Author's note: Hello everyone! Sorry it's taken so long to update this. I am still working it on it, slowly but surely. Please, don't give up on me.

Please enjoy the new chapter!


Goosebumps prickled her skin. Her teeth chattered. Cold. So very cold. She opened her eyes only for them the snap closed again in response to the blinding white light. This time she slowly separated her eyelids allowing her eyes to adjust gradually to the excessive light. She had been in this place before; a void somewhere between a dream and a nightmare. Her mother had visited her here.

"Mom? Mom!" Phoenix shouted. Her voice fell dead without making an echo through the colorless yet bright vacuum. She received no reply. "Where are you? Why am I here? Again..."

A small white piece of fluff floated down toward her. Several more followed swirling around in a little whirlwind. Snowflakes?

Phoenix held out her hand to catch one. It was not cold or wet. It was a feather. A feather like the tiny down feathers of baby bird. The fuzzy little tendrils undulated softly in a nonexistent breeze before the down sailed off her palm to circle around her head and disappear into the nothingness.

More of the feathers fell, landing on skin her with a ticklish softness and sticking to her hair and eyelashes. The feathers soon began to grow bigger until the ones falling were the more recognizable wing feathers.

The calamus, the stiff pointed end of a feather, scratched her cheek as it drifted past her face. The trace of warm, dampness prompted her to touch her face. Drawing back her finger, she saw blood.

"What the - "

"Hello," a voice behind her said.

Startled, Phoenix whirled around with fear widened eyes to see who spoke to her. A sense of dread filled her as she stared at diminutive figure wearing a white hooded cloak that hid their face and their entire body. They looked small, childlike. This person was definitely not her mother. The voice had been soft, almost a whisper, somewhat effeminate but not belonging to a woman. The definitive sinister quality to it had instantly terrified her.

"Who are you?" Phoenix asked.

A pale hand, small and delicate, reached up to push back the over-sized hood. A young boy with pure white hair, fluffy and downy soft like the feathers that had fallen first, gazed at her with an affectless expression.

The face she saw very much resembled that of her beloved Shinra. The eyes were the same brilliant ruby red with white pupils like his. Those eyes were somewhat familiar but extremely different as well. Instead of being filled with warmth and passion and love these eyes were cold and lifeless and frightening.

"Shō," she gasped, almost choking on his name.

"I believe I have found the one I have been searching for," he said, his eyes never wavering from hers.

His empty stare bothered her.

"Your brother?" she ventured not knowing who he could be referring to.

"No. You," he replied, his dead tone never changing.

Without a word, Shō extended his closed fist toward her. Phoenix cast a glimpse at his outstretched hand, then back at his face. Before she could say a word, he turned his hand over and uncurled his fingers to show her what he held in his hand.

The beetle like Infernal Bug circled around his flattened palm then took flight, zooming straight into her mouth. Although she tried to open her mouth and scream, to spit out the damned insect, but it was if her lips had been glued together. Her fingernails pried at her lips but only succeeded in scraping them and making them bleed.

The creature skittered around inside her mouth, scraping her tongue with its barbed legs. Her muffled screams turned into muted retching as the bug crawled down her throat. She glanced at the young man standing in front of her watching her struggle with a passive expression on his face. He showed no concern, no repulsion, no fascination - no interest whatsoever - in what was currently happening to her. He patiently waited.

Her fingers clawed desperately at her neck. Despite her best efforts to tear open her own throat to get to the damned bug, it continued downward, scratching her esophagus. When it reached her stomach, the heating inside of her began as a slow rising warmth as if she had eaten something spicy.

Soon her blood was like lava in her veins, burning them away and searing through muscles, rising toward her skin to find release. Fissures formed across her body revealing the yellow and red fire flowing inside of her like when the ground splits open from an erupting volcano. Tiny flames leapt out of the cracks in her skin, the internal flames reaching the outside and taking hold to ravage her flesh.

The stomach churning, acrid stench of burning skin and hair she knew far too well overwhelmed her nose. If she could have gagged she would have but her body had become a fully involved inferno. She had become an Infernal.

The roar of the flames devouring her flesh blocked out all other sounds even her own heartbeat. But that had probably already burned away. Despite no longer being human, she opened her mouth to scream, to release her agony and terror, but the only sound she could utter was an ungodly, guttural howl.

