Disclaimer: PoT is not mine. I'm merely playing with the characters. ^^

A big thank you to everybody for the wonderful reviews! They do make me more than happy! On another note, I apologize for the time this update took. I ended up being busier than expected with juggling midterms, making plans for next year and getting to know many new faces (terms abroad are a wonderful thing).

As for reviews:

lemon-and-chai: Oh, angst is a wonderful thing. Makes happy endings all the sweeter. And I have to admit at times I'm a sucker for melodrama. And now that you changed your screen name - once I find the time I'm going to read your multiparter. Form what I spied it looks positively delicious ;) *why can't a day have 48h?*

PWNsomeness: Thank you very much for your review. And concerning British and Amercian spellings – as a non-native speaker I sometimes can't tell them apart. But usually this results from the fact that I tend to write BE (as learned in school) and spell check turns that to AE. Though sometimes spell check doesn't catch it, or I cling onto what I learned in school. ^^; Hope it doesn't render the fic unreadable.

yume229: Uhm, as the demon hasn't gotten what it is looking for yet, there is a very high chance that it will strike again. ^^ Thank you very much for reading and reviewing!

Koshi Sekisen: Thank you very much for reading, and leaving those awesome reviews! The spirit/demon is hard to pin down by descriptive words. It's a bit special, and will involve quite a bit of a longer explanation once everything is said and done. Fuji and Tezuka will try to find out as much as possible, but they don't quite have the resources – and need to rest as well. Tezuka's family is an element in the fic I don't find that easy to write – but at least Ayana's reaction came out rather natural. Last but not least, I'm very happy you enjoy reading the fic !

Scarlette Shizuru: Thank you very much for reading and reviewing. Well, concerning yaoi – probably not, since with everything else going on, introducing a romantic element into the fic seems a bit much. On Tezuka's parents – uhm, from what I saw in the manga, Ayana was the one who hid a sharp mind behind a sweet smile (a bit like Fuji), the father was most relaxed, and the grandfather the strict one. But I wouldn't quite know how the anime portrayed them ^^

And a big thank you to: Nadia, Mesonoxian and Cielo Tierra!

Without further ado now onto to the next chapter!

Fourteen

"A demon?" Fuji echoed. The black and white landscape outside mocked him and even huddled underneath two blankets he felt cold. Dark grey clouds almost seemed to touch the ground, enshrouding trees and houses and blurring them until they became mere silhouettes.

"Probably," Yumiko sighed, and the lively chatter in the background at her end contrasted sharply with the mind-numbing silence Fuji found himself surrounded by, "It's hard to discern. If I had seen it in person I could give you a better estimation. But from what you're telling me, a demon would be my best guess."

"I see," Fuji replied and clenched his fingers.

Would relocating the object suffice then? Did the Nakayamas understand just what was after their possession? He pressed his lips together. From what he had seen of the library back in the house near Nikko, the Nakayamas ought to know as much.

But he couldn't subdue the uneasy feeling that settled deep in his chest.

"Be careful," Yumiko advised; her voice heavy, "I'll be back tomorrow night, so try not to engage that thing any further before that. As long as you don't know exactly what you're dealing with or its motives, you should do everything possible to stay away. Regardless of whoever is involved. You know that, Syusuke, don't you?"

A frown crossed Fuji's face as he recalled the cut on Tezuka's arm. Turn away when a malicious spirit threatened a friend? One who had already agreed to said demon's conditions in order to save his own life? A small sigh fell from his lips.

"It probably won't be a problem any longer," Fuji told his sister instead, "They're having the object transferred into somebody else's possession tonight. I don't know who, but apparently it's somebody familiar with the matter."

A sideways glance toward the window confirmed his suspicion that night wasn't that far away. The light had been constantly fading and already those trees and roofs in the distance had been swallowed by darkness.

"Well, that should at least make you and Tezuka-kun less interesting for the demon," Yumiko concluded. In the background Fuji could hear laughter, china clicking and low music.

