I know it's a little late, but don't worry I'm not abandoning this! I was just sick. Blah, I hate being sick. Anyway, I hope that the length and ending of the chapter makes up for it ;)

And wideyedwander: I beat you! One time I stayed up writing until 2:30 in the morning with a 5:30 wake up! Yeah, calculus at seven in the morning the next day was not very fun...

"Please, Sasuke." Kakashi fixed the Uchiha with a piercing one-eyed glare. "Will you exorcise the demon Uzumaki?"

No, this can't be happening! Sasuke thought in a panic. This was his vacation, his time to be with his family - though what a joke that had turned out to be - before going off to college and leaving the care of his parents forever. A thousand different reactions, a thousand different ways to divert the attention from himself flashed through his mind, but none of the options seemed like they were good enough to put Kakashi off his trail.

Finally, Sasuke settled on laughter as a way of escape. Letting out a chuckle he hoped was hearty and not nervous, he slapped Kakashi on the shoulder and gave a cheesy thumbs up to Sakura. "Alright, great joke, guys! Wow, you were so into it! Sakura, I never knew you were that good of an actor; you actually had me fooled for a minute or two."

"Don't lie to us, Sasuke." It was Tenten, and the level-headed girl fixed Sasuke with a disappointed frown. "Where did you disappear off to this morning?"

"A brief morning run," he invented on the spot, waving his hand around to try and show that it wasn't important."

Ino pouted even harder, if that was possible. "And what about all those times you laughed randomly or tripped over something or looked like you were paying attention to something else when you were out with us? What about that?"

"I do apologize about those; you see, I don't make friend easily, so I have bad social skills sometimes. I hope you'll all help me with this in the future-"

"Enough!" Sakura snapped, and Sasuke fell silent. Even the ghosts surrounding the group snapped to attention. "I didn't want to do this, Sasuke, but you've forced my hand."

Then, to Sasuke's horror, she drew out her phone and pulled up a video she had taken several days previously. It showed him walking along a gravel path, when suddenly a rock flew out of nowhere and hit him in the head.

"Hey-! What the hell, man? That hurt!"

The Sasuke in the screen appeared to be listening to something, but the Sasuke in real life was trying to look at anything but the glowing phone or the sheepish Naruto floating next to him.

"That's it! It's payback, you moron!"

Digital Sasuke picked up a different rock and threw it hard in the direction from which the original rock had come, face morphing into a triumphant smile, only to be wiped away by another unheard remark.

"I did not miss you, dammit! It went through you!"

Sasuke was unable to say anything, mind working to find a way, any way, out of this.

"Well?" Sakura asked after putting her phone away, the other Konoha teens and Kakashi backing her up with glares. "What do you have to say for yourself now?"

"I'm sorry," Naruto said from beside him.

There was one way out of this, a last resort that would be very embarrassing, but Sasuke knew he was backed into a corner. Sighing a little, he turned directly to Naruto and spoke, all the ghosts' and humans' eyes going wide.

"It's alright. They would have found out anyway."

"What?" Ino clutched onto Choji harder. "Is there something here?"

"Yes." Sasuke took a deep breath as if preparing for a confession. "You see, I have this imaginary friend that I've had since I was-"

"Sasuke!" This time, the shout came from both the humans and the phantoms, and Sasuke winced a little.

"Well, it was worth a shot," he muttered.

"Sasuke." Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're begging you. Please, can't you trust us?"

What was it with people from Konoha backing Sasuke into corners? It seemed to be hobby, or even an occupation, with most of them. Shaking his head, Sasuke finally gave in with a sigh and closed his eyes. When they reopened, he had dropped the happy, cheerful facade he had comfortably worn for the past week, and he fixed the others present with a piercing gaze.

"Very well. But I do not do this lightly." He crossed his arms across his chest. "Now, let us return to the Hokage and I will inform you of your ignorance." The last word was stressed, effectively communicating his frustration with the situation.

"Why the Hokage?" Choji asked with a frown. "Why not here?"

Drawing himself up, Sasuke glared at Choji with a gaze that demanded respect. "The clan of Uchiha is a proud one. I will not have our secrets divulged in a public gymnasium."

The abrupt change Sasuke had gone through had seemed to shake his audience, but it was only the revelation of his normal attitude. Still, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a little guilty as he refused to say anything else, instead leading the group back to the inn where they all worked.

As soon as he pushed open the door to the back room, a harried Iruka, clearly waiting for Kakashi's return, stood up out of a chair. "What did he say? Did you-" Breaking off as soon as he saw Sasuke, Iruka colored and sat hurriedly back down.

