Phoenix was taken to a paper factory and led to a third floor office to be introduced to Gureo Haijima. So this is the man; the man behind the curtain so to speak. If she had not known know he was, she would have wrongly assumed him to be a harmless old man, a CEO with too much money who had grown hopelessly bored with life. She stood stock still in front of his desk feeling naked under the critical scrutiny of his dark brown, almost black eyes from behind the thick lenses of his glasses.

"Phoenix Burns," Gureo Haijima said, approaching her slowly with his hands held behind his back.

"That's not my last name," she responded testily, keeping her eyes forward as he circled around her.

"Did you take your mother's last name then?" he inquired, straightening his glasses.

"No. I have no last name. I am nothing more than a science experiment after all." Her eyes met his stubbornly when he came to stand in front of her. "Sir."

"You've been trained well. Such a good Fire Soldier. Following orders without questioning," he said, his monotone picking up a derisive edge.

Phoenix's belly clenched with nausea inducing intensity. It had never been in her to follow orders unquestioningly, but something had happened to change that.

The President of Haijima Industries looked her up and down approvingly.

"One of our more stunning successes, I'd say," he said. "I know you've been through a lot these last few weeks - "

"You have no idea what I've been through," she growled at him.

"Hmmm," he murmured pensively, holding his chin between his thumb and forefinger as he considered her carefully. "You're right. If only you had stayed in the lab - "

"Then what?" she cut him off, her eyes glaring at him with blistering intensity. "I would have been tortured for years instead of weeks... experimented on every day, all day. No thanks. My mother sacrificed her life to save me, and I don't regret a damn thing that's happened to me while I've tried to stay hidden from you."

"You should have known a power like yours could not stay hidden for very long," he said, turning his back on her and returning to his desk.

Suddenly the two men who had led her here and been standing on either side of her seized Phoenix by the arms. They jerked her arms out to the sides and pulled hard as if they meant to rip her in half while lifting her feet off the floor.

"What the hell," she muttered, pedaling in the air and jerking her arms to no avail.

Struggling only made her joints hurt worse as they continued to pull and threatened to rip her arms clear out of the sockets. The sting of a needle being jammed into her neck made her cry out. She screamed in fury and pulled with all of her might. Her feet hit the floor as the men surged forward toward each other. Dropping to her knees, the men knocked heads with a hollow thunk above her. She dropped to her behind, doing a backroll to avoid being caught under their bodies when they fell.

Rolling to her feet, Phoenix whirled around and extended her wings, blowing open the double doors with the burst of heat energy from them.

"Hmmm, impressive," the stoic man mumbled as he watched her run away.

Gureo Haijima calmly picked up his hand held gaming device and pressed the power button. He was not worried. Kurono waited down the hall for her. He just hoped his loyal but lethal servant could get her into the lab without causing too much damage to the building or killing her.

Phoenix's bare feet slapped on the tile floor as she ran. Where she was running to, she had no freaking idea. This is exactly why she did not try to run away from the White Clads in that underground labyrinth.

Shō had told her before it ever happened, should they be separated to just go and not worry about him. As long as he had Arrow by his side, he would be safe. Phoenix knew the Knight who shot flaming arrows, the one who had chased her and Shinra in Asakusa, had been the one who reported her findings there directly to him. She believed Arrow to be more devoted and faithful to Shō than the Evangelist herself. If she had grabbed Shō and tried to escape with him, she might have gotten them both killed because she had absolutely no idea how to escape. Just like now.

Not having any other choice, Phoenix ran straight down hall searching for an elevator or a stairwell. Hell, even a window would do. She had jumped through windows before. But there were no windows at all. Seeing the corridor branched at the end, she tried to decide which way to go.

Kurono Yūichirō stepped from the connecting hallway to her left. He took measured, deliberate steps as he strolled to the middle of the wide corridor to stand while casually unraveling the bandages from his left arm.

Her decision instantly became clear. She was not going anywhere. So she stopped. Phoenix was not afraid. She was pissed as the man stood in front of her, staring at her with his creepy orange eyes which brightened and glowed, turning them a deep golden yellow.

