Arthur Leywin Stark had spent the last hour methodically disconnecting his mind from the Stark Tower nexus, the final layer of his work.
Now, having severed the remote link, he stepped out of the command center's transport array and into his actual home in Japan.
The air here was not the sterile, recycled atmosphere of a high-tech lab; it was imbued with the quiet reverence of old wood and the scent of green tea—the perfect antithesis to his chaotic existence.
He walked into the large, comfortable living area. The complex, suffocating politics of the Tensura world, the weight of his Level 9 status—all of it seemed to melt away under the familiar ceiling.
He sat on the plush couch, consciously letting the silence settle over him.
"Well, I just have to wait,"
He muttered.
He chilled at home, simply enjoying the stillness.
The front door opened, and the quiet burst into joyful life.
"Arthur! You're finally home!"
Aerith felt happiness radiate off her like sun-warmed magic.
She went for a hug that was less a greeting and more an urgent, anchoring reaffirmation.
Arthur returned her hug instantly, burying his face in her hair, feeling the accumulated stress dissolve in the simple comfort of her arms.
"Welcome back,"
Tifa smiled, her expression warm, relieved, and entirely focused on his well-being.
"Have you eaten? If not, I will cook something for you."
"No, I haven't eaten anything yet. I skipped the entire dimension of lunch,"
Arthur answered, the first real smile touching his lips.
Tifa nodded, her gaze already calculating ingredients, then she disappeared into the kitchen to prepare the food.
The comforting, savoury scent of a familiar Japanese meal began to waft through the air, replacing the sterile smell of the command center.
"Where is Sephira and Yuffie?"
Arthur asked Aerith, already sensing the lack of his two most unpredictable partners.
Aerith answered, smoothing out a crease in his shirt as she sat beside him.
"Sephira should be at the dojo teaching people the way of the sword. She has become popular recently. Her technique is flawless, you know. As for Yuffie, even though she is the master of the dojo, she always runs around with Felicia."
"Felicia... you mean that Felicia Hardy?"
Arthur sighed, a familiar, exasperated weariness entering his voice.
He massaged his temples.
"So, she ran to America..."
What a naughty girl. She simply couldn't stay at one place for long.
The chaos was never far, even when the world claimed to be peaceful.
Arthur had barely settled his weight on the couch when the high-priority, dedicated comms line in the living area flared to life—a shrill, distinct, aggressive tone that immediately tore through the domestic quiet.
"I hate to interrupt, sir,"
JARVIS announced from the room's speakers,
"But I am receiving a priority one encrypted feed from the Carolinas. It appears to be Ms. Kisaragi and Ms. Hardy."
Arthur exchanged a look with Aerith, the brief moment of peace officially revoked.
"See? Five minutes of peace. Put them through, JARVIS, audio only. And tell Tifa to put a lid on that soup."
The voices that burst through the speaker were a frantic, overlapping jumble of panicked ninja and exasperated burglar, laced with the hiss of static and what sounded alarmingly like snapping vines.
"Arthur! You finally back!"
Yuffie shouted, her voice edged with adrenaline and frustration.
"Look, the stupid magic diamond we tracked—it wasn't a diamond! It was a transmuting anchor! And it didn't just run to America; it opened a tiny, blinking portal in a lighthouse! A lighthouse, Arthur! And guess what came through?"
"A gigantic, sentient plant monster that smells like desperation and bad decisions,"
Felicia Hardy cut in, her tone dry, but laced with genuine, chilling concern.
"And it's not trying to steal anything; it's trying to convert the surrounding swamp into a massive, magical terrarium. We need your God-Tier knowledge on how to shut down a hostile terraforming event without leveling the entire Eastern seaboard!"
Arthur's mind raced. Yuffie must have told her about him, he realized, hearing the casual use of "God-Tier."
He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
He hadn't even finished the welcome-home hug, and already he was on global defense duty.
He leaned forward, his focus instantly snapping from domestic bliss to strategic command.
The combination of a spontaneous portal, a sentient plant, and the involvement of his two most chaotic, yet effective, field agents meant this was serious.
"Alright,"
Arthur said, his voice calm and firm, the soothing authority of his Level 9 parameters immediately cutting through their panic.
"I hear you. You must be Felicia Hardy the Black Cat. Yuffie, I need you two to establish a perimeter and maintain surveillance. Do NOT engage the flora directly. I'll analyze the best Conceptual Defense to shut down that anchor."
He stood up, already walking towards the specialized comms room, his every movement radiating purpose.
"Tifa, don't stop cooking. I'll need that energy for the long night ahead."
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