Author's Note: Full disclosure right here at the beginning, I am not going to go into great detail about their arrival at Haijima Industries or the fight or even their conversation with Gureo Haijima afterward. As I have stated before, I am not writing a transcript of the anime. If you watched the anime, you are well aware of what was said and done. I thought it would be a little more interesting to see it all from a different perspective being that of the OC.
Phoenix paced the white tiled floor. Once again, she was being held prisoner underground. They were keeping her in a clear box in the basement. The walls were made of some kind of fireproof material. Water sprinklers were attached to ceiling and the vents were rigged to pump in a dry powder fire extinguishing agent if the closely regulated temperature of the room rose more than five degrees.
Rather than being chained up, this time she had been fitted with a device akin to a straight jacket through which liquid nitrogen constantly flowed to keep her cold and prevent her from igniting a flame to manifest her wings.
Although there were cameras in the four corners of the box monitoring her, Phoenix was pretty sure there were people watching her on the other side of the wall comprised of dark glass of the otherwise steel walled room around her transparent cage.
The President was unwilling to risk leaving her any slim chance at escape. The only way she could get out is if someone unlocked and opened the door. They would also have to remove the contraption keeping her useless and trapped without her fire.
She had no choice but to wait to be rescued. Hopefully that inquisitive and traitorous idiot Viktor Licht would remember his promise, use his connections, and find her. The thought of being left behind again while in the hands of an enemy terrified her more than she would admit even to herself.
"Ugh, Holy Sol, of all the people to have to rely on," she grumbled under her breath.
Phoenix hated this damsel in distress shit. Her pants swished like a skirt around her legs as she continued to aimlessly pace.
She detested these clothes. She had been given loose, wide legged white pants and only a thine white cotton tank top to wear under her cooling straight jacket. Although she was no longer barefoot, she might as well be considering her shoes are flat thong sandals.
Why did all of her clothes have to be white? She missed the color black. She missed her figure flattering pants and her backless shirts which enabled her to freely spread her wings. She yearned for a pair of high heels so she would not have to feel so short anymore.
At least there was a cot in her cage. Phoenix did not have to suffer the humiliation and discomfort of sleeping like a mistreated pet on the freezing tile floor. She sat down on the plain little bed and folded her legs in the lotus position. Closing her eyes, she tried to separate herself at least mentally from her present predicament like she had so many times while stuck in the Nether.
As she began to drift away, to a different place where only she and Shinra and happiness existed, the door lock rattled as it was turned. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes. She was irritated by the interruption that prevented her from going to her happy place because in reality she had lost hers.
The two big goons about the size of Captain Ōbi but not nearly as strong stood at the door. Both of them still wore the bandages on their foreheads from where she had knocked them together four days ago. Their eyes were bruised underneath as well.
The two men separated revealing Gureo Haijima behind them. His shoulders were slightly slumped, his head jutting forward a little. He held his hands clasped behind his back. His face was slack from registering zero emotion. His almost black eyes, dead and dispassionate as ever, looked her over with disapproval. He appeared to dislike her new attire too, although he was the one who ordered her to be fitted with the "special" coat to render her defenseless.
"Come with me, young lady. We have some unexpected guests. There are a few I am sure you would like to see though," he said, beckoning her to come forward with a wave of his hand.
"Unexpected guests?" Phoenix inquired, slowly unfolding her legs and standing with some difficulty. Her arms were pinned to her body and held down after all which caused balance problems.
"I had a meeting scheduled with your friend Viktor Licht. He brought along the boy who used to be one of ours. I was curious to see how much he had progressed." He paused, sighing with obvious disappointment as he turned his back to her. "I had not intended for them to bring along all of Company Eight."
Company Eight? They're all here? Phoenix smiled as her heart soared with hope. Although they had not come to rescue her specifically, she saw her chances of getting out of here improving greatly. Especially since he was leading her away from her basement holding cell.
"Some of your White Clad friends have arrived as well," he informed her as they walked down the dim hallway.
"They are most certainly not my friends," she clarified, spitting out the words as if they tasted bad in her mouth.
"I see," he mumbled as he came to a stop in front of the elevator and waited patiently for the doors to open.
Well, this is weird, Phoenix thought, casting glimpses at the men standing on either side of her. They stared straight ahead at the black metal doors like their boss in front of her. The seconds continued to tick by. Where was this elevator coming from, and how far down are we exactly?
