Love Remains 4.

~~~~~~~~~

By girl_starfish

In the week that followed Tohru and her mother dusted, polished, aired, scrubbed, vacuumed, straightened, washed and ironed. By the time the weekend rolled around, the house was looking gorgeous—and Tohru was exhausted.

"I really appreciate all your help, you know," Kyoko said collapsing into an armchair. "I couldn't have done this without you, Tohru." She groaned. "I don't even want to think about making lunch—"

"Sandwiches?" Tohru suggested from her own armchair. She was too tired to be able to face cooking—

"The door bell?" Kyoko wondered as the bell sounded. "Who would be visiting us?"

Mystified Tohru jumped up to answer the door.

The main door was at the end of the hallway. Tohru could see her reflection in the wooden panels that she passed, so shiny that they reflected the light from the stained glass windows framing the main doors, making the hallway appear much lighter and welcoming. At times like this it was hard to imagine that the house could ever be haunted—

"Uo-chan? Hana-chan?" she blinked at her friends. "What are you doing here?"

"Yo," Arisu held up a shopping bag. She'd discarded her school uniform in favour of jeans and a t-shirt. Beside her stood Saki, dressed in a black corset top and skirt that accentuated her pale skin. "We brought food."

"Knowing how busy you and your mother must be," Saki said, stepping past Tohru into the house, "We thought you might appreciate something to eat so—"

"We made a picnic!" Arisu slapped Tohru on the back, following Saki inside. She paused inside the house. "This place looks so different in daylight—"

Saki looked around the house steadily, her dark eyes alert with interest. "Interesting."

"Eh?" Tohru turned from looking down the street. "Are you sensing something with your psychic gifts?"

"This house holds a lot of memories," Saki said. "It is unusually receptive to psychic influences." She placed a hand on the wooden panels. "Sorrow, joy, worry, laughter, love—these walls have seen a lot of life."

Tohru stared at her. "You can feel that?"

"Hey." Tohru jumped as Arisu lent over her to look out the front door. "You expecting someone else?"

"Ah—"

"Kyou couldn't come with us," Saki said, pushing the door shut. "He has a martial arts tournament this afternoon."

"Oh," said Tohru, blushing.

"We going to stand here all day?" Arisu said. "Let's get on with this."

~~~~~~

Tohru was right. Her mother and her friends got on like a house on fire.

They'd taken a blanket out on to the lawn and were eating in the shade at the side of the house, beside the rose arbour and the lily pond. The day couldn't be nicer, and Tohru thought she couldn't remember being happier.

"You made all this yourselves?" Kyoko asked Saki and Arisu. "Tohru, you don't want a couple of adopted sisters, do you?"

Tohru laughed. "That would be too cool! I always wanted a sister!"

"Me too," Arisu said. "Being an only child sucks."

"I'd offer you one of mine," Saki said gravely. "But the last time I tried to give them away I got grounded." She took another delicate sip of tea as the others stared at her. "It was a joke."

With Saki's serious expression it was impossible to tell.

Kyoko smiled. "Hey, I've got an idea. What do you guys say to a sleepover tonight—to thank you for your lovely picnic?"

"That would be so cool!" Tohru squealed.

"We can rent movies, I'll make my famous apple pancakes—it'll be great!"

"We'll have to check with our parents," Saki said.

"I'll show you where the phone is," Tohru said. "This way." She was practically bouncing as she led the way to the housekeeper's quarters. "Do you think they'll say yes?"

"I don't know . . . this house has a bad reputation—" Arisu shrugged.

"It does not feel threatening," Saki said. "My parents should let me come."

"Then I guess I've got to come—can't be the only one left out!"

"Come now," Kyoko laughed as she followed them into the kitchen. "You can't be scared of this old house."

In the modern kitchen, warmly decorated in rustic tones with a bunch of roses that Tohru had picked the day before on a vase on the table, it did seem absurd to be afraid.

"I guess its not everyone who can say they've spent the night in a haunted house," Arisu admitted.

"That's true," Kyoko stretched. "I'll leave you girls to sort out the details. I might get started on the silverware." She ruffled her daughter's hair as she left. "Stay out of trouble, turnip."

Permission to stay the night was gained. Tohru grinned at her friends. "This is going to be so cool! What do you want to do first?"

"Actually," Saki said, turning her thoughtful gaze onto Tohru. "What do you say to investigating this house's past?'