Her vision blurred so she shook her head vigorously to clear it. Whipping her head back and forth made a her dizzy. Oh, no. She had forgotten about that injection they gave her. It was now taking effect. She swayed uncertainly from side to side like a drunk woman. Damn.

"I didn't expect my chance to fight you would come so soon," Kurono said in his menacingly raspy voice.

The veins in black cinder arm glowed to match his eyes. A thin wisp of black smoke floated into the the air and rapidly began to widen. The winding smoke column split into several sections like the branches of a tree. The branches moved, squirming along the floor and in the air, resembling tentacles as it writhed .

"Well," she said, opening her arms. Her head swam and everything rippled in front of her. "Here's your chance. Take it."

The smoke tentacles surged forward, wrapping around her arms from her wrists to her shoulder and her legs from her thighs down to her ankles. Her wings shot out before another, much thicker arm of smoke, whipped around her torso encircling her waist.

Phoenix could feel the heat through the smoke but it did not hurt or burn her. Her own flames burned nine times hotter than his smoke. The tendrils of smoke constricted around her. The skin on her bound limbs felt as if it was being torn right off the bones that were being pulverized into dust by the gradually contracting, searing hot smoke tentacles.

She tried flapping her wings to disperse the smoke. Kurono's hair lifted from his face and whipped about wildly in the resulting breeze. The smoke remained a solid mass, not a single wisp lifting away from the squirming tendrils. She ceased beating her wings, and her captor's hair settled back onto his head, not a hair out of place. The tentacle around her waist grew and spread, wrapping around her chest to compress her lungs and heart. She could only breath in short rapid bursts which made her weirdly grateful he was holding her up for when she fainted.

Between him squeezing her until she could not breath and the shot, it would not be long before she lost consciousness. She was not given a fair chance to fight for her escape or her life. Her eyelids felt like lead weights had been tied them. The heaviness drew them closed, and she forced them back open as he advanced toward her, prominently holding up his arm as if reminding her he could kill her if he so chose.

"Weak. Just as I thought." He sighed despondently.

"I've been..." She blinked slowly, not allowing her eyes to stay closed. Although she could no longer focus, she looked in his general direction. "I've been drugged, you..." She panted, striving to say the words. "...you stupid bastard."

"Hmmm, well, in that case, I won't kill you. I want to fight you when you are capable of using your full strength. But..."

He squeezed her with the smoke tentacle until she thought her heart would burst. If she could scream, she would have. At last, she lost consciousness.

~\'/~


"Shinra," Phoenix exhaled, getting to her feet.

She smiled and stepped forward wanting to rush into his arms. But she abruptly halted. He did not return her smile or open his arms for her. He did not appear happy to see her at all as his jaw tightened and his lips formed a straight line.

She stayed rooted to the spot. The look in his eyes gave her more reason to pause, bewildering her. Suspicion narrowed his eyes while he examined her carefully from head to toe as if trying to assess if it was really her.

"I can't believe it's you," he stated flatly, keeping his distance.

"Yeah, it's me," she said, chuckling softly to offset the apprehension taking hold of her and making her belly quiver.

Why didn't he want to embrace her for what is supposed to be their joyful reunion? Why did he look doubtful and downright angry? What's going on here?

"I've missed you," she said, shifting back and forth from one bare foot to the other.

"Yeah," he murmured, folding his hands behind his back.

Her stomach lurched and bile crept up her throat. His cold and affectless demeanor confused and frightened her.

Shinra continued to study her, walking around her the way one does a museum sculpture to observe it from all angles.

Phoenix's misgivings grew by the second under the fierce scrutiny of his flame red eyes which burned her in way to cause her more pain than the new white hot fire she possessed. Since he was being so skeptical of her identity, perhaps she should find his suspect as well.

"Where is Shō?" he asked.

Guilt settled heavy in her chest. Her chin dropped, and she stared at the floor painted a shiny gray. Oh, that explains his anger. She had returned, but she had not brought Shō with her. She had promised him and sworn to herself, on her life, that she would return Shō to him.

