Hey guys!

I love the support I'm getting for this story! Wideyedwander, that was one of my favorite lines to write too! And for you and Dreaming of Rocketships,you'll have to wait and see what Kakashi and Iruka are up to, but I promise it'll be good!

A little bit of an author's notice: I will be in opening night of a show on Thursday, so I will literally have no computer access all day. That being said, I'm going to try to get the next chapter up Wednesday, and if not, it will be up Friday. The rest of the scud duke will not be affected, just that one day.

Even though Naruto was the first phantom Sasuke had met, he had become familiar enough with the pattern of his spiritual energy that he could recognize it, and the auras rolling the four boys were unmistakable.

Aw, shit. How the Hell are there five phantoms in Konoha?

As if to mock him, the phantoms gave Sasuke a quick glance, then turned back to their tasks, completely ignoring him.

"Why'd ya bring a human here?" The one in the center of the room with the dog spoke again, who Naruto had addressed as Kiba.

"That's a good question!" Sasuke snapped, anger spiking. "But I have a better one. Maybe you could ask the human what he's doing here instead?"

Four pairs of shocked ghostly eyes turned to him. The phantom in the corner with the punching bag pointed at him, trembling. "You can hear us?"

"Yes," Sasuke answered, trying and failing to keep a rein on his anger. God, he hated ghosts. Curse whatever being had decided to give him this 'gift'!

"Can you see us?"

Sasuke's control finally snapped. "Why the fuck wouldn't I be able to see you? Jesus, this is why I can't stand ghosts!" He turned to leave. "I don't care anymore; I can't do this."

"No!" Naruto grabbed his arm, bringing him up short. Sasuke glared at him, but it didn't deter the determined spirit. "You promised you would talk to them!"

The one with the sunglasses looked up in interest. "About what?"

"He's, like, an expert on ghosts," Naruto exclaimed excitedly. "He told me some things that even I didn't know!"

"I don't believe that," the sunglassed ghost scoffed. "A human can't know more about ghosts than a ghost does. It's impossible."

"Tell that to the generations of research done by my family," Sasuke snapped. He might hate his heritage, but he still had the pride of an Uchiha. "I know more about ghosts than a spirit who could live a thousand years, because that's how long my family has been the mediators between your world and mine!"

The phantoms all fell silent at this outburst. Naruto awkwardly stepped forward in an attempt to keep the peace. "Why don't we just all introduce ourselves and go from there? Kiba? Shino?"

For a few seconds, Sasuke thought the phantoms were going to remain silent, but finally the one with the dog spoke up. "Well, Akamaru hasn't attacked him yet, so I guess he's okay."

Sasuke was barely able to hold back a biting thank you.

Following the lead of the dog phantom, the one with sunglasses slowly nodded. "I, too, feel he is trustworthy."

Glad of that vote of confidence.

"My name's Kiba." The boy with the dog stood up and extended a hand for Sasuke to shake. "And the white fiend here's Akamaru."

"Delighted," Sasuke managed, still slightly annoyed.

"And I'm Shino." Shino's dark glasses caught the light as he shook Sasuke's hand. "The one in the corner with his mouth hanging open is Lee, and the one who has been studiously ignoring us this whole time is Shikamaru."

During their introductions, Lee blushed and punched his bag, and Shikamaru stared studiously at his chess board, then purposefully picked up a piece and moved it. He stood up and walked to the other side of the board, then sat down and resumed staring at it.

"Are they always like that?"

Naruto shrugged. "In Shikamaru's case, yes, but Lee's just nervous because you're the first human he's met. We've all made contact with at least one other, but Lee's the youngest of us, so he doesn't have much experience yet."

"I'd shake your hand, but I can't yet," Lee said with a red face. "I can't become corporeal like the rest of them, so I'll just wave." He did so, and Sasuke waved back, feeling a little silly.

