Author's Notes: Hello again, all! Welcome to Chapter 2!
Thank you Trey Alexander and YaoiLovinKitsune for the reviews and expressing your opinions on the pairing. My choice is definitely between Shinra and Obi. I'm still not sure which one I want to pick. We'll see as the story develops. That damn klutz Tamaki needs to calm down. If Shinra and Phoenix become a thing, there's definitely going to a fight should Tamaki have one of her 'accidents' while Phoenix is nearby. Just sayin'...
Thank you to everyone who has followed and favorited this story. I do appreciate it!
So on with the chapter...
Phoenix awakened early, just before dawn. After taking off the dress she had fallen asleep in, she lay it across the bare bed. A shopping trip would definitely be in order today. She wanted something to hang her clothes on among other things she needed for her room. But first, she had other things to do.
Dressing in black yoga pants that fit like a second skin and a top barely bigger than a handkerchief that tied around her neck and waist, she made her way down to the kitchen. After grabbing a bottle of water and an apple, she went up to the roof to observe the sunrise.
As she ate the crunchy green apple, the sky began turning a slate grey, gradually becoming lighter and lighter shades of grey until it turned white before light blue coloration seeped into the expanse as the golden ball of the sun bisected the city horizon.
To officially begin her day, she assumed her first yoga position, feet hip width apart and raising her arms to the sky before slowly bending at the waist to touch the rooftop between her bare feet. The sun salutation. What a more perfect way to start the day?
Phoenix was on her way through her second salutation when she heard the door open behind her. Looking between her legs, she saw her new Captain walk out onto the roof.
"Good morning," he greeted her, his mouth stretching into a wide grin.
"Morning, Sir," she returned, taking her time to roll her body up slowly to avoid getting dizzy.
"Will it bother you if I join you out here for my morning workout?" he inquired, pointing toward the weight rack across the roof.
"Won't bother me. Besides, this is your home. I'm a visitor," she said, pivoting on her heel to turn toward him.
The smile fell from his face in such devastating manner she was left wondering what she had said wrong.
"You don't want to stay?" Captain Obi questioned her.
"I didn't say that. I'm here on a probationary basis at the moment, right? I'm sure you'll take into consideration what your subordinates think before making your final decision," she said.
For some reason, she found herself wanting to stay here. The dinner last night, despite the obvious bump in the road by divulging her past so bluntly, had been wonderful. She liked these people. Maybe not Hinawa, but perhaps he would mellow out a bit and become tolerable once he learned to trust her. Two out of three people liked her at least, and she definitely liked them, so that was not too bad. There were still three more members of the Company Eight crew she had not met yet.
"How you feel about things will matter as well. I wouldn't want to keep you here if you don't want to stay," he rejoined. "It will be a mutual decision among all the parties involved."
"Well, for the moment, shall we finish our morning exercise then talk more over breakfast?" she suggested. She almost felt as if she were negotiating a date with him in a strange way.
"Yeah. That would be good," he agreed.
Phoenix completed her circuit of morning yoga poses, mostly stretching and warming up her body to face the physical demands of her day. Strenuous activity had been limited at best before, restricted mainly to answering the calls to put Infernals to rest with a fiery blessing and a purification prayer to save their eternal souls. Honestly, she was not sure how much stock she put into that last part. Her goal was only to destroy the Infernals and do it fast before they could harm anyone else.
Occasionally she would allow herself to be distracted by the grunts of the Captain as he strained to lift the massive weights. The ropy muscles of his forearms would writhe under his tanned skin shiny with sweat as he adjusted his grip on the bar resting across his wide shoulders but still positioned in the rack.
Then the brawny biceps and triceps would engage, stretching the already tight cotton material encircling his thick upper arms. Issuing a grunt of effort, he would pushing the steel bar holding three of the biggest solid iron circles on each side up and over his head. His pectoral muscles would flex and strain against the front of the black t-shirt as he lowered the barbell then pushed it back up before setting it back into the holds on the rack.
Wow...so strong yet kind...a true gentle giant, she thought to herself as she watched him.
Sweat dripped from her chin, dotting the roof between her feet as she bent over for one last stretch. After she stood up, rivulets of sweat ran down her back and soaked the already damp waistband of her pants. Yuck! A shower would be in order before breakfast.
Phoenix wanted to cook for everyone this morning to make a good impression. Maybe it was a little bit of brown nosing as well, but she did enjoy cooking. Cooking had always been one of her greatest joys in life until she joined Company Five. Captain Hibana believed any kind of household chore to be beneath the women of her crew and insisted the men do them all.
After her shower, she returned to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to study its contents. Bottles of water and sports drink filled one entire shelf. Cardboard flats containing dozens upon dozens of eggs were stacked on half of another shelf. Plastic containers full of random leftovers packed the shelf beside the eggs. Leafy green vegetables and a colorful array of fruits nearly overflowed the bottom bins. The Eighth sure made healthy food choices.
After grabbing a bottle of blue sports drink, she began checking the cabinets to see what she had to work with. Typical staples of rice, miso paste, dried herbs and spices, lots of sauces like soy and oyster, sugar, flour, teas, and coffee. Oh, coffee. And not instant. That was un unexpected and happy find. She loved coffee. There was a french press sitting beside the bag of coffee beans and the grinder.
"Awesome," she mumbled to herself.
She decided on making omurice. There were two very large containers of leftover rice and tons of eggs so to her it was an obvious choice. She hummed a she chopped onions and mushrooms, then prepared enough edamame for four servings. While making breakfast she decided to simultaneously assemble bento boxes for lunch.