"You mean you want to work out who the ghost is?" Arisu questioned. "I don't know—"

Tohru wavered. "Do we have to go looking for ghosts?"

"There is no reason to fear ghosts," Saki said. "They are merely manifestations of souls trapped in this world by unfulfilled desires. They can't hurt living people—most can't even interact with them. They need our help not our fear."

Arisu growled. "You say that after you saw what I did."

Tohru interrupted hastily. "I don't know if I really want to see a ghost—but I don't mind finding out about the house's past. And if we find something about a ghost, well, we could help it right? If its trapped here then we could set it free—couldn't we?"

"Its feasible," Saki said. "We should start researching." She tipped the contents of her backpack onto the table. "I brought a few books with me for reference purposes—"

"Parapsychology for the beginner—how to tell if your house is haunted—true ghost stories—" Arisu shook her head. "And people think you're morbid, Hana-chan."

Saki ignored her pointedly. "Are there any books around here about the house and family? An old homestead like this is bound to have something written about it."

"There are the photo albums in the drawing room," Tohru said. "And I think there's a family history or something in the library."

"I'll look at photos," Arisu volunteered. "Show me where the albums are."

Saki, Arisu and Tohru ended up carrying the photo albums into the kitchen. The drawing room was nice, but the dust covers draped over all the furniture gave the room a museum like feel. The kitchen was far more comfortable.

"What a lot of stiffs!" Arisu commented, flicking through the photos. "Do none of these people know how to have fun?"

"That looks like Hatori," Tohru said. "He's so young!"

"Who else do you know?"

"I don't see Ritsu anywhere—" Tohru said turning the page. "But that's Shigure, there."

"At least one of them knows how to smile."

"Tohru," Saki requested politely. "You mentioned something about a family history?"

"Of course!" Tohru jumped up. "I'll go and look for it."

The library was not empty. Shigure sat in the window seat, looking thoughtfully over the river. He smiled as Tohru entered. "Hello Tohru! Are those cute girls who were in the garden before friends of yours?"

"Uo-chan and Hana-chan," Tohru said. "They're going to stay the night."

"Really? You mean there will be three charming young women in this house?" Shigure's grin widened as Tohru blushed. "I don't know how to contain my joy."

"I'm looking for a history of the house—Hana-chan wants to find out more about the house's past, the ghost in particular." Tohru said quickly to cover her embarrassment.

"You're ghost hunting then?"

"Yes—you don't want to come with us, do you?" Tohru suggested. "You know a lot more about the house than we do—and you could meet Arisu and Saki!"

Shigure looked rather wistful as he replied. "Technically, I'm not allowed beyond the library—However, I can find you a good book."

Tohru watched impressed as Shigure expertly sorted through the library's contents.

"Nothing on this shelf, over here however—there's a chapter devoted to the house here that gives the early family history. Over here are a few books on the supernatural, there's more in the attic if you're interested. Frankly, this one could not be more dull, but there are a few points that are worth reading—chapter 3 on manifestations and what causes them is good. True ghost stories is totally inaccurate but amusing, and the best bits of Varner's Discourses on the paranormal are illegible due to Momiji using it as a teething toy when he was younger." Shigure's face was alive with interest as he weighed Tohru down with books. "This one, on the other hand—"

Tohru thought she'd never seen him so relaxed or happy. "Shigure—You really like books, don't you?"

He grinned at her, his smile crinkling up his eyes and making him look a lot younger—rather like a child who'd been told that Christmas would be coming twice and been handed a sack full of toys. "Whatever gave you that idea Tohru? This—" he waved a slim volume in the air "—is my piece de resistance. You'll have to hide it from Hatori, he hates it with a passion."

"The Pocket Guide to Real Haunted Houses in your vicinity?" Tohru looked from the book's title to Shigure who was grinning as if he'd just handed her a million dollars.

"We're on page 137," Shigure said. "Under unconfirmed hauntings."

"You should come and meet Hana-chan," Tohru said. "You two will get on well. She's psychic."

"Psychic?" Was it Tohru's imagination or was that alarm in Shigure's face? "I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass, Tohru. I need to get going soon."

"Thank-you for your help," Tohru said, struggling to hold all the books up. "I'm sure that these will be very useful."

