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Everything that could go wrong has, at this point, gone completely wrong.
It was supposed to be one easy mission: go to the 7th, ask to investigate about the 8th’s first infernal, see if they could find any information about The Evangelist, then back to base. Four easy steps. In and out. Hinawa liked this plan. It was solid, it was simple and it was fool proof.
Captain Obi had said this particular company was not quite fond of rules and protocols, so after Hinawa had called and talked with the other Lieutenant to give notice, they showed up without waiting for an answer. No need for protocol, no time to lose. As a military man, Hinawa wasn’t particularly fond of breaking procedures, but as a Fire Soldier under Captain Obi’s leadership he had learn that not every rule needs to be followed. It was still Hinawa’s kind of plan. In and out. Back to the Cathedral, back to their work.
They arrived at Asakusa, uninvited, and immediately were denied any kind of help or possibility of an investigation by the Captain of the 7th company, Shinmon Benimaru himself. Not really a problem, Hinawa knew his Captain had thought of this possibility, the plan was still the same, Hinawa was confident; they just needed the 7th’s Capitan to understand their need for the information, the importance of it. Still a simple four, maybe five now, easy steps.
There wasn’t even time to argue, or to convince them, or for Shinra to ridicule himself believing he could beat someone who was supposed to be the toughest soldier on the force; an infernal had appeared, they needed to wait until this was solved before moving forward with their mission. Still easy, if the infernal didn’t cause a lot of trouble, six steps, a manageable mission.
Hinawa couldn’t deny the 7th’s way of putting infernals to rest was quite the sight. The Sun God or the prayers meant nothing to them, and the mourning of one of their own was mixed with the celebration of that citizen’s life. It was, in a way, a weird thing to hear how everyone wanted to die at their captain’s hands if they became an infernal, mostly because that devotion is not so commonly found, but Hinawa, in his own way, could also understand the sentiment.
Once the infernal was gone, so was a whole block from the town. Shinra asked Captain Obi if they could help them rebuild, their commander agreed without hesitation. Hinawa understood perfectly, just as his superior had said, they couldn’t discuss their investigation when there was so much to do. Besides, with their abilities, things would go quicker. Seven steps, an easy fix; the mission was still a go.
Day quickly turned into night and the debris that was the third district that afternoon was almost back to its former glory, but building materials were scarce after a whole day of working. Captain Obi, being who he was, had offered them both to go restock on building supplies, while Hinawa, of course, had agreed. People from Asakusa were both helpful and thankful to company 8; some fire soldiers told Hinawa they could stay at the guardhouse if they liked, and an old lady insisted Captain Obi to do so and try some of the Daifuku she had gave to ‘Benimaru-chan’ that morning. Hinawa saw his captain genuine smile to the woman and told her they would give notice to their soldiers about their last trip for materials on the way to the general store and when he was back he’ll tell her how delicious her wagashi was.
They were told how to get to the store including the detour to the guardhouse, where Hinawa told Maki about the trip for building materials and how she was in charge while both her superiors weren’t there, and Captain Obi, true to his word, tried one Daifuku, even if he didn’t listen to Hinawa when he wondered about asking for it to the rightful owners of the sweet treats.
At this point Hinawa was not very sure how many steps the plan had, so he had stopped counting them. It was still a very solid plan, a very simple, easy to follow mission, even if it was taking more time than he had early anticipated.
They were walking back from the general store talking about the offer made by those fire soldiers, wondering if the 7th captain and lieutenant would be willing to accept them for the night so they could go through with their investigation once the sun was out again. The 8th’s district was in the capable hands of Company 5 and they were after all already here, the mission was still in process and, to be fair, they didn’t think it would do any harm to stay back for a night; knowing they could trust the 7th and the 7th knowing they could trust them was just as important at this point, in the much bigger, complicated mission they were on.
Once they had agreed to ask, they walked in silence, the night was peaceful and so were they in each other’s company. A scorching sound put them back on alert; they felt the heat in the air before they even saw the captain on the 7th company jumping them from their left. He was blind by rage, ready to set both captain and lieutenant of the 8th on fire right in the middle of the street.
Although Hinawa could admit having heard what was said about Shinmon Benimaru’s lack of cooperation before, this wasn’t, at any point, part of the plan.
