Thank you to those taking their time to read my work, and a even bigger thank you to those who reviewed!

Sasuke was in a bathroom, if the sinks, stalls and mirrors told him that much. But he was in a girl's bathroom. A polished girl's bathroom with black marble walls and gray floor. Stylish, and a little dreary. It looked vaguely familiar.

He looked up to the mirror. Surprised.

Mei Tekumi's face stared back at him. She stepped closer to the mirror, and he felt himself move. She washed her hands, and he could feel the lukewarm water on the hand. He could feel the soft velvet of her skirt and the cotton shirt under her hand as she straightened out her clothes.

"Tonight's the big night," Mei whispered. Sasuke felt an exhilarated shiver.

The bathroom door opened, and Sasuke saw two girls step in. One was burly; she resembled a female bodybuilder. The other was slender, an unconventional beauty with wicked eyes.

"Hi bitch," said the unconventional beauty.

"Hi," said Mei. She addressed the girl as Karin in her mind. Sasuke felt the nervousness build up in his body, fingers trembling as she moved her hands behind her back to hide it. "I like your audition."

"The judges didn't, though," said the other girl. She had a chilling a look in her eye, one that read: I will win. "But I can improvise."

"R..really?" answered Mei. Sasuke felt himself inch toward the door. Mei walked past the two girls. She was definitely frightened now. Sasuke could feel her emotions coursing through him. "I'm glad you can."

"Now."

The burlier girl grabbed him. She gripped his wrist and Sasuke felt himself sinking to his knees, wrist twisted behind his back. Sasuke wanted to kick away; this was a hold he could easily break with his years of martial art training.

But Mei never had martial art training. She knelt on the ground, struggling fruitlessly. The marble floor was cold beneath her knee, and she was slightly self-conscious about the way her skirt hitched way above her thigh. Sasuke thought skirts were an unusual experience.

"W..what are you doing?" Sasuke felt the panic flow through her body, uncontrolled. Don't panic, Sasuke wanted to tell Mei. Sasuke would never panic, but Mei wasn't Sasuke. The infusion of the two personalities was uncomfortable.

"Improvising," said Karin. The tone was limpid. She pulled out a switch blade. The girl behind Mei held her tighter as she struggled harder. Sasuke could feel the surprise and the unadulterated fear. Mei's eyes were wide with fear. She threw her head back to try to bite the girl behind her.

If only Sasuke was actually in the scenario, and not reliving a dead girl's last moment, he thought. He could have easily twisted his knees free and kicked the blade from the girl before using the momentum to throw the other girl off. In fact, Sasuke could imagine seven ways to break the girl's hold right off the top of his head. Mei didn't know what to do.

"I'll let you win," said Mei. The words came out in a rush. Sasuke felt her praying, the words running through his head. "I'll withdraw from the contest. "

The cut came with lightning speed. It was a violent cut that swept through the Carotid Artery, Jugular Vein, and Trachea at once. The blade touched bone, and Sasuke felt the scrape. Mei stared at the blood gushing from her throat in horror. She wanted to reach up to stop the blood from streaming, but the burlier girl didn't let her. The pain was extraordinary, like white-hot iron and the smell of blood was agonizing. The warmth seeped over her blouse, and stained her skirt. The blood was hot. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, and no sound came out.

Karin was drawing angry lines across her face now.

Sasuke felt every lash. He could feel the detached skin, the warm blood pouring from the throat, drenching the shirt. He felt everything the dying girl felt.

Sasuke screamed, and realized he could scream.

"They found you," said the doctor, "passed out in the hallway."

Sasuke stared at the man, hands reaching up immediately to grab his throat. He was in a bare hospital room, with light green walls. Sunlight fell from an opened window, and a vase of plastic flowers stood on the bedside drawer. It was a relaxation room, for overnight patients, or patients with no injury.

"I didn't sleep well last night," replied Sasuke. He reached his other hand up to his neck, relieved to feel intact skin, relieved to feel his muscles pull as he spoke. He kept his hand there.

"That's what your friends said," the doctor agreed. "You're prone to nightmares?"

"Sometimes."

