AN: Welcome back. I apologize for how long this has taken, but I've been dealing with some rather pressing personal matters regarding school and work. I was originally planning on this chapter centering around their first case, but there was a large enough gap during their road trip that presented an opportunity for more relationship/character development. That being said, this is a bit of a build up chapter as well. Next chapter will be more horror based I assure.

Please Believe Me
Chapter 21

Sitting in the car, the radio blasting some cheesy pop song that neither of them minded enough to change, Ino and Naruto were an hour deep into their journey to Suna. After getting the call, they went back to her apartment so that she could get at least two changes of clothes. It was finally sundown and it was getting darker by the second. But, the sky right now looked absolutely beautiful. A bit of giddiness was running through the Yamanaka at the thought of leaving Konoha for the very first time in her life. This was actually leaving the fire country, something she never thought she'd end up doing. She came close when they won the Konoha regional volleyball tournament as freshmen, but they lost the tournament that would send them to Kiri for the big one.

She's been here her whole life and has still not seen all it has to offer. Now, here she goes, stepping out of her little small-town box for the first time. Suna wasn't necessarily her first choice, but it was something different. Thinking on what she could expect, she was just visualizing a crap ton of desert. A lot of sand. She didn't really picture a city for whatever reason even if that's probably what's there. It didn't seem to fit her imagination too well.

It was strange being on her first road trip with someone who was still a bit of a stranger to her. When she was younger, she always envisioned it would be with a group of friends like it was in the movies. Sort of like the trip to the cabin, but that didn't really count as it was only about an hour and a half worth of driving. This is a true road trip to some undisclosed location miles and miles away from home. It was strange, but at the same time, she could not feel safer with anyone else.

This is someone who's saved her life twice… well, technically three if you count the Mill incident. What's more, he's done so expecting absolutely nothing in return. That's a truly laughable thought when taking in her experience with most people. Every 'kind' action people show nowadays comes with a bill of some sort, or an expected favor in return. Unwarranted kindness only exists in small gestures like holding doors or passing smiles. It's like kindness is a job depending on the amount of effort needed to display it.

Yet, this man, who does a job no one else can even comprehend, does so until he's weary and unbelievably exhausted. He does so and leaves without expecting so much as a thank you. If she didn't know the definition of kindness, it's sitting right next to her. It made her wonder a bit about his personal life. Her conversation with Temari that night at the club was very telling about the kind of person he is, and from what she's seen recently her statements seemed true.

The question was so: where in the world does a guy like this come from? What happened to him in the past to send him down this path? She was very much dying to know those answers, but again, they are still basically strangers. Prying like that could throw a wrench into the mechanics of any relationship, even teacher student. He's a man drenched in more secrets than she is even aware of. If he ever feels comfortable disclosing that information he will.

It was just a bit daunting considering he seemed to know far more about her than she does about him. He essentially knows her life story as her room told it all. That was her space to display her life as it was at every stage of her adolescent growth. Every item or picture told a story about who she was. That begged yet another question: what does he think about her? From their conversation earlier, it was safe to say he admired her many pointless achievements and forgotten talents from her younger days, but that admiration is for a much different Ino Yamanaka. A girl who saw life as one big opportunity to do something amazing… be something amazing.

That's not who she is anymore and as smart as he is, he has to realize that by now. So, what does he think about her? That she's weird? Boring? Useless? All things she'd probably think if she saw herself through his eyes. Every major interaction they've had has been with her being this helpless little damsel in distress. She's just a scared little girl, afraid of more than she'd like to admit.

Of course, she feared ghosts, demons, and death as many would, but her phobias reached far more idiotic places. Being alone, being forgotten, never finding love, having no purpose… all very confusing things she could not comprehend on her own. Things she needed the answers to from someone else. Those were things reliant on other people. Finding love means never being alone, therefore, never being forgotten. In turn, relationships like these tend to provide a purpose for those without, or they show you the way.

Yet, at the same time, she wants independence. She wants to be strong on her own. She wants to have the will power and confidence to stand before the world she used to love and find her true self. A girl who scurried off to live the life she always dreamed of. But, does she really want that part of herself back? She had the confidence of a star, but the sheer arrogance and bitchiness that usually comes along with it. It's like losing that part of herself brought forth a much sweeter side that she would have never thought she had back then. A part of herself that she actually likes.. and that other people like. It feels good to be nice. Why can't she just be confident and kind? Why can't she just be like… like him?

She glanced over to Naruto whose unfocused gaze was plastered on the road. He didn't seem to notice her looking as she outlined the side of his face. Against the backdrop of the setting sun from his side of the car, he looked downright angelic. A beautiful image that she found rather hard to pull her gaze from. When he finally did feel the gaze on him, he peeked over ever so slightly. "What?" He questioned.