His rage quickly transformed into accusations that ended up in a battle, the company hold the opponent back while their own captain got ready for the fight. Hinawa did not like this plan, but he believed in his leader and has trusted him since the very beginning. Captain Obi was relentless; even if Hinawa wasn’t a fan of his style and tactics, he did get the man considered to be the toughest of the force to take him seriously.
At this point Lieutenant Konro’s intervention was a tragic necessity. Tephrosis wasn’t something to take lightly but even Hinawa, having met them for just a day, could see Lieutenant Konro’s voice was the only one Captain Shinmon would be willing to listen.
So here they were now, they had one man down with tephrosis, an investigation over their heads, mistaken identity cases all over town, someone able to change people’s faces, infernals poping out left and right, and, of course, the white hoods.
The mission was officially dead at this point. Everything had gone wrong enough to let the matter rest for the conceivable future, finally one too many troubles to take care of before they could return to it.
Company 8 couldn’t put souls to rest in this context; no sister and no jurisdiction put them on evacuation duties at best, but having no authority or trust over the people of the town did not help matters either. Captain Obi gave his orders: Shinra and Arthur went after the white hoods while Maki and Tamaki went with Hina looking for the real Hika. Hinawa stood behind with his Captain, helping Lieutenant Konro and trying to make him understand how much their people needed someone to lead them right now.
It was obvious to Hinawa as much as to his superior how much the other lieutenant was in need for his own captain right now. Hinawa understood: it wasn’t that Lieutenant Konro wasn’t capable of managing the situation; it was just the knowledge that there was someone better for it, someone with that kind of light, that kind of pull on people, that natural charisma and leadership. He was silently glad when the other man appeared and finally understood his role and responsibility with his comrades and citizens.
Hinawa considers Captain Shinmon’s ways unorthodox at best, but quite efficient for his district. He was a voice of authority to them and it was obvious they trusted him and would follow him in whatever he decided to do. Hinawa could understand that too.
And just like that, a festival had started once again. All of Asakusa, and the two female fire soldiers from the 8th, had engaged in a fighting festival while their fire force dealt with the infernals. Meanwhile, company 7’s leader and the two rookies from company 8 fought the Oni at the other side of town. Once again, the residing captain’s way of dealing with his enemy was as uncommon as it was enthralling. A crimson moon showered the town and Hinawa was able to feel, even if it just lasted a few seconds, the complete awe in the air. He could see his own captain standing next to him amazed by the show. The demonic infernal was gone, and Shinra was coming down from the sky with the burned out hero in his arms.
The town was less in shambles than that afternoon, but with the many infernals that were put down there was much to repair and once again Company 8 was ready to help. Both Lieutenants were in charge of general organization: Who worked, who rested, who needed to be taken care of; while both Captains dealt with the town’s high spirits and assessed where should their Lieutenants put them in their plan. Company 8’s soldiers were tasked with going around town and bringing anyone injured or homeless to the guardhouse, while Company 7’s soldiers were already getting the materials ready to start rebuilding.
Once the injured were accommodated and taken care of, everyone who was in good enough shape to work was divided in two shifts, the ones in better shape would start reparations right away, while those in need of some rest would stay back and come to action when the first shift was over. Captain Obi offered himself and Hinawa to be in charge during the first shift so the leaders of Company 7 could rest and recover. Captain Benimaru could only accept begrudgingly, mostly because his second in command had already taken the offer with a graceful smile.
The town was half way back to its former glory for the second time on that same day when Lieutenant Konro came to get the first group. Hinawa was not sure how long they have been working, but he’s sure their progress is not as related to time as it is related to the diligence and spirit of the people of Asakusa. The resident Lieutenant was glad and proud to hear Company 8’s leaders praise on their way back to the guardhouse. Captain Benimaru was waiting for them right outside one of the many rooms with a change of clothes, and informed them that both females of company 8 were already settled with the twins, as per the younger girls’ request, while their rookies were well rested and ready to start the second shift. For them, they hoped they didn’t mind sharing a room, as a courtesy everything had been arranged so they could be comfortably settled to rest alone and Captain Obi assured them that it was already more than what they needed.
The room was simple but maintaining the proto-nationalist style that was all around town, and perfectly fine to occupy both men. There were some blankets and futons folded on one side and a note next to the door that said “leave your dirty clothes here or we’ll enter to find them”. The captain chuckled and made a joke about how could their host sound both tired of them and still menacing even through paper.