Finally, the doors slid apart revealing blinding white interior made even more brilliant by the florescent lights overhead inside the corridor.
"Oh, great, another box," she muttered as she stepped inside behind the old man.
After a long elevator ride, a few twists and turns down dark wood paneled hallways, they turned into a corridor lined by floor to ceiling windows on each side.
Why couldn't I have been in a hall like this the day I tried to escape?, she mused.
An explosion rocked the building, making her halt immediately but the other three never broke stride. The bodyguards seized the straps across her shoulders and lifted her from her feet to carry her along between them.
Ah, this is lovely. My straight jacket also serves as a convenient carrying case for me, she thought, giggling a little bit maniacally. Her escorts nor President Haijima seemed to notice her quick spiral into lunacy before she caught hold of herself.
They stopped in front of two dark oak double doors with what looked like two foot long scrolls of brass attached to them vertically to serve as handles. The bodyguards sat her down on her feet behind the President and walked forward to each grab a handle and open the doors for their boss to walk in. She followed.
This was a different office than the first one she had been taken to when she met Gureo Haijima. The wall behind the standard mahogany desk was nothing but windows offering an unobstructed view of half the grounds of the facility. Two wingback executive chairs sat in front of the desk which were the only other furnishings in the room.
"Come stand by me, young lady," the President ordered her, sitting down at his desk.
His excessive politeness and the way he kept referring to her as 'young lady' rather than by her name both annoyed and unnerved her. Turning her back on all of them, she scanned the property laid out before her like a giant, life sized model of a small city.
From her vantage point on the top floor of the ten story building, Phoenix could see over most of the rooftops of the other buildings and down some of the corridors between them. Down one alley she saw Haumea and Arrow. Their backs were to her but they were easy enough to recognize at any angle. She gasped, holding her breath.
Oh, no. What the hell is Haumea doing here? Why isn't Arrow by Shō's side?
The Puppeteer was there as well with Dominion whom she had launched toward Haumea. Blue flashes emerged from the White Clad's fingertips but fizzled and died before reaching the puppet. Arrow prepared to let loose a flaming projectile but Maki stepped up.
Phoenix almost screamed with happiness. The Eighth is here! Maki punched Arrow twice with enough power to make her stumble backwards. Before Arrow could gain her footing , Maki grabbed her and body slammed her.
"Hell yeah," Phoenix murmured under her breath.
Many times she had assisted Maki with practicing that move and perfecting it, receiving plenty of brute force body slams. Although they were on the padded mats on the roof, it still left bruises and lots of aching muscles. She shifted uncomfortably with the memory.
Haumea shot another surge of electricity, striking the ground at the other women's feet to separate Maki from Arrow. She sent out another shock, this time hitting Arrow and blowing off half of her clothes before pulling her comrade back into her arms.
"Oh, shit," Phoenix muttered.
"Did you say something?" Gureo Haijimi inquired as he picked up his handheld game.
"No, Sir," she replied respectfully.
Footsteps, pounding noisily on the floor and moving fast, bounced off the walls in the hallway alerting them that someone was coming toward the office.
Phoenix's belly tightened with anticipation. Who would it be? Shinra? Captain Ōbi? Viktor? Oh, that would suck. Viktor Licht couldn't save himself much less her.
The henchmen grabbed the doorknobs and opened the doors before the person broke through and slammed them in the face with the wildly swinging doors. A man dressed in a white lab coat slid to a stop in the middle of the room in front of the President's desk. It wasn't Viktor.
The lab technician bent over, bracing his hands on his knees as he open mouthed panted for air. Scientists weren't typically known for their athleticism.
"Yes? What is it?" President Haijima inquired his voice an unwavering monotone.
"The..." Lots of heavy breathing. "The White Clads..." Gulp and more panting. "...have taken Nataku and..." Pant, pant.
"Oh, Holy Sol," Phoenix muttered, rolling her eyes. "This is going to take damn near forever."
The President issued a heavy sigh of longsuffering. "If you have come to tell us about the intruders, we are aware."
Phoenix rotated her body a half turn to see one of the bodyguards pick up the winded scientist to snap his scrawny neck. She shuddered at the crunch of breaking bone and shifted her eyes back toward the window. Unfortunately, she could not block out the sound of the dull thud the lifeless body hitting the floor.
