Chapter Text
Hanagaki Takemichi (9) did not believe that he just saved a girl two-point-five times his height from being burned down in a two storey house.
He just passed by, supposed to went back home after played with his friends, when there were crowds shouted in panic, looked at the fire ablaze in front of them, yet did nothing when a child looked like around his age asked, begged for anyone to come inside and save two people inside.
Takemichi frowned. His healthy mind of course told him not to get caught up with whatever that was and just ran straight back home. But his nine years old mind.. when he looked at the child who grabbed a bucket of water and drenched himself with that, and then rushed to the inside of the burned house, he felt that he had to be a hero.
Thus resulted in him recklessly imitating the child, drenched himself in another bucket of water before immediately remembered the safety lesson taught in school about wetting a cloth or handkerchief or anything in case one was trapped inside a burning house. He did just that, and ran inside. Ignoring all the yells behind him.
Inside that house was in even more terrible condition— smokes everywhere, fire blazing brightly his eyes hurts, it was so hot, hotter than the hottest day of summer.
He looked everywhere, wanted to cry when he felt like all that he did recklessly would cost him his life. That, until his eyes saw a girl, laid unconsciously. She was dying. She would be dead if she didn't come out of this building soon, Takemichi thought.
He carefully approached the girl, realized that she was bigger than him. Probably older. Tried to not think too much, Takemichi crouched down.
He then put his wetted handkerchief in front of the girl's mouth and nose to stop her breathed the smokes in, as per his safety lesson in school said. One thing was solved, the only thing left was how he could brought this girl out of this almost burned down house.
Tried to remember the hero film in which this kind of situation happened, Takemichi then concluded that the only way for him to bring out the girl was to drag her. This was the only reasonable way that his nine years old brain could come up with, calculating the risk of both of them died, dragged her out would just made her a little bit more scratched here and there.
This made up another question: how would he get her to stand up in order for him to drag her out?
Crash!
Another block of wood fell. Takemichi flinched and without thinking anything anymore he grabbed the girl's arms with his tiny hands, carefully as to not made the handkerchief fell from her mouth, and started dragging the girl out. Hoped that they would both came out alive because, his visions are already too blurry he couldn't see his surrounding well.
It was just his determined ego of a heroic nine years old that still kept him from being unconscious, it seems.
Kokonoi Hajime (10) face turned white when he realized that he didn't have enough time to save Akane because him saved her brother first.
Negative thought filled his mind as the firefighter came too late. Was he going to be left alone by her whom he loved very much? Was saving Seishuu was a mistake, after all? Shouldn't it be alright if he were to dig deeper to save just Akane rather than Seishu? Was it Seishuu's fault, the—
"A CHILD WITH A TEENAGE GIRL HERE! PLEASE HELP OUT!"
Like a flash he turned his head, enough for his eyes to meet blue before it caught the sight of Akane, unconscious. He ran as fast as he could, checking and felt relieved that Akane still breathing just fine. Her legs filled with burned wounds and scratches but her upper body was fine.
Hajime knew that Akane would be alright. And that was all that matters.
He looked at the black-haired blue-eyed child. Who was panting heavily, hands on knees, while sweats dripped down from his face.
"Hey." Hajime said, eyeing the child. The child looked at him, confused written in his face. "Thank you for saving Akane-san."
But what Hajime really wanted to know was why the child was willing to risk his life to save someone he didn't know (because no way in hell Hajime didn't know if Akane were to have another friends of his ages).
Yet the child just smiled shakily, caught up with his breathing. "I just follow you because you looked like a hero. You were so cool before. I want to be a hero too, so I follow!"
Hajime was taken aback. Not really believe in what he just heard. So he frowned in confusion whilst looking at the pretty child. "You just followed me because you thought I look cool like a hero?" He asked rhetorically, "Are you stupid?"
Oh. Him and his blunt personality just showed.
And to the person who had saved Akane, of all people.
"You just thanked me and now you calling me stupid? You sure you are not the one stupid?"
Again, Hajime blinked in wonder. A new reaction came from a kid he didn't even know his name. It was interesting.
And apparently, that was how a weird friendship between two (or three) kids formed.
Inui Seishuu (10) didn't remember much.
He just remembered sleeping until Akane came into views, woke him up, yelled at him that their houses was burning. He panicked. What else could a 10 years old boy did at times like that?
