Yo guys, what's up? It's taken a while, been quite a ride, but at long last the final chapter in this saga is here. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story.

*Nuppeppo: An animated lump of decaying human flesh

Disclaimer: Not mine, won't ever be.

The strong scent of coffee hung in the break room like a dense fog. Botan was convinced that if she concentrated hard enough, she would be able to see a brown-black mist being churned out by the coffee pot. Tapping her foot, she glanced at her watch. 8:10. Lovely. Another late night, another long line in the break room, another break spent cramming as much homework as possible. Lost time, lost sleep, it was a wonder her grades hadn't followed suit. Suppressing a groan and switching her books from being under her right arm to her left, Botan looked out towards the front of the line and counted seven people in front of her who showed no signs of moving any time soon. She could hear an irritated murmur from the person behind her.

Come on, it's just coffee, get it and go! Normally Botan wouldn't have cared. She rarely drank coffee, but the last few days had worn her nerves down to dust and spread her mind all over the place. She couldn't take it. Ever since the meeting, tension and chaos had become as commonplace as the sunrise. It had only gotten worse after an unused, rather large store room had been converted into what the staff had dubbed "The Compatibility Chamber". For now it looked like a simple testing room, microscopes lining the counters, pens and clipboards galore-the only difference being that the room was stocked with nothing but needles and vials. Just the thought of all those drawers, lined with all those empty, thirsty blood sucking apparatuses made Botan shudder. It felt as if the lab was preparing a meal for the mother of all vampires. Every now and then, someone would be called back and have a small amount of blood taken from them. Botan noticed that everyone who came back after having given their 'donation' wore a look of intense anxiety and would mutter something about men in dark suits.

The clock of doom had begun counting down. It was only a matter of time before it chimed, signaling the end.

Botan felt the line in front of her shudder back to life and breathed a sigh of relief as the human conveyor belt went back to its smooth three-step operation of cup, push, and go. Snatching a container of hazelnut crème and a stirrer with one hand, Botan grabbed a Styrofoam cup with the other and shoved it under the nozzle, filled it and shot off across the break room. Within seconds, she found herself plopped into a cold, bone-white chair, textbook splayed open and pencil flying over the pages of her notebook. She paused for a moment to tend to her beverage, watching the beige eddies blend with the sharp black of the coffee, making the liquid blush a soft brown. She brought the cup to her lips, only to yank it back and splutter as the scalding hot liquid brushed against her tongue.

"Hey, that's kinda hot, y'know?"

Glancing up, Botan found Ayame standing over the table. With a smile, the older woman handed Botan a small napkin. Taking the scrap of cloth, Botan wiped her mouth and the rim of the cup, sighing.

Ayame frowned and took a seat across from the bluenette, "sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood. Everyone's been so down lately."

"Can you blame them?" Botan asked, placing her pencil in the crook of her math textbook.

"No, not really," replied Ayame, glancing down at her own coffee. Silence stretched between the two women, broken here and there by various snatches of chatter coming from the other tables. The tech glanced back down at her homework, but could find not a single iota of motivation. What was the point?

"I heard Koenma has been attempting to scrap the Phoenix Project."

Botan's head jerked up.

"Are you serious? Is that even possible?"

Ayame shrugged, "Who knows?" She lowered her gaze to her coffee cup, "I do hope so though. This whole thing is just too hard to believe. I can't imagine all the ethical codes we're breaking by doing this."

Botan nodded. This whole thing did seem rather unethical. How was the lab able to get away with something like this? Then again, considering Libra operated as both a medical lab and a government facility, it made sense that something like this was able to slide right under the rug without any problems. Still, something punishing would be in the works. Ethical nightmares like this didn't stay hidden for long.

"By the way, how are you feeling?"

Botan cocked her head, "About what?"

Sipping her coffee, Ayame replied, "I heard what happened you know, with Subject 0119," she shook her head, "I can't believe it. I don't want to. Why on Earth would he attack you like that?"

"Look, I'm not sure what you heard, but it didn't happen like that."

"Oh?"

Botan let out a sigh. This was going to be interesting. While she did trust Ayame, she had no idea what exactly had been said since the incident. Then again, she didn't need to hear anything to know that attitudes towards the poster-child for subject benevolence had switched on a dime. The door to his cage had been reinforced with steel plating and a web of chains strewn across the door. Her heart had sunk upon seeing such a thing. What would become of Kurama now?

Moving her book aside, Botan laced her hands together and placed them on the table, "We're not sure what caused it, but something made 0119 temporarily go berserk. Before the attack, I noticed an abrasion on his arm that had not been the result of any prior experiment."

"So sabotage?" Ayame quirked an eyebrow, "Botan, you realize how odd that sounds."

The tech nodded, "I do, but I don't doubt what I saw. Koenma and Hiro are backing me as well."

"That's what I heard."

Botan bit back a derisive snort. Just how fast did news travel around here? Was nothing secret? Then again, she supposed that news of the discussion between the five of them spreading didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. The main problem was not only what would become of Kurama, but the lab itself. How exactly would the data be distributed once compatible subjects had been found? What would happen to those who were compatible? A sickening feeling wound itself around her stomach. Whatever was to come, it wasn't good. Curious, Botan looked at Ayame.

"Hey Ayame?"

The woman glanced up from her lap, "Hm?"

"Did they…" The bluenette bit her lip, "did they test you yet?"

For a while Ayame just sat there, face impassive like stone. Then a shadow fell over her eyes, dulling their usual sparkle. Sighing, she placed her coffee cup down on the table and folded her hands in her lap.

"Yes. They did." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing, "The room they had me in seemed so normal at first glance-"

"Wait," Botan interrupted, "I thought they tested you in that room lined with microscopes," she swallowed, "you know, the…'Chamber'?"

Ayame nodded her head, "That is the chamber. A normal room. Walls lined with drawers and microscopes, not unlike one you'd come across in your day to day activities." She paused, staring into her coffee. "Normal that is, until I saw that chair in the center of the room. The moment you see that chair it feels like you've stepped into a horror movie."

Botan remained silent, waiting for her coworker to continue.

Ayame looked back up at Botan. "You know those chairs they have at the optometrist's, right? Those tall, leather chairs? Well it's something like that, only this one has straps that they use to bind you to the chair."

Botan nearly spat coffee all over the table, "They what?!"

A wry smile flashed across her coworker's face, "Eerie huh?"

All Botan could do was sit there and nod.

"At any rate," Ayame continued, "Like I said, they strap your wrists to the chair. No one says anything to you, no explanation, no small talk, nothing. It's all done in a cold silence that leaves you feeling numb. Once they're done drawing blood, a couple vials worth, they take it over to one of the microscopes while another person removes a case that has vials of a strange liquid."

"Strange liquid?" Botan echoed.

"Yeah, it was thick and shiny, sort of like oil, only it wasn't black." She put a finger to her chin as she mulled over the proper description for the color of the liquid she'd seen the man at the microscope mix with her blood. "It was a sickly, watered down amber." She shuddered, "I'm not sure what it was, but I tried taking a quick peek in the microscope when the men released me. I didn't see very much before they dragged me away." Again, she paused. Closing her eyes, she continued, "But I did see what that liquid did to my blood."

Stomach filling with dread, Botan asked, "Which was?"

Ayame looked down at her lap. Squeezing her eyes shut, she took a shaky breath. She opened her mouth to respond, but snapped it closed. In the end, she raised her gaze to meet Botan's. Wide eyes glittered with fright that danced around the edges of morphing into terror. The color in her face had drained, leaving her skin as white as her lab coat. In a voice that sounded closer to a child's she murmured, "Cellular destruction."

Stunned, Botan could only sit there and blink. Before she could question the woman further, Ayame drained her coffee and sprung up from her chair.

"Ayame, wait! Where are you-"

"I'm done for the day, I should get going." Ayame said. She shoved her chair back, the quick movement and large force jarring the table. Concerned, Botan stood up as Ayame went to turn and head for the door.

"Wait! I don't understand! By 'cellular destruction' do you mean…?"

Without turning, Ayame replied, "Whatever they're doing, whatever Toguro's got planned, it's going to cost lives and hurt a lot of people. What I saw now has me doubting about whether or not I can continue working here." Casting a glance back over her shoulder, Ayame's eyes turned cold, "Get out of here Botan. Get out of this dreadful place."

With that, the older woman walked away. Botan stared after her for a moment before plunking back down in her chair with a sigh. Truth be told, she wanted to leave, but she couldn't afford to. There was too much at stake for her to just pack up and leave the lab. She had to help Hiro and Koenma. She owed them that much at least. Besides, she wanted to get to the bottom of what had happened to Kurama and see that justice was dished out. That, she thought, and there was that promise I made to him. I still intend to deliver on that. And she would. Even if she had to break him out of the lab, she'd keep her promise.

He sighed. Whether his eyes were opened or closed, it didn't matter, he still saw the same thing. A solid wall of black stretching in all directions. Not even a single sliver of light breached darkness' domain. At first he had thought that they would at least leave him the space between the door and the floor, but he'd been quite wrong on that account. Even the window leading outside had been overlaid with thick steel. Kurama leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. At least this way he could sink into his mind and pretend the room around him had some color. The again, every time he closed his eyes, the only color he saw was cerulean. Botan. What was she doing right now? Was she afraid of him? Then again, what did it matter? He was stuck here now, whether or not the tech feared him, she wouldn't be able to come here again anyway. Hugging his knees to his chest, Kurama ground his teeth. Over. It was all over.

I wonder if they'll terminate me. They had to, didn't they? For such a docile subject to suddenly wig out and maim not only a staff member, but a staff member below the age of eighteen, Libra couldn't afford to keep him alive. Besides, from what he'd been able to pick up from between experiments, quite a few subjects had already been terminated. A chill ghosted over the fox demon's heart. What was going on? Over the course of the last few weeks, he'd noticed that the corridor had become more and more quiet as subjects were taken from their rooms and not returned. What disturbed him most were the open doors. Doors in the corridor were not supposed to be open, not if they held a demon behind them anyway. True, he'd only caught glimpses as he'd been ushered on toward the next testing room, but the sight of that room, the bare white walls, the cold air blowing out into the hall smelling empty and dead, the unnerving pocket of silence situated in a place that every now and then would make even some slight noise, had him questioning what was going to happen next. Furthermore, why were subjects disappearing? Libra needed them for the Phoenix Project, right? What sense would come from killing the geese that laid all these golden eggs?

Before Kurama could contemplate further, a shuffling noise above his head drew his attention. His eyes shot open. On the other side of the wall, he could hear something being fiddled with and then pulled back. Just as he opened his mouth to inquire the nature of the visit, a panel slid back and a beam of light pierced the darkness. The portal burned white, spraying its fire to the other side of the room in a concentrated square. Hissing in pain, Kurama brought an arm up to shield his eyes.

"Sorry about that. Guess I should have tried to give you a warning first."

That voice!

"Hiro?"

A chuckle, "Yes 0119, it's me."

Kurama bolted to his feet. Whipping around, at first he could only see a bust silhouetted against the blinding backdrop of light. It took a few blinks for his eyes to adjust, but once they did he found himself staring into the face of Koenma's assistant. They stared at each other. Boy and man. Human and demon. Kurama wasn't sure how he should feel. A seed of fear trembled in his heart, the first of many tendrils inching its way up through the hard-packed soil of his more logical thoughts. Was it time? Was he going to die? His hands clenched into fists. If he tried to fight, he'd only make his situation worse.

Hiro pushed his glasses up his nose, "Relax, you're not going to be terminated."

Kurama let out the breath he'd been holding. Looks like I'm alright for now. He looked up at the aide. Instead of his usual stoic look, a worried frown was etched onto his face. Chestnut eyes held a look of concern and empathy as he regarded the trapped creature before him.

"Don't worry. We'll get you out of here."

Kurama snorted, "Really?" He crossed his arms over his chest, "After I attacked a staff member? You really think they're going to let me live? Even if it's somehow decided that I'm worthy of a few more days, that won't change the fact that I'll eventually be terminated anyway."

Hiro frowned, "What do you-"

"You think I didn't notice that it's been getting progressively quieter around here?" Emerald eyes narrowed to angry slits, "or that more and more doors are being left open?"

The aide stood silent. Unable to bear the weight of the demon's angry gaze, he closed his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. Kurama watched him. "Hiro," he asked, "what's going on? What's happening out there? Is it…" He lowered his arms and looked down at the stripe of light on the floor, "…is it my fault?"

Silence stretched between the two of them, a tense ribbon of bottled up thoughts and emotions spiraling off into the darkness. Hiro spoke up and cleaved the silence in two.

"No. It's not your fault."

Kurama looked up at the aide, blinking in surprise, "I…what do you… How?"

"Because you've never done anything like this before. It's not in your nature. Besides," he removed his glasses, polishing them on his lab coat, "Botan stood up for you."

His mouth dropped open. Botan stood up for him? Botan? The girl he'd nearly killed?

Hiro continued, "The testimony she gave hints at some sort of sabotage." He slipped his glasses back on and fixed the demon with an intense stare, "0119, I need to know. Come closer, show me both of your arms."

Curious, Kurama stepped closer to the open panel. Hiro watched him approach, eyes scrutinizing the boy. Once Kurama reached the opening, Hiro motioned for him to raise first his left arm. Scanning the skin, when the aide detected no signs of foul play, he had Kurama display his right arm. There, on the underside above the crook of his elbow sat a pale green bruise the size of a fifty cent piece. Thin streaks of purple curled around the edges, turning the skin a sickly mottled color. While no longer raised, the red spot in the center still glowed like a hot coal. Hiro smiled. There it was. The evidence he and Koenma needed.

