Sen felt faint, held in the arms of a complete stranger, two meters above what would have been her death. She looked down and saw her hair lackey bobbing on the surface of the water and she thought with a touch of hysteria, that she might have been like that too, bobbing up and down on the surface, waiting for the tide to wash her corpse up against the train tracks.
The stranger's arms shifted, manoeuvring her so that he was supporting her neck. She craned her neck to see his face but she could only see his mask, and she couldn't even see that very well. She could only catch glimpses of it in the light of the lanterns hanging off the bridge above them. The stranger was looking up at something on the bridge. Sen looked up but only caught a glance of a sword before it was gone. The stranger began walking towards the train tracks, his feet touching the surface of the water but never actually breaking it. Sen watched with a kind of silenced awe. Within a few minutes, they had reached the train tracks. The stranger set Sen gently onto the tracks before removing his long black cape and draping it over her shoulders.
"Um, thank you," Sen mumbled, shivering into the cloak - which was surprisingly warm, "how did you know I was here?" The stranger tilted his head as if in confusion and Sen felt stupid for no reason. The stranger chuckled, a soft, caressing laugh, before bringing his hand to his mask. Sen's eyes widened as he looked at her, she couldn't help it.
"Fenix," he smiled, offering his hand.
"Chihiro-" She cut herself off, "No, Sen, I'm Sen, thank you for saving me."
"Why will you not look at me?" Fenix mused and Sen started, having only just realised she had been looking at the ground. She brought her eyes up and wish she hadn't. Fenix sighed and replaced his mask before laughing softly to himself.
"My apologies, Chihiro," he said her name delicately, like it were something precious, "are you hurt at all?" Sen shook her head numbly and shivered, before her stomach growled. It had been hours since she ate after all.
"Well if you aren't hurt is there anywhere I can escort you?"
Sen looked up at the bathhouse, it's many chimney's billowing out smoke and steam. She pictured somewhere inside there Lin and Neo were sleeping, Yamaji was working, and Makuro and Haku were... she didn't know what they would be doing, along with the rest of that special team - they were very secretive... disappearing, reappearing, but never discussing it. Sen thought about the bathhouse, and realised that she was no longer welcome there.
"No," Sen said, biting her lip, "there's nowhere I can go..."
"Right," Fenix murmured, "well, in that case, would you like to stay with me - just until we get you sorted out of course."
"Really?" Sen whispered, "you'd do that? I'm not really safe to be around."
"Chihiro," Fenix smiled, although she could sense something sinister beneath his joval tone, "I have never known a single person whom I've felt safe around, and you shall be no different," he straightened up and began following the train tracks back towards the stairs, "besides," he called back over his shoulder, "I'm twice as dangerous to be around then you." He laughed and continued walking.
Sen was rooted to the spot. Something about his last comment had sent a chill down her spine.
Fennix stopped and turned around.
They watched eachother in silence. Finally Fenix spoke.
"I'm all you've got."
And he was right.
So Sen took the hand of a complete stranger and let him lead her through the alleys of a world filled with spirits, all the while remembering the face beneath the mask, and how it had almost brought her to tears.