The fire eventually burned itself out leaving behind a human shaped tower of ash. The macabre statue stood with two feet planted firmly on the ground, both arms raised and fingers stretching, reaching toward the heavens as if begging for help. Help from whom? Sol? No help had come, and she was dead.

Shō Kusakabe, a White Clad, and not just any White Clad but their commander, stood in front of the monument to pain and suffering, unfazed and unmoving.

A finger twitched and black dust flaked off to be carried away by that mysterious breeze. Thousands of the downy feathers swirled around her like a tornado of snowflakes. The black ashes blended with the white feathers swallowing them up and creating what looked like a black storm cloud that hung in the air and expanded, blotting out everything it engulfed including Shinra's little brother standing right in front of her - or where she had once been.

As suddenly as it began, everything stopped. The cloud shrank and disappeared. A woman, her head bent and face covered with her waist length silver hair knelt in front of Shō Kusakabe, the Commander.

The silver color of her hair appeared as if the strands had been made of the purest sterling silver. She raised her face to look at her Commander - and her partner in the coming destruction of mankind.

Phoenix was looking at her own face. Her skin had turned exceedingly pale, so white it appeared almost translucent and to exude a luminescence of its own, a light from within. Her eyes were the same stunning metallic color of liquid silver they had always been. At least something about her had not changed.

Shō Kusakabe actually smiled with a barely perceptible lifting of the corners of his mouth.

"You have come..my Angel," he said, extending his hand to her. "We must fulfill our mission...together."

She placed her hand in his. As he pulled her to her feet, blue flames emerged from her back. The flames unfurled and grew, extending into wings that arched up slightly from her shoulder blades then straight stretched across more closely resembling the feathers of an extinct bird called a dove rather the wings of the angels in ancient paintings - or a phoenix.

"NO!" Phoenix screamed so loudly in her head it rattled her brain.

The shock of seeing herself transformed, of being invited to join Shō to begin the extermination of mankind and her accepting, jarred her out of sleep into instant but frightened wakefulness.

She blinked away the tears blurring her vision to focus on the ruby eyes staring into her own as Shinra hovered over her. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him close to her. As her body shuddered from fear and a straight to the bone chill, she sought his warmth and comfort.

"Hey, what happened?" Shinra asked, sitting up with her still latched onto him. He stroked her hair and her back in an attempt to soothe her, to stop her from shaking apart in his arms.

"A dream. Just a bad dream," she answered, trying to convince herself her words are true.

Her subconscious had been filled with crazy stuff from everything that had been said and hinted at over the last few days. Her mind was just working through the weirdness it in its own bizarre way. That's all that dream was about. It meant nothing because there was no way she could be this Avenging Angel.

"Are you okay?" he asked, trying to pull her back but she would not relinquish her hold on him.

Her body trembled violently in his arms. He could feel her chest expanding to inhale before quickly exhaling to drag in another breathe.

"I'm not okay," she replied, moving her arms from around his neck to enclose his waist before she accidentally suffocated him with a stranglehold. "Don't let me go, Shinra. Just hold me...please. I need to know you're real and that I'm okay."

"I won't let go. I wouldn't dare. I will never let you go," he assured her, kissing her forehead and cradling her head to press her cheek into the curve between his neck and shoulder. "You will be just fine. I won't let anyone or anything hurt you."

Phoenix inhaled another, juddering breath that preceeded a whimper and mewling groan as she started to cry.

"You're safe. Everything is okay." He resumed stroking her head and back in a desperate attempt to comfort her, to cease her shaking and stem her tears.

"I h-had a n-nightmare about, Sh-Shō," she stuttered, her voice thick with steadily falling tears.

"Shō? He was in your nightmare? But why?" he pondered, more than less talking to himself.

Was it because he mentioned seeing his little brother to her? That was pretty much the last thing they talked about when he called to speak to Captain Ōbi. Perhaps the thought of him got stuck in her mind and blended with everything else going round and round in that pretty little head of hers. Sometimes she thought too damn much for her own good.

"He looked so much like y-you except he had wh-white hair," Phoenix stammered helplessly like she always did when severely rattled.

Her brief description of his baby brother set him on edge. How did she know what he looked like? She had never see him before.

"He l-looked like an a-angel, b-but..." She paused to draw in a shaky breath. "But he is a damn devil."