Kurama lowered his arm and peered at Hiro. The man in question cleared his throat and readjusted his glasses, "0119. Do you have any recollection of where that mark came from?"

Shaking his head, the demon replied, "No. None."

Hiro crooked his finger beneath his chin, "I see. Can you recount the events of what transpired upon your discovery of the mark?"

"Well…" Kurama began. Now that he thought about it, what did he remember? Images, sounds, flashes of light, smells-really just bright individual pieces that refused to mesh together to form a full vision. Still, he forced himself to try. Plunging into his mind, he grabbed hold of those pieces and shoved them together, holding them down when they tried to squirm away. Slowly, the memories began to appear, shimmering like soap bubbles.

"I remember awakening when Botan entered my cage. Almost immediately upon doing so, I noticed a slight stinging sensation in my arm. I didn't think too much about it at the time, but…" He paused, averting his gaze, "I suppose I should have, huh?"

Hiro remained silent, waiting for the demon to continue.

"At any rate, she and I conversed for a little while. I remember going to say something, but right as I opened my mouth I felt an intense wave of pain wash over my arm. Botan became concerned, and that's when I noticed that her scent had become stronger and a bit strange."

"What do you mean?"

Kurama sighed, "I'm not sure really. I could smell not only her usual scent, but another scent within it. This second scent was sweet, almost cloying, but it didn't nauseate me. Instead it…it made me hunger." Here Kurama's voice dropped, diminishing in volume much like a child admitting a wrongdoing. He clenched his hand into a fist. Just saying the words out loud brought the full experience crashing down upon him. The thick coppery tang of blood, Botan's cries of pain and fear, and that alien hunger… That burning desire to tear the tech apart and feast on her soft flesh. Kurama shuddered.

Meanwhile, Hiro crooked a finger beneath his chin, "You said this second smell made you hunger? Can you elaborate?"

Kurama frowned, growing irritated, "What's there to elaborate?" he snapped, "What do you think happens when a demon hungers and a human is nearby?" He balled his hands into tight fists and looked away. Just thinking back on it made him sick. Even as a child, he'd had no desire to feed on humans. So why had he experienced such a strong urge to do so? What had been done to him?

He looked back up at Hiro, who seemed to be off in another world. Before the demon could call out to him, Hiro came back and regarded the subject with a steady, piercing gaze. Not wanting to show any misgivings, even to someone who might have been on his side, Kurama met his gaze. Not a soul-crushing weight, his gaze felt more like a drill, attempting to bore behind the thick wall the fox had erected around his inner thoughts, as if the aide were weighing the subject's response in his mind and searching for some hidden truth within.

When he felt the man's gaze begin to pierce to deep, Kurama broke the silence.

"What? What is it?"

Cocking his head, Hiro replied, "But was that ever your intention?"

Taken aback, Kurama blinked. "Wh-"

"Botan told us that you were trying your hardest to get her to leave your cage. Is this true?"

"I…" Kurama trailed off. Yes, that had been his true intention. He hadn't wanted her to get hurt, but she had refused to leave. Her stubbornness had caused him to take drastic action and resulted in him slashing her across the chest. But he had never intended to wound her as he had. It was merely a way for him to convince her that it would have been in her best interest to leave. But how would he tell Hiro that?

By being honest. He knew that. If he hid anything, even the smallest detail, the powers that be would throw the switch on him, and gone would be his life. He took a deep breath. His heart was pounding with such intensity he thought that it would burst from his chest at any moment.

"Yes," he said, driving his gaze into Hiro's, "my only intention was to have her leave my cage, whatever it took. Unfortunately, as you saw that meant I had no choice but to wound her," he glanced down at the shadows pooled around his feet, "she would not leave my cage otherwise."

Hiro nodded. "I see. It checks out then. Botan was convinced that you had your reasons for doing what you did."

Kurama bit his lip, "How Hiro? I don't understand?"

"Understand what?" Hiro asked, stepping closer.

"How can she still trust me? After what I've done? After how I've hurt her? How can she still be bothered to defend me?" The demon's voice cracked near the end.

A tender smile rested on the aide's lips. "Because that's who she is. Botan is a trusting soul, sometimes to a fault, but she knows a good person when she sees one." Looking Kurama straight in the eye he said, "She never lost faith in you 0119. So please, have faith in her."

Before Kurama could reply, Hiro stepped back from the open panel, "Don't worry. Koenma and I will get to the bottom of this. In the meantime you can rest assured that your head won't be the next one on the chopping block."

"At least not in the next few minutes." Kurama muttered.

Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Hiro replied, "Yes, well…just don't give up hope, okay? We're on your side here. We'll do whatever it takes." The assistant reached to the right of the panel, preparing to close it.

"Good luck 0119."

Kurama nodded. "You too Hiro. And thank you."

"You're welcome."

And with that, the demon's link to the outside world closed, plunging him into darkness once more. Yet, when he closed his eyes this time, a flicker of hope flashed gold for a brief moment, complementing the splash of beautiful cerulean.

"Let me guess, statements from your lawyer?"

The woman huffed, "No. They're papers on the topic of eugenics. Something I suggest Toguro take a look at."

Karasu cupped his chin in his hand and quirked his brow at the woman before him. In her arms she held a thick stack of papers. Her mouth was set in a rigid line of displeasure and she wore such an indignant look on her face, that it bordered comical. Karasu suppressed a sigh. So much for enjoying a quiet coffee break at his desk. He plucked a pen out of a little blue mug and twirled it between two fingers.

"I'm sorry, but Toguro's out at the moment. Important business." He said, giving the woman a disinterested look, hoping she would go away.

Instead, she plopped the stack of papers on his desk, "Well, in that case you can look over them."

Karasu rolled his eyes. Setting down the pen, he picked up the stack of papers, leafed through a few of them, and then dropped the entire stack in the waste basket by his feet.

The woman's mouth fell open. "What the hell? How dare you!"

Smirking, Karasu replied, "Oh yes. How dare I indeed." He waved his hand at her, "Now shoo, I have work to do."

"You bastard!" She growled.

"You're still here." Karasu said, picking up the pen again.

Enraged, the woman slammed her fist down on his desk. "You have no soul! If you would just read those papers, you'll see this lab's actions are mirroring a certain select group of people. Want me to tell you who they are?"

The aide rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. The Nazis supported eugenics. We all know that. But you know what? So did Margret Sanger and I don't see you bitching about her." He smirked, "then again, maybe she was involved in a certain…choice you made. Hm?" Karasu chuckled.

"You evil, disgusting-"

"Yes, yes. I get it. Now would you please leave?"

The woman stood there for a moment, glowering at him. With a huff, she turned and walked towards the door. The loud bang of it slamming resonated throughout the room. Chuckling, Karasu leaned back in his chair. Idiot woman. She could throw out all the counter arguments, Nazi references and even legal threats. Nothing would change. The Phoenix Project would continue its second stage.

"Speaking of which…" he murmured, opening a drawer and pulling out a clipped set of papers. He smiled as he read over the report. Obtaining Botan's blood after the attack had been easy. She'd been so out of it when he was bandaging her up that she didn't even notice the tiny prick of the needle as it slipped inside and drew her blood. Sure, Karasu's methods had been overly dramatic, but in the end he had done away with two troublesome obstacles in one move: testing for a compatible subject and removing a difficult demon. 0119, the star of the well-behaved test subjects, turning on a tech and almost killing her. It didn't matter that the effects of the drug flooding the creature's system were temporary. One attack had been all he needed. As he knew it would be. The lab's attitude towards its supernatural wards turned on a dime. Every day more and more demons met their end. The weak were disposed of and the strong were harvested. Tissue samples, vials containing blood as well as brain and spinal fluid. The prototypes Toguro planned on creating were not going to be perfect. Anything that would help turn these second humans into more complete beings was necessary.

The again, with Hiro and Koenma nosing around, the Phoenix Project could come crashing down around them with no hope of resurrection. They needed to move quickly. Karasu once again ran his gaze down the papers before him. Unlike most subjects, whose blood cells would either burst or wither upon contact with the fluid in the Genesis Pods, Botan's level of cell bonding had been perfect. Like vinegar and water, her blood and the fluid mixed well, forming a homogenous solution. Such results made him giddy with excitement and spring boarded his curiosity. What did this mean for the experiments? What sort of abilities would these beautiful new humans have?

Karasu stood and exited his office. Of course, Botan still needed to be brought to the chamber and tested. Merely a formality. He had what he needed. Then again, trying to sneak a tissue sample couldn't hurt. He had a feeling the tech would be the new Eve in this steel and glass Garden of Eden. And naturally, a new species needed a perfect mother. Blood tests alone would be inconclusive in that regard. Grinning, he made his way down the hall to a small room. Inside sat a plain, unmarked desk behind which stood a man in a dark suit looking at a clipboard. To the right stood another suited gentleman, arms crossed, staring at the floor. Flimsy beams of sunlight filtered in through the closed blinds, adding scant illumination that looked more like thin stripes of white paint on the floor rather than any form of light. Karasu rapped on the doorframe. Both men glanced up at him.

"Gentlemen. I have someone else I need you to collect for me." He announced. The men glanced at each other. The one holding the clipboard nodded at his cross-armed partner. The latter looked at Karasu.

"Another test? Are you sure? So far, the results have been lacking."

Karasu smiled, "Not this one. I'm sure of it."

The man quirked his brow. "Oh?"

"Her name is Botan. She's a lab tech. You'll know her when you see her. The bright blue ponytail is hard to miss."

The man nodded, "I see. We'll collect your data. However…" He strode over, stopping right before Karasu. His steady gaze pierced deep, "this one better be the real deal. If not, well…you know what will happen."

"Don't mock me," Karasu scoffed, "You and I both know that potential whistleblowers have been dealt with."

The man gave a cold smirk, "True. We took care of a man by the name of Ryu Sasaki the other day. But disgruntled ex-employees aren't the only loose ends" He stepped past Karasu. "You would do well to keep that in mind."

Karasu ground his teeth. How dare these government dogs try to yank him around! The aide closed his eyes and took a deep breath. No matter. Let them play with the leash for now. Soon he would pull it from their jaws and leave them dangling by the neck. Behind him, the man signaled to his partner, who placed the clipboard down on the desk and walked over to the door. He stopped before Karasu. The two men stared at one another for a moment. One pair of eyes a smoldering purple fire, the other pair, two round pieces of green stone.

"Was there anything else?" Asked the man behind him. Oh, how Karasu seethed at the snide tone in that voice.

Turning on his heel, Karasu faced the man with a professional smile.

"Actually, there was something. About Botan, you see I'd like you to do me a small favor…"

Botan sighed. Boring. This was so boring. She'd spent the past few hours going through petri dishes, examining the various cellular and bacterial cultures contained within and jotting down the results. So far, her findings had been lackluster and felt unimportant. One or two had some weird cellular growth that bore resemblance to tumors, but other than that nothing outstanding. The tech chewed on the end of her pen, casting a long look at the closed dish on the counter before her. This one contained a skin sample taken from a Nuppeppo.* Or rather, what skin it had left. Slimy stains of decay dyed the skin a sickening, wet gray. The tech swallowed a lump of nausea. She didn't want to examine that thing. Even though it had been sliced from its host, the little piece continued to twitch. Botan suppressed a groan. The whole reason the lab wanted this thing examined anyway was so they could determine what animated the creature and see if it had any regenerative properties.

Because if there's anything the world needs, it's a blueprint on regeneration drawn up by a zombified hunk of possibly human meat, she thought glaring at the petri dish.

Shaking her head, Botan placed the pen down next to the dish. Examine this, examine that, read through these papers, back up those files. It seemed that she'd been doing nothing but busy work these past few days.

It's like they're trying to keep me out of the loop. However, the question isn't what's being hidden from me, it's do I really want to find out?

Truth be told, she didn't. All the whispers, all the rumors, all the demons disappearing. Some secrets were better left unknown. For once, she didn't mind being at the bottom of the totem pole. Koenma hadn't been around much lately. She hoped he was with his father, working out all the legal tangles of this mess. They couldn't let this madness continue. Something terrible was in the works and if it wasn't stopped now…

Botan shuddered. She didn't even want to consider such things. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath and reached for the petri dish. Before she could pick it up, three solid knocks came from behind her. She whipped around. Two men stood just outside the open door peering in at her. Dark suits, cold eyes, stony demeanor. Nothing about these men said friendly. Botan gulped. These were the men she'd heard about.

"Are you Botan?" Asked the one on the right.

She nodded. "Who are you?"

"I'm Nakajima, and this is my partner Sato." He said, gesturing towards the man on his left. Come with us, please."

The two men turned and walked down the hall. Left with little choice, Botan followed. Out in the hall, everything was dead silent. Botan glanced at the men before her. These were the men that everyone was talking about. From their attire alone, she knew they didn't work at Libra. Were these men with the government? They had to be, but for the life of her, Botan couldn't think of why the Japanese government would take an interest in this project. In reality, she should have expected federal agents to have a hand in this project, but seeing it with her own eyes confirmed all her deepest fears about the lab. Behind the smiling, kind benefactor of humanity's medical advancement stood another being, cloaked in shadow and wearing an insidious grin, offering deals that would make the devil jealous.

The three of them turned a corner. To the right, a large plate of glass sat within the wall, allowing passersby to peer into the room on the other side. Within the room, Botan saw a scientist examining something under a microscope. She looked up as the three of them passed. However, once she saw the two men, she dropped her gaze and slumped behind the microscope, as if trying to hide. Botan swallowed and kept walking. Their walk took them down to the first floor, where the men led her down to a closed door at the end of a long hallway. The men stopped just before the door. Botan did the same, standing a few steps behind. She knew what lay beyond that door. The chair, the microscopes, the vials. That terrible room dubbed by her colleagues as 'The Compatibility Chamber.' Botan suppressed the shiver trying to worm its way down her back. She didn't want to go in there. She didn't want to become another cog in the evil machine of Toguro's twisted desires.

