Disclaimer: I do not own rights to the series 'Tactics'. Hmmm…. Once I do more research on the series, I can come up with some better comments to put here! Hee hee…! I can't wait!

Aching loneliness

Kantaro was reluctant to leave the world of the conscious. It was a warm night, and he was quite comfortable, but he lay there, wondering many things. It was his birthday the next morning, and he was excited. Though, all the day, he had acted as if nothing was up, and he found that holding in his excitement was harder than he thought. He stayed up until the sun was beginning to bring light above the horizon. Would Yoko throw him a party? Would anyone get him presents? By the time he saw the sun peek up over the trees, he was finally done thinking and let his eyelids close shut.

"Kantaro? Kantaro, get up!"

"Is he dead?"

"Nah, he's just lazy."

Kantaro felt that he was being shaken, but he ignored the voices that tried to pull him from his dreamless rest. It had not been long since he had closed his eyes to rest, and he wasn't eager to do anything but get rest, finally. Then again, he had a strange feeling that there was something he needed to do that day. Still, he ignored Yoko and Suzu-chan.

"Kantaro! Get up, already! I have a surprise for you!"

That woke him. Immediately, his eyes snapped open and remembered what day it was. He smiled widely, despite his exhaustion and looked towards the door where Yoko was poking her head in.

"I'll be right out!"

"Whatever…"

"He's weird."

"Yup."

His bedroom door closed and Kantaro almost yelled in anticipation. It was his birthday, and he was anxious to see what surprises had been set up for him. Slowly, yet enthusiastically, he rose from his bed and dressed. Things were going well, until he entered the lounging area.

"I'm here! What's the sur…prise?"

Sitting at a small table sat Sugino and Muuchan. Sugino was drinking tea, acting as if he didn't want to be there at all. Muuchan, however, smiled and jumped into Kantaro's arms, earning him a glare from Muuchan's spouse.

"Uh… what are they doing here?"

"That's the surprise! They decided to pay us a visit!"

"Hey, don't say that! I'm only here because Muuchan said she wanted to come!"

"So… that's it? Just a visit?"

The fact that his not-so-nice 'friend' had shown up wasn't what disappointed him the most. Taking a look around the room, he found no streamers, no balloons, no party hats… just Yoko cooking, Sugino drinking, Suzu-chan swooning over Haruka, and Haruka sitting in the corner, ignoring everyone and everything. Kantaro sighed and looked down at Muuchan, the only one who seemed to care that he existed. Some birthday that was.

Sugino was arguing with Yoko about being nice and other things, but Kantaro wasn't listening anymore. He walked past Yoko and set Muuchan softly onto Sugino's lap, and then walked out of the room. All the fighting stopped, and all eyes were on Kantaro until he rounded the corner. They heard his door softly slide shut and looked at .

"What's wrong with him?"

"Yeah, I've never seen his mood swings take effect so early."

"What do you mean? It's nearly six in the morning."

"My point exactly. At the same time, he has been acting funny all week long."

"Do you think he's broken, or something?"

Suzu-chan laughed. Yoko threw a glare at Haruka and then got up and walked to her master's room. There wasn't any noise coming from the room, and when he looked in again, she saw that he was working silently at his desk. He was probably working on one of the many novels Ms. Reiko had asked of him. But, if he never worked on them before, why was he doing them now? Ms. Reiko wasn't even expected to come by that day.

Kantaro never showed any kind of steady work ethic, and he used to do everything and anything to avoid working on his manuscripts, so Yoko was very confused as to why he was acting as strangely as he was. She brought her concerns to Haruka and the others, but they didn't think anything of it.

"Listen! I think there may be something very wrong with him!"

"Tell us something we don't already know."

"Hee hee!"

"Haruka, that's mean! He's your master just like he's mine! You should be concerned, too!"

"Calm down, Yoko… look, I'm sure Ichinomiya is fine."

"But Lord Sugino…"

"I understand your concern…"

Sugino looked at Muuchan, who was pouting in his lap, and found it strange. She was acting worried, also, and he wondered if there really was something wrong with him.

"If it will ease your concern, just keep a close watch on him. He'll pull out of it in no time at all, you'll see!"

"Just keep an eyes on him, huh…? Well, that shouldn't be too hard, considering-"

Just then, the group heard the front door open and in walked Ms. Reiko, smile and all. She was holding onto a thick file.

"Oh, no… Ms. Reiko, what're you doing here?"

"Well that isn't a very nice way to greet a guest, Yoko!"

"I'm sorry… it's just that I wasn't expecting you to come by today. It's your day off, isn't it?"

"Yes, well… I came by to see Kantaro."

"Is it another assignment?"

Ms. Reiko smiled at Haruka. She still had a crush on him. Suzu-chan sure didn't like her dreamy stare, though, so she looked away.

"I'm afraid so. Man, on this day, too… how unfortunate."

"Eh?"

"Where is Mr. Ichinomiya, Yoko?"