She could not be more scarily accurate. Shinra himself had said his brother looked like an angel. His body trembled but he could not be sure if it was because of what she said or because of her body quivering in his arms. Then she gave him the ultimate shock which made him glad they were sitting on the floor of the tent.

"He attacked me with an Infernal Bug. H-he k-killed me. How can your brother be the Commander of the White Clad?" Phoenix inquired and not rhetorically.

"I don't know. I don't understand it myself," he murmured, kissing her cheek again, the corner of his mouth brushing hers.

"I need to go see my father again," she said, attempting to withdraw from his embrace but he held fast.

"Is that a good idea? Considering recent events, you should stay here," he suggested.

"Am I under house arrest now?" she inquired, her voice developing a sharp edge where fear had been seconds earlier. Making her angry was always a sure way to bring her back to her senses.

Phoenix placed her palms flat on his chest and pushed lightly. Shinra did not budge.

"Of course not, but - " He reluctantly let her go when she forcefully shoved him. Her strength never ceased to surprise him. "But you would be safer if you stayed here."

"I need to talk to him. I have so many questions. Maybe he has the answers. Or Hibana, knows something," she added with a growl. "That woman knows a hell of a lot more than she has told me. I can't help but think she told me partial truths...she manipulated the information to manipulate me."

That sounded right and inline with Captain Hibana's usual method of operation. But Phoenix looked so angry Shinra has to say something in the Prncess' defense.

"Maybe she was trying to protect you from something. You of all people should know sometimes knowing the truth hurts worse than believing a lie," he said, reaching out to run his fingers along her tear reddened cheek.

Her eyes met his. Silver and red, Mercury meeting Mars, and silently battling. She had told him about two gods from the Roman civilization. Mercury was the messenger to the gods. Mars was the god of war. His eyes were just like his brother's.

It can't be true, he thought. Now his mind was making strange connections that made no sense. They were all stressed out and on edge.

"I need to go," Phoenix announced, standing up from the pallet that had been become a wrecked and tangled pile of blankets and pillows. Apparently neither one of them had slept well last night.

Shinra bowed his head in defeat.

"Do what you need to do. All ask is that you be careful," he said, getting to his feet as well.

"I will," she promised, stepping forward and raising herself onto her tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. "I have too much to lose. I have to be careful."

Shinra did not watch her leave as she exited their little safe haven. If he could, he would lock her away to keep her safe. But some things refuse to be tamed or changed. Despite, or maybe because of her reckless nature, he did not argue with her because he knew she do what she damn well set out to do. He loved her enough to let her go and trusted her enough to believe she would return safely.

~\./~


The Company One guard dog folded her arms obstinately and glowered hotly at Phoenix, her green eyes glittering like hard gemstones.

"I said no! You can't see Captain Burns because you do not have an appointment," the nun repeated to the stubborn woman standing in front of her. "You don't even look like the same person who was here yesterday anyway."

No she didn't look like the same person. Phoenix had skipped makeup, choosing to wear a less than pulled together ensemble of her loose capri length jeans and a pink halter top that tied around her waist and neck. She was also much shorter in her flat sandals rather than a pair of her high heels.

"Look, lady. I need to see him," she insisted, playing her ace in the hole. "It's important. I'm his daughter."

"Hah!" the woman scoffed, her face reddening with anger. "You most certainly are not! Captain Burns does not have a daughter!"

"Listen, you - " Phoenix began, shaking her finger in the woman's face.

Extending her wings that erupted like a flash fire with a distinct "whoomph!" sound, she was not beyond intimidating or flat out threatening the woman to get her way. There were important questions she wanted to ask, and she was sure Captain Burns would have the answers - mostly due to his education as a priest.

"What's going on here?" Captain Burns asked.

His booming voice had easily carried to them down the hall from where he stood in front of his office. Apparently the commotion had finally garnered his attention.

"This girl says you're her father," the nun said pointing an accusing finger at Phoenix.

Captain Burns turned his eye toward Phoenix who shrugged and shook her head. He never told her their secret was to be kept under wraps.

"I am," he declared loudly, projecting his voice without actually yelling. "Let her come to my office."

"But, Sir!" the gatekeeper protested.

"I told her come see me any time. Let her come to my office," he repeated in a firm tone. "Bring us tea."

"Yes, Sir," the woman acknowledged, bowing her head respectfully before retreating.

Phoenix retracted her wings and hurried down the hall, almost running to get there before he changed his mind about speaking with her.

