(You know that feeling you get when you're supposed to do something important, but you don't?

I feel that all the time now.

Hey, story pimpage time! Go check out my wonderful little horror story "Mine", rated M for blood and guts!

Then go read "Reliving Childhood" so you can get this really freaky feeling as you shift from freaked out to OMG FLUFF.

Rhapsody in Blue is an amazing song. I must watch Fantasia 2000 again.

Let's begin the end.

Greg, Sidney, Derek, Cybil, Victor © Nintendo

Others © Me)

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Days of the Phoenix

Chapter Thirteen- Reborn

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"Ow! Mom, he bit me!"

"Leave your brother alone, Greg!"

"But he started iiiiiit!"

"Do I have to pull over and tie you to the roof?"

Seven-year-old Gregory Kasal slumped against the car seat, sulking.

That had happened once before; he was not particularly eager to relive the experience.

His younger identical twin, Sidney, rubbed his arm, glaring at Greg from behind his glasses, perched haphazardly on his face.

"That's what I thought, Greg."

The twins silently made faces at each other before they stared out their windows, their dark brown hair getting ruffled in the breeze.

"Mom, why are there so many new buildings being built?" Sidney asked as he noticed all the construction machinery piled into empty lots, not yet marked with the dust of disintegrated concrete and dirt.

"Because Angeles Bay doesn't have enough homes or places for people to work," she explained gently, taking her exit off of the recently-rebuilt highway. "They're building apartments so people don't have to live on the streets, and places for them to work at so they can stay off the streets."

"Ohhh..."

"Your great-grandmother was born around the time that they started rebuilding the city-- everything was new then," she continued. "She said that her mother told her the city had been destroyed by bombs..."

"Really?" Greg asked, his hazel eyes lighting up. "Did they fall to the ground..."

"Ad blow everything to bits?!" Sidney exclaimed, picking up on his brother's cue.

Their mother sighed.

"It's not something to take lightly, boys... do you know how many people died?"

"Uh... a thousand?" Sidney guessed.

"That's not big enough," Greg argued. "Two thousand."

"Two point four million. Two point four million people... all dying in the course of three days. Can you imagine? It would be like everyone in the city dying now..."

Greg and Sidney sat in an awed silence.

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"I don't want to be here."

Greg and his mother turned to see Sidney standing in the doorway, refusing to walk forward.

"Last time we were here, Dad died and you started crying," he spoke, frowning. "This place is sad; I don't want to go in."

"Sidney, be reasonable," his mother sighed. "Nobody we know is going to die today; we're just visiting someone who's sick. Okay?"

"Who?"

"She's part of the family... Sidney, you can refuse to enter the room, but you have to at least come into the hospital. I can't let you stay outside by yourself."

After much hesitation, Sidney entered the building, rushing to catch up with his mother and brother as they walked down the hall.

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"Oh, won't you leave an old woman to rest...?"

"Oh, come now-- I know you're happy to see me. You were the one who called and told me to visit, remember?"

The old woman smiled, her ninety-plus-year-old body showing the wear and tear she had endured over the years as she looked up at her great-granddaughter with tired hazel eyes.

"Well, I didn't expect you to come so soon, Kaleigh--"

"Katherine."

"Oh, I did it again-- sorry, dear..."

Katherine Kasal smiled briefly.

"Well, my sons had today off of school, so I brought them with me..."

"Oh, so there's finally boys in the Kasal family tree again?" the old woman smiled--

The door to the room flew open; Sidney and Greg dashed in, collapsing on the floor, exhausted.

"...what did you two do this time?"

"Nothing!" the twins chimed as they stood up, rushing to their mother's side.

"Ugh... I give up on you two... Greg, Sidney, this is your great-great-grandmother, Rylee..."

"...Greg and Sidney, you said?"

Rylee's hazel eyes flashed as she slowly sat upright, filled with an energy she hadn't felt in over seventy years.

"Both of you come here..."

Greg and Sidney quickly approached her bedside, not at all surprised when Rylee carefully wrapped her arms around them...

