Chapter 24

TT: And yet another chapter for the viewers – don't you all love me?

Eris: …TT's a review-addict.

Kyo::snorts: we already knew that!

TT: ANYway, I don't know when the next chapter will be up, because I'm not quite sure what will happen next in the story… Hey, what do people want to happen?

But what I really wanted to announce was that, while I won't be updating in the next week, come next Sunday I'll be posting a one-shot separately as a Christmas Special! For all those Christmassy cute bits I want to see happen but won't be in the story. Hope to see everyone reading it.

Karlis – its not, really, Kyo's just freaked out over the fact that everyone in the family whose even remotely accepted him has now seen what a 'monster' he is. Bad Kyo, stop insulting yourself, or Eris will give you a brain freeze every time you do!

Alex – I'm not much of an artist myself – much to my chagrin – so I haven't done anything like that based on this story. However, if you want to, I'd love to see it!

DragonLady – Shishou, real name Kazuma, the Sohma-born martial arts master that adopted Kyo and whose grandfather had been the previous cat. Shishou's what Kyo calls him in the manga (but no one else does P)

Time seemed to freeze. For at least a minute, but seemed much longer, neither Kyo nor Haru could bring themselves to move. Neither of them blinked, as if that would give the other the opportunity to do something they didn't want to happen.

Eris looked back and forth between two living teens several times before she let out a sigh of frustration, throwing her arms up in the air and waving them around, "Do something already!" Naturally, Haru didn't notice her, and Kyo was too used to Eris' antics to react – causing the ghost to growl with impatience.

Then Haru moved, slowly as if afraid of scary Kyo off (which was entirely possible), crossing the road and walking closer and until he was standing less than a meter in front of the shorter teenager.

Instincts made Kyo tense to run, but his pride made him stay put, never breaking Haru's gaze.

When Haru had thought about talking to Kyo that day, he had felt apprehensive, both because what he'd seen Kyo change into – the cat's fabled 'true form', no doubt – but also because of the mysterious entity that had defended him. He didn't know what that ice-maiden was supposed to be, if it was under Kyo's control, or something entirely different.

But now… Now, under the streetlights with the last rays of the sun finally fading, Haru didn't understand why he'd been afraid. The street was quiet, there was no oppressing presence of that ice-maiden, and Kyo was simply his cousin, just as unsure of what to say as him. And Kyo was more stubborn about these things, which meant that Haru had to break the silence.

Haru's gaze was indifferent as he spoke – words that both he and Kyo didn't want to be admitted, but were needed, "We need to talk."

Kyo nodded, before finally breaking away from Haru's gaze to look around. He nodded over at a bench, almost conveniently located not far from them. Without a word, the two walked over and sat down, Eris choosing to lean on the back of the bench from behind. Kyo fidgeted for a moment, impatiently waiting for the silence to break for a second before snapping, "Well?"

"Who was that… well, the one in the frost and ice?" May as well get the biggest question over with first.

Kyo tilted his head back to look at the ghost, "Her name's Eris."

Haru blinked, before speaking, his voice flat, "Eris?"

"That's what I said, isn't it! …She's a friend of mine – she's a ghost."

"A ghost?" Haru raised an eyebrow. Before opening his mouth to speak, but was cut off.

"If you even dare say that ghosts don't exist, I'll hit you so hard you won't be able to get your head out of the hole in the ground for a year! The last thing I want if for her to start crying again because you make her question her existence – it took enough time to calm her down after Hatori said that."

"Hatori knows about it – her?" Haru quickly amended himself when Kyo gave him a fierce glare, apparently this 'Eris' wasn't the only one of the two who could be protective. "Who else?"

Kyo seemed to think about it for a moment, looking back at Eris, who was ticking people off on her fingers, before answer, "Hatori and Shigure – he was there when I answered Hatori's questions. Probably Ayame as well, knowing that damn dog. I don't know who else, but Eris says she's positive Akito's worked it out – why she won't tell me." His red eyes narrowed in suspicion at the ghost.

Haru jerked upright, looking around, "She's here!"

"She follows me around a lot, but that time with Akito's the only time anyone else has seen her." The cat shrugged as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world – for him it almost was.

Haru didn't answer, and Kyo didn't say anything more. Actually, Haru suspected that Kyo was listening to something this 'Eris' was saying, judging by the attentive expression he was giving midair. Haru couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Kyo give so much interest into what someone was saying, apart from their martial arts master.

Haru was suddenly aware that Kyo had said something, and snapped out of his thoughts, "What?"

Kyo rolled his eyes for a moment, "Eris thinks you're scared of her." His expression bordered on amused.

"I –" Haru paused, not willing to deny the truth, and instead shrugged lightly, letting the motion speak for itself.

Kyo snorted with barely contained laughter. The thought of Eris – playful, mischievous, harmless Eris scaring anyone seemed so impossible. But then he remembered the ferocity with which she'd defended him, what she'd done to Akito, and the power she'd wielded – power she'd gotten from him – and it didn't seem quite so unbelievable. Just. "You wouldn't say that if you'd seen her impersonation of Shakespeare's characters in English a few months back." Even now, the memory made Kyo's lips twitch into a smile. Eris stuck her tongue out at the cat.

There was a long pause of silence, and Kyo's body tensed; Eris' presence had been explained, but that was only half to issue. Now, now it was too late to run, he had to stay and deal with the second half of the issue, the half he was loathing most of all.

The cat's true form…

Haru seemed to know that Kyo wasn't going to bring up that, and so carefully considered what to say before breaking the silence. "You know, Akito talked about what a monster the cat's true form was several times, at the New Year's feast… He exaggerated – he always made it sound worse than it was."

Kyo had at what Haru had said, and remained that way. He went over what Haru said in his head a few times quickly, before scowling at the ground, "You didn't get a good look." He winched slightly Eris attempted to hit Kyo over the head, her hand going through him and giving him a sudden headache.

Haru shrugged indifferently, "Believe what you want. But now that that's sorted out… Which way is it to the main house?"

Kyo sighed with impatience, "Come on, I'll take you." He was already on his feet again when he muttered, "Dumb ox."

Kyo led Haru to the gates of the main house, before turning away to leave again.

"See you tomorrow, then?"

Kyo glanced back at Haru, "No, I plan to skip and feature on Jerry Springer's – 'my best friend is a ghost'." His voice was heavy with sarcasm.

Haru looked thoughtful, "Is that something you picked up from 'Eris'?"

"What are you talking about?" Without waiting for an answer, Kyo turned away again. He took three steps before Haru called out to him once more.

Haru paused, "There's just one more thing…"

Kyo glanced back irritably, "Yeah, what!"

"How come you can see the ghost?"

For a moment, Kyo didn't answer, then he smirked, "Simple, you dumb ox; everyone knows – cats can see ghosts."

"I didn't know that… Can you see fairies too?"

Kyo gave Haru a flat look, before turning away and walked back towards Shigure's. Haru just caught the cat grumble, "Idiot cow."