The men looked back at her. Botan flinched. A smirk tugged at the corners of both of their lips. Nakajima stepped aside while his partner placed his hand on the door handle.

Her heart banged against her ribcage like a frightened animal trying to escape. Her blood roared in her ears, a great tidal wave of terror. This was it. No turning back. Then again, did she ever have the chance to turn back? She once more ran her eyes over the two strangers before her. Dark suits, cold eyes, commanding aura. No. She never had even the slightest chance. Not if puppeteers like these were pulling the strings.

The door opened.

Waist high countertops lined the left-hand wall. Beneath the granite shell, closed drawers peeped out at Botan, whispering dark little secrets about what lay inside them. Microscopes lined the top like dark sentries atop a sinister battlement. A small refrigeration unit squatted in the far right corner. And in the center, ominous and imposing stood the chair Ayame spoke of. Tall, high-backed, the clean black leather adorning it gleamed under the fluorescent lights. Of course what drew Botan's eyes were the straps dangling off the arms of the chair. She swallowed, her mouth dry as a fresh cotton swab. To her, it looked as if someone had repurposed an electric chair.

A stern hand on her shoulder ushered the lab tech forth. She jumped, but walked nonetheless. The two men fanned out to flank both her sides, herding her towards the chair. Heart hammering in her chest, Botan sat down. The two men went to work strapping her arms to the chair.

"U-Um, is this really necessary?" She asked, staring at her now bound wrists. Sato glanced up at her. This close, she could see the color of his eyes. A sharp, startling green. Nakajima ignored her and went over towards the small fridge. "It's not like I'd be able to fight you if, um…" She trailed off.

A sick smirk twisted Sato's lips. "True. But some people do fight. So we've made it part and parcel for everyone getting tested." The smirk widened into a sour, evil grin, "wouldn't want someone getting a lucky hit in and compromising the tests. Would we ma'am?"

Botan shrank back in the seat. He turned away and strode over to the counters where his partner stood, opening a small white box, about the size of a music box. Craning her head, she tried to peer around them, but all she was a flash of white in between two broad stripes of black. A drawer slid open. Sato stuck his hand inside and withdrew it a moment later, producing a small plastic packet. Even from where she sat, Botan could see the needle sitting inside, tiny and menacing, like a live wasp inside a jar. He placed it on the counter, stuck his hand back inside and this time retrieved a long blue strip of elastic. He turned and approached her. As he did so, Botan was able to get a more thorough look at the box. Contained within were rows of vials. Although she couldn't see their contents, she knew what was in them. That strange amber liquid Ayame mentioned.

Sato turned back and approached her. He crouched next to her arm and tied the elastic band around her arm, cinching it tight. Botan flinched as the material bit into her skin. Satisfied, he went back to the counter to assemble the necessary materials for drawing her blood. Or so she hoped.

Calm down, you're okay. This is no different from a blood drive, or a doctor's appointment. Yes. That's it. A doctor's appointment. They're just drawing my blood to test something simple, like my glucose level. There's nothing insidious here.

Lies, every word. But she clung to them just the same. She had to. It was the only thing keeping her from attempting to gnaw through her restraints and flee the room screaming. She squeezed her eyes shut. Deep breaths. All she had to do was take deep breaths. Everything was fine. They'd draw her blood, mix it with the fluid in the vials and send her on her way.

Her arm felt heavy, a strong tingling sensation danced along the nerves. It felt as if her arm had been filled with wet sand. She tried to wiggle her fingers and found she could barely even twitch them. She glanced back at the men. "Uh, guys? Are we going to do this? I'd like to get my blood back to flowing please."

They both glanced at her. Cold, indifferent eyes scrutinized the frightened woman. They looked back at each other, something sparked in their eyes. Annoyance maybe? Sato closed his eyes, sighed, gathered up the needle, a tube and an empty vial and made his way over to her. She smiled at him. Nothing. He bent over, running his fingers across her bare skin in search of a vein. Icy fingers trailed down her arm and settled in the crook of her elbow. From there, the rods of winter flesh probed her arm, digging for the crimson oil that bubbled beneath the soil of her skin. Finally, a bright blue line appeared just beneath her skin, like a fish rising to the surface of a pond. Seizing the opportunity, the silver beak of the needle plunged into her skin. Botan hissed through her teeth at the sudden sting. A bolt of scarlet shot into the needle, through the tube and into the vial. As her blood dripped into the vial, she looked over at the man standing at the counter. His hand hovered over the vials in the box, selecting one, putting it back, and then selecting another. It looked like he was checking them for something. What that exact something was, she had no idea.

Glass belly full, the needle withdrew from her skin. He slapped a cotton swab down on her arm. Botan tried to reach over, but the restraints held her back. Sato glanced at her. She didn't miss the mocking gleam in his eyes. Botan gestured towards her upper arm. Forget the sand, her arm was full of lead at this point. The cotton swab didn't matter. Getting that elastic band off did. Sato moved his hand away and reached for the tiny blue boa squeezing the life out of her arm. A slight pressure, a loud snap, and her arm was free. Botan sighed with relief as the blood recirculated. The man turned and walked back to Nakajima. Botan tried to peer around him, but they blocked her view. She could hear low mumbling and something being flicked. Another drawer slid open. He pulled out a smaller box. He popped the lid off and pulled out a slide and coverslip. She swallowed. Here it was. They were going to mix her blood with that strange liquid. Cold fear dripped down her spine. She shuddered. The straps keeping her bound to the chair rattled; the sound reminded her of a ghost rattling its chains. She continued to watch the men. Sato was hunched over, more than likely looking through a microscope. His partner stood to the side, staring off into space. She opened her mouth to ask if she could go, but before she could even get the words out, Sato jerked upright as if he'd been shocked, and tapped Nakajima. Nakajima snapped back to reality and mumbled something to the other man. Sato moved away from the microscope, pointing down to it. Botan watched as Nakajima stepped forth and looked into the microscope. As he did, Botan observed his body language. His shoulders tensed. She heard a sharp intake of breath. His head dipped lower, no doubt trying to stare closer into the microscope. The tech bit her lip. What did he see?

Nakajima stood up. He looked at Sato. Sato looked at Botan. The man's green eyes sparkled, but with what? Intrigue? Excitement? Either way, she didn't like it. The way the light in his eyes danced, it made her feel like a stumbled-upon treasure. Only her finder was not the kind-hearted hero, but the self-serving, maniacal villain. She cleared her throat.

"So…are we done?" She jiggled her restrains, "I'd like to go now. Plus, I'm sure you have other people you'd like to test."

Neither Sato nor Nakajima responded. Now both the men were staring at her. Botan fidgeted. The longer they looked, the more she began to place the look in Sato's eyes. It was indeed excitement, but a nervous excitement. As if he couldn't decide whether to jump up and shout Eurkea! or flee from the room.

"Is… is everything okay?"

Sato and Nakajima looked at each other. The latter leaned in and whispered something to his partner. Sato nodded and turned to Botan.

"Excuse us. There's something we need to discuss."

"But I-"

"We will return in a moment. Just sit tight."

With that, the two men exited the room. The door shut with a soft click, but to the frightened tech it sounded like a resounding bang. She sank back into the chair and stared at her bound wrists. Her vision blurred as her eyes welled up with hot, stinging tears.

What am I going to do?

"Well?"

Sato looked at Nakajima. The latter man leaned against the closed door. The closed door behind which a potential shiny new government toy sat. Sato sighed.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Nakajima scoffed, "You saw the same thing I did. She's compatible. Very compatible."

Sato nodded. Nakajima was right. Instead of the pathogens within the Genesis Pods ripping her blood cells apart, they'd attached themselves to the cell walls and were absorbed with no repercussions. Still, it was a little too early to be punching out on this particular time sheet just yet.

"I just think it's too risky right now." Sato said, "We have no idea what this could do to her long term."

"We'll isolate the sample and observe it for a while. Keep a record of any and all activity." Nakajima replied with a shrug. "Besides, this is what we've been looking for, remember?"

"Yeah..."

Nakajima fixed his partner with a hard stare. "You're afraid of something."

Sato looked at the floor. For a moment, he pretended to be transfixed by the pure white of the tile beneath his feet. Without looking back up he murmured, "Yes. I am."

"Of what?"

"Of Karasu. Of Toguro. I'm afraid of what lengths they'll go to when they find out our interests aren't quite the same as theirs."

Nakajima snorted, "So? Sato, we're the Japanese government. They're two men. Besides, if they implicate us, they implicate themselves." He shrugged, "that's all there is to it."

"I'm not so sure about that." Sato said, removing his gaze from the floor. His eyes glittered. Two emerald spears, their edges gleaming under the fluorescent lights as they pierced the ocular shields of his partner. "They're more than just two men. They're two men driven by their ideals, twisted as they may be. Men like that are not to be reckoned with. They're passionate, they believe in what they're doing, and they will sacrifice everything they can to achieve their end goal."

"Ah, Sato my friend," Nakajima chuckled, "you're a bit of an idealist yourself. They can try what they want, they can exhaust every measure, but it won't change anything. We'll get what we want." He leaned in. The smile on his face widened, transforming into a hungry, wolfish grin, "We always do."

Sato said nothing.

Nakajima straightened up. The grin dropped from his face, that cold professionalism reasserting itself. "Now then, I'll go inform Karasu of what we found, you take Botan and obtain that tissue sample."

"So we're still doing that?" Sato asked, frowning.

"Sato, just because we have our own interests doesn't mean we can't indulge them theirs. Especially if their requests serve us."

"I see."

Nakajima turned and walked down the hall. Sato watched his partner leave. Was Nakajima right? Was he being an idealistic fool? After all, he'd seen many individuals try and fail to halt some of the more…secretive projects that occurred in the past. He knew that up against the might of a large governing body, mere individuals stood no chance. No matter how strong their ideals, or their passion, their quest was always brought up short by one obstacle or another. Sometimes it was a jail cell. Most times however, it was a bullet. A single bullet, fired right into the back of the head. His bullet, on occasion.

Still, something didn't sit right. He couldn't pin it down, but something whispered in the back of his mind, some cold little voice that told him to watch his back. Shaking his head, Sato opened the door and re-entered the room. Botan's head jerked up. Wide, terrified eyes gazed back at the man. He could see the glimmering crystalline lines of shed tears trailing down her cheeks. A small flare of sympathy flickered in Sato's heart for a brief moment. Poor girl. This wasn't her fault. It was just the genes she was born with. The tech sniffed and blinked at him. Sato could find nothing to say. Instead, he moved to the back of the room, towards the small refrigerator. His eyes passed over the white box and scanned the glass bottles crowding the shelves. Isopropyl alcohol, iodine…ah! There it pulled out a small glass bottle of propofol. Closing the fridge door, he walked over to the drawers, placed the bottle on the counter, opened a drawer, and pulled out a needle packet.

"Um…Mister Sato?" Botan whimpered.

Sato opened the packet, and removed the needle. "You're going to be okay Miss Botan." He plunged the needle through the small rubber eye in the center of the lid. He pulled back on the plunger, drawing the liquid up into the needle.

"But…but what are you doing with that needle?"

Full up, Sato slid the needle out of the bottle. He placed the bottle back on the counter top. The small clack ripped through the thick silence like a gunshot. He turned, needle poised in hand, and approached the girl.

"Mister Sato, what's going on? Where's Nakajima?" Her voice cracked. She began to cry again. Those small hitching noises plucked at the man's heart strings, but he ignored it. He knelt down and aimed the needle at a vein in her arm. A silver fang, full of poison, just waiting to bite into her tender flesh. Botan called out again, but the words dissolved into a meaningless murmur beneath the tears. Sato slid the needle into the vein, pressing down on the plunger. He watched as the sedative drooled its way into her bloodstream. Once empty, he removed the needle, tossing it into a nearby waste bin. A bead of blood rose to the surface. Bright, angry scarlet. The tiny drop resembled an accusing eye. Sato looked up at the tech. A thin glaze smeared the vivid lavender of her eyes, thickening by the minute. A single tear sparkled on the edge of her eyelashes, falling to the floor when she blinked.

"Why?" she whispered. Her eyes drifted shut, head lolling onto her chest.

Sato sighed. He reached forward and ran a hand through her hair, "I'm sorry. It's not your fault. It's just the genes you were born with."

Hiro stalked through the halls of the lab. He sighed. He'd done nothing but walk up and down these halls for the past fifteen minutes. Every now and then, he'd make his way back to his office and sit down, trying to think, but the same thoughts always found him. Dark thoughts, they seized upon him and drug him, kicking and screaming to the same horrid conclusion. Subject 0119 dead, Botan used as a tool, he and Koenma silenced. Hiro shook his head. There was a way. There had to be a way. He'd promised Subject 0119. Running a hand through his hair, the aide sighed and turned around, once more heading back towards his office. Let those shadowy little bastards creep into his mind again. He wasn't going to let them win. As he walked, the large open halls began to narrow. The labs and observation rooms on either side became fewer and fewer until only solid, unyielding wall surrounded him. He turned a corner and hopped up a staircase, taking the steps two at a time. Once he reached the second floor, he banked a sharp left. The halls that led to the office were even narrower than those that led to the staircase. One person could walk through them with no problem. Add another person, and one or both would have to almost press against one of the walls in order to pass without brushing against the other person.

