CHAPTER 6: FPOV

The next morning, I was woken up by a way-to-excited-seven-year-old yelling in my ear.

I groaned.

"Come on, Raven! Wake up! We have a concert today!" Riko screamed.

"That's not until 6 PM tonight! What time is it anyways?"

"5 in the morning." Gwen muttered.

"Are you insane?" I demanded.

"Nope!" Riko said cheerfully, while Gwen muttered "Probably."

"Then why are you up?"

"Because I was excited!"

I groaned again and rolled off the couch. "Fine, I'm up. What do y'all want for breakfast?"

Gwen looked at me like I was crazy. "You realize that we have ten bird kids ad two talking dogs here, right? You seriously plan to cook for all of them?"

"Oh, yeah. I kinda forgot. I'll go get something and bring it back. You two should stay here in case the flock wakes up." I said, feeling incredibly stupid.

"Too late." Max said. Crap.

"Sorry. We didn't mean to wake you up." I mumbled. "I'm gonna go get breakfast. I'll be back in a little while."

"I'll go with you." Max said, shocking everyone.

"You don't have to." I said, not wanting her to come because she felt like she had to, although part of me felt like a kid on Christmas morning at the thought of her wanting to come with me.

"I know."

"Okay. Doughnuts good?" I asked Riko.

"Yes! We haven't had doughnuts in forever!"

I almost smiled at his excitement. "Alright. We'll be back in a few." And I walked towards the door, with Max following silently.

When we got out on the street, I sighed. "Why did you come with me if you aren't going to say anything?" I asked.

"I don't know. You shouldn't go on your own." She mumbled.

"I'm not helpless."

"I know that!" She hissed.

"Then why come? I'm not part of your flock anymore. You don't have to feel responsible for me anymore." I said, even though it killed me.

"Dammit, Fang! You should know why!" She yelled.

"No, I don't! I left, Max! I have no idea why you stayed last night! I have no idea why you came with me! You have to be pissed at me, so I don't know why!" I yelled back. She couldn't still care about me. I left. I abandoned them, even if it was for their own good. She couldn't still care.

"Why did you leave! I read that stupid letter, but how could you leave us! We were your family! And you just replaced us?" She screamed at me, pain coming through.

I cringed at that. "I didn't replace you! I left so they wouldn't hurt you! I left for the flock!"

"Then why are you with them?"

"Because I can't do it on my own!"

"Do what?"

"Stop Itex!" I yelled without thinking.

She looked shocked. "What?" She asked quietly.

"I'm stopping Itex. I'm freeing all the experiments. I'm destroying Itex. All of it." I said, trying to control my emotions.

"Why? That's not your responsibility anymore!"

"Because I love you!" I screamed and then we both froze. Her eyes got big.

"Fang-" She started.

I ducked my head and turned. "Forget it. Come on. We need to go get breakfast." I said, walking off down the street. It was all I could do not to take off and scream to the sky.

AN: Sorry for the shortness! Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up tomorrow, if not later today. Hope you liked it! Thanks for reading! Fax says to review!

-Haru