Feeling a bit bashful at being found out, she muttered out a very poor excuse. "u-Uh, th-.. the sun looks… looks really pretty."

He raised an eyebrow and glanced out his side window. Sure enough, it was just beginning to meet the horizon. A truly beautiful sight indeed. "… Yeah." He said in reply. Turning back to the road, he glanced up at the rearview mirror to see Ghost sitting up. Looking back to the road, he saw an exit coming up for a nearby rest stop. "We'll take a little break. Ghost may have to pee." She had no response for that, so she just sort of nodded, hoping he saw her in his peripheral.

Sitting out on top of one of the picnic tables near the grassy area, Naruto smoked a cigarette while he played with his flip lighter. Ghost was searching for that perfect spot to do his business, and Ino was just returning from the lady's room in the building. She looked around at the other people here as well, just two other families that seemed to be traveling together, discussing their next plan of action. She slumped over to the picnic table and climbed up next to Naruto, facing the setting sun.

They said nothing for a moment, both silently watching the scene and enjoying the breeze. After a while, Naruto finally spoke up. "I just got off the phone with Bug." He stated, much to her surprise. "The case seems to be a standard haunting. Older couple, paraplegic son… no sign of any violent activity as of yet."

To that she silently released the breath she didn't know she was holding. It's actually been weighing on her mind for quite some time now. This would be her first true case, and God did she pray for something simple. "That's… that's good right?"

He shrugged. "It can be. It either means it'll be an easy case or a waste of time."

"You think it could be a hoax?" She questioned.

Again, he shrugged. "I don't know. It's hard to say. They haven't received any media attention, so that's a fairly good sign that it's not, but if there is something there, our presence could definitely stir up some… commotion."

She didn't seem to understand that. "What do you mean?"

He finished off his cigarette and squished it out on the table next to him. "When you embrace your clairvoyance, it can increase your visibility, the sheer strength of your sight. But, as a rule, anything you can see, can see you as well."

"They can't see normal people?" She questioned. That didn't sound right.

Apparently, that's not exactly what he meant. "Well, they can, but they couldn't interact with normal people who are unaware of their presence. That's why they start off with the small things like footsteps and whispers. Anything they can do to scare the victim as fear translates to physical power for them."

She was very much confused by that and seemed content with trying to figure out the specifics herself. After relenting on that idea, she went ahead and asked. "How?"

Naruto rubbed his eyes and shook his head, trying to keep away that exhaustion. When he got his bearings, he thought about an accurate explanation. "Angels and demons… they have their own methods of interacting with the people of the world. Demons use fear. It feeds their sense of reality. It's like… well, as something you and I both could understand, when people start calling you crazy enough, you yourself may start to believe it." To that, she definitely agreed with. "Well, it's the same with demons. The more people fear them, the more real they become… the more damage they can do."

As she processed the information, Ghost returned, hopping up on the seat in front of her and laying his head on her legs. Naruto looked down at him with a small smile gracing his lips. With a sigh, he looked up towards the horizon, just in time to see the last sliver of light disappear. It always looks so much faster towards the end.

With a groan, he stood up and stepped down. "Well, no need to waste time." Ino stood as well, prompting Ghost to hop off, giving her some room. Conscious of her wearing a dress, Naruto offered her a hand to brace her step down which she accepted. From there, they headed back to the car, ready to get back on the road. "Hungry?"

"y-Yeah, actually." She admit.

Eating her fast food burger, Ino watched the very desert setting pass by out the side of her window. They hit a drive through at the very next town and headed straight out from there. It was weird how sudden the sand hit. It was like a clear cut off a few miles back from grass to a sea of golden sand. It was rather beautiful actually. The night was star-filled with a vibrantly shining full moon. He gave her the task of picking their music, so of course the car was filled with a delightfully peaceful, yet snappy, jazz playlist. The volume set just loud enough so that they could still hear each other if they were to speak. It was a very peaceful moment, that's for sure.

As she took another bite, she was caught off guard by the sniffling nose of Ghost who stuck his snout up front towards the smell of more food. "Hehe, hey boy. You still hungry?" she questioned with a bit of surprise. Naruto got him like three beef patties.

Naruto answered in place of the still rather intent canine, eyeing her food. "No, he's just greedy."

Regardless, Ino halved the rest of her burger, finding his licking lips and big eyes too cute to deny. "Oh, that's ok." She handed it back to him and he took it with gusto. "He works too hard to be denied."

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. "True." He replied, still focusing on the road ahead of them.

Ino finished her food and shoved the trash back into the bag. Silence ensued for quite a while before she spoke up to break it. "So, this is what you do every time you get a call?"

He shrugged in reply. "Yeah, pretty much… Just a bunch of driving."

