Chapter 51

TT: Fanart! Fanart! I got fanart! Esscence-of-Dreamz drew a really beautiful picture of Eris, people! You should all go to see it – she put it up on DeviantArt; her name there is Esscenseofdreamz – I

Eris: Kyo! Kyo, lookit! It's me! I look so pretty, and happy and, and – it's me! I'm loved! I'm famous! It's meeee!

Kyo: :Somewhere in the kitchen: That's great, 'Ris; have you seen the milk?

TT: On a different note: I was very surprised how many people actually cried because Kyo couldn't see Eris. I was more expecting threats of bodily harm, directed at myself. I would say sorry about making you upset – but being able to pull at your heartstrings like that means that I've succeeded as a writer.

Misunderstood Orchid: I did consider having an ending like that, but for my health I decided against it.

Mikko: 'Fraid so, Kyo's lost everything that made him catlike (Except the hair)

Cheeky Doggie: A week long enough for you?

WolvenMoon: Thank you; I am actually very proud of this story. I'm glad you like Eris.

Lisha Lane: Well said. Kyo doesn't even care about trying to act normal, or be normal, if he can't have Eris by his side.

SillyLittleNothing: No, actually, I haven't seen the anime. I've only read the manga. I don't plan another Fruits Basket story at this stage; but I am considering writing a series of one-shots and drabbles based of this story. (I just can't let it go!)

Ja Ne, Kat: Eris won't possess Kyo again, unless in extreme circumstances when she wants to protect him. She simply doesn't think it's right.

DerangedandLovingit – But the faster I update, the faster it ends. :P

For days, Kyo wandered in a daze; going to class, taking notes and training. But that was really it. The rest of the time he wandered in silence, looking lost. He wasn't sleeping well, and dark shadows were beginning to show under his eyes. His family, when they weren't distracted by the sheer sensation of being free from the curse, was worried about him, but there was nothing they could do to make him snap out of it.

The one who came the closet to succeeding was Kyo's Shisho, who had confronted him the first day Kyo had showed up for training in his broken state.

"Kyo," The teenager looked up at the man he had long regarded as his father figure, "Please, tell me what's wrong. I know you hurting, and I'm worried."

Kyo had been reluctant to speak, even to him, but it wasn't long before the comforting presence and words caused the cat to break down. Before Shisho could comprehend what had happened, Kyo had thrown himself against the man's chest, hugging him tightly. The boy's eyes were closed tightly, as if he were trying not to cry.

The man's worry increased, his brow furrowing, "Kyo? Talk to me."

"Eris; she – she… I can't see her anymore!" It were as if those words broke a dam deep inside the former-cat, and the entire story poured out of his lips, his shoulder's trembling with unshed tears.

His Shisho found himself not knowing what to say, unsure on how to sooth the boy he thought of as a son. A chill ran through him, and he was sure that Eris herself was also trying to comfort her distressed friend. "Oh Kyo…"

Kyo didn't respond, instead simply allowing himself to cry.

Eris hadn't left, not by a long shot. She was still there, still refused to simply abandon him. It could be seen in the way that the milk was always cold, they way Kyo liked it, even if it had been left on the counter all morning. The way Kyo's schoolbag seemed to back itself while he was in the shower, the pens that rolled off the teacher's table in class, the way the thermometer dropped to minus 5 degrees as Kyo watched it, before rising again as Eris brushed past. She wrote messages to him, but it took effort to hold a pen, and so her messages were short; they couldn't have the long and often meaningless conversations Kyo had grown so fond of having with her.

And the silence! Kyo had often found himself at his wits end with some of her more annoying songs, whether she was humming or singing. But he was used to her noise, it was a background noise he was comfortable with. Now that sound was absent, and it set Kyo on edge. It felt as if something wasn't right with the world. Sounds that Kyo usually didn't hear – the hum of the fridge, the buzz of the lamps light – grew loud and ominous without Eris' voice covering them.

When Kyo had been younger, he would've given anything – and he did mean anything to be free from the curse. To be normal, to be accepted… He'd believed that he could have been happy then, no matter the cost.

