A/N: Okay, this is the first fanfic I've done that isn't originally based on a fairytale; the idea first came from real life, and then following a lot of "what ifs" this story came to fruit.

Chapter 1: Plans

Pulling a coat close to her, Haru shivered and glimpsed outside at the large, tissue-like snowflakes that were slowly floating past the window, lazily tracing the turn of the wind. Her eyes followed a particularly large snowflake drift down, watching it being tossed and turned about like some dizzy white ballerina.

Behind her, pulling on her own jacket, Hiromi came up and watched the weather alongside her friend. After a moment she asked, "Are you sure we can't catch a lift?"

Haru sighed and retreated into the main body of the school. "Yeah. Mum says the roads round our way are completely iced over. There's no way it'll be safe for her to come and pick us up. The same will go for your parents."

Hiromi made a face and returned to buttoning her coat up, pulling a pair of mittens over her freezing hands. "And yet it's perfectly fine for us to walk home in this."

"Well, unless you'd like to stay here overnight until the weather let's up..." Haru glanced down at the flimsy flats that the lighter brunette wore on her feet. "You know, maybe you should've worn some sturdier footwear. Your feet are going to freeze in this."

Hiromi laughed. "Yeah, maybe I should've worn the fashion statement you're currently exhibiting."

Haru scuffed about the classic green wellington boots she had worn all day against one another. "You may laugh now, but we'll see who's laughing by the time we're home." In contrast to Hiromi's woollen mittens, Haru pulled a pair of thick snow gloves from her coat pocket. Her mother had made it exceptionally clear that she didn't want her to catch a cold in this weather.

Hiromi grinned and, now kitted out for the winter weather, stepped out into the elements, brandishing her lacrosse stick like a make-shift umbrella. Sighing, Haru followed her out.

"Why did you even bother to bring that along?" Haru asked, motioning to the lacrosse stick. "It wasn't like lacrosse was going to be on in this weather."

Hiromi grinned and set off along the path in a jaunty manner. "It's my signature style," she jested. "I'm never seen without it. Anyhow, who's going to take on a girl armed with one of these?" She swung round the stick, forcing Haru to duck to avoid being knocked breathless.

"Ha ha, funny," said Haru flatly, but she was smiling too. "Come on, we should head off before you catch your death of cold."

They came to the fork in the road which split their ways home, but just before Haru was about to head down her road, Hiromi caught her wrist. "Oh, and by the way my uncles have said yes."

Haru's attention perked. "Really? What... so they're allowing us to–"

The lighter brunette nodded excitedly. "They say it's going to be a Christmas present for me – and I'm allowed to bring three friends along!"

Haru's brow furrowed and started counting people off. "So I assume I'm invited... so will Tsuge–"

"Duh, Haru, he is my boyfriend after all."

Haru rolled her eyes at Hiromi. "Okay, so who's the third friend?"

"I'm letting Tsuge bring a friend along. Well," she added defensively when Haru made a face, "it would be a bit boring for him if he was stuck in an old castle for a fortnight with only girls for company."

"Oh, I dunno," teased Haru. "He might enjoy it."

Hiromi whacked her friend over the head with the lacrosse stick. "Thanks a bunch, Haru."

"You're welcome."

She returned the stick to balancing it on her shoulder. "Do you want to come or not? Because the way you're acting, I'm sure I could ask one of the other girls from our class... maybe Chika?"

"Hm, I sure you could," replied Haru, feigning indifference. "But you'd miss me really."

"No I wouldn't."

"Yes you would."

"No I wouldn't."

Haru poked her friend. "Yes, admit it. You would."

"She would what?"

Both girls jumped.

"Tsuge!" reprimanded Hiromi sternly. "Could you stop sneaking up on us like that? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

The boy grinned ruefully. "Just for the record, I was not sneaking. You two were just too involved in your argument to notice little ol' me."

"Oi, be nice, or I may just withdraw that invitation to the castle."

Haru laughed when Tsuge pasted a grief-stricken expression comically onto his face. "Don't worry," she reassured. "She's threatened me with it too; don't take it too personally."

Hiromi was caught up in her daydreams of the castle as she grabbed both Tsuge's and Haru's elbows, making the three of them look like a lost trio from the Wizard of Oz. "But, just think! Two weeks in a historic castle with just the four of us in there for the company. Oh, what fun we are going to have!"

"Four of us, plus the ghosts of course," added Tsuge.

"Ghosts?" repeated Haru doubtfully.

"There are always stories of ghosts in old buildings," said the boy for explanation. "Isn't there Hiromi?"

The girl frowned for a moment. "You know, I think there is a story surrounding the castle... Uncle Muta mentioned it in passing over the phone."

"Uncle Muta... is he..." Haru gestured a large stomach with her hands, which could have been either a motion for someone who was pregnant, or someone very round, but Hiromi knew what she meant, "... the large one?"

Hiromi giggled. "Yep, that's him."

"I thought you said he was always teasing you and, in fact, when you first mentioned this trip you told me never to take anything he said seriously."

"Hey, I just said he mentioned it; I didn't say you had to believe him."

Tsuge sighed dramatically. "Now, now girls, are you going to fight again or are you going to head back home? Hiromi, you've got goose-bumps all the way down your arms."