"There was no reason to kill him," she said, shuffling a few steps away from Gureo Haijima while keeping him in her peripheral vision.
"When mistakes are made, someone must pay," he returned, his voice flat and devoid of all emotion. "It's just good business practice."
"Good business practice indeed," she muttered, searching the grounds for other members of the Eighth.
How would she pay for her mistakes? She still felt like she had made a big mistake by walking away from Shō and not putting up a fight. All of the hours she had tried to reason with herself about that situation had not assuaged her guilt one iota.
In a parking area marked with white lines but vacant of cars, Kurono was attacking Arthur who stood between him and his intended targets, Iris and Tamaki. Kurono is such a shameless asshole. It was as if he took great pride preying on the weakest opponents.
Shinra appeared, flying at Kurono to kick the blades of his smoke katanas away from Arthur. Phoenix suddenly could not breathe. She pressed her nose to the glass, then her forehead as if that would get her closer while she watched him hover in the air using the flames from his feet with great precision and strength.
A flash of fire, the unmistakable red and orange, in another part of the lot caught her attention. A huge fireball, released by Charon's concussive clap, flew toward Captain Obi and Lieutenant Hinawa.
"Holy shit," Phoenix gasped, as the fireball picked up the two men and blew them backwards.
Her eyes continued to scan the area for both members of Company Eight and White Clads alike. Then she saw that new girl Inca and Ritsu. The psychotic woman who dressed like a nurse enjoyed playing with dead people and Infernals to make new and horrible creations out of them. She could even form Giant Infernals with her Necro Pyro. Her being here meant serious trouble.
Kurono proceeded to kill the White Clads holding Nataku hostage with his Soul Eclipse, pumping their nostrils and lungs full of his searing black smoke to torch them from the inside out.
"Kurono is killing people, sir," she informed him dryly trying not to sound like a childish tattletale.
"Good. That means he is actually doing his job," he mumbled, grunting when the game warbled and played a sad tune because his character died.
Now that he was free, the race to claim Nataku began. Captain Obi got his hands on the child first, but Charon snatched him right out of the Fire Soldier's hands. Kurono pulled a switcheroo by seizing the boy and placing a teddybear in the Charon's grasping hands. Although each one rushed to be his savior, Arthur and Shinra grabbed a frightened Nataku away from Kurono together and kept running.
"Yes," she hissed, accidentally head butting the glass in her excitement. "Ow!"
The most bizarre game of hot potato she had ever watched commenced with poor Nataku as the potato. Even from a distance, Phoenix could clearly see the fear on the boy's face. His mouth opened wide when he screamed in terror while being passed and sometimes tossed from person to person.
"Sir, things are getting out of hand down there," Phoenix warned Gureo Haijima who played his annoying little game without a care in the world. "Nataku is going to be hurt. You don't want that do you?"
"No, I do not. Kurono knows that," he reminded her.
"Sir, you really should stop him before he harms Nataku. In case you've forgotten, Kurono killed me...against your orders," she added to needle the man into action.
"Hmmm," he hummed pensively, putting down the video game.
Ritsu merged the bodies of the dead White Clads with the Infernal she created from an unsuspecting security guard who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Although weak on their own, the men used for creating the Giant were meant for fighting and would create a formidable opponent.
Somewhat humanoid but big as a mountain, flames shot out of its eyes and the corners of its mouth. A strange symbol that looked like a cross with three arcs over it like some macabre triple fiery rainbow decorated the new and massive Infernal's stomach.
"Oh, shit!" Phoenix yelled.
"What is it?" the President asked, reaching into the inside of his suit coat to retrieve his phone.
"It's a giant Infernal," she replied much more calmly. Then shock of what she saw next and fear for Nataku's life made her gasp, "Oh, no...no, no, no..."
The child had been assimilated with the dead bodies to make the Infernals body. Only his head poked out of the cinders, his orange hair against the charred black body making him clearly visible.
"What is it?" Gureo Haijima asked her without turning in his chair to look for himself.
"Nataku has been trapped inside the Giant's body," she informed him, side eyeing him suspiciously upon hearing him dial his phone.
Her full attention moved back to the giant Infernal and saw Kurono, dwarfed by the newly made Infernal, standing in front of him. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief when she saw the man reach into his pant's pocket and pull out his phone.
"What the hell is he doing?" Phoenix mumbled as she watched him put the phone to his ear.
