The Curse

Chapter Nine: Belief

Sakura frowned as she stared at the black, plastic bag that had been set on the dining room table, the contents within hidden from view but was soon to be exposed. Laid out in front of her were all the tools she needed for a proper autopsy and extraction, evenly spaced and waiting to be used. She breathed. The Medic could feel her heart pounding in her chest, excitement and fear coursing through her veins as the possibilities of what she would uncover through Satsuma Yoshiro's body bombarded her whirring mind; her hands clenched against the table as she closed her eyes and mentally recounted what procedures to follow in situations similar to the one she found herself in now.

While Sakura stood at the end of the table, with her back towards the kitchen, Naruto was on her right and Dai, on her left. Behind her, Sakura could feel Sasuke's presence and could imagine him leaning against the counter, arms crossed as he quietly examined the scene. Naruto was fidgeting with his jacket as he stared at the unmoving object before him and Dai patiently awaited any instructions Sakura asked to be carried out.

She breathed again, flicked her gaze between Naruto and Dai and nodded towards the bag, "…Alright, let him out."

Both nodded, shared a glance of their own, grabbed hold of the end of the bag, and carefully slid it from the decaying body. Naruto's face twisted when he caught sight of the grey, blood-splotched carcass, his nose scrunching up distastefully as the smell of death began to permeate the room. Sakura kept her air of professionalism, viridian orbs examining every inch of the body, the limbs stiff with signs of rigor mortis. Slowly, she reached out to touch the remaining appendage – his right leg – and flinched at the cold she could feel through her glove. Looking at his face – forever frozen in a silent scream – she examined the skin and cautiously felt around the rims of his eye-less sockets – earning a soft gag from Naruto, who had paled a little more when she began her exploration.

"…He's been sucked dry of all blood," Sakura noted, eyes roving along the thinness of Yoshiro's cheeks and leg, "Eyes were cleanly removed and the optic nerve with it," She frowned and allowed green chakra to curl around her right forefinger, ignoring the tiny scalpel of her tool-kit, "Let's check the brain…"

As the chakra-knife descended against the skin of Yoshiro's forehead Naruto shuddered beside her; Sakura stopped and glanced at the blonde with a gentle smile, "Naruto, you don't have to stay and watch. Get some rest; I know you ran here all night."

Naruto looked reluctant, if not a little torn; he wanted to help but there was a reason why he wouldn't be able to handle the job of a medical ninja, he frowned, "…Are you sure?"

Sakura nodded, "Rest, Naruto. And if there's anything you can help with you can write a short report for Shishou about what Tsuchikage-sama told you."

After one last glance at the corpse lying on the table, Naruto conceded, nodding his head and hurriedly ripping a blank sheet of paper out of her notebook before heading towards the living room. Although Tsunade-shishou wouldn't appreciate a ripped report, at least it gave something for Naruto to do – productive too, since Naruto hardly wrote reports out.

Before the Medic resumed her cutting she glanced over her right shoulder to see Sasuke watching her and her movements, "You can rest up too, Sasuke-kun. I don't think there's anything else you can help with."

Sasuke's dark orbs slid to meet jade, expression completely stoic before he pushed off the counter and walked towards her. Curious, one pink brow arched, Sakura watched as he picked up her notebook and pen then dragged one of the chairs about a meter away from the table – but still within her view – and sat down. Confused, Sakura concluded he was just going to follow Naruto's example and write a report of his own, until his deep baritone corrected her.

"You haven't rested either," He stated simply, earning her inquiring attention, "You talk, I write. It's faster and the sooner this is done, the sooner we can all rest."

Sakura was stunned speechless. His logic made sense. Instead of having to remember what the procedure was and rack her brain to get it all on paper all she would have to do was talk and Sasuke could easily get it down word-for-word. It was simple, really, something she could have asked Dai, or even Naruto to do. Yet, the fact that Sasuke had suggested it, had shown – in his own indirect way – that he was concerned for her health, made his gesture that much more meaningful.