"But you should still be careful," she reminded him, "There are a couple of things about this demon that don't quite add up. And regardless of whether it is a demon or not – you know spirits and their like are never predictable."

"True," Fuji muttered and a shiver ran down his spine.

He shouldn't be feeling cold, not wrapped under Tezuka's two warmest blankets, yet his fingers were trembling. Something inside him seemed frozen; frozen since the ice under his feet had given away and he had fallen into ice-cold, dark water.

It had been mere seconds, but even a full day later he found himself unable to grasp what had happened. For a moment he'd been trapped under the ice; darkness enveloping him, dragging him down even before he'd registered the cold.

When he closed his eyes, he could still remember the horrified expression on Tezuka's face.

"Syusuke," his sister's voice cut through the dreary memories, "Try to get some sleep. You sound as if you could need it."

Fuji responded with a chuckle that inevitably resulted in a dry cough. His throat had begun feeling sore not even five minutes into the conversation with his sister.

"I will," he promised; his voice hoarse.

"Then do so," Yumiko ordered, before eventually bringing the conversation to an end, "Listen, I need to go. I'll pick you up tomorrow evening, so take care until then and try not to trouble Tezuka's family too much."

A little reluctantly Fuji said goodbye. While he'd practically told his sister everything he knew about the demon, there were still many questions unanswered. His sister probably would be able to cast further light into the affair – she already had given him a valuable clue, identifying the spirit as demon – but things still felt off.

With a sigh he fell back against the pillows and rested one arm across his face, shutting out what little day light remained. The sleeve of the borrowed pyjama felt cool against his forehead. He might have to stay home tomorrow as well unless his condition miraculously improved overnight. His body longed to sleep in, however his mind wasn't quite so comfortable.

Was the matter truly resolved? He couldn't help doubting things could be settled so easily; there were so many puzzle pieces he was still missing. Maybe the fever was addling with his brain, preventing him from seeing the entire picture, but deep in his heart something refused to be put to rest.

While he couldn't be sure if his concerns were justified or if years of listening to his sister's tales had made him paranoid; the discomfort of resting in a strange bed was rather real. Under other circumstances the fact that Tezuka had dropped him in his own bed rather than in a guest room, would have amused him endlessly. Today he felt out of place, and the prospect of spending another day propped up here appeared exhausting.

Yet there wasn't anything he could do, but lay back and try to convince himself that everything would be alright. That someday all of this would be over. That maybe in a not so distant future he'd be watching the cherry trees blossom with Tezuka and they'd be talking about tennis once again.

Darkness had long since fallen, when the doorbell rang. Tezuka had been in the living room with his parents, watching the news in uneasy silence. His mother cast him sideway glances from time to time, obviously wishing for an explanation.

One that Tezuka couldn't give.

On one hand, he wished she'd ask, just so they could resolve the tension permeating the air. On the other, he dreaded her questions. His mother wouldn't be satisfied with a superficial summary of the events; she'd want to know the details.

So when the doorbell finally rang and the solution of his problems appeared to have drawn a step closer, he barely suppressed a relieved sigh. Ayana pressed her lips together, stood and walked to the door. Footsteps from upstairs told Tezuka, that his grandfather also was on his way.

He hoped Fuji had remained in bed.

"Good evening," His mother said, having opened the door. An icy gust of wind tore into the well-lit corridor, and Tezuka shivered.

"Please come inside," Ayana continued before their guest had a chance of saying anything. With a slight nod, the wrapped figure glided into their house and Ayana hurried to shut the door behind it. From his viewpoint, Tezuka couldn't even tell whether their guest was male or female.

A black coat hid its figure; a black hat and scarf concealed most of its face. Tezuka stayed back, observing from the doorway to the living room, as his mother started with the pleasantries, while his father stood by and watched with unveiled curiosity.

"Thank you very much for inviting me in," the individual eventually said, the moment the scarf had been removed from its face. The voice was male, a soft tenor that betrayed him to be much younger than Tezuka had expected.