"Kurono," she heard President Haijima say behind her. "I expected you to take control of this situation quickly. What are you doing down there?"
After a short pause, Gureo Haijima continued speaking. She wished she could hear Kurono's end of the conversation. It was surreal seeing him standing there, the Giant Infernal standing still as if patiently waiting for the man to finish his phone call. It was oddly humorous, and she found herself giggling.
"You are a moron, Kurono...Yes, you..."
She covered her mouth and snorted as she tried to restrain her laughter.
"What is going on?...Of course it looks strong. It's a giant Infernal. Quit wasting your time with the weak ones and get on with it dimwit...Who else would I be talking about? Take care of this problem immediately. And do not harm the child, Kurono. Do you understand?"
President Haijima tapped his phone to hang up and returned it to his inner coat pocket. Picking up his video game, he resumed playing.
Phoenix's eyes followed Kurono as he walked over to Shinra. Her knees weakened when she saw him again. She pressed her forehead and nose to the glass. Her chest ached from the intense beating of her heart.
"Gentleman, take the young lady back to her cell," Gureo Haijima ordered his trained goons.
"No, wait!" she protested as the two men approached her. They seized her by those annoying handles across her shoulders and lifted her. "No, please, not yet! Let me watch until - "
"That's enough for today, Phoenix," he said, risking losing another life in his game as he waved one hand to shoo them away like annoying flies. "Your much anticipated reunion with the Eighth will have to wait a little longer. Have faith. It will happen."
Bastard.
~\..'../~
A few days later, Phoenix was retrieved from her cell again but by two different men. They were definitely not bodyguards. Dressed in white lab coats, she recognized the men as two of the lab techs she had seen before being locked in her glass dungeon. They were probably two of the observers who had been on the other side of the black wall watching her all this time.
Phoenix could not even make a guess at what President Haijima might be up to by sending two members of the nerd herd to fetch her. They led her through several tunnels before taking a much shorter elevator ride. She found herself in a completely different building than the two others before. How many offices does this man have?
The two men stopped in front of a set of white pine double doors. The man had a penchant for double doors and dramatic entrances apparently no matter which office he chose. She could hear Gureo Haijima speaking on the other side of the closed doors.
Who the heck is he talking to? She glanced at the men standing on either side of her in turn. What are they waiting for?, she wondered.
"It's settled then," she heard the President say, his voice slightly muffled. "Gentlemen, we have one more order of business to settle before you go."
The man on her right took that as a cue and reached for the knob, twisting and pushing the door inward, he waved his hand with a flourish, smiling at her.
"What the hell?" she gasped, jumping back from him because she found the sudden smile incredibly creepy.
"Phoenix?"
Her knees turned to jelly and her heart ceased beating from the shock of hearing the voice she had not heard in an extremely long time - and was not sure she would ever hear again.
"Shinra?" she whispered, peeking around the door.
"I can't believe it's you," he said in a toneless voice without smiling or moving toward her. Just like in her dream.
Oh, god, no!, her fearful inner voice screamed.
"Y-yeah," she stammered, her lips quivering as she smiled. "It...it's me."
Phoenix could not move as he took one tentative step toward her. Her legs were stiff and refused to move as he stared at her, his mouth open slightly. She wanted to run into his arms but did not know if she should - or could.
Captain Ōbi and Vulcan gaped at her looking as shell shocked as she felt. Viktor looked like a frightened rabbit ready to run. She could not chase him if she wanted to right now.
"Hi," she greeted them. They did not move a muscle or respond to her at all.
"This young lady belongs to you, doesn't she?" Gureo Haijima asked, looking up from his video game screen.
Phoenix ignored his implication. The fear of what Shinra was thinking about her kept her feet rooted to the floor and dominated her thoughts. She wished he would come to her and take her into his arms. She needed him to tell her everything was okay - that they were okay.
"Shinra?" she whispered. her body visibly trembling. When he took a step back from her, she dropped to her knees almost falling on her face because she was still strapped into the straight jacket.
Captain Ōbi stepped forward to grab her in her cocoon and lift her to her feet.
"She's a member of the Eighth," he confirmed, carefully touching her face with his fingertips as if she might break or disappear. "Are you okay?"
Phoenix nodded as tears welled in her eyes. The knot in her throat would not allow her to talk. His warm brown eyes shifted back and forth between hers worriedly.