Rylee tightly hugged the two descendants that had taken on the near-perfect likeness of her father and uncle.

"it's so wonderful to finally meet you two," she smiled, pulling away slowly. "Ah... I am blessed..."

Greg squirmed; he was not at all good with sappy first meetings with relatives he never even knew existed. He slipped away, darting out of the room and down the hall.

"No-- Greg...!"

Katherine ran out, sighing exasperatedly as she followed Greg to try and mitigate any damage he was bound to cause.

"Rylee, is it true that you were there when they destroyed the city?" Sidney asked, looking up at her with inquisitive hazel eyes.

A small, sad smile graced her tired, wrinkled face, the memory coming back with disturbing clarity.

"Ah... yes, I was. It was not a happy day... but, let's not talk of such things," she replied, adamantly refusing to plague her descendant with unnecessarily grim stories that would only traumatize him. "Tell me, Sidney... do you know where yours and your brother's names came from?"

"Nuh-uh," Sidney shook his head slowly, keeping his eyes fixated on Rylee's face.

"Well, my father's name was Sidney," Rylee explained, the gentle grin never leaving her face.

"Really?" Sidney's hazel eyes shone with wonder.

"Mhm... and he had an older twin brother named Greg..."

"Woooow..."

Rylee chuckled, her stiff, wrinkled fingers slowly reaching up and fumbling with the chains around her neck.

"Before he died, my father gave these to me..."

She held the chains out.

Sidney took them with his small, pale hands...

"And now, I'm giving them to you."

The golden cross and locket still glimmered as brightly as they had when Rylee first received them, just under ninety years ago... they reflected off of the lenses of Sidney's oval-shaped glasses.

"They'll keep you safe when you're in trouble," she explained as Sidney began to put them on around his neck. "Take good care of them, will you?"

Sidney looked up at Rylee once the cross and locket were secured around his neck.

"Of course."

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Greg Kasal sighed.

It was days like these that he doubted his decision to go into medicine...

He threw his jacket onto the couch, wandering into the kitchen to grab a soda...

The phone rang.

He quickly ran over to answer it.

"This is Greg Kasal."

"He-llo there, Greg."

Greg's eyes lit up, a coy grin spreading across his face as he recognized that sultry voice.

"Hey, Cybil... I missed you too, but at least wait until you're here in person before you start that mind game with me, alright?"

Cybil Myers laughed, quickly dropping the amorous tone in favor of her normal speaking voice.

"So, how are things at Caduceus, Cybil?"

"Ah, same as usual," Cybil sighed, carefully choosing her next words to avoid sounding catty. "One of our new people is... there's no other way to describe him. Victor's a bit of a bitch. But he's very smart, so we'll put up with him... what about you?"

"Ah, same story here, pretty much," Greg chuckled, opening the fridge, pulling out an icy cold beverage. "One of my new residents is excessively clingy, but there is one that's a really good kid-- Derek. He's got some serious potential, if he could just focus... I wouldn't be surprised if he singlehandedly lowered mortality rates at Hope by at least five percent, if not more."

"Wait... are you admitting that he could be better than you in the operating room?"

"When Hell freezes over."

Cybil laughed.

"Hey-- don't forget that we promised to visit your brother and Victoria at seven thirty. And, just so you know, Greg... there is such a thing as just arriving fashionably, and not fashionably late."

Greg chuckled.

"Same goes for you, Cybil. I'll see you there."

"See you, Greg."

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The tale of the phoenix is the tale of rebirth. After a lifetime has passed, and the phoenix is ready to die, it burns itself, then rises from the ashes, reborn- better than before.

It is not so obvious, but humans improve themselves in much the same manner, destroying themselves when they become too corrupt to function as they are.

Rebirth was an inevitable part of their history...

Now, again, the phoenix had risen from its ashes.

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(End story.

Twenty-nine chapters, and exactly two months later, the "Days of" series is finished(except for maybe Days of Our Lives).

You all have been absolutely amazing-- thanks for joining me on this roller-coaster of a ride.

Please review!)