"I'm sorry about telling her I'm your daughter," she said as he closed the door behind her.

"Don't be. Everyone would find out sooner or later won't they? No time like the present," he returned casually, motioning toward one of the chairs for her to sit down.

"You're not angry?" she asked, surprised by his reaction.

"No. Why would I be?" He went around to sit behind his desk.

"But it's...it's a deep, dark secret. Isn't it?" She pulled her legs up into the chair to sit in a cross legged position.

"You're not a dirty little secret from my past. Besides, all secrets come to the forefront eventually. Isn't that why you're here?"

His direct gaze made her tremble.

Before she could say anything else, the nun from the front desk came in with the tea tray. This time there were sandwiches and little cakes on the platter to go with the tea. The woman avoided looking at both Phoenix and her boss, keeping her head down and leaving as soon as possible.

"Why didn't you take me after Mom died? It would have been nice to have my father since I couldn't have my mother," she said, seeing the sadness creep into his eye.

"I sent you away to keep you safe. I sent you to live with your mother's sister and husband. They gave your their last name to separate you even further from us. That's why you have a different last name than your mother or myself. But you don't use the name they gave you either, do you?" His eye met hers as he paused from pouring the tea.

Phoenix shook her head. She had given up using any last name since she had no idea who she really belonged to as far as her heritage went so she refused to use any last name.

"You were supposed to stay away. Live out there in the middle of nowhere where you would be safe and apart from all this mess. But you were hell bent and determined to discover everything. To follow in one or both of your parents footsteps. Weren't you?"

"I guess I'm more like my mother than I should be for my own good," she said, gulping upon the realization of yet more of the many similarities she shared with a woman she didn't even really like. "When I have questions, I'll get the answer...no matter what the cost."

"Don't you miss it?" he asked, pushing her cup of tea across the desk toward her. "You lived in a little bit of paradise on the godforsaken earth and took it for granted."

Phoenix unfolded her legs, leaning forward to pick up her cup. He was right. She had taken living on her Aunt and Uncle's farm for granted. They ran a hydroponic farm, a veritable miracle and a literal oasis in the desert of this world.

Massive pumps worked day and night drawing water from deep inside the earth to fill the shallow troughs where fruits and vegetables of all kinds were grown. She had lived in heaven and traded it for hell. Who does that?

She picked up her tea cup with trembling fingers to bring it to her lips. She hoped the tremors would not become permanent. The last few days had been difficult. They only seemed to be getting worse as she learned more of the truth. And here she was wanting to know more. Masochist! Glutton for punishment.

"I've known about you this whole time," her father confessed, running his finger along the gold painted rim of his cup. "I kept up with you through letters between myself and your Aunt and Uncle. They loved you. It broke their hearts when you left. Mine too actually. And scared the hell out of me. I lost track of you for a while. Then I heard about the incident in Asakusa."

Asakusa. Where the path to the truth and the real nightmare began in earnest. The thought of Captain Burns being afraid of anything was difficult to wrap her mind around. She sipped her tea before speaking to unglue her throat that was sticking to itself as she nervously swallowed.

"What do you know about the White Clads?" she asked.

"I believe the sect you are referring to specifically is actually called the Knights of the Ashen Flame," he said, setting down his cup and lacing his fingers together on the desk top to form one massive fist with his hands. "Their goal is to re-create the Great Disaster."

"But why? Are they so stupid they don't realize they will die too?" she scoffed derisively.

"It doesn't matter. They have convictions and a single minded goal. That makes them dangerous. Sometimes that makes the why, the how, and even what comes after, meaningless and inconsequential. They don't even question forfeiting their lives. They are willing to die for what they believe. Why does any group of cultists believe what they believe? Inevitably, throughout history, where there's religion there's always those few who go too far," he said, gazing directly at her. "You should know this. You have devoted a great deal of your life to religious studies. I had hoped you would choose to be a nun."

Phoenix choked on her tea. Spluttering and coughing, she set the cup down on his desk before she dropped it.

"I never even considered that as an option. I studied religion out of curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge as a whole. Not as a personal belief system," she said, watching the disappointment flood his eye. "Sorry."

"Hmmm," he hummed pensively, scratching his chin before resuming his speech about cults, specifically in reference to the Knights of the Ashen Flame. "And they all they think they are the one true religion and everyone else is wrong. The world is full of heretics and nonbelievers who deserve to die. It doesn't matter if they lose a few of their own to cleanse the world as a whole."

