«|| 10. Inquiries

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"Shinra... [ Name ], if you care so much about being heroes, then why don't you show me you can be one and save everyone here?"

You heard Shinra mutter something under his breath, but you were too busy focusing on what the man had said, your stomach turning in tight coils. Your head, by instinct, whipped in the unconscious crewmates' bodies' direction and then back at the long-haired man.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!

"See ya, devils, and if you're serious about it, you're welcome to join Joker's brigade."

As the powder began to drift further in the air, the man, presumably named Joker, disappears, and you began to grow feverish.

"Break a leg~." Was the last thing Joker uttered, and Arthur and Tamaki only stood with their mouths agape.

"What's with this powder?"

"Ashes?"
Both Tamaki and Arthur questioned, and you lost your patience with their inability to read the room.

"No, it's- hurry!! How many times do I have to spell it out for you? Get out of here! This place is gonna blow!" You barked, and they finally took the clue, scrambling to find a way out.

Shinra launched himself towards the crewmates figures and began to lift them onto his shoulders. You, currently on his tail, also grab hold of the other two crewmates and haul them onto your shoulders.

"There's no way we'll be able to make it to the windows in time, not with four people in tow..." Shinra starts, and an idea suddenly pops into your head.

"Arthur! Cut a hole in the ceiling! We'll use it to escape! And pronto!"

"Only a beautiful princess... may order a knight around!"

Well, you must be a princess in his eyes as he still cut the ceiling regardless. Unfortunately, though, the incisions he made in the ceiling didn't budge at all. Proud of himself, which wasn't all that surprising, Arthur crosses his arms and huffs pompously. "Hmph, the cuts are too fine for it to fall, it seems."

"Ugh!" Tamaki cries out, "Aren't we supposed to be getting through the ceiling? Move out of the way!" She gets on all fours again and lets out something akin to a battle cry, her twin-tailed flames spurting upwards, shooting the loose tile flying.

"Both of you! Grab onto either me or [ Name ], quickly!" Shinra yells. Arthur moves to hold onto Shinra while Tamaki grabs onto you... in quite the peculiar spot, mind you, almost causing you to drop the crewmates you were doing your best to keep on your shoulders.

"Ah, you shitty cat! Watch the family jewels!" Tamaki immediately flusters and mews in response. "It's not like I have much of a choice here!" The black powder finally busts, and it doesn't seem like it'd be slowing down anytime soon. Even with that, you and Shinra still push yourselves to the maximum, desperate to bring the others to safety, even if it garnered you a few wounds.

"A hero... or a devil..."

The man's words rung endlessly in your head, annoying you to no end. But you shook it off, he wasn't important, and there was no way you'd become someone like him. You made that part very clear, but if he ever decided to come back, you had plenty of friends to aid you.

You felt a ghost of a smile creep onto your face at the thought alone but it quickly disappeared when the fire's plumes grew larger than before. No longer pushing yourself any further as the outcome was going to be the same in the end, you let the smoke consume you fully, sending you, Shinra, and the others hurtling into the skies above.

Though, as you were blasted above, you notice a weight leave your legs immediately. Worried, you look around to see Tamaki's frame spiraling away from yours.

Azure Akuma [Fire Force x M!Reader]Where stories live. Discover now