Chapter 39

TT: Hey everyone! Shigure sure spoiled the moment last chapter, huh?

Sorry that I'm updating a little later than usual, but I have a good excuse for that! I caught a 24-hour bug, so I was sick. Sick! ON MY BIRTHDAY! How cruel the world is :sniffs:

Okay, I'm done acting like Shigure, and my birthday's been and gone. I was well enough that evening to go out to dinner and have a pretty good time, so there's no point in complaining any longer. Happy 18th to me!

Sooooo… What did you all get me?

Soozen – I don't mind you borrowing the ideas I've brought forward at all. (Though, if any of my regular reviewers read your work, you'd better be ready to explain that I did say you could, I understand that some people can get nasty if they think you're stealing ideas)

SillyLittleNothing – So, can you guess what's going on here?

XxFallenxX – I'm reluctant to but romance into this story. Its focus is platonic friendship, the bond between Kyo and Eris and, at times, watching Akito suffer. Well, that's what I say, but in reality I just can't write romance.

Pagegrrl – Ehehe, yes, I'm prone to not noticing typos. And no, I haven't got a beta.

DragonLady – I thought about it being astral projection, but it's probably just a ghost thing in the end.

Hatori sighed in frustration – there had been no change in Akito's status yet, and while he knew that people could spend years in comas, he found himself that the God of the Sohma family was being difficult on purpose.

Kyo had been recovering well; another week and he'd allow the teen to go to school – with Tohru keeping an eye on the cat to make sure he didn't push himself. And if the damage he'd done to Shigure the other night was any sign, his strength was returning as well.

The dragon nodded to Shigure's dramatic greeting, pried himself out of Ayame's hug – vaguely, he wondered what the snake was doing there – before walking up the stairs to check on his other major patient.

There was the sound of shouting from inside Kyo's room, and Hatori wondered if Yuki was bothering the cat again. It seemed that a lack of pranks from Eris had made the rat even edgier than when they were a daily occurrence, and Hatori had spotted the rat demanding the weakened cat tell him what the ghost's plan was once before.

However, when he opened the door, he found that there was no grey-haired cousin the room. In fact, the room appeared to be completely empty, save for Kyo and a tabby cat that was sitting outside near the window.

"I don't care what you say politicians do, you can't just take money even if you are the bank!" A slight pause, "NO! You don't get a salary either – I'm winning and there's no way I'm letting you - " There was another pause, as if the cat had been cut off, but this pause was longer. Finally, Kyo growled, "Fine! If you get a salary, then I get to steal from the bank!" With those words, the cat leaned over to grab some play-money from inside the game's box and, after playing tug-of-war over it with someone Hatori couldn't see ("You're going to rip them!") but it with his own share.

It was then, and only then, that Hatori cleared his throat and made his presence known.

The cat looked up from the board game, startled, before scowling, ""What do you want? I'm in bed, aren't I?"

"What are you playing?"

"Monopoly. Or some really whacked-out version of it." There was a pause as Kyo's stolen 'money' sudden began to float on its own, and Kyo proceeded to have another tug-of-war to get it back. Hatori watched in silence, finding the whole scene rather disturbing, as Kyo's head suddenly snapped around to look at someone he couldn't see, "What're you whining to Hatori for? You cheated first!"

The said dragon began approaching the bed, but paused as his foot hit something. He looked down; scatter across the floor were several-discarded board-game boxes, several of which had 'Not with Eris!' scrawled on a side. The dragon looked up at the cat, who had glanced over when Hatori started moving.

The cat shrugged, "We got bored, and you won't let me do anything and – Eris, that is the worst pun I've ever heard! If it would actually have some effect, I'd hit you right now. No, I am not exaggerating."

The professional doctor within Hatori once again began to mentally make sure that the pain medication he'd prescribed the orange-haired teen didn't include hallucinations.

About an hour later, which much argument, wrestling, lewd comments when Shigure Ayame had come in to see what was going on, and random bursts of yelling from Kyo that was directed at Eris, Hatori had managed to finish checking Kyo's wounds again. Now, he was very much relieved to say, he could go back to his own home for a well-earned break.

At least, as soon as Shigure and Ayame let him go and stopped trying to convince him that alcohol would make him feel better. Kyo and Eris sat on Kyo's bed, game forgotten, watching as Hatori picked his way along the floor of the cat's bedroom, despite the fact there was one grown man clinging to his legs, and another that was practically on his back.

"Oh! Oooh, NeKyo, I just remembered! Ask him – ask him!"

"Ask him what?" Hatori had paused, looking back, just in case he did in fact turn out to be 'him'. Shigure and Ayame didn't seem to hear the cat, and simply used Hatori's distraction to get a better grip on the dragon.

"You know! The thing I was talking about earlier, with the cats."

"Ooh, that. Hey, Hatori? Eris wants to know what the 'Funny Bright White-ish Twisty Orb Thing-y' inside Akito's soul is – Hey, Eris, are you sure it was Akito's soul; maybe he doesn't have one."

Hatori blinked, and looked confused, before wordlessly shaking his head. "Why did Eris want to know?"

Kyo shrugged, "Eris said that the cats – well, uh, no, never mind – the cats did something to it when they attacked Akito, and then the orb - " Here he paused slightly, looking at Eris, before rolling his eyes, "- Alright, the 'Funny Bright White-ish Twisty Orb Thing-y' then, was all shredded. But she doesn't know what it is, so she doesn't know what they've done." Kyo suddenly smirked, "Eris hates not knowing things, I swear she obsesses over it until she finds out."

Hatori frowned, shaking his head again, "I don't know… Thank you for telling me, however."

And with that, Hatori stepped around the last of the boxes – not an easy feat with two adult men clinging too you, no matter how much experience at it you've head – and walked out the door.

Before promptly tripping over as Shigure put a foot in the wrong spot, and falling flat onto his face.