"It's all right. Shinra is just in shock. We all are. Everything will be okay," he promised her, hugging her.
"I am entrusting her back to your care, Captain Ōbi," Gureo Haijima announced. "She's far too high maintenance for me to keep here at this facility any longer. I do not want to invite another attack from those overzealous Knights of the Ashen Flame either. She can be your problem to handle and yours to protect."
When Captain Ōbi suddenly backed away, Phoenix whimpered helplessly. She needed his strong arms to hold her up right now. Too distraught by Shinra's cold reaction to her, she did not feel ashamed for being weak and pitiful at this time.
The two scientists stepped forward and began removing the liquid nitrogen infused straight jacket. When they peeled it away from her body, Phoenix nearly cried out with relief. She flexed her sore muscles, bending her elbows and waving her arms. She had not been able to move for quite a while. Her frozen fingers massaged the muscles of her cold, stiff arms in hopes of getting the blood flowing faster to warm them.
"However, should Mister Joseph fail in his endeavors to create a suitable alternative power source, we will be retrieving the girl for the purpose she was made for," President Haijima warned them. His dark eyes shifted over to Shinra then back to the Captain. "I assume this is a suitable agreement since you refuse to sacrifice one of your own."
"But she is one of my own," Ōbi insisted.
"I won't fail, President Haijima, sir," Vulcan assured him. His arm hooked around Shinra's neck in a loose headlock. "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to her."
"I know you won't," Shinra returned without looking at her.
Phoenix opened her mouth to say something to Shinra, but no words would come out. When Captain Ōbi moved to stand in front of her, blocking her view of Shinra, she tilted her head back to look up at his face. He smiled down at her, then cast a quick glimpse over his shoulder.
"Hey, Licht, give me your coat," he ordered the scientist who immediately began to shed the coat.
Ōbi held out the white lab coat for her, assisting her by guiding her shaking hand into the sleeve. He did the same with the other arm then pulled on the lapels to fold it together in the front to cover her torso barely covered by the tank top.
The article of clothing was thin but still warm from Viktor's body. Phoenix was so cold, shivering uncontrollably, she did not care the coat belonged to Viktor.
She smiled up at her Captain with tears of gratitude running down her face as the warmth seeped into her aching arms and banished the chill from her skin.
"Welcome back, Duchess," he said, pulling her into his arms to embrace her again.
Phoenix sobbed, pressing her face into his orange jumpsuit as she clutched on to the back of the garment. Although she found comfort in her Captain's brotherly hug, she really wished the arms around her belonged to Shinra.
"Let's go home," her Captain said, glancing at the men standing behind him. "Come on. Shinra."
Ōbi sounded rather angry when he singled Shinra out.
"Yes, sir," Shinra responded, hanging his head and following them along with Viktor and Vulcan at his sides.
Phoenix was thankful for Ōbi's strong arm hooked around her shoulders to hold her upright on her feet. He practically carried her. No one said a word as they traversed the maze of hallways with Viktor's guidance to exit the building.
The rest of Company Eight waited on the sidewalk beside the Matchbox. Phoenix broke away from Captain Ōbi to run up the steps to greet them. Maki grabbed her first in a bear hug.
"I saw that awesome body slam you gave Arrow. You were amazing!" Phoenix complimented her, giddy from seeing her again.
"You did! All that practice paid off," she returned, giving her friend another hug.
Iris, sweet and gentle as ever, slowly enveloped Phoenix for a warm embrace.
"I've missed you so much," she said, tears filling her big blue eyes.
"I missed you too," Phoenix replied, squeezing her then letting her go.
Tamaki stood in front of her, shifting from foot to foot nervously as the pink blush on her cheeks spread over her face and darkened. The two of them had never been the greatest of pals due to numerous incidents of Tamaki's curse of her clothes falling off when in Shinra's presence.
"Welcome back," Tamaki said, twirling the bottom of one of her long pigtails around her finger.
Phoenix grabbed her and hugged her. She needed all the friends she could get. Besides, Tamaki looked like she could use a hug too.
"Thank you, Tamaki," she said noticing the girl's face had turned as red as Vulcan's hair after stepping away from her.
"My Queen," Arthur breathed, dropping to one knee in front of her.
"Oh, Arthur," she chuckled through her tears that she could no longer hold back.
Arthur stood up, offering her a handkerchief.