"Trying to score huge brownie points today?" Captain Obi teased her.
His voice startled her, making her jump so violently her bare feet actually left the floor. For a such a big man, he moved with impressive stealth. She had not heard him come into the kitchen much less come to stand right behind her.
"Yes, yes, I am," she confessed with a sheepish chuckle only half joking.
Phoenix adored the casual and friendly way he interacted with his crew members. He did not set a hard line between himself and his subordinates, not allowing them to cross it. They never would because they respected him. She could definitely get accustomed to the light and stress free environment.
At the Fifth, every day was stressful. Whether it be appeasing the Princess by acting as a loyal lady in waiting, fighting Infernals, or acting as a spy and delivery girl when going to Haijama Industries, there was always loads of tension. The only thing that changed was the degree of stress depending on the specific assignment.
She sighed as she added a little oil to the heated pan and the chopped onions to saute them.
"Carrying the world on your shoulders gets heavy, doesn't it?" Captain Obi asked.
"Yeah," she chuckled mirthlessly. She tossed in the mushrooms. "It does. You sound like a person who knows that weight all too well."
"I do," he admitted, taking a bottle of water from the refrigerator. "That smells delicious. You know how to cook?"
"I do," she proudly confirmed.
Phoenix glanced at the mountain of a man as he moved past her to go to the cabinet. Princess Hibana called him a Neanderthal, a big oaf, a gorilla. She had to admit he was indeed built like a gorilla with huge, bulky arms and a broad chest and back. He was also extremely tall and imposing - but not in a scary way. Hell the Princess was far scarier than him, and she was barely over five feet. Her high heels made her deceptively taller. Her imperious attitude made her ten feet tall and bulletproof.
"Do you like coffee?" Captain Obi inquired, plugging up the grinder.
"I love coffee," Phoenix answered enthusiastically, dumping the entire container rice. She wanted a lot of fried rice to fill the omelettes.
"Do you mind if I ask you a few personal questions?"
"As long as I reserve the right to choose whether I answer them or not."
"That's fair," he returned, spooning beans from the bag into the grinder.
Phoenix added the edamame to the pan as he turned on the grinder. She gritted her teeth against the high pitched metallic whir of the blades crushing the beans. The noise rose to an eardrum piercing screech. She went to the refrigerator to retrieve the butter which gave her a brief respite from the racket before it thankfully ended when he cut the machine off. Grinding beans right before using was always better for the taste but damn rough on the ears.
"What exactly happened to your mother?" he asked, dumping the grounds into the basket of the press.
"Well...," she paused, inhaling a deep breath. "I wasn't given all the details because they were not fully known at the time Captain Hibana showed me the video."
Purposely procrastinating on answering, she took the time to fill the water kettle and turned it on to heat the water to pour over the freshly ground coffee.
"Princess Hibana believes my mother was the lead scientist on an experiment." She paused again. Admitting this about her mother was something she had never done before. Accepting the knowledge for herself was difficult enough. "An experiment to create artificial Infernals."
"Artificial Infernals?" Captain Obi repeated, leaning against the counter.
Phoenix gave him a few minutes to mull that bit of information over, stirring the rice to keep it from burning. She set that pan on a back burner like she wished she could this conversation. However, she would rather tell him herself instead of him hearing the awful truth about her mother - at least what little she knew of it - from Princess Hibana. The feeling her possibly former Captain was holding back something from her had plagued her for a while.
"Captain Hibana believes my mother fell victim to her own experiment by...I guess you could say, by exposing herself to something that sparked the Spontaneous Human Combustion reaction. That's why her fellow scientists were more intent on gathering data than attempting to save her. But I guess there would have been no saving her regardless."
"Are you saying your mother might have isolated what causes Spontaneous Human Combustion?" he questioned her.
She hesitated again, pouring the beaten egg in a pan to begin making an omelet. Cooking posed a fabulous distraction. By staying busy, she was able to keep her apprehension, the downright cold fear gripping her, in check.
"No, that's not what I'm saying. I have no idea what happened really. Captain Hibana didn't give me any more details at that time because I don't think she knew any. However, I'm not sure that's the truth anymore," she murmured, concentrating on spooning rice onto the egg before flipping it over to roll it up.
"What is the truth?"
"I don't know. Maybe the Princess will give you the answers you want soon. I'm hoping she believes she was protecting me from something by not telling me anything more. I want to have full faith in her and her good intentions...especially now."
Phoenix flipped the first perfect rice filled omelette onto a plate before starting another one. She could see the Captain thinking, his forefinger pressed to his chin and chewing on his lower lip while the words ran around and around in his head. This man was far from stupid. The Princess seriously underestimated him which had already gotten her into trouble once.
"What about your father?" the Captain questioned her, deciding on a different but not too far removed line of questioning. "Do you know who your father is? Why didn't he take care of you after your mother died? I'm sorry," he quickly apologized after asking those exceedingly personal questions. "You don't have to answer."
"My mother was a single woman. She used a sperm donor. She wanted a child but not the oppressive entanglement of marriage," she said, doing her best not to sound bitter as she used her mother's own words that she had read from her journal.
"Oh," the Captain breathed, flabbergasted and not sure what to say to her frank statement.
Eventually, Captain Obi would learn not to ask her a question unless he was prepared for a candid and possibly shocking answer. She would be truthful with him because she wanted his trust. Well, as honest as she could possibly be anyway while keeping her own pride intact.
