'Naruto talking when he is visible'

'Naruto talking when he is not visible'

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

..............................................

"Life is consciousness"

Emmet Fox

T H R E E

.................................................................

My head throbbed and pounded against my forehead and ears.

I groaned.

I did not want to wake up just to feel like a bucket full of crap. I scrunched my eyes shut tightly.

Shit...I let the word drag in my mind for the longest time possible just to get my thoughts on something else rather than the pain in my head and back. I took a slow, deep breath as I opened my eyes.

I stared at my left hand in a loose fist in front of me. I turned my eyes to the wall, empty, it was almost like the wall itself was watching me closely. Cautiously taking in my every move.

But then again, that's what everyone feels when they're alone.

My cheek began to feel extremely warm as I realized it was flat against the floor, stiffly waiting for me to move again. I sighed, "Might as well get this over with..." I held back a yawn as I stretched out my palms on the sides of head. Gently I lifted myself up, feeling like I had just finished three hundred push-ups without rest. My muscles felt strained, and as soon as I stood on my two knees my back began to feel warm and tender. Light prickles of nothing swarmed my back, making it feel warm and moist. I flinched as I felt a pang of pain strike up my spine.

I began to wonder if I was beaten up after I had passed out.

Slowly I rose up to my feet, my legs felt heavy, and sticky. I struggled standing up, as I stumbled slightly on my own two legs.

How long was I out? I thought to myself as I took a careful step back and turned around to look at the digital clock in my bed.

4:50PM

I narrowed my eyes. I was out for almost two hours? Itachi and my father were obviously not back, otherwise they would've come looking for me in my room and found me on the floor half bleeding to death.

My eyes widened at the realization.

I quickly bought my hands to my face and eyes scanning them carefully with my fingers. I felt the blood crack beneath my fingers and fall to small, powdery pieces to the floor. I looked at my fingers and my palms, traces of blood evident in the skin. My eyes felt like they were trembling.

I opened my mouth to say something but I forgot the words.

It wasn't a dream. It really happened. It was my blood.

'Hey...'

My head instantly snapped up, and swiftly I turned around and found no one wanting my attention.

Any rational person would have put it off as a figment of their imagination, a prestige reminder based on a memory. Not me. I never have.

If I heard it, chances were –it was real.

I breathed out, but didn't see my breath. It wasn't cold. The roller coaster was over. Whoever was watching me within the walls was no longer in turmoil. I looked around suspiciously, expecting to see the face I saw before I passed out.

Nothing. All that greeted me with it's presence was silence, and yet I wasn't alone. I knew those eyes were watching me, carefully memorizing my every move, waiting for the moment to reveal it's presence. Whoever it was, he knew I was here, and that I could sense him, that I could see him clear as day.

I can feel it in my bones.

Just like all the others.

He knew.

.................................................

I stared at my reflection in the mirror as I splashed water on my face. Slowly the water cleansed my face of the dried crimson color. The water dripped from my chin and nose, as I looked down and watched the swirls of blood dance around the drain.

What happened...? was the only thought that kept coming to my train of thought. I really wanted to know why I felt such pain in my back and cried without reason. No sorrow or anything relatively close to sadness...just pain. Pure, unmistakable, physical, and unknown emotional pain. It hurt, and it was real. But I wasn't dead, and it looked like I didn't even bleed that much.

I sighed as I dried my face with my towel. Now to clean the floor...I didn't want Itachi or my father to surprise me and come in to look at a blood-smeared floor.

They'd ask questions, and questions demand answers. My answer wasn't exactly...normal.

I crouched down to my knees and started whipping the blood off the floors with my towel.

'Hey...' I stopped whipping and swiftly turned around and suspiciously searched with my eyes everywhere. Looking for the source of the voice. I felt like someone was playing a game. As if someone poked my shoulder to get my attention and as soon as I turn around, they look away and act innocent.

"This is really starting to get annoying..." I mumbled as I turned and started to clean the floor again. I started to wonder how many times that happened to me before, the cold and the feeling, and that no matter how many times it happened it was still annoying.

