Disclaimer: This work of fiction borrows characters from the manga series "Naruto". The author is in no way associated with the original series and does not own any of the characters or settings borrowed from it. No profits are being made from the production of this story.

Author's Notes: First of all, I should start by mentioning that I really don't do holiday fics. That said, I've really been wanting to write something like this, since I love the supernatural genre but rarely find fics of that type that suit my tastes. This isn't meant to be anything epic, or particularly meaningful, or long like the rest of my fics. It's just a little foray into the supernatural with my two favorite characters. I actually considered posting it as a one-shot, but I liked the first little scene enough that I thought it deserved its own little chance to shine in the form of a prologue. With that in mind, please enjoy this meager 37 offering, just in time for Halloween!

-hachi

Uninvited

Prologue: No Introductions Necessary.

Uzumaki Naruto shuddered, burrowing deeper into the thick nest of covers that he had wrapped himself in as he attempted to concentrate on the somewhat dense text before him.

It had been only a few hours since he had finally finished moving into his new apartment, and already things were starting off on a bad note. First he'd had issues with the water in the place's single bathroom coming out entirely too scalding when he turned the faucet to hot at either his sink or his shower, with the cold water not functioning at all save for a short burst of thick, rusty liquid every time he turned the faucet to cold. He had been rather annoyed at the idea of having to ferry cold water from his kitchen sink to the bathroom in order to cool his bath enough that he could actually get in it, but he was a resourceful individual and managed to make do all the same.

However, as if that hadn't been enough, immediately afterward Naruto had dressed and emerged into the living room to find another, much more distressing issue: It was cold. He knew that it was an old building and had been told ahead of time that it was prone to getting drafty, so although he dreaded the gas bill that he'd face as a result, he had opted to turn on the heat. With that in mind, the young blonde had started to fiddle with the radiator, which sat right under one of the two large windows that dominated the wall directly across from his couch. It was in fact the only source of heat in the entire unit, though he'd been assured that it would be more than enough to warm the entirety of the one-room apartment in which he now lived.

It was after he had finally figured out which way to turn the valve on the old heating device to get more heat to come out instead of less, that a strange, whistling, squeaking sound had come out of the thing, just before it emitted a large puff of humid air and immediately fell silent. It was after this that he had called the superintendent immediately to request help...only to find that the man had already left early that day on business and wouldn't be able to come by until morning - though Naruto himself couldn't imagine what sort of "business" the man could be doing at eight o'clock on a Friday evening.

And so it was that Uzumaki Naruto found himself huddled under a pile of bedclothes on his living room couch, struggling to keep warm as he poured over the assigned reading for his weekend classes.

However, it wasn't long before the combination of the cold and his irritation at the current circumstances got the better of him and he found himself restless and looking for a distraction. After a few moments of thought, it occurred to him that he had yet to introduce himself to his new neighbor. He was sure that he had heard the sound of the front door opening and closing next door some time ago, so it stood to reason that the place was indeed occupied and that the party in question was home now. A quick glance at his watch informed him that it was still just past eight as well, which didn't seem too late in the evening for a quick visit - especially on a Friday night.

Making up his mind that dropping in to say hello to his neighbor and introduce himself would be a nice change of surroundings and might temporarily get his mind off of the damnable cold of his apartment, Naruto finally worked his way out of his carefully constructed home on the couch and made his way to the door, all the while wondering what sort of individual his new neighbor might be. Still unable to shake the oppressive cold from his bones, the chronically unfortunate young man opted to pull on his favorite jacket before making his way out into the hallway, tugging a pair of well-worn sneakers on hastily as he made his way out the door. He didn't even bother to tie his shoes up, instead opting to merely tuck the trailing laces in between the fabric of the shoes and his heels.

As he had anticipated, the insistent chill of mid-Fall had already begun to creep into the building's wide first floor hallway with the arrival of night-time, and had most thoroughly ingratiated itself there in the scant two hours since the sun had set. The change in the atmosphere dampened Naruto's mood a little bit further as he thought about how short the days were getting lately. A bit of a sun-worshiper by nature, he was always sad to see the long hours of Summer sunlight begin to go. Each of the four seasons had their charm points, as far as he was concerned, but there was no denying the little boost that his already positive outlook got from knowing that there were plenty of hours of daylight to soak up on hot Summer days. If he could have, he would have preferred to have moved into his new place when it was still warm out, but the surrounding circumstances just hadn't made that an option.

Shaking his head a little to clear it, Naruto reminded himself to be grateful just at having the chance to move into a new place at all. He had been in desperate need of housing when he had found the opening in this apartment building, and as such had applied immediately. If it hadn't been for the fact that he had been accepted into the empty unit so quickly, he imagined that he would still be sleeping on his good friend's couch, fretting about where he was going to spend that Winter.