"It all sounds so fatalistic and pointless," she murmured, pulling her legs back up into the chair.

"It is really," he sighed. "The Christian god destroyed the earth several times when he deemed people to be too evil. The mythological gods used to hurl lightning bolts and create natural disasters such as floods, famines, and droughts to kill humans. The gods would even stir up wars among humans to make them destroy each other. Humans destroying each other for one reason or another is a common theme throughout history and religion."

"And this is no different. They're simply hiding behind their god and their beliefs," she stated caustically noting her father physically winced at her blunt assessment. "What do you know about the Avenging Angel?"

Captain Burns stood up from his chair. He crossed the room to the window. Opening it, he allowed in an a breeze that was warm and thick and did nothing to alleviate the already stifling atmosphere.

He kept his back to her staring out of the open window at the tranquil grounds of his Fire Company's home base. The leaves in the trees rattled from the wind. The sun shone brightly. People strolled down the sidewalks speaking to each other in hushed voices. A few laughed, the sound being in harsh contrast to the overall mood in the room.

"Did mom allow herself to be bitten? Was it to prove them wrong? To show them the Avenging Angel doesn't exist? Or to prove you right?" She paused, hauling in a deep gulp of air. "If she had been the Angel, was she expecting you to exterminate her before she issued the call to the believers, to the Knights of the Ashen Flame, and brings about the end of the world? Or did she think it was me, and she was trying to kill the both of us?"

Her father turned toward her. He folded his arms across his broad chest. His single eye met hers.

"It was none of those things. It was a lab accident. Plain and simple. Don't assume too much. You're overthinking it," he said, his voice stern but not too harsh. "Above all, your mother was a scientist. She used reason and logic...indisputable physical evidence...proofs and theorems, to back up what she believed. Not silly, poetic phrases and the ravings of men who believe in a god she could neither see nor feel or prove the existence of in any way."

"You are a priest above all else. What do you believe?" she inquired, genuinely curious.

"I don't believe like they do," he stated simply with no emotion, referring to the White Clads. "I still pray and believe. I have faith in my god. I have to. I have to believe in something to be able to continue doing what I'm doing...to live and protect people."

He walked over to her, squatting down in front of the chair. Laying a large, heavy hand against her cheek, he smiled at her despite the sadness evident in his eye.

"You're not the progeny of Sol and some unsuspecting human woman. You are not some murderous half angel who will bring about the destruction of all humans. You are my daughter. You're the result of two people who loved each other dearly but could never be together because the paths they chose in life were far too dissimilar. Not to mention their polar opposite personalities," he added under his breath, his smile taking on a melancholic note.

"Dad," she breathed, laying her hand over his that cupped her jaw. When his eye focused back on hers, she gasped. "Is it okay to call you that?"

"Yeah," he said, his smiling widening and some of the sorrow evaporating. "I would like that."

"Do you know anything else about the Knights of the Ashen Flame?"

His eye hardened in an instant with anger, and he quickly withdrew his hand. Standing up straight, he glared down at her angrily.

"Stay away from them. Far away." He went to the window again, keeping his back to her.

"I need to know because..." She stood up, pouring herself another cup of tea. Foregoing the sugar and lemon, she drank the scalding hot liquid not feeling a thing. "Because I think...I think they believe I'm their Avenging Angel."

"Phoenix," he sighed, his wide shoulders sagging slightly. "I've been to the Netherworld. I've seen true hell with my own eyes."

"Is that what happened to your eye?" she asked, tears welling her eyes.

"It is," he confirmed. "Hell is a place right here on earth...not some far, distant mystical torture chamber we go to after we die. It is also the place where the White Clads, as you call them, make their home. Do not go there. I'm begging you...please, for my sake and your life...stay away."

"What if I can't?" she whispered. "I'm sure you understand that I'm willing to sacrifice myself for the greater good. What is one compared to thousands?"

"Yet you say you don't understand why those religious nuts do what they do?" he shot back. "That's why...right there."

Her father's chin dropped forward onto his chest. He issued a long, deep sigh that conveyed his dejected annoyance clearly.

"The choice is yours. Do what you need to do," he sighed, placing his hand on the side of the window frame as if to brace himself. "I've answered your questions truthfully because I knew you'd search for the answer until you found it anyway. You might as well be equipped for the battle you're rushing into."