She nodded. "Mm… must have been boring."

That it was indeed. God it was almost more of a task to just sit there listening to his own thoughts than the actual cases. "… Yeah…" he replied.

Ino gave him a small smile in reply. "Well, I'm.. not too exciting or anything… I mean, you already know pretty much everything there is to know about me."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh, I do?" He questioned. "I didn't know that."

She chuckled lightly at his joke. "Well, you did look in my room. That's like my whole life laid out in one place." She said in a tickled tone, finding it impossible he didn't even realize that.

"Yeah, well I don't. I saw achievement after achievement. Talent after talent, but those don't define who a person is. What defines us is our story. The journey through life, including our pains, our greatest loves, our betrayals. Achievements and failures are just landmarks in the world of our lives."

She seemed taken back a bit as she stared at the taillights of the car ahead of them, trying to fully process that. "w-Wow, that was.. deep." She said, rather impressed.

He adopted a rather cocky look as he shrugged. "Yeah, I minored in philosophy, it's no biggie." He said with a very exaggerated tone of false-modesty. He finished with a dramatically crafted clearing of his throat which made her chuckle.

"Ohoh, so I'm speaking with Socrates right now?" she questioned, challengingly.

He chuckled again. "You know him?"

"Not at all." She replied immediately.

He smiled bashfully and shook his head. "Hah, well. You really got my hopes up."

There was a slight pause for dramatic effect before she spoke. "… 'It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.'" She said much to his shook.

He glanced over to her with that challenging look, thinking presumably what she was thinking. "… Aristotle… 'Courage is knowing what not to fear.'"

She thought it over for a moment, looking up and away as if the answer would be there. "Uhh… Plato?"

Naruto chuckled. "Shot in the dark, but correct." He said with a nod.

She chuckled. "I blanked." She admit with a shake of her head. "… uh, 'The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.'"

Yet again, he chuckled and glanced over to her with an amused look. "I'm getting the feeling you only know a few of the greats huh?" he questioned to which she laughed.

"Haha! Yeah, just what we learned in high school."

He laughed along lightly, but answered regardless. "Heh, that would be Socrates… 'It's not about what it is, it's about what it can become.'"

She really thought on that. It's not one she's ever really heard, so a guess was definitely in order. "I don't-.. pff- Aristotle?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nope. Dr. Seuss."

"Ah, of course. I knew that." She quipped with a comical tone. "It's funny, I was just about to quote you Green Eggs and Ham."

"Well, I know every word. It was my favorite growing up."

She mockingly gave him an unimpressed look. "Mm, I'm more of a Red Fish, Blue Fish gal myself."

"Ohoh, okay. So, more of the simple-minded works huh?" he teased.

She immediately turned to him with a look of false offense. "That is a true work of art, sir! It's just got a much deeper meaning than that limited mind of yours can understand."

"Limited? Oh, okay." He said with an amused smile. "It's got a hidden lore I just don't see I guess."

She chuckled through a sudden yawn and shook her head. "It does indeed. We had a whole society of theorists working on uncovering it back in elementary. Top notch group of students."

Still being somewhat entertained by her wit, he chuckled and shook his head. "Sounds intense. It's uh.. pretty late. You should probably get some sleep. We'll be there by morning."

She gave him a cautious look. "a-Are you not gonna sleep?"

"Nah. I'm fine." He said, a clear lie. "We've got to make it there as soon as possible."

That apprehensive look still peered into him, clear concern written across her worried visage. "Are you sure?" she questioned. "I can drive if you need me to. I do have my license."

He gave her a reassuring smile. "No, don't worry. I've got it. Get some sleep." A bit hesitant, she nodded slightly as she leaned the seat back a bit further. She was very tired.

With that, they continued on their journey. Naruto sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. It's been quite a day. Hidan returning and this unexpected mentorship? It's probably the busiest he's been without actually working on a case. As exhausting as it's been these past few years, the work was something to keep him busy at least. Today was likely an exception to the boredom he was preparing himself for. In honesty, it's the most fun he's had since he was young. Well, everything after the debacle with his foul-mouthed friend at the restaurant.

The girl sitting next to him was the one to thank for that. She's rather unique if he were to call her anything. She protrudes a vibe of someone who's seen far too much in her lifetime, which she probably has. Despite that, there's a liveliness inside of her that just oozes with a unique personality of kindness. She's perplexing for sure. Her quiet demeanor seems almost unfitting on someone so bright. He's come to realize that, although she doesn't say much, when she does speak she has something to say. Whether that be witty banter, a well-asked question, or a general spoken thought that makes him notice the simple pleasures of life he seems to overlook.