"A small token of my esteem for, my lady," he said, bowing his head like a true knight before his queen as she took the cloth.
"I can always count on you, my good and faithful knight," she said, her words tremulous from her tears. She played along with him as she always did.
"It's good to see you, Milady," he said, doing something he had never done before - he hugged her.
For a moment, Phoenix found herself breathless from the shock. He had always practiced the fabled courtly manners of the knights he revered and had never been so bold as to touch her before much less embrace her with such affection.
Where was Shinra with the threats and insults? Why wasn't he punching Arthur in the face? Now was not the time and here was not the place for their childish bickering but for Shinra to show some kind of emotion toward her would be nice.
Suddenly as if coming to his senses, Arthur not only let her go but pushed her away. He dropped to one knee then kowtowed to beg her forgiveness.
"I am so sorry, my Queen. I have no idea what came over me," he apologized. "Please, please, forgive your humble servant."
"Arthur, get up," Hinawa ordered him, kicking him lightly in the butt with the side of his boot. "You're embarrassing all of us." He glanced at Phoenix. "Ready to go home?"
"I am," she replied with a little laugh.
"Let's go," he said, cupping her elbow to escort her to the back where he helped her get into the vehicle.
Ōbi seized Shinra by the collar of his jumpsuit and practically tossed him into the back after her. Pushing him forward, he forced him to sit down beside her, sitting across from the both of them.
Everyone else pushed in and sat down. With Vulcan driving and Viktor riding shotgun in the front, they were on their way home. The ride was cramped, tense, and long - and silent. The quiet magnified the discomfort of everyone. But Phoenix and Shinra could not have the discussion they needed to have in front of everyone.
Once the matchbox was parked in the garage of Fire Cathedral Eight, everyone exited the vehicle, bit Phoenix continued to sit. She felt drained. All she wanted was a hot shower and her bed. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against the wall of the vehicle. She needed to gather what little strength she had left before she could move.
"Take my hand."
Phoenix opened her eyes at the sound of Shinra's soft voice. Lifting her head, she saw him standing bent over, his hand extended toward her.
"Are you sure?" she asked without moving.
His ruby eyes met hers and he smiled. It was a soft, sweet smile, not his overstretched devil's smile. He was not apprehensive in the least.
Phoenix slid her fingers over his. The sting of their skin meeting was like a zap of static electricity. Her eyes dropped down from his to their hands. Her heart smacked into her sternum forcefully when their palms pressed together. As his fingers wrapped around her hand and squeezed, she could hear her pulse beating out a rapid tempo on her ear drums.
"Do you feel it too?" he asked, drawing her eyes back up to his.
"I do," she confirmed.
Rather than pulling her to a standing position, Shinra took a seat beside her. He put his free arm around her as she leaned toward him, keeping a tight grip on her hand in his.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, pressing his lips to her forehead.
"For what?" Phoenix inquired, tears sliding from her eyes as she sat back to look at him.
Shinra cupped her jaw, caressing her cheek with his fingertips while he gazed into her eyes. Tears made his eyes sparkle like the gemstones with which they shared a color.
"I'm sorry I couldn't stop..." His fingers combed through her pure white hair, pulling a lock forward to follow it to the ends which now reached her waist. "I couldn't stop this from happening to you."
"It's not your fault," she sniffled, pressing her palms to his cheeks. "I'm..." Her voice deserted her and she inhaled a shuddering breathe. "I'm so sorry I left Shō behind. I broke my promise. If you can't forgive me, I understand," she whispered, dropping her hands from his face. "Because I can't forgive myself."
"Oh, Phoenix, no," he murmured, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her forward into his arms. He pulled her head back, fitting his mouth against hers. "I never expected you to save him by yourself. We will save him together. And then we can be a family."
"I really like the sound of that. Oh," she gasped, jumping away from him. "My dad. I need to see him."
Shinra grabbed her, pulling her back down beside him. "Hey, calm down. You should get some rest first."
"But I need to - " she gushed in a panic until he kissed her to quiet her.
"You need to go inside, take a shower, and go to bed," he told her, hugging her tightly. "I'm so happy you're home."
"Me too," she sighed, hugging him back.
"Hey, you two!" their Captain shouted, banging on the side of the vehicle as if they were not already aware of his presence. "You need to come upstairs. Hinawa is cooking dinner."