He turned to face her, sitting on the windowsill behind him.

"But know this...you're my daughter. Just like me, you can be stubborn to the point of stupid. Everything I've done was to protect you...and it still wasn't enough. I wish you had stayed away. You would have been better off not knowing any of this. But like your mother, you had to know. I am truly sorry I couldn't be a better father. I wish I could have been the father you needed me to be."

Phoenix ran to him, throwing her arms around his huge torso. A sob tore from her throat as his arms enclosed her in the warm, fatherly hug she never thought she would receive.

"I'm sorry too," she apologized. "But I swear to you, I won't be getting hurt or dying any time soon because I want to get to know you better. I will stick around out of spite so I can live long enough to become a real pain in the butt to you like kids should be to their parents."

He chuckled, the sound a low, deep rumble in his chest similar to thunder.

"I look forward to that," he said, squeezing her affectionately.

When she stepped back from him, Captain Burns cleared his throat and traded the smile on his face for a disapproving frown.

"So my lieutenant tells me you're seeing a boy...Kusakabe, Shinra Kusakabe."

That blue haired, babbling idiot! I'm going to kill Karim the next time I see, she thought, her hands forming fists she pressed into her thighs.

"Yes. And I love him," she declared.

"As I recall, he was one of the spies who infiltrated my headquarters," he went on, staring down at her.

"But, Dad, he's a great guy!" she exclaimed, weakly but desperately defending Shinra. "I love him. And...and...and, and, he loves me!"

When the smile wanting to break through his frown made the corners of his mouth twitch, relief flooded her body. He was only joking with her. He was being a Dad already.

"That's just mean," she hissed at him furiously, stomping over to her chair to sit down.

"There's something else I need to tell you, Phoenix," he began, his tone serious as he returned to his chair. "It involves Shinra Kusakabe. I actually met him twelve years ago when I saved him from a fire. The fire that his mother started when she turned into an Infernal. She almost killed him and his brother."

"Oh, my god," she gasped, sinking deeper into the soft cushion of the chair.

"The Knights of the Ashen Flame made her turn Infernal," he went on. "That's when they abducted Shō. They raised him, training him for the sole purpose to become their Commander. They chose him because of the Adolla Burst. They would have taken Shinra too, but I had him. I couldn't...I couldn't get to Shō in time to save him too."

"Have you told Shinra this?" She stared at her father in astonishment and disbelief.

"No," he replied bluntly, meeting her gaze.

"You knew...you knew all of this about his past? You knew what happened to his brother? And you didn't tell him?" She gripped the arms of the chair so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Why? How could you do that?"

"He's not ready for that knowledge yet. I will tell him when the time is right," he answered off-handedly.

"But I'm ready to hear it?!" she yelled, hopping up from the chair to rush forward. She slapped her hands on his desk so hard the teacups rattled. "How dare you burden me with this secret? He is the man I love, but I can't tell him! Why would you do this? It's so cruel!"

"I had no intention of being cruel to you. Sometimes the burden of our secrets gets a little bit easier to bear if we share the load with someone we love and trust. I've shared it with you first not only to lighten my load but also so you can understand better and help Shinra carry the weight of the truth when I tell him. Do you understand now?" he asked, tenting his fingers under his chin.

"Yes, I do," she replied, removing her hands from the desk and backing up to sit down.

"If you love him like you say you do, you're going to want to do everything within your power to help him, to ease his pain and aid him in working through it," he said, exhibiting sensitivity and insight that shocked her. "Once again, I'm equipping you for a battle."

"Yes," she agreed, studying her twiddling thumbs in her lap. "I understand."

"That young man is meant to be something great, and I refuse to put a stumbling block in his path to ruin that potential," he stated in way that made her chest swell with pride.

"I understand." Phoenix covered her face with her hands. She wanted to scream and cry but did neither because presently it would require far more emotional energy than she possessed.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry," her father apologized, probably because he did not know what else to say. "Would you like to go to lunch? It's the least - "

"I'm not hungry," she cut him off. "Maybe another time?"

"Sure." He waited a few minutes before asking, "Do you have any more questions?"

"No. Not today. I just...I just can't," she whispered, exhaling noisily. Looking up at him, she said with sincerity, "Thank you...Dad. Thank you for...everything."

"I hope I was helpful...and not hurtful," he added, standing up to come around his desk to stop in front of her.

