Spirits Within

Summery: Itachi moves into a turn of the century house. Strange occurrences begin to happen. Spectral sightings, moving of objects. The image of a handsome blond is branded on his memory as he discovers he is not alone in his home.

AN: This will be finished by Jan1 and if for the contest for the Itachi and Naruto club on Y!

Warnings: Ghosts, sexual encounters with ghosts, homosexual relationships, murder.

Spirits Within

Part One

“Why, in God’s name, would you want to move to this shit hole town, Itachi?” Sasuke wrinkled his nose, fighting back the sneeze threatening to escape as Itachi whipped off a sheet from one of the many covered chair.

Itachi Uchiha cocked his head, a smug smile on his face. “Because, it’s the perfect place for me to work on my paintings.”

“Bullshit. You just want me to be the one to deal with Mother and Father when they come back from their trip. Do you know the ass chewing I’m going to get for letting you move three states away?” Sasuke’s scowling face reached mammoth proportions as Itachi’s solid black cat jumped into his master’s lap. “A least I don’t have to deal with that little shit any longer.”

“Sasuke, are you going to let Sasuke talk to you that way?” Itachi laughed as his brother went into a fit of sneezes. Sasuke was horribly allergic to cat hair. Living with Itachi had him in a constant state of sneezing.

“Keep that hairball away from me.” Sasuke backed up as the green eyed cat fixated its gaze on him.

“Hmm, the place really was a bargain. Fully furnished and modern appliances. I’m surprised it was on the market for so long.” Itachi commented as he dropped the cat into the chair before strolling around the room.

“It’s haunted.”

“Hmm?”

“Didn’t you do any research? Every time some one buys this place, all manner of ghostly phenomena occur. The flickering of lights. Moving of objects. Spectral sightings.” Sasuke said after regaining his composure following another round of sneezes.

“You can’t be serious.” Itachi glanced incredulously at his brother.

“I didn’t say I believed it but that’s the excuse that was given.” Sasuke stomped his foot at the cat creeping towards him. The little demon spawn from hell had it in for him. It wanted to make him sneeze himself to death. He could just see the headstone now. ‘Here lies Sasuke Uchiha. Murdered by Sasuke the cat.’ What the fuck possessed his brother to name the damn cat after him?

“Most likely a wiring problem. I’ll have an electrician look at it if I have any problems.” commented Itachi.

“Whatever. I’m staying at a local hotel for two more days then I’m out of here.” Sasuke and Sasuke cat glared at each other, the malice was practically palatable.

“Really, Sasuke. Do you and the cat have to think homicidal thoughts about each other?” Itachi’s smirk told Sasuke the man enjoyed watching the two Sasukes spar.

“I’ll be back tomorrow morning to help you start cleaning your little piece of Shit hole, New York.” Sasuke’s grumbling only brought a smile to Itachi’s lips. Annoying Sasuke was one of the joys of his life. He would miss it when he left to fly back to Virginia.

“Goodbye, Sasuke.” Itachi waved before exploring the house with his faithful sidekick, Sasuke the cat.

The four bedroom, three bath house really was a dream. It was a surprisingly spacious turn of the century beauty; having been well taken care of. The furniture was a bit more feminine than he would have liked but seeing as it came with the house, he wasn’t going to complain. It would save him the money of having to refurbish; not that he couldn’t afford to do so if he wished.

The master bedroom possessed a large four poster bed and oddly enough, a ceiling mirror. One of the previous owners must have been quite the kinky individual. Chuckling, he began removing sheets from the dressers and chairs; tossing them in the hallway to be washed and stored later.

A bit of Pledge and a little elbow grease later had the room dust free, Sasuke dozing in the retreating sun. “Sasuke, you have the right idea.”

He grabbed a few clean towels from one of the boxes labeled ‘towels’. The house was filled with such boxes, all labeled and placed in their respective rooms, ready for tomorrow’s full day of unpacking. Tossing the towel across the toilet, he started the water. It took several minutes to heat causing him to make a mental note to have a plumber come see about replacing the hot water heater.

Stepping beneath the spray, he sighed. His muscles were still tight after the strain of the move. He’d just needed to get away from his overbearing parents for a while. Their smothering attitude was being to effect his work, causing a decline in the quality.