It was now Sasuke's turn, and he pulled in a deep breath. "I'm Sasuke Uchiha-"

"Hi, Sasuke," the phantoms chorused, interrupting Sasuke and leaving him with the feeling that he was teaching a rowdy kindergarten class, which was reinforced when Naruto sat down before him and everyone else except Shikamaru followed suit. Shikamaru just kept staring at his chessboard.

Shaking himself a little before continuing, Sasuke said, "Anyway, as you've already gathered, I can see ghosts. It's a family bloodline trait. Because of this, I have a lot of experience with spirits of all kinds. Naruto asked me here to tell you something I told him this morning, because he felt like it would be better to hear it in person than have him retell it."

Even Shikamaru was looking at him now, so Sasuke took a deep breath and launched into an explanation of the social hierarchy of the spiritual realm. He took more time and put in more details than he had that morning, trying to be as clear as possible. Kiba was petting Akamaru with a frown on his face, but otherwise the phantoms remained inscrutable. The lack of response was unnerving Sasuke, but he continued, voice growing hoarse, until he felt that everything was explained to the best of his ability.

Silence greeted the end of his speech. Shino was the one who finally broke it. "That… actually makes sense."

"It does." Kiba's frown furrowed between his eyebrows as he thought. "I always wondered why some ghosts were kinda like vegetables, and others were more like us."

"And the mean ones must be draugrs," Shino hypothesized. "If they really were murder victims, then their behavior makes a lot more sense."

A chill swept down Sasuke's back. "Are there many 'mean ones' here?"

Naruto shrugged. "About seven we've identified that haunt in one place and we avoid. There's another batch, maybe another five, that all stay in one building, but they give off such a bad aura that we don't go there, so I don't know if they would be draugrs or not."

And there went Sasuke's sense of security. One draugr he had expected, but seven? That was unprecedented ghost activity! It was true that draugrs lived long lives, but that was only if they didn't exact a revenge. If they did, they often disappeared within a decade, or less. Seven unresolved murders was disconcerting, to say the least. It made Sasuke wonder how good the police department was in Konoha.

Naruto hadn't stopped talking, so Sasuke shook himself out of his thoughts to listen. "They're all older than me, too, so I don't know exactly how they died. If I did, maybe we could confirm if they're draugrs or not."

"Wait." Sasuke felt, for the first time since stepping off the train in Konoha, a real thrill of fear. "The draugrs are all older than you? Naruto, aren't you over a century old?"

"I am," Naruto admitted with a sigh. "But I'm sure that at least one is over two hundred. I saw her once, and she wears this weird, old-looking dress-"

"Jesus!" Sasuke couldn't contain the cry, and all the phantoms' heads swiveled towards him. "What the Hell is wrong with this town?"

"What do you mean?" Kiba asked nervously, hugging Akamaru close to his body, who licked his face comfortingly.

Sasuke passed a hand over his eyes. "Five phantoms, two-hundred-year-old draugrs- These things aren't normal! What is it about Konoha that sparks such spiritual activity?"

"Hey, don't ask us." Shino's crossed his arms. "We're just the ghosts who live here."

"And, um, I actually have a question." Lee spoke for the first time, raising a hand like a timid kindergartener. "I don't think you should include me in the phantom count."

"Why not?"

Blushing, Lee fiddled with the collar of his green spandex suit. "I, um, can't do stuff like what you said. No powers or anything. The only thing I can do is push a little energy around my feet and hands to hit things."

Sasuke considered for a moment. "How long ago did you die, Lee?"

"About fifteen years now, I think."

"There's your answer." It was strange to think of himself comforting a ghost, but Sasuke found he was doing exactly that. "Phantoms have the same powers as a draugr, but since their motives aren't fueled by revenge, as a draugr's are, often they take more time to grow into their powers. You're a phantom, Lee, and not because of your powers, but because of your mind and personality."

Lee perked up at that, and Naruto gave Sasuke a smile of thanks, apparently glad that a sore spot for this friend had been cleared up. Sasuke chose not to dwell on how that smile made his stomach take a small nosedive, like he was riding on a rollercoaster.

