Kantarou thought he would go insane if he stayed in his room any longer.  Three days he had been lying there.  Three days in which the demon could have killed again, and Youko hadn’t let him get anywhere near his research books.  Stubbornness was definitely a youkai trait, he decided. 

On the second day, Kantarou had attempted to enlist the aid of Haruka in an effort to smuggle in books.  Haruka however valued his life and had run off downstairs as soon as he understood what Kantarou was asking, fearful of Youko’s wrath.  Seconds later Youko erupted into his room threatening to gag him.  Haruka smirked behind her, amused at having finally got the better of his manipulative master.  Kantarou did not appreciate this and spent the next few hours devising ever more bizarre ways in which he could punish his obstinate tengu.  

  As well as threats and avoidance tactics, the two youkai had enlisted everyone they knew in an effort to keep Kantarou in bed.  Even Reiko had come over with a get-well offering, saying that the editor had approved a week’s extension on his latest article.  Kantarou had to wonder what Youko had done to manage that.  The glint of terror in Reiko’s eyes made him think threats might have been involved.  Kantarou thought perhaps Youko was garnering some rather bad habits from him.         

  The sound of footfalls up the stairs interrupted Kantarou’s thought.  There was a cursory tap at the door before Haruka pushed it aside, and entered the room bearing a tea tray. 

  “Youko said to bring these,” he said, sitting down on the floor beside Kantarou’s futon.  Kantarou scowled at him, still annoyed at his treacherous behaviour. 

  “Don’t look at me like that.”  The tengu poured tea and offered it to Kantarou.  “It was for your own good.”  Kantarou sat up and took the cup.

  “I only wanted to read,” he mumbled.

  “But you wouldn’t have just read,” Haruka retorted.  Kantarou could feel Haruka watching him as he drink his tea.  “Maybe Youko would let you now.  You should ask her.”  Kantarou looked at Haruka incredulously and snorted, thinking Haruka was enjoying his illness far too much.

  “I’m not a child, Haruka!” he said heatedly.  Haruka crossed his arms and smirked.

  “Sometimes I wonder…” 

  “What’s that supposed to mean?!” Kantarou cried.

  “That you act like a child sometimes.”  Kantarou sipped the hot tea sulkily and turned to look out the window, unwilling to dignify that comment with a retort.   Outside the rain still fell, the grey sky perfectly matching his mood.  He watched it for a time in silence, trying not to think about Haruka seeing him as a child, trying not to think about that house and that room and that staircase. 

  “Ne, Haruka…”  Kantarou spoke quietly.  “I never thanked you for coming after me down those stairs.”  Haruka paused for a moment, surprised at the honest gratefulness in Kantarou’s voice.

  “If you died I’d be stuck with this name forever,” he said flatly, unsure how to respond to Kantarou’s sudden melancholy.  Kantarou turned to look at him, a soft smile on his face.

  “You’ve decided you don’t like your name?” he asked.  Haruka shrugged but said nothing.  From downstairs they could hear the telephone ringing.  Then Youko was shouting up the stairs.

  “Haruka-chan, come and answer the phone!  It’s about Suzuki-san!”  Haruka stared at Kantarou.

  “You don’t want to?” Kantarou asked, amused by Haruka’s dislike of strangers.

  “No,” Haruka replied. 

  “Then help me downstairs and I’ll do it,” Kantarou offered.  Haruka threw his master a doubtful look.

  “Youko will kill us.”

  “No she won’t.  I’m much better now and she knows it.”  Kantarou hauled himself off the futon and limped his way to the stairs.  Haruka followed closely behind him. 

  “If she gets angry I’m telling her you ordered me,” Haruka whispered as they descended the stairs.  Kantarou laughed.

  “Who’d have thought?  The big scary Demon-Eating Tengu afraid of our Youko!”  Haruka scoffed.

  “You’re her master and you are too.”   Kantarou had to concede the point. 

  At the sight of Kantarou limping up the corridor towards the phone Youko growled threateningly, looking accusingly at Haruka who shrugged and looked away.

  “I’m fine, Youko.  Now hand over the phone,” Kantarou said.  She gave him a disapproving look but handed over the phone anyway.  Kantarou took the phone and watched in amusement as Youko stalked off to harass Haruka.

  “Ichinomiya-sensei?” asked an unknown voice on the other end of the phone.  Kantarou put the phone closer to his ear.

  “Yes?”

  “This is Suzuki Daiki.  I think there are some things you should know...”

*****

  “Well doesn’t this feel familiar.”  Kantarou sighed and watched the rain drip from his umbrella.  At least he had his own this time.  Haruka gave him a knowing look. 