"I suppose I should go get my shower then," Phoenix said, standing up to walk to the back of the vehicle. Being short sometimes had its advantages. She could almost stand up straight inside the Matchbox.
Ōbi stood at the back waiting for her. Putting his hands around her waist, he lowered her to the concrete floor of the garage.
"Is everything okay?" he asked her, his eyes skirting toward Shinra then back to her.
"Yeah. It's good," she replied, giving him a reassuring smile. "I'm going upstairs to call my father."
"That's a good idea. You two will have a lot to discuss."
His cryptic statement perplexed Phoenix. Then she just assumed he meant they would have a lot to talk about because so much had happened during her absence. Her father would no doubt be full of questions to which he deserved a truthful answer.
She sighed feeling so weary from the thought of that discussion she could faint. Her father would have to wait, but he would understand. She would go see him tomorrow to have that long and emotionally taxing talk.
"Are you coming?" she asked her Captain.
His eyes swung to Shinra who was still sitting in the vehicle.
"There's something I need to discuss with Shinra first," he informed her, patting her shoulder. "You go ahead. I'm sure you're ready for a shower and change of clothes."
He was certainly right about that so she didn't argue and hurried upstairs.
"What is it, Captain?" Shinra inquired, addressing him formally because of Ōbi's stern, bordering on angry, expression.
"Soon after Phoenix's disappearance, Captain Burns sent over transfer paperwork," he informed him without bothering to soften the blow.
"Can't you say no? Captains can deny the transfer of a subordinate right?" Shinra already knew he was grasping at straws but the way Ōbi's jaw tensed and he looked away told him there was no way in hell to stop it.
"A transfer can only be denied if it is requested by the Fire Soldier or like when Hibana requested Phoenix be transferred into the Eighth," he explained.
"You could have said no to Phoenix becoming a part of Company Eight?"
Ōbi shrugged. "I could have said no. Hell, there was plenty of times regretted not saying no. But now...I will be really sad to see her go."
"And there's nothing you can do?"
"Shinra, Burns is her father. If I tried to deny his request, I would be telling a father he cannot do what he feels is best for his daughter."
"What about her? Does it matter what Phoenix wants?"
"Of course. But that is for the two of them to work out. I've already signed the paperwork. I will be sending it in tomorrow."
"But Captain - "
"Shinra," Captain Ōbi said, keeping his voice low and steely. "Drop it. That's an order."
"Yes, sir."
Meanwhile, Phoenix stood in the kitchen drinking a bottle of water. The initial euphoria of being reunited with her family had passed leaving her numb and exhausted and wondering what happens now. She needed to make a phone call to her father. It was going to be a difficult call.
"Oh, hello. You must be Phoenix," a female voice said.
Although friendly, she jumped at the unexpected voice. She blinked at the woman with bobbed hair a lighter shade of red than Vulcan's and dark orange eyes.
"You must be Lisa. I've heard a lot about you," Phoenix said, pushing her lips upward into a smile.
Lisa came closer, putting out her hand to greet her with a handshake. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise. So you're a member of the Eighth now. That's good. You'll love it here," she remarked, noticing the way the woman gazed her with an unnerving mixture of both awe and anger. "Is there something you want to ask me?"
"I'm sorry," the former White Clad apologized. "It's just weird seeing the person I heard about for years. This fabled Avenging Angel who would lead the charge as we stupidly rush headlong to bring about the Second Cataclysm."
"Yeah," Phoenix sighed, taking another drink from the bottle. "Well, those are only stories made up by someone who wants to brainwash and control humans so they will bring about their own mass destruction. It reminds me of the stories of Greek gods who liked to play with humans, manipulating them to go to war to kill each other for their own sick entertainment."
"Do you think that's what the Evangelist is doing? Playing with humans just for shits and giggles? Seeing how far she can push us to wipe ourselves off the planet?"
"Yep, pretty much. But honestly, I don't know what the hell that thing is after. One thing I do know is she isn't human."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I've been inside her head."
"What - "
"Don't ask," Phoenix cut her off abruptly.
Taking the time to finish off the water kept anymore words from coming out of her mouth. The intensity of the fierce anger in her gut nauseated her. Being forced to maintain her silence while being tortured for hours on end had taught her self-control. Another lesson she learned during her captivity and ritual abuse was how to take an order - which she knew was a NOT a good thing.