"I'm Hasegawa Daiichi, pleased to meet you," he bowed deeply and Tezuka saw his mother smile. His father raised an eyebrow, just as surprised at the young man as Tezuka himself was.

"Thank you very much for coming on such a short notice," a new voice cut into the conversation. Tezuka glanced up and caught sight of his grandfather on top of the stairs. Unlike the rest of the family he appeared the least surprised at Hasegawa's age.

Then Tezuka saw Fuji trail behind his grandfather, pale and with a black Haori wrapped around his shoulders. Fuji caught his eye and cast a soft smile in response to Tezuka's admonishing frown.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Ayana inquired of the guest meanwhile, but Hasegawa shook his head.

"Thank you very much for the offer, but I have to decline," Hasegawa smiled politely, "I hope I don't appear impolite, but since my time is limited, I'd prefer to get down to business."

"Very well," Tezuka's grandfather injected, and made his way down the stairs at a speed that belied his age. "I'm Tezuka Kunikazu; I'll show you the object in question."

"Thank you very much," Hasegawa replied, "Nakayama-san told me to refer to you."

Fuji had followed Kunikazu down the stairs, much to Tezuka's frustration. His parents had quietly disappeared in the direction of the kitchen, sidestepping further involvement in the affair.

"You should go back to bed," Tezuka whispered into Fuji's direction, when his friend had arrived at his side.

Fuji looked after Hasegawa and Kunikazu who were making their way to Kunikazu's study, then back to Tezuka. His usually expressive eyes had turned flat, giving away nothing.

"I'll go back to bed once this is done," Fuji answered and followed them.

Tezuka pressed his lips together. He ought to join his parents in the kitchen. Once this affair was settled, he'd proceed to forget it had ever happened. Even now his mind was sent reeling the moment he started to consider the implications of what he had seen. Like an abyss tempting him to approach, frightening and intriguing. If he looked any closer, learned anymore, he'd lose the ground underneath his feet. One day he'd fall. And then he'd never be able to go back to his old life.

If he could forget about the existence of spirits, he might just come out of this unharmed.

Fuji glanced at him over his shoulder, his eyes still unreadable.

Tezuka shuddered. How deep had Fuji glanced into that abyss? He'd never given it any thought, never suspected his friend might know something capable of tearing his concept of reality into pieces. That disarming smile had made him believe Fuji to be just another boy his age.

But now that he watched Fuji disappearing down the hallway, the oversized Haori enhancing the paleness of his face, he started to realize, that he had never known more of Fuji than the other had wanted him to.

Deep down, he was disappointed that he hadn't noticed any sooner and now he found he wanted to learn more. Not about spirits, demons and supernatural matters; he just longed to understand how Fuji perceived the world around him. To understand his friend a little better.

Tezuka swallowed and started for his grandfather's study.

He entered the study mere moments after his grandfather, Fuji and Hasegawa had, yet he felt like an intruder. The three were seated on the floor around a small table, and Tezuka had to swallow at the tense atmosphere.

Fuji's expression was unreadable. But the fact that the familiar smile was missing from the gentle face made Tezuka something in Tezuka's chest tighten. His instincts urged him to back out of the room, leave the three of them to execute whatever occult ceremony was required.

In spite of three inquisitive gazes boring into his chest, he took a couple of steps forwards and kneeled down as well. The air was heavy, stifling, but when Tezuka's eyes found the all too familiar object on top of the table, ice spread through his entire body.

The small, plain box he'd seen in his grandfather's hands before rested there, opened and revealing the stone inside for the entire world to see.

If the spirit picked this moment…

How could this procedure be safe? Hadn't Fuji said wards only kept spirits out as long as they had not come into contact with blood of an inhabitant? And this demon had had plenty of his blood. Cold sweat started forming on his hands.

What if something happened? What if this wouldn't conclude those horror-filled days?

"Is the room sealed?" Fuji inquired conversationally.

