Nekozawa left his property that morning with a slight spring in his step; being exposed to Haruhi made him feel simply elated. With this particular feeling consuming his senses, he actually wanted to carry through with her request. As a matter of fact, as long as he was in this exhilarated mood he would do everything she ever asked of him.
'Let's not get carried away, now.'
Nekozawa brushed Bereznoff aside and continued on his way. At the rate he was going he should reach Haruhi's village by late afternoon.
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"Sorry, girl, but I packed my bags to stay."
The words that came out of Kaoru's mouth rendered Haruhi speechless.
"Don't worry; I'll make myself at home."
Kaoru left his partially eaten granny smith on the polished kitchen table and threw his discarded cloak over his shoulder while picking up his bag. Wordlessly he walked past Haruhi and entered Nekozawa's bedroom. Haruhi abruptly followed him.
"Hey! You can't go-"
"Looks like someone has already made herself comfortable," interrupted Kaoru as he eyed her bed. He threw his belongings on the floor next to Nekozawa's bed and flopped down, "I guess I'll just have to make do, here."
"No! No one else is supposed to sleep in his bed; he told me so."
Kaoru glanced up at her from his awkward position on the bed. He was upside down by normal standards, having his feet at the headboard.
"As long as you sleep like this, you have nothing to worry about," he said.
"Why is that?"
Kaoru swung around and sat up to face her. Haruhi took this as a cue to sit down on her own bed.
"Have you ever wondered why your bed faces a different way than this one?" he asked.
"…No."
"Okay, you know about his specter, right?" Haruhi nodded. "Then, let me ask you this: have you ever wondered how he and Bereznoff came to be?"
"I-I'm not following."
Kaoru smirked. "If you sleep with your head towards the east, spirits can freely flow through your mind when the sun rises. That's why most cultures sleep in the opposite direction; that way, when the sunrises, it hits the feet first and the person's astral being is protected."
"And…?"
"Have you ever noticed that Umehito's bed is directly beneath a window facing east?"
"…Oh!" It clicked.
"So you see where I'm going with this," continued Kaoru, "Bereznoff came to Umehito at a very young age by this very manner. Umehito now sleeps in this particular way in hopes that Bereznoff will leave the same way he came. This is a futile attempt, of course. Bereznoff has been intertwined in Umehito's soul for so long that it is impossible to get rid of him. Your bed is facing a different direction to prevent you from the same fate he was succumbed to; his bed is facing this way in an ill-fated attempt to undo what was an accident. You should ask him about it some time."
There was a pregnant pause and Kaoru sprung into a carefree and happy mood as he flopped back down on the mattress.
"Therefore, if I sleep upside down, I'll be fine."
Haruhi looked down. "He never told me."
Kaoru raised a brow at her and gave an audible sigh. He grunted and moved across the room to sit beside her. He awkwardly put an arm around her shoulders and drew her into his chest while patting her arm.
"Oh…that's nothing to be upset about. I'm sure there's a lot you haven't told him about yourself. I bet he's just waiting for the right time…or…something." Haruhi nestled her head into his warmth, and Kaoru shifted uncomfortably. "There, there."
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Nekozawa delivered three firm knocks to a soft wooden door dampened by rain. The current atmosphere displayed a comfortable light that was not too harsh and the clouds that shielded the ground from the sun produced a delicate shade for the world below. A moderate wind was billowing through the trees, and Nekozawa was greeted by a tired, old man with sallow eyes.
"Good afternoon, Fujioka-san," he said smiling, "Two chickens, please."
Ryouji shuffled past Nekozawa and led him around to the grounds out back. He pulled two old hens from the coop and dropped them in a sack for Nekozawa.
"Five shillings," said Ryouji.
"Five?" inquired Nekozawa.
"Five shillings," repeated Ryouji, "My expenses of living just went up."
"Oh! But of course," said Nekozawa as he produced five silver coins from his purse, "Your wife was with child since last I visited. Tell me; is it a boy or girl?"
Ryouji took the money from him and practically threw the chickens into his chest. He said nothing. Nekozawa cracked a conniving grin.
"I can't help but wonder where your lovely daughter is, today. I assume you finally married her off? She's at that age, you know. What a shame, had I known she was leaving so soon I would have made more trips down here. You never know; it could've been me keeping her warm in my bed-AckGh!"
Ryouji had stepped forward and gripped his hands around Nekozawa's neck, slowly attempting to crush his trachea. As if suddenly realizing what he was doing Ryouji quickly relinquished his hold and jumped back a step, trembling. The five shillings remain scattered and dirty across the moist earth between them.
Nekozawa straightened up and picked up his belongings. He cleared his throat. "Well, it appears I have crossed a line. I shall take my leave now." He picked up three of the discarded shillings. "I wish your family the best."
"T-take it back, you devil!"
Nekozawa made his departure.
From a safe distance away a young man witnessed the exchange between Nekozawa and Haruhi's father, and for some reason he felt that the black wizard knew something. The kuro neko knew something about Haruhi. Why else would he taunt poor Ryouji? So, whatever the cost Arai decided he would get to the bottom of this mystery, and keep an eye on the feared, hooded man…if he was even a man at all.
