Eros. (Benimaru Shinmon)

四十三❊

"Meet Company 8 at the Guardhouse, I will let Obi Akitaru, Company 8, and your crew aware of your presence," Benimaru mumbled as he walked out of the room and from the direction he turned, out the home. 

Looked down towards my shirt to see the old dried blood stains set in. But with a little hydrogen peroxide that should be a breeze. I sighed to myself and slowly got up from the futon and looked around the room. This home was everything to me and now it belongs to the man known as Shinmon Benimaru.

It was nice that he made sure that my wound was taken care of properly. But it was quite shocking to hear that he had planned to propose to me a day after the great fire of Asakusa.

I shook my head and grabbed my swords that were leaning against the door frame. I couldn't have those thoughts running through my head-he is a married man with children after all. Quite adorable to think that he had girls, and yet from the sound of them being close to his fight it was weird that he brought them to confront company 8...maybe he changed for the better...

I walked down the hallway of the home and looked around. Everything seemed the same as the day that I remember it before that catastrophe hit.

I walked out to the open area and it was empty. That was odd...I was expecting to see his wife here cooking or cleaning...interesting.

I walked over to the front of the home and slid on my combat boots and adjusted the straps of my sword.

Memories were running through my head of everything that happened in this home. When I put my best friend to rest, from when Benimaru stole my first kiss when he took it upon himself to sit beside me in my garden, to when we became an official couple and cuddled with one another. Those were good times and maybe if I didn't have pyrokinetic abilities I would have still been here as his wife with kids.

I turned around and looked around the house and smiled. Even though I couldn't follow the path Benimaru wanted me to follow, I guess it was nice to see know that he chose this home to begin his family.

I sighed and pushed the Noren to the side. Asakusa was bustling as ever. Everyone was working on building and repairing homes due to the great festival. Shopkeepers were selling their niche items and pitching their deals as loud as ever. Village teen girls were gossiping about the boys across the way and kids were playing with one another in the streets.

"Is that you Inori?"

I turned around and noticed the feeble old woman, from when I last saw her two years ago, she looked as if she hadn't changed at all.

"Baa-San," I said with a small smile.

"Inori! You have grown into a beautiful woman!" She said as she shuffled closer to me and gave me a big hug, "we thought that the infernal took your life that day but you're here..."

I just looked down at here. She was filled with such emotions on my presence, it was interesting, to say the least. I remember she would always pester me to get a boyfriend and to get married. She was like the grandmother I once had.

"Baa-Chan, as much as I like to catch up, I need to get to Company Seven's Station," I bowed respectably towards her as I pulled myself out of her hold, "maybe some other time we can talk."

"Hmmm," she said as she smiled waving away at me as I waved back and turned around heading towards the company.

Considering that the job was done and the threat was gone, that means I would be able to leave but I wanted to check in with Obi on if he needed us to continue with him on pursing the white-clad...also I was a bit curious to know why they were focused on being me out of hiding when I trying to keep a low key profile and why they try create a diversion with the people I had slain. Nothing was adding up and everything gathered from observation didn't make any sense.

And here I was-Special Fire Guardhouse seven. It was completely different from the old guardhouse.  This guardhouse seemed to be made of wood and bricks, with metal poles connecting over it. The doorway consisted of a white Noren with a black cross-insignia on it, signifying the building's relation to the Special Fire Brigade and the classic kanji 七.

"Check it out, is that Inori?" One of company seven Fireman pointed out!

"It couldn't be, I mean didn't Inori pass away?" One questioned.

"Not with that is going around. Rumor has it is that Konro lied to Waka to let her pursue her dreams..." one said.

"Really?!"

"Yeah, so now she is apart of the Fire Force but seems as if she is apart of company 8."

"Ah, man...She became that gentle fragile woman to such a babe!" One complimented.

"Right!"

"You think she is single?"

"Do you want to die!! remember several years back when Waka almost roast someone for asking her out?"

"That was then and this now, besides Waka-"

"LA LA LA LA LALALALALALALA!!!!!!" I screamed in my head blocking anything other information that the fire soldier was about to say. I mean a part of me should be happy that he had settled down and had kids of his own but...it wasn't something I didn't need to know.

"Maybe we can ask Waka to request a transfer for her, I miss her healing us with those gentle hands of hers and when she would help around the guardhouse..."

They all started to list my attributes prior to the great fire and I just didn't know but I suddenly felt nervous. All the reasons not to enter came flooding in, as if my body chemistry just sent them a blanket invitation. I feel the soft panic that can grow or fade depending on what I do next. Sure, before I would just enter because I knew that I was going to help the soldiers; but this time I was going in not as a healer ...but as a FIre Soldier that is equivalent to captain status.