Strangely, Phoenix felt a bit betrayed as well to learn Benimaru and her father had been literally right above her head. So close but yet so far. Knowing they were right there almost broke her heart. She couldn't blame them though. They didn't know. But if she had known...maybe she could have gotten to them, but...well, it doesn't matter now.

She should have fought, grabbed Shō and ran. But he had previously told her to just go - save herself then she could save him later. If she died trying to take him away that would do him no damn good at all, and the Knights would suspect him of being a traitor which would do more harm than good.

Shinra came to stand in front of her, but she kept her head down, wallowing in shame and self-contempt.

"I-I'm s-sorry," she stuttered without looking up at him. "I know I promised, but...b-but I believe Shō is still safe."

At least he was with Arrow. She would protect him at all costs; against fellow White Clads if necessary. Although a steadfast believer and committed to furthering the Evangelist's cause, she was more dedicated to her Commander holding his life and safety above that of the Evangelist.

"You believe," he scoffed. "You broke your promise. Why should I believe in you?"

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Beep...beep...beep...

The shrill metallic whine had hurt her ears, and the constant beeping annoyed her. At least it stopped that horrible nightmare. What the hell is that sound?

"We've got a heartbeat!" she heard someone yell.

Ironic considering Phoenix would swear her heart stopped beating in her chest after hearing Shinra say those words with such scathing contempt.

"What the hell is going on?" she tried to ask but the words came out as a series of grunts muffled by the oxygen mask on her face.

"Welcome back," the same woman said.

Phoenix's eyes fluttered open. Everything was blurred as if she was looking at it through water. She could make out the vague shape of several human faces above her.

"What..." Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth from the oxygen being forced into her nose and mouth through the mask.

A helpful medical professional, doctor or nurse she had no idea which, reached down and pulled up the mask so she could speak.

"Wh-what th-the f-fuck h-happened?" she stuttered, smacking her dry lips.

A kind soul placed what she guessed to be a straw against her lips and directed her to drink. Icy water flowed over her thick sticky tongue and cooled her burning throat.

Her eyes began to clear and focus as the head of the bed was raised. She tried to move then realized she was fastened down to the bed with wide straps. Her eyes flew to the face of the woman in a white coat leaning over her.

The woman had black hair, brilliant, almost colorless blue eyes. The woman looked like her mother. The stranger with a familiar face smiled at her warmly and reached out to caress her cheek lovingly.

"You're living up to your name, my dear. Reborn from the ashes," she said, dropping her hand from Phoenix's face to hold her hand.

"Mother? What are you doing here?"

"Mother?" the woman inquired, her face contorting. Her features twisted, dissolving into a spiral.

Phoenix squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head as if trying to unscramble her brains. She opened them again and saw the doctor as she really looked; brown hair, pulled back in a low ponytails with loose strands hanging along her cheeks and brown eyes blinking at her from behind thick black framed glasses.

"Holy shit," she muttered, closing her eyes and squirming uncomfortably under the wide straps. "What the fuck is going on?"

The snorted and chuckled. "I heard you had quite the mouth. You sound like you're A-ok to me."

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"Kurono almost killed you. That's what happened," she stated bluntly, writing on the chart attached to the metal clipboard in her hand.

"Oh...isn't that nice?" she muttered, closing her eyes. The lights in the room were too bright and made her head ache. She attempted to raise her head, but she could only squirm helplessly in the half sitting up position. "Why am I tied down?"

"Oh," the doctor gasped. "Just a safety precaution."

Phoenix allowed her head to flop back onto the pillow. The blinding florescent lights above her burned her eyeballs, making her head pound worse. She grunted in defeat and closed her eyes.

"Can I get something for this headache?" she asked.

"Sure. I'll be right back."

Phoenix exhaled loudly, relieved. She did not expect the doctor to actually grant her request. A monitor beeped loudly, rhythmically with her heart. She realized then there were probes stuck to her chest.

That was fast, she thought when she heard the door open. The sound of footsteps moving toward her bed followed. Assuming it to be the doctor, she kept her eyes closed and waited for the sting of a needle in her arm.

"Hey, Phoenix," came a loud whisper.

She recognized that voice. Viktor Licht. She did not move a muscle or open her eyes, although it was difficult. Especially with the surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins from the sudden encompassing rage. However, the heart monitor betrayed her by beeping faster and faster.