They're so different, she and he. That's pretty much what he's been thinking about since they've been driving. She's so… aware of the life she's living and the places and things she's surrounded by. The fact that she notices the setting sun, or the flashing city lights, is something he found intriguing. She's never been out of Konoha and she likely has seen these things before, yet she still gets mesmerized by their presence when presented with it. For him, these things were just part of the everyday life of people. Her interest in things so common made him wonder what she would find beautiful in places she's never been to, such as the mountains of Kumo, or the sheer beauty of Kiri.

Again, all things he's seen before. Really thinking on it, he could chock it up to their different lives up until now. For the past three years, he's been working, working, and working with no time to even sleep before he has to head out and travel to the next spot. She, on the other hand, had been stuck as a passenger within her own body as the memories of a dead kid flooded her psyche. So, all of these things were likely a distant memory in the furthest corner of her mind.

For him, the days were everlasting. There was no sunrise or sunset. It just feels like one drawn out day full of work and travel. When she returned, her life was at a stalemate from what she explained to him. What more could she do other than reconnect with the world? The setting and rising sun was probably a welcomed sight. Or, maybe she's just got a very beautiful sense of wonder. Either way, it's quite unique.

Another thing that impressed him was her sheer intelligence. Not that he thought she'd be an idiot, but she's a very pretty girl and has been a very pretty girl since her school days from what he could tell. It's another rare sight to see a girl that attractive focused on something other than boys and dating. Not that they aren't out there, it's just a rarity. She is definitely different… very different and he wouldn't really mind teaching her if she wants to learn. Her company was far from unwelcome.

(Seven hours later)

Her eyes still shut and her head leaning against her side door, Ino was curled up in her seat, an unknown blanket wrapped around her. She could hear muffled voices talking. About what? She wasn't really sure. It was very much silenced, almost inaudible. God, she was so tired. With a final yawn, she stirred aware and creaked her eyes open. She was looking right outside her window. They seemed to have arrived. It was no house, that's for sure. Sitting up straight, they were at a mansion. It was beautiful, with an old castle-ish feel to it, complete with gargoyles and peeked rooftops.

As she turned back, she could see where the voices were coming from. Naruto was leaning against the back door on her side, talking to an elderly man and woman standing a few feet in front of him, apparently explaining the situation. Not wanting to make a bad first impression, she pulled the mirror down to fix her face. She didn't need make-up or anything, but the mucus that no doubt built up on the inside of her eyes had to go pronto. Plus, her hair wasn't done. No brush to do it, she just sighed and wrapped it up in a bun on top of her head.

"So, there's footsteps you can hear all around the house. Foreign smells that come from absolutely nowhere. Whispers, doors closing and opening on their own. Everything, you name it." The older man said, listing off some of the happenings to Naruto.

The wife nodded along. "Yes, and there are also these jus-.. dreadful screams from our son. I think he is far more affected than we are." The two were in their late 50's possibly early 60's, but they looked fairly good for their age. The man was a rather husky fellow with a full head of white hair done in a comb over to his left side. His eyes were a very dark brown and his teeth were an absolutely ridiculous shade of white. His wife was a beautiful blonde woman with also dark brown eyes and a very mature looking hourglass shape.

Naruto nodded to show he understood. "I am terribly sorry, and I can definitely help you, but, if I may ask, why have you not just gone to the church with this?" They seemed to share glances as if not fully understanding the importance of the question. "With the happenings you've explained to me so far, I'd say you have concrete evidence. Most people would go right to the church with this, or maybe to the press."

The woman was the one to answer. "Well, my husband here is a rather important politic figure. Word of this getting out would throw a hefty wrench in his image."

The husband continued. "Now, I am uh.. well aware of the paranormal side of life. I-.. well, we've quite clearly seen its existence, but you know, society as a whole still doesn't particularly agree. There are far more skeptics out there than true believers. If I were to take this story to the press, being called crazy would be the nicest title I'd receive."

Naruto nodded. "Ah. Of course. Well, you don't have to worry. My work is strictly confidential. It shouldn't take more than a day or two."

"A day or two huh? That is perfectly fine. Much faster than I'd imagine." He said in reply. "Oh, and uh.. just out of curiosity, how much is this going to cost us?"

"Not a thing sir." Naruto replied immediately. "I don't charge."

They both seemed surprised, the wife questioning him. "No charge? Well, that's a first. For a service as unique as yours, I'd assume there'd be some kind of payment expected."

He shrugged. "Yeah, well. There's not. Not with me anyways." Just as he said this, the car door opened, alerting all three of them to the blonde girl stepping out of the passenger seat.

The older woman was the first to greet her. "Oh, hello." She said kindly. "Who's this beautiful young lady?"

Ino straightened out her dress before reaching for the older woman. "Hi, I'm Ino." She said kindly as they shook hands.

