It was still raining when the train arrived at the platform, and Sasuke had packed his umbrella in his suitcase. Not that he couldn't fish it out, but he didn't feel like showing off his collection of superhero underwear to get at it. Oh, and also his emergency supplies in case he ran into a dangerous draugr. It would be a little hard to explain why he had rock salt, silver knives, and exorcism quality holy water and crosses packed in with his shorts. Not that the religious artifacts always worked, only if the spirit had been religious in its lifetime, but it was often enough to slow down something hell-bent on harming him.

Sasuke was shocked out of his umbrella: to fetch, or not to fetch musings by the honk of a car horn. A man with a strange mask covering his lower face and one eye got out of the driver's seat of the solid, inelegant black vehicle, waving to the teenager.

"Uchiha! That you?"

Sasuke regarded the man in the rain with suspicion, staying under the canopy of the platform. "Who are you?"

The man slammed the car door and ran through the rain to stand next to Sasuke under the canopy. "Name's Kakashi. I own the place your folks rented a suite in for the summer. They sent me word that you'd be coming out alone, so I thought I'd come pick you up."

When the look of suspicion refused to slip from Sasuke's face, he thought Kakashi smiled in approval, but it was impossible to tell because of the mask. "Your folks sent me a picture so I'd be able to recognize you. Here."

He pulled out a phone and tapped it a few times, then turned it around to show Sasuke the image of him and his parents that had been taken on their last family vacation, a hiking trip in Olympic National Park the previous summer that had been cut short when Itachi had reached a whole new level of crazy and the two concerned parents had rushed back. The picture had been taken on the top of Klahhane Ridge, a four mile one way hike from the Hurricane Ridge Visitor's Center. A passing hiker had offered to get them all together when he had seen them taking individual shots, and the moment, in all its sweaty, exhausted glory, had been immortalized. Had it really been that long since all three of them smiled together?

Sasuke nodded, deciding to trust the man. "Okay. How far is it?

"About ten minutes normally, but with the rain it may be closer to fifteen." Kakashi slipped the phone back in his pocket and offered a hand. "Can I take your suitcase?"

Sasuke's grip tightened around the handle. "I'd prefer to take it, but thank you."

Chuckling to himself, Kakashi pulled his collar higher to protect his neck against the rain in preparation for running back to the car. "Such a polite kid. We don't get many outta-state teens with good manners." He clapped Sasuke on the back. "Ready to run for it?"

"If I must."

"On three, then. Three!"

The masked man took off before Sasuke could react. Cursing a bit under his breath, he darted out into the pelting rain towards the dark car. Kakashi had obviously expected him to take shotgun, but Sasuke jumped in the backseat, unwilling to part with his suitcase. No one but him would see the trappings inside. If Kakashi was perturbed, he hid it well and simply started the engine.

"Well, Mr. Uchiha, welcome to Konoha, Maine, the cutest, most historic fishing village you're likely to find on the Atlantic Coast, currently in the middle of a hurricane."

Sasuke absorbed the information, reacting to only one part of the statement. "Mr. Uchiha is my father. Please call me Sasuke."

"Alright... Sasuke." Kakashi regarded him in the rearview mirror. "Would you like a tour of sorts? I can point out some things you can do yourself before your folks get here, if you'd like."

"Thank you. I'd like that very much."

"Hm." Kakashi's eye flickered back to the road. "Well, you can find lots of little hole-in-a-wall stores within a quarter hour's walk in any direction of the inn, but out here there's some nature trails, a bike path and a hidden swimming hole that some of the locals go to. If you make any friends, maybe one of them might show you the way."

Sasuke snorted before he could help it. "Not very likely." At Kakashi's questioning glance, he blushed. "Sorry. I just tend not to make friends very easily."

"Hm." That noise was going to drive Sasuke crazy. "Anyway, if you like books, there's the ANBU Book Shop and Cafe. They cater to some weird tastes, though, so be careful in there. Konoha also has a public library. If you're interested, I could probably get you signed up for a card."

"I like books..." Sasuke trailed off as he spied an old church. Three figures roamed the cemetery. "What's that?"

"An official historic landmark of Konoha. There's a walking trail among the bigger ones, like the Freedom Trail in Boston." Kakashi's one eye gleamed. "There's also haunted tours that go around the village at night, and people have sworn they've seen ghosts on them."

Great. More ghosts. "So, is there a lot of supernatural culture in this community?"

"Supernatural culture!?" Kakashi nearly slammed on the breaks in shock. "You mean you came here, and you don't even know?"

"Know what?" Sasuke asked apprehensively.

