Author's Note: I forgot to mention that each one-shot was written as inspired so there's a very vague timeline in this challenge. Some of the one-shots came about because of another piece in the challenge so if the timing seems haphazard in them, that's the reason why. I'm going to be uploading them in the same order I wrote them in. Also to note is that Firion, Kain, and Cecil were the first Warriors I wrote about in the challenge but what's going up here on this site are the Redux Versions. The originals don't mesh well with the rest of the challenge and were moved to my Scraps.
Phoenix was sneaking around in the Land of Discord. She was in human form to ease her passage back to Cosmos's land and because she knew from experience that she was less likely to be noticed by the Warriors of Chaos as such. Especially in this land. The only reason she was even in the area was because she was avoiding the Warrior of Light. He had tried to kill her for reasons she didn't know and she didn't want to take the chance of him finding her again so she went north to the Land of Discord, knowing he wouldn't follow her there. She was traveling alongside a high cliff when she heard voices. It sounded like her most dogged pursuer, Emperor Mateus, and his cohort, Sorceress Ultimecia, who happened to be Squall's enemy. Phoenix started to panic a bit inside, wondering where she was supposed to hide. Before the Chaos Warriors rounded the corner of the cliff face, a pair of arms suddenly pulled Phoenix into a shadowy crevice in the cliff. One hand clapped itself on her mouth to silence her while the opposite arm had wrapped itself around her waist. She was pulled against a broad chest and the chimera-turned-human began to struggle against her captor, her hands trying to pull off the one against her mouth and the arm around her waist. "Quiet." came the whispered command from none other than Kain.
Phoenix's breath was coming in short bursts as she stilled in her shock that he was there. She was soon distracted by the Emperor and Ultimecia coming to a pause just outside the crevice. "Still after that odd creature?" asked the sorceress. "Indeed. That beast has untapped potential in regards to her fighting prowess and I'm still very much intrigued by that spell I witnessed. Such a creature should be under my command as we fight the forces of Cosmos. It's a pity though. If Firion were still around, she would've been perfect bait as well." the man in gold replied. "Oh? Do tell." Ultimecia said. The Emperor chuckled, setting the butt of his staff against the ground. "Whispers spoke of how that young man harbored feelings of sorts for the creature's human disguise. I find it laughable, to be honest, but still it would've increased her worth as a pawn. According to ExDeath, it was young Kain who did him in." he said. That was news to Phoenix, who had wondered if the Warrior was acting alone in killing their allies. To learn it was actually the man in whose grasp she was trapped in now made her heart pound in fear. The Warrior had failed to kill her but Kain was another story. He was a dragoon and thus had speed to rival Lightning. He could kill her before the protective spell could activate in her defense.
Phoenix, not caring that two Chaos Warriors were outside the crevice, tried to pull out of Kain's hold but the dragoon only tightened his grip. The chimera's aversion to being touched was also running high the longer he held her, snatches of her memories filtering through her mind as to that aversion's origin. She tried again, only for Kain's grip around her waist to getting punishingly tighter. "Hold still if you don't want them to find you." he whispered in her ear. Face red from their rather intimate position and knowing she couldn't revert back to her true form because of the threat outside, Phoenix sagged against him. She started running through ways of escaping Kain whenever the Emperor and Ultimecia moved along because she wasn't about to let him run her through with his lance. Meanwhile, the Chaos Warriors were discussing Kain's possible reason for turning on his allies, noting that ExDeath had reported him refusing to sell himself to their side by becoming a Warrior of Chaos himself.
After what seemed like an eternity, the two finally vanished. Kain still didn't let go of his captive as they moved to the crevice's opening and peered out. "Looks like we're safe for now but I'm taking you from this place. Don't try to escape. Otherwise you will catch their attention for sure." the dragoon said. Without missing a beat, he easily lifted Phoenix off her feet, keeping his hand on her mouth, and walking off. The height differential made it so he was able to carry her easily. The chimera started struggling against him again but his grip was like iron. They reached a forest near the border between the two continents and Kain came to a halt. "Now, I'm going to let you down nice and easy. You won't get far if you try to run and we're still too close to the Land of Discord for you to change back without summoning our enemies." he said, lowering her down and letting her feet hit the ground. One last look around to make sure they were alone and he slowly removed his hands from her mouth and waist. Phoenix quickly turned to get him in sight, cursing the fact that humans had binocular vision.
"Are you going to kill me?" she asked. "Why would you ask that? Surely you didn't believe what the Emperor said, though it would explain your attempts to escape me." Kain replied. Phoenix glared with the hostility of a beast staring down a predator. "Don't play coy with me, Kain. There's no way the Emperor and Ultimecia knew we were in that crevice to start with and unless they habitually lie to each other, what he said must be the truth. The reason I'm all the way up here is because the Warrior tried to kill me and before that, I've felt the essences of our friends winking out at a rate that doesn't seem like it's the work of our enemies. You know something about this. Spit it out or I will risk discovery by changing back and taking you out of this war myself." she snapped. Kain knew better than to push his luck. Phoenix wasn't one for idle threats and she had more than enough power and will to follow through on the one she just served. He had hoped that she wouldn't have believed the Emperor, though he had spoken the truth, and gone along with him. Then he would've had the chance to put her down for the next fight. But it seemed the Warrior had already tried and Phoenix knew Mateus to have told the truth, which only served to render his plan impossible.