"Very well," the doctor smiled. "You checked out perfectly fine, physical health-wise. I would recommend a psychologist for your nightmares if they persist. You should stay another hour, and then you can go."

Sasuke nodded, loving the way the unscathed muscles pulled at the movement. The agony of a slit throat was something Sasuke never wanted to go through again.

As the doctor exited the room, another figure came in.

"I'm here to visit my friend," said a smooth voice. Hyuuga.

Better than being alone, though Sasuke. Neji didn't bang the door shut. His hand followed the door until it almost shut, and then turned the knob as it closed. He released the knob.

Hyuuga looked distressed and sympathetic as he walked over. "Naruto's shift started, so he told to visit you. Are you alright?"

His voice was lightly tinged with worry.

"Yes." For the effort, Sasuke threw him an even glare. Again, Neji's false concern was impractical.

The white eyes blinked back innocently, and Neji tucked back a strand of hair. The adrenaline that gripped him came, but it was quieter, more expectant. Neji usually never bothered with his usual façade when they were alone.

"But you are not here for a false display of kindness, are you? I will kick you out," said Sasuke. He removed his hand.

In front of him, Neji's mask fell. All traces of emotion disappeared until Neji's face was blank, bored marble complexion flanked by arrogant cheekbones. His eyes swept for hidden cameras in the hospital room, "No, you wouldn't want that."

"They're getting more aggressive," said Sasuke. His eyes closed briefly. "I usually don't …see them in human form."

His hand returned to his neck, relieved again at the undamaged skin. Neji was watching him, he knew.

"My offer stands," said Neji.

Sasuke pretended to ponder. "Until I know exactly what you get out of helping me, I wouldn't trust you."

"You don't trust the goodness of my kind heart?" Neji enjoyed bantering, mocking. His eyes, which Sasuke could now see were lavender, gleamed.

"Not without a stake through it," said Sasuke. He allowed himself a friendly smirk. The hand fell back to the sheets.

"I'm curious," said Neji. He didn't bother with using his fingers to tuck back his hair now; he simply tossed his hair back in a decidedly vain move. "Why you act as if I carry a terrible strand of Anthrax when I speak to you in public, but treat me as, dare I say, an acquaintance in private."

It wasn't a question.

It's the eyes, Sasuke thought. When Neji wore his mask, his eyes were insidiously white, something that drove Sasuke's defense mechanism haywire. Now, in private, it was softened lilac.

Neji's cellphone rang. Glancing at Sasuke, he answered it. His voice was honeyed and polite again, without a trace of its former sincerity. "Yes, Naruto. He's fine; Go back to work."

He smiled, and it didn't grace his shrewd eyes. A small laugh that sounded real. "Yes, I'll get along with him. Bye."

"See, that's why I hate you," said Sasuke. The familiar defensiveness rose.

"Why," Neji was amused. "Because while we're both cold-hearted bastards, they all treat me like a gentleman?"

"Something like that." Sasuke moved his legs to the side on the bed, indirectly offering Hyuuga a seat.

"You want me to stay," said Neji. He sat, pulling a leg up. The movement, while graceful, had none of Hyuuga's usual reserve. The image created was damascening. "So you must want something from me."

"Why are they getting more aggressive?" A blink.

"I don't think they're getting more aggressive," answered Neji. "Your eyes are just developing. So you see more."

Of course, his eyes and the cause of his problems: the Sharingan. A mutant gene that had been recessive to his family for over a century. Sasuke pointedly looked at the window.

"Was she that beautiful?" asked Neji. Sasuke looked at him; Neji's head was tilted with genuine curiosity. "The ghost you decided to break the most important rule for."

The most important thing is to never acknowledge them.

"No, I just thought she was human. And I was lost," said Sasuke. He didn't question how Neji knew the dead girl was female.

Neji smirked.

"They're usually in human form," said Neji. His voice was quiet now. His posture was a little tenser than his usual insouciant curve. "You only see the shadows because your eyes are not fully released."

Sasuke looked at Neji's eyes. Neji shared the same esoteric ability, he knew. But Neji could control his powerful eyes, the Byuugukan, perfectly. That, too, was part of the reason why Sasuke disliked Neji.