"Sasuke, Konoha is one of the most haunted places in the world! That's how we attract most of our tourists! This is the 'historic Maine village with a dark underbelly.' Why, even my inn, the Hokage, has a few resident ghosts!"

Sasuke almost groaned aloud. "And my father knew this before he booked our reservation?"

"I would assume so. It's advertised right on the website."

At Sasuke's muffled silence, Kakashi gave a concerned glance into the backseat. "You okay? Afraid of ghosts or something?"

"I'm fine." A thought struck him. "How do you know that the Hokage has ghosts?"

"Because I've seen them."

Sasuke blanched. Kakashi couldn't see ghosts: Sasuke had already seen his eye, and it was perfectly normal. But what motive did the masked man have for lies? Other than selling more rooms, but the Uchihas had already reserved for the whole summer.

Mask...

Kakashi had one eye covered under his mask! What if the hidden eye wasn't normal or missing, but possessed an eye power like the Uchiha Sharingan? Then he could see the spirits that should be invisible to the eye.

No! Kakashi was just trying to create an image and a reputation, one that would gain him revenue. This town definitely had ghosts - Sasuke had already seen some - but no more than a big city like Chicago, his home, did. He would just ignore them as he always did, or help them pass if they were ready. This summer would be peaceful and devoid of significant supernatural happenings.

"We're here." The words abruptly cut into Sasuke's musings with the silence of the engine, and it was only then that he realized that the older man had remained silent for the rest of the ride. He looked out the window, and beheld one of the most beautiful buildings he had ever seen. It was an old fashioned New England Victorian Style home, painted and repaired faithfully to keep it as true as possible to the original.

"It's amazing," Sasuke said in awe.

"You really like it?" Kakashi seemed pleased.

"Yes. It's much more beautiful than my home in Chicago."

"Hm." An unseen smile briefly played across Kakashi's features. "It's still raining pretty hard, so we'll have to run for it. You good for it?"

Sasuke hefted his suitcase against his body. "I'll manage."

"On three?"

With the barest hint of a smile, Sasuke replied, "Only if I can count."

For the longest time, it seemed like Kakashi was not going to respond. Then, abruptly, he nodded. "Three, your count."

Gripping the handle of the car door, Sasuke started to count. "One... Two..."

"Three!" Kakashi called the number and started ahead of Sasuke, looking back over his shoulder in challenge. Cursing louder than under his breath this time, Sasuke followed in an undignified scramble, fumbling with the handle and almost shutting the door on his suitcase. The dash to the door was a mad slip-n-slide of wet gravel and puddles, deceptive in their depth.

When Sasuke made it to the door, it was to find Kakashi holding it open with a gloating air. "Glad ta see you made it- ah!"

The words cut off in a yelp as Sasuke, unable to control his speed, lost the traction between his wet sneakers and the smooth floor, and crashed right into Kakashi. The two went tumbling to the floor, landing on their respective asses. Wide-eyed, Sasuke stared at the older man, afraid that he had broken some unspoken rule, or worse, hurt him. That one eye gazed back, inscrutable, for a long moment before a low rumble started behind the mask. The rumble soon broke into laughter so infectious, Sasuke had no choice but to join in. Standing up, Kakashi wiped a single tear of mirth from his eye before extending a hand to the still seated Uchiha.

As Sasuke accepted the hand, Kakashi shook his head. "That was somethin', kid. I ain't been knocked off my block for a long time."

Sasuke blushed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It felt good." Kakashi clapped him on the shoulder. "I think it's gonna be a great summer with you here, Sasuke."

"Thank you."

Glancing at a large grandfather clock, Kakashi whistled at the time. "Gosh, I didn't realize it was so late! The rain makes it hard to tell, don't it? Anyways, you're probably wanting to get settled in, right? You must have had a long day of travel."

"Yeah, I am," Sasuke replied, not realizing exactly how tired he was until that moment.

"Suite's second at the top of the stairs. Door's labeled 2B. You should be able to find it easily enough."

With a warm, real smile, Sasuke shook Kakashi's hand. "Thank you. I mean it. And sorry about... Well, you know."

"Hey, don't mention it."

Sasuke was halfway up the stairs when Kakashi called after him. "And be careful of the ghosts!"

A cold chill slipped up Sasuke's spine, and he was suddenly wide awake. "I will," he called back in a jovial tone, though he felt anything but. Eyes wide and mind alert, he ascended the rest of the stairs and turned to the suite his parents had rented, 2B. Shutting the door quickly behind him, Sasuke slipped past the master bedroom and into the smaller guest bedroom, closing that door firmly as well.