"Don't worry, Iruka," Sasuke said in a monotone. "I knew you were in on it, so there's no need to pretend."

"Really?" The librarian seemed surprised. "I thought I hid it well enough- I mean, in on what? I'm just waiting here to talk to Kakashi."

"Save your breath." Sasuke crossed his hands over his chest. "He's already told me what he wants of me, so you can drop the act."

"And.. What is that?" Iruka asked nervously, still trying to get an handle on the situation.

"He wants me to… exorcise… a demon." The words left a bad taste in his mouth.

All the tension drained out of Iruka and he heaved a sigh of relief. "That's excellent. And you agreed? I was so hoping you would. You have no idea how hard it's been for us."

Immediately, the Uchiha's face closed and his eyes hardened. Glaring at all the people in the room, alive and dead, he announced frostily at large, "Wait here."

Without a backwards glance, Sasuke left the room and started up the stairs, but he could tell without looking that Naruto was following close behind him.

When the door of Sasuke's room closed after him, Naruto wrapped his arms about the human's waist and buried his face in the soft front of his shirt. Fear made his muffled voice tremble slightly. "Do you think they'll really try to do it? Exorcise me?"

"Not if I can help it."

Sasuke usually made it a point to not get involved in things that weren't his business - hell, every Uchiha did the same - but the residents of the haunted town had made this personal for him, invading his private life, attacking someone he cared about, and looking down upon ghosts with a resentment that would refuse to leave unless he did something to change it. They had forced his hand, and Sasuke was going to return fire with the biggest guns he possessed.

After Naruto let go of his middle, Sasuke dug in the bottom of his still unpacked suitcase to find a small jewelry box, made of burnished oak and decorated with small black patterns. Turning to Naruto, he asked simply, "Do you trust me?"

"I'd like to think that I can."

Ignoring the sting the words caused, Sasuke forged ahead. "Then I'm going to need your help."

Gesturing to the jewelry box, he explained his plan with concise words. When he was done, Naruto's mouth fell open.

"Are you crazy? The others will never agree to that!"

"That's why I'm going to need your help."

Naruto protested, but eventually gave in, and the pair departed the room and went back downstairs, where six people and four ghosts waited for them. Upon catching sight of the box in Sasuke's hands, the humans of the group took a nervous step back.

"What's in the box?" Iruka asked, a slight tremble gracing his voice.

"Jewelry."

"Jewelry?" Ino, at least, looked interested at this new development. "What kind of jewelry?"

"Bracelets, but they're not for you, and I have some explaining to do first."

An unseen frown creased the skin between Kakashi's eyes. "Then get on with it!" He said impatiently.

Going slowly to gauge the reaction of his audience, Sasuke started his tale. "As you all know, I'm part of a family known as the Uchiha, which is an old clan with special bloodline traits. Many older aristocratic families have them, from shapeshifting abilities to elemental control powers, but the Uchihas are special, being one of only two families with the ability to perceive the spiritual realm."

Sasuke paused his speech to study the humans listening to him. Every person, even the skeptical Tenten, was hanging off his words like they were a lifeline in an endless sea. In any other place, the claims he was making would have been laughed away or ignored completely, but here, they were all listening to him, believing him, even. To the phantoms, this was an endless source of amusement; Kiba kept jumping between Sasuke and his audience, and Shino smiled at his antics while Lee seemed to be fascinated with Sakura's reactions.

Shaking his head slightly, Sasuke opened the box and pulled out a bracelet, holding it up so the silver metal winked in the light from the overhead bulb. "Silver has special properties in conjecture with the spiritual realm. Ghosts who are more powerful have the ability to interact with things of the physical realm, but silver automatically interact with all ghosts, regardless of their power level. However, it also has the unfortunate side effect of burning them. Now, this is a simplification of things, but this bracelet is made with a special alloy of silver that won't harm a ghost, but will still interact with them physically. The catch is pure silver, though, so only a human can put it on or remove it. This is only one of the many objects my family has developed through the generations to make interactions with the supernatural community easier."

"It can interact with ghosts?" Ino asked with wide eyes.

Sakura asked the more pertinent question. "Does the fact that you have that bracelet mean there's somebody here?"

"No." Everyone visibly relaxed, only to tense up again at Sasuke's next words. "There's more than one 'somebody' here."

"How many?" There was a tremor in Ino's voice.

Instead of answering, Sasuke held out the bracelet to Naruto. "If you would?"