Shigure nodded, a trace of wistfulness in his eyes as he watched her go. "Tohru," he said suddenly. "We're friends, right? You'll remember that?"

This was so unlike the collected Shigure she knew, that Tohru turned around to look at him. "What do you mean?"

Shigure laughed, ruffling his hair in an embarrassed fashion. "Oh, nothing. See you later, Tohru."

Unconvinced, Tohru turned to leave.

"That's a lot of books," Arisu said, looking up as Tohru entered the kitchen, nudging the door shut behind her with her shoulder.

"Shigure helped me find them," Tohru said, setting them down on the table where Arisu and Saki were working. Saki immediately began sorting through them. "Have you found anything interesting?"

"A picture of Kyou running from a girl dressed in a wedding dress," Arisu snickered. "And it looks as though someone went through one of the older albums with a pair of scissors and a grudge—some of the photos have had people cut out of them. But apart from that nothing. Maybe the ghost died of boredom."

"This is a serious investigation, Uo," Saki chastened her taller friend, without looking up from the pages of the book she was perusing. "Try to approach it in a suitable state of mind."

"Who's this Shigure, then?" Arisu demanded.

"He's a Souma, but he doesn't live here. He comes by to use the library a lot," Tohru said. "What are you looking at Saki?"

The dark haired girl held up the Pocket Guide. "I think I've found something."

Tohru and Arisu listened as Saki read.

"The Souma Homestead. Built late 1890s by the Souma family and members of the family still reside there."

"Must be an old book," Arisu snorted. "The Soumas moved out, what, a decade ago?"

Saki checked the book's publication date. "It was printed 12 years ago."

"That's not too out of date," Tohru said. "Keep on reading, Saki."

"The Souma family were a leading family in the town's society, prosperous and well respected. Control of the considerable family fortune is decided by the head of the family. In the past this was the oldest descendent of Souma Asato, the founder of the family fortune, and the builder of the house, but after the premature death of Souma Akito ended this line, the family has elected a head."

"Premature death?" Arisu wondered. "That sounds promising—hey, Tohru, throw me that family history."

"Reports of supernatural activity date from shortly after this time. A scandal rocked the Souma family, and they took every step to hush it up with the result that even after this much time has passed, the family refuses to discuss it. Newspaper accounts of this time reveal that two family members were killed by their cousin who was hung a month later for the double murder. There is not enough available evidence to speculate over whether the house is haunted by the victims of this crime, or the vengeful spirit of the murderer, but the disparity of the accounts of encounters with the house's supernatural inhabitants suggest that more than one ghost is present."

"More than one?" Tohru was dismayed.

Saki continued reading calmly. "Visitors to the house cite feelings of coolness, inexplicable movement of furniture, lights and other electrical appliances turning themselves on and off, even furniture being thrown around. The ghosts have even been seen, three guests claiming to have seen a pale woman standing by the gazebo, only to vanish at their approach, while another guest claims she was passed in a hallway by a pale young man in dark attire, whose cold gaze froze her where she stood." She put the book down momentarily. "That sounds like your ghost, Arisu."

"Shut up," Arisu commanded. "And keep reading."

Tohru edged nearer to Arisu for comfort.

"Very well," Saki returned to the book. "The family refuses to comment and denies any supernatural presence within the house. However, the family fortune seems to have been under a blight since the hauntings began, with many family members leaving the house to live further afield. The house's history seems to weigh heavily upon those Soumas remaining in the homestead, with a history of accident and psychological stress following the house's inhabitants: At the time of printing, one resident of the house is undergoing treatment in a psychiatric hospital. There has been at least one violent death in the house since the murder, although this too has been covered up by the family. The Souma family will refuse permission to visit the house to people wanting to investigate paranormal phenomenon, however, the house and garden's are part of the Historic Places trust and tours can be arranged at the discretion of the current family head."

"Wow," Tohru said. She was no longer surprised her mother had sent her out of the room while talking to Hatori. "I can't believe that this house—" she shook her head. Of course, she couldn't deny the fact that the furniture in the upstairs drawing room had been thrown about just like the book said . . . "I wonder why Hatori told us it was just warped floorboards."

