Chapter 14

TT: A new update for all my readers! Aren't you happy To people who said Kyo's reaction last chapter was a bit extreme – I warned you that it would be, it just seemed to work and be more humorous like that.

water kitsune goddess – thanks for correcting me on the spelling of 'ouija' – I didn't know the spelling, but when I was doing research for them on the web for the story (Which I then paid NO attention to) I saw a site that spelt it 'Ouiji' so… I'll go back and fix all the misspellings I can spot.

Callindead - …I haven't heard of Bleach, sorry ;;

Kat – Probably haven't seen the movie, I haven't seen a lot of 'scary' movies, sorry.

Edward – Just don't get caught, because if your computing teacher is anything like mine, then you might become a ghost yourself!

Sora - I passsed on your message... But I think Eris took it a little too far:

Eris: Kyo! I have a fan!

Kyo: So, I've got more rabid fangirls than I can count! ...Want one of mine?

TT: Exams are coming up in three weeks, people – I promise to do my best to update soon, but I won't be able to make any promises (study zaps my inspiration), sorry about that.

Criticize and what you feel needs improving, comment on what you like, and I'll do my best to improve on it!

"Come on Kyo, that was weak, I know you can hit harder than th- whoa!" Eris, clinging to the top of the punching bag Kyo was attacking, suddenly finding herself going through the wall behind her as the bag went sailing back, hitting said wall with vigor. "Now that's more like it! Again! Again!"

Kyo showed no outside sign of hearing Eris, but he did kick the punching back hard again while it was still on the rebound, resulting in more encouragement from Eris. Or maybe she just thought that riding on the punching bag was fun – seeing as she couldn't get hurt.

Thankfully, Kagura wasn't at the dojo – when she was Kyo found he could get very little practice done – and Kyo intended to do his best to make up for all the times she had been there at the same time as him.

Surprisingly, Eris seemed to enjoy it too – she'd attempt to copy Kyo's punches and kicks (rather badly) and make the most random comments until it was all the cat could do to not sweatdrop, or burst out into laughter.

"Well Kyo, are you done warming up?" Kyo looked up at his Shisho – the grin the older man received was the only affirmative he needed, and began his lesson with the teen he had begun to think of as a son, completely unaware that there was, in fact, another student watching and copying…

The Sohma-born martial art's master had probably been the first to notice the – at that time, still subtle – changes that had taken over the cat some months before. At first he had thought that it was because of Tohru's influence, but the more he observed the cat, the less he thought that was it – though he had been unable to find a second cause for the changes in personality.

So he remained quiet on the matter, and observed, and listened silently as everyone else slowly began to notice the strange calm that had taken Kyo. And the pranks that, apparently, Yuki had become the butt of lately – it wasn't really Kyo's style to play pranks. Laugh at Yuki when he fell for a prank, perhaps, but not create any.

Had Kyo made a friend in someone who he – not only could vent his frustrations to – but also had a mischievous streak? It didn't seem likely – Kyo had been spending a lot of time alone, not with some new friend. Surely he would have heard something if Kyo had started getting on so well with someone other than Tohru.

"Say, Kyo?"

The teen in question looked over at Tohru, milk cartoon at his lips. "Hmm?"

"Have you seen the ouija board lately? Uo, Hana and I were going to use it again, but we couldn't find it."

Eris burst into hysterical laughter, and Kyo could just make out the words 'crazy', 'pyro' and his own name among the laugher.

Kyo tried to ignore her, focusing on looking innocent in front of Tohru, "No, I haven't seen it."

"Oh, never mind then. Kyo, are you sick, you have a strange expression on your face."

"I'm fine, just tired from training." He walked up the stairs towards his room before he snapped and yelled at Eris to stop laughing at him in front of Tohru – that would definitely distress her.

So he waited until he got to his room and closed the door – Eris floating through it, still laughing – a few moments later, before he lashed out, punching Eris in the chin.

His arm went numb for a moment as his flesh went through the ghost, but it had the desired effect, and Eris desperately tried to quell her laughter.

"Alright, alright!" Another breathless chuckle, "I'll try to - " a giggle, "Stop laughing!" A few more deep breaths, and Eris succeeding in doing so.

Kyo glared at her, "It wasn't funny."

"Yes it was! I thought you were going to act how you did a few days ago – when you got all paranoid and made me make sure there was no one around before you even went out of your room! For a minute there, I thought you were going to shout something about it being 'back in the firey abyss from whence it came' again. Can you imagine the expression on Tohru's face if you had?"

Kyo glared at her again, falling backwards onto his bed, "I said: it wasn't funny." There was a slight twitch of his lips, "It wasn't."

"Uh-huh." Eris suddenly grinned at him, "Didn't you bleach and bury those gloves after you came back?"

Despite himself, Kyo smirked – "Alright, maybe I did go just a little over the top."

"A little? You were calling it the messenger of Satan and making cross-shapes with your fingers when it looked like it wasn't burning as well as you wanted it to!"

"Hey, that was a completely reasonable response!" There was a pause, before Kyo turned his head to look back at Eris. They held each other's gazes for a moment, both going back to the Kyo's hysterical moment, before laughing. "Alright – so it only seemed reasonable at the time."

The two stopped laughing when the handle on Kyo's door turned. They watched as Yuki opened it and glanced inside and around, looking slightly paranoid.

Odd, the rat thought that Kyo had been laughing with someone…

"What do you want, stupid rat?" Kyo glared. "Don't you know how to knock? Or is your brain to full of cheese?"

Yuki glanced around again, before making a noncommittal "hn" sound and closing the door again, giving Kyo once last, suspicious look.

Both cat and ghost waited until they heard Yuki's footsteps go down the hall, before Eris spoke again – "I think he's still paranoid after the mousetraps in his bed."

Once again, Kyo exchanged a look with the prankster that was slowly corrupting him, before they burst into (perhaps quieter, more contained) laughter again.

Lying by the window in his chambers, Akito frowned as he recalled all the conversations he'd been overhearing about the sudden changes in the cat's personality and mood.

His eyes hardened as he began to contemplate...