Smiling, returning to her work – even if it was as morbid as cutting a dead-man's head open – Sakura whispered, "…Thank you, Sasuke-kun…"

"…Hn."

And then the fluttery feeling in her chest began to ebb away as she focused on the task in front of her, small smile melting into a determined frown as her brows drew together in concentration, chakra-scalpel slicing easily through the graying flesh and hard bone until Yoshiro's corpse was finally scalped.

"Brain looks intact," Sakura muttered as she prodded systematically, green chakra seeping from her fingers into the organ to gain deeper analysis, "A few bruises, probably caused by head injuries…Doesn't look like they got into his head, the fear was all Yoshiro's and that's to be expected…"

She moved the tuft of hair and head to the side before examining his shoulders and the bare sockets where his arms used to be. Absently, she picked up some scissors and handed them to Dai, instructing him to cut off Yoshiro's clothes so she would have easier access to his chest. Taking a closer look at the dried blood surrounding the shoulder, Sakura inwardly winced at the torn skin and had to briefly turn her head into her inner elbow so she could breathe in deeply and gain back her bearings.

"Right arm ripped off…" She stated, hearing the sound of a pen scratching against paper, and moved towards the other side, "Left arm ripped off, both in the same fashion, excessive force," She looked over his hip and where his left leg was not present, "Left leg also ripped off. Note: Dismemberment was done after the torture in the Clinic Room, not the initial reason for his bleeding out," She frowned, "Yoshiro-san was still a whole body when I found him on the Bridge."

"So what caused all the blood loss?" Dai questioned, piling the clothes he had cut from Yoshiro's body at the end of the table.

"I'm guessing internal bleeding," Sakura answered as she picked up her scalpel from her tool-kit and looked over the bruised and battered skin exposed on his chest; she inhaled deeply and began a vertical cut through his chest, "When I healed him on the Bridge I felt broken bones and punctured lungs…" She stopped cutting, frowned, and reached her index finger into Yoshiro's open mouth, the appendage returning covered in dried, flaky blood, "…I think the blood trail was mostly due to the cuts around his body and the blood leaving through his mouth…He was dying from internal bleeding but the fact that he was ripped apart instantly killed him…"

Dai grimaced beside her and Sakura resumed her cutting, pulling the torn flesh apart from each other – and saving some of that same flesh for further study – when the incision was completed. What she found was also to be expected. The body's internal organs were a mess, blood having seeped out of punctured areas – lungs, heart, liver, esophagus – and bones were broken and splintered, most likely the sole causes of the internal damage.

"Heart damaged, lungs and liver punctured, bones broken, severed stomach lining," Sakura listed for Sasuke to write down, "What a mess," She prodded a few of the organs, moving some aside so she could explore any more damage, "Cause of wounds would be excessive force also…Probably thrown around," Her brows furrowed as she examined the heart, "What's this?"

Sakura immediately removed a spoon-like utensil from her kit and carefully dragged it against the heart, picking up a black substance that surrounded it. Holding it up for a closer view Sakura frowned when she couldn't make anything of the stuff.

"Blood?" Dai asked.

She shook her head as she removed one of her stiff cards of paper, smearing the substance on it, "No, too dark."

"Dark trail substance?" Dai offered as he stared at the blotch with a frown.

Sakura paused, stared at the smear, not denying the resemblance before frowning, "Could be…And that would mean the Creature touched him…Which could mean a different cause of death. The trails were beside one another, so it's possible," She sighed and collected more samples, "Won't know until we study more."

After getting five more cards of evidence of the black material, Sakura noticed that it was rather abundant in Yoshiro-san's chest. Because blood – specifically dried blood – could also be dark it could have easily been mistaken for the crimson liquid, but Sakura had been around a lot of blood over the years, and the black matter may have contained blood – numerous people's blood – but there was something else; something not right about it.