"I have a question, too." Shikamaru spoke for the first time, but didn't look up from his game. "What is 'not normal' about an old ghost?"

The question surprised Sasuke; the answer was so obvious, it felt almost like a test. "Ghosts fade."

"Pardon?"

"Ghosts fade," Sasuke repeated. "They disappear; that's what happens when they get too old and no longer have an attachment to this world."

Shikamaru gave Sasuke his full attention then, and a frown furrowed between his brows. "How old usually the age of this 'fading'?"

"Thirty for specters, fifty for figures, and sometimes seventy-five or a little more for draugrs. I don't know exactly about phantoms since they're so rare, but I would guess they would have about the same lifespan as a draugr."

"Interesting." Shikamaru steepled his hands together in a strange formation. "I've lived in this town as a ghost for approximately one hundred years, and every other ghost I've encountered during that time is still around."

Something invisible stuck itself in the back of Sasuke's throat. "Are you certain?"

Shikamaru blinked once before replying. "Absolutely positive."

This was not good. As an Uchiha, Sasuke knew that laying spirits to rest was a very important task. If not performed, spiritual energy could clump up and cause problems to humans living in the same area. If not a single ghost had faded in over a hundred years-! Sasuke shuddered to think of the implications.

Naruto broke the sudden silence. "Hey, Sasuke, maybe we could bring you around and let you meet some of the old ghosts! You could ask them stuff, and-"

"No," Sasuke interrupted angrily. "You just wanted me to talk to your friends. I did that, so we're done. You swore that you'd leave me alone after this!"

Naruto tried unsuccessfully to hide the hurt in his gaze, which made Sasuke feel like an ass, even if he was in the right. "But-"

"No buts!" Wrapping the shreds of his dignity and morals around him, Sasuke stood up straight, not giving in. "I spend every waking minute of my life around ghosts! I hate this curse I was born with, but I've learned to live with it. I've grown accustomed to hiding from it, and I am not going to do something that defeats that purpose! I've held up my end of the bargain, now you hold up yours, and leave me alone!"

Four sets of shocked eyes stared at him, motionless and hurt. Even Shikamaru gazed at him with a kind of detached anger as he telepathically moved the piece from the opposite side of the one he was sitting on, locking himself into a checkmate.

"You distracted me," he accused. "You made me lose to myself. I never lose to myself."

Somehow, those words cut deeper than the stares of the others, except perhaps Naruto's. Anger fanned within Sasuke, both at the ghosts and at his reactions to them. They were just spirits, godammit!

Without another word, Sasuke snatched his satchel from the floor and stalked out of the shack. He had to harden his heart to to silence behind him, and that bothered him more than the actual guilt he felt. Uchihas did not care for ghosts, period. Even the slight guilt felt like a betrayal of his heritage.

Angry at himself now, Sasuke stalked back to the Hokage. When he arrived, the clock in the hallway read close three, and Sasuke was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that he had skipped breakfast. Had he really spent that much time at the library? No, he had lost the time with those damn phantoms. Sasuke comforted himself with the thought that they would leave him alone now. Or, he at least pretended to comfort himself with the thought.

It was too early for the kitchen to start serving supper, so Sasuke decided to wait in his room and read until that time. He had barely traversed a few steps, however, before a sense of foreboding overtook him.

There was a powerful aura resting in his room upstairs, and Sasuke found himself pissed beyond belief. Blood thundering in his ears, he darted up the stairs, ran into his suite, then yanked open the door to his room, yelling, "I told you to leave me alone!"

To his surprise, it was not Naruto in his room, but Shikamaru. The spirit who had seemed the least interested in him earlier was waiting for him, seated on the rug, a chess board set out before him. His visage was different, a slightly older version of himself that gave him an increased level of quiet authority, and Sasuke couldn't help but respect him in a grudging way.