Naruto hesitated for a few heart-stopping moments, then extended his hand, and with gently fingers, Sasuke fastened the bracelet around his wrist. When he hands dropped away from Naruto's and the bracelet was left, to the other humans in the room, to seemingly dance in the air, unsuspected by anything, a gasp resounded and as one, they all huddled in the center of the room, looking around with frightened eyes.

"Holy shit," Choji whispered roughly.

Iruka had grabbed Kakashi's hand, but still had enough courage to reprimand the heavyset teen. "Language, Choji." Then Naruto waved, the bracelet, to them, seeming to jerk around in thin air, and he too jumped and swore. "Holy shit!"

Without speaking, Sasuke withdrew another bracelet from his box and extended it to Kiba. The dog-loving phantom immediately went nuts. "Are you kidding? No way! I'm never putting on one of those things!"

If there was to be one that gave him trouble, Sasuke had predicted it to be Kiba, which was why he had chosen him to go first. Once Kiba relented, the rest of the phantoms would soon follow.

"Oh, come on, it doesn't hurt! Right?"

Naruto brought the bracelet up to his eyes for a closer examination. "Yeah… It feels a little tingly, but no burning." He scratched his head. "No motor function impairment, either."

"See?" Sasuke extended the bracelet once more. "Please?"

Sasuke could see the wheels grinding inside Kiba's head before he finally gave in. "Oh, all right," he said with a sigh. "Just get it over with."

Before he could change his mind, Sasuke grabbed his wrist and fastened the bracelet to it.

Kiba gave a single full body shake at the contact. "I don't like it."

"You don't have to like it. You just have to wear it."

The rest of the bracelets went of without protest, but Sasuke did notice that his human audience recoiled a little more every time a new ghost was reviewed to their eyes. As soon as Shikamaru's was on, who was the last person to accept the bracelet because he thought thought it was troublesome, Kakashi almost groaned aloud.

"Five… I've had five ghosts living in my inn, and I've never even noticed!"

"Don't take it too personally. Most people wouldn't have noticed even to the extent that you did."

No one spoke then for the longest time, and Sasuke let the silence continue, knowing that it was helping the humans

"You've made your point," Kakashi said evenly after a while. "There are spirits here, and as none of us have been injured at work thus far, perhaps those spirits are not as malevolent as we once thought. However, that makes no difference to my request; I still want you to exorcise the demon Uzumaki."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in a challenge. "I'm not finished. If you want my help, you're going to have to follow my rules and do this my way."

"Fine." Kakashi agreed, folding his arms across his chest. "What do you want from us?"

"Respect."

"Respect?" Iruka looked flummoxed. "We respect you, Sasuke."

"Not for me." Sasuke jerked his head back toward the collection of ghosts, visible to the others only as a set of floating silver bracelets. "For them."

Ino wrinkled her nose. "Them? You mean, the ghosts?" Upon receiving Sasuke's glare, she looked around as if to gather support from the rest of the group, but no one seemed willing to speak out. A little more nervousness crept into her voice. "I mean, they're just impressions of people who died, right?"

Kiba started forward at that, but Shino grabbed him and held him back.

"Hold your peace," Sasuke snapped, and all the humans jumped at the harsh sound. With a grimace, Kiba did as he was bade and relaxed into Shino's chest.

Turning back to his human audience, Sasuke fixed them with a glare. "Open your minds! Spirits, like people, cannot be defined by simple rules. We can try to categorize them, but they will always surprise us. It is true that most ghosts at simple shadows of what they were in life, but here are always those rare few who retain certain aspects of their humanity. We like to call them phantoms, and standing in front of you are five phantoms that have more personality than some people I've met."

This time, it was Tenten who stepped forward to break the silence. "Does it make any difference if they have a personality? We still can't see them."

"Uncertainty begets fear," Sasuke explained, seeking to make them understand, "but familiarity leads to acceptance. If you learn to accept the spirits that live within the walls of the Hokage, they will cease to become frightening to you."

"But, the demon-"

"There's no such thing as demons. Malevolent ghosts are called draugrs, and they only form when a ghost haunts the site of his death, and usually are victims of a deadly violent crime. As all the Hokage phantoms were either victims of accidents or died of natural causes, and none of them on the grounds of this inn, on the whole, except for a few pranks, they're harmless."

"How do you know?" Kakashi asked, remaining remarkable critical of the situation considering that enough unexplainable things to make a normal person question his sanity had been thrust upon him in the last twenty minutes. "If they told you, they could have been lying."

"I know that," Sasuke said crossly, folding his arms across his chest. "I've been doing this for a lot longer than you. I did individual research in all of them to confirm their spectral state."