Akane rushed to him, hugged him and said, "Let's get out of here alive, Seishuu." her eyes filled with determination. So he nodded and grabbed her hands. And they both proceed to run to the first floor of their house.
Just to find out that the first floor of their house had become seas of fire.
Smokes everywhere, it was really hard to breathe. As far as his eyes served, he could only see orange. Bright and awful. Flare and sparks were everywhere his clothes got damaged.
It was terrible.
A second later, he passed out when a block of wood fell behind them, crushed the stairs. It grazed him in the head and he would be the one to be crushed by it if not for Akane shoved him with her body down the stairs.
It hurts. It was really painful that his mind couldn't comprehend.
Seishuu, being a bright child he was, already suspected that he would go to heaven already. Along with Akane. Burned down with their house. Because at that time, there were no way in hell would anyone saved him and his sister— as the door was closed off by the fire.
But then he woke up again.
In a hospital room. All bandaged up and.. hurt.
".. Yo. You wake up already?" That was a voice he knew.
His friend, Hajime.
He glanced to the side, saw Hajime with his un-bandaged eye. He looked so worn out. At that time, Seishuu just knew that this was the person who had saved his life—
".. Akane..?" His voice sounded so raspy even he couldn't hear what he said correctly.
Hajime smiled weakly at him, Seishuu already suspected for the worst to happen.
"She is alright. Got saved by Hanagaki right there. Nothing but a little grazed on her feet." Seishuu blinked, following the direction Hajime's thumb pointed at. A tiny kid, should probably be younger than them, made his way out of Seishuu's room.
"I'll go and see the doctor." The kid said. His voice sounded so unfamiliar for him— because if Seishuu were to have any acquaintance with voice that sounded all honey and sweet like that, he swore he would remember.
"Careful, kid. You don't want to get scolded again by the doctors." Hajime said in his casual playful tone.
The kid then turned back and even Seishuu with one eye knew that the kid got the brightest blue shade for his eyes. It was beautiful.
"Look at you, all mighty when you get scolded even more by the doctors and the firefighters. Ask yourself in the mirror, kid." Hanagaki— courtesy Hajime, stuck out his tongue at Hajime before humphing and stormed his way out. He noticed how Hajime then chuckled at how Hanagaki acted.
".. who?" Was all that he could ask.
Hajime looked at him and said, "Hanagaki Takemichi. The one that had saved Akane from being burned down alive. One hella sassy and strange kid, if you asked me." His friend then continued with, "Do you believe that he barged into your house, your burning house, because he saw me got in first and thought it was cool? Stupid."
But Hajime looked soft despite just insulting the kid. It was a look he would usually see when Hajime looked at Akane.
...
.. in any way, Seishuu was glad to know that her sister was safe and sound. He would have to thank that kid with sweet voice later. When his throat felt a little bit better.
"I said I was sorry, grandma."
"You don't look like you're repenting here, kid." His grandmother said, "You just crashed into a burning house because you thought it was cool? Okay it was all good you saved a young woman trapped inside, but then what? Have you not think that maybe you would be the one here, dying because of the fire?"
Takemichi flinched at the words. He looked down and took his grandmother's word into deep thought.
"Not to mention, you, kid. Couldn't you just like.. wait for the firefighters to come and help? Must you just barged in like that?"
His eyes glanced towards Kokonoi, who stood beside him. Kokonoi's hand trembled, maybe his grandmother was indeed scary if his new friend reacted like that?
Oh, they were now outside of the victim's ward. Get scolded by his grandmother who was apparently, being called by one of his neighbor who seemed to know him.
".. the firefighters would take too much time to come. Akane and Seishuu would be die." Kokonoi said, and he couldn't agree more when thinking back that the fire was already so big and the victims (Inui brother and sister, if he was not wrongfully overheard) would not be saved if it was not for their reckless act.
His grandmother then sighed. But she didn't say anything anymore. So it was safe to say that—
"Either way. Don't even try to do that kind of thing, ever again." —or not yet. His grandmother seemed to be still on her angry mode.
"Even when you were taught the safety precautions at school, you got it, Takemichi?" He again flinched when his grandmother especially directed the words to him.
".. yes.."
"Now you bring this to your friend's room and eat. Sleep if you want. Just don't wander around. I'll be here settling the payment."
It was a hectic day, it was awful.
But at the end of the day, Takemichi silently grateful for he got new friend(s). He smiled in silence.