Sighing, Kain reached up and took his helmet off, shaking out his long, blond hair. He could hear Phoenix breathe in mild surprise. It was natural. Not many of their allies had seen Kain with his helmet off, with Jecht being one, and he wasn't in the habit of removing it as it was. The creature disguised as a beautiful woman before him had never see him without it on, given her penchant to follow Squall's example. His steel grey eyes met her violet ones as he sat his helmet against his hip. "I know now there's no point in hiding the truth from you, Phoenix. You're a wise creature and it seems my ally in this venture has already made you too suspicious of everything. So I will tell you what I know. Ask me anything and I will answer. It will be up to you to decide if I speak the truth." he said. That made her drop her defensive stance, though she was still cautious. Her eyes also kept shifting to his left hand as if expecting his lance to be summoned to stab her through the gut. "I swear to you, Phoenix, that no harm will come to you from my hand." he said. That seemed to satisfy her a bit because she started gathering her thoughts while running her hands through her multi-hued tresses and smoothing her chiton out.
"Okay, let's start with the obvious question. Are you the one striking down our allies?" she asked. "Yes." he replied. "Why?" came the next inquiry. "Short version of the truth is that this war is unending in nature. We fight, fall, and are raised again to fight anew. The price we pay for revival is our memories. We don't remember previous cycles due to this. But, as you know, the more we fight our enemies, the more memories we regain of our homeworlds. It was also told to me that the manikins have the power to kill us permanently. I revealed this truth to the Warrior. Tell me...how did he try to end you and do you recall him saying anything?" Kain followed up his explanation with a question of his own. Phoenix thought back to that day. "He...tried to choke me out. I was in my human form, obviously. I can't recall too much because I lost all sense of reason at the time. But I do remember echoes cutting through the haze of fear and anger. I think he said something along the lines of preserving me for the next battle. But if what you say is true, he was actually trying to..." she trailed off. "That's correct. The Warrior was trying to rescue you from defeat by the manikins. If you fell to them, you wouldn't be revived in the next cycle. It was most certainly heavy-handed but in some strange, almost twisted way, he was showing how much he values you as an ally, worthy of being saved." Kain confirmed.
Phoenix looked up into his handsome face, trying to discern if he was being honest. "Who did you kill? Did the Warrior kill anyone?" she asked. "I've done all the dirty work. His first and foremost duty is to protect Cosmos. So I acted as the sword instead. I've put down everyone except for Lightning, Laguna, Tifa, Yuna, and Vaan. Everyone else is gone but I've put their bodies in a safe place. You needn't worry about that. As far as I'm aware, you're the only one he acted against." he replied. Phoenix closed her eyes, taking in what she heard and weighing things in her mind. "Who told you this, anyway?" she asked, suddenly curious. "Golbez. He hails from the same world as Cecil and I. I trust in his words." Kain replied. "If Golbez told you, then it must be true." Phoenix conceded. "What do you mean?" the dragoon asked. "He and I...we have an understanding. He knows I fight for neither Chaos nor Cosmos. He's acted as my shield from the other side from time to time but not once have we ever met in battle. I can't explain our accord because it's ill-defined and you're the only one now who knows he and I are sort of allies. Suffice it to say, I'd rather not press my luck against a thaumaturge and he probably has no desire to fight someone who is loyal to none officially." she explained.
Rubbing her temples with her fingers, Phoenix took a deep breath as she continued to internalize what Kain had revealed. How many times had she been caught in the cycle of battle? How long had she truly been trapped in this strange world? While she had no reason to distrust what Golbez had said about the true nature of the world, it seemed Kain and the Warrior were putting a lot of faith on a gambit they couldn't be sure would actually work. What if Cosmos fell to Chaos and it was all for naught? What if her friends had been ended in vain? "Do you really think this plan of yours will work?" she asked. "I admit that it's based largely on faith but if Golbez is correct, then there's nothing to fear. So I suppose I should ask you if you'll go along with this." Kain asked. Phoenix shook her head. "I'll decide my own fate. At this point, it's too late for anyone to really save me. You can't kill me and neither can the Warrior. I'm onto you both now so even if you promise that you wouldn't try to stab me in the back, I'll always be on guard. Even so, I'm choosing to trust you, Kain, and I'm going to trust Fate to see me through to whatever end." she said.
"Even if it leads you to ruin without a prayer of revival?" Kain countered. "It is what it is. I'm fully prepared for whatever is waiting for me at the end of the road. Who knows? Maybe a miracle will happen. Besides, I know my own mortality but unlike you humans, I'm not ruled by the fear of death. Plus the idea of being the only ally on your side to willing go to her death by either your hands or his...leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I have a feeling that those you put to sleep had no choice." she said. The dragoon was rather impressed with her nonchalance and she had him on several points. The first one he took out was Cecil and each time, it was always from behind. Since Phoenix knew the whole truth now, she was correct in stating that there was no way for him or the Warrior to get the drop on her now. The dragoon sighed before holding out a hand. Looking at it, she then turned her eyes up to him.
"Since we're at an impasse, then I'll trust you to follow this road you've chosen to the very end. I don't know if we'll meet again but it was an honor to fight alongside you." he said. Phoenix blinked for a moment before realizing he was letting her go. She placed her hand in his offered one and they shook hands. It was an odd thing for her but she understood the meaning all the same. "Go quickly, Phoenix. Change back and return to Cosmos. I'll cover your escape if any of Chaos's minions comes sniffing around." he said, placing his helmet on his head. He summoned his lance and turned away, heading back towards the Land of Discord. "Kain..." Phoenix said, reverting back as she got his attention. He looked back at her with hidden eyes. "Thank you for telling me the truth. I'll do what I can to help him." she said. Nodding, the dragoon turned away. She did as well and they both parted ways.