Turning off the water, he reached through the curtain to grab the towel he’d lain there. His hand came up with nothing but the toilet seat. Sticking his head out, he arched a brow. The towel was no where to be seen. He could have sworn he grabbed a towel. Maybe he was more tired than he originally thought.

Rubbing his eyes, he groaned as he stalked naked through the house to where he’d sat the towel box. The box wasn’t where it was supposed to be. “What the fuck?”

Where the hell was the towel box? Checking every room, he couldn’t find the towel box but knowing full well that it had arrived. The chill of the night air caused his nipples to pucker followed by chill bumps rising on his skin. In the morning he would find that damn box first thing.

Drawing down the covers of the newly made bed, Itachi settled his damp body between the cool sheets, shivering slightly. Sleep came easily, the long day finally taking its toll on him. He felt Sasuke jump on the bed to curl around his feet, the familiar weight causing him to drift more easily into sleep.

Green eyes opened lazily to watch the other occupant of the room. Sasuke the cat had been watching him all day. Cats have that unique ability to see what is beyond normal human sight, after all. He found the strange shadow intriguing. He was certain this being would be important to his master. As long as he didn’t hurt his master, he and the shadow would get along just fine.

The shadowed figure crept closer and closer, causing the air to shift ever so slightly. A translucent hand inched forward to touch damp ink colored locks only to have his hand sink through the pillow. A sad smile creased the handsome face before he straightened his lithe frame, fading into nothing.

~*~

“Where are the fucking towels?” snarled Itachi, earning a confused look from Sasuke.

“What do you mean, ‘Where are the towels?’ They are in the hallway where I put the box, yesterday.” Sasuke stretched his hands over his head, working the kinks out before grabbing another set of dishes to be placed in the cupboard.

“Well, they aren’t there now.” Itachi was frowning, never a good thing.

“Fine, you go put up dishes and I will look for your god damned towels.” snapped Sasuke as he began checking the various boxes placed through the house.

Standing in the hall, Sasuke was assaulted with the need to sneeze. It kept building and building until he released the mother of all sneezes. The sneeze must have shook the house because a hidden door in the ceiling fell down, ladder and all; scaring Sasuke so bad he released a high pitched scream.

“What happened?” yelled Itachi as he ran to find Sasuke, paler than usual, sitting on the floor before a ladder. “What the fuck?”

“What is that?” asked Sasuke, still shaking from having ten years shaved off his life.

“Well, well. Sasuke, it looks like you found the attic.” smirked Itachi as he stepped over his brother before testing a rung on the ladder. It seemed sturdy enough.

Slowly inching his way upward, he wrinkled his nose at the musty smell coming from the storage area. It had probably been years since anyone had set foot in the room. Pulling himself into the small storage space, he arched a brow. It wasn’t as packed with stored boxes as he would have imagined. In fact, there was just one box.

Pulling the box closer, he handed it carefully down to Sasuke before slowly lowering himself from the dust filled storage area. “Maybe we can find you some old porn.” said Itachi, earning a snort from Sasuke.

“The only porn I need is in my girlfriend’s bedroom.” The statement earned a bark of laughter from Itachi. He’d had the pleasure of ‘accidentally’ walking in on Sasuke and his girlfriend during playtime. There were several incriminating photographs at an undisclosed location which he would keep as blackmail material on his brother.

The box was sat on the table. Two impossibly dark sets of eyes stared at it as if waiting for some monster to pop out. “Aren’t you going to open it?” asked Sasuke, looking at his brother.

“Chicken shit.” grumbled the elder before popping off the top. Reaching in the box, Itachi found it packed with pictures; very old pictures. Going by style of dress, he would say the pictures were taken in the early nineteen hundreds.

Sasuke leaned over his shoulder, looking as Itachi flipped through them. Some were of the house, most likely just built; but most featured a rather stunning young man. He looked to be mid twenties with an easy grin gracing his face. Some were of him alone while others were him laughing with friends.

Itachi felt a strange pang in his chest as he looked at the young man. For some strange and less than sane reason, he wanted to know him. Sasuke didn’t seem to have the same feelings, he was too busy digging through the box now that it was proven safe.