Down this near-claustrophobic corridor lay his and other people's offices. Mostly mid-tier employees, these others consisted of a couple of the head techs, a few senior programmers, and even a psychiatrist for both the demons in residence and the scientists. Toguro Karasu, and Hiro were the only high-ranking employees with offices down this way, his office being at the very end of the hall. Why Koenma was the odd one out, with an office in the opposite direction, he'd never know. He glanced at a door as he passed. The gray plaque on the door proclaimed it to be the office of Toguro's aide. Hiro glared at the plaque. Arrogant prick. He continued to stand there, glowering at the door until the shrill sound of a ringing phone snapped him back to reality. Hiro turned towards the sound. It was coming from further down the hall. His office perhaps?

The phone screamed again. An angry baby demanding attention. Curious, Hiro followed the sound, stopping at an open door a mere ten feet away. The aide peered into the room. He recognized this place. Toguro's office. The phone rang a third time. Hiro frowned. A phone call wasn't unusual, but he couldn't help but wonder who was on the other side of that call. He turned to walk away as the phone let out another cry for contact, but stopped short when a sharp click halted him in his tracks. An automated voice came on, directing the caller to leave a message in a robotic tone. The machine beeped. After a brief moment of silence, a man spoke.

"Toguro? It's me, Kosada. Otsuma Kosada. One of my men just called me. He says that there's been a potential breakthrough in the Phoenix Project. You have both my congratulations," he chuckled, "and my thanks. We'll be dropping by to take a closer look. Call me back when you have a chance."

The man on the other end hung up. Hiro turned and trotted back to his office, former trepidations forgotten. Otsuma Kosada. Kosada. Kosada… Why did that name sound familiar? He reached his door at the end of the hall and opened it, stepping inside. He shut the door behind him, flicking the lock. The hairs on the back of his neck had begun to stand on end. Something about that name… Hiro walked around his desk, plunking down in his chair and booted up his computer. He typed in his password and waited for the computer to perform its side of the work for logging him in. Once his familiar background and icons popped onto the screen, he moved the cursor over to the internet icon and double-clicked. He directed the browser to a search engine and typed in Otsuma Kosada. It took a couple minutes for the results to load, but once they did, Hiro glanced over the links the site presented to him. The first one was a news article from a couple months ago.

JDM Minister Onodera Weighs In On North Korean Threat

Hiro clicked the link. The article popped up, walls of text broken in two places by images. One of two men standing behind a podium, the other featuring the North Korean army. Hiro didn't care about the latter. He looked at the first picture. It had been snapped during some kind of conference. They were looking out towards the room behind the camera. A room no doubt packed with both officials and reporters alike. The two men standing behind the podium wore clean, sharp suits. Shiny black pants and suit jackets with white dress shirts the gleamed like a fresh fallen snow. The man on the right had thick, full, shiny black hair. His face, while lined with age, still had some bit of youthful fire to it. The other man's hair had thinned and was shot through with streaks of gray. His glasses reflected the lights in the room, but not as well as the bald spot on the crown of his head. Hiro read the caption beneath the photo.

Itsunori Onodera (right) and secretary Otsuma Kosada (left) address the issue.

Hiro's mouth went dry. He tried to tell himself that he was mistaken. The man who left the message on Toguro's answering machine could have been any Otsuma Kosada. Maybe it was a common name. But he knew he was lying to himself. He told Botan that Libra functioned both as a medical research lab and a government facility. The Otsuma Kosada on Toguro's phone and the Otsuma Kosada in the picture were the same person.

He sighed, placing his head in his hands. Why the hell was the secretary to the Minister of Defense calling Toguro? What was the Phoenix Project? A more startling thought cropped up. His fingers dug into his hair as the anxiety seeped through his brain. Had he and Koenma been lied to? From the start, they'd been told that the Phoenix Project had been for medical purposes. Even when Toguro had pushed it into phase two, he'd insisted it had still been for human medical research. Given that the PMDA bankrolled many of Libra's projects, this hadn't raised his or Koenma's eyebrows.

But what if it had all been a lie?

Hiro snapped up and dug his hand into his coat pocket, fishing out his phone. He flipped it open and dialed Koenma. The phone rang. Once. Twice. Three times. Come on, Hiro prayed, pick up. Please Koenma, pick up! Click! Hiro tensed.

"Hiro? What's up?"

Behind his boss's voice, he could hear several other people talking. That low thrumming murmur created when various strangers decide to talk at once.

"Sounds noisy where you are, sir. What's going on?"

"Oh! I forgot to tell you! My father's getting discharged today! The nurses are going over some last minute things with my dad while I wait here in the lobby." The last part of his sentence was colored by feigned exasperation. Hiro smiled. Then he remember the reason he called. The smile dropped from his face like a lead weight. After months of darkness, a sliver of light had finally shown through for Koenma; and here came Hiro, a gray cloud scuttling up to blot out that thin golden ray of hope.

"That's great sir. It truly is." The tone of his voice rang sour. He was happy for his superior, ecstatic even. He just wished his own news could have come at a better time.

Koenma of course was no fool. He caught the false ring in his aide's voice. "What's wrong?" Fear and concern colored his voice dark, blotting out all traces of the elation from earlier.

Hiro swallowed. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and sent a silent prayer for forgiveness for the torment he was about to inflict on Koenma. "Do you have any idea as to why the secretary to the Minister of Defense would be calling Toguro?"

"What?"

Hiro flinched. That cold, clipped tone. They'd left light and hope behind. Now they found themselves back in the land of deceit, secrets and lies. He didn't know about Koenma, but he was getting tired of being in that place. He wanted to see the sun. He wanted to be out from under the eye of that damn dark phoenix. He sighed, a shaky, rattling sound. Dead leaves blowing across the ground.

"Secretary to the Minister of Defense. He said his name was Otsuma Kosada. He was talking about the Phoenix Project. Something about a breakthrough being made."

"Of course." Koenma growled, "of course he did. Of course he called Toguro about it. And why not?!"

Hiro opened his mouth to interject. He could feel the rant coming on.

"Sir?"

"Toguro has all the information! He had it from the start! The project was his after all! Damn it! God damn it! He knew! He knew and he kept this from me! That… That…"

Koenma's voice had started to rise. In his mind's eye, Hiro could see the other patrons of the waiting room glancing at the young man yelling into his cell phone. Their eyes flashing when the word project hit their ears. Ooh, was he talking about some kind of lucrative business deal? Let's listen in, shall we? They couldn't have that.

"Sir, maybe you should lower your voice. Remember where you are right now." Hiro said. On the other end, he heard Koenma take a couple deep breaths. Then, a quick moment of silence. A phone rang in the background. The murmur hitched as a background talker became silent. Hiro bit his lip, praying that whoever they were, they hadn't been eavesdropping. "Sir? Koenma?"

"You're right Hiro. I'm sorry. It's just…" He sighed, "This whole thing pisses me off. I'm tired of this blasted mess."

"Still no success in scrapping the project?"

"None."

Hiro clenched the phone in his hand, causing the plastic to groan. "So what now?"

"I'll take my dad back to his place. Once he's settled I'm heading up the lab." No anger, no desperation. His voice held only a cold determination. "Forget protocol, I'm ending the project myself. I don't care what I have to do. This nightmare is over."

"Good luck, sir."

"Thank you Hiro."

The call ended. Hiro dropped the phone into the pocket of his lab coat. He leaned forward, glaring at the small picture on his screen. Once again, the prospect that he and Koenma had been lied to played through his mind. And why shouldn't it? They'd discovered that Enma was not the real founder of Libra, that he was not the one who'd begun the Phoenix Project, but rather Toguro was the man behind the operations. The great puppet master, pulling all of their strings since day one, watching with glee as his marionettes danced some macabre mockery, never once believing themselves to be dolls. Toys in the palm of another. But the PMDA! His mind protested. They've tested serums and medicines we've developed from tests done under the Phoenix Project. They've even given the greenlight for smaller projects, ones that don't deal in demons! They're the part of the government we contract with. He shook his head. True those statements were, they didn't address the question.

Just then, the realization hit him. The PMDA tested medicines that had already been developed. They didn't make requests for medications. They didn't call up the lab and say, "Hey you guys! We've got a nasty problem down in the Kanto prefecture, something about all that big city living weakening people's lungs. Smoke, exhaust fuel, factories, you know the deal. Think you guys can whip up some fancy batch of pills to help combat this? Thanks in advance!"

No. Things like that didn't happen. The PMDA took their findings, noted their research, and did their own tests to make sure the products could be given to the public. Some passed. A few didn't. They knew about the nature of the research. Of course they did. But they never asked for anything specific. They covered their eyes, took their cut, and went on their way. They didn't care about the demons. They wouldn't have cared if the results came from ordinary humans. Plus, the PMDA was interested in the humans that already existed. They didn't want to improve upon the human condition, they just wanted to keep it from deteriorating. Maintain the status quo so to speak. They wouldn't be interested in demons or some cryptic compatibility whose reasons had not been explained. The PMDA did not take an interest in advanced humans, nor did they in demons.

But the Ministry of Defense did. They'd want all the information they could get. They'd pay big bucks too. Maybe even drop a suggestion of their own.

Chills raced across Hiro's skin. Just what the hell was Toguro trying to do? The chill deepened, frosting over his bones. Botan. Hiro didn't know if they'd tested her yet. But it was only a matter of time.

And if they found what they wanted…

The words of the call ran through his head.

We'll be dropping by to take a closer look.

Hiro sprang up from his chair, knocking it to the floor. Frantic, he bolted from his office. He ran down the hall, cursing himself for not being more careful. I have to get to her! I have to get her out of here before it's too late!

And if it was…

Hiro ran faster.

Sato looked at Botan. Laying on the table, the tech slept like the dead. If not for the occasional rise and fall of her chest, he would have believed her to be among those ill-fated ranks. He sighed. Nakajima had yet to return. Still conversing with Karasu as far as he knew. Sato didn't envy his partner that position. Nakajima was the orator, not him. He preferred to let his weapon do the talking. Words could be so complex and full of multiple meanings. The language of a bullet was simple and straightforward. As Sato turned and began rummaging through the drawers behind him, he noted the weight of the concealed weapon. He had a feeling it was going to be talking to someone sooner or later. He retrieved a scalpel and a petri dish, placing both upon the counter top, shut the door with one hand, while opening a second with another. This time, he pulled out a small bottle of numbing agent. Sure, Botan slept soundly now, but he knew the moment the scalpel bit into her skin, she would awake. After digging around for a needle, he drew a measured amount of the agent, and administered it to the tech. Her brow twitched and she muttered something as the needle punctured her skin, but she remained asleep. Sato threw the needle away and left the room.

As he walked down the hall, he wondered how things were going on Nakajima's end. Unlike Sato, Nakajima loved conversing with their clients. Sato saw the way his eyes glowed whenever his partner said something disparaging to whomever they worked with. Control. Nakajima was all about control. And what better way to control someone then to sink verbal hooks into them and make them dance for you? Sato turned a corner and stopped in front of a door whose plaque bore the words 'Controlled Substances.' He punched the passcode into the keypad and entered the room. The room was the size of a closet, lit by one fluorescent bulb that cast a pale, thin glow over the six-foot tall metal cabinet. Approaching the cabinet, Sato pulled out a key and unlocked the cabinet. A perk of being a government agent; once the staff at places like Libra knew who you were, they gave you the keys to the kingdom without any protest. A loud click sounded and the door popped open. Cool air hissed out of the opening. Sato pulled the door all the way open. Inside sat a white case similar to the one he'd used earlier. It lay on the shelf, enshrouded in the fog of cool air. Sato reached in and removed it, bumping the door shut with his hip as he turned to exit the room.

Back in the hall, Sato took a moment to regard the case he held. The vials contained within could revolutionize the world of national defense. The only problem was getting her out of Toguro's grasp. Despite what Nakajima had said, he knew Toguro would not let his dream go without a fight. Maybe I should just put a hit on him. Either that or kill him myself. Karasu too. Too dangerous to let them live. He continued on his way back to the room containing Botan. Once inside, he placed the case upon the counter. He hovered his hand over the nearby scalpel for a moment before removing it and moving on to a set of cupboards above him. A few moments later, he retrieved a gauze pad, a pair of gloves, and a roll of bandages. Satisfied that he had all the materials necessary, Sato put on the gloves, picked up the scalpel and turned back towards Botan.

He approached the tech, rolling her arm to reveal the soft flesh of the underside. Sato lowered the scalpel into her arm. The blade sunk into her skin. Sato dragged the instrument down her arm, drawing a crimson line upon her skin. The line became a right angle, the angle an open box which closed upon completion of the final line. Sato then picked at a corner, lifting it up with the blade. Slowly, he peeled back the skin. The sound reminded him of peeling packing tape off of a cardboard box. Sato watched the flap of skin encroach upon the far cut, a gory runner nearing a crimson finish line. Botan mumbled in her sleep. Sato's eyes flicked towards her. Her brows were furrowed and her lips pulled down in a slight grimace. He shook his head. The numbing agent he'd administered had him covered. Whatever was causing her discomfort lay within her dreams. The small piece of skin tissue hit the final line, freeing itself from the tech's arm with an audible snap.

Sato went back to the counter. The tissue sample balanced between the scalpel and his left index finger. Drops of blood flecked his finger. Painted rubies shining on white rubber. He placed the flap of skin inside the petri dish. After setting the scalpel down, he grabbed the bandages and gauze. Blood pooled in the girl's new wound, looking like someone had replaced a small piece of her with a pane of crimson glass. A drop broke free and dribbled down her arm, shattering the illusion. Sato moved to catch it with the gauze before it could hit the table and contaminate it. He placed the pad over her wound with one hand and wrapped the bandages around her arm with the other. Once finished, he turned back to the counter, removed the gloves, threw them into a waste bin, and opened the briefcase. Inside sat more vials of the Genesis fluid along with two capped needles. Why Karasu wanted a tissue sample, he had no idea. The aide had been sure of Botan's compatibility when he'd sent him and Nakajima to collect the tech. It wasn't like he'd needed the reassurance. Rather, it felt like he had been trying to reassure them. And after all the dead ends, why not? Still, the blood sample should have been enough.