Hinawa suggested they changed before arranging the bed to avoid dirt everywhere and so they did. The yukatas fitted them well enough and the softness of the cotton was welcome against their sore bodies. Now the whole day and night of battle and work was starting to weigh on them and without a word they walk together to the pile of sheets and duvets ready to take the futons and get ready to sleep.
Hinawa took one shikibuton and passed it to his Captain but when he went back to the pile he noticed that was just the one. What he originally believe to be two single futons it was instead a double one and its corresponding comforters. He looked back at his Captain who had already unfolded it and was putting the futon mattress on top.
“It’s amazing how prepared they are for accommodating so many people” the captain stated out of the blue in a low voice, extending his hand towards Hinawa, silently asking him to pass what came next “but with this many cases together, I guess even company 7 could fall short on futons, right?”
Captain Obi looked backed up with his two hands out this time, ready for Hinawa to pass him the kakebuton. Hinawa, already prepared, kneeled down at the opposite side and helped his superior finishing the bed. Captain Obi continued talking:
“It is a double size, but if it makes you uncomfortable I can sleep on the floor, Tatami is pretty comfortable itself”
Hinawa looked up confused; the captain was looking at him with a slight smile, an open, sincere offer dangling in the air.
“That would be absurd.” he replied adjusting his glasses “I could never allow my captain to sleep on the floor while I kept the bed all for myself. In any case, I should be the one on the floor.”
His superior chuckled
“So we both agree then: It would be absurd to sleep on the floor”
The lieutenant nodded once and took the pillow his superior was offering him with a smile. He got between the sheets and left his glasses on the floor to his right. He felt more than saw his captain getting inside the bed on the other side.
“We have a couple of hours before the sun’s up, then we’ll be back to our original mission.” the older man commented on a serious tone, then a smile slipped once more into his voice “We did have one nice plan though, didn’t we? I was kind of looking forward to a simple in-and-out mission for once”
The air that escaped through Hinawa’s nose sounded almost sarcastic.
“There was no way we could have prioritized our mission over the people of Asakusa,” Hinawa commented hearing a pleased agreement from the other man “and we might have at least created an important alliance.”
His captain’s first reply is another grunt, one Hinawa had learned to recognize as the sound he usually makes when lost in his thoughts, probably recalling the events of the day.
“We did good today.” It’s a statement, it needs no answer, but there’s something else.
Without his glasses and with little to no light Hinawa couldn’t see him very well, but the figure is clear enough: His captain has one hand under his head, the other one lost somewhere between the sheets over his belly. They are both on their backs but Hinawa had turn his head towards the older man just in time to see the siluette of the other head doing the same towards him.
“I am very proud of you, of all company 8.” The affirmation sounded very serious but it also oozed of content and respect.
“We are all very proud to be under your command, sir” Hinawa offered back, he can hear as much as he can see his captain short laugh, the chest moving, the head moving slightly back.
“I was not fishing for compliments for myself but I am glad to hear that…” there’s another pause and somehow Hinawa could feel the shift in tone even before it came “We do have a great company, Hinawa, the both of us. And we are going to win at the end, even if some missions take longer than others” a new chuckle follows, and suddenly the air is once again comfortable and relaxed “It is late though, I shouldn’t be entertaining you, let’s go to sleep.”
There is a lot Hinawa could answer, about their dream, about their company, about his captain’s passion; but it is also true that is late, and Hinawa wouldn’t know where to start, so he just nods.
“Good night, Captain”
“Good night Lieutenant”
The sun was already out when Hinawa woke up but he was still the first of the two to do so. He was on his side facing the other man still asleep on his back, the only sign that he had even moved during the night is the covers crumbled at his feet. His superior looked a little blurry since he hadn’t picked up his glasses yet, but he coulld still notice the man’s yukata had open enough to show his chest and blackened skin.
Hinawa moved slowly not to wake his captain up while looking for his glasses. He sat straight and with a better vision looked again to confirm what he already knew: Chest and stomach were black and blue; there were cuts over purple skin and one or two lines of dried blood. That was the aftermath of last night fight against Captain Shinmon, of course, but possibly most of it hadn’t been much the other captain’s direct hit as it had been the pressure of everything his captain carried inside his coat pocking and scratching during the fight.