Most of what she said was true. The way she stated that truth was just vague enough not to be a complete lie. Her mother had been a single woman with no interest in marriage. Her father was not a sperm donor in the anonymous donor from a sperm bank sense. She was conceived the old-fashioned way during a her mother's brief but passionate affair with a Fire Soldier. His name was mentioned only once in all of the many entries.
Phoenix knew the identity of her father through the journal her mother left documenting every day of her pregnancy from the positive pregnancy test until the day of her death. The very day her mother learned of her pregnancy, she ended the relationship with the Fire Soldier having achieved her goal. To protect her own dignity, she never bothered to contact the sperm donor of sorts because he never knew about her.
"Captain, I'm not intentionally being rude," she said in a semblance of an apology for her abruptness. "But I want to be as honest with you as I possibly can. I don't want you to think I am hiding anything from you or I have subversive motives. However, the subject of my mother is a touchy one. I still have many questions about her myself. Questions that seem to have no answers."
"In the future, I'll stay away from the subject of your mother whenever possible. Considering her involvement in the matter of Infernals, I'm sure she will be mentioned in documents as we discover more information. I apologize for being too nosy." He waited for her to say something. When she did not, he continued speaking. "There's so many things we need to know to stop the...for lack of a better term, the plague of Infernals. I have no reason to think you're here as a spy working on anyone else's behalf...Captain Hibana's, Haijima Industries, or your own. I'm doing my best to completely trust Hibana," he confessed, carefully pouring the boiling water over the grounds. "I'm looking forward to you becoming a member of this Company."
She glanced at him, briefly making eye contact with his dark brown eyes. His face became handsome when he smiled. There was something incredibly sexy and inviting about those heavy lidded, sleepy looking eyes. She cleared her throat and returned her attention to adding another layer to the omelette in the pan.
"Do you need help?" Captain Obi asked.
"Do you mind washing the vegetables for the salad?" she inquired shyly. It felt a little bit odd requesting her Captain's assistance with such a trivial matter.
"I don't mind at all."
"I'm making bento boxes for lunch."
"That sounds great."
"When will Maki, Shinra, and Arthur return? I'm really looking forward to meeting them," she stated with genuine interest and anticipation.
"It shouldn't be too much longer. Today is their third day at Company One's place. After breakfast, Hinawa will be on his way over there to get an update from Shinra since we haven't heard from him," he explained. "Captain Hibana has been bringing us invaluable new information every day. I appreciate her bringing you as well."
Phoenix's entire body warmed with both delight and embarrassment from his complimentary words.
"Is it okay if I go shopping today? I need to buy a few things for my room," she explained, placing the last omelette on a plate to cut it up for the lunch boxes.
"I don't think there will be a problem with that," he replied. "As far as I know, while we're down so many members, calls are being routed to the other fire companies first leaving us last on the list unless the location is really close by."
Phoenix noticed him pouring the coffee into two mugs so she went to the refrigerator for cream.
"Coffee?" He extended the steaming mug to her which she gratefully accepted.
After she poured enough into the black liquid to turn it a dark beige color, she held out the carton toward him. "Cream?"
"Sure thing."
"What's this?" Hinawa questioned them, his gaze bouncing from one to the other and back again.
Apparently the unexpected scene of domestic bliss between his Captain and the newcomer both confused and offended him.
"Breakfast? Want some?" she asked, tearing the lettuce to begin making a salad in each bento box.
"Coffee?" Obi questioned him.
"I'll make myself some tea," Hinawa returned, carefully edging past her to access the proper cabinet.
"I don't bite," she teased him since he was exceptionally cautious not to touch her.
"She's had all of her shots. It's in her file," Captain Obi added to the joke.
They both shared a chuckle. Hinawa grunted disapprovingly.
"Good morning!" Iris sang out when she joined them.
"Morning!" they called out to her in turn.
"What are you doing?" she asked Phoenix.
"Making breakfast and lunch."
"Can I do anything to help?" the sweet little blonde offered.
"Can you make rice balls?" Phoenix asked.
"I can try," she returned a bit nervously.
"It's not hard. You can do it. Let me show you."
"Rice balls? For breakfast?" Hinawa sniffed disapprovingly.
"Lunch," Phoenix corrected him, pointing at the Bento boxes being assembled.
"Well, aren't you efficient? Preparing two meals at once and making use of the leftovers to prevent waste. You might not be so bad after all," he mumbled, filling the little teapot with hot water from the kettle.
If that was a compliment it was an extremely veiled one. She would take it as one anyway.
"We'll keep it simple. A pickled plum in the middle and a strip of nori at the bottom," Phoenix explained to Iris, wetting her hands before picking up a handful of the sticky rice.
She could not keep the wide grin from her face as she happily showed Iris how to form one half of the 'ball' into a somewhat flat triangle, placed the plum in the middle, and formed a second triangle over that to make a complete rice ball. The men watched as well but more as a passing interest while they waited for breakfast to be ready.
Phoenix enjoyed being with these people. It was nice to have something close to a family again. She missed her aunt and uncle. They had been good to her, being the best parents they could be. Thankfully they had no children of their own who would resent her for 'stealing' their parents. She became the daughter they never expected to have.
However, against their wishes, she left home to become a Fire Soldier rather than going to university as they had hoped. For six months they did not return her calls, texts, or emails. Finally, she stopped trying to communicate. It hurt too much to be rejected.
As much as she respected Princess Hibana and was proud to be a part of Company Five, day to day life was cold and impersonal with a definitive hierarchy and specific rules for behavior. The Company had too many secrets, too much confidential information not to be conducted in such a manner. Not to mention their Captain's own ideas of women's dominance over men. But that was another subject entirely.