Exhaling, Sakura shook her head, moved the evidence to the side, and began to examine Yoshiro's remaining leg, "Right leg is bruised and cut…" Her eyes narrowed as her fingers traced a row of indentations, "…Bite marks?" Going further down the leg, Sakura found similar marks, some varying in size, even shape, and it broke skin if the dried trails of blood leaving the injuries was any indication, "…I'm guessing this suggests that these creatures were feeding…" She looked at the spaces where limbs were not visible, "And so they ate his arms and left leg…" She looked down where the right leg ended – his ankle, "…And his right foot too…"

Distinctly she heard Naruto choke from the living room and Sasuke shift in his seat.

Examining the ankle more closely, she flinched when she recognized the wound, similar to his abused leg, "Right foot was bitten off…"

"What kind of hell did they put you through?" Dai muttered sadly as he stared at the still corpse; Sakura closed her eyes and breathed as she tried to block out all the screams she heard from Yoshiro the night before.

"NO! HELP! HELP ME! AHHHHH!"

Swiftly, Sakura pulled away from the body and removed her gloves, throwing the articles on the table before running her hands through her pink tresses. Both Dai and Sasuke looked at her, their brows drawn together in confusion and concern. Dai turned towards her, opening his mouth though no words fell through while Sasuke slowly stood up and placed the pad of paper and pen on his forgotten seat.

Sakura shook her head, eyes closed as she leaned against the counter, "That's enough for now. Let's take a break…" And she pushed off the counter and gingerly gathered her newest evidence and the pad and pen on Sasuke's chair, before heading towards the living room where Naruto was scratching his head, staring at his flimsy, one-paper report.

After sharing a short glance with Sasuke, Dai stared at the corpse before him, sighed, and took the black, plastic bag, using it, once again, to cover the carcass from view.

It was easy for Sakura to get her mind off things when she had something to do. Spreading out the evidence she had collected over the past few hours and laying her notebook on her lap, the kunoichi vigorously began to write her formal report to Tsunade, making sure not to leave out any details and to incorporate as many theories as she could provide so, on the off-chance her Shishou did deem it necessary to send reinforcements, they would be as prepared as they possibly could before they arrived.

Naruto, who had written his share on his one piece of paper, began to deliberate with Sasuke to make sure he had gotten everything down correctly; the Uchiha calmly added in things the blonde had forgotten and changed things Naruto had misunderstood. Insults were eventually thrown, something expected out of the two Leaf Shinobi, but Sakura embraced the normalcy.

After about a couple hours of writing, rewriting, and copying down notes, Sakura efficiently divided up the evidence; one set to keep with her and the other set to send back to Konohagakure for second opinions. Once that had been settled Sakura wasted no time in summoning Katsuyu – a smaller version, at least – informing the slug of her and her team's situation, attaching her report and evidence to the Summon's back, and thanked her for her help.

When the white and blue slug disappeared in a puff of smoke, Sakura felt her muscles give way to exhaustion and she leaned into the softness of the white leather couch and closed her eyes. However, sleep would not come to her easily with the way her mind was still sorting through information and she sighed as she opened her eyes and glanced around the room in curiosity.

Naruto had fallen asleep on the recliner after he had handed her his and Sasuke's report. He looked peaceful, eyes closed in blissful unconsciousness, arms folded over his chest and head tilted to lean against his shoulder. Her medical mind noted that it wasn't the most comfortable position to sleep in, but knowing Naruto, he was the kind to nap through anything and when he woke up, he'd easily crack his neck and be on his way.

Panning her gaze to the far right, lying on the couch in front of the window, was Sasuke. He seemed to be asleep, his back resting against the arm-rest, left foot planted on the floor and right leg bent and resting against the back of the couch. His left arm was flung across his eyes preventing Sakura from seeing his expression but judging by the even breathing and the steady rise and fall of his chest it was safe to assume that the Uchiha Prodigy had succumbed to his own exhaustion also.

If only sleep would come without trouble for Sakura.

Frowning, Sakura stood and stretched out her stiff limbs, flexing her fingers – rigid from all her writing – and headed towards the hallway, wondering where Dai had gone. Looking down the hallway and spreading her chakra she found that he was no longer in the house. Curiously she entered the dining room – avoided settling her gaze on the unmoving form on the wooden table – and stood beside the window, pushing away the curtain to peer outside.

