Chapter 26

TT: Hey all, here's yet another chapter for you to enjoy… Its just occurred to me, that I've got the epilogue all planned out, but I don't want to write it up – I never want to finish this story! Never-ever-ever! (Because, due to the epilogue design, it would be nearly impossible to do a sequel). Guess I'll just need to keep thinking up more and more ideas, to put it off for as long as possible.

Kyo I'm never going to get away from her, am I?

TT: Anyway, I realize in the last chapter, some people mistook Kyo and Eris' relationship to have taken a more romantic turn – while you can imagine a romance between them all you want, there is actually no romantic elements to their friendship. It was more supposed to emphasize how close they are as friends.

Klove – oO No! Nononononononono! Kyo's not going to die, Eris was just being whimsical, weren't you?

Eris: Uh, well… Hey look, a distraction!

Karen – Charlie and the chocolate factory reference! P

Sonya – Thank you very much! Your praise is going to give me a big head about myself, you know that?

Karlis – The way I see it, his personality change has been going on ever since they met – that's a long time for him to change.

DragonLady – the photo was most-likely taken just a few days before Eris met Akito for the first time, when she was at the peak of her power.

Kyo realized, thinking back, that he should have only been mildly surprised when Momiji bounced up to him in the middle of the street a few weeks later, and loudly complain that the cat hadn't personally introduced him to Eris before. Apparently, the rabbit – along with most of the other zodiac – had heard about the ghost from either the (skeptical) Hatori, or Haru. It had simply taken them time to get used to the idea.

The fact that his cousin was apparently going around befriending dead people didn't seem to worry the rabbit, so much as the fact he hadn't met her yet.

So, Kyo had rolled his eyes, and waved to the space at his left where Eris was, letting out a sarcastic, "Momiji, this is Eris. Eris, this is Momiji – the one who you keep stealing sugary things from during lunch at school." And then, before Momiji could asked anything about the last part, explained that they had to go. The pair hid from the rabbit at the movies for three hours, before finally deciding that it was so late that Momiji wouldn't be there, and deciding the head home.

"There, you see? You'd been stressing over nothing!"

Kyo glared at Eris, "It was not over nothing, and before you start – I am not self-conscious!"

"Uh huh, suuuurrreee you aren't. I believe you, really." Kyo scowled at her sarcastic tone. For the rest of the trip home, there was absolute silence.

It was as they were approaching the house that Eris spoke again, "Say Kyo?"

Kyo let out an 'Mmm?' sound to show he was listening.

"Do you regret telling people about me? I mean, all the other cat's kept the fact they can see the dead a secret – do you wish you had as well?"

Kyo stopped walking, and was silent for a moment, causing Eris to grow anxious. Her nerves were quelled, however, with his answer, "No. The other cat's could see ghosts, but they didn't befriend them, which was why no one ever knew." He looked Eris in the eye, and smirked, "If the choice was between having you as a friend, and having kept this a secret from Akito, it'd admit you exist a thousand times over, just to see you threaten him again!"

Eris smiled softly, the expression different from her usual bright grin, "…I'm not going to let Akito cage you, Kyo – I promise. And don't even think about saying 'don't make promises you can't keep', because I will keep it!"

Kyo looked slightly startled by the ferocity of Eris' statement, "Where'd this come from?" He paused for a split second before shaking his head, "On second thoughts, I don't want to know how your mind works – just watching is scary enough."

Eris shoved Kyo playfully towards the door, "Now go make sure that the dog-pervert hasn't gotten Hana to try that exorcism!"

Kyo stumbled, but caught his balance. He shot Eris a nasty look, "You were a less demanding friend when no one else knew about you, do you know that?"

Eris shrugged in a fashion that Kyo identified as 'I know – Na-na!', along with mentally her sticking her tongue out. His glare was ignored as the two approached the house.

Shigure was in the dining room, drinking a cup of tea over a book that Kyo didn't even want to contemplate was about. "You're back late, Kyo. Did you have a romantic tryst with a young flower, hmm?" The dog leered.

Kyo glared and threw his schoolbag at him, "Shut up, you stupid pervert… What are you doing up, anyway?"

Shigure grinned, as if to say 'I'm glad you asked', "Why, don't all writer's keep strange hours? Besides – I just couldn't put the book down!"

Curiously, Eris floated over and read a few lines of the story. She blanched, and quickly followed Kyo towards the stairs.

The cat tilted his head, listening to her, and then called back down at Shigure – "Eris says that you need a new hobby. Badly."

Shigure sighed, "Ah, everybody's a critic."

Weeks past easily, and those at Shigure's home received several reports that Akito was recovering. Along with truth of Momiji's earlier claim - the zodiac, the truth that Kyo had befriended a ghost spread like wildfire. This particular fact was confirmed when Kagura confronted the cat about Eris, using her fists.

Kyo felt disappointed, now that everyone knew about Eris. Perhaps it was years of rejection, but he felt as if that, now that he wasn't the only one who acknowledged her, Eris would rather befriend his cousins that him. Eris managed to knock the idea out of his head eventually, after proclaiming many times that he was a complete and utter idiot, and continuing to remain his eternal shadow. His relationship with the ghost hadn't changed, they were still as close as ever, but it was no longer a warm little secret in the back of his mind.

Of course, her presence still seemed to fill that criteria.

Kyo found himself surprisingly content – no one seemed to mind the long periods of 'solitude' anymore, and it was easier to have conversations with Eris around the others – the pair enjoyed watching the expressions people took on when they did so. Occasionally, Kyo would be asked to relay a question to Eris, but the ghost's fast tongue seemed to make everyone else nervous to how she would reply.

After the 'incident' with Akito, the head had been rather quiet, and it seemed that all of the Sohma Zodiac were enjoying the calm.

In fact, the one thing that truly seemed to bother people – mainly Yuki in particular – was that Kyo and Eris' infamous pranks continued. It seemed to be that, whenever Eris was bored, Yuki would find himself suffering in one way or another. Whenever he got on Kyo's nerves just a little too much, the rat would undeniably know it. And whenever it was raining, well, Yuki seemed afraid to leave his room. And there was little he could do about it – attacking Kyo for it would lead to repercussions, and an all out prank-war would result – and Eris was impossible to intimidate. Nor was anyone truly inclined to help him, they wished to stay off Eris' 'prank list'.

Hana hadn't said anything more over the fact that Kyo was being haunted, though she did ask about what ghosts looked like once or twice, when Tohru and 'the Yankee' weren't within hearing range. In fact, the only real sign she gave of having remembered the conversation was the way she'd occasionally glance over in his direction during class, and stare at the air above his head, usually when Eris made some particularly strange comment.

Kyo didn't mind the sideward glances at Hana and his family would occasionally send his way, usually when a glass fell by accident (Eris had only done that one, and that was a long time ago). In fact, he hardly seemed aware of them, he was busier with trying to keep random cats off his books when he and Eris went over the maths in frustration.

He just wished that Shigure would take Eris' 'hints', and stop calling him 'NeKyo'…