Phoenix wanted to be a part of something new. Something real. To be in a place where people were honest with their feelings and honest with each other. Where no one thought they were superior to anyone else. She wanted a family again.
"Iris, would you like to go shopping with me today?" Phoenix asked over breakfast.
"That would be fun," she cheerfully replied.
"Morning everyone!" Princess Hibana greeted them, confidently striding into the room.
The Captain of Company Five looked like a business executive wearing a brown pencil skirt, cream colored button up shirt with thin brown stripes, and a silky cream colored vest over that. She had a thick file folder under her arm.
Phoenix immediately hopped off of her stool while everyone else stayed in their seat, eating their breakfast around the large rectangular silver table in the middle of the kitchen; the same table used for preparations.
"Morning, ma'am!" Phoenix greeted her formally with a bow.
"At ease, Soldier. I'm not your Captain any longer," she told her with a tranquil smile. She spoke as if the transfer were already official.
They both cast a glimpse at Akitaru Obi who sat stuffing his face, oblivious to the looks given to him by the women. He neither confirmed nor denied in action or word that he had accepted her permanently.
"Ma'am, it's only been - " Phoenix whispered.
"I know it's only been a day. Don't worry, dear," Hibana said, catching her chin between her thumb and forefinger. "He'll grow to love you like I did."
Phoenix's face burned with shame from the woman's loaded statement that allowed them to take as it as they wished; choosing to be dirty minded or not was strictly up to them.
"Would you like some breakfast?" Okitaru Obi asked her as if he had not heard her. "Phoenix made it."
"You..." Princess Hibana's blue eyes latched onto her face. The flower shaped pupils seemed to contract with disgust as she stared at Phoenix's face. "You cooked?"
"Yes, ma'am," she answered. She was never allowed to exhibit her culinary skills in the professional, restaurant quality kitchen at Fire Force Combine Five.
"Hmmm," the woman murmured, eyeing Phoenix critically to convey her objection to the practice of performing menial labor.
"You don't know what you're missing, Princess. It's really good," Captain Obi said, finishing off his last bite.
"I've already eaten. A light breakfast of fruit and yogurt prepared then brought to me by one of my men," she said with emphasis on the word men.
"Yes, well, everyone around here pulls their own weight, playing their part to make this Company work," Hinawa interjected. "She's going to fit in nicely I think."
Phoenix could not contain the happiness that threatened to split her face in half from her big smile. His positive endorsement and willingness to accept her shocked her. However, he might have done so simply in an effort to aggravate Captain Hibana.
"Let's go to my office," Captain Obi suggested.
"After our meeting, I'll go check in with Shinra," Hinawa announced as if to warn them to hurry it up because he had places to go.
"I won't keep you long," Princess Hibana assured him.
To assuage her growing apprehension, Phoenix stood up and began gathering empty dishes. After washing them, she and Iris would be off on their shopping trip.
~\..'../~
The shopping trip was more business than fun, but Phoenix was glad Iris came along to keep the outing from being too mundane. In addition to sheets for her bed and something to hang her clothes on, she bought cleaners and light bulbs and a few other odds and ends for the Fire Cathedral. She wanted to continue to make her contribution to the household since it seemed she had found the way to Hinawa's heart was through hard work and dedication to one's fellow Fire Soldiers. It was quite logical actually.
Upon returning to their home, Phoenix changed into some of her older work out clothes she would need to replace soon. No time like the present to wear them out and buy new ones. She filled two buckets: one with water and one with water and cleaner to in order to commence the momentous task of cleaning the entire first floor.
"You know you don't have to work so hard to impress anyone," Captain Obi said as he passed her on his way to the kitchen to retrieve a sports drink after his second work out of the morning. "I'm already more than willing to accept you as a new member."
"I appreciate that. Cleaning is something that needs to be done. Wouldn't you agree?" she asked.
The Captain scratched the back of his head self-consciously. His cheeks took on a light pink color in embarrassment.
"Yeah. Unfortunately, household chores weren't too high on any of our priority lists," he admitted.
"I don't mind helping out. I'm not opposed to hard work. Actually, in a weird way, I've kind of missed it over the last year. Performing what Captain Hibana calls menial labor is necessary work. It gives me a sense of pride and accomplishment to see a job well done."
"I understand what you mean. Well, if you need any assistance, let me know."
"Yes, sir." She would probably take him up on that offer later when it was time to change the light bulbs.
Phoenix was in the hall outside of Captain Obi's office on her hands and knees cleaning the floor when Lieutenant Hinawa returned. She ignored him at first, scooting out of his way so he could enter the office while continuing her scrubbing.
"Be careful. Don't slip," she warned him as he tread across the wet floor.
"Thank you for your hard work," he stated simply, closing the door behind him.
Phoenix did not intentionally eavesdrop on the conversation taking place behind the closed door. Hinawa reported that on the first day of being at The First, Shinra challenged Captain Burns to a fight. Her blood felt as if it had briefly congealed in her veins upon hearing that name. She recognized the name of Leonard Burns for more reasons than hearing and seeing it frequently during Company Five's investigations and intel gathering. More importantly, the reason his name really gave her pause, was because his name was the one in her mother's journal - her father, the unwitting sperm donor.
Hinawa informed Captain Obi that, in no uncertain terms, Shinra got his ass handed to him by Captain Burns, receiving a lesson in humility. He went on to say that Shinra and Arthur were centering their attention on three dubious priests in the company.