A sense of relief filled the kunoichi to see Dai standing a few meters away from the front door; he was looking up at the sky thoughtfully, apparently getting some fresh air. She wondered why he wouldn't be taking the opportunity to sleep – his exhaustion was clearly obvious – until she realized that he was probably waiting for night to come, so he could promptly activate the ofuda seals. Panning her gaze upward, Sakura frowned when she noticed the darkening of the skies and the sun's disappearance, the orb of light surely making its descent towards the Earth Country horizon.

It wouldn't be long until the obscurity of night did arrive. She shivered.

Growl.

Blushing, Sakura placed a hand to her stomach, realizing that the last time she had eaten was the morning before. Chancing a glance back at Dai and her Team Seven boys she figured that the same could be said for them – well, except Naruto, who had his Instant Ramen hours prior. Letting the curtains fall back into place Sakura headed towards the kitchen and began rummaging through the cabinets, hoping the previous owners of the house wouldn't mind her borrowing a few cans of food.

Mechanically, Sakura began to cook some rice and boil some water for tea; onigiri wasn't much, but she'd prefer it over ramen noodles. Unfortunately, the tomatoes had gone bad in the fridge as well as the meats in the freezer, so plain rice was going to have to be enough.

She found another few packages of ramen in one cabinet's high shelves and reached for it with a grin, "Just because I don't want ramen doesn't mean the others won't."

Removing another pot from a lower drawer Sakura filled it with water and turned up the heat on another of the stove's burners. After putting the pot on the burner there was nothing left for Sakura to do but wait for the water in the pot and kettle to boil and for the rice-cooker to ding when it was ready. So, leaning against the kitchen sink, the kunoichi tilted her head up feeling the kinks in her neck crack and rolled her shoulders to release some of the tension.

Creak.

The tension returned, Sakura's eyes snapped open as she heard the distant whine of metal. Looking to her right she could see that Dai had yet to open the front door and return inside the house and both Sasuke's and Naruto's chakra signatures were still dormant with sleep. Slowly, she pushed away from the counter, ears alert with caution though she silently berated herself for not keeping a kunai on her person.

Creak.

Her gaze immediately swiveled towards the back door. She cautiously walked towards it, one hand on the handle if she needed to keep something out and the other pulling back the gossamer drapes to peer beyond. All she found was an ordinary backyard, the flowerbeds would have been promising if the maintenance hadn't been lacking in the past few weeks but there was nothing suspicious; just dying daylight.

Creak.

"What is that?" Sakura muttered as she turned the handle of the door, pushing it open with care, her other hand releasing the curtain and fisting, ready to pour chakra into the appendage if the slightest of threats crossed her.

Her bare, right foot stepped out onto the wooden veranda, the wood cold against her skin. Carefully she edged out, making sure half her body stayed indoors. Viridian orbs were quick to scan the area and when she finally landed her gaze on her left, the space right beside the house, she found the source of the noise.

Creak.

A porch swing.

Sakura's hand went lax, her stare remaining on the harmless swing, painted white to match the house, covered in dry leaves from the surrounding trees. The kunoichi's grip tightened as she realized something.

Creak.

There wasn't any wind.

Creak.

'…Haruno Sakura…'

And Sakura watched as the swing continued its creaking sway, mist beginning to roll over the surrounding fence of the backyard and the sun's light disappearing behind the distant mountains.

Creak. Creak. Creak.

Swiftly stepping into the house, Sakura closed the door and turned the lock, her heart beating rapidly in her chest as her breathing quickened in alarm; her back hit the door for support.

They were here.

And then she heard a rustle.

Dai inhaled deeply through his nose as he lifted his gaze to the skies of the setting sun. Sunset used to be his favorite time of the day; the purples, pinks, and oranges that painted the sky always enthralled him, the white – sometimes red – clouds would shift into the most alluring and wispy of shapes and designs leaving him to stare contently as long as the limited time sunsets lasted.