Kunikazu nodded in Hasegawa's direction who replied with a smile. "As tightly as possible. See the Ofuda in the corners? Nothing that isn't entirely human shall enter this room now."

"I see," Fuji replied in a tone that made Tezuka look up.

Hasegawa caught the contemplative undertone as well. "Would you suggest further measures to be taken, Fuji-kun? I'm well aware your sister is very knowledgeable in this field, so please feel free to speak your mind."

Kunikazu's eyebrows rose and Tezuka could practically see the wheels in his grandfather's mind turning. Within not even a day Fuji had gone from a normal friend of Tezuka's to somebody obviously not so normal.

"No, I fully trust the protection provided by those Ofuda. I was just wondering if they'd still work in case our opponent decided to take another form," Fuji replied with a smile.

"There are only very few cases documented of this protection spell not working," Hasegawa answered, "While we don't know for sure just what we're dealing with, judging from the object in question, those Ofuda should work."

Tezuka noted how Fuji's pressed his lips together a little tighter, but remained silent. Dread settled in his stomach, but Hasegawa's voice cut his contemplations short.

"Is this the object in question?" Hasegawa asked, not making any move to take the box resting in front of him.

Kunikazu nodded. "It's been here for twenty years, I think. I had almost forgotten about it before this uproar started."

A wistful smile crossed Hasegawa's lips. "With many of those objects, the best that can happen is for them to be utterly forgotten. Regrettably spirits live longer than humans and at one point they remember. And if there's only one human remembering as well, it's a receipt for disaster."

A shudder ran down Tezuka's spine. To think more people went through similar experiences – and probably did not survive.

The image of Mori-san stroking her cat appeared in his mind abruptly. Had her death been natural? The question still hadn't been answered, but the more Tezuka learned about the otherworldly, the more he hoped she had died peacefully.

"Forgive my curiosity," Tezuka heard his grandfather ask, "But why exactly is that stone so important? To somebody like me it merely appears to be, well, a piece of rock."

Hasegawa chuckled at the comparison. A thin smile formed on Fuji's lips.

"To anybody but those born with the necessary abilities, it is just a piece of rock. To others however, quite a number of rather unspectacular rocks hold a special meaning. Some qualify as sacred objects, others grant power," Hasegawa nodded to the small box on the table, "This one gives the wielder the ability to open a portal connecting two locations of his own choice."

Tezuka couldn't help recalling how he'd stepped on the ice of the small pond near his school. And had been standing in the Nakayamas' backyard in the next second. A shudder ran down his spine.

"A fascinating ability indeed," Kunikazu commented. His eyes first studied his grandson, who, lost to his memories failed to notice the inquisitive glance. Fuji however met his gaze head on with a small, imperceptible smile on his lips.

Puzzle pieces clicked into place. Kunikazu tilted his head. "Are there other ways for spirits to cross from one place to another?"

Tezuka blinked, but Hasegawa never noticed his reaction. "Depending on the power, some spirits can use elements or objects like mirrors, for example. As far as spirits are concerned, the ability is always conditioned. For others, more powerful beings, no props are needed."

"I see," Kunikazu muttered, stroking his chin, "What are you going to do with it now?"

Hasegawa leaned back. "First it goes to a place where no spirit should be able to find it. After that, there are a couple of things to be done that undo whatever connection has been established between the object and prior owners. That's in order to make people who have accidentally come into contact unimportant for spirits."

Tezuka swallowed. Hasegawa's words promised safety – his own eyes sought Fuji's, but he couldn't read his friend's expression. Only the tense set of Fuji's shoulders betrayed an ounce of uneasiness. Or maybe it was just the fever taking its toll.

They had been sitting here too long. Fuji ought to be back in bed, before his condition worsened any further. He could recall how cold Fuji's skin had been under his fingers far too well.

"That place you'll be depositing it," Fuji said softly, "Could it withstand something stronger than a spirit?"

Doubt flickered across Hasegawa's face. "What exactly are we talking about?"