Neji seemed to think he said too much.

He stood and Sasuke could see the mask sliding back in place.

"Wait."

Neji waited.

"I saw," Sasuke lapsed. "Her name was Mei Terumi. I saw— no, felt, how she was killed. I was there, in her body."

Neji gave him a scrutinizing look. It swept down from his eyes, onto his neck, to his body, steady and meticulous. "You are not lying."

Any man but himself would have flinched or flushed unpleasantly, thought Sasuke. He returned the look, and added a haughty tilt of head. "No."

Neji sat down again. "This isn't the first time it happened, is it?"

Sasuke shook his head. He didn't remember the first, but the most recent, aside from Mei, was Yanamoto's wife. He felt the T-bone steak knife drive into his own body before he sat up from his bed, panting and sweating.

"How did you know?" he asked Neji.

Neji was amused again, "You wouldn't have told me without years of considering the idea of it."

Sasuke threw him a slanted look. "You are right."

"Is there anything I can do?" said Neji. He spoke hesitantly, almost unsure of himself. This time, Sasuke had a distinct feeling it was real.

"Not really."He felt a slight weight lift from his body. He wouldn't trust the Hyuuga, but he was thankful for someone who could understand his circumstance.

"Need a night-night? Teddy-bear?" With Neji, gratitude was always misplaced, he corrected himself wryly.

But Neji was smiling. A real smile, which on Neji, simply translate to a tamed version of his better-than-everyone smirk.

"You'll be the first person I tell if I ever do," said Sasuke. "You're dismissed now."

Neji's eyes flashed at that. "I come and go as I wish, Uchiha."

Sasuke watched Neji leave with nonchalance.

That night, he dreamed again.

Each dream was more disturbing than the next, because he knew what always happened in the end. Sometimes, he was a woman, about to be hung. Another time, he was a man, clubbed to death. Each time, he felt the pain as if it was his own. He couldn't breathe anymore. Maybe, he didn't want to, because asphyxia felt a lot less painful.

He didn't want to-

He'd rather not breathe.

Or maybe he was out of breath.

"Sasuke Uchiha." Someone was calling out to him.

He ran to the light, trying to escape the draw of his soul to yet another moment of death.

The shadows chasing him were rounding in on him now. Any moment, and the knife would reach him. Sasuke knew he shouldn't have own the mobsters money; damn that gambling habit.

"Sasuke Uchiha." The voice was more urgent.

He hid in an alleyway, the stench of garbage invading his sense. Something grabbed him from behind, a sharp pain spreading from his abdomen.

Sasuke woke up. He was sweating profusely, his heart beating a deranged rhythm that he felt against his chest multiple times every second. He still felt the aftermaths of the various assaults, though his body was in no physical pain. His blanket twisted around his body in an unsightly manner. He untangled himself, straightening his pillow. His eyes caught on the figure standing in the middle of his bedroom.

"Sasuke Uchiha," said Mei Terumi. She looked exactly the same as she did in the afternoon. "I'm not here to hurt you."

"What are you doing here?" To hell with politeness, and keeping cool.

"I came to apologize," said Mei. "I didn't know touching you could create such a reaction."

What reactions? Sasuke ran his hands down his arms, and body, unable to believe that his body was unharmed. He was not sure if he preferred to wake up from those dreams alone, or in the company of a dead girl.

He didn't trust himself to say anything. He wanted to curl up into a tight ball, feel every inch of himself. Ensure that every inch was unscathed and unmarked. No gashing injuries and no rope around his neck. Instead, he cocked an eyebrow at Mei.

"Interaction with me made you hypersensitive to our presence and memories for time being," said Mei "It won't last more than a day."

Sasuke stared at her.

"We can't physically hurt you," said Mei. "Though, some stay so long they grow more powerful."

"Will you be one of them?" Sasuke asked. He was glad his voice came out unwavering.

"No. I'm departing this world," said Mei. Her smile shifted.

"I wish you the best of luck," said Sasuke. Generic was always correct, and he didn't know what to say. Too many thoughts were running through his mind. He wanted things to make sense.