True, but you can't deny you're curious, whispered a voice inside his head. She's able to bond on a cellular level, but happens to her body? What are the effects? Once she's passed off to the boys in the lab, that's it. You're not going to be anywhere near this secret little leap forward.

Indeed. The Phoenix Project wasn't the only secret stew brewing down in the dark. There were at least two other labs cooking up promising defense advancements. Sato uncapped the needle and held it, poised over the nearest vial. A silver beaked heron, ready to strike and suck an amber supper down its gullet. The needle plunged down into the vial and began to slurp up the fluid, drop by drop. Once a small amount had been obtained (it was just a piece of tissue after all. The needle's real feast would come in just a moment), Sato slid the needle out, closed the case and injected the tissue sample. He was careful not to pierce it all the way through. Although it was by no means a thin slice he'd cut out of Botan's arm, he'd also made sure not to go too deep. It was, in the words of Goldilocks, just right.

The outline of the tip bulged just beneath the surface. Sato pressed the plunger, releasing the contents into the fresh, virgin flesh. He watched the fluid spread beneath the skin. A patch of taint reaching out with sick, spindly hands, devouring any physical trace of humanity. He marveled at Toguro's ingenuity. Madman he was, Sato couldn't deny the brilliance behind this design. This substance was melding with her like water from what he could see. And what the microscope would see? A shiver of delight ripped through him. Yes, Toguro was as crazy as the day was long, but that man had a dark genius that anyone would be hard pressed to deny. He'd heard somewhere that all geniuses were mad to some degree. If that was the case, did more genius equal more madness? Sato smirked. Psychologists would just fall over themselves in an effort to explain that one.

He rummaged around in a nearby drawer, pulling out a small pair of tweezers. With the delicate skill of a neurosurgeon, he picked up the skin sample, placed it on a large slide, and slipped the slide beneath the bulbous eye of a microscope. Placing the tweezers down, he peeked into the microscope. His breath hitched.

Amazing.

There was no other word for it. The Genesis fluid had permeated her cell membranes as he knew it would. Now that it had gained access, he could see the membranes growing and thickening. It's hardening her skin, making it more difficult to be pierced. Images flashed through his mind. A hail of bullets flew across a sandy field. A weary sun slumped on the horizon, bleeding light onto the earth. Silhouetted against the light was a figure. Swift and surefooted, she ran straight through the storm of bullets. Most missed, but a few struck her. They hit her hard, but did nothing more. There was no spray of blood, no scream of pain. She stumbled, but did not fall. The lucky bullets rolled off and onto the ground, as if they had been nothing more than drops of rain.

Sato grinned. It was more than they could have hoped for.

Eagerness swept over him. He walked back to the case, flung it open and this time, when he drew forth the dosage, the needle was full. He turned back to the sleeping tech. Her nightmare had subsided and now she looked as she had when he brought her in. Sato took a breath. This was it. The face of national defense would be forever changed, and it would all begin here. Sato approached Botan. The genes in her body had brought her to this. Over a million possibilities floating around in that primordial grab-bag, bits and bytes of organic data streaming into her body when she had been but a fetus. Potential genetic outcomes numbering well into the thousands, and yet it had all worked perfectly to produce the compatible young woman laying upon the table before him. Sato smiled. Genetics was indeed a beautiful thing. Sato raised the needle. Gleaming and sharp, it hung poised above her pale flesh. Sato paused, wondering if he should savor the moment.

That's when he heard the sound of the gun cock.

Sato whipped around. In the doorway, stood Toguro. Sato's eyes flew to the gun in the director's hand. A Glock 43. He felt the blood drain from his face.

"What the hell did you to him?" Sato growled.

Toguro shrugged, "Nothing. Your partner and Karasu had a disagreement. I was there to clear it up."

"Oh, I'm sure." Sato said, glaring at the gun, "Bet you cleared it up real well."

"Indeed I did. Now," Toguro aimed the weapon at Sato, "I believe you have a job to do."

Sato snarled. Shit, shit shit! What the hell was he going to do now? Calm down, he told himself. Toguro may have his gun, but that's no indication that Nakajima's dead. Try as he might, he didn't believe it. Like him, Nakajima had been trained in physical combat, but one look at Toguro and he knew that Nakajima's luck had run afoul. Karasu was a skinny, pale punk who would drop like a sack of flour with the a couple quick jabs in the kidneys. Toguro was a solid wall of muscle. And if he'd caught Nakajima off guard…

Toguro's finger curled around the trigger, "Do it. Inject her."

"You think I'm stupid?" He snorted, "The second I'm finished you'll redecorate this room with the contents of my head."

Toguro nodded, "True."

Sato glared at him. He wished he had Nakajima's love of talk. Then again, he didn't think the man before him would be swayed. Eyes the color of steel glinted with a cold cruelty so common amongst madmen. No. Not even the purest of silver tongues could convince Toguro not to kill him and take the girl for himself.

"So, I either die now or a few seconds from now. Great choice."

A sickening smirk twisted the goliath's lips, "You're contributing to the ever-onward march of evolution and the human species. You should feel honored. Besides, you should know that great change demands great sacrifice."

'It also demands a great bank account. Don't forget who funded this."

"I'll make sure to include it in your epitaph."

"We want what you want."

"No. You want a bioweapon. I want a new world order."

Sato narrowed his eyes. He considered his options. There was no way he could inject Botan and come out of this alive. The very second that needle emptied, his brains would end up all over the floor. On the other hand, he could try to make a run for it. Toguro wouldn't expect Sato to rush him, and would be momentarily caught off guard. However, once he left the room, Botan would be left behind. While he did not feel obligated to the girl, he didn't like the idea of leaving a potential project with someone who would go underground with it. Then again…

His eyes darted over to the case sitting up on the counter. The girl was no use without the Genesis Fluid. He still had his gun; and even if Toguro fired first, that wouldn't be an issue. Imposing he may have been, Sato doubted he'd fired a gun before. And while didn't want to destroy such a promising venture, between Toguro's meddling and that kid Koenma's attempts to scrap the project, things were going belly up rather fast.

Toguro's finger tightened on the trigger, "What are you waiting for?" he growled.

Sato smirked and dropped the needle. It hit the floor and spun. Sato stomped on the needle, grinding the bits of broken plastic beneath his heel. Rage lit Toguro's face up bright scarlet.

"You son of a bitch!" He fired. The sound of the gunshot ripped through the air. Sato, already anticipating it, dropped to the floor, drawing his own gun and firing a couple rounds at the case on the counter. The angle was awkward, but unlike his opponent, he'd used his weapon many times before. The bullets flew true and hit their mark. Glass and white plastic burst apart, but more important was the explosion of liquid splattering all over the countertop. Toguro roared. Sato heard him charge. Lightning in his body, Sato rolled and sprung to his feet, the second shot missing by mere inches. The report even louder, Sato's entire head rang. Toguro brought the gun up a third time. Sato rushed the man, curling his free hand into a fist and socking him right in the nose. Blood erupted from his nostrils in a thick, hot crimson tidal wave. Seizing the opportunity, Sato made a grab for Toguro's wrist. Instead, he felt a boulder rocket into his gut. Pain blossomed across his abdomen, a dark purple flower of agony. The wind rushed out of him and he collapsed to the floor. He looked up, coughing.

Toguro stood over him. The man glared down at Sato. Twin lines of red painted down his face, making him look like an angry war god.

"You vile little worm." Toguro spat. "Do you have any idea what you've done? You've just destroyed years of precious research. Even worse, you've destroyed mankind's future!"

Behind them came a rustling noise followed by a light moan. Toguro glanced back. On the table, Botan's head rolled to the side. Her brow twitched. He shot Sato a smirk and turned towards the stirring tech.

"The hell are you doing?" Sato rasped. He tried climbing to his feet, but to no avail. His legs operated like those of a newborn foal. That flower of pain still had yet to wilt away as well.

Toguro maneuvered Botan into his arms. Sato could see her eyelids fluttering. In a few minutes, she would begin to awaken. Libra's founder turned back towards the man slumped over the floor. A wicked smile cracked his face.

"It's not over yet. I still have the files on creating the Genesis Fluid. It will take some time to rebuild what you've rent asunder, but it will be done. And you," he aimed the gun at Sato's head, "will not be around to take my dream away from me."

"Is that so?" The petals were starting to furl inwards. Strength had begun to trickle back into his legs. Without a moment's hesitation, he sprang, wrapping his arms around Toguro's knees and tackling him to the ground. Toguro fell back. His aim redirected upwards, and when his finger compulsively squeezed the trigger, the bullet went with it, slamming right into a light fixture and ripping through wires. A hot smell oozed into the room as both men and still somewhat unconscious girl hit the floor. Botan rolled out of Toguro's grip, breezing right out the door like a human shaped soccer ball into an open goal. Toguro tried to rise up, but Sato, having already untangled his arms from Toguro's legs, leapt forward and slammed Toguro's head against the floor. Hard. His eyes flew open, dazzling clarity gleaming in them for a split second. Then, they glazed over and rolled back. His eyes fluttered shut and the great man lay still. Panting, Sato crouched down and scrutinized Toguro's chest. A steady rise and fall met his eyes. He glanced up and saw a crescent of blood widening around the top of the founder's head. Good. He wouldn't be getting up for a while.

The scent of heat had permeated further into the room, and he could make out the bittersweet tang of something electrical burning. As if to clarify, he noticed a thin haze of smoke drifting down from the light fixture Toguro shot. It would burn yes, but no telling when the flames would lick their way down into the room. Glancing around the room, he spied an outlet in the far corner. Aiming his gun, he fired a round right into the center. The bullet ripped a hole in the cover, widening the mouth for the grounding prong into an expression of shock and horror. Sparks spurted from the new, gaping maw. A second, stronger stench of heat wafted into the room. A thick, iron gray tentacle of smoke curled out, scenting the air and tasting freedom. A little further down, Sato could see a tiny orange glow beginning to grow. Satisfied, he turned and walked out of the room. He stepped over Botan, who by now had opened her eyes. Or, at the very least was trying to. Like window shutters caught in a storm, they fluttered open and closed, never knowing which way to stay. Sato knelt down before her. Bleary with the induced sleep, the bright purple of her irises now resembled lavender colored ash. She looked at Sato. He could see coherent thoughts trying and failing to form behind those chemical-fogged eyes.

"Wha…What is…" She mumbled.

Sato smiled, "Just go back to sleep. It's okay."

Confusion marred her features as she fought to figure out what was going on. Sato reached over and pinched the back of her neck. Her head slumped forward. Sato picked her up and held her. Her head lolled onto his chest. Out cold again. He turned back to the lab. The smoke from the light fixture had thickened while a tiny flame shot out of the broken outlet. The dark tentacle of smoke curled up on the ceiling and was bloating itself out. Sato closed the door. Reaching in his pocket, he fished out the key, stuck it in the knob, turned it halfway, and snapped the key in the lock. That done, he turned and began walking down the hall, carrying Botan in his arms. Somewhere in the lab, a fire alarm started shrieking.

The sound of gunfire brought him to a halt. Who's firing a gun? And where? Before he could ponder, two more shots echoed down the corridors. Hiro felt his skin go cold. Had that come from the demon's corridor?

"Hiro!"

Hiro turned to see Ayame sprinting towards him.

"You heard them too, huh?" He asked once she'd caught up to him. Ayame nodded. Behind her, he could see other people shuffling into the halls, looking confused and frightened.

"Hiro, what's going on?" Ayame asked.

Hiro shook his head, "I don't know. Have you seen Botan?"

Ayame frowned, "Why are you asking-"

The aide clapped his hands on the woman's shoulders, "Because it's important! It has to do with the testing they've been doing lately!" His grip tightened, "Now I need to know, where is she?!"

Amethyst eyes swelled with terror. Her already pale skin became whiter, giving Ayame the pallor of a corpse. She looked at Hiro and in a small, frightened voice replied, "If they've taken her for testing, she would have been brought to the Chamber. Beyond that I don't know."

"Do you think she's still there?"

A fourth gunshot. Someone yelled to call the police. A group of people sprinted past in the direction they thought it came from. Hiro released Ayame's shoulders. She looked at him.

"What do you think?"

Hiro ground his teeth and kicked the ground. He looked around. Several groups of people milled about in the halls, their anxious murmuring flooding his ears. Others lurked in doorways, peering out. Timid rabbits not sure if they should leave the safety of their warrens. He looked at Ayame. The woman in question was looking at the floor, no doubt worrying over the fate of her friend.

"Ayame."

Her head snapped up.

Hiro looked her dead in the eye, "I want you to do something for me. You know where my office is, right?"

She nodded.

"Good. In my desk, top drawer on the left, hidden in a book is a black key. I want you to take it and go up to the demon corridor. Once there go to the very end of the hall. You should see a door with chains across it and a large padlock securing those chains. That key is for that lock."

Light dawned in her eyes, "Wait a moment," Ayame said, "you want me to go upstairs and release a demon from its cage? Specifically a dangerous one?"

"Subject 0119 is not dangerous." He said.

"Isn't that the one that attacked Botan?"

Hiro sighed, "Yes, but it was not of his own accord. Listen," A fifth gunshot. Both Hiro and Ayame jumped. More people ran. What the hell was going on? Hiro shook his head, "At any rate, all you need to know is that 0119 won't attack you. Go up there, unlock his cage door, tell him I sent you, and then find a way to get out of the lab. I'll meet you out back."

"Get out of the lab? Meet me out back?" Ayame echoed, "Just what is going on?"