"Just a rhetorical question," Fuji smiled darkly, "Would it withstand a demon?"

Hasegawa's eyebrows shot up. Tezuka flinched and Kunikazu straightened up.

"A demon?" Tezuka echoed unwillingly and even Hasegawa needed a minute to compose himself.

"That would depend. The strength of a demon is highly individualized, so I wouldn't dare to make a general statement," Hasegawa's gaze wandered back to the box on the table, "But as far as I know, no demon would be interested in an object like this."

The corners of Fuji's mouth twitched. "Indeed," he muttered and Tezuka felt horribly, horribly lost.

Kunikazu frowned thoughtfully. "Wouldn't it be easier to just have it destroyed?"

Hasegawa settled back, visibly relieved at the change of topic. Tezuka felt dread coiling in his stomach. He hadn't understood the point of Fuji's question, but his friend's behaviour left him unsettled. Just when he ought to breathe a little more easily, seeing as their troubles were about to be over, a new weight seemed to settle on his chest.

"Some of these objects can't be destroyed," Hasegawa was explaining meanwhile, "Others, like this, are simply too valuable to destroy. It's like destroying a famous painting just because people quarrelled over it."

Another nod from his grandfather and Fuji coughed. Tezuka worriedly glanced over to him, ready to interrupt the conversation, but Fuji beat him to it.

"I'm very sorry, but if that is all, I suppose I should head back to bed now," he smiled apologetically, "Thank you very much for your patience, Hasegawa-san, and please take good care of this. I've seen enough trouble stirred by it to last me a lifetime."

Tezuka automatically followed Fuji out of the study. They passed the living room in silence, and no matter how hard Tezuka tried to judge his friend's condition from his pace, he found himself unable to tell.

Fuji was walking fast. Sometimes he did that when he was upset, Tezuka had noticed, at other times he was simply cold and wanted to get somewhere warmer fast. He wasn't shivering, but he had pulled the Haori tightly around his shoulders.

Only when they had reached Tezuka's room and the door had firmly swung shut behind them, Fuji turned around with a heavy sigh. In the dim lightening he looked thoroughly exhausted. Tezuka pressed his lips together.

He wanted to do something, anything to make Fuji feel better. Yet he couldn't think of anything.

"Would you like some tea?" he eventually asked.

A small, grateful smile spread across Fuji's face. "Very much," he replied and sat down on the bed, "Do you think it would be terribly impolite if I called Nakayama-san? There are just a couple of things I'd like to confirm…"

Their eyes met and Fuji trailed off into uneasy silence. For the first time since Hasegawa had entered the house, Tezuka found he could see behind the mask. There was doubt in Fuji's eyes, as well as a hint of dread, not unlike what Tezuka himself was feeling.

Couldn't they just put this affair behind them, Tezuka wondered dimly. He would have liked nothing better than go to sleep and forget everything that had happened.

Couldn't they do that, now that things were out of their hands?

Whatever happened from now on had nothing to do with them.

Nothing at all.

"I'll write it down," Tezuka heard himself saying, "Then I'll get you some tea. Black?"

"That would be great," Fuji replied, "And if you could get me some sugar with it, I'd be eternally grateful."

He'd taken longer to prepare the tea than usual, though he had wondered just what exactly he thought he was doing. Giving Fuji the opportunity to load even more responsibility on those thin shoulders? Wasn't that the opposite of his original intention?

With a shake of his head Tezuka added some cough drops on the tray and then made his way back upstairs. He hadn't seen his mother or father in the meantime, which had saved him from having to answer uncomfortable questions. Neither had Hasegawa and his grandfather emerged from the study.

A small sigh escaped his lips.

Hopefully things would start looking up by tomorrow. At least school would reinstate a small amount of normality to his life. And once the object was gone, everything might begin to settle. His mother would stop demanding answers and life at home would become tranquil once more. Fuji would get better and maybe the weather would start getting a little warmer as well.

The permanent cold was wearing away at everybody's resources. He felt unusually exhausted, and instead of looking for an explanation, right now he'd be happy to simply forget about the matter altogether.

