Chapter 49
TT: I don't like this chapter much… But then again I often feel that way; it didn't come out the way I wanted, and because I wanted to post this before I left my computer/stories behind, I can't go back and edit it.
So sorry if it doesn't seem right; give me advice for the next chapter!
Now, go give me lots of reviews, so that I have a heart-attack when I come back in a week.
Edakumi – I like Tohru all frantic – aren't I horrible?
Ja ne, Kat – well, I don't think this is quite what the girls were meaning, but I brought forth Momiji!
Ouran – Hee, thanks! I worked hard on Eris' personality, so its always nice to know she's liked.
Shizmoo – Yeah, very surprised; everyone keeps flooding my email! (But I don't mind)
Kashuneko – I theory, I'm trying to wind down to a conclusion… In theory. Meh, one last plot twist can't hurt! Now, let me see…
Mikko – Purr? Hmm, not sure if I've got a place in the story for that; sorry, no promises, but I'll try to put it into the 'cut-out scenes' I'm planning. As for Eris and Kyo – there is going to be no romance in this story whatsoever. As I said right in the early chapters, this story focuses on pure, platonic friendship at its finest. So don't worry, no mushy stuff. ;p
Dukoro-chan – Twitching might seem vulgar to you, but it means I succeeded as a writer. So yay!
Kyo was forced to sneak into the main building; all he needed was for a single person to spot him, and he had little doubt Akito would put him in the cage early, without even looking at him.
But, in such a situation, it paid to have a friend like Eris; so long as you didn't freak out completely at the sight of a girl's head sticking through a wall, or could endure the 'mission impossible' theme being hummed the entire time.
"Bugs at 10 o'clock!"
Kyo glanced at Eris, "Bugs? Since when do you worry about insects?"
Somebody lunged at him, hanging off the cat's back as he hugged him from behind. "Kyo! What are you doing here? You know you're not allowed in the main house!"
Kyo looked back up at Eris, not even bothering to try and remove Momiji from him, "Bugs, as in that stupid cartoon rabbit, right?"
Momiji wasn't quite sure what Kyo was talking about, but he spent a fair amount of time with his cousin, between school and at Shigure's, and had mastered the art of interrupting and including himself in private Kyo-Eris conversations. "Bugs Bunny is not stupid!"
Kyo groaned, and struggled to try and pull Momiji away. The rabbit had managed to get a good grip on his cousin, making it nearly impossible for Kyo to pull him off, "I don't need to be told that in stereo. Now get off and be quiet before somebody hears you."
"Aha! So you're not supposed to be here." A punch over the head had Momiji standing out of Kyo's arm distance, holding his head as tears welled up in his eyes. "What was that for?"
"I told you to be quiet! Just go and… do whatever it is you usually do when you're not annoying me – and don't tell anyone we're here."
Momiji stilled, staring at Kyo as the orange-haired teen to continue his break in, "But Kyo; why are you here, anyway?"
Kyo glanced back at his small cousin, "Trust me; you wouldn't believe me if I told you." He turned and walked away, hesitating every now and then, when he thought he heard someone else nearby.
Eris waved cheerfully to Momiji, before pressing a finger to her lips in a universal 'shh' motion, before she followed her friend. But, as Momiji couldn't see her, he simply stared after Kyo, silent and confused with the cat's actions.
Kyo wasn't quite sure how he'd managed to find Akito; but he wasn't about to complain about getting lucky. The former-God was sitting in a wheelchair, staring out a window into the garden, watching the birds in a nearby tree.
Akito's head snapped to the side as Kyo stepped into his view. He glared, and opened his mouth to demand what the cat wanted, but Kyo beat him to it.
"I won our bet."
Akito paused, before raising an eyebrow at the cat, looking down on the teen as much as he could while in a wheelchair, "What bet?"
The absence of the God inside Akito left him much less intimidating, or so it seemed to Kyo. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact Eris was standing beside him, absolutely nothing. "I beat Yuki. You won't put me in the cage. That was our agreement."
Akito frowned, furious to think that this incident had occurred, and he hadn't yet been informed. If Kyo had had the time to come to him, then there was more than enough time for Shigure, or even Hatori, to tell him about this. Inwardly, he began to rage at the loss of respect this seemed to show. Outwardly, however, he remained calm, studying Kyo carefully. He was weak; he'd only recently woken from his coma. And he had lost the ability to walk – even the monster standing in front of him would prove to be a real threat now. Partically with his unseen backup, which was undoubtly nearby.
Akito though carefully; he already knew that there was no way he'd survive an attempt to cage the monster, and he wasn't willing to lose his life over such a creature. This bet, this new development, Akito realized, gave him a way out of his predicament. No one had to know that he'd been threatened into surrendering; all they had to know was that he, a generous head of the household indeed, had offered Kyo a bet, and the cat had won it. Truthfully, Akito had never had any intention with going through his side of the bargain, on the off chance that Kyo succeeded, but things changed.
Kyo stood in front of Akito, looking almost defiant in front of the former-God. He was sweating – Akito looked so helpless right then, now that the dangerous, eerie aura of the God had left him – and at the same time, Kyo knew that his life still lay in the hands of, as Eris called him, the Creature. A lifetime of fearing didn't disappear so quickly.
Akito suddenly snapped out his thoughts, and looked Kyo in the eye, a common, superior expression on his face. "I should congratulate you, cat. It seems the monster walks free, this time."
Kyo's hand was suddenly lifted into the air; at an angle that indicated it wasn't Kyo's own doing. The cat glared at the invisible force, and tried to pull away, before giving up and rolling his eyes, "Eris says that you should watch who you're calling a monster."
Akito's eyes resting of the cat's unadorned wrist. A wrist that had, for so very long, had a set of beads wrapped around it. "How?"
Kyo smirked, just a little ferally, revealing what looked suspiciously like a fang, "When the God left, so did the cat's third form."
Furious of the abrupt reminder of his loss, Akito glared at Kyo, voice rising in pitch, "You've heard what you wanted to hear – leave now, cat!" The last word was spat out, lowering his voice back to its usual pitch.
Kyo didn't hesitate, he turned away, leaving the room, and then paused. The first cat sat in front of Kyo, staring at him. For a moment, the two cats stared at each other, and then the ghost cat turned, walking down the hall, and disappearing as he did so – for good.
The spirit of the cat had been stirring since the death of the God, and the defeat over the rat had made it restless. Suddenly, the cat inside Kyo felt restraints that had been binding it to humans for so long simply shatter.
A cat wasn't meant to be caged – the spirit didn't hesitate. It pulled itself free from the human, whose hair matched its own fur colour, and – using a path that only it could see – disappeared from the world altogether.
Elsewhere, the other zodiac creatures suddenly found a path - one they'd wanted to travel on, but been unable to find for so long – become visible, because of a trail of the cat's unique power that had been left behind. They didn't hesitate, and didn't look back.
In mere moments, all of the twelve creatures of the Chinese zodiac were gone.