"You were...and weren't," she assured him, giving him a hug.

At first he stiffened due to the suddenness of her embrace. Then he put his arms around her to return the surprise hug.

"Take care of yourself. And Shinra," he added as he walked her to the door.

When he opened it, Karim Flam stood on the other side his fist raised in preparation to knock.

"Lieutenant Flam," Captain Burns greeted him dourly.

"Sir!" Karim responded, saluting him stiffly.

"You're in the right place at the right time," the Captain declared.

"I am?" he asked, casting a questioning glimpse at Phoenix who shrugged in response.

"Yes. I would like for you to walk my daughter home," he ordered him politely.

"You want me to what your who where?" he asked, his face twisting in confusion.

"Walk. My daughter. Home. To the Fire Cathedral of the Eighth. You've done it before when she has visited, haven't you?" The Captain fixed his intense singular orb on the young man who blushed under the scrutiny.

"Yes, but, sir..."

"I'll be fine. I can walk by myself. I'm not helpless," Phoenix said, trying to allow Karim an escape from the metaphorical hook on which he wriggled.

"I don't mind," Karim said.

"Did you want something, Flam?" her father demanded.

"I...I can't remember, Sir."

"Good. Then you're free to walk her."

Phoenix snorted in an attempt to hide her giggle of amusement.

"Well, I better go," she said, walking out of the door when Karim turned to the side to allow her to pass by him in preparation to follow her. "Good bye."

"Good bye, Phoenix," Captain Burns rejoined, standing in the hallway to watch her leave.

Karim Flam walked beside her but waited until they were not only outside but a block away from the entire property of the First before saying a word to her.

"So...you're Captain Burns' daughter," he said. "I can't believe you're his daughter."

"No one could be more shocked about it than I was," she responded, quickly changing subjects in an effort to dispel the tense awkwardness. "Captain Ōbi would like to have a meeting day after tomorrow. I was going to call later, but since you're here I figured I'd just tell you."

"Who else is coming?" he asked.

"Princess Hibana and Konro, the Lieutenant from the Seventh. We're not bothering to ask anyone else. Everyone made their opinions clear at the Captain's conference. In more recent events, the loyalties and affiliations of Company Three were revealed in a rather startling manner."

"People are talking. They talk a lot. Rumors have been floating around the past few days. Most gossip is coming from the sixth since Arthur and that kid were brought there for treatment."

"News travels fast when you don't want it to. Speaking of that..." She punched him in the arm causing him to stumble a few steps to the side.

"Ow! That hurts!" Karim exclaimed, massaging his sore bicep from the unexpected hit. "What's that for?"

"For telling your Captain about me and Shinra."

"I had no idea why he was asking. He asked, and I told him," he returned in his defense, still rubbing his arm. "I thought he wanted more information about Kusakabe. I had no idea you were Captain Burns' daughter. Next time you hit me, you better be ready for a real fight."

"I'm ready when you are, pal. I wouldn't mind a little bit of sparring to sharpen my skills a bit," she said.

"Name the time and place, and I'm there. Just tell me when and where."

After another block, Phoenix said, "You know, you don't have to walk me all the way."

"Oh, yes, I do," Karim insisted. "No way am I chancing anything happening to you, and Captain Burns killing me. He'd kill me dead for sure."

"Seriously? I can take care of myself."

"So I've heard. I'm looking forward to that sparring match. But no, I'm not leaving. I'll leave when you're safe and sound inside the Eighth's Fire Cathedral."

"Okay," she sighed. "You're a strategist right?"

"Yes. You are correct," he affirmed.

"Then I'll give you a heads up about the meeting. Captain Ōbi would like to make a plan on how to proceed with attacking the White Clads and finding the Evangelist."

"Strike first. The best defense is a good offense," he mused, impressed with Captain Ōbi's willingness to make the first move for a change.

"Exactly. I'm getting kinda tired of sitting around and waiting for the next assault on us."

"You're actually quite likable. I think I like you."

"Thanks. I've been blessed," she retorted.

"You have indeed. I don't like many people, but I like you. You're likeable," he repeated. Again.

"Gee, that's a self-esteem builder. Are you always so redundant?"Phoenix asked.

"Always. All the time."

"Ugh. Holy Sol," she grumbled, slapping her palm against her forehead.

"What's wrong? Is something wrong?"

"Not a thing."

