Chapter 9: no longer a pet

"Akito?" Phoenix says, walking into his room, seeing him leaning out his window. "I'm leaving now." Akito didn't say anything back. Phoenix sighs as she places her bags down to walk inside. "Akito… guess what Yuki and I did today?" Akito still said nothing. "We played this card game called Rich Man Poor Man. Kyo joined in for a while as well." Akito still said nothing back. "Come on Akito… talk to me." Phoenix asks as she goes to sit right next to him. "It's my last hour here, and I don't want you moping around like this."

"Look at that bird." Akito says, pointing out the window. Phoenix blinks twice, before looking out the window. She could see a red cardinal bird on the branches of one of the trees. "It's rare to see one of those kinds of birds around here."

"Yes… it is."

"Isn't that the same sort of bird you killed when you were younger?"

"No…" Akito turns an angry gaze towards her.

"Can't you just leave already?" Phoenix jumps back, frightened a bit.

"No! You're still moping." Akito stands up in a brittle like way, not turning away from the window.

"I thought… you said you would do anything for me." Phoenix frowns.

"I did." Akito slaps her hard on the cheek.

"Don't promise anything if you're just going to lie!" Phoenix rubs the spot where Akito slapped her. She walks towards the door angrily.

"Yea. You're right. Sorry I did. But just to let you know, everyone has his or her limits. Shigure helped me realize mine." Phoenix picks up her bag. "Good-bye Akito. I hope you feel better soon." With one hand, still carrying a bag, she manages to shut the door. As she was about to walk away, Akito runs up to the door, opening it violently to yell at her.

"Why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't!" Phoenix yells back, dropping her things on the ground. "You're the one who lied to me!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You were the one who said when we were kids that everyone will love me more if I was with you! What bull, I can't believe I believed you." Phoenix huffs angrily, looking as if flames were filling her eyes again. "You made my life worst. I only did what you said because that's how the zodiac story went: the phoenix does what god says. I was foolish enough to believe that's how life was suppose to be." Silence passed between them.

"What made you change your mind?" Phoenix thinks back.

"My friend back home in America, she use to live in a temple in Japan. She told me the story of the zodiac. It was long and each character in it each had an individual story. She told me about the Phoenix, unaware that I could turn into one. The Phoenix in the zodiac story was no good at all, just a pushover, brainwasher and the reason why everyone is cursed. After a while, I decided that I no longer wanted to be like that. For my sake and everyone else's." Akito's eyes widened, "I figured that if I were to not be like the phoenix responsible for the curse, then the curse would be broken." Akito runs up, choking her.

"You will not break the curse." Akito demands. "Never."

"Why not?" Phoenix says, coughing from lost of air. "You… you're… just giving… me reasons…" Akito kept gripping his hold around her neck, till finally, he lets go, letting her breath again. "Your giving me reason to break it!" Phoenix yells out as fast as she could. "Plus, I'm not your pet anymore so haha!" Akito shuts his eyes tight, turning his hands into fists.

"You should have stayed the way you were before." Akito says silently, going back to his room, slamming the door behind him. Phoenix smiles.

"I rather not…" she replies back, but saying it to herself. "I even scared myself then."

That was the end of the story. Sorry if the story seemed to be rushing. I just wanted to hurry up and get it done . Please tell me what you thought about it, and thank you very much for taking your time to read it all the way through like this