𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝 [𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫]

Chapter X

"𝐊𝐀𝐆𝐔𝐑𝐀!" One of the servants yelled at the small girl running. She had straight, upper-back-length brown hair which she was left down. She wasn't wearing any shoes and instead held them in her hands.

There were tears in her eyes and she refused to look at what's right in front of her. She tripped and fell, probably scaring her leg.

The servant who was chasing after her finally caught up and was about to grab her when another girl appeared, shielding the crying female on the ground.

"I believe you are needed elsewhere?" She asked, her voice filled with authority.

The servant knew she couldn't talk back to the girl who was shorter than her.

She bowed however her face held a bitter expression and walked off.

When she was out of sight, the [h/c]nette sighed.

"Now that was scary." She mumbled.

She then turned around to look at the girl who was still on the floor, holding a shocked expression.

"Hello there." She smiled and sat down on the hard cobble stone pathway.

"H-hi..." Was all she said with head down.

However in a few seconds she looked back up at the girl with a determined look.

"Umm, may I a-ask who are y-you?" This made the other girl smile.

"I am [y/n]."

"Sohma?" The girl shook her head.

"Just [y/n], however Akito gave me the last name [l/n] for convenience. You know? Like when I'm at school? I can't possibly just go by [y/n] and not have a last name, they'd probably think I'm weird." This made Kagura giggle a bit.

But when the moment soon stopped when the Boar zodiac remembered a tiny detail.

'She said...Akito's name.' She then faced the girl, her happy expression gone and now replaced with a scared one.

"W-who are you r-really?" This made the girl frown slightly.

She sighed, "I am [y/n] [l/n], The Phoenix." Kagura's eyes went wide.

"Protector of The Zodiacs and of God." A huge gust of wind started blowing, moving the hair from [y/n]'s face making Kagura fully see the [e/c] eyed beauty properly.

She also noticed the feathered ear cuff that was attached to her right ear. It looked so beautiful, but a feeling in her gut told her it was dangerous.

"Ah! Sorry about that." [y/n] said while awkwardly scratching the back of her neck. Completely ruining the intense and compelling scene.

"N-no it's alright! I um, I'm k-kagura." The brunette said before offering her hand to the girl.

She smiled, "Pleasure to meet you, k-kagura." she mimicked the way the girl stuttered when she introduced herself.

This made the girl release an offended "Hey!" and a smack in the arm which made them both laugh.

They started walking around the estate, and [y/n] wanted to ask her a question.

"Why were you running from that lady earlier?" This took the girl off guard making her slightly trip on the uneven cobble stone path.

She stumbled a bit, but was able to stand up straight again in a few seconds.

"W-well, I uh..." She muttered why looking at anything else other than the girl in front of her.

She sighed, "I...caught my mom and dad arguing. Today wasn't even the first time they did it, they've always fought, I just— really couldn't take it this time..."

She fumbled with her fingers while looking down, "It's all my fault!" She sobbed.

Her hair was now covering her face which she was thankful for. She didn't want the beauty in front of her seeing how pathetic she looked.

"I-If I just wasn't a z-zodiac!" She brought her hands to her face desperate to wipe away her tears.

She then felt someone hug her. She couldn't see the face but she was positive of who it was when her eyes saw the tuft of [h/c] hair.

She couldn't wipe her tears anymore since the hug was preventing it. She didn't need to though, since the hug triggered her into crying more.

It may be sad sight to see her crying, but it was good she was finally letting out her feelings.

She gripped onto [y/n]'s back, clutching her kimono tightly. They slowly sat down on the cold stone path, still hugging.

Her cries we're getting quieter making [y/n] decided to slowly let her go. She wiped away the girls tears with her fingers and the long sleeves of her kimono.

It was quiet between the two, but a comfortable silence.

She decided to speak, "Hey, it'll get better soon. And I'm not going to lie to you, I don't know how or when but, you'll meet that person who will make you feel accepted. And life will get better from there." She smiled at the girl.

Kagura was awestruck. She then nodded and smiled, "Yeah!"

'And I think I've already found that person.'

After her encounter with Kagura they soon became close friends. Rin wasn't that happy with the thought of another girl being in their friend group, but accepted her eventually.

Turns out Kagura was quite the competitive spirit, often yelling a lot whether it be she won or lost in a game.

She was fun to be around with, and she felt happy.

She was finally accepted, and free.

However the person who was there for her wasn't. And she'll make sure that the caged Phoenix will soon spread its wings, even if it means someone getting hurt.