Gradually moving away from the door as they continued their conversation, she stayed on task determined to clean the entire floor. At last, she reached the end of the hall. Glancing behind her, she admired the gleaming checkered floor. Despite the occasional cracked or chipped tile, it did look a hundred times better.
The two men emerged from the office, both glancing each way down the hall.
"Good job, Duchess," Captain Obi praised her. "Hungry?"
Her tummy answered for her by growling and gurgling. She giggled in response to mortifying sound.
"Well, I guess that's a yes," he said with a big smile.
"Let me get a quick shower, and I'll meet you in the kitchen." She was even more glad she had prepared the Bento boxes this morning.
Phoenix sat on the floor watching them as they walked to the kitchen. She needed an extra minute to find the strength to haul her tired body up from the floor.
After her second shower of the day, she joined them in kitchen wearing a slate grey top that appeared to be a modest scoop necked shirt but plunged to her lower back and a black, curve skimming, knee length skirt. Although wearing high heeled shoes, the wedge shaped heel offered more stability than a pencil thin heel which Princess Hibana preferred.
"Do you even own a jumpsuit?" Hinawa asked her, raising a questioning eyebrow at her. "And anything that isn't black?"
"Actually, no. Only the men of the company were allowed to wear those hideous orange jumpsuits as the Princes referred to them. The women had to dress up at all times. Look our best no matter what. My shirt isn't black. It's dark grey," she informed him.
"Well, that's unfair," Captain Obi murmured, glancing at her tall shoes. "And uncomfortable."
"It is, but that's just the way things were around there. The Captain ran a tight ship. The women were her favorites needless to say, and she didn't try to hide that fact. She held us to a higher standard, expecting more and refusing to take anything less."
Phoenix took a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and sat down at the prep/meal table where they had already set out the boxed lunch for her which included rolled omelette, a salad, and the rice balls she and Iris made. She smiled at the hopelessly misshapen triangle in her box but ate it with great delight.
"This is good. I like the idea of you doing the cooking. So with that being said, why would like to become a permanent part of the Eighth?" Hinawa questioned her as if interrogating her.
"Isn't it obvious from what little bit I've told you about the restrictive rules of the Fifth? There's more, but I'd rather not go into that. Besides, I think Princess Hibana wanted me out. Particularly when it came to the dealings with Haijima Industries," she answered between bites, taking her time to slowly spoon feed him the information he wanted. She had been trained to be cautious, slow to speak, choosing her words carefully when being interrogated.
"Why?" he pressed.
God, this man is relentless, the voice inside her head screamed in agitation.
"Because we were getting close to discovering the truth of what happened to my mother...of what she was working on...the thing that makes the Artificial Infernals," she explained hesitantly. "I don't think she wanted me to be a part of it when the truth came out because she was not sure how I would handle it. Honestly, I don't know how I would process that information either. The results most likely would not have been good either way and the intel would have been lost among the casualties."
"Casualties?" he murmured. "What do you mean?"
"Considering the bizarre way my mother died...the way I was born...what if there's something inside of me, ticking like a time bomb, waiting for the trigger to finally go off?" she asked him, keeping her eyes stubbornly locked with his. "What if I lost control and turned into an Infernal?"
"But you wouldn't. There are absolutely no instances of someone who is a Second or Third Generation to revert and become an Infernal," Hinawa insisted.
"Do we know everything about the phenomenon of Spontaneous Human Combustion? No...no, we don't," she went on without waiting for an answer. "There's a first time for everything. I don't want to be the first, but - "
"Stop!" Captain Obi ordered her in his deep voice that reverberated off of the kitchen walls. "That's enough. Stop this right now."
"If something happens - "
"It won't," he cut her off, his tone grim and warning. "Not another word."
"I apologize for speaking out of turn, Captain," she said, her voice thick and slightly garbled from the bit of emotion that still choked her.
"I understand that you might be scared because things were different for you. I can honestly say I've never of anything like you're birth story. Typically, if a pregnant woman ignites, the baby dies with her." He swallowed hard, the sound easily heard in the eerie silence. "You were lucky. Obviously, you're different and set apart from others by that alone. But don't go thinking so highly of yourself that you would be so different you'd be the first to regress into an Infernal. No one is that special."
"Yes, Captain," she submissively agreed.
The word special had been spoken with overwhelming sarcasm. There was absolutely nothing special about becoming an Infernal. That was the strangest way anyone had ever tried to cheer her up. She did understand his point though. This peculiar fear of possibly becoming an Infernal had crossed her mind from time to time when she thought about the circumstances of her birth. Like most fears, it was irrational and made no sense.
"I'll wash the dishes," Phoenix announced.
"I can help," Captain Obi offered.
"You don't have to. I can - " She paused when his serious but gentle brown eyes met hers. "That would be great. Do you prefer washing or drying?"
"Drying. I can reach the high shelves easier to put the dishes away."
"Works for me."
A wordless chasm stretched between them. Enough words had already been spoken. Silence was preferable at the moment no matter how uncomfortable. After completing the chore of washing the dishes, Phoenix asked him about assisting her with replacing the light bulbs.
"Your height will come in handy," she said. "No ladder required."
Retrieving the light bulbs from her room, she glanced at the set of sheets that needed to be washed and put on the bed, the curtains waiting to be on the window, and the aluminum rack that required assembling to accommodate her clothing and shoes. She sighed wearily. It would have to be done later. Most likely tomorrow.