"Just do it! I'll try to explain everything later, now go!"

Before Ayame could respond, Hiro turned and sprinted off. The message for Toguro rang in his head. If Botan had indeed been the one Kosada had referred to, they wouldn't have kept her in the Chamber for long. The question was, where would they take her afterwards? There were countless labs and testing rooms all over the facility. It wouldn't be anywhere in the west wing, that much I know. Plus, the Chamber is on the first floor, so one of the rooms on that floor perhaps? Damn it! I feel like I should know this! Why the hell don't I?! Hiro rounded a corner, almost diving headfirst down a flight of stairs. With quick reflexes, he latched onto the railing and pulled himself upright. A high-pitched wail pierced the air. The fire alarm. Cursing, Hiro vaulted down the stairs. He needed to find Botan. Now. He reached the first floor. Scientists streamed out into the halls. Some looked panicked while others wore confused frowns. Before Hiro could launch through the crowd, someone grabbed his arm. He whipped around.

"What?!" He snapped. The person who had grabbed his arm, a stocky young man, recoiled and released the aide.

"I'm sorry!" He had to yell to be heard over the screaming fire alarm, "I just wondered if you had any idea what's going on?"

"No, I don't! Just round everyone up and get outside! I know you can all hear the fire alarm! Go!" He shouted, leaving the young man behind. Everyone would exit the building. They were intelligent people. He needed to focus on finding Botan. Hiro rounded a corner and stopped dead in his tracks. A thin layer of smoke bled out from the walls. Hiro remembered the gunshots. Damn, whoever fired that gun must have hit a light or some wiring or something. He bit his lip. He was running out of time.

Kurama paced. The wailing of the fire alarm rang throughout the building. A drill perhaps? No. The demon shook his head. Something didn't feel right. Plus, he couldn't be sure, but he thought he'd heard something before the alarm went off. Kurama sighed in aggravation. He didn't like this. Not one bit did he like this. He placed his hands over his ears in an attempt to block out the shrill, silver needle screams of the fire alarm. This was no drill. The faint smell of smoke and heat told him so. Panic bubbled up within him and he fought to restrain it. Hiro wouldn't let him die. He promised.

Yes, that's right. He promised. Hiro promised. Which means I'm not going to die. I'm not going to burn to death, trapped in this cold, dark room all alone, with no one to call for-

Kurama clapped a hand over his mouth. He could already feel the terrified scream clawing its way up his throat. Calm. He needed to stay calm. Have faith. Trust in Hiro. Trust in Koenma. Everything would be fine.

Easier said than done, he thought, when I'm not waiting around to roast like a chicken on a spit.

Kurama sighed and resumed pacing. Pacing. Pacing like a restless, trapped animal. Which is exactly what I am, and if my luck runs out, I'll just be a dead-

"Okay, knock it off!" He snarled, stopping short. "I'm not going to die. Hiro will get me out of here."

Clenching his hands into fists, Kurama closed his eyes and took deep breaths. The rich intake of oxygen flowed into him, slowing his runaway heart and clearing the black fog of terror from his brain. Once he'd restored his mental and physical equilibrium, he opened his eyes.

He wouldn't die in this lab. But he wasn't sure he could wait on Hiro to save him. A white lab coat was not a suit of armor and Kurama was not a princess. A quick, surefooted rescue with a happy end could not be guaranteed. Plus, he had no way of knowing where the fire had originated or how fast it was burning. True, he could smell the evidence, but with no wind, an advanced smell was useless. He wouldn't be able to know the blaze's direction until it was right on top of him. He had to escape his cage. But how?

A loud rattling sound drew his attention. Kurama's head snapped around. Was that coming from the door? While somewhat short, his time spent plunged into darkness hadn't played well with sense of direction regarding his cage. The sound stopped. A muffled string of curses followed, Kurama frowned. That voice sounded rather feminine. His heart skipped a beat. Botan? Was that her? The rattling sound resumed, only this time it was accompanied by a loud clack as something heavy fell to the ground. A patch of darkness jittered, a thin line of light peeped at him before blinking shut. More thunking noises as what sounded like metal fell to the ground as well. Wait. Metal falling to the ground… Chains?

The door sprung open. Light splashed into his cage, washing over him in a tide of blinding white. Kurama flinched back from the sudden onrush. Before he could inquire about the identity of his rescuer, they charged forward, snagged his arm, and dragged him out of his cage. Once out in the hall, Kurama yanked his arm free of the iron grip and glanced back at the door. Chains sprawled on the ground like a group of sunbathing snakes. In the far corner of this metal nest lay a large padlock. An ebon key jutted out of the bottom like an exposed tooth. He'd been freed. But by whom?

"Come on! We don't have time to gawk!"

He looked over. A woman stood beside him. Twin locks of night-dark hair framed her face. Violet eyes burned into his own, wide with urgency. Out in the hall, the scream of the fire alarm cut through his ear drums like a knife through hot butter.

"Who are you?"

The woman shook her head, "No time!" She made a grab for his arm. Kurama stepped back.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me who you are."

Aggravated, the woman ran a hand through her hair. "Ugh. My name is Ayame. Hiro sent here. He told me to take you and meet him out back."

Kurama looked at the woman. If Hiro had sent her, then he could trust her. He glanced back over his shoulder. The door to his cage yawned open. A silver-fringed maw screaming soundlessly. He shivered. Turning back to Ayame, he nodded. "All right. Lead the way."

Ayame turned and jogged down the hall. Kurama followed. As they made their way down the hall, Kurama looked at the doors lining the walls. While many of them were open, a few were still closed. Try as he might, Kurama could not help but picture the creatures trapped within. He imagined their faces contorted with fear, clawing at the door, trying in vain to escape the thickening blanket of smoke leeching into their cages. Kurama shook his head and kept going. Once they'd cleared the corridor, Ayame stopped. Kurama side-stepped to avoid running into her.

"What? What is it?"

Ayame didn't respond. Instead, she looked further down the hall, eyes narrowed in concentration. Anxiety trickled into his veins. It was faint, but the smell of smoke hung in the air. They needed to keep moving. Ayame had been adamant about this. So why the sudden stop?

"This way!"

Her sudden shout made him jump. Before he could question, she took off down the hall. Confused, Kurama sprinted after her. He caught up with her over by the staircase. She stood before a narrow door. Ayame yanked it open and rummaged around inside. A few seconds later, she pulled out a lab coat and threw it at Kurama.

"Put this on."

"Why?" Kurama asked, staring at the coat in his arms.

"If anyone else realizes what I've done, I'm going to get in quite a bit of trouble. This should hide you."

He frowned. A lab coat would get him out scot free? This paper-thin disguise? Ayame caught this and gave him a cheeky grin.

"Trust me. In all the confusion that's going on right now, you'll blend right in. No one's going to look at you twice as long as you keep that coat on. We'll be able to glide right through the crowd and out back."

"If you say so." Kurama said, shrugging the coat on. The two resumed their escape. Along the way, the demon tried to ignore his racing heartbeat. He could feel the Phoenix Project's foundation beginning to crack. He prayed no one would fall through.

Hiro cursed and slammed the door. The Chamber was empty. Just as he knew it would have been. Damn it! A thin coat of gray stained the air around him. Hiro pulled his shirt collar over his nose and mouth. The smoke was thickening, which meant the fire was spreading. Not knowing the origin point of the fire set him on edge. Right now he was wandering blind through a death trap. If he couldn't find Botan in time, one or both of them would end up cooked alive. Grinding his teeth, Hiro looked around, squinting through the haze of smoke. His eyes watered and he blinked several times to clear them. A sharp stinging sensation spider-webbed across the surface of his eyes. Could it be possible that whoever had taken her for testing had already gotten her out of the building? No. Botan was still in the lab somewhere. Hiro felt it. He crouched down on the floor and tried to gather his thoughts. His instincts screamed at him to flee. Save his own hide and not worry about anyone else. He ignored them and mulled over where Botan could be. Not on the second floor, he knew that. Nowhere in the West Wing either. As for the first floor, he'd scanned every crowd he'd charged through and not once had he seen that bobbing blue ponytail. That left the basement. That floor was home to countless testing rooms, storage facilities, and archives. If she wasn't down there, then he was too late.

Hiro sprang to his feet. Upon clearing the descending smoke ceiling, he doubled over, coughing and hacking. It took a few good moments for the fit to subside. Once it did, Hiro pressed his shirt collar right up against his mouth and trotted in the direction of the stairs, careful to take swift, shallow breaths. He paused upon reaching his destination. Here, the haze of smoke was more like a dense fog. And as he looked closer, he could make out its movement and the direction in which it flowed. Hungry wisps drifted up the stairs and into his face, snapping at his measured breaths. Here. The fire was coming from somewhere down here. Hiro's chest tightened. Botan. He tensed, ready to plunge into that cloud of death, but before he could, a figure materialized from within the smoke. Perplexed, Hiro frowned and took an involuntary step back. The figure grew larger as it approached. Squinting, Hiro could make out the shape of a man, along with…something else. The figure blurred as his eyes watered once more, but not before he caught something, or rather a pair of somethings dangling off the side of the figure. They swayed with each step it took. Thick cords? Had someone really tried to rescue a computer from the encroaching inferno?

Just then, the figure emerged from the smoke. Before him stood a man in a dark suit with sparkling green eyes. The man's suit jacket was unbuttoned, and his undershirt mirrored the position of Hiro's. The aide noticed it was tinged a light gray. The cords turned out to be a pair of legs. Legs attached to a young woman with blue hair. Both her shirt and lab coat covered the lower portion of her face.

"Botan!"

The man climbed out of the stairwell. Quirking his brow at Hiro, he replied, "Oh, you know this girl?"

"Who are you?" Hiro growled.

The man chuckled, "Don't worry. You'll never see me again." He strode up to Hiro and handed Botan to him, "Here."

Hiro snatched Botan away from the man. He scrutinized the unconscious tech, mapping every detail of her body. She appeared alright.

"Relax, she's fine." The man said, waving Hiro's concern aside. He stepped past the aide and began to walk down the hall. Hiro frowned. He wasn't heading towards the exit. He was walking towards the Chamber. Stranger or not, Hiro couldn't let this guy die in the fire. Besides, he had questions, and this man seemed like he had answers.

"Hey! Wait!" Hiro called after him, "Where are you going? Shouldn't you be getting out of here?"

The man stopped. Without turning back he replied, "There's a couple things I need to take care of."

"But-"

"You and the girl get out of here. The dream is dead my friend. There's no reason to stay."

Without another word, the man walked away. Hiro shook his head and sprinted back through the halls. The deep breathing required to run was difficult, but Hiro pushed through. Ten minutes later, Hiro burst out the front door, clutching Botan. The first breath of clean air he took sent him crashing to the ground. He landed hard on his knees and coughed so hard it felt like shards of glass lined his throat. Someone came over and thumped him on the back. Each soft blow of the hand helped him breathe a little easier. By about the tenth or eleventh smack, he was back to breathing normally. He looked up to see Koenma standing over him. The assistant director's gaze kept leaping from his aide to Botan and back again. His lips were set in a firm line and he'd paled a few shades, face almost matching Hiro's coat.

Hiro stood and faced his boss, "Afternoon sir."

"Are you okay?" He pointed to Botan, "Is she okay?"

Hiro nodded, "We're both alright sir."

Koenma chewed his lip, glancing around. Hiro followed his boss's flighty gaze. People milled about, most looking up at the lab. A few however stared at the unconscious girl in Hiro's arms. Koenma placed a hand on his shoulder, "Come on. Before people start asking questions."

Hiro let himself be led through the crowd. As they walked, Koenma leaned close to Hiro.

"Subject 0119. Is he…?"

"He's fine. At least as far as I know. I had Ayame release him from his cage and told her to take him out back and meet me there."

Nodding, Koenma said, "Okay. Let's make our way there then."

They wove their way through the crowd, looping to the right and cutting through a patch of grass. On the other side lay the back lot. They entered the lot. Hiro scanned the sea of cars, looking for Ayame and Subject 0119. About halfway across the lot, he noticed a red car with its driver-side door popped open. He and Koenma walked towards the car. Drawing closer, they could see Ayame and 0119 sitting in the car. Once they'd reached the car, both human and demon leapt out. They stared at Botan Ayame spoke first.

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine." Hiro said. He turned to Koenma, "What are we going to do now? It'll take a bit for the fire department to get here."

"I'll stay behind." Koenma responded, crossing his arms, "Along with Toguro, I'm an acting authority. The fire department's going to want to talk to me after the blaze is out. Plus I'd like to know how this whole mess started." He looked at Ayame and Hiro, "Unless you guys have any ideas?"

They shook their heads. Hiro glanced back toward the building. Out back, and with no people to block the view, Hiro had a clear view of the basement windows peeping out from below ground. Bright orange flames licked the glass. A mess of cracks spread across one window. Black, greasy smoke pressed up against the weak spot. Tiny threads of it filtered through. Hiro noticed a faint smell. Kind of sweet, it smelled like a bad ham being roasted. Hiro wondered if a batch of stored chemicals had caught fire.

In his arms, Botan stirred. All four of them looked at her. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at each of them in turn. Her shirt collar shifted in her attempts to question the people standing around her. She pulled it down and stared at it, trying to figure out how it had gotten there. Hiro shifted the young woman and, taking the hint, she shimmied out of his grip.

"What's going on? How did I get here?" she asked, looking around. She caught sight of the furnace glow beating against the basement windows and gasped.

"It's okay," Hiro assured her. "As far as I know, everyone made it out. And by the looks of it, it hasn't spread far beyond the basement."

"Yet." Koenma interjected, looking sour, "we all know what a pain in the ass it is to get up that hill. It may take a while for the fire department to get up here."