“Hey! Look at this.” Sasuke produced an small jeweler’s case; inside lay a small blue crystal attached to a silver chain. Itachi picked it up. The light from the window caught on the facets, creating dappling of light across the table.

“Looks like it belonged to this guy. I don’t know, Itachi. He looks like a certifiable idiot to me.” Sasuke tossed his brother a larger photograph of the man in the picture. Itachi stared for a long time at the grinning man. His light colored hair seemed wild and untamed. For some reason, even though the picture was in black and white, he knew his hair was a sunshine blond.

He ran his thumb across the whisker-like marks on the cheeks. He found himself wanting to touch the skin; to feel it’s texture. “Naruto Uzumaki.”

Itachi glanced up. “Hmm?”

“That’s his name. Naruto Uzumaki.” Sasuke flipped a picture of the man showing a scribbled name on the back. “I bet he was the original owner of this house and now he is a ghost that steals towels.”

“You’re an idiot.” snorted Itachi. “Those towels just got misplaced.”

“Yes, call me an idiot. When you are running screaming because the walls start bleeding; I’ll make you eat those words.” Sasuke pouted, only half serious.

“I’m not the chicken shit too scared to open a dusty box.” Itachi returned the pictures to the box but kept the necklace, carrying it to his room. Standing before the mirror, he clasped the silver around his neck.

“I can’t believe you are going to wear that thing.” Sasuke wrinkled his nose at the sight of the blue crystal lying sedately against Itachi’s shirt.

“Come on, we’ve spent enough time dicking around. Let’s get this stuff unpacked, then I’ll take you to dinner.” Itachi chuckled as Sasuke perked up at the mention of food.

The two continued to look but never found the wayward box of towels. “I swear to God, Itachi. I put that shit in the hallway near the linen closet.” grumbled Sasuke.

Itachi didn’t say anything as they walked down then hall. Something told him to check in the linen closet. Opening the wooden door, brows shot into his hairline at the sight before him. Stacked in perfect folds were his missing towels.

“What the fuck?” Sasuke gaped from behind his brother.

“You little shit. You put them in the closet and didn’t tell me, going on about a fucking ghost.”

“Itachi…I didn’t put them up.”

“Well, I sure as hell didn’t put them up.”

“Did the cat do it?”

Both eyes dropped to the purring machine, licking his paws without a care in the world. “You are an idiot.”

“Itachi, what possessed you to buy a haunted house?”

“I know what you are doing Sasuke. I’m not coming home. I don’t care if my house is possessed by the ghost of Attila the Hun, I’m not coming back home.” Itachi grabbed his wallet, exiting the house.

“Wait for me.”

Sasuke the cat mewed plaintively at the figure gazing out the window. He tilted his head as he watched the other. Spectral or real, he was just another person in the house. Curling up in a ball, he watched until the figure faded from view once more.

It was several hours later when Itachi opened the door of his house. Sasuke had talked his ear off about ghosts. His girlfriend seemed to be heavy in the occult. When he wasn’t talking about the things he’d gleaned from his girlfriend, he was attempting to sway him in his decision to stay. Without much success.

“Sasuke, make sure you jump on Sasuke’s lap tomorrow.” he murmured as he stroked the spine of the cat.

He smiled at the mew. Sasuke the cat had no love for his brother. Rubbing his eyes, he groaned. Today had been trying indeed. He couldn’t seem to erase the bright happy eyes from his mind. It was embarrassing really. He was fantasizing about a man who, if he wasn’t dead, was a wrinkled old prune in a nursing home.

“You are a sick man.” he grunted as he shucked his clothes, leaving only his boxers.

Collapsing on the bed, he gazed up at the mirror. What a strange thing to do, putting a mirror above the bed. He must have been quite the sexual deviant of his time. Eye lids drifted shut as he smiled at the thought of being fucked by…what did Sasuke say his name was? Naruto.

A ghostly figure entered the room once more. Transparent fingers reached to touch the pale torso presented. Lips parted at the sight of the sloping plains of the other’s chest. Fingers brushed the skin, watching as chill bumps spread across.