“I know, I know, Haruka.  It was my idea to come out.  At least the trains were running.  And it’s only a short walk away from here.  It’s not even raining so hard now.”  Kantarou looked up at his brooding friend as cheerfully as he could manage, given the continued greyness and listlessness of the sodden town.

  “Youko will be angry when we get back,” Haruka said, continuing to throw Kantarou doubtful looks.  Kantarou grinned mischievously.

  “Don’t worry.  I’ll silence her with a charm.”

  “I don’t think that will help.”  Haruka looked around the street with mild interest.  “Anyway, where is it we are going exactly?”

  “To the Suzuki family shrine.  I thought it best for Daiki-kun to stay there,” Kantarou replied.

  “You just wanted to get out of the house,” Haruka said.  Kantarou chuckled.

  “Well…that too…”    Haruka studied his master for a moment.  He was certainly a lot better than he had been, but he was certainly not back to his annoyingly cheerful self.  His smiles and laughter were more sullen and forced.  And he still heavily favoured his right leg.

  “You’re still limping,” Haruka said.  Kantarou ignored the comment.

  “Look, we’re nearly there,” he said instead, speeding up a little.  Just up the street Haruka could see the top of the red Toori gate rising above the houses and shops surrounding it. 

  “They must be REALLY rich to afford a shrine this big…”  Kantarou had a gleam in his eye Haruka knew all too well.  Walking through the gate now, they could see the shrine itself.  It looked old; the wood stained and covered in charms.  Beside the shrine stood a newer looking house.  It was from here that Suzuki Daiki emerged to greet them. 

  “Ichinomiya-sensei!” Daiki called, walking quickly towards them.  “My mother said you were…distinctive.”  Kantarou frowned momentarily, but the stranger seemed friendly enough so he let it pass and greeted the man politely.

  “Shall we go inside?  It’s not good to stand in the rain and mother said you had something of an accident at the house,” Daiki said, leading the two into the house.  Kantarou waved his hand dismissively and smiled.    

  “Yes.  We fell down the stairs.  But it was not serious so don’t worry about it,” Kantarou replied cheerily.  Daiki nodded and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Mother was worried as she had not heard from you.  I am glad you were not hurt,” he said.  They were led into a sparsely but elegantly furnished room and were seated on richly coloured cushions.  Kantarou shifted uncomfortably on his bruised leg.

  “Ichinomiya-sensei.”  Daiki spoke nervously, his hands gripping each other so tightly the skin was turning white.  “Do you really think… a… demon…or a ghost…or something… killed my father?” 

  “I am sure it was a demon,” Kantarou replied, watching Daiki’s reaction closely.  His face turned grim but not entirely surprised.

  “You don’t think it could have been a ghost?” he asked.  The question surprised Kantarou. 

  “Why do you ask that?”  Daiki looked around him, looked at the table around which they all sat, looked anywhere but into Kantarou’s eyes.

  “My sister…this shrine is dedicated to her,” Daiki said, lowering his voice even thought Kantarou had seen no evidence of anyone else in the building.

  “You had a sister?” Kantarou asked gently.  Daiki nodded mournfully.

  “My mother would not have said.  It was too painful for her.  And she never really believed it anyway…”  Daiki trailed off, embarrassed.

  “Believed what?”  It was Haruka who asked now, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

  “That… my sister, some years ago, was possessed by something.  It killed her.”  Kantarou suddenly understood.  He remembered the feeling of death and despair, the anger and hatred, and he remembered the grooves in the mats as though furniture had once stood there.

  “That room?  The one with black walls… that was your sister’s room.”  He paused.  “She died there.” 

  “It was the demon!”  Daiki spoke quietly but he was shaking and his face was blotched red in anger.  “It killed her!”

  “You think it was her ghost and not the demon?” Kantarou asked as soothingly as he could, but he did not understand.  “Why?”  For a moment Daiki looked Kantarou in the eye as though he were being accused of the murder himself.  Then the look was gone, to be replaced by sadness. 

  “I thought maybe she was angry at us for…not saving her.”

  “You remember her here at this shrine, don’t you?  I am sure she rests in peace because of that, Daiki-kun.”  Kantarou tried to make his voice sound reassuring, though he couldn’t be certain himself.  Still, he thought, It was definitely a demon and not a ghost he had sensed both in the house and the factory.  “Perhaps the demon that possessed your sister has returned.  It might bear some grudge against your family,” Kantarou suggested.  Daiki still looked doubtful.

  “I thought we…exorcised the demon.  But perhaps…”  The man was starting to look pale now. 

  “I think you have told us enough, Daiki-kun.”  Kantarou stood up.  “I will look into this matter further, but I think you should be safe here at the shrine for now.”  Daiki nodded and bid them farewell.

  Out on the street again Haruka finally spoke.

  “He was lying.”  The tengu watched as Kantarou shook his head slowly in disagreement.