"Lisa, it has been a pleasure to make your acquaintance but I really do not have the inclination to discuss that with friends much less a stranger," she said, her voice remarkably calm and even toned.
"I'm sorry. It's just that..." Lisa's eyes made contact with hers. "It will be kind of nice to talk to someone who understands what I've been through. You've been with the Knights and know what they do to people to bring them under their control...to brainwash them," she stated, her words coming out in a mere whisper at the end.
"I'm sorry too," Phoenix apologized, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder. "It's just been...rough. You know?"
Lisa smiled, placing her hand over Phoenix's. Tears shimmered in her eyes but did not fall. She nodded. "Yeah. I do know."
Phoenix nodded her head at her unlikely ally whom she had just met. Feeling she had procrastinated enough, she grabbed another bottle of water and went to the Captain's office.
Sitting down at her desk, she simply looked around the room for moment. She ran her hands over the green blotter. She adjusted the plain square wooden pencil cup. Her fingers idly fiddled with the stapler and tape dispenser to align them with the pencil cup.
It was good to be back home. It was even better to see familiar things that had not changed. Sometimes she still did not recognize herself when she looked in the mirror. There were days when the stranger staring back at her startled her. Then she would huff and feel like an idiot when her brain finally accepted what her eyes saw as being herself.
Phoenix inhaled deeply and exhaled a long breath then picked up the phone. She tapped on the blotter with a pencil, counting the perfunctory two rings before the receptionist answered with an excessively cheerful greeting.
"Fire Force Company One Captain Burns' office. How may I help you?"
"Captain Burns, please," she requested, feeling the beginning of another onslaught of tears burning behind her eyes and already making her nose stuff up.
"Phoenix? Is that you?"
"Yeah. It's me."
"Just a second. He's been waiting for your call."
"Sweetheart," her father's deep, smooth voice came through the line.
"Daddy," she gasped, large fat tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I'm so happy to hear your voice," he sighed loudly in obvious relief. "How are you?"
"I'm alive," she replied. Whether she was actually feeling good, especially mentally, was presently extremely subjective.
"You have no idea how glad I am to know that. If I had lost you too, I don't - "
"Uhm, can we talk tomorrow?" she interrupted him, allowing her tears to fall freely without trying to stop them.
"Sure. You can come by my office any time. We have some matters of major importance to discuss," he stated flatly.
"I know," she agreed, sniffling. "I love you, Daddy."
"I love you too, baby."
Phoenix dropped the receiver back onto the cradle. Covering her face with her hands, she attempted to muffle her sobbing. For weeks she had cried for everyone but herself. It was her turn to finally grieve for the person she had been and never would be again.
"Phoenix? Are you okay?" Viktor asked through crack he had opened the door.
"What do you want?" she demanded harshly keeping her hands over her face as she propped her elbows on the desk.
The nosy scientist opened the door and walked into the office. She dropped her hands and glared at him when he came to stand in front of her desk.
"That wasn't an invitation for you to come in. What do you want, Viktor?" she repeated, taking Arthur's handkerchief out of the pocket of the lab coat to blow her nose like a trumpet.
"I heard you crying and wanted to check on you. If you ever need to talk about what happened - "
Her blazing eyes met his. "I can assure you when I talk about what happened in the Nether, it will not be with you. Besides, I'm sure would only be interested in the psychological side effects and take notes for some damn theory of yours. I won't be your lab rat anymore, you asshole."
Phoenix stood up and took off the lab coat. She balled it up and threw it at him. The wadded garment hit him in the chest and fell to the floor unnoticed as he stared at her.
"There's your damn coat back. Thank you for letting me borrow it. Now, please, get the hell out," she ordered him with an unexpectedly polite but firm tone.
Viktor bent to pick up the jacket and slowly walked back to the door.
"For what it's worth, I am truly sorry. None of that was supposed to happen to you," he apologized before leaving and closing the door behind himself.
His apology did not mean a damn thing because it could not erase anything that happened.
Phoenix stared at the door long after he was gone. She was not sure she could continue to stay at Company Eight. Too much had changed - including her. Living with herself was difficult enough.
They had plenty of members now, two from the most unusual places including a former Haijima spy and a former Knight of the Ashen Flame. It was those two people who made her doubt she could remain here. Both would be daily reminders of things she would rather forget. Soon she would learn the decision had been made for her.