"So do we get to see a demonstration of your skills or does that have to wait until we're out in the field?" Captain Obi asked her as they went about switching out the blown light bulbs.
"Well, I - "
As if on the cue, Iris came running into the hallway.
"We received a call about an Infernal. Three actually!" she exclaimed.
Phoenix met the Captain's eyes when he glanced at her.
"I guess that answers my question, Duchess. Gear up everybody! Time to go!" the Captain declared.
Phoenix rushed to her room, placing the bags of bulbs on the floor. She pulled her uniform out of her bag. Oh, Hinawa was going to love this considering he already criticized her wardrobe. Her uniform was a modified version of the one worn by the Angels of the Fifth; instead of being low and revealing in the front, it zipped all the way to her neck and was cut out in the back.
Accustomed to running in four inch heels, she dashed to the slick brass pole at the end of the hallway where she could slide all the way down to the garage. The Matchbox waited for departure with everyone inside. She hopped into the back with Iris, and Captain Obi stomped the gas making the tires screech and smoke as the heavy vehicle shot out of the building.
"There's multiple Infernals in an office. The fire fighters evacuated the employees so it should be a pretty easy job. You ready for this?" Captain Obi asked Phoenix, meeting her eyes in the rear view mirror.
"This isn't my first rodeo, Captain. I can handle this," she returned confidently.
"Until we assess the situation, you hang back and allow us to take the lead. Got it?" Lieutenant Hinawa demanded.
"Yes, Sir," she replied dutifully.
Her blood coursed through her veins, turning her skin pink and making her sweat. The adrenaline rush made her jumpy, causing to her to fidget with her gloves, the zipper pull, the tops of her boots at her knees. Soon she would be able to bolt out of this metal wagon and put that edginess to use.
As they arrived on scene, the boom of an explosion sounded. The windows blew out of the top floor of the five story building sending glass and pillars of orange-red flames out into the air. Black smoke poured through the new openings. The Fire Fighters positioned on ladder trucks extended the ladders to get closer, shooting white jets of water at the fourth floor below to keep the fire from spreading downward.
"Shit," Hinawa growled. "Let's go. Getting up to the fifth floor won't be fast."
"I can get there faster, Sir," Phoenix assured him.
"But - "
"I can do this. Trust me...please," she begged the Lieutenant.
"Go!" Captain Obi ordered her. "We'll be up there soon."
After a nod of acknowledgement, Phoenix turned her back to them to face the building. She bent her head forward as if in prayer until her chin nearly touched her chest. The tattoo glowed like the embers of a fire. Light orange flames began to erupt from the thick, dark outer lines of the wings. The flames grew bigger and more numerous until they formed a pair of folded wings that extended from her back and reached the ground behind her. She spread out her arms and the wings followed making a whooshing sound as they unfolded and stretched out.
"Angel's wings," Okitaru Obi breathed, recalling Princess Hibana's words. It was quite the sight to see.
The feathers of fire shook and took a tentative flap before raising up and pushing down in earnest, launching her into the air. Rather than flying, it was more like jet propulsion sending out a wave of heat behind her from the resulting thermal energy expended to lift her off of the ground. She soared through the air like a missile, right up to the fifth floor.
"Come on! We've got to hurry!" Obi yelled, rushing into the building to the emergency stairwell.
Phoenix landed on the blackened and melted carpet just inside one of the blown out floor to ceiling windows that was presently a giant gaping hole with fragments of melted glass attached in places along the charred and twisted metal frame. The black cloud of smoke inside surrounded her, temporarily blinding her and bringing tears to her eyes as the acrid stench filled her nose. The odor of burning plastic mixed with the malodorous smell of seared flesh made her gag. That was a disturbing stink she could not, and probably would not, ever be able to stomach.
Folding her wings, they flowed behind her like an orange and yellow cape with a life of its own, rippling and swaying with each step as if being ruffled by a breeze. Hunkering down to lower herself under the black haze obscuring her vision, she spotted the three Infernals, glowing yellow and orange in the middle of the room. They appeared to be inside what was once a glass enclosed office that most likely belonged to the office manager. Only the bent silver metal frame remained.
The three Infernals were going berserk intent on completely destroying that office. Strange that three people in the same place would erupt at the exact same time. If it were not for the black bodies engulfed by flames, they would appear to be nothing more than disgruntled office workers getting their revenge by setting fires in trash cans and wrecking office equipment.
Burning pieces of paper drifted through the air like a flurry in Hell as she made her way toward them. One of them noticed her advance, lobbing a fire ball at her as if tossing a baseball her way. Extending her wings, she batted the round flaming projectile back toward the Infernal, hitting him in the head. Of course it did no damage; she had not intended for it to strike with any power.
The wings began shrinking from a twelve foot span down to a six foot span - a more manageable size for inside the building and for the attack she was about to launch next.
"Come forth, Dante," she called.
The members of Company Five arrived in time to see a flaming head erupt from her back, the long neck extending and rising above her head until it was proportional to the wings. The bird opened its mouth, issuing a shriek not unlike that of a falcon or other bird of prey.
"Sister, start the prayer," Captain Obi commanded her.
"Yes, Sir. Ashes to ashes..."
The large wings flapped, gracefully withdrawing the bird from her back and separating the creature made of pure living fire from her body. She waved her arm forward, pointing at the Infernals. They were Fire Phoenix incarnate's prey. The sentient creature flew toward the three Infernals gathered around a desk in a glassed in office, most likely their boss's, ripping it apart as it burned.