Shikamaru ignored Sasuke's earlier raised voice, responding with a simple, "Play a game with me?"

Shutting the door behind him, Sasuke dropped his satchel on the desk before turning to Shikamaru, who had remained motionless the entire time, with his arms folded across his chest. "Why?"

Shikamaru closed his eyes, a bored expression on his face. "Too troublesome to explain."

Raising an eyebrow, Sasuke reiterated, "Troublesome?"

A noncommittal grunt emanated from the motionless ghost. Cracking a single eye open, Shikamaru inquired, moving his lips as little as possible, "You gonna sit down?"

A sigh escaped Sasuke. "You're not going to leave until I do, are you?"

By way of an answer, Shikamaru remained unresponsive, eyes closed and arms folded across his chest. Sasuke sighed again; he had wanted to start reading Entanglements of Destiny, but it looked like Shikamaru had him cornered: there was no way he could out-patience a ghost who had already lived a hundred years. It was the second time that day he had been bested by a Konoha spirit, though in a completely different way, and Sasuke certainly didn't like it.

When Sasuke sat down on the opposite side of the chessboard, Shikamaru's only response was a curt order. "White moves first."

It was true; the side Sasuke had sat down before comprised of white pieces. It had been the open side, so that meant Shikamaru had chosen black for himself specifically. If he was any kind of good chess player, he should know that it was statistically more likely to win with white, and thus had purposefully given that side to Sasuke. This either meant Shikamaru was trying to go easy on the human or make the game more challenging for himself. Either way, the affronted Sasuke swore to himself that he wouldn't lose to the indifferent phantom.

With a sharp clack, he moved a pawn forward two spaces. Not even bothering to move his hands, Shikamaru used telepathy to move a pawn forward, mirroring Sasuke's move.

"Not even going to move your hands?" Sasuke asked with a smirk.

"Too troublesome."

The move Shikamaru had taken placed his piece directly in a position for Sasuke to claim it. Sasuke hesitated for a second; the phantom couldn't be that stupid, he had to have some sort of plan. He claimed the pawn and set it off to the side.

"What are you doing here in Konoha?"

Sasuke look up at the sudden question. "What?"

Closing his eyes, Shikamaru muttered in a voice barely loud enough to carry, "Too troublesome to mention earlier, but it's a special game. Every time you capture a piece, you have to answer a question."

Damn, so that was his game! Sasuke prepared himself to lie, but Shikamaru cut him off. "And don't even think about lying. I'll know when you do."

This was perhaps the most dangerous game of chess Sasuke had ever played.

"Do you understand now, Uchiha?"

"Yes," Sasuke managed, his throat dry.

"Good. Now answer the question. Why are you in Konoha?"

"Family vacation."

"Hm." Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. "By yourself."

"A single question," Sasuke reminded him. "It's your move, Shikamaru."

"So it is," the phantom mused, idly letting his eyes wander across the line of pieces before moving another with his mind.

The two moved back and forth, neither wanting to capture a piece. In less than ten moves, however, Shikamaru spoke again.

"Check."

It was indeed a check, and it had completely slipped past Sasuke's notice. With a curse, he took the piece threatening his King.

"Why are you alone?"

"My parents backed out at the last minute."

"Hm." Shikamaru considered the board for a minute, then moved another piece. "Check."

Sasuke's jaw dropped open. How had he missed that one, too? Blue language fell from his mouth as he took the piece.

"Why did your parents back out?"

Sasuke hesitated before answering. "My older brother is in a psychiatric ward and suddenly got worse, so they stayed to keep an eye on him."

Nodding, Shikamaru said without interest, "Interesting. Check."

"Fuck you."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Language. And it's still a check."

Giving in, Sasuke took the piece and resigned himself to the interrogation.

"Why's your brother in a psychiatric ward?"

"His 'gift' drove him mad, and he tried to blind me and succeeded in blinding himself. He's there for his own protection and the protection of those around him." Even to Sasuke, the answer sounded robotic.

