"W-Wait! What are you doing!"
Gokudera struggles against the guards, trying to stop them from handcuffing him.
"Hayato don't fight them. This is Reaper's way of making sure we don't run." Phoenix willing holds out her hands and one of the guards handcuff her to him. "If you fight them you're going to get shot."
Gokudera watches as Phoenix is led out of the room by the guard she is handcuffed to and sighs.
"Fine." He lets himself be handcuffed and led from the room to the elevator where Phoenix and Reaper are having a staring match, Phoenix obviously thinking of ways to kill Reaper. But when Gokudera is brought up beside her she looks away from Reaper and at Gokudera, worry coating her features.
"How's your ankle?"
"It's fine. Being a little bitch, but it's fine." He stares at Reaper. "How much longer until we get to wherever the fuck we're going?"
Phoenix doesn't look away from Gokudera, nor does the worry leave her face.
"Oh not long. This is a four story building, not including the basement." Reaper presses the elevator button and smiles. "The first floor is for physical torture, the second for psychological torture and the third and fourth are living spaces. You both get your own apartments on the fourth floor, so stop complaining and just enjoy the ride."
The elevator arrives and as everyone piles in Phoenix takes the opportunity to grab Gokudera's free hand and squeezes it before letting go and resuming her staring match with Reaper. The silver-haired teen stares at Phoenix in stunned silence, his mouth hanging open for a second before reaching out and taking Phoenix's hand. As Phoenix looks at him he smiles slightly as a reassurance that everything was going to be okay and lets go of her hand. Phoenix blushes slightly as the elevator stops and Reaper takes out a set of keys.
"Now, can I trust you two not to run away?"
Phoenix sighs and shrugs. "Sure, why not."
Her elbow connects with Gokudera's side.
"What? I'll behave."
The Irish teen smiles again, muttering under her breath.
"Yeah right."
Reaper unlocks the hand cuffs and pulls both Phoenix and Gokudera out of the elevator, leading them out down to hall way.
"Now while you're here, I would like to ask that you refrain from punching holes in the walls, throwing TV's out of windows or, in your case Phoenix, dumping three buckets of animal blood out the windows." Phoenix chuckles slightly and smiles.
"Will you be giving me three buckets of animal blood? Because if you don't then I don't think we'll have much of a problem."
Reaper smiles and Phoenix smiles back, the ghost of their old friendship shining through for a moment before Reaper hands them both room keys.
"Your rooms are 34a and 34b. They are all the way down at the end of the hall. 34a is on the right and 34b is on the left. Phoenix, you get 34a and Hayato, you get 34b. Do you both understand? Good. Well then I have to go see a man about a knife. Goodbye." Reaper begins to walk away but Phoenix calls him back. "Yes, dear little birdy?"
Phoenix takes a deep breath and says.
"First off don't call me that and second, go across yourself Reaper." Phoenix gives Reaper the finger but he just laughs and walks away.
"Go across yourself?" Gokudera stares at the girl. "You really are unique, aren't you?"
Gokudera limps over to his room, not even bothering to see if Phoenix followed.
"Shut up, it's an Irish curse." Phoenix watches him walk away and follows him, flinching as her pulse sends another stabbing pain through her head. "Ow...I think I just hit the violent stage of withdrawal...joy." She grimaces and leans against the door of 34a. "So what? No plans for escape? No crazy ideas involving jumping out a window? You're just going to take this?" Phoenix crosses her arms with a questioning look on her face.
"I would but as you made it painfully clear before, my ankle's fucked up right now. Can't do shit about it. Unless you wanna carry me all the way to the airport."
Phoenix laughs and Gokudera's heart skips a beat at the sound, he loved the sound of her laugh and that scared him more than Reaper ever could.
'What's this girl doing to me?'
He thinks as he watches her laugh.
"Yeah no, you can walk there." She looks at him and smiles. "You can get your own ass to the airport because I for one will be getting my pets and going to the mountains. Not back to Japan."
"Why the fuck would you do that! I mean if anything, we should just move outta state. Maybe Canada."
"Because out of the States is exactly where they will look, not Tennessee. Besides, Benny doesn't like planes." Phoenix shrugs. "And what's with this 'we'? Don't you wanna go back to protect Tsuna?"
"Fuck. Fine, we can go to Tennessee." Gokudera looks across the hall at the girl leaning against the wall. "I'm not leaving you alone Aydan. Either you come back to Japan with me or I stay with you. I'll eventually go back, but not before convincing you we should. Juudaime is important, but..." Gokudera looks down, suddenly unable to meet Phoenix's eyes. "...so are you."
Gokudera blushes, looking up at Phoenix to see her roll her eyes and laugh.
"I thought I told you, I'm not-" She grimaces and closes her eyes while leaning her head back against the wall. "Who knew repressing violence was so painful." Phoenix lets out a slow breath and looks at him with worry. "Are you sure you're alright?"
Gokudera shrugs, hiding the happiness that blossomed in his chest at seeing Phoenix worried about him.
"Yeah, I'm fine I guess. How about you? Need me to ask for some water or ice or something?"
"Nah, I'll be fine...well not fine but...better." Phoenix rubs her arms and suddenly blurts out. "You know I did this so you wouldn't get tortured right?"
Gokudera is taken back at the sudden change in subject.
"Y-Yeah...I know. But I didn't want you to. I decided to give myself up to Reaper for you. And to realize that you just...didn't accept it, it was...dejecting to say the least."
"Well you did kinda ruin my plans, sorry for being a little bit mad at you." The blue-eyed teen looks down and laughs while thinking, 'Why is it so easy to be myself around him?' But instead of asking Gokudera this question, Phoenix rather looks up and smiles softly. "Hayato, I...I don't need to be protected. I learned a long time ago how to fight and how to block out pain. The only think I'm not good at is dealing with yo...people. Dealing with people." She grimaces as another spike of pain shoots through her head. "Well I'm going to go and try to calm down before I start throwing things." Phoenix looks across the hall at the Italian boy and smiles. "Goodnight Hayato."
"Yeah, you should get some rest. 'Night Aydan."
"Well I'll see you...tomorrow...I guess...I don't know." She turns to her door, unlocks it and opens it letting out a low whistle. "You know this might be worth it for the apartment alone." Phoenix goes inside and turns around. "Night"
She gives him a sad smile before shutting the door. Gokudera turns to his door and opens it before a thought hits him and he walks over to Phoenix's door, yelling though it.
"Don't so anything stupid!" He sighs and turns back to his apartment. "She better not try OD-ing again."
Through the closed door of Phoenix's apartment Gokudera hears Phoenix's reply.
"Just take all the fun out of my night why don't you!"
Her words were echoed with laughter and Gokudera shakes his head as he pulls his apartment door closed behind him.