"Where?" Both Sakura and Naruto asked.

"And when?" Naruto added. His confusion was understandable; Sasuke had spent almost every waking moment in the presence of Naruto over the past week, and had been forced to sneak around to do the research behind his back.

"The library."

Naruto's eyes widened in understanding; he had often left Sasuke to his own devices in the library, knowing his attachment to literature.

Sasuke continued with a laugh. "Iruka even caught me the first time, but I was more careful after that."

A gasp was drawn from Iruka and his eyes widened as he made the connection. "The article about the two-headed cow you were reading! That's what you were doing that day? I thought you were just looking up something for personal curiosity's sake."

Kiba couldn't help snickering. "You could call it that."

Shooting a look at him, Sasuke ordered, "Behave."

All the people jumped, and Kiba made a face, but obeyed.

"Did someone… say something?" Immediately after voicing it, Sakura placed a hand over her mouth, as if she could take back the words.

"Yes." Sasuke gestured Kiba forward, who obeyed with a slight grimace. "As I said before, familiarity leads to acceptance, so I'm going to introduce you to the phantoms that live in the Hokage to help you better understand them."

"Do we have to?" Kiba whined.

Not even bothering to respond to the complaint, Sasuke grabbed his arm with the bracelet attached held it up in the air.

"This is Kiba."

Everyone drew back in fear.

"T-the were-beast?" Ino stuttered nervously.

"No. Kiba Inuzuka is not a were-beast; in fact, he looks much like you I do. He happens to keep a dog that is a descendant of the one he had when he was alive, but he posses no canine features."

One by one, Sasuke introduced the phantoms, explaining how each one was different from the descriptions used in the event earlier that night. Slowly, the people seemed to be warming up to the idea of knowing the ghosts, and were loosening from their huddle.

After all but Naruto had been introduced, the people had spread out enough for the phantoms to come between them, and were poking at the bracelets, gasping when one of them moved.

Sakura, watching Sasuke, spied Naruto's bracelet next to him. "Who's that?" She asked, pointing to Naruto.

Sasuke took Naruto's wrist with the bracelet and held it aloft. "This is Naruto Uzumaki, an unassuming ghost who you insist upon branding as a demon."

Everyone took a hurried, terrified step back.

"That's the Uzumaki ghost?" Kakashi asked in fear.

Well, at least they had stopped calling him a demon. "Yes, this is Naruto Uzumaki, a mischievous ghost and a personal friend of mine, and if anyone has a problem with it, they can take up with me."

All the humans hung their heads as they thought the matter over. Sasuke almost held his breath; he had given them the tools, but could they now get rid of their ingrained hatred?

Ino was the first to respond. "Then they aren't dangerous? Any of them?" She asked, poking at Lee's bracelet, who appeared to be enjoying teasing her.

Sasuke shook his head. "None of the ghosts that live here are dangerous, no. Ghosts usually only attack if provoked, anyway, and you've done nothing to annoy them."

Kakashi appeared to be smiling beneath his mask. "That's a relief, at least. I was worried about the black cloaks with the red clouds on them."

The words froze Sasuke to his core, setting a sinking sensation flooding through his gullet. "What did you say?"

"Black cloaks with red clouds," Kakashi repeated. "I've seen them moving through the town sometimes and thought they might have been dangerous, but you said ghosts don't attack unless provoked, so-"

Breaking out of his frozen state, Sasuke leaped up and grabbed Kakashi's shirtfront. "Are you sure?"

"Of what?"

"The red clouds!" Sasuke released Kakashi's shirtfront, only to round on him again. "How can you see them? You can't see ghosts!"

A little sheepishly, Kakashi admitted, "Actually, I can, but only in one eye. I kept seeing people that walked right through things, and it was driving me crazy, so I covered up the eye and haven't seen one since."

"Show me," Sasuke demanded. Although he appeared a little reluctant, Kakashi heard something in Sasuke's tone that convinced him to follow the order, and he slipped the mask off his covered eye, carefully leaving the rest of his face covered.

When closed, the eye had a scar across the lid, clipping throughout eyebrow and ending below the eye itself. In answer to an unasked question, Kakashi said, "It was given to me after I lost my real eye in an accident. I don't know where it came from."

Everyone, ghosts and people, gathered with bated breath around Akashi, waiting for him to open his eye. Slowly, the lid flickered and began to move upward, and a collective gasp was drawn.