Itachi moaned, his back arching. The most wonderful dream coursed through his mind. The blond in the picture was with him, touching him. He was teasing him, making him beg for what he wanted. His body responded with a vengeance, lust pouring through him.

The translucent hand was jerked back. His eyes were wide in shock. The body of Itachi settled down. Inching closer, his gaze landed on the crystal laying on the porcelain like skin between coral colored nipples. Biting his lip, he stroked his finger over the flesh of the visible nipple. His finger drifted through the flesh. Shocks, similar to static electricity went through him. His own moan echoed Itachi’s. It was the first thing he’d felt in over a hundred years. His body didn’t react as it would have were he alive, but the pleasure of the sensation was too wonderful not to experience again.

His eyes caught how nipples hardened. The other’s back arched, his hips jutting forward asking for more.

“Please.” mumbled the sleep heavy voice.

The specter moved his hand towards the bulge jutting from boxers. He ran his fingers through the skin, wishing he could feel the smooth flesh. His eyes jerked upward at the sound of a cry. Hips pulsed as the front of underwear dampened with cum. Midnight colored eyes shot open.

“Fuck me.” Itachi moaned. He hadn’t cum in his pants like that since he was an adolescent. Now here he was dreaming of the sultry touches of a man who lived a hundred years ago.

“You are a fucking nutcase.” he grumbled. “Naruto. Why couldn’t you have been born 90 years later?”

He stripped the boxers, wiping the cum from his crotch before tossing them to the ground and crawling naked back to bed. He closed his eyes, dreaming of what could have been. The sad eyes watching him never left his body until dawn crept through the bedroom window.

~*~

“So, there is no way I can convince you to leave this demon house? You know, when people move out of their parent’s home, they usually move across town, not three states away.” Sasuke pulled his luggage from the vehicle.

“I’m staying. I’ll leave it to you to explain things to Mother and Father.” Itachi shook his brother’s hand.

“Fuck you, I’m giving them your number. You can explain it to them yourself.” groused Sasuke, leaning his head against his brother’s shoulder. “Take care of yourself.”

“You too, little brother.”

Sasuke waved as he handed his ticket to the airport personnel, making his way towards boarding. His midnight hair, a shade darker than Itachi’s gleamed beneath the phosphorescent lighting as he disappeared in the crowd of flight passengers.

The drive home was quiet. It was finally sinking in that he was away from home. There was no family for many, many miles. There would be no stuffy dinner parties. There would be no eligible women shoved under his nose as his parents refused to believe him when he told them he was gay. It would be wonderful. He would have a chance to work on his art without the disturbances of a nosy family.

Grabbing some Chinese food from a little hole in the wall place, he sat before the television. Some cop drama was on but he couldn’t find the remote to change the channel. Sure he could have sat in front of the device to manually change it but he was too frustrated. So he sat with his Chinese food, watching cops bust the bad guys.

A full stomach and nap later, he began searching for the remote. His search came up fruitless. Growing more and more frustrated with every minute ticking by, he grabbed his cell. Hitting Sasuke’s number, he didn’t have long before the familiar voice answered.

“Miss me already?”

“I miss my remote more.”

“Huh?”

“My television remote, where did you hide it?”

“Maybe the ghost took it.”

“God, will you stop with the ghost shit. If you don’t tell me where you hid my remote, I will tell mom where you hide your bondage porn.” Itachi smirked.

“I didn’t hide your fucking remote. Ask the ghost where it is and if you tell Mom, I’ll…do something.” Sasuke growled before ending the call.

Itachi tossed his phone across the room. This house is not haunted, it was just Sasuke playing tricks to get back at him for teasing him most of his childhood. Damn little brothers and their fucked up sense of revenge.

Fuming for several more minutes, he began searching every room in the house. No remote…anywhere. Growling, stopped in the living room, hands on his hips. “Alright, I’ll humor you Sasuke. Ghost, where the fuck is my remote?”

No sooner had the words left his mouth did the drawer of one of the side tables fall open. The contents spilled to the ground, among them, his remote. He stared for several moments at the spilled contents. Rational man that he is, Itachi began attempting to rationalize his thoughts. The most logical conclusion he had was that a slight shifting of the house caused the drawer, which Sasuke had placed the remote in to tumble from its place.