They finally made it to the Fire Cathedral. Karim said good-bye at the door, confirming the day and time of the meeting as well as trying to set a concrete appointment for their practice session. While they were going over possible days and times, Shinra opened the door.

"Hi, Karim," he said, suspiciously eyeing the Lieutenant.

"Hi, Kusakabe. I escorted your girlfriend home. By orders of her father. Captain Burns," he added as if he took some bizarre joy in reminding her of who her father is.

Actually, she liked hearing it. The Captain of the First was someone she could be proud of being her father. Just like she took great pride in Akitaru Ōbi being her Captain and a father figure, or at the very least a big brother. Considering his age, he might be offended to know she considered him something of a father. He wasn't that old.

"Well, thanks, Lieutenant. I can take it from here," Shinra said, taking her by the wrist to pull her inside.

"See ya later," Karim called to them as he walked away.

They waved and Shinra closed the door. He immediately pulled Phoenix into his arms for a hug.

"Jealous much?" Phoenix teased him, squeezing him tightly.

"I've missed you," he said, kissing the tip of her nose.

"It's been like a whole two hours," she returned, tilting her chin up to offer her lips.

"Two excruciatingly long hours," he whined melodramatically, pressing a kiss square to her mouth.

"Aww, poor baby," she cooed, resting her head on his chest to luxuriate in his hug. "Today has been a good day for hugs."

"I'm guessing things went well with Captain Burns."

"Extremely well. I even called him Dad. It felt weird...but nice. He's a really wonderful man, Shinra," she said excitedly, leaning her head back to look up at his face.

"I'm glad. There's someone I want you to meet," he announced, taking her by the hand to lead her down the hall. "You ran off in such a hurry this morning I didn't get the chance to introduce you."

"How is Arthur? And Yū?"

"Arthur's injuries aren't as bad as I thought. He should be able to come home tomorrow. Yū came through the surgery fine. His recovery will take a little while."

"But he will recover. That's good."

They entered the dining room where the Captain, Lieutenant, and a red headed man she had never seen before sat talking and drinking tea. The man had some unusual and interesting tattoos on his wide neck and huge biceps and forearms. His turquoise eyes considered her carefully as she stared back at him.

"Vulcan Joseph, this is Phoenix. Phoenix this is Vulcan," Captain Ōbi introduced them. Speaking to her, he explained, "Presently Vulcan is staying here on a temporary basis. However, we have extended an offer for him to become a permanent member as our Engineer."

Phoenix already knew all this, but she liked how formal and polite he was being as Captain. She bowed in greeting and smiled at the man who nodded in return without smiling. He looked so sad. No one ever seemed to become part of this Company without having endured some kind of terrible trial.

"Nice to meet you, Vulcan. I'm the Captain's assistant. I transferred from Company Five to become a member of the Eighth," she explained as if that might sway his decision to join their ranks.

"Would she be considered a Sergeant?" Vulcan asked the Captain.

"Drill Sergeant maybe," Shinra mumbled receiving an elbow to the gut. "Ugh!"

"Possibly. She doesn't have an official rank, but I might actually consider giving her one," Ōbi said. He smiled broadly. "Drill Sergeant."

"I don't like either one of you right now," she snapped, casting withering glares at Ōbi and Shinra respectively. Spinning on her heel, she left the room.

"Be back for dinner! We have a guest!" Ōbi yelled after her.

"Yeah, yeah," she responded from down the hall.

"Is she always like that?" Vulcan asked.

"No. She's usually much worse," Hinawa interjected.

"There's never a dull moment around here, is there?" Vulcan inquired, glancing around at each of the men in turn.

"No, there's not. Some days I would kill for a dull moment," Ōbi sighed.

"Hmmm, sounds interesting."

"Ooooh, just wait until all of the crew is here, and everyone is back to normal. Well, normal for them anyway, " the Captain remarked.

Ōbi Akitaru did not know his house guest and potential crew member was beginning to wonder what kind of loony bin he might have checked into.


I did my best to keep Captain Burns in character while making him a warm, affectionate father as well. I cannot capture Karim Flam's weird and annoyingly stupid way of speaking. Rather than making him a complete redundant moron, I opted for making him repetitive instead.

As you can tell, this chapter takes place in the interim period between the aftermath of the disastrous encounter at Vulcan's Workshop and before he accepts their offer to become the Engineer of Company Eight.