And really, if he was honest with himself, this was pretty nice digs for someplace that hadn't required too much of a deposit and no broker's fee. The apartment itself was actually good sized, and with a lot of character due to the fact that the building that housed it was so old. It was obvious that the place still needed some renovations as far as the heating and plumbing were concerned, but all in all it was well-kept by the management. He even wagered that, once he got those few things straightened out and had properly settled in, it could actually be quite cozy. Knowing that he had a whole new apartment to decorate and make his own did wonders for Naruto's motivation as well - It was just the thing he needed to get back on his feet.

With those pleasant thoughts coloring his attitude, the young blonde felt his spine lengthen and his shoulders draw back out of their slight slouch. He had a brand new place - well, new to him anyway - and a whole new life ahead of him. Now was the time for him to work hard and stay positive, and that started with not getting so hung up on the little stuff and instead being thankful for what he had going for him right now.

Curling his hands into fists in his pockets as an affirmation of his resolve, the blonde drew back from his musings to stare at the heavy wooden door before him. Just a handful of paces down the hall had already found him at the front of the neighboring unit to his own.

Naruto's apartment was a corner unit - the last room on the first floor, on the far end from the front entrance to the building. As such, the rooms were a tad bit bigger, but because he was on the bottom floor and because the view from his windows was not much to get excited about, he had gotten it for a bit cheaper than was apparently the norm in this building.

That in itself was enough of a blessing in his opinion, but to top it off, because he was in the last apartment on the floor he only had one neighbor, which meant half as much noise carrying over through the somewhat thin seeming walls. As such, despite all the problems with the faucets and the heater, Naruto still felt like he had gotten a pretty good deal. Now all he needed was to put his best foot forward when meeting his new neighbors and hope that they'd be understanding of the fact that he had school on the weekends and needed quiet so he could study.

This was it - Naruto braced himself, surprised at how apprehensive he was feeling over such a simple affair. He wasn't normally so nervous about meeting new people, but as moving into this place was his first step on the way to a much needed fresh start, he really hoped to make a favorable impression on everyone he met.

And so, after taking a quick deep breath, he put on his freshest smile, before raising a fist to knock solidly on the door twice.

There was an extended period of silence during which he strained to determine whether or not he could hear anybody moving inside, however there was no sound indicating that the apartment's occupant had heard his knock and was making his or her way toward the door. Tilting his head to the side a little in confusion as a small frown settled across his face, Naruto once more raised his hand, prepared to knock again - louder this time, in case his neighbor hadn't heard.

However, the moment before he could set his knuckles to the hard wood surface a second time, there was a familiar, soft creaking noise as the door cracked open, slowly swinging inward until he was left standing face to face with his new neighbor.

Naruto looked up a little bit to find himself staring into the face of another male, only to gape blankly for a moment as the man on the other side of the threshold regarded him in flat silence.

The first thing Naruto noticed about his new neighbor was his eyes. Tired looking as they were, they were startlingly sharp and clear. But it wasn't their shape that caught Naruto's attention - It was their color. He had never seen anybody with eyes of such a particularly deep shade before. Far darker than what one could reasonably describe as dark brown, the pair of eyes that stared down at him were actually black - a deep obsidian that, if he weren't looking right into them at that very moment, Naruto would have sworn wasn't a color naturally occurring in any human being.

Next his eyes drifted to the man's hair - thick, inky black strands that framed a somewhat angular face - an alarming contrast to the unearthly pallid skin that seemed to glow softly in the moonlight. Somewhat on the long side, it cascaded down the sides of his face in a slightly unkempt looking onyx fringe that ended just past his chin. He was somewhat on the tall side, considering that he dwarfed the blonde male just a little bit - and Naruto wasn't a particularly small individual by any means. However his frame, though not exactly thin per se, had a somewhat used up look to it. This, combined with his weary gaze and somewhat tousled hair gave the impression of someone badly in need of a nap, a sandwich, or a haircut - Perhaps all three.

For his part, the man in question merely stared back into the blonde's face, expression neither expectant nor particularly interested as he quite literally loomed in the doorway, looking down into Naruto's eyes without a word. Finally remembering himself, the slightly shorter male recovered quickly, his usual easy grin taking the place of the confused frown that had soured his features a moment before, as he raised his hand up into a greeting gesture before launching right into his self-introduction.

"Uh...Hey! I'm Uzumaki Naruto," he began, unable to avoid the slight falter in his voice at the man's continued silence and ineffectual stare, "Just thought I'd come over and introduce myself. I'm gonna be your new neigh-"

There was a resounding thud as the door abruptly slammed in his face.

"-bor?"

Wide blue eyes blinked once, then twice, the blonde male finishing his sentence lamely as he was reacquainted with the fine, dark grain of the neighboring apartment's heavy wooden door. Too shocked to be angry, he merely stood there for a moment, before his hand fell helplessly to his side.

"Good to meet you too," he murmured to himself.