"Ino? Hi, it's a pleasure to meet you." She replied. "I'm Norumi Mifuji."

The husband reached out next. "And I'm Jin Mifuji. It's a pleasure." He said as he shook her hand. "I wasn't aware there'd be two of you." He glanced back to Naruto. "You two are quite the couple huh?"

Naruto chuckled and was about to deny it, but Ino took a page from his book and cut in. "Ohoh, well thank you. You guys are cute together too." She said kindly much to Naruto's amusement.

"Thank you very much dear." Norumi said kindly.

Jin stepped towards the house. "Now, most of the activity does take place during the later hours of the night, so for now, would you two like to join us for breakfast?"

(Bark! Bark) Ghost came bounding over from the yard.

Jin chuckled. "Oh, hehe, sorry. You three?"

They all shared a little chuckle at the humorous moment before Naruto and Ino accepted the offer. "Are you okay with a dog in your home?" Naruto questioned.

Norumi was the one to reply. "Of course! As long as he's potty trained."

"He is." Naruto informed.

"Great." Jin said kindly. "After breakfast I can show you to your room."

The breakfast was absolutely delicious and it gave them the opportunity to meet their son Cheng. A young man a few years older than the two of them stricken with Cerebral Palsy. He was, of course, wheelchair bound and in his particular case it impaired his ability to actually speak. He could respond, though not completely literate, he could understand them fairly well and responded through the text to speech device on his chair. Even then, not complex sentences, he could type out a few words here and there based on his understanding of the conversation. Very intelligent young man he was.

Now, here they are, walking down the extravagant hall with Ino slack-jawed by the beautiful décor surrounding them, Naruto carrying both of their bags they retrieved from the car, and Ghost trotting slightly ahead of them. Jin took it upon himself to explain the ins-and-outs of the house itself as well as detailed things he's picked up about the strange happenings.

"Now, I know it may seem a bit cautious of me to place you guys on the third floor, but it's because this is the floor that seems to have the most activity." He explained. "This is where the footsteps come from, where the doors open and close on their own, and there's also a rather rancid smell that moves from room to room."

"Does the house have a history? It seems rather new." Naruto questioned.

Jin nodded. "It uh, it actually does." He said. "It was built way back innnn I believed 1923. We bought it a few years back and have been renovating and adding onto it, so we were still living in what is now our summer home in the outskirts of the land of fire. We just settled into this place a good month or two ago and that's when we started noticing all of the strange things happening."

"It's beautiful here." Ino said rather absentmindedly which both the men heard.

Jin very much agreed. "Indeed, it is. That's kind of why we've called. It's not like we couldn't just up and move. But, my wife was born and raised here, and… she had always seen this house on her way to school and fell in love with it when she was younger. It was a gift for our twentieth anniversary and if there's a way we can keep it, I'm willing to try it."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, well as I said. We can definitely help you."

They finally made it to the door at the end of the hall. Jin opened it up to show an almost motel like guest room fit with a flat screen television, a closet, their own bathroom, and, to Ino's embarrassment, a single queen-sized bed. As she processed that realization, Jin continued talking to Naruto.

"So, uhh… Look, I'm a rather honest man, I'd like to think. So, I have to admit, I'm still a bit skeptical myself about the whole uh.. voodoo ritual deal or whatever it is you guys do." He said.

Naruto titled his head. "Well, it's uh.. not really voodoo. More exorcisms and what not, but believe me, I understand."

The man nodded. "Yes, well I've just always been raised to believe that ghosts and uh.. demons and all that are jus-.. fairytales. I'm not sure if the footsteps and all that are just in my head or not. I've been under a heavy amount of stress as of late, so it could be just a build up and… you know, the fact that this is an older home throws that stigma of possible haunting in immediately, but… I don't know."

Naruto nodded along with him until he stopped his ranting. "Well, I'm not sure if the place is haunted either. It very well could be a simple misunderstanding. But, I can promise you if it is, we can handle it."

He nodded back, seeming just a bit reassured by that. "Well, alrighty then. I mean, I received an absolutely glowing recommendation from Dokku Yuen. We originally made the call to him and he directed us to that friend of yours to get in touch with you."

"Oh, is that so?" he asked curiously.

Jin, again, nodded. "Yes, oh it was such a surprise when I heard of his wife losing her sight. I had no idea." He said.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. It's pretty tragic."

"Very much so… When we were first reaching out, we uh… avoided going to the church as it never seems to remain confidential too long. Everywhere they show up it seems the press is right behind them." He said with a chuckle. "So, we remembered watching that uh.. that movie about the Yuen's and their story, so we looked them up and found out they weren't working cases anymore. At that time, we were just about out of hope until he told us about yourself. He speaks quite highly of you."

