Chapter 45

TT: Hey everyone, how are you doing? I'm meant to be studying for chemistry, but you can only study chromatography for so long before you swear you're about to go crazy.

A couple of people have sent me messages, because a story known as 'NeKyo and Iris', which was too similar to my own for them to believe was a coincidence.

I messaged the author, who apologized that the two stories seemed too similar, and to my knowledge the story has now been removed.

Thanks to everyone who sent me a message; its nice to know people are watching my back! (Oh, and to anyone who knew, but didn't message me because they thought I'd have already been told, don't let that stop you from messaging in future – I'd prefer to be reminded many times than not told at all)

Dark Inu Fan – a calm, reflective period before the storm hits, perhaps?

Edakumi: I knew I couldn't have been the only one who'd wondered!

Cheeky Doggie: Yes, Eris' loyalty is meant to be her most redeeming feature

Dudette: I'm glad you liked it so much. There is plot in that last chapter; you just have to squint because it's so slow.

Karen: Thank you! I'm very pleased with how the last chapter came out, myself. Depth, especially character depth, is important to me.

PurpleAjah:I'm going to be writing a series of Omakes to go with the story when I've finished it, aren't I? Oh, and have a tissue for that gravy.

Baow: Yay, I've corrupted another!

SillyLittleNothing: Don't worry; it's my intention to give this story a happy ending. (And, if my muses have any say, extend it longer than should be possible)

Dukoro-chan: What, so eager for it to end? (Lol) At this stage, I'm estimating 5 more chapters, but it may be a little more than that.

PerplexedKiss: Like this?

Klove: I think the banquet was just an excuse, or the straw that broke the donkey's back.

Pouasson: Character depth and development is important to me, for some reason; I like to make them seem as real as possible.

Eris: Maybe I'll go to your house to visit – but my place is with NeKyo, sorry.

Dark-Shigure: Assuming you haven't already left; have a pleasant, safe trip to Japan! (Let me know if you come across the Sohma estate. :P) And don't worry about not sending me the picture straight away; I'm patient.

Kyo wasn't sure how or why, but when the God died, he felt it. There was a deep ache in his bones as the God's spirit weakened moment by moment, and then, for a single moment, it was as if his bones had turned to molten lava. It was over the moment it started, leaving his panting for breath, clutching the bench that was in front of him.

Then came the feeling of loss; that he had lost something signifigant and could never regain it. And satisfaction; something had been achieved in that loss, something that he'd wanted since before his own birth…

It was only after the cat – much more sensitive to death just as he was to ghosts – had recovered from the pain that had come from the God's death, that the same sharp, hot pain coursed through each of the zodiac-cursed. Somewhere in each of them, came a deep sadness, as the animal spirits inside them mourned over their god's destruction. Just because a god was not kind, did not stop him from being a god, worshipped by his followers, after all.

Deep inside Kyo, a restless, vengeful spirit stirred, also feeling the passing of the god who had long ago wronged him, with the aid of the rat. A feeling of contentment grew, as if its one purpose in existing had been completed.

Kyo barely had time to register the strange happiness that had risen from the depths of his mind, before his the black and white beads of his bracelet shattered into tiny pieces.

Kureno had been at Akito's bedside, a heart moniter beeping steadily nearby. The pain was so sudden that it forced him to fall to his knees, resting his forehead on the bed in front of him as the pain washed over him.
Somewhere in the background, the heart moniter continued to beep.

Hatori had just gotten into his car, after waving goodbye to a patient, intending to go a check up on Akito. The keys in his hands were clutched tightly as he leaned forward, gasping for breath, waiting for the pain to subside before he tried to work out what had just occurred.

Shigure's hands froze on the keys of his keyboard for a moment, before they curled into fists as the dog attempted to curl into a tight ball in his seat.

Yuki, working at his 'Secret Base' with Tohru, dropped the trowel in his hand, falling forward into a fetal position, holding his breath.

Ayame had suddenly dropped the box he was carrying in his empty shop, collapsing to his knees in agony.

Momiji and Haru had been talking, when the pain simultaneously washed over them, and left them whimpering and confused on the floor.

Hiro and Kisa had been doing homework together, when everything under their skin suddenly seemed to turn white-hot with a blinding pain…

Kagura had been getting ready to go see her beloved Kyo, when the pain suddenly struck her, making her fall to her knees, and clutching her cat-bag tightly to her, as if the motion could help ease her agony.

Ritsu and Rin, in two very different locations, both froze in what they were doing; objects in their hands falling, as their fingers suddenly went slack, before their hands tightened into taunt fists that left bloodied crescent moons on their palms. The outside world was forgotten, leaving them in a world that focused on the intense pain that was rising from the inside out.

They would never know it, but save for Kyo, the sudden pain that shot through them all, the agony and the deep-set feeling of loss that replaced the pain as it faded, had occurred throughout each of them in sync.

The ghost cats saw it happen – they cried out to the skies in triumph as the feeling of the God's death coursed through even them. It was a cry of victory; they had won, they had beaten the God and the curse he had given the cats. He had died, and they, or the spirit of the cat at least, still lived. They'd been battling each other for centuries, a war with battles that lasted lifetimes, and only now was the war over. They had won.

It was the greatest victory they could accomplish, and the God had known that too, before he faded from the realm. They'd felt his anger, and resignation at his demise; and then he was gone.

The First Cat, for the first time since their attack on the God, left the cage, settling himself down on the roof to look over the gardens, that now suddenly seemed to be his. He purred, stretching out to enjoy the sun, watching with half-closed eyes as a few of his kittens, satisfied with what had occurred, faded into whatever afterworld waiting them.

Kyo stared at the broken pieces, lying on the kitchen floor, that had been his beads. He hadn't moved for the past ten minutes, completely lost in his own world and completely unaware of the chaos in the rest of the house.

Eris paused from where she was waving a hand in front of Kyo's face, as Tohru's screaming reached a higher pitch. She'd been yelling, crying and screaming in fear and worry ever since she'd dragged Yuki in. From what she could work out, both the rat and Shigure had suffered from some kind of 'attack' and Hatori wasn't answering the phone, hence increasing Tohru's panic.

"Eris?"

The ghost turned back to Kyo, squeezing his shoulder, glad that his shock was fading, even if his voice was distant. "You okay NeKyo? You looked like you were in a lot of pain for a minute there."

"How long…?"

Eris glanced at the clock on the wall, before shrugging, "I don't know – ten minutes, maybe? Hey, maybe you should sit down - "

"Ten minutes?" The cat sounded faint. He turned his head to look at her, red eyes wide and full of too many emotions for Eris to make sense of, "Eris, it's been ten minutes since my bracelet shattered…

"And I still hadn't transformed"