The eye was red, not just bloodshot, but actually red, the pupils a vibrant bloody shade with black flecks breaking up the monotony. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Sasuke recognized it: It was a Sharingan eye, the kind that the Uchiha clan possessed. Though how an Uchiha eye had been given to Kakashi as a replacement after an accident, he didn't know.

For the first time in his life, Sasuke started to shake. If Kakashi had a Sharingan eye, then he really could see ghosts through that eye, and he had been telling the truth about the black cloaks with red clouds. Stumbling backwards, Sasuke found a chair and sank down in it, covering his own eyes as if he could block out the sight and the implications it brought with it.

"Sasuke! Are you alright?" Naruto cried, grabbing tight to his arm and holding on in an attempt of comfort that Sasuke was grateful for.

He wasn't the only one who noticed; Sakura also started toward Sasuke, but stopped just shy of touching him when she noticed the silver bracelet next to his arm. "Sasuke? Is something wrong?"

"This whole town is wrong!" If Sasuke wasn't an Uchiha, he might have been ripping out his hair in frustration. "Everything here is messed up! Why? Why is everything so wrong?"

"Sas-"

He held up a hand to stop her, frantically holding on to his self-control. "Everyone… should probably just leave now."

"Why?" Choji started forward. "What's going on? What about the black cloaks with red clouds?"

"They're nothing important," Sasuke managed to say, a foul taste pervading his mouth.

"But-"

"Just go!" He shouted.

Shocked, Choji stepped back.

Feeling a little guilty, Sasuke grasped back onto what self-control he could find. "There's only so many surprises a person can take in a day. You'd be best to sleep on what I've told you so far. In the morning, if you still want to know, I'll tell you."

At that exact moment, Kiba, who had been messing with the latch in his bracelet, snatched his hand away and began jumping up and down, cradling an injured finger. "Motherfucker, that hurt!"

"I told you the latches were made out of pure silver. Only a human can undo it." Pushing his hair out of his eyes, Sasuke fixed the hyper ghost with a knowing glance. "Unless you feel like losing a finger, I wouldn't try that again."

Shikamaru heaved a heavy sigh. "I can't undo it with telekinesis, either."

"Of course not," Sasuke scoffed. "Do you think we would go through all the trouble to invent something like this, and leave that major flaw? The alloy is also resistant to telekinesis."

Scowling, Kiba extended his wrist to Sasuke. "Then, can you take it off of me?"

Sasuke considered for a bit, then shook his head. "No, I don't think I will."

"What!?" Kiba screamed. "Are you kidding? I'm not going to walk around with this girly thing on my hand for the rest of my- well, not life, but you know what I mean!"

"You won't have to," Sasuke said tiredly. "It'll just be for a few more days, until they get more used to you. I'll take it off then."

Muttering a few choice swear words under his breath, Kiba stormed out of the room. Meeting eyes with Shino through his dark glasses, he and Sasuke exchanged a nod of understanding before the ghost followed Kiba out of the room. Idly, Sasuke wondered if there was anything between the two, considering the fact that they were always together.

Shaking those thoughts out of his head, Sasuke turned back to the people, who were watching his exchange with the population of the room invisible to them. "I'm serious; you all think you're taking this well, but I can see it in your eyes. You've all partially gone into shock, which is why you feel so calm. Sleep on it, and we'll reconvene tomorrow. If you still want to know, I'll tell you then."

"Fine." Kakashi surprised him by agreeing. "Home, everybody. Your parents are going to be angry enough at me for keeping you out this late. Sakura, Ino: I'll see you bright and early tomorrow. The rest of you, we'll keep in touch. Is that clear?"

All the teens started to protest. "But, Kakashi-"

Fire flashed in Kakashi's single eye, him having covered his other eye back up. "I said, is that clear?"

"Yes, Kakashi," they all chorused unenthusiastically.

Eye twinkling in a smile, he practically shoved them out the door, and Sasuke shook his head in amazement, impressed at the way he handled the unruly group of teenagers. "Good. See you tomorrow!"

After the door was shut firmly behind him, Kakashi went back and stood next to Iruka,a nod the two men touched their foreheads briefly. "Well, that was interesting."

"You could say that again."

Suddenly uncomfortable at the blatant display of affection, Sasuke sprang out of his chair. The two men, as if just then realizing he was still in the room, pushed apart, Iruka blushing heavily.

"I think I'll take my own advice," Sasuke said to the pair, Kakashi looking amused and Iruka looking embarrassed. "See you in the morning, Kakashi."

He started up the stairs, feeling Naruto slip a hand into his own. Halfway up the stairs, though, Iruka stopped him with a call. "Sasuke… there's someone following you."