Mei was smiling, a light grin, about to say her farewell, when her eyes suddenly bulged. Sasuke could see long, pale fingers wrapped around her throat, and she clawed at the fingers.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the image, a new tension rising in his body.

She screamed, again. It was a desperate, unearthly wail this time, before tendrils of shadows shredded her image.

Sasuke could see yellow, snakelike eyes and a pointed face behind her destroyed form before a small laugh echoed in his room.

The shadows were swirling rapidly now, as if under attack. Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut, pulling the blankets around himself tightly. He wondered where his cellphone was, if he could reach for help in time. At last, he heard a small, insidious laugh and his instincts told him that the danger passed. When he opened his eyes, his room was normal, without any trace of shadows or ghostly figures.

He fell back to his bed. It was only 12:20, and he knew he didn't want to fall sleep again. He desperately missed the nights where Itachi would always run into his room whenever he had a nightmare. Itachi always knew the right things to say, and he always knew the right explanations to the events going on.

Then, of course there was that one night, where Sasuke's shocked parents told him that Itachi died before he was born. The moment was ingrained to him forever as his childish mind raced to make sense of everything. Then Itachi came, explained the love that made him stay for his little brother, and departed.

Sasuke raised a hand to his forehead, the spot his aniki was fond of poking.

He had spent eight years with his dead brother, then ten years in the dark. He wanted closure, he though. He wanted to know. He also wanted something solid in his world of intangible shadows, unaware friends, and grisly vivid dreams. He also felt that something terrifyingly different was going to happen. The yellow eyes were decidedly more frightening than his lucid dreams, and he knew there was something wrong.

He remembered Neji's offer of information, two months ago, when they discovered each other's secret. But when he asked the businessman for the price, Hyuuga responded slyly 'I don't know.'

Neji Hyuuga knew, and Sasuke knew too. At that time, Sasuke thought it was not worth owing the Hyuuga a favor for information. The shadows hardly bothered him, and he didn't care. Now, things were changing. The terrors were evolving.

Neji Hyuuga's phone number took him exactly sixteen seconds to search up.

"Uchiha."

Sasuke guessed he wasn't surprised when Neji knew who was on the other end of the line before Sasuke spoke. He felt a kind of warped relief at the sound of another human's voice.

"Remind me about your offer," said Sasuke. He thought his voice shook, but he could easily blame it on the telephone connection.

"I will tell you all I know about our eyes and the dead," said Neji. Sasuke could hear running water on the other end. Neji paused, perhaps unsure how to voice his condition.

"In exchange, I will not refuse you when you want a favor," finished Sasuke. "Under the assumption that we are both reasonable men."

"You're better with words than I am," acquiesced Hyuuga.

"You live twenty minutes away," said Sasuke. "Be here in thirty minutes."

It was a gamble, Sasuke supposed as he hung up. As much as he wanted information, he was sick of the way Neji wafted through life, lubricated by his extraordinary ability to act. If Neji wanted to play, they would play. But Sasuke would call the shots.

He pulled the blankets tightly around himself again, staring blankly at the walls. The shadows were back, and they moved slowly but surely now. He envied the humans who were able to live a normal life, unbothered by the unusual movements. Sasuke would stay in bed until, and if the Hyuuga decided to accept, he suppose. If not, he would immerse himself in the new project for his company, utilizing statistics and models to ignore the visions.

Ten minutes later, the confused security guard rang his intercom, the buzz breaking through Sasuke's train of thought. "Uchiha-sama, someone is here by the name of Neji Hyuuga. Is he your guest?"

So Hyuuga liked to exceed expectations. He left his bed, and took a glance at the mirror. There was no point in dressing to impress the Hyuuga, but there was no point in looking disheveled either. Satisfied with the reflection, and ready to swallow honeyed cyanide, he pressed his finger on the machine to reply.

"Yes."

A/N: In a way, I'm not all too sure how to proceed with this. Neji & Sasuke & horror/ghost are so hard to write! I want badass interactions between them, but it would bring them out of character. I want some kind of intensity, but they're too cool. Not to mention, I need scary things to happen!

I should go off and write a simple high school AU or something. xD

Tell me what you think? (: