A/N: Before I begin 1) Sorry for the lateness! Life has this funny way of being nice for awhile and then smacking you across the face with work, 2) I would like to address a point in berryboom's review!

berryboom- Okay firstly thanks for the review! I'm so glad you're liking it! Secondly, the Akatsuki can touch things, but only if they choose to do so. Basically they can choose when and where they want to be tangible. However, they are confined to the house. No Sakura-stalking trips for them lol! I hope that this makes sense and clears up any confusion! The whole tangible/not tangible thing will be explained further in ch. 4! I have my reasoning (:

Okay, to the story!

I slowly began to reach for my old, scruffy purple backpack, pressing my cell phone between my ear and shoulder as I pulled it across the seat to me. I quickly stuffed a few miscellaneous belongings laying about my car into the bag, not wanting have to come out in the cold to dig around for them later. As an afterthought, I grabbed the small mint tin resting in a cracked cup-holder, popping one into my mouth.

"Are you sure about this Sakura?" I sighed at Tsunade's question, aching for her comforting presence.

No.

"Yeah. I need a break, time to figure out what's going on. I'll be back in the swing of things by next semester." At least I hoped so.

Tsunade echoed my sigh, and I could practically see her rubbing her temples and reaching for the nearest bottle of sake.

"Alright. Make sure to take care of yourself. Don't stress out over work, and call if you need anything. And I mean it Sakura. If I stop by and see circles under your eyes..." She trailed off threateningly, but I couldn't help but smile at her concern.

"Alright, alright Shishou. I promise I'll take care of myself. And tell Shizune that I say hi."

"I will. Bye Sakura." My smile dropped as a small click signaled across the line, the mint dissolving away in my mouth.

I peeled myself from the warmth of my car, clicking my phone shut and sliding it into the front pocket of my bag. I peered up once more at the imposing mansion before me, unconsciously pulling my brown bomber jacket closer against the chill. A slight breeze ran through the small clearing in front of the house, the morose trees writhing underneath the gust. I couldn't help but shudder as I took in the far-too-appropriate storm clouds, feeling entirely too small facing the place before me. All of the sudden I broke the tense silence I'd been wrapped in and groaned out loud, stomping my feet a few times against the ground in a small fit. I whirled around and stormed to the back of the car, yanking open the trunk and pulling out my single suitcase.

I don't want to do this. What if they're still there?

Maybe they won't be. Maybe all our problems magically disappeared overnight. Oh, and maybe it will start raining liquid gold!

I huffed at Inner's sarcasm, grudgingly trudging my way up to the porch. My mood wasn't improved any when my suitcase drug noisily on the gravel leading to the house, and I ended up just carrying it to the porch when it got stuck in a pothole. This time I managed to walk up the stairs rather than run, although I still kept a close eye on the giant spider web. I paused in front of the large front doors, simply glaring at them while I tried to work up the nerve to go inside.

I wasn't scared per se, but nervous? Definitely. After finding out that the stuff straight out of horror movies actually existed, one tended to be a bit apprehensive when meddling with said stuff. Not to mention the fact that every single creak of my small apartment had kept me up last night wondering about what other paranormal things could exist and exactly how tasty a pink-haired college student might seem to them, leaving me rather grumpy and frazzled this morning. A large portion of myself was still hoping that the ghosts were all a crazy dream, that I could forget about them and regain my formerly firm beliefs that ghosts, while making for great movies, were complete nonsense.

Either way, staring at the door wasn't going to get me any closer to the answers I came for, paranormal or otherwise.

I cautiously pushed open one of the creaky doors, poking my head into the fairly bright front room, the curtains still open from my last trip here. I slowly slid my gaze across the entryway, my green eyes drifting over the fireplace, the couch, the carpet, but not over any specter. I allowed myself to step all the way inside, my brown boots sinking slightly into the plush carpet. I took another step, my eyes still darting back and forth for any signs of a presence. Seeing and hearing nothing, I allowed my tense muscles to relax. An odd mixture of both relief and, surprisingly, disappointment rose in my chest as I took in the absolutely empty room.

See, maybe no one is here.

I jumped, my muscles locking, as the door slammed shut behind me, the wave of air ruffling my messy, small ponytail.

Or maybe not.

"Boo." The word was whispered directly into my ear, a wisp of chilled air accompanying it.

I whirled instinctively, my fist flying-

-and going straight through Deidara's face as though there was only air. It continued in its arc until it reached the wall, a large dent marring the surface where my fist rested.

I gasped and quickly yanked my hand back through his cheek, my wide eyes watching as the blonde smirked. I was torn between horror at the fact I just watched my hand pass through someone's face as though it was a hologram and rage at the fact he had purposely startled me. I ended up settling on rage, both because it was easier to be angry rather than scared and because of the snickers erupting from the blonde. I grabbed onto my wrist protectively as he burst out in laughter, my temper flaring hotly in my veins.

"Rule number two!" Deidara merely laughed harder, and I glared as I went around to look over the wall.

Fuck.

And you warned them not to destroy the house.

I released a long breath through clenched teeth as I observed the chunks of wall falling to the carpet, struggling to reign in my infamous temper. I whirled back around, deciding to deal with the blemish later and Blondie now. But by the time I turned back to face the room, he was already gone. Smart ghost...

I drew in a long breath through my nose and allowed my green eyes to slip shut, leaning next to the offensive hole while attempting to process what had just happened. Now that an outlet for my anger was gone, I was only left with the shock of the event. I rubbed my temples a few times, mimicking my mentor, before methodically crushing the event into the back of my mind and deciding to just ignore the warped reality. Because really, this was my new reality anyways. At least for now.

Seriously, just put on your big girl panties and suck it up.

Just as I allowed my eyes to reopen, Pein began to slowly emerge from the wall opposite me, walking from it as though it was the most natural action ever. I could feel my eyes widen at the sight, but I forced myself to get a grip.

Calm down Sakura, this is all perfectly normal. Fist passing through someone's face? Just another Tuesday! Man walking out of the wall? Not even worth mentioning!

And you say I'm the crazy one.

Pein slowly drifted to a stop before me, perhaps slightly too close for comfort. I glanced up into his ringed eyes, trying not to linger on his piercings. I wonder how those came to exist? Were they part of his death, or just a fashion statement?

"Ms. Haruno." Pein inclined his head slightly as a greeting, his voice inflectionless.

I tried subtly move back from him while at the same time remaining casual, a practiced smile settling on my face, the same one I used when dealing with an especially unpleasant customer at the restaurant I waitressed at.

"Please, it's just Sakura." I shifted uncomfortably at the thought of accepting the Haruno label and all of its complications, but Pein merely nodded with no questions, his enigmatic eyes swirling.

There was an awkward pause for a moment where I tried to avoid Pein's eyes and he merely looked at me emotionlessly, before I realized he probably had about as much idea on where to begin with this as I did. AKA, he had no idea.

"Um, I should probably go see that study Kakuzu mentioned. It might have some information on how I could, uh, help you guys." I shrugged helplessly at him. "I really have no idea what I'm doing."

Pein finally took a step back, gesturing for me to follow him with a small flick of his wrist. I glanced at my suitcase before making a snap decision to leave it by the door. That could wait until later.

I quickly scurried after Pein, glancing around the house as we entered one of the several hallways. When I wasn't running for my life it was far easier to take in the grandeur of the mansion. The ceilings were tall enough for someone four times my height to walk comfortably under them, and each section of hallway had an identical, gorgeous chandelier as the last. There were also several art pieces, some that were so old that they had to be originals from a Renaissance era artist and some that seemed to be freshly painted. There were several depicting battles, and a few different depictions of heaven, but no more family portraits beyond the original of my grandfather and my... Mother.

Am I the only one finding the several paintings of Heaven sitting in a house full of ghosts ironic?

I bit my lip as we passed one of an angel crying softly. She was looking down on humans suffering, her blue eyes filled with the images of those in pain.

I can't find it in myself to appreciate Grandfather's decorating skills.

"Hey Pinkie!" I turned around instinctively, having heard the nickname enough times throughout my childhood to respond to it, and saw Kisame sticking halfway out of the wall. I managed to control my reaction this time, merely arching a fine pink brow at the sight.

"What do you want Fish-face?" Kisame gave a sharp-toothed grin at my remark, and for some reason I found myself automatically relaxing around the shark-like man. For some reason he put me at ease where Pein couldn't.

Maybe because he actually has more emotion than a rock.

Pein has more emotion than a rock; he's at least robot level.

"Just thought I'd let you know that I whacked Deidara for you, although I'm not sure I can hit quite as hard as you do." I laughed at that, both at the fact he had the guts to say that when he was packed with muscle and at the impressed look he gave me.

"Let's just say that when you have my Shishou, you learn two things: how to throw a punch, and how to hold your alcohol." Kisame smirked at that, and I returned one before glancing at Pein waiting at the end of the hall. Although he still retained his apathetic appearance, I could feel the impatience radiating off of him.

Kisame followed my gaze and caught sight of Pein. He let loose a sigh before slowly receding into the wall with one last remark.

"You'll have to prove that sometime." I snorted, wondering how exactly you share drinks with a ghost.

I glanced back to Pein, only to see him halfway down the hall. Huffing at his impatience-he needs to learn some fucking manners-I quickly scurried to catch up. I had just barely caught up to him as he rounded a corner, only to stumble through him as he abruptly stopped on the other side. I shivered, feeling somewhat like I had just passed through a cold fog. I turned back to face him with an apologetic grin, although I wondered if I really needed to apologize for passing through him (could he even feel it?), and found that we had stopped in front of a deep mahogany door, probably the same shade that front door had been at one point in time. My eyes caught inquisitively on a carved mark in the door, the grooves dyed black with some sort of oily looking substance that appeared to still be wet. It resembled a 'S', only the curves had been sharpened to corners. The black oil seemed to shimmer under the light of the chandelier as though in motion, and I could feel something radiating from the marking. I couldn't quite describe what it felt like. It was like when a word was resting on the tip of your tongue, when a memory was right at the edge of your mind. I looked back at Pein, my fingers resting just outside the rune while my insatiable curiosity flared.

"Is this why you guys can't get into the room?" Pein merely nodded, looking at me with such intensity that my curiosity evaporated and I felt the immediate need to move. "Alright then! I'll just go take a look around. I'll let you know if I find anything."

I quickly made a move to open the door and retreat inside, thinking to myself that I had to learn how to make one of those marks for my room, when Pein's suddenly-tangible hand slammed down over mine on the doorknob. I squeaked, his frigid grip far too tight to be friendly, and turned back to face him with wide eyes. My throat immediately went dry as I glanced up at his regal face, his stormy eyes piercing straight through me. I suddenly felt very much like a rabbit staring into the gray eyes of a wolf, all thoughts of him not being able to hurt me dying, and noticed very acutely the fact that he had over a foot on me.

Of course, Inner had some other opinions.

Oh hell no! This asshole is not allowed to touch us like that!

Before I could manage to reign her in, my inner rose up, launching our left fist straight towards Pein's face.

Slam!

My mouth fell open as Pein slammed his other hand over my fist, pinning it firmly to the door with a reverberating bang. I winced slightly as my knuckles cracked under his firm grip. My gaze flew back from my popping hand to his face, searching for but not seeing absolutely any signs of strain there. Not to sound conceited, but I was strong, especially so with Inner in control. For him to show no strain... And it all happened so fast that I hadn't even seen him pluck my punch from the air...

He's on a completely different level...

Inner fell back, shock, and a small flicker of worry, radiating from her presence. My heart was racing by now, and I was torn between struggling for freedom and holding perfectly still in the unlikely hopes that he might forget about me. I settled for holding still, mostly because I couldn't really unfreeze myself long enough to move, and Pein slowly leaned in until his pierced nose was only an inch from mine.

"Listen well, Ms. Haruno." I shivered as cool air brushed by my face, his voice so cold that goose bumps rose on my arms. "Everyone in this house belongs to me, and I will do all in my power to be assured that we are in no danger. Our fate will not depend on the whim of a college girl."

He released his grip on my hands, and I could feel them pulsing as blood slowly flowed back into them. Pein paused, as though waiting for a response, before turning and beginning to stalk off when I only stared at him with huge viridian eyes. I watched his retreat for a moment, and then surprised even myself when I called after him, my voice cracking slightly.

"Wait!" Pein paused, not turning to look back at me. I froze for a moment, not quite sure what made me stop him, before just going with it. "Um, I'm not going to let you all disappear. I can't promise that I'll be able to help you all, because I don't know anything yet, but no matter what I won't leave you guys to become... Well, nothing."

Pein just stood there for a moment, so I left, quietly opening the office door and letting it click shut behind me. I merely stared at the dark wood for a moment, my mind whirling after what had just occurred. Although the incident was no less than terrifying, for some reason as soon as it was over the fear just drained out of me. If anything, I felt more comfortable than when I had first arrived here, which made no sense considering my hands were still pulsing. For some reason I just felt like I suddenly knew where we stood, I guess. Or maybe it was the fact that, on some level, I had just sealed my fate. I had just made a conscious decision to help them-not to stay, but not to let them go.

That... Was kind of hot!

I choked a little on air, scoffing at my inner self as I was snapped from my reverie.

Are you serious?!

No, just think about it! He's so strong... So protective... And those piercings! Admit it, he's sexy...

You know, sometimes I really get sick of you.

Then bitch take some pills!

I rolled my eyes, absently fixing my now completely ruined ponytail.

I wonder why he's so... Defensive.

I could feel Inner shrug in the back of my mind, just as clueless as me. I bit my lip slightly in thought; what spurred that? Why did he feel the need to... Assert his dominance, for lack of a better term? I felt like every day spent in this place just left me with more questions than answers, and at this point I really needed the answers more. Inner and I both sighed, but I filed the incident away for later, choosing instead to focus on the office before me.

I turned to face it, and although I hadn't really known what to expect, I felt a pang of disappointment at what I saw. The room was bare of any decoration beyond the basics, and it was actually quite tiny. There was no mountain of scrolls, just a small bookcase about three feet tall. No charts detailing the layout of a ghost, just a small desk. No stack of handwritten papers, just one envelope...

Wait, envelope?

I slowly walked towards the unmarked envelope, quickly glancing at few of the papers at the desk as I went. They were all neatly typed and looked to be very lengthy, and probably very dry. Moving them into a neat stack for later research, I instead picked up the envelope, flipping it over to see if it was addressed to anyone. Finding no mark, and after checking over my shoulder to make sure I was alone (hey, discovering ghosts can make one a bit wary), I quickly ripped open the flap, taking out a handwritten page written in scrawled cursive.

I gasped at what I saw, my heart pulsing faster, both out of excitement and nervousness.

Dearest Sakura,

What can an old man like me say to you after all these years? I guess it'd be best to start out with an apology. I'm sorry, for more than you can fathom. For allowing you to stay in that orphanage, for not contacting you, for not being family, and now for leaving you to deal with this mess. As your mother told me many times as she grew up, I am not good at being family. I tried, sometimes. I went to your school play once, when you were the teacup in Beauty and the Beast. I almost talked to you then, but I couldn't.

I dropped to the floor, my fingers shaking on the paper. He'd known, even back then... He was there.

You have to understand what position I was in, child. I was already quite old by then, and in no position to raise another child, even if I had the option. I already botched up the first time enough. I am well aware that this does not excuse my actions, but it's the truth. There's so much else that I want to apologize for, but I believe that you must have many questions that deserve answers, such as ones about the phantoms you have been left with, and that must take precedence over the guilt of an old man. I suppose that I should start at the beginning. We Harunos are a very, very old family. We have several small groups spread across the world, although we are the last of us in North America and I lost contact with most others long ago. Each group has a station, this mansion being the last in North America, resting upon runes set up by our ancestors long ago that basically work as a snare to trap lost souls, making it our function to both help these souls and protect this hallowed ground. But we are so archaic, in fact, that no one knows exactly how we became charged with our duty. Some say we got lucky, or unlucky, and stumbled upon our task, others say Kami himself charged us with this. All we truly know is that it is our responsibility to help restless souls move on to the next life-it is both a family duty and an honor to do so. I know that it is quite unfair to task you with such an endeavor when you are so young and so confused, but understand that it is out of necessity. Someone must take this job, or those souls will waste away into nothing... In all honesty, you weren't even supposed to be in the line to take part in this. Your mother... My daughter left this family as soon as she became pregnant with you. As I said before, I was not a good family. She didn't want any part of our bloodline, claiming that she didn't want her daughter raised in a world where duty and honor were put before the good of the individuals. What she couldn't understand, and what I could not express, was that I loved her far more than I cared for honor. I just wanted her to be prepared for the world. Anyways, after she left I began training a young boy carefully selected from Konoha to take up the family burden. This, this is the main reason why, when your mother died, I couldn't take you. She didn't want this life for you, so she broke off her relations to the clan, and I had already selected the next heir. By family law, I could not consider you family, so I didn't. I regret that choice every day. But now that I'm sick, I have to call upon our family ties. I'm honestly not sure whether this is a blessing or a curse, for either of us.

Sakura, you are, whether you choose to accept it or not, a Haruno. And since I haven't been able to complete my apprentice's training before I was struck with sickness, I have to go to the next Haruno in the line to bear the family burden. It is now your responsibility to take care of the remaining ghosts in this sanctuary, and afterwards you may tear down this house and move on with your life if you no longer wish to take part in the family business. It's all your choice now... However, if you ever desire help in your task, and aren't too bitter towards me to accept it, Sai is my apprentice's name. You can find him in the local art studio at almost any time. The books, they also hold a great deal of family information on specters and the paranormal arts.

You don't... You could choose to leave now, and deny your heritage. I wouldn't blame you-I don't think that anyone would. But just keep in mind, the lost souls gathered here are just as innocent as you are, and the only way for you to leave is to abandon them. You may not like it, but right now you are the only person capable of helping them. Help is what they need, Sakura, and I think you're the perfect person to help them. You see, these are all souls who couldn't move on because of... Regrets. Mistakes they made in life that haunted them to the point that their conscience won't allow them to leave this world. Basically you have to help them resolve these regrets, and you have to help all of them before a single one can move on. As soon as the souls are anchored here, they become connected. Their problems are each other's now, and they desperately need them resolved... You know, I've been keeping an eye on you over the years despite myself, and if there's one thing I've learned about you, it's that there is no one stronger, smarter, and more compassionate than you. No one could've been a better choice for this job. I'm so proud of you Sakura, and I know that your mother would've been too.

I blinked back tears, trying to focus on the last words before me through blurry vision.

I know that you can do this, if you so choose. Sakura... I may not be good family, but I want you to know that, even from a distance, I've always loved you. No matter what the laws say, you've always been my granddaughter. Please take care of yourself, there's many other people that consider you family also.

With much love,

Kizashi Haruno

P.S. Watch out for Tobi. He's not all he seems.

I slowly allowed for the tears to overflow, the letter fluttering down to the carpet.

Holy shit...

He... I...

I couldn't form a coherent thought, simply staring at the crumpled paper on the floor. I couldn't settle on a single emotion after that. I was sad, so sad, for missing out on family. I was angry, infuriated at both my mother for denying me my heritage and at my grandfather for driving her away and then denying me the same thing. I was curious, wanting to know more about them, about any other groups of us across the world, and about what we did. We. A word I'd rarely had the luxury of using before now. It was amazing that despite all this, what I felt mostly was hollow, as though it hadn't quite hit me yet that I was suddenly part of a giant network of people when just two days ago I'd been hoping for an aunt at best. As though it hadn't quite hit me yet that I suddenly had a duty, an honor to uphold.