The hand closer to the yukata made a sloppy movement like it was unconsciously trying to close it off and Hinawa looked up just in time to see the other man opening his eyes.
“Hinawa” greeted the sleepy voice, too sleepy for honorifics or ranks “Good morning.”
“Good morning, sir.” he answered immediately “Sir-”
He wanted to ask about the marks, about the bruises, he wanted to reprimand him for not having said anything before, for not taking care of it, for not telling him so he could check if he was okay, he wanted to know if anything hurt; but his captain was already up and on the move.
He looked through the windows while already talking about the mission. He went to the same corner where they had changed last night and found their clothes. They were not properly washed, but it was clear they had been hanged and at least dusted a bit, which made them not really clean but better than before. He passed Hinawa his clothes and changed quick, all while asking the lieutenant if he could check on the girls, maybe take Maki with him to see what could be found about the evangelist, meanwhile he would take care of the futon and then go looking for Shinra, Arthur and their hosts.
Hinawa dropped the subject before he could even ask about it and left to do what he was told to do. He took Maki and they found nothing, the town almost looked like the night before hadn’t even happen but it was clear the evangelist had took advantage of the chaos to burn down any evidence.
They bid Company 7 goodbye without any new information but with at least one new alliance. Captain Shinmon offered Captain Obi some sake to seal their friendship and they almost ended up staying another hour just through sheer insistence of the people from Asakusa and their celebrations. Hinawa didn’t drink saying he was on duty and made sure none of the other members got offered anything since they were not of age. The captain accepted only one more cup after he had been promised they would let his company go if he did, he shared this last toast with what looked like every fire soldier of company 7 while they made him promise he would come back. He laughed and accepted, knowing that was one lost battle. The younger members of company 8 looked half amused half surprised by how quickly everyone seemed to accept their own captain as a ‘true hikeshi’, as they were calling him, and were already taking him as one of them. Hinawa couldn’t say he expected anything less, this was Captain Obi’s true light, bringing everyone together just as much as Captain Shinmon did.
The mission had not been particularly successful but it did bring a silver lining when it came to new allies and friends. Company 8 went back to his own district with their heads up and their hearts light, ready for another regular, maybe even peaceful if they were lucky enough, day at the Cathedral. Hinawa couldn’t really wait to reach their home, he already had some plans set for the day involving one conversation that had been interrupted before it even started.
Their dream was shortly lived once they arrived. Iris came to receive them worried and agitated while Captain Hibana could be heard a few meters over arguing with someone. Apparently Haijima had decided to give them one of their scientists without consulting them and he was already here. Everything was very suspicious, but it was true every company was under imperial orders to step up their scientific investigations, and they were looking for a scientist. Captain Obi had no other choice but to take the young genius Viktor Licht in, at least for the time being.
Before leaving the group to show his new recruit to what would be his room he asked the youngest members of his team on a new mission to go find their, hopefully, new engineer; then he looked at Hinawa in a silent agreement that the lieutenant knew meant he was in charge while the other was gone.
Hinawa wasted no time and thanked Captain Hibana for her services while asking soldiers Maki and Tamaki to accompany her to the door if there was nothing else she may need from them. He then told both girls they could take their time to settle back in but they would be in charge of food and informed them he would go have a conversation with the Captain about the resent events if they needed him.
The lieutenant knew both girls were capable enough to manage by themselves, he knew he would not be needed for the time being, that was why he had left some information out; knowing the captain, he was probably not going directly to his office but to his own room, so that’s were Hinawa went.
He was too respectful to just walk in so he knocked and waited for his superior to let him in.
“Lieutenant, everything okay?”
“Everything in order, captain” Hinawa answered closing the door behind him “I did want to have a conversation with you, sir”
“Oh, I was just about to go take a shower, can it wait or-?”
“I rather we had it now, sir”
“You’re too formal, I feel like I’m in trouble now” the older man chuckled and put down the clothes he was holding “What can I help you with, Lieutenant?”
“Please take off your shirt, captain.” his commander looked surprised for a second before smiling
“I always knew you were a very straightforward man, but I do believe this might be a little too straightforward, maybe even for you…” he joked putting his palms up.
