Chapter 28

Hey everyone, I'm glad that people liked the last chapter – I was pretty happy with how it came out, myself.

Kisa only sees Eris sometimes because Kisa's a tiger and not a cat-cat; but I suspect that Kyo also has just a little bit of psychic in him – so little Eris can't tell – think of it as a part of the deal of being the cat (so basically, Kisa's not as powerful). Shh, don't tell them that!

Here's a 'fun' chapter for everyone, designed to make you smile a little in places. This is based remotely on my own experience of learning to drive. There was a time when I thought the clutch would never like me.

Wow, it feels like I got a lot of reviews for my last chapter – guess you liked having Kisa there as much as me!

Klove – Reality is, it's a ghost story. Not the usual kind of ghost story, but still a ghost story; they'll always end up being a few spooky bits. They're actually pretty fun to write!

NarutoFreak – I don't think they'll be a climax point for a little while yet, for two reasons: one, because the fact that Eris has been discovered has left everyone else at a standstill for anything involving Kyo, and two: The only climax point I have in my head at my moment comes near very end of the story, and so help me, I don't wanna end it!

Karlis – see up the top

Tohru-kun09 – I'm happy you like how it turned out (I live to please :D)! Thanks for the awesome idea you inevitably gave me – I'm glad I wrote Kisa in.

Karen – I'd like to see the two develop a sweet lil' bond too – I have an idea that this may occur to some small degree, but no promises yet.

ShadoWalker – like Karlis, see above.

Kat – Possibly. I've an idea sort of linked to Kyo teaching Kisa about interacting with ghosts, but no promises yet.

Hippo Thief – Don't worry – Eris doesn't have much patience for spoilt brats, if you know what I mean.

Be flung forward and then back. Curse and glare. Repeat. Forward, back, curse, glare. Repeat.

Eris sat quietly behind the cat and Yuki's brother as Kyo twisted the ignition key again, gritting his teeth to Ayame's attempt at a reassuring comment.

Why was Kyo sitting in the driver's seat of Ayame's car, with the snake beside him, and keys in his hand? It was simple –

Both Yuki and Kyo were learning to drive. Normally there was no way in the world the Head would allow the cat to learn such a skill, but Akito had been very quiet ever since that incident a few months back.

Or, they would. Just as soon as the both of them stopped stalling the engine. Kyo suspected that Hatori had made sure he had an unbelievably large load of patients that day deliberately, to get out of this lesson. After all, the dragon had been suckered into taking Kagura out on a lesson last week. Ayame had jumped at the chance to bond with his brother like this; especially as Shigure had disappeared into his office, claiming that he needed to finish a manuscript that was only overdue by a fortnight.

Yuki had taken one look at his brother, and then calmly informed Kyo that he could go first.

Be flung forward, and then back. Wait as Kyo cursed and glared. Repeat.

Kyo turned his head to glare at his friend in the back seat, as if daring her to say something on his performance.

So she did, "Everyone's bad when they first start Kyo… But all the same, I'm glad I'm already dead."

Kyo gritted his teeth, "Shut up."

"Alright, but this time just release the footbrake push the accelerator down a bit before you release the clutch – we're not on a hill, so you won't go backwards or anything if you do that."

Kyo blinked, "How do you know that?"

Eris grinned cheekily, "Loki decided that I should learn how to drive early – so he taught me a few things. And he was a heck of a lot a better teacher than Yuki's brother." Eris tossed her head towards Ayame, who's head was rabidly flicking back and forth between Kyo and the space in the back seat the cat was talking to, wearing an expression of slightly disturbed bemusement.

Kyo turned back to the steering wheel, turning the ignition key again. This time, he did as Eris suggested and slowly released the clutch last.

The car moved forward. And this time it didn't stall. Instead, it slowly moved down the road, and Kyo began to fumble with the gears under Ayame's attempt at instruction.

In the backseat, Eris watched quietly for a moment longer, before fading through the back of the moving vehicle, waving as it moved down the road. Kyo had enough trouble without her in the backseat.

"I wonder how I can convince the doctor-dragon/seahorse to just hire a professional driving teacher? Hmm…"

An hour later, the car returned and stopped roughly outside of Shigure's house. Eris watched as Kyo practically tore the car door open, and stormed up towards the roof in pure frustration. Eris turned to walk inside, through a wall, as Ayame gleefully announced that it was 'his dearest, darling little brother's turn'. Eris thought she heard the rat groan quietly as he walked past he, dragging his feet as if he were a man walking to his execution.

The ghost shrugged it off, instead walking into the kitchen where Tohru was beginning dinner (both Kyo and Yuki had flatly refused for either Shigure or Ayame to teach Tohru how to drive, and said that she could wait until Hatori was free). Eris waited for a moment as Tohru opened the fridge, before leaning through the living girl – an action that caused Tohru to squeal in both cold and a little fright - to grab the carton of milk, and carry it towards the roof.

Kyo glared up at the darkening sky, occasionally mumbling something about Ayame's own driving skills, his horrible directions and instructions, or how Hatori was a coward.

"Thirsty?" The cat looked to the side, to find Eris squatting next to him, holding out a carton of milk – the condensed water on the sides of the carton had turned to frost under Eris' icy touch.

The cat took the carton gratefully – Ayame's love of heat had left the car unbelievably stuffy – and tilted his head back to drink as Eris settled into her usual spot beside him. For a while, the only sound was Kyo downing the entire carton of milk.

"Kisa and the sheepy were planning to come over tomorrow, weren't they?"

Kyo made a sound of affirmination. Then, after a moment, he tilted his head back to look at her, "You really like her, don't you?"

Kyo watched as Eris grinned at him, almost reassuringly, "She's a little sweetie – come on, don't tell me she doesn't just act the part of a little sister around Torhu!"

"How would you know, you only had an older brother."

"Precisly! I was a little sister – and mum had all sorts of photo's on me acting like that with Loki."

"…Right…" His expression suddenly turned suspicious. "You're not going to scare Kisa like last week, are you? I thought she'd never come out from under Tohru's bed."

"I didn't mean to scare her! I just wanted a cookie…" Eris gave Kyo a tearful look, "How was I suppose to know that she'd be spooked at seeing me grab one, and then just see the cookie floating in mid-air?"

"Because she's Kisa?"

"I said I was sorry!"

Kyo rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah."

Another voice suddenly wafted down from the ground below, and the pair looked over the edge curiously.

Apparently, Yuki had just returned from his driving lesson – and slammed the front door in Ayame's face when he tried to follow the boy into the house.

Undeterred, the snake simply decided to shout instead – "Don't worry, dear little brother – with I as your teacher, you will become an expert in no time! I will make sure of it – in fact, I've already arranged for my assistant to manage the store the same time for the next eight weeks to do just that!"

As if this prospect was a good thing, the snake turned around and returned to his car – Kyo could have sworn the snake was dancing – before driving off. The pair on the roof watched as Ayame's vehicle swerved from one side of the road to the other until it disappeared from view.

Kyo turned to Eris, "if we can't get Hatori to take us on our next lesson, you are staying in the car. I need someone apart from him, so you'll have to do."

Eris smirked, and threw an arm around Kyo's shoulders, "Ah, you know you love me. But all the same – let's talk to the doctor-dragon/seahorse guy – even a driving instructor's got to be better than the weird albino snakey."