It wasn't the same now…

Aneko had always watched the sunset with him; even when she had missions and came home tired and hungry; if she ever had the chance she would have always joined him on the roof of their house to watch the day's leaving, to witness the final stunning picture the sun and skies had to offer in that moment, until a new image of beauty took its place, the vast darkness illuminated by the glittering lights of millions of stars, the moon a more gentle brightness than the sun.

Frowning, Dai closed his eyes and let out a breath. Sunsets and nights didn't hold the same memories as it had in his youth. What was once beautiful splendor and wonderful recollections had become a mounting fear, sadness and anger. But Makoto Daisuke wanted it back; he wanted the sunsets and nights to be good memories once more, something that he can look back on with a smile and remember not as a time that was filled with shadows and terror, but as a time when he was happy, when his sister had been alive and with him.

"For you, Aneko-nee-chan…" Dai whispered, opening his eyes as he watched the skies begin darken.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

"For you," He promised softly, noticing the mists begin to roll in.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

He stepped back calmly, towards the front door of the house, hearing the footsteps echo off the empty streets, footsteps that weren't his own, footsteps too light to belong to someone his age. His fear was still there but he hid it under determination; more than anything he wanted to solve this mystery, destroy these creatures, avenge his sister, and protect all those he cared for.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Even at the cost of his life.

"You don't scare me," Dai muttered, dark blue eyes narrowed, his hand reaching for the door knob behind him.

One short blink and a little girl stood across the street from him. Her face was pale and smooth, like marble, her dress was as white as her skin, her hair as dark as the shadows that surrounded her. She smiled as she held out her hand, her form flickering a meter closer towards him, the laughter rising in the background, the shadows moving ominously with the mist.

'If you're not scared, Dai-san…' The little girl began lightly, her smile widening, 'Then why don't you come play…?'

Rustle. Rustle.

Sakura stilled as she heard the soft noise and then she moved away from the door she had been leaning against, staring at the entryway warily.

Rustle.

The Medic's head snapped to her left and she mechanically walked towards the stove and shut off the heat, food forgotten as her eyes narrowed with concentration. Viridian orbs slid towards the front door and she absently wondered if Dai had returned inside when she had been scanning the backyard. Worry filling her for his safety the kunoichi purposefully began moving towards the door. When the living room came into her view a little weight lifted off of her shoulders as Naruto and Sasuke also came into her sights, still sleeping, and the relief continued to wash over her with the reassurance that they were still with her.

Rustle.

She stopped.

She hadn't made it to the door yet, she was only about a meter away from the dining room table. Slowly she twisted on her heel viridian orbs gazing at the plastic bag covering Yoshiro's body, the material shifting slightly, the main source of the noise. Cautiously, brows furrowed, Sakura stepped up to the table, one hand grasping the black plastic and steadily began to pull it away from the cadaver.

Satsuma Yoshiro's unmoving body greeted her.

"A draft…" Sakura whispered, assuring herself as she dropped the bag to the floor and began to rub her left temple, "A breeze…When I was walking by…yeah."

Twitch.

Sakura frowned. His right leg had moved.

"It's to be expected," Sakura reasoned, if only to calm herself down; she shifted her gaze towards Yoshiro's face, "Postmortem spasms…Electrical impulses from the nerves…"

The front door opened and Sakura's gaze immediately snapped towards it, watching with relief as Dai slipped through, closed the door, and threw the lock; his face was a mask of seriousness and even a sense of readiness of what was to approach.

"They've come," He stated simply, his voice hard as he headed for the dining room window, made sure it was locked and pulled the curtains closed, "I must activate the seals."

When Dai had moved towards the window in the living room his encroaching presence immediately woke Sasuke, obsidian orbs staring at Dai with annoyance when the Bird Chuunin leaned over the couch he was occupying to check the locks on the window and pulled those drapes closed also. When his dark gaze slid over to Sakura, who was standing in the dining room and looking at the back door wearily, the Uchiha sat up straighter.

'Ha…Ha…Ha…Ha…Come out, come out and play…'

Sasuke stiffened at the sound of the lilting voice and, because his eyes were on her, he could see Sakura tense up also. Dai was quick to move towards the front door, close his eyes, and gesture hastily the hand signs needed for the Sealing Jutsu.