The bird circled around above their heads in the small space, drawing their attention away from the desk. After another circle, the bird of fire flapped it's great, flaming wings once, laying them flat by its sides and poking its beak out straight. At the moment, the creature resembled a giant fiery arrow, its crest and tail flapping in the wind it created along its trajectory.
As the Infernals threw fireballs at it, the phoenix surged forward, undeterred. Its beak penetrated the chest of the first infernal, then its entire body, making it disappear in an explosion like a firework bursting. The purifying fire continued on to impale and dispatch the second Infernal in burst of yellow sparks. The third Infernal ducked and rolled to get out of the way.
As the Firebird turned to go around for another pass, the Infernal caught it by its lengthy, elegant neck. The bird unleashed another unearthly scream as the Infernal appeared to be choking it.
Obi, Hinawa, and Iris watched in awe as Phoenix drew her arms together in front of her and the bird simultaneously enclosed the Infernal with its wings. The fiery creature pulled its wings tighter and tighter around the Infernal encasing it in a flaming iron maiden of sorts.
"Everybody get back!" she yelled, stepping closer toward the office in direct contrast to her warning.
The Lieutenant surmised what was about to happen first. He stepped in front of Iris, shielding her with is body. Captain Obi positioned his body in line with Phoenix's, bending his knees and keeping his limbs loose so the impact of her body hitting his would not injure either one of them.
Phoenix snapped her fingers, detonating the bird in a concussive explosion that sent heated shock waves through the entire floor. The sudden and temporary lack of oxygen, the literal fighting fire with fire, snuffed out the flames, leaving nothing but a pile of smoking ash behind.
Captain Obi held out his arms, prepared to catch the flying body of Phoenix that had been lifted and thrown backwards from the blast. He successfully caught her in his arms, more with the entire front of his body actually. The impact spread across his chest inducing a pressure that squeezed his heart and lungs making it difficult to breathe. But nothing was broken.
There was enough momentum from the subsequent shock wave it sent him sliding backwards for another six feet or so before his back finally hit the wall. Knocked silly and completely breathless, he slid down the wall while keeping a tight grip on the woman in his arms.
"Your ability truly is beautiful and formidable," Captain Obi said, flipping up the grated face shield attached to his helmet. "In the future, I want you to refrain from putting yourself in harm's way like that. Do you understand?"
"But the circumstances required - "
"It was an empty building. All of the employees had already been evacuated. You used unnecessary force. You were showing off. And I let you," he added, panting heavily in an effort to regain the breath that had been quite literally knocked out of him. "I apologize for allowing my own selfish curiosity to get the best of me and allowing you to be reckless and stupid."
"Sir, please," she pleaded, struggling to get out of his arms. "I've done this before."
"Maybe so. But you're with my Company now, and we do things differently here. We use no more force than necessary. No crew members leave in body bags. When we all go in, we all come out. Do you understand?" he demanded pointedly, refusing to allow her to stand up.
"Yes, Sir. I understand," she confirmed, laying limply in his lap while she struggled to catch her breath as well.
After several long minutes, their breathing returned to normal. Akitaru Obi picked her up, standing her on her feet before rising to his own. He gave her a disapproving glance before striding toward the emergency stairwell.
"Let's go. We're done here."
Phoenix received no accolades this time. Only a stiff back and the silent treatment on the way to the place it seemed she would be calling home...if this little incident did not change his mind.
While in the shower, she berated herself for being prideful, careless, and just plain selfish. She had meant to impress him, but instead indulged in overkill which almost got them killed or at the very least, seriously injured. Thankfully none of that happened.
"Are you all right?" Iris asked her as they were toweling off and getting dressed.
"I'm fine. Are you all right?" she asked in return.
"No harm done," she assured her. "It isn't often the Captain gets angry like that."
Phoenix figured as much. Being the reason for that rare burst of anger added insult to injury. She felt absolutely ashamed of herself. Talking about her mother had stirred up so many emotions, so much of anger of her own, she had not known what to do with it. Princess Hibana was correct in her decision to pull her out of the information gathering part of the investigation before something went awry.
"He's only like that because he wants us all to be safe. He doesn't want to lose anyone under his command. He thinks of us all as family," Iris said, patting her on the shoulder.
"Yeah. I know. That's one of the main reasons I want to stay here. I might have just screwed that up."
"The Captain is a forgiving man. Everything will be fine. You should forgive yourself too."
"Yeah."
Not for a while, she thought to herself, jerking her grey shirt over her head and pulling back on her body hugging skirt. She did not bother with shoes, choosing to go barefoot instead.
Phoenix went to her room, stopping at the doorway. She studied the disorganized mess trying to decide where to begin. Putting together the garment rack and shoe shelf? Later. Finishing the light bulbs? Definitely not. Captain Obi's help was required for that. She doubted he wanted to talk her at the moment.
She pressed the heel of hand to her forehead, closing her aching eyes to give them a rest. Her eyeballs still stung from the smoke. The bed needed to be done. So she grabbed the package containing the sheet set as well as all of her dirty clothing since she would be washing anyway to make her way to the garage. During her tour, she had made a mental note of the washer and dryer there.
Thank goodness there was already a supply of detergent and other laundry necessities since she had forgotten to buy them. She put the sheets on to wash first, leaving her clothes in a pile in front of the washer to go in next. Since there was no where to sit, she hopped on top of the front loading washer. She could go back up stairs and do other things, but she did not want to.