Ayame's eyes widened, "Wait, has anyone actually called them yet?"

Hiro jerked his thumb over his shoulder, "We've got the entire building out on the front lawn. I'd be surprised if someone hadn't called them."

"So…what should we do?"

Four pairs of eyes looked over to the demon who had spoken. He was looking at Koenma, but every now and then, his eyes flicked over to Botan. Koenma sighed.

"For now I guess we rejoin the masses."

Hiro fiddled with his glasses, "Actually sir, if you wouldn't mind hanging back a moment. There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Koenma quirked an eyebrow, but nodded just the same. He signaled to Ayame, Botan, and Subject 0119 for them to move back to the crowd gathered out front. They did as they were bade. Botan cast a glance back over her shoulder, but Ayame put her hand on the girl's back urging her on. Hiro watched as their forms grew smaller, disappearing when they rounded the corner of the building.

"Well?" Koenma asked.

"I ran into someone who I believe might have been a government agent."

"Oh?"

Hiro nodded, "I saw him coming up the stairs that led to the basement. He…" The aide sighed, "He was carrying Botan."

"What?!" Koenma exclaimed.

Hiro looked down at the blacktop beneath him. The ominous image stood frozen in his mind's eye. A bright, silver-backed freeze frame of a dark envoy delivering an innocent waif to creatures with hearts of cold stone. He hoped that man told the truth about Botan. The implications were too horrifying to think about.

"What happened?" Koenma asked, tone cold and clipped. Hiro suppressed a flinch. Koenma wasn't angry with him after all.

"He handed Botan to me and walked away."

"Is he outside with everyone else?"

Shaking his head, Hiro replied, "No. He walked back towards the Chamber. Said there was something he needed to take care of."

Koenma ran a hand through his hair. He didn't respond. Instead, he closed his eyes and drew in a long breath, hissing it out between his teeth. He opened his eyes and gave his aide a tired look. "Right now, I don't want to know. I just want to get this under control." he said jabbing a finger at the lab. Flashes of orange danced in the first floor windows. It wouldn't be long now. A few more minutes, and the whole lab would be engulfed. That was the thing with electrical fires. They zipped down trails of copper like speeding cars down an empty highway. Hiro and Koenma stood in silence, watching the lab burn. The man's words echoed in his head.

The dream is dead, my friend.

What did that mean? Was dream was he talking about? Libra's? Toguro's? The government's? Hiro shook his head. Like Koenma, he didn't want to know just then.

A warbling wait split the air. Both men turned. From their view, they could see a sliver of the road that wound its way down to the town. A firetruck ambled up the road, a screeching scarlet lumbering creature. Koenma glanced at Hiro.

"Well, shall we?"

Hiro nodded. The two of them began walking back towards the front of the lab. As they did, they noticed a black van scuttling up the road, hot on the firetruck's tail. Another one followed. Hiro groaned. The dream may have been dead, but the nightmare wasn't over.

Botan looked at Libra. A first floor window shattered, spraying a shower of glass onto the ground below. She heard several people around her murmur. A bright flower of fire bloomed in the now open window. Hot, gaseous petals blazed while tiny flecks of ash drifted on the breeze like ebon leaves.

Years of research. Decades of hard work. All up in flames. Still, she couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved. She loved her job. She loved Libra. But all that love could not erase the pall of fear that had hung over the lab during the last couple months. As she watched the fire devour the lab, she remembered something she read in health class. Fevers were more than mere symptoms of an illness. When sick, the brain would raise the body's temperature in an effort to kill the infecting agent. The Phoenix Project, in its final stages, had been an odious disease spreading itself through the lab, leaving nothing untouched. Now, it was being cleansed. The intangible taint being erased. The lab would heal.

She looked at Kurama. Like her, the demon watched the building before them burn. His expression was unreadable. Try as she might, she couldn't gauge his thoughts. Sensing her eyes on him, he glanced down at her. He smiled.

"Hello."

She grinned back, "Hi." She couldn't believe he was here, outside, standing beside her. Another good thing to come from the fire. True, she didn't know why the demon had been released, but she suspected Hiro and Koenma had something to do with it. Good men, both of them. The bluenette made a mental note to thank both of them later.

Meanwhile, Kurama continued to gaze at her. Like a pair of drills, his eyes bore into her. "Are you sure you're alright? Hiro said you were, but…" He trailed off, concern casting a shadow on his face.

Botan smiled. Within her heart, a golden sparrow flapped its wings, spreading a light warmth through her body. She laid her hand on his chest. Even through the cage of flesh and bone, she could still feel the steady vibrations of his strong heart.

"Yes, I'm fine. In fact, I'd say I'm a lot better now."

A nervous grin tugged at Kurama's lips. Small patches of red bloomed on his cheeks. "Good. That's good." He laid his hand over hers, wrapping his fingers around it. They looked at each other.

The wail of a siren ripped through the air. Botan jumped, tearing her hand out of Kurama's warm grip. The two of them turned to see the bright red body of a firetruck ambling its way up the road. Bright lights flashed alternating shades of red and blue atop the vehicle. It pulled to a stop a few feet from the crowd of spectating employees. However, their knights in fire-proof armor had no more than began to descend from their crimson steed, did a couple of black vans come racing up behind. The firefighters turned in confusion. One of whom, who, even from this distance, Botan could see appeared to be well into his fifties, approached the nearest van. The doors to both opened and lo and behold a man dressed in a dark suit stepped out of each. Why was she not surprised? One of the suited gentlemen approached met the older firefighter. While the two of them talked, the rest of the crew went about their business. The hose was unraveled like the long, dried out tongue of an ancient beast. One firefighter was talking to a nearby group of scientists, no doubt inquiring if there was a fire hydrant nearby. One of the scientists shook his head, and the firefighter pursed his lips. He turned and signaled to a small group of his comrades, who nodded and dashed inside the truck. Meanwhile, the solo fighter pulled out a cellphone and dialed a number. Requesting another truck? Botan glanced back at the lab. The single flower had blossomed into an entire blazing garden. A network of ivy-like smoke clambered across the upper walls. Yeah, they were going to need another truck.

Meanwhile, the fire chief finished his conversation with the suited man. He clapped his hands around his mouth.

"Okay people!" He called, "We're going to get the blaze under control! In the meantime, retreat to a safer distance." He pointed behind the crowd, "I think I can see a parking lot over there. Am I right? Is that a parking lot?"

Several people murmured an affirmative.

The fire chief nodded, "Okay, good. Make your way there. Once we get this thing under control, then you can all go home. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but we're gonna be blocking the road for a little bit here."

With that, the crowd began trickling towards the parking lot. Kurama and Botan looked at each other and shrugged. Oh well. Botan turned towards Ayame.

"I guess we head back."

"I guess so," Ayame said.

The three of them followed the rest of the lab. Along the way, Botan wondered what Hiro had wanted to talk to Koenma about. She wondered if it had anything to do with the attack on her. She snuck a glance over at the demon walking beside her. Kurama seemed to be none the worse for wear. Whatever had affected him bore no ill side effects. Perhaps Hiro had found the cause of it? She turned her gaze back ahead of her just in time to see the aforementioned aide and Koenma striding toward them.

"Herding you all out of the way?" Hiro asked.

Botan nodded, "They said have another truck on the way to help."

"Also we're not to leave until everything's under control," Ayame added.

"Makes sense." Hiro said. He turned to Koenma, "I suppose you'll head over to talk to them?"

"Yeah," Koenma said, "Plus I want to get a closer look at the people in those vans." An aggravated sigh hissed out from between clenched teeth, "Even though I have a good idea of the score they're bringing."

That said, the assistant director strode past them and plunged into the flowing throng of people. Left with no choice but to return from whence they came, the aide, scientist, tech, and demon followed the fire chief's orders and walked back to the parking lot. This time, they just picked a random spot amongst the vast array of metal bodies and made small talk. Mostly though, they watched the battle between fire and man.

"So, that's it then? No questions, no investigations, just swept under the rug and done?"

Three weeks had passed since the fire. In that whole time, nothing had happened. No calls in the middle of the night. No officers turned up on doorsteps. No stories ran in the papers. The fire department put out the blaze and did an investigation of the building. Top to bottom. Every nook and cranny assessed. No stone had been left unturned. Hiro couldn't fathom it. Surely the firefighters had seen the chained doors? Then again, those black vans hinted at what he didn't want to believe to be true.

Across the table, Koenma smirked, "You saw those vans Hiro. I think you and I both know why nothing was said."

Hiro folded his hands on the table. The two of them sat in Koenma's kitchen. On the wall, a felix cat clock swished its tail back and forth, its shifty little eyes sweeping across the kitchen. The time read 7:45. Dark violet dominated the sky. A diminishing stain of orange the only remnant of sunlight. In a few minutes the stars would flicker to life.

Koenma got up from the table and went over to the pantry. Hiro watched the man reach inside. He pulled back, holding a bottle of Scotch. He presented it to Hiro.

"Want some?" He asked.

Hiro opened his mouth to refuse, but snapped it shut. Given the events of the past two months at least, he figured he could actually use a good stiff drink. Hell, maybe even two or three. He nodded. Koenma shut the door and set the bottle on the counter. The amber liquid sloshed around inside with wet schloop noises. Koenma grabbed two glasses and opened the bottle. Once done, he carried both glasses back to the table with him. He placed them down on the table and took his seat. Hiro reached for his glass and took a drink. The alcohol burned as it slid down his throat. It took a great effort not to cough. Damn Scotch. He looked at Koenma. The man clasped his drink in his hands, staring into it like an oracle trying to derive the future from an augery.

"Were there any demons left when the fire started?"

Koenma nodded, "A handful. I don't know what happened to them though. Although I do suspect that a few of them may have been able to escape. It's unlikely given how tight we had them locked up, but not at all implausible."

"Do you think they'll be caught and killed?"

"Either that or shipped off to an underground lab with people a lot less nice than we were."

"Hm."

The two of them lapsed into silence. Hiro took another swig. The Scotch's teeth were still sharp, nipping his tongue, but it burned less when he swallowed. First sip was always the hardest. At least that was what his father used to say.

"Toguro's dead." Koenma said, breaking the silence.

Hiro almost dropped his glass, "What?!"

Koenma took a long drink, "His body was found in the basement. It's obvious that he burned to death, but the autopsy also revealed a cranial injury. Someone knocked him unconscious."

Hiro thought back to the man he'd seen coming up from the basement. The words played over in his mind. Christ, he hadn't just been speaking metaphorically. He shivered. "I assume the police contacted you about that one?"

"Not necessarily. I did see fire department haul something out of the lab once the fire was put out. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to recognize a covered body." The assistant director raised the glass and drained his drink, "no, I found a way to contact the local coroner. I talked to the chief of the fire department as well.. It took some heavy persuading and a little bribery, but in the end the divulged that bit of information to me. He also told me something else."

"Which was?"

"The fire was indeed electrical. Two gunshots. One which struck a light fixture in the ceiling, the other had blown through a wall outlet."

Hiro frowned, "Only two? But I heard five."

Koenma stood and went to pour himself another glass. "According to the coroner's report, they found a charred gun in Toguro's hand." He refilled his glass and set the bottle back down on the counter top. He stood there for a moment, head titled down, his back to Hiro. The aide could tell Koenma hadn't divulged everything. There were key pieces of information that had yet to be dug up. Worse, he had a distinct feeling who buried, or rather tried, to bury those pieces. Koenma turned back to face the table. He raised his glass to take a drink, but stopped halfway. Anxiety cast a shadow upon his bright amber eyes. "Only one bullet had been fired. What's more, is that that gun wasn't registered to Toguro. It had a serial number, but try as they might, police couldn't track who it had been registered to."

"So," Hiro ventured, running his finger along the lip of the glass, "maybe it was an illegally obtained weapon?"

Koenma drank, "Maybe. But I think it has more to do with those men who showed up in those vans."

"And the one I saw coming up from the basement?" Hiro asked, already knowing where this was going.

"Probably the one that shot the outlet, if not the light fixture as well." Koenma said. He walked back over to the table and sank into his chair. The poor man looked exhausted. Hiro didn't blame him. With all that Libra and the Phoenix Project had put him through, he wondered if his boss wanted to just swear off his job and start anew. Maybe with something less involved with government. He drained his glass, letting the bitter, burning liquid drown his mouth in its taste for a moment before swallowing. He looked over at the cat clock. 8:15. Had it really only been half an hour?

"Karasu's missing as well."

Hiro nodded. That he'd heard. Karasu's face along with word of his vanishing had been plastered over every major news outlet. Although Hiro had to wonder if Toguro's aide disappeared before the fire began. And if so, had it been of his own accord? After Toguro, Karasu knew the most about the Phoenix Project. He made the perfect scapegoat.

"So what happens now?" Hiro asked.

Koenma shrugged, "No idea. The Phoenix Project is done. That's a given. As far as future endeavors," he sighed, "Lord knows what they'll cook up for us next."

"You think we'll be put up to something of that magnitude in the near future?"

"Given how well this one went down? Probably not."

"They got useful medical findings." Hiro pointed out.

"Yes, but that's all they got." Koenma leaned back in his chair, "and something tells me that's not what they wanted in the end."

The two of them lapsed back into silence. Hiro glanced once more at the clock on the wall. 8:30. Man, time was really sliding away from him tonight. He rose from the table.

"Well, I suppose I should head home." Koenma nodded and stood as well. Like any good host, he walked Hiro to the door. Night air ran cool, soft fingers down Hiro's face as he stepped outside. The sky had shed its violet shroud for a thick cloak of ebony. Tiny star jewels glittered, thin needles of silver light poking holes in the black. A full moon hung in the sky, an orb of white marble dangling far above the earth. Hiro took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the dark. As he turned to bid Koenma goodnight, a thought struck him.