Then I thought of how many times I actually bled because of this. My own answer was none.

Maybe I'm just an irritable person...I thought as I dumped that towel into the bucket of water. I drained the towel of water and began to dry the floor.

Without warning I felt a cold wind behind me and instantly I knew what it was. I stood still, as I felt a shiver run up my spine. I stood silently in the floor, trying hard to listen to anything –anything at all.

Nothing.

gggiiissskk

My attention snapped to the still drying floor before my eyes. Slowly, my eyes widened as I bored at what was in front of me. On the floor, the letter "B" was being written on the wet floor, the water being forced apart to form the curves and lines. I watched as the sounds made letters and the letters made a word. Attentively I drew my head closer to the floor, trying to get a closer look before the letters disappeared as the thin layer of water dried. My heart thumped loudly in my chest as I watched the letters form in quickly drying wood.

"Boo." I read, as soon as it was finished. My mind boggled and worked to comprehend what I had just read. A little lost at first a let my mouth hang ajar. As soon as the meaning of the word reached me, my eye twitched.

How...? Ugh. My mind shuffled with curses. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down, this is ridiculous! I thought. I tightened my hold on the towel, feeling like I should rip it apart with my bare hand.

"Boo?" I repeated aloud, "BOO!?" I yelled, "I waited around for the word 'BOO'?" I took the towel and hastily wiped the remaining water from the floor leaving it dry. I gave an exhausted sigh.

"Is this some kind of joke?" I called out loudly to no one letting out all my frustration. I stood up quickly and walked back the bathroom, murmuring curses and insults.

'At least I didn't write beware' I heard someone say arrogantly behind me. I flinched and quickly turned around to find the source of the voice.

No one. I felt my eyebrow twitch slightly, and as soon as I realized what the situation was I growled again. I scowled, "How annoying..." and turned again heading for the bathroom.

'I'm annoying? Don't you think you're overreacting?' I heard the same voice say. I decided to ignore it and kept on walking to the bathroom. There was a silence.

'Don't ignore me you bastard!' was the response to my action, I just entered the bathroom and looked for my clothes basket.

'Hey! I'm talking to you, you ass!' My eye twitched as I threw the towel onto the basket to later be washed.

Like hell you are after that little stunt, I thought aggravated.

'I know you can hear me you know, and see me,' he added. I kept ignoring him and walked out of the bathroom as if no one was talking to me.

Technically no one can, I added as an after thought while I walked to my desk to close my books.

'Don't ignore me darn it,' I heard behind me. I stopped, hopping to seem clearly annoyed at the current interaction with the 'guest' in my room.

"I'm not," I said simply, "I'm just pretending I didn't hear you." I heard a small growl follow my statement, and suddenly the air around me got cooler. I could almost feel a draft. Whoever this person was, he was getting annoyed.

'Fine then,' I heard him say childishly, 'here I try to apologize, and you act like I shoved a metal pole up your ass! I was just playing!' I heard a light grunt, 'Asshole.'

Just like that he was gone. I couldn't feel anything or anyone anymore, he was gone.

For now, anyway.

….......................................................

Walking to and from school isn't exactly one of my favorite activities of the day. Especially in such an old place. Old villages meant history. History meant stories, and along with stories came people.

And people don't live forever.

I could see people walking to their destinations as if nothing was wrong, because to them nothing was really wrong. Not even the fact that they looked deathly pale or had mortal wounds in some part of their bodies was strange. They lived in their own time. Nothing was out of place for them. It just was.

'They're all kind of odd, aren't they?' my eyes snapped in attention, and I stopped and turned around swiftly, catching a glimpse of his pale-tan face and stale yellow hair. I narrowed my eyes, as the familiar light shiver ran up my spine and into my neck.

"What?" I asked before I could stop myself.

'They're odd,' he repeated, 'some of them don't even notice that they're living in the present' I heard him sigh beside me. I just kept quiet and stared at my left side as if someone was really there talking to me.

