Chapter 23

TT: Hey guys, thanks for your advice with Kazuma (aka - Shishou), I used your advice to help with my own interpretation of him to write his part. Especially SillyLittleNothing, you helped confirmed my own impressions, which was really helpful for me.

I'm glad you all liked Eris' little visit to Akito – she's just making sure he gets the message. I think that he might've gotten the hint, but we'll have to see when he gets better.

Windchaser – It should come in next chapter, if I can work out what to write.

Sora – Haven't found the anime in Australia – I've read the manga.

Now… What are you expecting/want with the confrontation between Kyo and Haru?

Kyo was swinging his bag over his back at the end of the school day, edger to leave, when he heard soft footsteps behind him. He turned his head slightly, to find the nearly expressionless face of Tohru's friend Hana.

"Kyo, I need to speak with you for a moment." Kyo looked confused, and reluctant to go anywhere with the girl, but followed her back into the empty classroom out of curiosity - he was the cat after all!

For a moment, neither spoke, and Kyo sighed in frustration, "Yeah, what is it?"

Hana paused for a moment longer, as if trying to work out how to tell him something, "Kyo, you're being haunted."

Kyo blinked, "What!"

"For months now, I've been hearing strange, faint thoughts, but I only worked out that they were the thoughts of a ghost recently - then I worked out that those thoughts always came from near you; a ghost is haunting you."

Kyo didn't say anything, instead he looked at the wall beside him, or that was what Hana saw. In reality he was looking at Eris, who looked just as stunned as him.

Hana took his silence as a 'go ahead' to continue, "Usually, when a ghost haunts a person, they're said to have ill-intent. You could be in danger, even if you don't believe in ghosts. I… I could attempt an exorcism, if you wish, but I must admit that I've never performed one before."

Kyo looked angry and insulted, "Eris wouldn't hurt me!"

Hana's eyes widened with surprise, "Then… you know about the ghost - this Eris?"

Kyo hesitated, no matter what he said he was already over his head, "She's a friend, now keep quiet about it!"

Hana looked thoughtful, but nodded, "Alright. But if you change your mind about attempting that exorcism…"

Kyo turned away from her, walking back towards the door, "Yeah, yeah, like that's going to happen."

Hana wondered why she felt as if she'd missed out on a very important chapter of the unfolding story.

"Exorcism! She wanted to use me as her test subject for an exorcism! NeKyo - everyone wants to kill me!"

Kyo glanced at her briefly was they approached his Shishou's home, "How can they? You're already dead!"

"You know what I mean!"

Kyo didn't answer her, instead opening the door to the familiar home of his Shishou. He paused suddenly, and sniffed the air, "He's burnt something again!"

"You should get him a recipe for Caesar Salad and be done with it, Kyo. Hey! Wait up!" The ghost followed the dashing cat, oblivious to the fact that walls kept getting in her way.

Kyo found Shishou scrubbing the bottom of a burnt saucepan in the kitchen sink. The older man looked up when he burst him, looking surprised, but then smiled.

"Kyo, I didn't expect to see you here today. And before you ask, I had another attempt at cooking rice, but got… distracted looking for a rice flavoring packet."

The cat rolled his eyes, and muttered something along the lines of 'You'd think he'd have learnt by now'.

Shishou placed the saucepan to the side, turning to look at the orange-haired teenager, grabbing the tea towel that was on the bench and drying his hands, "Now then, what did you come to see me for?" He smiled warmly at the boy in front of him.

Kyo fidgeted, looking at the ground, the wall, anywhere but his teacher, "I… wanted to introduce you to someone…" he muttered, as if feeling very silly about the entire thing. Abruptly, he took out a piece of paper and a pencil from his schoolbag, placing them on the bench closest to him, "I know you can't see her, but… Well, this is Eris." He waved a hand at the empty space between him and the bench helplessly.

Shishou raised an eyebrow, and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off when the pencil suddenly rose into the air by itself. As if being held by an invisible hand, the point was placed on the paper and, in a handwriting style much similar to the ones his grandparents had used, the word 'Hello!' was written, before being followed by a smilie face. The simply phrase seemed to radiate with the writer's playful attitude.

Kyo shrugged when Shishou turned back to look at him, "Her name's Eris, she's a really good friend of mine – but she's also happens to be a ghost, and she's been dead for at least a few decades, maybe longer." He smirked suddenly, "She's the one who threatened Akito!"

Shishou stared at Kyo in surprise for a moment, before going back to stare at the floating pencil, stunned, "She did? …So, I take it she's the one who's been causing the strange changes in you?"

Kyo blinked, looking confused, "Eh, what changes? What are you talking about?"

Shishou shook his head, "No, never mind." He looked back at where the pencil continued to hover. "Well, Eris… It's nice to meet you, I think…" And, feeling very foolish, held out a hand.

He didn't see anything but the pencil be placed back down on the bench, before there was a sudden chill that grasped his hand, and he wondered if Eris was smiling.

It was already dark by the time Kyo left Shishou's home, having found himself forced to into detail about how he'd met Eris (and then given a lecture for having skipped school), as well as his own explanation for what had happened with Akito just recently.

"I like him, Kyo!"

Kyo smiled at Eris, "You do?" The was a tiny note of hopefulness in his voice.

"Yeah! He was willing to shake my hand when he didn't even know if I was there for sure!"

"I'm pretty sure he'd already got a hint with the floating pencil."

Eris seemed to consider this for a moment, before shrugging, "Meh."

"I thought you'd said you wouldn't have the power to do that sort of thing for a few months, like before?"

"That was when I only had you to draw off - the pervert-dog, your Shishou, probably the girly-snake - I can draw of them, too. Because they, well, believe – sorta – that's something like the first step to acknowledging."

"Where'd you come up with the theory, in the first place?"

"What can I say? Being dead left me with a lot of spare time – Went to these chemistry lessons at a university for a few years for the same reason."

"You did?"

"Sure! Got a free education – just kept going to my old school for a little while, then once I'd gotten everything, I just headed over to the university that was down the street. 'Course, I've forgotten everything now."

"And I suppose you learnt how to drive, too…"

"Oh, I already knew how to do that – just didn't have a license. Actually, I had a few years to wait, Loki taught me early…"

Kyo didn't say anything after that – the expression on Eris' face said volumes, and there was never going to be enough comfort in words to make him speak just then.

"Hey, NeKyo, look ahead!"

Kyo looked over at where Eris was pointing, and then froze in place, his red eyes widened slightly, a familiar teenager who had been wandering down the path looking lost, stopped and met his gaze with one of his own.

Haru…