Perhaps the weirdest emotion was that of excitement. Excitement because, after all these years of yearning to be a part of something exactly like this-to be an essential piece of a family, I actually was.

Okay, I know that normally I'm the jump first one out of the two of us, but I really think that we should think this over before making a hasty decision about what to do with the house and the whole, 'oh yeah, by the way you're next in line to be a ghost shrink for all eternity,' thing.

You're right, for once... I need time to process this.

I'm just going to pretend that I didn't hear the first part.

I slowly stood, taking several shaky breaths as I wiped the tears of my face with pale hands. I carefully, almost reverently, refolded the letter, placing it gently into the front pocket of my backpack rather than back on the desk. Once again I found myself having a big decision with very little information. To stay or to leave... To accept or to reject... One thing was certain, I had to at least stay to help Pein and the others. A promise was a promise, and I did not break promises. Maybe the rest of it could just wait. Maybe I could decide on my future as a Haruno after I managed to make headway with helping the ghosts already here move on. And this Sai... I decided right then and there that I would have to find my grandfather's apprentice, both for the help that he could offer me and the information that he could give me about my family. Who knew, maybe he could even take care of the house for me. I had no idea how to complete his apprenticeship, but maybe he knew and could take on the responsibilities that, really, I had no idea how to handle.

Grr-gurgle.

I looked down at my stomach with surprise; when had I gotten hungry?

And this is why Tsunade thinks that you can't take care of yourself.

Not sure whether I should be relieved or annoyed at the excuse to abandon my thoughts for later, I slowly meandered over to the door, deciding that food sounded really good right about now. Especially pancakes; Tsunade always made pancakes, about the only thing she could make, when I was upset. They had sort of evolved into my comfort food. I paused at the door and placed my always cold hands to my cheeks once, in a most likely futile effort to reduce the redness that came with crying. Damn my pale skin...

Doing one last under-eye wipe in an attempt to look presentable, I opened the door, wondering to myself how in the hell I was going to find the kitchen in this maze.

"Oi, Bitch! Fight me, seriously!"

I froze immediately, only one word popping out of my mouth when I heard the familiar, obnoxious voice.

"Fuck."

A/N: Whew! There it is! Sorry, I don't really feel this chapter like the last two... There was a lot of information, not too much action or humor... But don't worry, the next chapter Sakura begins her first attempts at some ghostly therapy! Also if anyone has any questions about her family or what they do or anything, just let me know in reviews and I'll address them, okay? I'd also like to thank my reviewers:

THE Great Rainbow King (Aww I'm glad you like this story so much! Sorry for the delayed update though . I'll update faster this time!)

MinaBlahBlahBlahAnimeFan (you know, I'm seriously in love with your update spam! Thanks for reviewing! (: )

Twisted Musalih (Aww, sorry the last chapter wasn't longer! This one is a bit longer, so I hope that makes you happy!)

Guest (Thanks for the review! I'm glad it's funny haha)

SakuraHimeYoi (I'm glad you like it! I hope this chapter was just as good! Also yes, I love Inner Sakura also. She's so sassy! She's like... The sassmaster!)

leebee14 (Noo! Not the bunny!)

crystalthrone (I'm glad you liked it! Sorry this chapter had less humor... But the next will be lighter! This, I swear!)

Dropdeadbabe (Aww thank you! The other's stories and how they died will come out as Sakura tries to help each of them move on, so it'll start pretty soon. Like, next chapter on. (: I hope this one was good too, even with less humor)

Guest (... 0.0)

A/N: Thanks all you guys! Also big thanks to all of the favorites and follows! Love you all! Anyways, until next time! Sooner this time, promise! Bye lovelies, please review!

Word Count: 4,974 (soooo close to 5,000)