"Fuuinjutsu: Sanjuu Kekkai!"

Instantly, the visible ofudas along the walls and across the front door began to glow a bright blue and the steady laughter outside began to falter. Dai stumbled into the front door once the Jutsu had been completed but shook his head to gain his bearings and took off deeper into the house, most likely to make sure everything was in working order.

"Naruto, wake up," Sasuke growled, walking over to the snoring blonde to whack him in the head.

"Ow!" Naruto groaned groggily, sleep still evident in his sluggish words as he rubbed his abused head, "What the hell was that for, Teme?"

"They're here," The Uchiha responded plainly, dark eyes trained on the covered windows.

Naruto frowned, glaring at Sasuke, still not comprehending, "What are you talking ab–?"

'You didn't turn back…' A delicate voice interrupted from behind the front door, 'You strangers didn't turn back…So we'll play with you…we'll play with you and take your blood too…'

"…What the hell?" Naruto muttered, standing up, intent on finding out where the voice was coming from – still a little slow from sleep.

"Why don't they know your names?" Sakura questioned, "They knew my name the first night I was here…"

Sasuke and Naruto switched their gazes towards the murmuring kunoichi still standing in the dining room and their eyes couldn't help but widen in alarm.

Sakura's back was to the table, her head bowed as she continued to mumble to herself. And behind her, Satsuma Yoshiro's decaying body had steadily sat up, eye-less sockets directed on their female comrade, mouth still open in a silent scream, a soft moan beginning to fall from its waxy lips.

'Nnnnngngngng!'

"Sakura-chan!"

The Medic's head had impulsively lifted to land her gaze on Naruto at his desperate call and Sasuke was already running towards her, kunai in hand. When the moan registered in Sakura's mind she was quick to spin around and hold up her arms in defense as the corpse lunged as best as it could with only one limb. The cold body fell against her, blunt teeth trailing against her sleeve-covered arm and she stumbled back with a gasp before warm arms caught her and the carcass was flung away from her form. Looking up, she found Naruto holding her steady, his sapphire eyes glaring at the struggling body which couldn't get up without arms, Sasuke standing over it before he delivered a harsh kick to its ribs.

Sakura flinched, because to see Yoshiro's body not only reanimated but also beaten additionally by Sasuke unnerved her. She knew it was out of protection, but the fact that Yoshiro's head and chest were cut open, organs and liquid pouring out onto the floor, Sakura just didn't want to look at and deal with the corpse anymore.

"Why the hell is it still moving?" Naruto questioned with unease just as Dai ran into the room, his dark blue eyes wide with surprise.

"What's going on?"

"That thing came back to life and attacked Sakura-chan!" Naruto explained loudly.

Something in Sakura's head clicked, "…They don't disappear…"

Naruto and Dai, who had heard her, whirled their gazes towards her, expressions clearly conveying their confusion, "What?"

Sakura stepped out of Naruto's arms and stared at the thrashing carcass, Sasuke stepping back and watching it warily, "…You said Corpses – the type of creature – look like corpses…It's because they are corpses…" She locked her gaze with Dai, "All those disappearances…Not all of them are eaten; they become one of them."

"But how?" Dai asked, desperate almost.

"I don't know…" Sakura frowned, "Not yet."

"Can someone just kill it already?" Naruto pleaded, a little panicked.

"How do you suppose we do that, dobe?" Sasuke retorted in obvious annoyance.

"Try…Cutting off the head," Sakura suggested, eyes still trained on the body.

All three males looked at her but she didn't return their gaze. Grunting, Sasuke removed his Kusanagi, walked up to the carcass and cleanly severed the head at the neck. Unfortunately, even when the head rolled a few feet away the leg still twitched and kicked periodically. Naruto frowned, a mixture of a whine and complaint wanting to escape his throat.

"…Try the leg," The kunoichi stated.