"I'm fine," the girl in question insisted, pulling her short sleeves as far as they would go to cover the evidence.

"That's one of the most common lies ever, Hiromi, and you know it."

Chuckling, Haru set off along her road.

"Don't forget to ask your mum about this!" called Hiromi.

"Don't worry, I won't."

ooOoo

"Hi mum, I'm home." Her voice echoed round the familiar setting. She dumped her bag down on the sofa in the lounge, peering into the various rooms for her mother. "Mum?"

"In the kitchen."

Haru ambled into the room, only now picking up the tender smell of pasta. "Mm, that smells delicious."

The redhead grinned from her place before the oven. "Thank you Haru. What do you want?"

"Do I have to want something from you whenever I'm being nice?" Haru asked in a mock-hurt tone.

Naoko raised an eyebrow at her daughter.

"Okay, the fact that I was going to ask you about Hiromi's plans for the Christmas fortnight is neither here nor there..." Haru quickly continued.

"So there is something you want."

"Well... yeah, but..."

"Has Hiromi sorted out the details for this fortnight away?"

"Pretty much; she's got permission from her uncles and everything."

The redhead hummed to herself. "I'm still not convinced. Four seventeen-year-olds alone in a rickety old castle in the middle of nowhere..."

"Mum," stressed Haru. "Nothing's going to happen."

"I thought you said it'd probably be you, Hiromi, Tsuge and one of Tsuge's friends."

"Yeah..."

"So it's a mixed group?"

Haru blushed profoundly, able to see her mother's line of thought. "For goodness sake, nothing indecent is going to happen. It'll be a laugh, that's all."

Naoko just made a non-committal grunt to that.

Refusing to be put off by her mother's response, Haru rounded on her. "So can I go? Please, please, please."

"I'm still not sure."

"Hiromi's dad is going to take us there and everything," Haru added quickly. "You wouldn't need to do anything–"

"Except worry."

"Except- no! No, it'll be fine."

"Haru, you're only seventeen."

"Mum, do you remember the first time you left me in the house for a day?" she returned. "You panicked and worried for the entire day, and when you came back, the house was still standing, wasn't it? I hadn't burnt it down, or thrown a wild party, or anything, had I?"

"This is slightly different..."

"Not really, it's just an extension. Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do–"

"So why–?"

"I'm just unsure of everyone else."

"You know Hiromi," Haru pointed out stiffly. "Come on mum, please. Please? It's not every day I get the chance to spend the holiday in an old castle."

"I would still feel better if there was some parental presence..."

"What do you expect to happen?"

The redhead paused. "Well, what if something goes wrong?"

"There is a landline there and electricity. And Hiromi's uncles will be nearby – they're letting us have the castle to ourselves, but they're staying in the village."

"I thought you said the village was a good half hour away."

"It is."

Naoko eventually sighed and gave in. "Okay, you can go. But anything if happens..."

Haru nodded. "I know, I know. For goodness sake, don't you trust me at all?"

"I'm just worried."

"It's just an old building, that's all."

Naoko smiled. "Okay, I'll relax. But say hi to the ghosts from me."

Haru rolled her eyes. "Honestly, why is everyone so obsessed with the idea that there are ghosts there? First Tsuge, then Hiromi, now you. We'll start seeing ghosts left, right and centre at this rate."

Her mother chuckled. "At least you're not going at Hallowe'en."

The brunette laughed. "Yes, thank heaven for small mercies."

ooOoo

"So she said yes?"

Haru nodded.

Hiromi squealed and pulled Haru into a bear hug. "Yay! I wasn't sure whether she was going to agree–"

"Neither was I, to tell the truth," Haru admitted. She made a face. "Hiromi, loosen your grip; I can't breathe."

"Ah, oh sorry." Hiromi obligingly released her and started back along the path. "But now we have confirmation from all the parents – we're set to go!"

"So who is Tsuge bringing along?"

Hiromi carried on walking to school, acting as if she hadn't heard her friend's question.

"Hiromi," called Haru, increasing her pace to catch up with her. "I asked who Tsuge's bringing along."

"Oh, just a friend from our class."

"Is there a reason you're not naming any names?"

"Haru, you're so paranoid."

The darker brunette rolled her eyes. "Only because you're not answering my question."

"Oh... it's just... erm... Machida."

Haru stopped. "What?"

Hiromi turned to see her friend staring at her as if she'd just grown two heads. "Machida Itsuki, from our class," she explained in a resigned voice. "You know."

"Him?"

"Who else?"

Haru suddenly began shaking her head violently, bringing her hands up in a wild "no" gesture. "Oh, no, no way am I going on this with him coming along."

"I thought you liked him."

"I... I do."

"So what's the problem?"

"That's the problem! Hiromi," stressed Haru, rounding on her friend, "you know what I'm like around him!"

Hiromi grinned in a bitter way. "Yeah. 'Oh, Ma-Ma-Machida,'" she imitated in a stuttering tone.

Haru shoved her friend, blushing embarrassedly. "Stop it. Someone might see."

Hiromi did stop and actually looked apologetic for it. "I'm sorry, but Machida's got permission from his parents – and I did say Tsuge could bring along one of his friends."

"Yes, but I didn't expect..." The darker brunette sighed and shook her head. "Okay, okay, it doesn't matter. It's only two weeks – what can happen in two weeks?"