'What?' he questioned, 'do you want me to talk in echoes? Or maybe all wavy like? I mean, I sound normal enough. Don't tell me a ghost has never really spoken to you,' I could almost see him cross his arms over his chest while looking at me questioningly. I shook my head, "They speak to me. Sometimes."

I heard a triumphant 'ha!' and suddenly he appeared right beside me on my left. I almost flinched as I saw his face again. A tan, pale color and stale yellow hair. His face was marked by three slashes on each cheek. I tried not staring straight at his sunken eyes, bright and blue and alive. I failed.

He stared at me with an almost incredulous expression. I raised an eyebrow in question.

'I never actually thought you'd talk back, or not run away and yell at me,' he stared at me, eyes a little wide, 'what's with the change? No pole in the ass?'. I glared at him and without saying anything I walked away.

'Hey! Wait! I didn't meant it, honest!' I heard him cry behind me, but kept on walking trying to ignore his presence right behind me.

I walked as if no one was following me, and he walked as if he wasn't following me. He really didn't have a choice after all, we had the same home.

'Come on, you're not that mad are you?' he asked behind me, 'You gotta admit, you aren't exactly the most easy-breezy kind of person...'

I scowled and growled lightly, 'okay, take it easy, sorry!' I stopped and turned around, expecting to see his face but all I saw was the empty sidewalk beside me. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"What do you want?" I retorted. He appeared before me and said, 'a word.'

You've gotta be joking.

I turned and walked away angrily.

'No! Wait! I'm serious!' I heard him call, 'you're one of the only people that see me and can actually keep up with a conversation...well, sort of. Everyone else is blind! And some of the people that are dead with me aren't really good at conversation, some even ignore me...'

I halted my step, "you mean you can see them?" I turned to find his eyes a little wide with surprise.

'Well duh,' he answered, 'we do have something in common don't we?' I just stared at him, 'we're dead.'

"I know that idiot!" I retorted, "but...usually, they don't necessarily see you. You shouldn't even be able to see them..." I answered. Surprisingly it was really the longest sentence I had said to him directly thus far. He stared at me seemingly dumbfounded, then his whole face brightened up, 'usually,' he put a finger up, 'So that must mean I'm special.' he stated, grinning.

I sighed heavily, "idiot," I murmured as I began walking again.

'Hey bastard! I'm no idiot!' he called angrily after me, 'Geez, the first time I get to talk to someone who actually listens and it turns out to be some stuck up jerk, some luck I have.' he spat.

"Heh, whatever." I said effortlessly.

'Hey I'm not done talking to you yet bastard!' I heard him beside me again.

"Then talk, it's not like I'm going to listen," I said as I neared the corner of the street.

'Then there wouldn't be any point in talking at all!' I smirked, "Precisely." I turned at the corner and neared my new home.

'You bastard!'

I tried to ignore the fact that some kid on the street with a bloody wound on his head was staring at me. Apparently, so did the guy that was following me, because his protests died down. If he could even see him. I closed in on the front door and reached for the lock with my key.

'Come on bastard, don't be such an ass...' he appeared before me with a light glare.

"What do you want?" I repeated looking at him.

'Well I did want to apologize before you tried to bite my head off...'

"Fine. Apology accepted." I turned the doorknob and walked in. As soon as I closed the door I felt a cold breeze brush against me, and I knew it wasn't from outside.

'You can't get rid of me that easily,' I heard him say as I felt a hard stare bore on me, 'I live here.'

'Come on,' he whined, 'it's not like I'm trying to scare you away from the house...'

"Could've fooled me," I retorted.

'So you are still angry. Okay. Fine. I'm really sorry okay?' He said as he appeared in front of me with a serious yet apologetic expression on his face . I narrowed my eyes, 'really, I am' he repeated.

"Fine," I said. Instantly he cheered up and his eyes brightened even more, 'finally!' he said throwing his arms up in the air, 'now it won't so awkward living in the same place!'

"Now what do you really want?" I asked right after.

