Phoenix

Chapter Nine

I couldn't fully comprehend what he just told me. I mean...Father had an older brother? And one who called himself the End? What in the absolute fuck?

"Hold the fuck on, you have a brother?" I asked in disbelief, watching as Father winced and looked off to the side, refusing to look at me.

"I do." He sighed and dragged a hand through his hair, confliction passing across his face before he finally turned his attention towards me. "He was manifested a few minutes before I was, Destruction and Creation. We...used to be close, used to tell each other everything. And then everything changed." He went to take a sip of his drink, but paused and waved his hand, turning his iced tea into, what smelled like, whiskey. He then shot the full thing down before staring off into space, tapping his pale fingers against the surface of his desk. "I had fallen in love with an African goddess about a million years ago, and my brother...he grew jealous that I was giving my attention to someone other than him. He confronted me about it and, like siblings do, we fought. Argued well into the night until our voices were hoarse. I couldn't understand why he was so upset with me, after all, was I not allowed to be happy? I tried my best to convince him to be happy for me, to accept the fact that I wanted to spend time with someone other than him, but he wouldn't listen."

"I honestly don't remember what I had been doing, probably in another realm to discuss ideas and spells, when I felt that ache in my chest, almost like a piece of me had been ripped away. And when I rushed to my love...she was dead. Slain by non-other than my brother who looked at me as if I should be happy that he took her from me." He refilled his drink with a wave of his hand and took another sip, tapping his fingers against the glass before he glanced up at me. "We fought, my brother and I, and..." he shook his head, brows pinched together, "I don't know...something erupted from me and the next thing I knew, my brother was gone, vanished from this plane of reality. I searched, of course, but I never found him, and I just...I just told myself that I somehow destroyed him."

He nibbled at his bottom lip and twirled his fingers in the air, a blue light emitting from his fingertips before a beautiful sword manifested onto the desk; a broadsword with golden designs engraved into the blade itself, a crest of wings at the hilt. He gingerly dragged his fingers down the surface of it, a sad sigh leaving his lips. "This is all that is left of my beloved. Her essence forged into one of the only weapons that could destroy me. Its sad, really...a cruel joke to only be killed by your lover's soul." He glanced up at me, and I swear I saw the beginning of tears forming in his turquoise eyes. "If the reapers truly think they can bring my brother back to wreak havoc on everything I have managed to build, then we need to find the responsible and take care of them."

I shook my head and held up my hands. "I don't want to be involved in any of this. The only reason I'm here is because I don't want life to end. I like living with the humans, I like being oblivious to whatever the fuck is going on in all the other realms, and I felt like I needed to tell you. I've done my part. I'm just...I'm tired of fighting other people's wars."

I felt guilty for denying him my help, but this wasn't my war to fight. I fought when Adam plotted against him, and because I tried to help, I was killed for it. I just wanted to live a mundane life with my cat, and human friends, and not have to worry about what mystical, magical thing was going to happen this time. I did my part and told him about the problem, and now my hope was that he sent someone else to help him figure out this problem. Hell, he had millions of other angels that could help him, he honestly didn't need me.

After a moment, Father nodded respectfully and snapped his fingers, causing the sword to vanish into a pocket dimension. "That's fine, I understand. Besides, you're right, this isn't your fight, and you don't deserve to be dragged into my mess. You're happy living amongst the humans, right?"

I nodded my head, unwilling to speak. Well, not really unwilling...more like I didn't trust myself to speak.

"I'm happy you finally found happiness, Phoenix, truly I am." He sighed and gave me a small smile. "Thank you for coming to me about this."

I nodded again, suddenly feeling uncomfortable at his lack of anger towards me. He seemed incredibly calm that I wasn't going to help him, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Relieved? Worried? A cruel mixture of both? Whatever it was, I was relieved he wasn't going to force me to help him with his problem, after all, I honestly doubted I would be much help considering I hadn't fought in millennia.

After a moment, I stood up, awkwardly wringing my hands together as I nodded towards the other being. "Thank you."

Father nodded and I took that as my cue to leave, my relief flooding through me as I turned and went to leave the door, only to be stopped by the sound of Father's voice.

"Jack seems like a nice man," he said, causing me to turn around with a look of disbelief on his face. How the fuck...

"I thought you said you stopped looking down and watching the humans?" I wondered as my cheeks began to burn.

Father merely smiled innocently and took a sip of his drink, a mischievous sparkle in his gaze. "I haven't been. This Jack seems to be on your subconscious quite strongly."

With my face burning in embarrassment, I whipped around and teleported back home, my cheeks now hurting with how hard I was blushing. What the fuck did he mean by that? Jack on my subconscious? What in the hell? I don't recall even thinking about him once since the other day, and even then, it was because we had been hanging out. And why did Father have such a knowing look on his face?

I groaned and dragged my hand down my face, the sound of my exasperation calling my cat as he mewed and jumped on the table next to me, bright green eyes seemingly piercing into my soul. Surely Father couldn't be insinuating anything, right? Maybe he was just surprised or happy that I had friends, or something. Then again, he didn't even mention Tara, and she was my friend.

"What do you think he meant by that?" I asked Pepper, taking a moment to scratch him under his chin as he began purring and tilting his head into my hand. "I don't like him like that."

Pepper merely tilted his head and stared at me, the furball almost looking as if he didn't believe me.

I pouted; my brows pinched. "I don't. I'm not into men. Geeze, what's with everyone trying to hook us up?" I narrowed my eyes when Pepper blinked, tail flickering behind him. "Stop looking at me like that, you jerk. I'll hold off on your treats..."

Pepper snorted and jumped off of the counter before he jumped onto the couch and stared at me.

I rolled my eyes and ran a hand through my hair, suddenly feeling drained after the events of today. But at least I wasn't being dragged into anything. I don't know what I would have done if Father decided to force me to help. Not that he would have, considering he was the most passive individual I knew, but still. I told him, now he knew, and now he could send others to deal with it. My time worrying about the reapers were done, and now I could finally revert back to my normal, boring life.

A/N: Such a sweet, yet tragic little love story...to only be killed by the soul of your long lost love.

Anywho, hope you all enjoyed the chapter!