"Interesting." This time it was said with interest. "That's why you hate your ability to see ghosts."

"Only one question per capture," Sasuke reminded him.

Shikamaru gave a light short. "It wasn't a question. It was an assumption that was proven correct by your reaction. Oh, and check."

With a sigh, Sasuke took the piece.

"What does your father want you to be when you grow up?"

The abrupt change of tactic caught Sasuke off guard. "A doctor, or a lawyer. He owns a hospital, and he wants me to take over it."

A smile crept onto Shikamaru's lips. "You just answered two questions."

Flushing, Sasuke said, "Just move."

"Alright. Check."

Sasuke took the piece, wondering how Shikamaru was winning and had yet to make a single capture.

"What do you want to be?"

"An author." The abrupt question dragged the confession out of him, and Sasuke immediately looked around, nervous that he had been overheard. It was a secret dream, and one he could never let his father know.

Another piece slid into place. "Check."

Sasuke threw his hands into the air. "Why don't you just ask me the questions? You're obviously going to-"

"Check," Shikamaru enunciated very clearly, eyes narrowing.

Sasuke hurriedly took the piece.

"Why do you want to be an author?"

Hesitating, not because he was nervous, but because he wasn't quite sure how to articulate his emotions, Sasuke slowly said, "I've always loved literature, and I like the idea of creating something better than arguing in a court or making endless memos. It's quiet, restful, which is very different from my life now. And I could live out from under the thumb of my father, who only sees me as a less successful version of my brother."

Shikamaru moved another piece, using his hands for the first time during the game. "Checkmate."

Sasuke started to get up, but a look from Shikamaru stopped him. With a sigh, he sat back down and captured the piece.

"What are your intentions toward Naruto?"

"What?" The question caught Sasuke off guard. Intentions? Toward that annoying, mischievous ghost? He didn't have any. Did he?

Shikamaru repeated the question. "What are your intentions toward Naruto?"

"I don't have any! I told him to leave me alone, remember?"

The phantom's eyes narrowed dangerously, the first sign of aggression from the passive ghost. "I thought I told you not to lie."

"I'm not!"

"Then you're lying to yourself. What do you really want from him?"

The assertion was as disconcerting as it was surprising. Sasuke looked down, refusing to meet Shikamaru's gaze. "It doesn't matter what I really want, because I'm going to avoid him."

"Do you desire any kind of bond with him?"

Sasuke shook his head, confused by all the questions. "I'm an Uchiha; we don't develop bonds with spirits, no matter the type."

Slowly nodding, Shikamaru's eyes lit up with understanding. It was the first vibrant emotion Sasuke had seen on his face. "I understand now."

"What?" Sasuke felt a strange chill. "What do you understand?"

"Nothing of importance." Shikamaru moved his piece, taking Sasuke's King and ending the game, then looking expectantly at Sasuke.

"What?"

"You question? I captured a piece, after all."

"Ah." Sasuke opened his mouth to ask a sensible question, but what popped out was, "What's it like to live like you do?"

"What's it like to be dead, you mean?" Shikamaru shrugged. "In a single word, monotonous. Quite honestly, you're the most exciting thing that's happened to us since Lee died. I haven't seen Naruto as happy as when he dragged you through the door in a long time."

Now Sasuke felt like even more of an ass. Still, he wrapped his Uchiha pride around his bruised soul, and it made him feel better to look down on what caused him the discomfort. Throughout this, Shikamaru watched him, gleaning insight from his changing face, from emotional back into stoic.

Finally, Shikamaru broke the silence. "It's time for the kitchen to serve dinner."

And it was; the big clock in the hall chimed five as they listened to it. Sasuke stood up to go, but Shikamaru reached up to grab his sleeve, the most movement he had made since Sasuke had laid eyes on him.

"The beach is lovely at sunset, and today is particularly clear. It would be nice to see, don't you think?"

