• Leiko turned her head and looked at Shin as she sat on the comfortable hospital bed, Shin was looking down at the unconscious Malik worried
    “Shin…you’re alive…” Leiko forced a smiled as Malik coughed and then sat back up and smiled looking up at Shin
    “Shin…you’re alive!” Malik screamed and he ran up her to her shoulder and hugged her face, Shin grabbed the mouse gently and looked down at him as he displayed a large smile for her
    “Are you my…spirit guide?” Shin asked Malik as he nodded vigorously and Shin hugged him back.
    Meanwhile the doctor’s were still trying to force open the door
    “LET US IN! The girl’s heart monitor was going crazy and we have to check her!” screamed the doctors, but Leiko couldn’t move, she was still holding Miki’s lifeless head in her hands and she was crying
    “why would you sacrifice your own life…for…” Leiko was cut off by Biru, who had crawled out of her backpack and was laying his small chinchilla claws on Miki’s forhead
    “Leiko…you know what to do…” Biru said as he looked up at her with tearstained fur surrounding his little blue eyes, Leiko stared at him for a long time before finally laying her hands on his forehead also
    “Gift of the Phoenix” Leiko choked as her hands started to warm up, she had been shivering in the cold air of Shin’s room; Leiko’s hands turned a bright red color and a large heat wave engulfed Miki’s body, Leiko saw as a small flame appeared above the spot that his heart sat, it was going out.
    Leiko took a deep breath and let it out, as the air escaped her mouth it looked like a thins sparkling flame in a black hallway as it flew over to Miki’s small flame and joined it, Miki immediately opened his eyes and sat up, the fire and warmth vanished.
    “What happened?!” Miki exclaimed as the door finally flew in and four doctors and two security guards piled onto each other in the doorway, the doctors scrambled up and started checking Shin’s vitals but all signs of the disease that plagued her was gone, the security guards pulled Leiko and Miki into the hallways for questioning, but no one could answer anything and they were let go.
    They returned to school, and Leiko and Miki started over, he had finally won her over
    “Are you ever going to tell me why I didn’t die like Malik said I would?” Miki smiled at her as they sat on a bench in the school quad on a cold winter’s day
    “Maybe after winter break…but we can’t talk about this in public anymore and you can’t tell anyone about us…no one can know about the spirit guides” Leiko looked at him seriously, Miki held up his hand in a “scouts honor” kind of way and nodded
    “I promise”.
    Shin was finally released from the hospital the following day, because they had no reason to keep her and she was causing problems; Leiko and Miki met up with Shin outside the hospital as they readied her for the terror she was going to have to face
    “Why do you two look so glum?” Shin asked looking from Leiko to Miki
    “Uhm…Shin, you’re actually coming to live with me” Leiko forced a smile, Shin looked at her oddly
    “What are you talking about?” Shin asked, Leiko’s smiled immediately turned into a frown
    “Uhm…I’ll explain at my house later” Leiko said as she pulled Shin along heading for home.
    As they reached the corner of Leiko’s street they noticed that an overly large man was lounging under a maple tree sitting on the street corner, Leiko noticed that he looked like a large bull elephant as he leaned against the tree; he only had small slits for eyes and he was breathing heavily a if just sitting under the tree was draining all of his energy; them nad grunted as he sat up and looked over his large wrinkly stomach down at Leiko and Shin standing on the corner
    “you’re cute…” heaved the large man with a thick accent, Leiko looked up at him with a odd look on her face
    “thanks…” Leiko whispered as they walked across the street heading towards Leiko’s home, once they entered Leiko’s front door she exploded
    “DID YOU HEAR THAT?! Who does that guy think he is?!” Leiko screamed as she tossed her backpack onto the couch and sat in the armchair, Shin sat next to the backpack and looked at Leiko with a look of waiting, Leiko avoided Shin’s gaze
    “Shin…Your Aunt was found dead in your house and Sota offered for you to stay with us” Leiko said sadly as she looked at Shin’s feet she couldn’t look Shin in the face.
    “I know…I killed her” Shin said in a monotone voice, Leiko immediately looked up at Shin
    “I was well aware of what I was doing, I just couldn’t control myself” Shin frowned as she crossed her hands and looked down at her knees, Leiko stared up at Shin
    “Are you alright?” Leiko asked her as she placed a hand on Shin’s knee as there was a large knock at the door; the girls looked out the window and could see a large man standing at the door
    “Is that the guy from the corner?” Shin asked as she looked at the large roll of pudge in the window, obscuring her vision of the outside.
    Leiko walked over to the door and opened it
    “ye..” before Leiko could finish her sentence a large fist collided with her stomach and sent her flying across the room into the opposite wall, Shin jumped up and saw that it was the large man from the corner, Leiko stood up
    “WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!” Leiko screamed as Biru came to her side
    “Sloth…” Shin whispered almost too low for Leiko to hear
    “oh no…” Shin exclaimed as she turned and grabbed Leiko by the arm leading her out the back door.