But that had been a long time ago, and now Kyo regretted ever thinking of such things. He didn't want to be accepted by the people who had, only days ago, scorned him! They didn't matter, none of that mattered, the curse hadn't mattered. He had been happy, truly happy, just having Eris as a friend.

Those wishes he'd made on stars, many years ago, had been granted. But he couldn't accept the sacrifice.

The bell rang, signaling that school had ended. Students eagerly began to collect their books and leave the classroom, talking to their friends as they did so.

Hana moved to walk towards Tohru, but was stopped when Kyo stood in her way. He looked hesitant for a moment, "I… need your help with something." He barely waited for her agreement, before asking her to follow him and leading her to the empty roof.

"What did you need?"

"It's about Eris, you know, the ghost?"

"Do you want me to exorcise her, after all?"

"No! …No, that's not it… Tell me, have you ever heard the legend about the cat of the zodiac?"

Kyo explained everything, Hana occasionally nodding her head, as if two pieces of a puzzle had been put together for her, but otherwise didn't interrupt until Kyo had finished. "I need to speak with my brother; I'll talk to you when we've worked something out."

Kyo had nodded, feeling drained, and let his head fall a bit as the both of them left in silence, going their separate ways. Kyo felt an icy hand touch the back of his neck, and closed his eyes, pretending that he could still see Eris, that the only reason he couldn't see her right now was because he wasn't in his vision.

But he couldn't hold the image, and the attempt made his heart ache all the more deeply.

It was over a week before Hana spoke to him again, and gave him directions so that he could find her house later that evening. The girl wasn't really surprised when he simply followed her home after school instead. A younger boy, who looked far too much like Hana to be anything but her brother, was introduced as Megumi.

The pair led Kyo into what he assumed was the lving room; various books were stacked into a pile on the floor, some labeled legends, others were about curses. A simple circle had been drawn on the floor, which Kyo was instructed to stand in.

He couldn't really rememeber what had happened after that. Hana and her brother had been working on summoning the spirit of the cat, commanding him to reside within Kyo's body, but he couldn't remember any of it. He simply remembered heat, searing his body as the cat's presence came near him, and then the strangest feeling of being whole when the cat's spirit moved to reside within him again.

Instincts and abilities he hadn't realized he'd lost flowed back into him, cooling the fire that raged over his skin. Slowly, from the toes up, it felt as if his body were redefining itself, forging itself to be a cat covered in a human skin. His eyesight blurred for a moment, his ears rang -

And then, nothing. Kyo swayed in his body, dizzy and disoridentated. Hana and her brother looked on, both silent and curious to see what the newly reinstated cat would do now that they had, hopefully, sealed the spirit of the cat inside him once more.

Kyo looked down at his hands, and twitched his fingers slightly, almost expecting his fingernails to extend into claws, before curling them into loose fists.

"Kyo…" A pair of pale, smaller hands covered his fists, making Kyo's head snap up again. Blood-red eyes met teary, hazel ones, and Kyo felt warmth and relief flow through his body as he stared wordlessly at the face of his best friend.

Eris' mouth moved wordlessly for a moment, "You didn't have to do that, Kyo… Now you're cursed again, and it's all my fault." A tear trickled down her cheek, whether it was one of remorse or joy that Kyo could see her again, the cat didn't know.

Kyo reached out, and put a hand on the ghost's shoulder, being careful to make sure he didn't let it fall threw her. Eris looked up again, meeting his gaze, and the cat smiled. It was a beautiful kind of smile that never failed to warm the recipient deep inside, the kind of smile that Kyo gave to very few people, and always left these people willing to do anything just to see that smile again.

The pair didn't say anything, but Eris seemed to know exactly what Kyo was saying with his expression, because her shoulders slumped a little as she relaxed, losing some of the tension. Her eyes softed even more, and she looked ready to cry again. "NeKyo…"

It was only then that Kyo spoke, voice quiet, his words for Eris, and Eris alone. "It was worth it."