"Whoa...is this thing broken?" Viktor pondered aloud, tapping on the machine.

Phoenix heard a click then felt one of the straps being loosened. She pretended to be asleep as the rest of the straps were removed.

"Hey Phoenix," he called to her again, leaning over her.

Phoenix grabbed the lapels of his of his white lab coat. Sitting up, her hands moved up to enclose his skinny neck. His fingers pulled at hers, scraping her skin.

"You bastard," she growled, pushing her thumbs against his Adam's apple.

Viktor made a choking sound, clawing the backs of her hands. She was too enraged to notice. This was not the first time she tried to throttle him so he came armed just in case.

Risking any slim chance he might have of freeing himself, he let go of her deadly hands. He reached into his coat pocket, fumbling for the syringe. Darkness began to push into the edges of his peripheral vision. His fingers found the plastic tube and pulled it out quickly before he fainted. Extending his arm, he held the syringe filled with a fast acting tranquilizer close her face - so close her eyes crossed.

Using his thumb, Viktor popped off the protective plastic needle cap. He twirled the syringe through his fingers to point the sharp needle downward. When his hand slowly began to lower, allowing her the chance to let him go before he put her lights out the only way he could.

"Ugh, fine," she grumbled, releasing his neck and pushing him away from her. "I've already been shot up with a tranquilizer once today. I've had enough of that shit. Thanks."

"Phoenix," he croaked, coughing and massaging his throat. "There's something I need to tell you."

"You don't say, Captain Obvious? Why the hell else would you be here?" she snapped, glaring at him.

Well, she seems perfectly normal to me, Viktor thought, clearing his throat that prickled as if he had swallowed a hundred needles.

"Actually, I came for a meeting with President Haijima to talk about my report," he informed her for reasons he did not understand himself.

"I'm sure that is not what you came here to tell me. So what is it already? What can you possibly have to say to me, you asshole? Out with it already!" she demanded, flopping back onto the pillow. "It's your fault I got kidnapped by the White Clads," she snarled, her angry eyes latching onto his face. He was damn lucky looks could not kill. "Oh, but of course, that was only after they intercepted your intel from the Haijima scientists who were coming to get me to bring me back to the lab and perform experiments on me!"

"Shinra..." He only managed the single word before being wracked with another bout of wheezing coughs. He grimaced and rubbed his throat. His already big eyes were open wide and bulging as if they might pop.

"What about Shinra?" she asked, popping up to a sitting position. When he did not say anything, she swung her legs off the bed and placed her feet on the floor. "Tell me!"

Phoenix stood up and immediately regretted it as her knees gave out and sent her down to the floor. Her butt, bared by the thin cotton nightgown that tied in the back, hit the cold and hard tile floor with a painful and audible smack. She yelped from the jolts of pain that settled into her lower back as a steady ache. Oh, great. More misery. She tried to stand as he leaned down to her. He extended a hand to assist her with standing but she stubbornly slapped it away.

"Shinra is being brought here to the labs," he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. "President Haijima wants him brought back here."

"I swear to Sol, Viktor Licht if you bring him here, I'll - "

"Don't worry. I'm going to warn him ahead of time. We're going to make a plan. I swear," he promised her, taking the hand she held out to him.

"Don't you think they tortured him enough as a kid?" she muttered as he helped her with getting to her feet.

"You know about that?" He dared to put his arm around her to ease her back onto the bed. They must have given her a mega dose of medication to make her so docile.

"Of course I know about that. We talk. A lot." She seized Viktor by the lapels and snatched him forward but did not attempt to strangle him. "Anything goes in the name of science, no matter who you have to hurt or kill, right Viktor?" She shoved him backwards making him stumble a few steps. "When will you be coming back with Shinra?"

"Soon," he assured her, straightening his jacket. "They plan to pit him against Kurono to gather data on his abilities."

"Kurono," she seethed, gritting her teeth.

"Oh, so you've met?" He almost sounded happy with his typical inappropriately light hearted attitude.

Phoenix raised her open palm threatening to slap him. Viktor immediately cringed, holding up his arm to shield his face.