"Maybe he doesn't believe in ghosts," Arisu said. "Not everyone does, you know." She pushed the book she'd been flicking through across the table. "Look at this—Souma Akito ascended to the leadership of the family at the early age of 13. Despite ill health, he proved to be a skilful manager of the family accounts. It was under his guidance that the second wing was added—blah, blah, blah about the architecture—the entire family was shattered by the tragic death of Akito and his fiancée, and their fortunes never quite recovered." Arisu flicked the page over. "The author goes on to talk about the gabled windows and the Gothic influence in the stairways or something but there's a photo here—see."

Tohru and Saki leaned forward to exam it. In the stiff-backed chair that stood at the head of the formal dining room, sat a young man, dressed in the formal clothes of a past age. He was pale and thin, but his obvious physical weakness was contrasted by the intensity and strength of the gaze with which he fixed the camera, at once dominating and scornful.

"She's beautiful," Saki breathed, and Tohru turned her attention to the girl standing beside the chair. Although dressed sedately and standing with her hands demurely clasped in front of her, the girl seemed to possess a strength of spirit barely contained in her slender form. Her long dark hair was left loose over her shoulders, and rebellion simmered in the eyes that were turned upon the camera.

"Don't know who the girl is, but that's Akito," Arisu said. "I'm betting she's the fiancée, and they're the ghosts. Makes sense doesn't it? A double murder—and the tragic loss of Akito and his fiancée."

"Anyway we could check this?" Saki said.

"If Shigure's still here, we could ask him," Tohru said. "Come on."

But the library was empty.

"Too bad," Tohru said. "You guys would really like Shigure."

"What's up, Saki?" Arisu asked. "You getting psychic vibes or something?"

Saki had gone very still, apparently in deep concentration. "This room has a strong presence to it—very strong."

Tohru edged closer to Arisu. "You think there's a ghost here?"

"People often leave traces of themselves or their emotions in places where they were frequently in life, or where they felt very strong emotions," Saki said. "It feels as though someone liked this room a lot—"

"Whatever," Arisu picked a book off the shelf, flicked through it and replaced it. "So, what are we looking for?"

"A family history—something that would record the births and deaths of all the family members," Tohru said, examining the shelves that Shigure had taken the history of the house from. "Arisu, do you want to look at that case, and I'll look at these. Saki—"

Saki was off in her own world. She seemed to be giving the chair Shigure usually sat in a very close inspection—

"Ah," Tohru said.

"Just leave her," Arisu shrugged. "When she has one of her psychic moments, she doesn't notice anything but what she wants to notice."

The shelves were examined, but to no avail. "You've found nothing approximating a family tree?"

"They have to have one somewhere," Tohru said. "There must be somewhere we haven't looked. Maybe the drawing room—"

Thud!

Arisu and Tohru jumped.

The book that had fallen from the table, lay in the centre of the floor. A breeze, lifted the curtains behind it, playing with the pages.

"Someone left the window open," Tohru said, going to close it. "How silly—you know for a moment I thought—"

"We had a ghost?" Arisu laughed. "Yeah, me too."

Tohru smiled as she bent to pick up the book—then paused, her expression becoming one of puzzlement.

"Is something wrong?"

"The page the book was open at—it's a register of Souma births and deaths."

"Freaky," Arisu peered over her shoulder.

"Perhaps a little too coincidental," Saki said, startling them. "Well, shall we take a look?"

"Here's Akito," Tohru said. "Died aged 18—'life cut tragically short.'"

"Look at this," Saki pointed to another name. "Souma Rin, died the same day—aged 17, 'sorely missed.'"

"Doesn't tell us how they died but it has to be them," Arisu said. "Hey, look at this."

A name on the same line as Akito and Rin's had been methodically and completely blacked out.

"You think this was done purposely? Like the photo albums?"

"It would seem that way," Saki said.

Tohru had read ahead. "Look at this—Souma Hiro! When I heard the ghost throwing things around upstairs, I was in here with Shigure. I think he said 'Hiro'—"

"Hiro died young—look, aged 18." Arisu pointed out.

"Here's Ritsu—he was a few years older," Tohru said.

"This is interesting—this is about the same time. Souma Kisa, unknown. Looks like she's been missing for 17 years."

"Here's the Ayame that Kyou talked about," Saki said. "Drowned, aged 17. 'Taken from us too soon."

"He was Hatori's age—how sad," Tohru said, tracing the line along to Hatori's entry.

And paused.

Next to Hatori's birth date and name was a neat entry.

Souma Shigure.

Died aged 17, cause or causes unknown.

Remembered fondly.