"He's in his room. I'll announce your arrival."

"Thank you, dear."

Ms. Reiko followed Yoko to Kantaro's room, also carrying a tray of tea, and waited outside while she went in. From outside the door, Ms. Reiko couldn't help but notice how softly and strangely Kantaro was speaking. It made her wonder.

"Kantaro, Ms. Reiko is here to see you."

"Yes, please let her in."

Yoko came back out and Ms. Reiko went in, and asked her to close the door behind her. She did, and left Yoko standing out in the hall, worried. Haruka sensed her discomfort, and everyone else followed. They pressed their ears to the door and listened.

Just by looking at him, Ms. Reiko could tell something was wrong. He sat sluggishly at the small table in the center of the room, and he moved and spoke slower than usual. She also could help but notice the deep, dark circles forming under his usually bright eyes. Now, his red eyes seemed dull and certainly not energetic. He slowly poured her some tea and then rose from his seat. He went to his desk, and returned to place a stack of papers on her side of the table.

"What is all this?"

"One of the manuscripts I've neglected to hand you."

"What? You've seriously finished it?"

"Yes. It didn't take long to complete."

"Your eyes say differently."

Kantaro looked up at her sadly, and then sighed and averted his gaze.

"Have you lost a lot of sleep over this?"

"No. I've been working during the morning and afternoons."

"Then why do you look so exhausted?"

Yoko and Haruka, on the other side of the door, were just as eager to hear the answer.

"I… have had a little trouble sleeping, is all."

"Really? What is a 'little' trouble?"

"I have only managed to get about two hours of sleep a night."

"For how long?"

"…About a week now."

"I see… I'm sorry to hear that."

So was everyone else. Haruka's brow knit in contemplation. He had heard someone walking around the house during the late hours of the night, lately, but he didn't think Kantaro was the culprit. He was still just a human, and humans needed a certain amount of sleep each night in order to remain healthy. He wondered what was wrong with his, dare he even think it, master.

"Ms. Reiko… what are you here for? You should be enjoying your day off."

Silently, she pushed a small envelope across the table towards him. He looked at it a moment before opening it. His eyes widened a little and he looked at the woman smiling in front of him.

"Ms. Reiko…"

"Just a little gift for a special young man."

Sugino raised an eyebrow.

"Is she hitting on him?"

Haruka hit him on the head and then kept listening.

"Ms. Reiko…"

"No need to thank me! I was happy to…"

She was surprised to see him push the envelope back to her.

"What's the matter?"

"I can't accept this."

"Why not?"

"It's just too much…"

"Oh, come now. I've never known you to turn away money before! Plus, you need money to buy food, right? With so many visitors coming by, I'm sure-"

"Please don't give me this…"

Before Kantaro could pull his hand back, Ms. Reiko took hold of it. She turned his hand over and placed the envelope back into it.

"Just take it. I'll take offense if you try to give it back."

Finally, he gave in, and stuffed the envelope into a box on his desk. Ms. Reiko was not happy with his attitude that day.

"Kantaro, what's wrong?"

"I don't know… I just can't sleep at night."

"I know that part, but what else."

"…Well…"

"Go on."

"It's just, there hasn't been a lot of business lately, and I'm bored. Aside from that, a lot of people have been coming over, and…"

And none of them cared about him at all. That's what he wanted to say, but he smiled weakly and shook his head.

"No, it's nothing. Why don't you tell me your story."

"Story?"

"It's not like you to stop by unless there is business to discuss."

She didn't JUST stop by because of that, but also to give him his birthday present. However, since he was so focussed on something else, and wasn't going to tell her, she decided to show him the file.

"According to my sources, there is a house in the higher-status residential district that is supposedly haunted. People say that whoever enters never comes out. Some say they are driven mad, to the point of death."

"What proof of that is there?"

"Apparently, the last person to have lived there wrote about it. It was a suicide note, telling of the horrible things that happened to him. He was never found or heard from again. Right now the house is uninhabited."

"I see…"

Haruka listened even more intently. He could tell Kantaro wouldn't say no to the case, however, he was most surprised to hear an objection from the other.

"Don't go today."

"What?"

"There is no reason for you to go there today. It's your day, and you deserve to rest. You're obviously not in fit condition to go, anyway."

"If I don't go today, the case will bother me until I go, so I'd just better get it over with.

Yoko was fighting against the others in the hall. She was concerned with his health, after hearing the conversation, and wanted to go in there and hit him. But, he seemed to know she was there, already, and called for her.

"Yoko."

She gasped and pushed her captor, Sugino away. Yoko opened the door and looked in, trying to act innocent.

"Y-yes Kantaro?"

"Get Haruka."

Haruka looked in, also trying to act innocent.

"I'm here. What is it?"

"I'm going. Feel free to stay behind."

Haruka wasn't about to let the boy go off on his own after what he just heard. And despite Suzu-chan's complaints, he rose from the floor and put on a serious face.

"I'm coming.