Glancing down, Sasuke saw the bracelet on Naruto's wrist, which was what Iruka was seeing. "I know."

Kakashi suddenly grinned, the action visible only in his squinting eye. "Sasuke…"

"What?" He asked, a little crossly.

"You sly dog!"

Iruka gasped, scandalized at the implication. "Kakashi!"

The masked man shrugged. "What? I'm just saying what I think."

Sasuke, who had frozen in shock at the accusation, melted just enough to point his nose in the air. "Good night, Kakashi." He started back up the stairs, but didn't let go of Naruto's hand.

A hearty chuckle floated up after Sasuke, but he ignored it.

When he pulled Naruto through the door and closed it after them, the first thing the ghost did was press his lips against Sasuke's own.

"Sasuke," he whispered after breaking the kiss. "What does the black cloaks with red clouds mean?"

Sasuke heaved a sigh; the others he could divert, but he should have expected that Naruto, at least, was going to want an explanation. "Akatsuki," he whispered.

A crease appeared between Naruto's eyes as he frowned. "What's Akatsuki?"

"Another branch of ghosts, very rare, like phantoms are." Sasuke passed a hand in front of his eyes. "Akatsuki are a kind draugr, but a very specific, bloodthirsty kind. They tend to band together once they find more of their own kind, and wear black cloaks with red clouds to distinguish themselves and strike fear into the hearts of their beholders."

"What qualifies a ghost as a member of an Akatsuki group?"

"Akatsuki are the ghosts of serial killers." Sasuke paused to let that sink in before continuing. "It was a former member of an Akatsuki group that drove my older brother insane."

Strong, firm arms wrapped around his waist, offering comfort. "That's why you were so weird earlier, when Kakashi mentioned the cloaks. It must bring up bad memories for you."

Chuckling darkly, Sasuke reciprocated the hug. "You have no idea."

They stayed like that for a few moments before Sasuke pulled back with a sigh. "If there really is Akatsuki here, I can't deal with them myself. As much as my pride hurts to say it, I'm going to have to call for backup."

Naruto stood back as Sasuke pulled out his phone and started dialing his father's number. Just before he hit call, though, his eyes narrowed. His father hadn't wanted to come to Konoha in the first place, and having Sasuke try to drag him out here would only cause a fight he didn't want to deal with. Slowly, he canceled the call and lowered his phone. If he didn't call his father, who could he call?

There was only one other, and he hadn't wanted to go that route. Still, it seemed to be his only option, so Sasuke scrolled through his contacts until he found one simply labeled "Hyuuga", placed there by a boy his own age whom he had met by chance several years previously. The boy had given him a number, but Sasuke had never called before, so he wondered if the call would even be answered.

With a slight tremble went through his fingers as he hit call. The ringtone sounded twice in his ear before someone the other end picked up.

"H-hello?" It was a young teenage girl's voice, stuttering cutely. "Who is th-this?"

"Hyuuga," Sasuke exclaimed, the only thing he could think of to say. "I need to speak with Hyuuga."

Suspicion crept into the girl's voice. "H-how did you g-get this n-number?"

"It was given to me. Please, I need to speak with Hyuuga."

"Which one?" The girl asked, still sounding suspicious, but not enough to hang up. "This is the Hyuuga's main residence, and there are many Hyuugas that live here."

Shit! Sasuke hadn't been expecting that. At first, he had thought the number was a cell number and the girl might have been his girlfriend, but it was probably his sister or something. Racking his brains, he came up with a description of the man he was looking for. "Um, I don't have a name, but he's probably about eighteen or twenty now, and has really long, dark hair."

"That would probably be my cousin, Neji."

Now that he was thinking about it, Neji sounded right to Sasuke. "Most likely. Can I speak to him? Please?"

"Just a minute. I'll go get him."

Sasuke heard the phone being set down, then the girl's pattering footsteps as she called out. "Neji! There's someone on the phone for you!"

A minute or so later, a heavier set of footsteps approached the phone, and a deeper, male voice answered with suspicion. "Who is this, and why do you have this number?"

"Uchiha," Sasuke answered. "You gave me this number a couple years ago."

"Who?" Anger lay in the voice now. "If I don't like your answer, I'll trace the call and hunt you down for hacking into a secure system."

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke explained quickly and concisely. "We met approximately two years ago in Chicago, during March. It was during a storm, and we both ended up having trouble with a female figure who we ended up helping fade. That jog your memory? You gave me the number in case I ever needed to contact you."

