of ghosts Sasuke, it's more complicated than that."

"How does bringing up the past help? Just, do what you always do."

"Because I need to know what I'm up against, and why. You really think it's just going to tell me? Ghosts only stick around because they're trapped and have unresolved business. The only way to get rid of them is to find out why." I challenged, walking up to him. I didn't seem as menacing when my forehead only went up to his chin.

He looked away. Sasuke wasn't happy about me searching his family's history, I understood it was a personal subject for him. But if he wanted this thing gone, if he wanted things made right, it was necessary for me to do.

"I wouldn't nose through such personal things if I didn't feel they were important." I said, trying to ease the air between us. Sasuke sighed, perhaps to show he understood.

"Just be careful of what you find." He said, glancing at me. I smiled and replied, "Always."

The purple room was my last hope, but I saved the best for last. This room had a women's touch and more decorative with flower paintings and small antiques. I quickly walked in and went for my usual search spots, until I noticed Sasuke still standing in the hallway.

"Aren't you going to come in?"

He shook his head.

"No. Bad memories are here." He replied softly. Ah, so this was the room. I didn't bother him anymore about it and continued my search as Sasuke watched from outside. The bed had tons of throw pillows, some frilly, some suede, and most useless. I patted everything down. Nothing. I hurried over to the desk. Some business document lay there with Fugaku Uchiha's signature, but there were only small office supplies in the drawers. Nothing again. My last hope was the vanity, filled with lavish jewelry and expired make up. I sat down on the print patterned stool, and softly fingered the dust free spot where there was a missing necklace. Did Sasuke know about this?

I turned to ask him until I heard a faint sound. I held my breath.

Criiiiiick

I whipped around to face Sasuke, face inquisitive.

"Did you hear that?" I whispered, creeping closer to him.

"Yeah, like a door opening." He breathed, looking around in the hall.

My earpiece cackled to life. Sasuke jumped in surprise.

"Yo, Thomas, Ino, are either of you in the drawing room next to base camp?" Jonathan asked.

Oh cliffhangers how I love/despise you! So many questions still in the air. Whats the crick noise? Is it Ino or Thomas in the drawing room? Why doesn't Sasuke want to walk into the purple room? All will be revealed...in time.

Until next time!

End Chapter 9