Gokudera spent the rest of the week trying to contact Phoenix but to no avail, she wouldn't answer her phone or any IMs he sent her. When Friday comes around the Italian teen calls Tsuna and tells him that he won't be in school before running to the airport.
"Aydan!" Gokudera quickly searches the waiting areas until he finds the telltale red hair and runs over to Phoenix. "Damn it, we're not done talking! I'm not letting you leave. And that's final."
Phoenix shoulders her bag.
"Hayato I am going home. And you can't stop me. So please, don't try."
"Tch." Gokudera steps in front of Phoenix, blocking her way to the gate. "You'll have to fight me if you wanna step foot on that plane!"
"Please don't make a scene...Just move, please."
"No! I'm not going to give up that easily! Call me immature or whatever the fuck you want, but I'm not gonna let you leave just like that."
Phoenix feels her anger rise as she glares at Gokudera and clenches her teeth.
"Hayato. Move."
"NO!"
Phoenix looks down and takes a deep breath, she didn't want to make a scene of this.
"Hayato please, just move. You can't stop me from going home."
"Watch me!" Hayato steps closer to Phoenix and grabs the strap of her bag. "You're not going back to Chicago. I won't let you! This is your home now. If you go back...you'll fucking die. And I..." Gokudera pauses for a second and when he speaks again his voice is soft. "...I don't want you to. Don't you want to stay...with me? N-Not for any particular reason but, you're a chill person. You shouldn't have to deal with this on your own. No matter what stupid reasons you give."
Phoenix takes a step back and places a hand inside her bag. "Please don't do this. I really don't want to hurt you, Hayato."
"What the fuck are you talking about? You can't hurt me!"
Phoenix closes her eyes. "I have always been a better fighter than you, Hayato."
She pulls out a dissembled staff and puts it together before walking into an abandoned alcove.
"H-Hey! Where the fuck do you think you're going!" Gokudera quickly follows Phoenix and finds her in a fighting stance, her face devoid of any emotions.
"I am giving you a single warning, Hayato. Let me go and I won't hurt you."
Gokudera takes out his dynamite.
"Not a chance."
Phoenix's eyebrows raise up. "You're going to use explosives...in an airport? Wow, you're a bigger idiot than I thought." With a single movement Phoenix crosses the alcove, knocks the dynamite out of Gokudera's hands, and pushes him against the wall, her staff at his neck. "You can't win this. Just let me go"
Gokudera smirks.
"Wow, I didn't know you were so kinky, Aydan."
The tanned teen secretly opens Sistema C.A.I. With a lit ring.
"You have no idea."
Phoenix gives Gokudera a sly grin.
"You perv!"
Phoenix winks at Gokudera and smiles.
"Oh and don't even think about trying that little system of yours. It's worthless if you can't land a hit." The girl his pressure points on both of Gokudera's arms, paralyzing them. "Now stop this."
Gokudera's eyes widen at Phoenix's grin as his arms fall limp.
"M-Merda." Gokudera looks back up into Phoenix's intense blue eyes. "I'm not gonna give up!"
The silver-haired teen brings his leg up to hook around Phoenix's and tries to trip her.
"You are going to have to." Phoenix avoids Gokudera's leg and jabs her staff into his stomach before stepping back and swinging her staff around her back. "Give up, Hayato. You can't win."
Gokudera spits out a bit of blood.
"Fuck you!" He runs after Phoenix and knees her in the stomach, causing Phoenix to cough and drop her staff. "I wouldn't hurt a woman, but you leave me no choice. I can't have you leave and there's no way in fuck I'm gonna give up!"
"Stupid move getting this close to me, Hayato." Phoenix grabs the back of Gokudera's shirt and flips him over her back. She uses her foot to kick her staff back into her hands, placing one foot on Gokudera's chest and the staff at his neck. She flips the hair out of her eyes. "You're done Hayato. Now stand down."
"Fuck." Gokudera finches in pain as Phoenix puts more pressure on the foot on his chest. "I REFUSE!"
Gokudera struggles to get up.
"You do know that I can kill you with a single jab right now. I would keep still if I were you." She pulls her staff away from Gokudera's throat but keeps her foot on his chest. "I have been going easy on you, Hayato. Now please stop trying to keep me here."
"You wouldn't kill me. I know you wouldn't. But I'm not just going to give up!"
The feeling comes back into Gokudera's arms and he grabs Phoenix's ankles, trying to flip her over. Phoenix loses her balance and falls to the floor next to Gokudera but manages to bring her staff down on his throat, not hard enough to kill but enough to hurt.
"You have no idea what I will do."
Phoenix stands and waits for Gokudera to do the same. Gokudera rolls on to his hands and coughs up some blood.
"S-Shit." He rubs his neck but quickly stands up anyway. "I can take whatever you throw at me."
Phoenix looks at him sadly.
"You know this is the second time I've had to fight someone I love." She sighs and looks down at the bag by her feet. "You said you can take whatever I throw at you, right?" Phoenix kneels down next to the bag and places the staff on the ground, rummaging through her bag for a second before standing and holding out a small knife. "Can you take this?"
"Are you trying to kill me!"
Gokudera lifts his hands in an unconscious defensive act to protect against the knife.
"I am trying to go home!" Phoenix lowers her knife to her side but keeps it in her hand. "Hayato, please, just let me go home." The knife falls out of her hand. "Please."
Gokudera looks at the pain and sadness in Phoenix's eyes and hesitates.
"...No. I've thought about it but, I can't. Can't you understand that I..." Gokudera bites the inside of his cheek. "I don't know...I just don't want you to go."
"I would ask you to come with me but I know you won't." The girl laughs slightly. "Hayato, I'm going. And if I have to hurt you to make you see that then so be it."
Phoenix picks up her staff once more and goes back into her fighting stance.
"If it's a fight that'll make you stay, then I'll be more than happy to!"
Gokudera goes into attack and Phoenix sighs.
"Every time." She blocks his attack with the staff and spins him around, using her staff to push him into the wall behind her. Gokudera grunts. "I thought you realized that you couldn't beat me?"
"I'll take my chances as long as I prove how strong my resolve is to make you stay."
Gokudera lands a punch on Phoenix's stomach and turns her over, switching sides and slamming her against the same wall. Phoenix laughs.
"I haven't fought like this with anyone in years. And once again you get too close." Phoenix hooks her leg around Gokudera's, keeping him in place, and jams the butt of her staff into his stomach. She uses her elbow to push him away from her. "Hayato, you will lose this fight."
Gokudera falls to his knees.
"N-No!" He starts to cough. "NO! It's not over!"
He throws himself at the red head with his final bit of strength and Phoenix easily dodges his attack, taking a few steps away from Gokudera. Hayato falls to his knees, completely drained of energy.
"Hayato, please, just let me go." She goes out of her fighting stance and stares at him pleadingly. "I'll be fine, well not fine but I won't die. At least not for a couple years, and who knows. Reaper might die by then or I'll escape...or something."
The younger teen pants heavily, Phoenix's fighting style had tired him out quickly.
"I...I don't want to. I WON'T FUCKING LET YOU! You'll have to kill me or knock me out before I ever let you. I...I can still fight!"
Gokudera tries to stand up and Phoenix sets her jaw.
"I..." She takes a deep breath. "I am sorry about this Hayato." Phoenix walks over to Gokudera and closes her eyes. "I really am."
The girl takes her staff and hits Gokudera on the back of the neck, watching as he falls to the ground unconscious. The intercom announces that her flight was in and Phoenix gathers up her things, leaving the alcove without looking back at the bruised and bloody Hayato Gokudera.