Soon she found herself growing sleepy as the top of the washer warmed from the hot water inside, and it made a gentle rocking motion as it ran. Her eyes still throbbed and burned. Each time she closed them, they became more difficult to open. Although it was weird probably incredibly inappropriate, she lay down across the top of the washer and dryer positioned side by side. Without meaning to, she fell asleep.
~\..'../~
Phoenix did not show for dinner, stirring concern in him. Assuming she was in her room, possibly too busy to notice the time or asleep, Captain Obi went to her room to check on her afterward. The door stood wide open, but she was no where in sight.
"Where the hell is she?" he murmured to himself.
Not one to panic, he began a methodical search of the house including all unoccupied rooms, the roof, and a second check of the kitchen on his way to the common area. Hinawa sat on the couch thumbing through a gun magazine. Iris was sitting with her legs folded under in the big, comfy chair reading a book, most likely studying scriptures or prayers.
"What's wrong?" Hinawa inquired.
"I can't find the Duchess. Have either one of you seen her?" His eyebrows were drawn together over the bridge of his nose, and he scratched his head in confusion.
"I haven't. I was wondering why it was so quiet around here," he mumbled as if thinking aloud.
"Iris?" he questioned her, ignoring the Lieutenant.
"I haven't seen her since after our shower. Have you checked the garage? She may be doing laundry," she said, recalling Phoenix had mentioned having to wash the sheets from their conversation while shopping.
"I was just on my way there," he replied. "Thanks."
Upon entering the garage, there was a serene stillness. The muted lights illuminating the area surrounding the Matchbox brightened after he walked further into the room. Through the quiet he could hear soft breathing, a sighing sound. The edges of the circles of light dispelled the shadows around the washer and dryer. There she lay on top of them, curled up like a cat taking a pleasant nap.
"What the hell?" he murmured to himself, walking toward her.
Somehow he managed to keep his heavy boots from making a sound as he crossed the concrete floor. Her head rested on her folded arm for support. Briefly he studied her face, relaxed in sleep. Her cheeks were blushed a light pink. Her rosy red lips poked out in a pout. Although almost twenty one according her file, she looked about twelve presently.
Bending down, he opened the circular door of the washing machine that had finished its wash cycle long ago. He paused, glancing up at her to see if she was still asleep. She had not moved. Being careful to make the least amount of noise possible, he transferred the sheets to the dryer. Easily reaching over her feet, he turned the machine on. Her breathing pattern never even changed.
Poor thing. She must be completely exhausted not to be startled awake by any of the sound or movement around her, he thought.
Seeing the pile of clothing on the floor waiting to be washed, he decided the least he could do to repay her for the difficult and excellent cleaning work she had been doing was to throw her clothes into the machine. His large hands allowed him to pick up the entire pile and toss it in. All of her clothing being dark colors made washing convenient, no separating.
An article of her clothing caught on his finger, and he accidentally pulled it out when he withdrew his hands. What appeared to be a wide T-shaped piece of lace was hooked on his forefinger. To his chagrin, he realized it was a pair of bikini underwear.
"Captain?"
His eyes flew upwards to meet hers that were blinking sleepily at him. He snatched the piece of material from his finger and threw it into the machine, quickly slamming the door closed.
"What are you doing?" she asked, sitting up.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" he demanded a little more gruffly than intended, his voice a bit rough from attempting to swallow his embarrassment.
"I fell asleep. I'm sorry," she apologized.
Phoenix sat on top of the washer, her legs dangling off as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She extended her arms to him. More than ever she appeared to be a woman child.
Akitaru Obi reached for her, his big hands almost completely encompassing her small waist as he lifted her from the machine and lowered her to her feet onto the floor in front of him. She looked so small as he gazed down at her. The top of her head barely reached the middle of his chest.
That tiny body held a powerful, savage ability that could possibly be self-destructive. Although endowed with the ignition ability of a Third Generation, she wielded the embodiment of her power with the skill and precision of a Second Generation Pyrokinetic.
The file Princess Hibana brought with her this morning was the personnel file on Phoenix. The hard copy file contained information not present in her online record. The woman had also shared information about her gleaned from videos and documents from Haijima Industries.
A copy of the scientist's personal, extremely personal, journal she kept at the office had been made and kept by the company before her personal belongings had been turned over to the family after her death. A sample of the infant's blood had been taken during the emergency measures performed immediately after the astounding birth and before the baby girl was rushed to a civilian hospital. They tested that blood to confirm the DNA. Leonard Burns was indeed her father.
Knowing her patriarchal lineage explained her gift to administer with a snap of her fingers that fierce, explosive blast which effectively extinguished the Infernal and any remaining fire in the area.
So far, Phoenix had been completely truthful with him except for one thing - the identity of her father. Actually, he was not sure if she even knew. If she did know, she was well within her personal rights to keep that information her own secret. As a matter of fact, she had warned him she might not answer all of his questions yet she had answered them to best of her ability.
"Your dinner is in the refrigerator if you're hungry," he told her.
"I'm not hungry," she murmured, visibly shivering in front of him.
He had felt the heat emanating from her body straight through her clothes when he picked her up earlier. Her skin was so hot, as if she were running a fever. It had been at least six hours since they answered that call yet her body was still dispersing heat.
"Go get a bottle of water and a sports drink. You need to stay hydrated," he said more as a kind order rather than a friendly suggestion. "I'll bring the sheets up to your room when they're done."
"Okay," she returned, slowly walking away. At the bottom of the stairs, she turned back to tell him, "Thank you, Captain."
"No problem at all," he assured her.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he watched her drag herself up the stairs. Tomorrow Company Eight's little Fire Bird needed to take a rest.