The air was cold, freezing, even. Those who could breathe left little wisps of frost floating the air every time they exhaled. Gentle translucent flakes fell from the sky, landing on a soft canopy of untouched white snow. There wasn't one human outside this day. Everyone was inside, enjoying a crackling fire and the company of others. Even animals preferred to remain inside their nest or dens, sleeping and taking care of their young as they waited for the sun to appear once more. Despite all of this, it would be a lie to say there wasn't a soul outside. There was one spirit who walked among the pines, lantern in hand to light the way. Whoever it was didn't leave any footsteps and the ground remained unbothered by its presence.

"Is that a castle up ahead?" a quiet voice mumbled, looking up to see that, at the end of the steep path that leads the village into the woods, there was a large monument of stone. Though it appeared to be abandoned, the ghost noticed a pair of torn purple curtains move on the inside and traces of pale fingers clutching onto them. His lips curved into a smile at the sight of it. This meant he could stay the night somewhere.

The phantom continued along the path nature undisturbed by the unnatural presence. When he was alive, this man had an obvious presence. Though his face was rather ordinary, tinted blue hair that was rather long and a mundane pair of glasses perched on a pale nose and covered purple coloured eyes, he was on the tall side and hand an impressive built, wide shoulders and a strong chest. His muscles, however, didn't seem to stick out much, not when he was wearing his beige uniform.

Eventually, he reached the castle only to notice that the door was empty. He entered silently, scanning the foyer. He realized that none of the lights were on, which was strange given that Christmas was nearing. The building seemed completely void of life. Everything was empty and torn up but before he could take another step, someone had tried to attack him and sink their teeth into his neck.

Of course, being a specter meant that he didn't have any blood. He didn't move away when he saw his attacker try to plunge her, as he now identified that this person was certainly female, fangs, as he also now noticed they were much too long and sharp to be defined as teeth. Instead, he grinned, grateful that someone had noticed him for once.

"You can see me?" he exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with the little life they had left. She, however, wasn't so easily satisfied. She jumped away from him with graceful movements.

The girl couldn't have been older than eighteen. Long dark hair flowed down her back, contrasting her light skin and odd red eyes. A black scarf covered the latter half of her face, that is when she didn't reveal her deadly fangs, and her outfit seemed to be ancient, like a soldier from the Edo period. Her nose crunched up slightly when she frowned, and he found it strangely cute, but she kept her composure and hissed a question, "What are you?"

Disappointment hit him like a rock. It was no longer a question of who he was, but more of what he was. He didn't blame anyone, though, especially not the teenage girl who probably was expecting a meal just then. His answer came in a surprisingly confident voice, "A ghost, but call me Takamatsu."

"Takamatsu…" the name was repeated under her breath but she didn't think about it too much, "What brings you here?"

The blue haired boy was sure she would agree to his request to stay now. She was one of those girls who acted cool on the exterior but were actually sweethearts, he knew that much just by a glance. With a smile that he could only describe as suave, he opened his mouth to speak again, "I wish to stay here in this castle for-,"

"This is stupid. No."

He was interrupted immediately with a negative answer and he blinked in surprise. She must've been blind to not notice his manly charms. He wondered if he could try and take off these clothes and show her what he hid under the innocent school boy jacket but decided to use that as a last resort, instead trying to negotiate.

"Hmm… How about just for a week?"

"No."

"Three days?"

"No."

After getting shot down a third time, the vampire turned to retreat further into the castle and he followed, the flames of his lantern still burning, bright as ever. A scowl marred the former's face and she turned around, wishing she could throw a kunai at his head and be down with it, "Don't follow me."

"I really need a place to stay though! One night, please… Give me one night…"

There was an absence of noise. Surely, it wouldn't hurt to have him for a short period of time and he would stop being so persistent if he did. A sigh followed by a curt nod gave her answer and Takamatsu rejoiced.

"Yes! What's your name, by the way? And how old are you? I'm only a few years off from my death… I died after turning seventeen, five years ago."

He could see her stiffen for a moment and sigh, "I don't have a name, but the people who knew me after being bitten named me Shiina. I was attacked as a soldier guarding the Edo palace when I was seventeen." she didn't reveal any more, making her way through the hallways of the castle. If Takamatsu didn't know any better, he'd think she was looking for something.

"What are you looking for? Need a light?" he offered her the lantern and could've sworn her icy gaze softened for a bit.

"Thanks…" she gratefully accepted the source of light. Since she couldn't stand to be in the sun light, the castle was only lit when a full moon was out and even then it wasn't enough to see properly. She finally found what she was looking for, a group of wind-up dog toys. He noticed her face melt into a grin when she saw them, taking one and holding it close after leaving the lantern aside.

"You can keep it," he gestured to the lantern, sitting down on the floor next to the puppies. He'd leave tomorrow, as promised, but oddly enough Shiina wouldn't have minded if he stayed a little longer…

Somewhere during the night, Takamatsu had gone upstairs, still not making a sound even though whenever Shiina walked up the wooden steps, they would creak in such an irritating way that she had stopped going up those stairs. Eventually, she brought her artificial pets to a darker area so she could be with them during the day as well. She always held the lantern, not wanting to let go of the one thing that enabled her to see.

It was devastating news when she felt a breeze come in the house even though she closed the door after Takamatsu's arrival. This could only mean that he left. Shiina's eyes widened and in her haste to go outside, she dropped the lantern and the floor caught fire. She felt the flames lick at her skin but she felt no pain. She was reaching out, towards the exterior when she felt body being held by two strong arms and her back against a solid torso.

"Takamatsu…" she whispered, her struggles stopping. She leaned into him, closing her eyes. She couldn't see him, but she knew.

"I have to go," he told her, "I didn't want you to come with me but…"

"This is stupid. Of course I'll go."

Takamatsu slowly faded and Shiina left her body to join him, leaving nothing but a pile of ash and a burning forest behind. It was the closest they ever got to being inside by a crackling fire enjoying the company of each other.