Naruto gave him a nod. "I'll have to thank him for that."

Jin once again nodded, not sure what he was supposed to say now. With the uncomfortable silence he excused himself. "Ah, I apologize. You two must be exhausted." He said stepping back out into the hall. "I'll leave you be. Just uh… I actually have a business partner coming over to see the house. He so far understands we're still renovating this top floor, so we won't be coming up here. But… you know, I don't want to necessarily hide you guys, but..."

"Don't worry." Naruto said with a reassuring smile. "We understand. We'll probably just get a bit more sleep so we can be awake for tonight." He informed him.

"Ah of course." Jin replied. "Well, feel free to move about this floor as you wish. There's a button on the desk that you can use to communicate with the staff of the manor if you two get hungry. Just buzz it in and order, and someone will bring it right up." He informed them. "There's also a room that was originally going to be prepared for Norumi's dog, but he died before we could bring him here. It's the second door down here to the right." He said pointing it out so that Naruto could see. "It's got all sorts of dog toys and uh… it's covered in artificial grass for when he's got to use the bathroom, and there arrre cleaning bags in there as well with a chute that leads straight to the garbage."

"Well, that's oddly convenient." Naruto said, making a solid point.

Jin chuckled and shrugged. "Hey, this place was a gift for my wife. I wanted it to have every accommodation she would need to be happy here."

Naruto nodded. "I can see that."

Again, a silence fell over them. Feeling awkward once more, Jin bid them a true goodbye. "Alright, alright. Well, I'm off. If you need anything special, you can buzz it in." He began to step away before his eyes caught sight of Ino sitting patiently on the bed. "Oh, and uh.. well, there won't be anyone up here on this floor with the two of you unless you do decide to request something so… you know, no need to keep it down or anything."

It seemed both of them understood what he was implying. Naruto just chuckled at the man's obvious joke while Ino's face was beginning to redden by the second. With that said he smiled at their reactions and waved as he continued on down the hall. Naruto just shook his head and shut the door. He turned around to see Ino's still reddened face and Ghost lying down next to her.

"You know." He began. "When people call us a couple, the whole 'go along with it' bit is usually best used when you won't be seeing them ever again."

She chuckled. "No one told me that part."

Naruto smiled as he rounded the bed, headed for the window. He rubbed Ghost's head on the way by. Ino watched him for a moment until she saw him open the window completely and sit on the window ceil. Of course, he pulled out his pack of cigarette's and popped one in his mouth. She stood to her feet as well and looked around until she found her bag.

"I'm-.. gonna take a shower." She informed him as she grabbed her things. Naruto simply nodded as he pulled his phone out. She felt a bit awkward about doing so while he's in the room right next to her, but regardless she went ahead.

The bathroom was fairly plain with a sink and a toilet on one side and the bathtub on the other with the overhanging showerhead. But, just like everything in this house, the décor was beautiful. It had sort of an outdoorsy feel to it that was pretty calming. So, she took her shower and when she stepped out, she placed a towel around her form. Her wet locks fell down the length of her back, stopping right at the small of it. She had forgotten how long it was. It seems to shrivel a bit when it's dry. She walked over to the mirror and stared at herself, just trying to see what everyone else does.

She's not that pretty anymore. She doesn't feel too pretty anymore, that's for sure. Still, she held onto that thought that she was possessed. When you're possessed… it just feels like someone filled you with guck and no matter if they took it out, there's no way to clean the inside of you. She's very much tainted by that experience. Maybe one day she'd be able to look at herself again and see something other than that girl who was used by a ghost. But, it feels like everyone she knows sees her like this as well… everyone who matters.

Her short self-loathing rant came to an end when her phone vibrated on the counter next to her. Unlocking it, she had multiple messages from Tayuya. They were all pictures, about 15 of them. The first few were of her on the plane and the view outside. Then, there was one of her drawing a penis on the sleeping Hidan's face followed by a ton of photos of Kumo and its beautiful landscape. After those there were a few 'first case' photos with the family they supposedly helped. Ino smiled. She looked so happy.

Regardless of how rage-filled or unapproachable she may seem, Tayuya is the type of person who just enjoys life to it's fullest. She can do any job, talk to anyone willing to listen and find the best in anything. That's who she is.

As she thought on it, Tayuya's name popped up on the screen followed by her ringtone. With a smile, she slid the green phone icon over and answered. "Hello?"

'Ino!' she yelled out happily. 'Hey girl! So, how was your first night? Did you survive?'

She was confused for a moment. "What are yo-.. o-oh, we actually got a case in uh.. in Suna. So, we're down here now."

'Aha, so you guys are going through with the mentor thing? Hah, what'd I tell you? I'm an absolute genius. You owe me one.'