"Damn you, Viktor Licht," she growled through her teeth. "I don't know if I want to kill you now or kill you later."

"How about neither?" he suggested, grinning broadly at her.

"I guess I shouldn't kill you now," she agreed, settling into the bed. "You should go. The doctor will be back soon. It probably won't look good if she finds you here."

"I told her I would take care of you...that you and I were old acquaintances," he said, giving her a wink.

"You son of a - " She leaned forward but sank back onto the bed when he raised the syringe.

"I actually brought a pain killer for your headache. It might make you a little sleepy. Do you want it?"

"Bastard," she growled.

"Okay," he said, turning his back to her to leave. "If you don't want it..."

Phoenix could feel her brain pulsing, pushing against the insides of her skull. If she could crack the bone maybe it would release some of the pressure. But there were less drastic measures available to offer relief. She pulled the sheet and blanket up to her chin leaving only her arm hanging out from under the edge of the covers. She trusted him not to give her anything lethal mostly because she knew she was far too valuable to him as a research subject.

"Fine," she mumbled, closing her eyes. "Bring it on, Doc."

"Technically, I'm not a doctor," he argued with her. "Not an MD at least. I do hold doctorate degrees in - "

"Give me the fucking shot, Viktor!" she shrieked and immediately regretted it as sharp pains stabbed her brain. She did care about his university transcript or his credentials.

"Before I give you this shot, tell me one thing," he requested, leaning over her.

He held the needle poised above her arm. She glowered him as if resisting the desire to set him on fire.

"You know I can kill you right?" she reminded him. She had to keep reminding herself, if she murdered him, it would be longer before she saw Shinra. She knew Haijima would not give up on bringing him back here.

"What happened to you down there...in the Nether?" he inquired, placing the needle against her skin on the outside of her shoulder .

Phoenix opened her eyes wide, giving him a withering, wild eyed stare. Her eyes held his as he audibly gulped.

"The only thing I know for sure is I'm not the person I used to be," she warned him in a threatening tone.

"You seem to be the same to me."

She ignored his comment. "I tried hard not to change, but they changed me. Just like they changed Shō Kusakabe... and everyone else they have gotten their hands on."

"What do you mean? Your memories are intact...right?"

"More or less. But thanks to the Evangelist's re-education to teach me who I really am..." She rolled her eyes. "...according to them anyway...I lost some memories. A few small ones here and there. Nothing important. That I know of anyway."

"You damn sure remembered me," he muttered.

"Oh, yeah. I replayed your final betrayal, the one that put me in the hands of the White Clad, a thousand times over while crying myself to sleep. I was goaded and tortured time and time again to burn burn myself down to ash. Over and over, I experienced pain I cannot even begin to describe accurately to you. Tell me Viktor, do you know what it feels like to die?" she asked, her voice low and serious, non-threatening. It was not a hypothetical question.

"I'm sure you would like to teach me, but no, I don't know," he replied candidly.

"I have burned to death as an Infernal more times than I can remember. It's excruciating. Coming back hurts just as much. I've lost entire blocks of time. Maybe it's better I can't recall what happened down there." She inhaled a shaky breath. "I'm not sure Shinra will like the new me."

"Phoenix," he sighed, appearing genuinely sad. "You haven't changed as much as you think. You're fine. You are definitely still you. Whatever reprogramming they did is bound to wear off soon and you're still in charge of your faculties. With a little rest, you'll get over it."

"It's not a cold, you idiot."

"Listen, you're far too stubborn and relentless to let a setback like this discourage you or destroy your charming personality."

"Setback," she scoffed, getting irritated with him but wanting to believe him that it is really no big deal.

"Nothing can destroy Shinra's love for you," he said, stroking her head in the same way Shō did to comfort her. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

She managed a smile; a bit sardonic, but a smile nonetheless. "I hope you're right, Viktor."

"Have a good night," he said, sliding the needle into her bicep. "Shinra and I will be back before you know it."

Phoenix felt tired. Not just any tired, but a bone deep, life sucking, melancholic weariness. Her last thought before drifting off to sleep was, Hopefully Shinra will be happy to see me.