“Please Captain Obi” Hinawa insisted, lifting the first aid kit so the other man could see it.
“Well I can never fool you, can I?” the comeback sounded a little defeated, but compliant enough the t-shirt went straight to the floor “It’s really nothing to worry about, barely a scratch, I promise”
“Barely several scratches I’d say.” the lieutenant corrected walking closer to the captain’s bed and making a gesture for the man to lay down “Some that clearly even bled.”
“Well those were just accidents; it can happen when you stuff your coat with metal and casually get hit.”
Hinawa made a sound half ignoring his superior good humour. He was almost tempted to enjoy the low, short hiss he heard when he cleaned what looked like a deeper cut.
“Nothing seems too terrible…” he announced after a minute or two, still checking some scrapes on the hip.
“See? I told you it was nothing to worry about!”
“Yes, and you have also told me that any injure must be treated as soon as possible no matter the size so I hope you can learn your own lesson” he answers in an even tone throwing the used gauze on a little bin
“Well I am learning your hands are very cold and your bedside manners are still kind of awful…” Hinawa glared at him “Okay, okay! I promise not to hide any wound, even the smallest, ever.”
“Thank you. You do have to be alive to make this a better world, I hope you remember that.”
“Well, now you’re just being dramatic.” he responded dismissively, trying to use his elbows to sit up a little without messing the other man’s work “Besides if I die, I know I’m leaving our dream in the best hands.”
“Please don’t joke so lightly about your death…” the lieutenant answered putting away everything he didn’t use and closing the kit, already defeated by his commander’s sense of humour “Soldier Maki and Soldier Tamaki will be in charge of today’s food, I estimate you have a little more than an hour to take your shower and be ready for lunch”
Before he could stood up his Captain sat properly on the bed and put a hand over his shoulder looking at him.
“Thank you, Hinawa.”
“I barely cleaned a few cuts…”
“But you worry.” The pause, the smile and the squeeze of his shoulder told him his captain thought that was explanation enough.
“It is my duty.”
“Don’t sell yourself so short Lieutenant.” the captain laughed warmly as he let go of his shoulder “I do think sometimes you worry too much, and work too much! You didn’t even accept company 7’s drink!”
Still sitting on the other man’s bed Hinawa looked at his commander getting up from where he was beside him and going back to the little table on the side, next to his dirty t-shirt lying still on the floor.
“I had to drive us back”
Captain Obi made a sound of understanding while grabbing something from the table, right behind the set of clean clothes that where abandoned there earlier.
“What if I told you Lieutenant Konro gave us some Asakusa Sake as a parting gift?” he showed him the bottle “Would you have a drink with me?”
“Now? At 11am?”
“Tonight, after dinner. After hours so we won’t really be drinking on the clock.”
“I thought you believed an infernal could appear any second and we should always be ready…”
“What is it today? Is it “Use the Captain’s teachings against him” day?” Hinawa smiled, for the comment and for the man’s contagious laugh “I’m not trying to get you drunk Hinawa, just one celebratory drink”
The comment was light enough but the second it was said his captain looked at him in the eyes with that serenity and honesty Captain Obi always got when he was about to say something important for him. Hinawa stood up as on impulse, like he was trying to get ready to hear the other man’s convictions as a holy word.
“Today you said it would be nice if what we’re doing would unify the fire force, yet you didn’t even took a second to celebrate.” The older man put a hand on his shoulder once again “This was a win, Hinawa, not the one we went looking for but still a win. Our win. For our dream. You deserve this too, you deserve to take a moment and enjoy it, and you deserve this celebration.”
Hinawa took one deep, almost shaky breath. His captain let go of him and grinned, the tension, as always, disappearing with his smile.
“Come on, if you agree I promise I won’t tell your superior officer that you found out I was injured because you were ogling me when I was wearing a Yukata…”
The prickling sensation of a blush came crawling down his neck. He ignored it.
“You are my only superior officer here, Captain Obi.”
The man moved back, put the t-shirt from the floor finally back on and grabbed his set of clean clothes once again. He acted as if he was in thought, then looked back at him with an amused expression.
“Well, I guess that will make things easier to get you off the hook then” he replied casually, smirk in place.
Hinawa’s laugh was low and almost private, he wondered if he was ever going to be out of his captain’s hook.
“Just one drink, your treat.”