Without hesitation Sasuke sliced at the hip, removing the leg from the torso. For a moment all three limbs had stilled and everyone let out a collective exhale, as if they had all held their breaths when Sasuke's blade had cut through the grey flesh. Then, the head moaned, the torso jumped, and the leg jerked once more.

"Are you serious?" Naruto growled.

Dai stepped forward, "…I'll take it to the bathroom. I'll put it in the tub and see if I can burn it."

No one said anything but they didn't protest as the Chuunin moved forward to grab the plastic bag and quickly place the limbs inside. With a grimace he began to drag it down the hall and disappeared into the bathroom, momentarily he reemerged to place Sakura's drying clothes on the hallway table before he rejoined the corpse in the lavatory and shut the door behind him.

'…Come out to play, pretty please…Ha…Ha…Ha…'

The windows began to rattle, the front and back doors shuddered, the plank over the fireplace shook, and the moaning and whispers outside rose in volume. Sasuke sheathed his Kusanagi, Naruto leaned against the wall separating the hallway and dining room, and Sakura rubbed her arms unconsciously.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto called softly, earning her attention, viridian orbs worriedly taking in his taut shoulders.

"Yeah?"

Sapphire connected with obsidian before sliding to jade, his blonde brows furrowed with apprehension, "I believe you now."

A/N: Yay! Another Chapter! Because of everyone's Awesome Feedback I decided to give you all an early chapter and another chapter this weekennd! Everyone has just been super, totally awesome with reviewing and hitting and favoriting and alerting this story that I just got super excited and started to write more for you! Originally I was just going to give one long chapter BUT I'll just give you an early chapter - not as long, but early. Don't Fret though! I hope this additional chapter is to your liking and that the creepiness factor hasn't diminished, this story is really stretching my imagination muscles but I'm glad that people are getting enjoyment - and chills - out of it! You guys are THE BEST! So, yes, as for SasuSaku there will be more in the future...as a matter of fact, there will be SasuSaku fluffiness in the chapter coming up THIS WEEKEND! So hang tight everyone! This story is predominantly horror and mystery but I'm trying my best to put in all the romance factors into it, PLEASE tell me what you think and how I'm doing so far! Every little critique HELPS! It would certainly make my day if we reached 100 Reviews especially if they're the kind that tell me exactly what they like about the chapters and story and what I should work on! Hmm, maybe the day I reach 100 I'll put up the next chapter? Hmmm, I'm planning to update on Sunday but if I get a lot of loving by Friday should I post it then? Or maybe I should just post it on Saturday? Haha, we'll see!

And who liked thoughtful!Sasuke this chapter?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...But a girl can dream, yeah? Nah, I'm content putting our favorite characters in scary - and romantic - situations...for now.

Review Shout-Outs:

inkblots101: Yay! I gave you heebeejeebees (sp? lol) I'm glad for that! And I'm glad the wordy last chapter was a good reprieve from the tension! Haha, and SasuSaku ftw! More fluffiness Next Chapter!

LittleGreenWolf: Aww! Thank you! I'm glad you're liking the Fic so far, I hope you continue to support it! And I'm relieved the mystery and horror (and romance of couse!) is really getting to you and other readers! Hope you like this new installment!

Sakura's Indecision: I absolutely LOVE your reviews, they really help me gauge how I'm doing because you're so specific about what you like and dislike, it's so helpful! Thank you! And yes, Naruto, I'm trying to keep him - and all the characters - as IC as possible, you'll see more of his inner turmoil and fear next chapter! I hope you continue to stick by and of course I'll bring on as much SasuSaku Fluffiness as I possibly can! Heehee, the couple's just too cute and lovable and squeeee to resist! Especially in a horror situation! Glad you liked and thank you for the review!

jadeflower: I'm really glad you like it! I'll try to update as frequently as I possibly can!

oceanavvanue: Thank you for your opinion! You were the first one to tell me I think! I'm glad you're enjoying the horrific ride! :)

Arita-chan: Thank you for the review, I'm happy you're liking my subtle SasuSaku haha, more "subtleness" to come! Look forward to the weekend, heehee! And yes, no scary story is truly scary without a girl-child with long dark hair, The Ring and The Grudge were partial inspirations to this Fic!

shkh4eva: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you liked the SasuSaku moment and thanks so much for your opinion! The Curse and It All Started With are completely different stories but thank you for telling me your preference, especially since I recognize your name in a lot of reviews for my stories! Thank you for supporting me, you're Awesome!

innocent blusher: Thank you for the feedback! I'm glad you're liking the story so far and the SasuSaku-ness! Heehee!