It was a fairly bare room, but that was to be expected. A queen size bed rested against the far wall, sporting an elaborate head and footboard. A small table sat beside the bed, and a bureau stood up next to a second door that let to a slim closet. On the side nearer to the door was an old fashioned secretary's desk and wooden chair with a wicker bottom. The pale blue walls were bare except for an old sepia picture of a plow in a field rimmed by trees and a stone wall. Taking note of his surroundings, Sasuke dropped his suitcase in the middle of the floor and knelt next to it.

With a certain sense of urgency, Sasuke opened the lid of his suitcase and took out all the equipment related to the supernatural and sorted it on the bedside table. Then, with quick, practiced movements, he took the mason jar of rock salt and sprinkled a thick line of it across the doorjamb.

Spirits could pass through walls, of course, but specters tended to stay within the limits of their mortal bodies, so it was doubtful one would pass through a wall in the night. A figure might, since they tended to have more mental awareness, but there hadn't been any hint of a cemetery nearby, so the chances of a figure were slim. A draugr wouldn't be stopped by a line of salt, even one all the way around the room, but then, if a draugr came after Sasuke, he had bigger things to worry about than a night of uninterrupted sleep, so the salt provided fair enough protection.

His room secure, Sasuke now sat on the bed and gazed at his phone, the least pleasant part of the evening eminent. With a sigh, he dialed his father's number and pressed the phone against his ear.

It picked up after the first ring. "You in Konoha?"

That was it. No 'how was your day,' or 'did you have a good trip?' Just 'you in Konoha?' But then again, Sasuke was used to it.

"Yeah, I'm in Konoha. It was raining when I got off the train, so Kakashi - that's the guy that owns the place we rented the rooms from - drove out to get me."

"I see." Suspicion entered his father's voice. "He didn't ask for a tip, did he?"

"No!" Sasuke stood up and raked a hand through his hair to quell his emotions. "He didn't ask for money. He just did it because he's a good person. Anyway, I handled the suitcase myself."

"Good."

An almost painful silence hung before Sasuke's father asked stiltedly, "Did you have a good trip?"

Sasuke would have been happy, but he had heard his mother whisper instructions to ask the question in the background. "It was fine. A little eventful. I had a run-in with a fifty year old spectral conductor on the train, but-"

"Did you lay him to rest?" His father interrupted with biting words.

"Yeah, I just let him punch my ticket and he faded." Sasuke sat back down on the bed, too tired to stand anymore. "Hey, did you know that Konoha was supposed to be one of the most haunted places in the world when you decided to have a family vacation here?"

"What?" The news clearly stunned his father as much as it had stunned him.

"It's a tourist attraction, apparently. Kakashi even swore up and down that The Hokage's haunted."

"Did you put a line of salt across your door?"

Sighing, Sasuke placed his arm across his eyes. "Yes. I'm not stupid." A suspicion overtook him. "You didn't know, did you? Tell me, did you even make the reservation yourself, or did you make your secretary do it?"

"Sasuke-"

"Never mind. I don't want to know."

The silence hung, heavy, until Sasuke's father broke it again. "Do you want to speak to your mother?"

Sasuke blinked back tears. "Sure."

There was some white noise as the phone transferred hands, then the cheerful voice of Sasuke's mother serenaded his ear. "Sasuke? How are you? How was your trip? Are you alright there on your own?"

A smile briefly lifted the corners of his mouth. "Yeah, I'm fine. Trip was good."

"That's good to hear! I was worried about sending my baby off on his own, but I knew you could do it! Tell me, do you have any ideas about what you're going to do before we get there?"

"Not really. There's a bookshop and a library I might check out, and some nature trails. That's all I've thought about so far."

Her voice turned mischievous. "See any cute girls?"

His smile evaporated. "Mom, there's two hours difference between Chicago and Maine, so it's dark, and it's raining outside. Besides, you know I'm-"

"Well, that doesn't matter. I'm sure you'll meet some soon."

Sasuke bit his lip, stopping the last word he was going to say from coming out. "It's late, Mom. I think I want to go to bed."

"Oh. Okay." Her disappointment was palpable. "Will you call again tomorrow?"

"Maybe."

"Alright. Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight. And tell Dad I said the same to him."

"You can just tell him yourself! I'll hand the phone over, and-" click.

Sasuke hung up on his parents, suddenly feeling a lot more tired than he probably had any right to be. Placing the phone carefully on the bedside table, he gave one last check of the line of salt before kicking off his shoes and turning off the light. Fully clothed, he fell onto the bed, too exhausted to care. Though he wanted nothing more than to sleep and forget the harrowing day of travel, the blissful abyss of slumber evaded him for a long time.