Surprisingly, a chuckle was heard through the phone. "Oh, the Uchiha asshole." Sasuke bristled a little at that. "I'd almost forgotten about you. This obviously isn't a social call, so just tell me what you want."

Clenching his phone a little harder, Sasuke admitted, "I need your help."

There was a pause before Neji spoke again. "Continue."

Quickly, Sasuke explained about the excess of spiritual energy in Konoha, and how he had ended up there alone. When he was done, he could almost hear Neji shaking his head.

"That's not bad; I don't see why you would need my help."

"That's not all of it. The draugrs are really dangerous; one almost killed me in the first few days I was here. I've also seen five phantoms, three of them approaching a hundred years old and one well past that, and they've told me of ghosts who were older than them. One of the phantoms gave me a direct assurance that he has never seen or heard of a ghost fading within the town limits for as long as he has been here, and I believe him." Sasuke paused to take a breath before delivering the final blow. "And there's been a possible Akatsuki sighting."

"Jesus!" Neji almost shouted into the phone. "And you're there alone?"

"Other than the phantoms, some teenagers blind to the spirit world, and a man who somehow received a Sharingan eye as a transplant after an accident… yeah. Completely alone."

"You're in deep shit," Neji remarked.

"Tell me about it."

"What do you want from me?"

Sasuke hesitated. This was the most critical part of the discussion. "Backup. My dad wouldn't come even if I asked him to. I want another pair of eyes in case I miss something important."

A pause was heard before Neji spoke again. "In other words, you want me to come out to Konoha and be your second pair of eyes."

With a little trepidation, Sasuke answered,"Yes."

A sigh reverberated through the phone. "Alright, you got your backup. I have some loose ends to tie up here, then I can be out there in two days."

"Seriously?" Had Neji just agreed to his plan? Had it really been that easy?

"Unless you don't want me to come," Neji answered back testily.

"No, I do," Sasuke amended. "I just didn't expect you to say yes so quickly."

"I'll tell you what, Uchiha: you're not the only one with family issues. Sometimes I'd do anything to get away from them."

A chill went down Sasuke's spine. "How did you know about…"

He trailed off, and Neji interrupted. "I don't. Not officially, at least, but rumors fly. See you in a few days, Uchiha."

"Yeah. A few days, Hyuuga." Sasuke was about to hang up when Neji's voice stopped him.

"Wait! Um, I'll have to bring my younger cousin, Hinata, with me. She was the one who picked up the phone when you called. I'm taking care of her right now, and she's supposed to stay with me. Is that alright?"

"Should be fine," Sasuke agreed. "Can she…?"

"See ghosts? Only a little. She's training under me, which is why she has be come with me at all times." His voice grew stern. "But I don't want her seeing any dangerous action, do you hear me?"

"I understand."

"Good." Neji's voice turned businesslike again. "Then goodbye for now, Uchiha. I'll see you in a few days." And with a click, he hung up.

"Did it go well?" Naruto asked from his perch, floating upside down over the bed.

With a scowl, Sasuke shooed him away from the bed. "Yeah. I've got some backup heading here. Until he arrives, it would be best to lay low." He shook his head in admiration at fate. "I can't believe I haven't run into Akatsuki before, if they really are here. The Hyuuga, when he arrives, will be able to tell for sure."

Sasuke collapsed into the bed fully clothed, kicking off his shoes. "Man, I'm tired. Today was such a long day. It started off with a confession of my sexuality and ended with a confession of my heritage." Naruto floated down next to Sasuke and snuggled against his side. "And somewhere in the middle, this happened," he said, gesturing to their touching bodies.

Naruto looked up at him with large eyes. "Did you not want it to?"

"No, I wanted it to…" Sasuke brushed some blond strands away from Naruto's face. "It just took me by surprise, a little. I didn't really know what I was feeling until it hit me with enough force to send me completely on my ass."

"Hm." Smirking a little, Naruto leaned in to give Sasuke a kiss on his cheek, but Sasuke turned his face at the last second to catch Naruto's lips with his own. The kiss was different than the others they had shared, holding more passion than the quick pecks of the afternoon, but not quite so burning and needy as their first kiss, and when it broke, they were both breathing heavy, but not panting.

A light blush staining his cheeks, Naruto asked nervously, "Sasuke?"

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, slipping his arm around Naruto's shoulders to pull him closer.

"Can I… sleep with you tonight?"

The question threw Sasuke for a second. "But… ghosts don't fall asleep."

Naruto flushed further. "I know. I just want to be near you when you sleep."

