Whoever said Japanese architecture was ingenuous was a fool.  A fool and an idiot who had clearly never lived through a Japanese winter, where the snow falls in droves and ice-cold winds rip effortlessly through paper thin doors.  Where inside is no warmer than outside and nothing short of a raging fire keeps you warm. 

  Kantarou sat miserably beside his desk wrapped in three blankets.  He would have tried to find his hat, had it not been too cold to move.  Youko was in the kitchen, huddling beside the stove. Kantarou thought to join her but, again, that would require movement.  Anyway, she would only send him back to his desk and tell him to finish working.  And he really would have done some work, for once, had the ink in his pen not been frozen.  And had his fingers not felt like small blocks of ice.  He was just considering going to bed, even though the sun had only just set, when Haruka burst into the room.  He stood there shivering, his coat grasped tightly around his body.

  “It’s freezing,” he stated, teeth chattering slightly.  Kantarou grimaced.

  “Haruka, either come in and shut the door or go out and shut the door, but whatever you’re doing SHUT THE DOOR.”  He pulled the blankets tighter around himself in an attempt to stave off the freezing draft coming in from the hallway.  He glared at Haruka.  Haruka stood for a moment in indecision, weighing up the benefits and disadvantages of being in a room alone with Kantarou (in the freezing cold) before stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. 

  “Got anymore of those blankets?” he asked.

  “In the cupboard,” Kantarou answered shortly, indicating to his left.  Haruka shuffled stiffly over and slid the door open.

  “It’s FREEZING in here...” he exclaimed in surprise, drawing back from the cool air filtering out from the cupboard.

  “Then get a blanket and close it,” Kantarou replied, almost as icily as the frozen tea in his cup.  Haruka looked back at his master, pale as a sheet and shivering even beneath what looked like several thick blankets.  He supposed humans weren’t very good with the cold.  Though he had to admit today was exceptionally cold.  Even he felt it deep within his bones, running through his body as though his very blood had turned into a mountain river.  He quickly pulled out the remaining blankets and threw them over himself, shivering as the cold fabric touched his exposed neck.  He closed the cupboard and went to sit near Kantarou, whose face was now almost completely buried in the folds of his blankets. 

  “Don’t you have any kind of fire?” Haruka asked.  Kantarou lowered the blankets a fraction so he could speak.

  “There’s the stove in the kitchen...But I refuse to move.”

  “Hm...”  Haruka tried to adjust the blankets so that they covered every part of his body, but finding this impossible he attempted to pull his legs in closer to his chest.  After several minutes of fighting he gave up with a huff.

  “Haruka, you shouldn’t let the blankets win...”  Kantarou’s eyes sparkled with amusement.

  “It’s not funny.  Your house is too cold,” Haruka answered irritably.  He thought for a moment, then the answer struck him.

  “Let’s go out,” he said.  Kantarou’s face fell in disbelief.

  “Absolutely not,” he stated. 

  “We can go to an izakaya.  It’ll be warm there...and there’ll be warm sake,” Haruka argued.  Kantarou considered the possibility for a moment before dismissing it.

  “Nope.  I’m not moving,” he declared and buried himself completely in the blankets.

  “Fine.  Well I’m going.”  Haruka stood up, letting the blankets fall away from him.  He gave Kantarou one more look before stalking out of the room and, to Kantarou’s annoyance, leaving the door partially opened.  He murmured curses at Haruka under his breath and tried to pretend he didn’t mind that Haruka had left him alone again.  He had only just decided to go to bed, again, when Haruka stomped back in holding his coat and hat. 

  “Here,” Haruka threw the clothing at the pile of blankets under which his master was hidden.  “It’s dull to drink alone.”  Kantarou huffed dramatically but took the coat and hat and expertly put them on without letting the blankets fall too far.

  “You’re not taking those out with you,” Haruka declared and pulled Kantarou roughly out the nest he had made for himself.

  “Mou...Haruka...” Kantarou complained as Haruka dragged him by the arm towards the entrance hall.  “There’s no need to be so violent...”

  “You would have sat there all night content to freeze to death,” the Tengu replied.

  “Ah, Haruka!  Were you worried about me?” Kantarou asked in delight.  Haruka snorted.

  “No. You’re perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, I think.”  Kantarou sagged at Haruka’s cold reply.  They left the house without saying another word, but Haruka did not release his grip on Kantarou’s arm.

  Out on the street it was eerily quiet.  Kantarou supposed the weather had driven most people to hide in their homes beside their hearths, hoping that the cold spell would end quickly.  He wished he was back at home too, but Haruka seemed intent on dragging him out so he didn’t have much choice.  Kantarou knew he could stop the Tengu, could order him back home, but that was no fun.  Not when Haruka had a tight grip on his arm and seemed set on having his company.  Kantarou snuggled up to Haruka’s side as they walked, earning him a curious look from his friend.

  “I’m cold,” he stated in explanation.  Haruka merely shrugged and looked away, speeding up a little.

  As they approached the entertainment district there was a definite increase in the number of people out and about.  Though still early, many were already lolling about seemingly drunk and happy.  The only people who didn’t look so cheerful were the stall holders who huddled together behind their tables, dressed in layer upon layer of clothing, briskly rubbing their hands together in an attempt to keep warm.  Kantarou thought they must be very stubborn to come out and work on a night like this.

  Turning the corner, Kantarou spotted their usual drinking establishment a few doors away.

  “I hope you brought money, Kantarou,” Haruka said. 

  “Ah…I have a bit but you didn’t exactly give me much time to pick some up…”

  “That’s just another way of saying you don’t have much.”

  “That’s not true!” Kantarou protested, “Anyway, I have enough to get you drunk.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means,” Kantarou explained, “That you can’t hold your drink.”  Haruka frowned angrily at his master. 

“Ah!  We’ve arrived!” Kantarou announced, throwing Haruka his most innocent smile.  He led the way into the building to be welcomed by the owner. 

“Now…what should we have…” Kantarou wondered once they were seated.

“Perhaps you should consider what you can afford…” Haruka sniped. 

“Now Haruka, you’re still not angry about what I said outside are you?” Haruka answered the human with an even deeper frown.

“You can’t drink either.  That’s why you always cheat…”

“I do not cheat, Haruka!”

“You do.  Always.”  A notion suddenly struck Haruka.  “Ha!  And you didn’t deny you can’t hold your drink!”  Kantarou folded his arms.

“Well then, why don’t we see who can drink more.”  Haruka thought for a moment.

“Fine  But you have to promise you won’t cheat.”  Kantarou found himself suddenly breaking out into a cold sweat. 

“He he…” he giggled nervously, “I never cheat anyway…”

“You do and you will promise,” Haruka interrupted.  Kantarou was beginning to think challenging Haruka to a drinking contest had not been the brightest idea.

“Promise.” Haruka demanded again.  As…mischievous…as Kantarou could be, he would not break a promise and it seemed now that he had backed himself into something of a corner.  He sighed in defeat, knowing he was going to regret this.

“I promise.”