Ino chuckled and shook her head. "Tch, owe you one for what?" she asked. "I'm still gonna have to sleep there alone eventually."

'Not that you bimbo! I'm talking about getting you a little more alone time with that hunk of a blonde!'

"Eheh, It's not like that Tayu. He's actually been teaching me a lot so far." She said as she began getting dressed.

'Uhuh.' The redhead replied in a tone dripping with disbelief. 'And that's ALL you two have been doing, right?'

With her implying tone, there was a bit of shock when Ino thought about what it was she was thinking about. "Oh my Go-… Tayu, d-… did you two-…?"

'Ha! I wish I could slap you right now! You dumb blond! Of course not! That jackass has hit on every single girl who enters a five mile radius of him! He's with some prostitute whore he picked up at the club we went to last night.'

Ino chuckled at how defensive she got. "Haha, you guys went to the club last night?"

'Hell yeah! We're in Kumo, they've got some of the most badass party scenes ever! We finished up the case early so why not, you know?'

"Yeah, that's cool." She said as she looked down at her clothes. Putting her phone down on the counter, she put it on speaker so she could get dressed. "You should see this mansion we're at. It's beautiful."

'Mansion? Wait, are you at Naruto's mansion?'

After removing the towel and slipping her undergarments on, she pulled on a pair of shorts that were a lot smaller than she remembered. They were shorts she used to wear during cheer practice, but they still fit. Problem is, they only came down to just above her mid-thigh. "Heh, no. I told you, we have a case." She said with a chuckle. She grabbed her shirt which was a white t-shirt from some old restaurant they went to a while back that had their logo on the back.

'Oh yeah-yeah, right.'

"Yeah, it's some-.. big political figures mansion. It's so beautiful here, it's like a hotel." She said.

'Yeah, well I bet it's better than this shit hole we're staying at. We're in a fucking motel 6, and I can hear him and his whore right next door.'

"A motel 6? Haha, what the hell? I thought everything was on Naruto's tab." She questioned.

'Tch, yeah it is, but this fuckin' douchebag was too drunk and horny to make it to a hotel. So, I had to sit in the cab with him and his skank locking lips as we made it here. It was fuckin disgusting.'

"Oooh, someone sounds jealous." Ino said in a teasing tone.

'Ha-ha, no you dipshit. I can't stand this fucking asshole. You should've heard how rude he was to our clients when we first met them. I mean, I think he may actually lack any sort of common decency. I don't think he even knows what it is.'

"Mhm." Ino said, still in a condescending tone, clearly doubting her words. "I'm thinking you may just have a crush on him."

'Uhuh, don't try to switch this around on me, I bet you two just got done fucking last ni-..'

(Knock knock)

"Oookay!" Ino immediately yelled in an attempt to overbear Tayuya's voice from finishing that statement. "I've gotta go Tayu! Byyye!" She ended the call as quickly as she could before finally responding to the knock. "Yeah? I'll… i-I'll be right out." There was no response.

(Knock.. knock.. knock)

Damn it, she didn't even get to do her hair. Opening the door, she immediately turned and began packing her stuff, figuring he likely needed to use the bathroom. "I'm sorry, I was on the phone with Tayuya. I'm finished with the ba-.."

She gasped when she turned to see no one was there. Not Ghost or Naruto. The room was empty. Where did he go? She took a timid step forward, hoping he was just trying to scare her. It was a farfetched thought considering who she's with right now, but it would be a much better explanation than there truly being no one here.

"… Naruto?" she called out. There was no response. With bated breaths, she inched closer until she could poke her head out the door. Sure enough, no one was there. Pulling her bag from her shoulder, she tossed it on the bed and stepped out. Now her heart was starting to race. She immediately felt incredibly uncomfortable being in here alone. There was only one other place he could've gone and that would be the dog room she heard Jin telling him about. Stepping towards the door, a literal chill ran down her spine and it felt like someone was standing directly behind her. She froze with her hand just inches away from the door.

This is a situation she will eventually have to get used to. Right about now, Naruto would simply turn around fearlessly. So, that's what she did… well, that's what she tried to do. Her eyes looked as far left as they could possibly go. Slowly, but surely, her head followed until she got to a certain point and just fully spun around. There was nothing there, of course, and she released a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. She inched backwards towards the door, still watching the room intently. Her hands waved around behind her searching for the doorknob. When she found it, she twisted and pulled as she stepped aside and made her exit as fast as she could. She breathed a sigh of relief as she stared at the door.

(tap.. tap… tap)

Footsteps behind her alerted her and she spun around. Of course, there was no one there. The steps sounded much further down. But… what was the door he said was the dog room? She couldn't hear him very well. Was it the second? She began walking in hopes of hearing Ghost growl at her footsteps. It would seem she didn't have to as she could see an unnatural light shining beneath the second door. It wasn't sunlight, so it was a safe bet they were in there… hopefully.