"Have you told your father any of this?"

Koenma lowered his gaze. In a voice that sounded tired and much too old, he replied, "No. Honestly, I don't even know if it would be a good idea. He saw the news story they ran about Karasu. I'm sure he's drawing his own conclusions. I figure if he really wants to know, he'll ask me."

"Do you think he does?"

Koenma continued to stare at the ground. Behind them, a car drove up the road. Its headlights bathed the front of the house in a pale yellow glow. Hiro wondered who sat behind the wheel. He knew such paranoia was foolish, but it hadn't stopped him from eyeing every black van he saw all week and the preceding two weeks. It passed, leaving shadow to swallow the lawn once more. Finally, Koenma lifted his gaze.

"No. And to be honest, I don't blame him."

"Agreed."

They bid each other goodnight. Koenma shut the door and Hiro walked to his car. What lay ahead of them now? The Phoenix Project was done. It had died and gone up in a glorious blaze much like the Greek phoenix itself. Unlike the fiery avian of Greek mythology however, this particular bird would remain dead.

Hiro unlocked the car and slid behind the wheel. The engine roared to life with a quick turn of the key. Yes, the Phoenix Project would lay entombed in its own ashes forevermore, but would something rise to take its place? While he agreed with Koenma in the knowledge that a project of similar scale would not be requested of Libra and her employees again, that didn't mean that smaller, more insidious assignments would not scuttle their way onto the lab's doorstep. He shook his head. The Phoenix Project was no more. He would take comfort in that at the very least.

Botan flopped back on the couch. She ran a hand over the plush fabric, thinking back over the past three weeks. After the fire department put out the blaze, they'd ordered everyone to go home. Botan had offered to take Kurama with her. Koenma and Hiro allowed it. There wasn't much else they could do about it after all. Hiro had been the one to break him out of his cage in the first place. What happened now would be up to their judgement. She and Kurama just had to wait on it. Not that Botan minded. Hiro and Koenma had worked their butts off keeping both her and Kurama safe. Whatever decision they made would be for the best.

Libra remained shut down. She drove up there a few days ago. The great, blinding white building that sat atop the hill, observing the town below like a silent king was gone. A burned out husk was all that remained. The area out front was still littered with broken glass that lay on the ground like scattered feathers. Smoke stains tainted the outer walls, sickly gray bruises. Scorch marks pointed up towards the sky like accusing fingers. The front doors had remained intact. Only a thin layer of smoky grime marred the glass barrier. No cracks, no missing pieces. It had even been locked, which struck her as funny. After all the chaos, someone had thought to lock up. Odd, but then again, force of habit often preceded rational thought.

Late afternoon sunlight slanted through the window behind her, carving a saffron path through the living room. Botan maneuvered her upper body into the trail of light. Closing her eyes, she sighed with content as the warmth washed over her face. Simple pleasures. She had forgotten how nice they were.

"Comfy?"

Without opening her eyes, Botan replied, "Quite. Care to join me?"

Fabric rustled. The top of the couch sagged as weight sunk into it.

"Hm, I would. However, it appears that you have commandeered the entire couch."

"Oh, right." Botan opened her eyes and sat up, "sorry."

Kurama chuckled and walked around to the front of the couch, plunking down next to Botan. "It's okay."

The two of them sat in silence. In some ways Botan still found it hard to believe he was out of the lab. Much less that he was sitting beside her in her own home. Yet, there he sat as real as the sunlight that cut its way through the room and onto the far wall. It felt nice to know he was free. Out from under the looming shadow of the Phoenix Project. Free to lead his own life. Free to be more than just a lab rat. She hoped he could stay with her. She wanted to see him blossom in full glory.

"So, how does it feel?" she asked.

Kurama leaned back, resting his head against the back of the couch. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly. He stayed like that for a few minutes, as if trying to derive an answer form the back of his eyelids. In the end he said,

"I don't know. It's so strange. To wake up each morning in a bed that's in a home. To have the freedom to come and go. To not spend my days subjugated to various tests, sometimes one after another. I just got so used to that life, that I find myself not knowing what to do with this newfound freedom."

He opened his eyes. Twin spheres of evergreen looked back at her. They scrutinized her face, awaiting either her judgement of his statement.

Botan smiled, "That's normal," she said, "I don't blame you for feeling that way. Heck, I'm not sure what to do with myself either. I'm not used to having so much free time."

"Are you going to go back once repairs have been completed?"

Botan shrugged, "I suppose. Koenma will probably want me to report back. Hiro too."

"Are you sure? And is that what you want?"

It was Botan's turn to wear a scrutinizing look, "what do you mean?"

"I'm not the only one who's been granted the freedom to leave Libra behind and lead a normal life," he explained, "you're a high school student. You've got plenty of time ahead of you. Do you really want to give it all to a place that's already taken so much from you? You not only lost your mother, but you nearly lost your humanity as well."

Botan bit her lip and looked away. She's told Kurama about the incident with the two government agents two days after the fire. The demon was convinced that they had been about to turn her into some kind of lab-grown demon, or similar creature. The thought alone terrified the girl. That she had been but a hair's breadth from ending up as a creature condemned to a life locked away made her shudder. It also gave her a different perspective on the Phoenix Project and Libra in general. Kurama had a point. Did she really want to continue working where she might end up in harm's way once more? Besides, could she just go back to being an ordinary lab tech after what she'd experienced? Was it that easy to go back to square one? After all that happened?

"I don't know. I don't want to leave Koenma and Hiro in a bind. Ayame as well."

"I understand," Kurama said, rising from the couch, "besides, it's not like you have to decide right now. Take some time. Think on it. If you do decide to leave, I'm sure everyone will understand." He strode out of the living room, stopping near the entryway, "I'm going to make tea. Did you want some?"

Nodding, Botan stood and followed him into the kitchen. It amazed her how quickly he'd grown accustomed to the layout of the house and the various rooms within. She watched the redhead as he walked right to the pantry, opened it up, and plucked a box of tea bags off the shelf. He turned to her and held it up.

"Oolong okay with you?"

"Yes."

While Kurama busied himself with filling the kettle, Botan glanced back to the living room, staring at the patch of sunlight on the wall. The temperature outside had started to dip. Autumn was nearing the prime of its life and the wind was sharpening its teeth on the dying tree branches. Soon winter would arrive. Ice would grow in fine silver coats across the ground while the wind hurtled frigid knives at any warm body it could find.

"What about you?" she asked, turning from her sunlit vigil.

Kurama set the kettle down on the stove and flicked the burner to life. "What do you mean?"

"Your normal life. How are you going to spend it now that you're no longer in Libra? Because I was…" She trailed off. Embarrassment bloomed scarlet on her cheeks. I don't want to say it! I'll sound so stupid! But if she didn't say it, Kurama might head for parts unknown. A silly fear she knew, but she couldn't reason it away. She sighed inwardly. Curse her irrational female mind! Botan took a deep breath and tried again.

"Because I was…was hoping…"

She gritted her teeth. Out with it you silly girl!

"Iwashopingyouwouldwanttostaywithme!"

It came out in a single rushed exclamation, but in the end she said it. Fiddling with the hem of her shirt, she looked at the boy standing by the stove, awaiting his response. He blinked. Once. Twice. For a while, he merely stared at her, eyes wide and uncomprehending. She wondered if he hadn't understood her.

Finally, the light dawned. His lips curved upwards in a smile. Small spots of crimson glowed on his face like twin suns. "I… I want to stay with you too."

Elation flooded her entire body. A glittering golden tide of pure happiness. She rushed forward, enveloping Kurama in a tight hug. The demon froze, taken aback by her sudden gesture. Botan buried her face in his chest. She could feel the thundering roar of his strong heart. Breathing deep, she took in his scent. Fresh earth and dense foliage. It was the smell of wild forests. Before she could pull away, his arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer. He rested his cheek against the top of her head.

"It's warm here." He murmured.

Botan nodded.

The kettle squealed. The two released each other and Botan walked over to the cupboard to retrieve a couple mugs. A few moments later, two steaming mugs of oolong sat steeping atop the counter. Botan was about to check hers when the doorbell rang.

"Hiro?" Kurama asked, pulling the bag from his tea. Botan shook her head.

"A friend of mine. Someone I'd like to introduce you to. Stay there."

The demon did as she bade him. Botan trotted out of the kitchen and into the entryway. Opening the door, she greeted her visitor with a smile.

"Hey Keiko. How's it going?"

Keiko smiled back. "Pretty good." She replied, adjusting the purse strap over her shoulder, "you wanted me over?"

"Yep!" Botan chirped, stepping back and allowing Keiko inside. "There's someone I'd like you to meet, and" she laid her hand on her friend's shoulder, "something I'd like to finally share with you."

Keiko stared at Botan, "Um…okay." She turned and allowed herself to be led into the kitchen. Upon entering, she caught sight of the boy standing there. She stopped. They looked at each other.

"Um, hi." Keiko said, giving him a small wave.

Kurama smiled, "Hello."

Botan walked around the confused girl to stand by Kurama. She looked from Kurama to Keiko and back again. The two of them regarded each other with looks of puzzlement. Botan clenched a hand over her chest. Her heart banged against her ribcage. This had been so easy to arrange over the phone, but now that the time had come, Botan found herself unable to quell the nervousness bubbling up within her. She wasn't sure if she should even go through with this. What would happen to Keiko is she did? Or Kurama, or even her? She shook her head. The house wasn't bugged, the project was dead. Besides, she'd made a promise to Keiko. Steeling herself, Botan took a deep breath, and began.

"This boy is Kurama. He was a test subject in the Phoenix Project conducted by Libra, the lab I work at."

Keiko's eyes widened.

"Also," Botan continued, "he's not human. He's a demon. That's what the Phoenix Project was. An experiment conducted by the lab that took nonhumans, quarantined them and subjected them to testing in order to better the human condition."

Botan stopped. She wondered if she should tell Keiko the other half. That Libra, or rather Toguro had turned its employees into lab rats too. That the odious man's machinations had almost cost Botan her human life. No. There was no need to tell her friend that. It would only upset her.

Keiko stood in the doorway of the kitchen, shaking her head. "I don't know what to say." She looked at Kurama, "is that true? Are you really a…"

Kurama nodded, "What Botan said is true. I am indeed a demon. I was captured when I was young and brought to Libra to be used a test subject. I lived in that facility for ten years."

"So, how is that you're here now?"

"The lab caught fire three weeks ago." Botan explained, "Hiro broke Kurama from his ca- I mean holding area before the blaze could engulf the rest of the lab."

"Technically Ayame," Kurama said with a smirk. Botan poked his arm.

"I see." Keiko muttered. She crooked her finger beneath her chin, mulling over the information she'd been given, trying to piece it together. Silence stretched between the three of them. Botan leaned back against the countertop. She'd half-expected Keiko to freak out upon revelation. Thankfully, her friend's level-headedness prevailed. The bluenette looked over at the girl in question. Her eyes were dark with the fog of deep thought. She closed her eyes, and sighed.

"Well, I'm not too sure on the details, but I am glad you told me in the end. Thank you Botan."

Botan smiled, "No problem."

"And don't worry, I won't go telling anyone about this."

"Thank you."

Keiko glanced at her watch, "Oh! I should get going. Mom and I are going shopping in a little bit." She turned to Kurama, "It was nice meeting you!"

Kurama smiled, "You too."

The three of them made their way to the front door. Botan opened the door and Keiko stepped outside. She turned back to Botan and gave her friend a warm smile, "Seriously Botan, thank you for finally telling me. I knew you had your reasons, but it felt so lonely being on the outside. Especially since I could see how much you were being weighed down." She turned to Kurama, "I look forward to seeing you again. Maybe I'll see you in class with us if all goes well!" She turned and jogged away from the house, throwing a wave over her shoulder, "Bye!"

They watched her go. "You have a good friend." Kurama commented. Botan nodded. Keiko was such kind girl. No matter what happened, Keiko always put the needs of others before herself. She was indeed a wonderful friend. Botan cherished her.

Shutting the door, Botan walked back to the kitchen. "You know, maybe you could enroll at our school. It would be a great way to get back to a normal life."

Kurama followed, "I'm not sure. I'm a bit nervous about that whole prospect to be honest."

"Oh come on, Mr. Reads Books All Day, I think you'll be fine!" Botan said, flashing him a cheeky over the shoulder grin. Kurama stuck out his tongue. Back in the kitchen, they resumed their original positons. Botan checked her tea. To her satisfaction the tea had steeped to perfection. The soft smell of oolong tea drifted up from liquid the color or rain splattered soil. Unless it was dark to the point of being mistaken for coffee, tea was no good. Smiling, she tossed out the bag and turned to Kurama. He stared off into space, no doubt thinking of what lay ahead. Botan sipped her tea and mulled over what Kurama had said. Maybe she should leave Libra. Take her shot at a normal life too. Hiro and Koenma would understand. Heck, she thought, they might even encourage me.

"Penny for your thoughts."

Yanked from her reverie, Botan blinked at the demon. "Hm?"

"You're concentrating on something pretty hard over there."

Waving her hand Botan replied, "No. Just thinking of the future."

"Me too."

Botan raised her mug, "To the future. May it be a good one."

Kurama did the same, "Indeed, but I have a strong feeling it will."

Botan smiled. Kurama smiled back. They stood in the kitchen, sipping their tea and looking ahead. Kurama was right. The future would be a good one.

Well, a little over seven years later and we've finally reached the end. Once again, I'd like to extend my deepest thanks to those who followed the story to its conclusion. And what a long one! Thirty-five pages! I thought about cutting it into two parts, but since this fic has been running for seven years, I figured a big finale would be fitting. What did you think? Drop me a line!