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After convincing Haruhi that he was in dire need of food Kaoru heaved a sigh of relief when she left their uncomfortable embrace. Haruhi seemed like such a sweet and innocent girl. Kaoru wondered of Nekozawa's intentions with her, but more importantly he wondered why such a seemingly sweet and innocent girl willingly entered the dwelling of such a shady, dangerous enigma.
The smell of boiling vegetables and salted meat reached Kaoru's nose and he half consciously followed it to the kitchen where he took a seat at the table. For a while he watched Haruhi prepare their meal; she had taken off Nekozawa's old cloak, tied her hair back, and stood before him in a delicate white slip and black ankle boots that were caked with dry mud. His eyes wandered to the bandages over her calf and the guilt set in.
'I should have checked,' he mentally scolded himself.
"Shoot; it's not hot enough," he heard Haruhi mutter. She suddenly turned around and threw the oversized cloak back on.
"Where are you going?" asked Kaoru.
"Outside to get some wood for the stove," she replied. Before she could make it two steps further Kaoru let out a burst of laughter. "And what, pray tell, is so funny?"
Kaoru got up and bent down in front of the stove. "I guess you really are a beginner. Element manipulation will be in your training, though. Watch and learn," he said. Kaoru grasped the door to the cast iron stove and pulled it open. Open flames licked the moderately charred wood and Haruhi gasped when Kaoru looked like he was going to stick his head inside.
"Hey! Don't do that; you'll get hurt!"
Kaoru continuously chuckled but calmed himself long enough to blow a constant flow of breath across the yellow orange flames. Almost instantly the fire within the stove roared and flared to life bringing the food atop the stove to boil and sizzle. The wood appeared to be no longer contributing. Haruhi stared at Kaoru in awe.
"How did you do that?!"
"Magick, m'dear. Something you should be practicing in the near future."
Haruhi blushed.
Kaoru hopped up off his knees and brushed the dust off his hands and trousers. "Why don't you take a seat; it's about time to change those bandages." Haruhi pulled up a chair and Kaoru grabbed the medicine kit. He carefully propped her leg up and removed the bandages. There seemed to be only a minor burn, now, and no visible scratches. He applied more salve and wrapped fresh bandages around her calf. "Everything looks good; the medicine is taking effect. You may remove the bandages in the morning."
"So quickly? Are you sure?"
"And here I thought you were Umehito's student," mumbled Kaoru disapprovingly, "Magick-inflicted wounds are much more different than physical wounds. They take effect faster, and they have the ability to heal faster – with the proper treatment, of course."
"Oh, I see."
"Haruhi?"
"Yes."
"I would appreciate it if you told me why you were here…Why has Umehito taken you in? What did you do to put yourself at his mercy? Why haven't you escaped yet? Don't you know how dangerous your position is?"
"To answer all of those questions, I will say only this: Neko-sensei and I have a deal, and I have no intention of breaking our arrangement."
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It was nighttime now.
Nekozawa had just finished storing away his purchases in the cart and had carved out a moderate sleeping space in the decaying hay. He ate a lump of cheese and a loaf of bread for dinner. Once he was finished eating, he tucked away his dagger – which he used to cut the bread – into its sheath on his belt and he drew the hood of his cloak back up over his face. He decided to pay Haruhi's house another visit, but this time he was to be undetected. Most of the villagers had slipped off to bed by now, preparing them to wake up early the next morning. Nekozawa exited the barn and glided across the ground towards the Fujioka dwelling.
What he didn't know, or perhaps he did and didn't let on, was that a young man called Arai was watching him…and now following him.
Nekozawa crept around the Fujioka house until he spotted the window that led to Haruhi's former room. He scaled the wall and let himself inside. Haruhi's room, like the rest of the house was dark. Nekozawa conjured his ball of blue fire and inspected the young girl's former residence. When he left earlier he heard her mother calling the child Isaac, and sadly he didn't want that little piece of information to be the only thing he brought back to Haruhi. So, he looked around for something she may have treasured while she lived here.
Her room was nothing special, practically bare. He approached a small table on the far side of the room that held a few promising items: a painted music box, a hand-sewn poppet, a tiny mirror, and a couple of books. Pleased with the selection Nekozawa scooped all of these things into a separate sack he had brought along for this very purpose and exited through the window. Arai saw him leave and was almost brave enough to approach Nekozawa until he saw the ball of blue fire follow its conjurer. It seems that Arai had briefly forgotten that his opponent is magick. For now, he would watch the wizard from the shadows.
He followed Nekozawa up to the barn and left when he disappeared inside.
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"Awe, Haruhi!" whined Kaoru, "Can't you be any more specific than that?"
"Kaoru-san," Haruhi sighed, "You've been asking me the same thing over and over again since we finished dinner, and I think it should be quite obvious by now that I am not relaying any more information than what I have already given you."
"So you admit there is more to this…this deal!"
"Forgive me, Kaoru-san, but I've had a rough day. I'm tired and would like to go to sleep now."
"Oh, but of course," said Kaoru slightly embarrassed.
"Goodnight, Kaoru-san."
"Goodnight, Haruhi-san."
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The myth Kaoru informs Haruhi about is real.