Tezuka shook his head. He could hear Fuji talking on the phone on the other side of the door and entered after a knock. Fuji glanced shortly at him, before turning back to the window.

"I see," he said, "Yes, I know trying to determine the object's origin just by where it was found won't provide reliable results. But, well, I'd just like to know for myself."

From Fuji's tone Tezuka could guess the conversation wasn't flowing as easily as his friend had hoped. It had been while since he had spoken with Nakayama Kenta himself, and Tezuka had a hard time imagining what the man at the other side of the line could be thinking.

It was a painful reminder of how little he actually knew about the people next to him. Like with Fuji, Tezuka had never thought to discuss the supernatural with either of the Nakayamas, so he had no idea how they would act during such a conversation. Those few moments that Fuji had chosen to share his knowledge had revealed a side to him, Tezuka had never guessed existed.

"Yes, that would fit, thank you," Fuji was saying, "It's nothing precise, so yes, it might not be conclusive at all. But for now it suits nicely with what we know so far. You wouldn't know, by chance, if your late neighbour ever travelled to this area?"

Something cold crawled across Tezuka's back. His breath hitched and he sat the tray down a little harder than necessary.

"Well, I can't be certain, but there are a couple of clues pointing into that direction. I'd prefer if that wasn't the case, too," Fuji nodded, gazing out into the night. Tezuka wondered whether it had begun to snow again.

"Yes, I guess that's true," Fuji reluctantly agreed, "Thank you for your time."

After exchanging a minimum of pleasantries, Fuji hung up.

"Is Nakayama-san always that tight-lipped when it comes to significant information?" Fuji asked, and immediately shook his head, "No, forget I asked. Everybody would probably be in his position."

Tezuka remained silent, and poured Fuji a cup of tea instead. With an exhausted smile Fuji accepted the cup. He sat down on the bed once again, dropping the cordless phone on the bedside table. Tezuka pulled a chair next to the bed.

"Thank you," Fuji uttered, sipping carefully at the steaming cup.

"Never mind it," Tezuka replied. Silence settled once again, awkward and heavy. Eventually Fuji lowered his cup with a sigh.

"Tezuka, if I remember correctly, your grandfather might have more than one object here given him by Nakayama-san," Fuji asked, his eyes fixed on the tea.

Tezuka frowned. "Yes, I think so. Why?"

He wanted to inquire why Fuji seemed so anxious when the end to all their troubles was in sight. Why he had brought up demons in the conversation earlier.

A grim smile played on Fuji's lips. "Maybe you should trust Nakayama-san and Hasegawa-san on this then."

Tezuka's eyebrows rose.

"It's just," Fuji continued, "When I was talking to my sister earlier, she mentioned that right now we're only assuming we're dealing with a spirit, one with a highly unusual pattern of behaviour at that. She suggested it could be a demon."

Something in Tezuka's heart clenched. He recalled the frazzled expression on Hasegawa's face before, the gravity with which Fuji had suggested the possibility – and found he didn't even want to know the implications.

Fuji apparently read his thoughts. "If that is true, there are a couple of things that don't add up. As Hasegawa-san said, the stone is rather uninteresting for a common demon. Which means there are two possibilities: Either there's something about this stone we don't know, or it wasn't after this stone at all."

Ice spread through Tezuka's veins. All this trouble – for nothing? For something that wasn't even important? They had almost died and …

"But as I said, that is speculation," Fuji added after a moment, "I'm more than willing to admit I feel more dead than alive right now, so I might be talking nonsense."

Tezuka's breath caught. He wanted to say something, anything. Wanted to tell Fuji that his reasoning was fine; but at the same time he wanted to reassure his friend, that there was nothing to worry about anymore.

That everything would be alright.

"Tezuka," Fuji smiled; the first bright smile Tezuka had seen the entire evening, "Just forget everything I said."

tbc

Please feel free to share your thoughts and impressions with me!