A silence pervaded the room as Sasuke thought. Sleeping with another person wasn't something he ever did, never having sleepovers because he had no friends. The last time he had shared a bed with someone else, he had been five and had crawled in Itachi's bed after a nightmare. But this was Naruto, and he would do anything for Naruto. "Alright," Sasuke said finally.

A wide grin split Naruto's face. "Really?"

"Yeah, sure."

Sasuke threw off the covers to his bed, then climbed in, Naruto copying his actions on the opposite side of the bed. At first, is was an awkward jumble of bodies, limbs tangling around and neither boy able to get comfortable. After Sasuke kicked Naruto roughly in the shin, the ghost drew back, wincing.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," he said regretfully, and made to stand up, but Sasuke caught his wrist, the one with the silver bracelet.

"Wait. Let me try something."

Slowly, Sasuke entwined their fingers, feeling the bracelet bump against his own wrist as he pulled Naruto's arm flush against his own. Using this appendage, he reeled Naruto in closer to him, until their mouths were a scant breath apart, then he brought his other hand up behind Naruto's neck and closed the distance between them.

The kiss started slowly, like the one a scarce minute before, but soon heated up past blistering. Naruto let his hand trail into Sasuke's hair, only seize a handful of it and hold on as Sasuke let his tongue trace the seam of Naruto's lips, seeking entrance, which was soon granted. Meeting Sasuke's rolling tongue with a trust of his own, Naruto sought to dominate the Uchiha, who allowed it for a little while, enjoying the taste of the inside of the phantom's mouth, until Sasuke abruptly rolled over, pinning Naruto softly beneath him.

Now it was his turn to dominate, and Naruto allowed Sasuke complete control over the kiss, letting him pillage his mouth like a greedy dragon at a treasure hoard. Alternating between bruising pressure and gentle licks that almost broke the contact between them, Sasuke proceed to drive Naruto wild, who could only hold on for the ride. The hand with the bracelet trailed down Sasuke's back, and he felt the chill of the metal touch his skin at the base of his spine, where his shirt had ridden up. He responded by dragging his own hand along the curve of Naruto's shoulder and down his chest, pressing up under his shirt to touch the feverishly hot skin of his stomach.

"Ah- Sasuke!" Naruto moaned into the kiss, and responded by reaching up the back of Sasuke's shirt to feel the rippling muscles of his back.

With an almost animalistic growl, Sasuke broke the kiss for just a second as he reared back to rip his shirt off, then he dove back down into Naruto's waiting embrace. His fingers shook a little as he tried to undo the buttons on Naruto's shirt, but the ghost pushed his hands away and did it himself, somehow managing to make the entire shirt disappear.

"How…?" Sasuke asked, not feeling very articulate.

A seductive smirk graced Naruto's face. "Powers, remember. Now, are you gonna get on with it?"

Not needing any more encouragement, Sasuke leaned down to press a kiss against Naruto's chest, tracing his collarbone with his teeth. Letting out a gasp, Naruto brought his hands up to sit in Sasuke's hair, keeping his mouth firmly against his skin. Sasuke grinned a little against Naruto at the action, then nipped his soft neck gently. Naruto gasped again, but didn't push him away, so Sasuke bit down harder, using enough force to leave a mark that would still be there in the morning. All of a sudden, Naruto bit Sasuke on the shoulder in response, then drew back and licked it as if apologizing for the hurt.

Emboldened by the move, Sasuke started sucking hard in the crook of Naruto's neck in encouragement, hoping Naruto would bite down on his shoulder again. He didn't, but he trailed his lips up to Sasuke's ear and shyly flicked the tip of his tongue against the lobe, which was just as good. Releasing one more growl against the skin of Naruto's neck, Sasuke pressed a final kiss against the abused spot before rearing up above the ghost.

What Sasuke saw stopped him. Naruto was flushed, eyes misted over and love marks already forming on his neck, and Sasuke knew that he didn't look any better. With a start, Sasuke realized that unless they intended to go further, they needed to stop what they were doing.

As if sensing Sasuke's thoughts, Naruto's eyes cleared and his blush faded, then he reached a hand out, and with a simple hand gesture, flicked the lights off using his telekinesis. In the dark, he settled next to Sasuke, curling against his bare chest, and Sasuke found that it no longer felt awkward. Their limbs fit gently together like a set of jigsaw puzzle pieces, and Sasuke pressed his lips to Naruto's forehead in a gesture of affection.

"Good night, Naruto."

Just as sleep was about to claim him, he neared Naruto whisper it back.

"Good night, Sasuke."