(kn-knock)

She gave it two sharp knocks before just opening the door. When she stepped in, she was greeted to a rather large room filled with artificial grass and a strip of marble flooring leading from the door she opened towards the back wall straight ahead. Sitting against the wall on this floor was Naruto with Ghost laying between his legs, enjoying the petting he was receiving.

She stepped in and shut the door behind her. "Uh… hey." She said a bit awkwardly.

"Hi." He replied, giving her a curious look. "I thought you'd be asleep."

She didn't seem to understand that statement. "Uhm.. why?"

"Well, we've got a late night coming up." He informed her.

Oh, that made sense. But, even so. "Are you not tired?" she questioned. "I mean, you've been awake all night."

He shrugged. "Ah, not really. I guess I haven't really adjusted to the lack of work yet." He explained. "I'm sure I'll crash pretty soon. Just a matter of time."

She nodded. That sounded reasonable enough. "… and you'd rather crash here than in a bed?" she questioned.

To that, he looked down at Ghost. "That's a good point." He said. "I just didn't really think you'd be comfortable with the whole ordeal."

She chuckled at that. "Well, in case you haven't noticed. I am an adult. I'm capable of sharing a bed with someone. It's not like you're some perv or anything… right?"

He gave her an unsure look that she immediately knew was meant as a joke and she just chuckled and shook her head. He shared her amusement as he shook his head. "No. I'm not."

"Great." She said as she began standing up. "I'm actually a little glad. Someone knocked on the door while I was in the bathroom. I'm actually a bit scared to go back in there alone." She chuckled.

Naruto nodded in understanding. "Hm. Then I guess we should stick together then." She nodded back and waited for him to get up. They made their way back to the room, intent on finding a way to pass the time until nightfall. Ultimately, they decided on watching some television until they fell asleep. Ino laid down on the left side with Ghost claiming the middle. Naruto, on the other hand, headed to the window for another smoke.

Ino put on something she figured Naruto would like, or rather something he would like to ridicule. It was a show about ghost hunters heading into notoriously haunted places. It all just felt staged which is something Naruto did not hold his tongue about. "Tch, really?" He questioned looking over to her.

She grinned at him, a questioning look crossing her face. "What?"

"You watch this?" he asked, taking a hit and blowing a puff of smoke out the window.

"Every now and then. Mainly just to hear the backstories of the places they visit." She replied.

He just shook his head in apparent disbelief. "I've seen things like that go very, very wrong." He remarked.

She was immediately interested. "What do you mean?"

He nodded towards the TV. "I mean, this whole little false ghost hunting thing. A group of young, very inexperienced, investigators decided to go check out this asylum figuring there'd be no harm in it. They didn't yet understand that sometimes some of these entities can, and will, kill you if given the chance."

"Oh wow… did they-.. die?" She questioned.

"Not all of them." He said as he shook his head. "They were a group of five. One of the guys had my card and called me for help. When I showed up, there were three of them left."

"Mm.." she said in reply. She wasn't really good with pressing topics that would likely be considered sad. So, in order to skip around it, she threw out a fairly plain statement. "You-.. seem to have a story about everything."

He sighed and stared out into the distance. "… yeah… it seems like it."

"… how many cases have you done?"

"Oh geez." He said, really trying to think on that. "I couldn't even tell you. It's been quite a few."

She didn't seem satisfied with that. "No estimate?" She questioned.

He shrugged and thought on it a bit more. "… uh, it's got to be close to 400 I'd say. I don't know. Bug probably knows. He's sort of been the one feeding me intel on cases so… maybe he kept count." He figured.

"You don't care to ask?"

Again, he shrugged at that. "No. Not really. It's not really about your track record. It's more about whether or not you can help who's next."

She nodded, finding that a reasonable way of looking at it. "So, how long do you think you'll be doing this?"

"As long as I can." He replied immediately as he flicked the remainder of his cigarette out the window. He stood to his feet and shut it. He bent down and grabbed his bag. "I'm gonna take a shower."

Ino simply watched him enter the bathroom until he shut the door. Ghost licked her face drawing her attention. She smiled and readjusted her position so that she could pet him more comfortably. Half an hour later, that was the sight Naruto was greeted to when he stepped out the bathroom. A sleeping Ino with her hand resting on Ghost's side. The pooch glanced back at the noise of him opening the door. Once he saw it was Naruto, he sighed and laid back down, falling asleep. Naruto chuckled quietly. He's always been a softy for women.

AN: Again, next chapter will be more horror based. I don't know when I'll be able to write it, but it will be coming. I just ask for your patience. Thank you for reading.