Blue Butterfly | Amajiki Tamaki

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2nd POV

Fire.

Thin, flamed tendrils of fire danced vividly; the streets ablaze with golden and orange-red fragments of light, spreading its wrath and fury like a living wall of flames.

It lapped hungrily at the stalls and enveloped them in a ring of fire, burning brighter and bigger as it slithered across the concrete and incinerated the remaining wood in its path. It reduced everything to charcoal, and from your peripheral vision, they were pouring onto the streets and growing even more intense.

Haru thrust his hand forward, compelling a wave of wind over the sidelines that were licked with flames. Flakes of ash lay in small clumps, layering the area with a blanket of black soot, tiny specks circulating gently in the warm air. The violent beats of your wings flicked them away, cradling Tamaki's smartphone to the shell of your ear.

Your voice was laced with urgency.

"Nejire isn't picking her phone up!" The ringing tone flat-lined in your ear. "There's no reception, the villains must have jammed the signal!"

Your fingers hastily skimmed over the numbers glowing on the blaring screen, clamping your clothed arm over your mouth to abstain a vigorous, dry cough. For the past five minutes you had been trying to contact Mirio and Nejire, your efforts proving to be futile when the dialing tone died down for the umpteenth time.

An exasperated groan squeezed itself out of your parched throat.

"Dammit," you cussed under your breath. "Where did they disappear to?"

"Butterfly, it's pointless!" Haru yelled over the discord. "Make sure to stay close to us!"

Flailing your wings, you remained airborne over Haru's and Tamaki's lithe forms, tearing past the hundreds of people fleeing for their lives. The smoke only grew thicker, a fitful of coughs lurching from your mouth as you dived closer to the ground; inclining your stern gaze to the growing fire that spilled over the devastated streets.

The swirl of smoke acted like a cloak of dark mist, shrouding the area in a cloud of pitch blackness.

However, it didn't obscure your vision, frantic eyes darting from broken objects to the other.

You could vaguely discern the debris littering the sidewalks, a dull mush of black and grey hues replacing the once vivid lights of the stalls.

The bright light of the fire accounted for the lack of lanterns, and the crackling of wood was now the music drumming in your ears. You heard a small wheeze from Tamaki as he absorbed the wreckage, the shock shaking his core.

The fire from the massive explosion earlier continued to belch upwards, a torrent of the distant cries and echoes dwindling.

Swooping low, you handed him back his smartphone and slowed down your pace to match his. Your chest rose and fell—rapidly, nostrils flaring and eyes flashing wildly with dread.

The lined stalls in the milieu were completely desert, a few near the hazardous zone toppled over and smashed into large pieces of wood. It was a sight that drove a multitude of chills running down your spine, causing the pit of your stomach to churn in discomfort.

With the temperature rising you didn't feel secure in your skin, sweat trickling down your neck and onto your collarbone, your hands carefully loosening the bow of your yukata.

"That quake did a number on this place," Haru muttered, rubbing his nose with the sleeve of his jacket. "This place is a fucking mess."

Tamaki's soft voice dwindled. "Why would they do such a thing...?"