“There are no such thing as ghosts.” he mumbled, walking to the bathroom.

His hands shook a little as he splashed cool water on his face, standing up only to cry out as his face wasn’t the one he saw. Instead there were sad blue eyes staring intently from a tan face. A slender hand lifted to press against the glass.

Itachi swallowed the heavy lump in his throat, lifting a hand to touch the palm pressed against the mirror. His vision went white.

~*~

“Naruto, why won’t you just sell me your shares? Your father is dead, you don’t know how to run the company. I’ve been your father’s partner for twenty years. I’ll pay you top dollar for them.”

“Orochimaru, you know my father wanted me to take over the company. I may not know how to do everything but I’ll learn. I have a lot of people willing to teach me. I’m sorry but the answer is and will always be no.” Naruto sighed, watching the change over take the other’s face.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Naruto.” The voice dropped several octaves as a derringer appeared in Orochimaru’s hands. “Sign the papers or I’ll take the company after you are dead.”

“Orochimaru!?” Naruto gaped at the weapon, he’d known his father’s partner had been trying to get his father to sell for years but he’d never thought he would resort to violence to achieve his means.

“Sign this paper. I’ll even be nice and pay you for your shares.”

“I’m not signing that. You won’t be able to kill me. You’ll be arrested and lose everything.”

“Don’t be so sure, you little shit. Sign it! I killed your father, I can kill you.”

“You…killed Dad? Why?”

“The idiot wouldn’t let me buy him out. He was throwing away money. He would have made so much more profit if he’d just listened to my suggestions.”

“You wanted pay cuts. It would have destroyed moral.”

“There are a thousand other workers willing to work under such terms. Your father just wouldn’t see things my way. I’d hoped you would be easier to sway but it appears I won’t be able to. I am sorry about this Naruto.”

The pale man lifted the gun, pulling the trigger. Pain exploded through Naruto’s body as he flew backwards from the force of the bullet entering his chest. He felt his blood pooling beneath him as his shooter dispassionately watched him gasping on the floor. His hands clutched at his chest in a futile effort to keep his blood from leaking from him. His vision grew dim.

At first there was anger. He was alone. There was no heaven or hell. He wasn’t greeted by his mother or father. He was trapped in his own house. His screams went unheard as he watched people come and go. Why couldn’t they hear him?

He watched as his best friend cried on the shoulder of his fiancé. “Kiba! Can’t you hear me? Kiba, I’m here!”

No one could hear him. For so long he floated, barely conscious of his surroundings. He would ‘wake up’ to find things changed. In a desperate attempt to fix what was out of place, he moved things back and forth. The house developed a reputation of being haunted. It was sold again and again until it fell into the hands of one long haired painter. He kept asking himself, could a person find one’s soul mate after they’d died?

~*~

Itachi groaned, picking himself up from the bathroom floor. His head pounded with the force of a subway car. He’d…fainted? The memories came rushing back. The face in the mirror. The vision.

His eyes searched the mirror, only finding his own reflection. He must have hit his head when he fell. There was no such thing as ghosts. It was all an elaborate dream of his subconscious. His sexual frustration was affecting his mind. He’d go to the library tomorrow. That would disprove everything.

He curled beneath his covers, Sasuke at his feet. Sleep seemed impossible. Despite his own certainty the events were perfectly explainable, his mind whirled with the thoughts and emotions. They seemed so foreign as if they’d come from another person and not his own mind.

Groaning, he rolled over to stare at the mirror, only to be greeted with the image on the blond laying beside him, his hand stroking Itachi‘s inky locks. His eyes jumped from the ceiling to his bedside. Not a living soul other than him and the cat occupied the bed.

“What the fuck?” he glanced up at the ceiling, nothing.

Rubbing his eyes with a frustrated sigh, he reached into his bedside drawer for the bottle of prescription sleeping pills he’d thought he would be able to dispose of. After all the stress his family poured on him, a change of scenery seemed a perfect treatment for him. Now Sasuke’s talk of ghosts and spirits had him riled up to the point of seeing things not there. Tomorrow he would lay these thoughts to rest. Tomorrow he would begin his new life.

To be continued.