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The spirit paused after he finished 'Modern Major General' and looked back at the boy. Seeing that the boy was lost in his own thoughts, he turned back around and started on the following piece. He was soon lost in his music, every once and awhile improvising on a measure. It was sheer pleasure for him to play now that he had an audience. If anything it seemed to add to his ability to play, his music turned to a masterpiece.

Keichi smiled to himself and picked up the tempo a trace faster than it was supposed to be. The spirit flames flickered into being behind him. They danced merrily to the music he was playing, slowly beginning to illuminate the room around the pianist and his audience with a faintly blue glow.

Keichi finished the song with a flourish and couldn't help but smile to himself. He hadn't played like this in ages. The spirit sat in silence for a moment, then turned to look at Sakurai. There was enough music in his head to play for weeks but he schooled himself to quit after he'd finished Pirates of Penzance.

The ghost watched the boy closely, the flames that had appeared flickered and danced slowly. Keichi didn't really seem to notice them, if he was aware of them, he didn't react. He seemed to be waiting for some comment from the Sakurai.

Keichi's smile faltered for a moment then he sighed. With a shrug, he turned back around to the keys. He played Mozart this time, a piece that was airy and careless. It forced him to concentrate on the music instead of thinking about his audience. Something strange stirred in him when he looked at Sakurai.

He wasn't sure what to make of it, instead trying to lose himself in the music. When the storm cleared, surely he would leave and Keichi would be alone again. Shaking his head, he put a little more effort than strictly necessary into playing.

Keichi reached the end of the song and bent silently over the keys. He wasn't tired, he rather doubted it was possible for him to get tired anymore. The ghosts form flickered gone and then back. The rain slowed outside and he looked at the wide windows. "Looks like the storm is nearly spent."

Keichi wanted to say more, but he couldn't find the words to say what he was thinking. The spirit turned to look at Sakurai, a sad half smile on his face. "Shall I play more, or would you rather turn in. I think the storm will clear by the morning."

Keichi was silent for a moment, then nodded. "It'd be nice to have someone to talk to again." He smiled again and stood. "People don't usually want to visit here, because it's haunted." He gave a sad little laugh. "I'm sure I don't know where they get that idea from."

The ghost drifted a few feet toward Sakura then halted. "There's a key around here somewhere if you would like it. That way at least you won't have to wait on me to open the door. Assuming I'm not having a day where I can't seem to affect anything." He looked thoughtful for a moment, as he tried to remember something. Running a hand back through dark hair, the spirit half shrugged. "I won't keep you from your rest with my ramblings." Keichi was silent a moment longer. "You. . . want to come visit?"

There was a certain amount of desperation in his voice, almost as if he suspected a far different reaction. The flames on his candelabra flickered between ghostly blues and greens to the more normal reds and yellow then back again. It would be so easy to break that tiny bit of hope that was in the ghost's voice.

The ghost seemed to float a little higher off the ground at the prospect of a visitor. "You really want to come here?" He smile was a genuine one. "Of course if you would like to visit you are welcome here. My home is your home."

Keichi wasn't really sure why Sakurai would want to visit a ghost, when surely he had friends that were more tangible. . and alive. Still it was an improvement over knocking about it this old mansion. He nodded to himself, yes a definate improvement.

Keichi's smile warmed at Sakurai's words. "In that case, you are welcome here whenever you feel like visiting." He took a few steps toward the boy and gave him a full formal bow. "I'll see to it that nothing bothers you here."

The ghost's words held a kind of eerie certainty to them. Almost as if he could back up those words, the darkness suddenly seemed almost oppressive as Keichi's face took on a serious expression. Then, as he smiled it abruptly lightened. "But no one comes here anyway so you will have most of the mansion with no one but me to bother you."

Keichi's next words seemed an echo of Sakurai's thoughts. "I won't keep you up any longer, your parents are probably worried sick. It will be clear enough in the morning that you can find your way home. I've become something of a weather watcher over the years." He gave a quick grin.

"The last thing you probably want is to be disciplined by your parents. If luck is with you they might accept that you got lost in the storm." The ghost shrugged and reached for the candelabra that up until this time had been floating along behind him. "Just don't tell anyone that you've spent the night here. I've spent enough time scaring would be treasure hunters away."

It wasn't that he minded treasure hunters in general, this was just his house and he was rather fond of it most times. At other times he wanted nothing more than to set it on fire and destroy anything within reach. Keichi shook his head and the ghost lights vanished leaving only the flames on the candelabra.