JWJ: I'm glad you like the story and all my stories for that matter! I'm very flattered, writing is my hobby and I love sharing my imagination and ideas with others, thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

sasusaku70123: Haha, how'd you like the Amputation/Autopsy of Yoshiro? lol And don't worry, you'll like (I hope) the SasuSaku-ness in the next chapter! :)

Ice of the Kitsune's Fire: Eeep! I love that you think it's scary! Haha, and Dai? *giggle* don't worry, I'm aiming for your paranoia too! As for the SasuSaku Fluff, oh there'll be more coming your way, just stay tuned! Thank you for the Review!

sasusaku-EienAi: Oh the Deformed, I have something planned for this creatures indeed, muahahahaha and seriously, when I got your review and read your hypothesis about the Corpses and Yoshiro becoming one of them I smiled because you got it spot-on, that's partially the reason I updated so quick so you could see that yup, you got it! Haha, hopefully I won't be so transparent in the future though, lol, I don't want my story becoming cliche and predictable. BUT, kudos for getting it! And yes Resident Evil was also a big inspiration for this Fic, I am a Horror genre fan and watching those movies and playing games like RE and Silent Hill really inspired me for this Fic. The Question: What would Ninjas do against ghosts and creepy things? Especially, what would Team Seven do against ghosts and creepy things? And so, The Curse was BORN! Yay! Well, lol, enough of my rambling, thank you for the review! Hope you liked this installment, and I hope to hear from you in the future! :)

Wow! So many review replies! Thank you again everyone! Especially to those currently reading, have reviewed previously, have alerted and favorited this Fic and me as an author! You guys inspire and push me to continue and I will try to write well and update soon to the best of my ability! Thank you again! You are ALL AWESOME!

If anyone is confused or have questions or I made some mistakes, please let me know, I wasn't really proofreading this chapter thoroughly since it's so wordy but I wanted to get it out sooner so I could get the Next Chapter out sooner too! So please drop a review with feedback and constructive criticism please, I want to send out stories and chapters worth reading and I can't do it if I'm making mistakes! Please and Thank You!

UPDATES TO LOOK OUT FOR:
It All Started With – Chapter 17
False Façade – Chapter 2
Forbidden Bonds – Chapter 5
Missing In Action - Chapter 2

Next Chapter: Chapter Ten: Helpless
Update: Weekend of 07/09/2010
TEASER:
"I'll play your game…I'll solve this mystery."
'…You don't understand Haruno Sakura…That's not the game…When we say come out to play, that means we need a ball…You are the ball, Haruno Sakura…We need something to play with…'

EDIT: Thank you Sakura's Indecision I changed the regular scalpel to the chakra scalpel since a regular one wouldn't be able to cut against flesh and bone. :)

And! If anyone is confused about the Mapping of this story, I'd recommend checking out the World Map at (www . leafninja . com) Just take out the parentheses and spaces, it's where I get a lot of my Naruto Information! :)

Oh! One last thing! Anyone got a Twitter? I made one for the sole purpose of making friends who have the same interests as me (Naruto, Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Final Fantasy VII, Anime in general), let me know, I'm open to new friendships and whatever, up to you, just PM me or drop a review! Happy reading everyone!

Oh! And I plan on sending out some Pokémon (AAML), Fullmetal Alchemist (EdWin), and Final Fantasy VII (CloudTifa) Fictions too, so if you're FANS, please check them out! :)

You Are All The Best! And Feel Free To PM Me About Recent Naruto Manga Chapters Too! Heehee!

LotzaLove!
Len83
aka
Luvinukag83