'What?' he seemed surprised at my question.

"I don't completely believe you were seeking out forgiveness," I narrowed my eyes,

"now were you?" letting complete skepticism seep through, I stared at him.

"You're smart," he smiled as his eyes glinted, "show-off"

"Can't say the same about you," he glared at me.

'Hey asshole, I don't recall me ever doing anything so bad that you'd hold a grudge!'

"Says the guy that basically made me feel like I was dying," I retorted angrily.

'Yeah? Well I said I was sorry, you're just an unforgiving ass' he said childishly, sticking out his tongue, 'geez, I try to apologize and you act like I was the one who put the stick up in your ass.' he rolled his eyes.

"You seem to have the knack for calling me an ass in all it's available forms, what, can't come up with anything?" I clicked my tongue, "moron." I almost left. Almost. But before I did anything the thought that I was actually having a conversation with someone who was buried somewhere in a cemetery hit me, and I was not only speaking to this person but arguing with him as well. I stopped midway my step.

'Why are you so mad anyway?' he said as he stared at me a glare still in his features, 'shouldn't you be used to this stuff by now, or at least somewhat? You're the first person to not freak out and leave this house or say anything to anyone. That, and I can sense it. So I'm guessing –you aren't as normal as you put yourself out to be'

I put myself out to be normal? I thought, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah? Well you aren't as stupid as you put yourself out to be" I smirked at his angered expression. I began to wonder if we were getting anywhere by actually arguing like this and started to get annoyed.

"What's your point anyway? What do you want?" he instantly perked up and payed attention.

'What do I want? That's simple. Like I said, I thought you were used to this –I need your special help with something,' he smiled.

Figures, I thought instantly, help.

'Unless you run like all the others. You don't though, you tentatively watch to see what I do next, and you don't run off when I appear before you. Somehow I can't seem to figure out why the others before you never stay and help me –they all run and don't even ask themselves why it's happening'

"Maybe because you give them the hint that you don't like them," I stated.

'You see –you too. I don't do that to scare you with that little bloody scene you went through, partly anyway, but as a way of hinting in itself." he smirked at my puzzled expression, 'ah, you see, now who's the smart one?' my puzzlement suddenly gone, I narrowed my eyes at him.

"What?"

'You see, those people as well as yourself weren't playing a death scene, rather, you were replaying...' he smiled, almost maliciously, '...mine' his creepy smile changed into something playful, 'funny how they never seem to figure it out, or try to anyway...'

I stared at him, almost bewildered, "I acted out your own death?"

He chuckled, 'yup!'

It occurred to me that suddenly the whole situation had made a rather interesting turns, and that this ghost, or kid, or something, wasn't your usual run-off-the-mill supernatural phenomena. It was weird talking to someone who seemed alive, and actually thought I wasn't strange, and also seemed to know he was dead and was surprisingly fine with it.

I wondered whether answering his plea of help would be such a bad idea. What could happen? I had at least helped some of the ones that came to me. They were nice, if not, friendly –though they rarely spoke.

I stared at him as he just stared at my thoughtful expression on my pondering of him, "You aren't normal, are you?" I inquired raising my brow at him.

He suddenly broke his solemn expression off into a childishly wide grin, "well, duh"

I wonder, if it would be so bad.

......................................

The Notes.

The ending is a little abrupt for me, and I don't like it U_U (hey look, a text face!). Though somehow I like it. I still don't though, it's a mixed feeling. Kinda mutual.

Yeah, anyway!

This is super late, and excuses should not be allowed. However, I still will put them up.

Excuse number one: my computer went ka-blooey, so it was a long time before it was fixed. Number two: After it was fixed, I was busy. Three: to be honest, I also procrastinated and was lazy (hee).

So here comes my apology. Sorry it was later, and that this chapter was sorta strange. Somehow all that rhymed, adding to the apology. I am honestly sorry though.

Also sorry if this has corrections to be made, I proof-read before I submit, it sometimes fails.

I hoped you enjoyed this chapter, please review.