Sasuke thought it over, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Will you be going?"

"Nah." Shikamaru let go of his sleeve. "Too troublesome. I only go when there's good clouds, so I can watch them."

"I'll think about it." Sasuke grabbed his satchel and turned to go, and was almost out the door before Shikamaru called out behind him without raising his voice.

"Thanks for playing with me. You were a good opponent."

Sasuke snorted, his Uchiha pride again bruised. "You beat me. Spectacularly, at that."

"And yet, you still continued to play. You are a good opponent, Sasuke."

There was only one response Sasuke could think of. "Thank you."

And then he walked out, going downstairs to sit in the dining area.

This time, Sasuke was barely seated for a minute before Sakura came out carrying two plates. With a blinding smile, she set one down before him, and the other she placed opposite him and sat down.

"Have a good day?"

"Not particularly." Sasuke grimaced. "Are you allowed to be doing this?"

"What? Eating out here?" Sakura waved around the empty dining area. "Today's Monday. Unofficial seafood day here in Konoha. All the local places have deals on fresh stuff, so almost everyone eats elsewhere tonight. You're the only one I was expecting."

"Ah." Now Sasuke felt bad, that Sakura was serving only him. When he said as much, though, she just laughed it off.

"What else would I have done today?" She asked with a brilliant smile. "Now, eat, before it gets cold."

The food was delicious, Sasuke could say that much. While he was eating, though, he noticed Sakura picking nervously at her food.

"What's wrong?"

Sakura jumped guiltily. "Nothing! I was just thinking about something."

Shrugging, Sasuke resumed eating. "Alright."

Abruptly, Sakura laid down her fork with a clatter. "Sasuke!"

"What?" He asked testily. Damn girls, always changing their minds.

"There's going to be an event going on tomorrow, and a lot of us local teens are going, and I was wondering if maybe youwantedtogowithus?" The last words came out all in a rush.

"What?"

Sakura took a deep breath. "Do you want to go with us? The event's kinda silly, you know, with the ghost theme of this town and everything, but I thought maybe you'd like to meet some new people…" She trailed off, uncertain.

After considering for a moment, Sasuke nodded. "Sure. Sounds good to me." What the hell. He was only eighteen without parental supervision once.

Sakura brightened. "Really?"

"Yeah. Sounds like fun."

"Excellent!" She clasped her hands together. "I can't wait to tell everyone! They'll be so excited to meet you, I just know it!"

Aha. Now Sasuke was beginning to regret his impulsive decision. Finished with his food, he stood up with the dishes, but Sakura grabbed them from him.

"I'll take them. Where are you planning to go now?"

Sasuke swung his satchel over his shoulder. "I received a tip that the sunset looks good at a beach near here, so I'm going to check it out."

Sakura's eyes brightened. "It is beautiful out there! Just be careful not to let the sand monster pull you in the ocean," she teased.

"I will."

And with that, he left.

Sasuke didn't quite know where he was going, but there was only one main road in Konoha and he had already gone one way to the library, so he headed the other way in hopes of meeting some form of ocean. Sure enough, in a few minutes he could smell salt air, so he knew he was going the right way.

Eventually, Sasuke found his way to a path that led to a small, secluded beach. Maine, where Konoha was located, was on the East Coast, so the sun didn't set over the ocean, but Konoha was on a peninsula, and this particular beach faced north instead of east. Because of this, the setting sun cast slanting rays of gold over the treetops and across the surface of the ocean. It really was a beautiful sight.

A sniffle caught his attention, and Sasuke walked in the soft, white sand for a few steps until he found the source of the sound. Around a bend, a blond young man, perhaps twenty or so, was sitting in the sand, wiping tears from his eyes. A sob of frustration escaped him as more took their place.

Then he finally noticed Sasuke's presence, and looked up. His tearstained face filled with dread as he recognized Sasuke, and Sasuke too felt a jolt of fear at recognition.

The young man was Naruto.