Part 1
Fire circled around him causing his skin to tingle and the hairs on his arms to stand on end. Why did it feel so hot? Ever since Mikoto-san gave him the power over fire, he hardly ever noticed the heat. Usually he just felt the slight tickle as if he were rolling in feathers. But now… it hurt. Fuck it hurt. Make it stop. Someone please make it stop.
Misaki shot up from the dream and into reality. Cold sweat trickled down his back and he looked down at his body to make sure the painful flames were gone. Nightmare… it was just a nightmare…. With a sigh he flopped back onto his pillow and stared up at the cobwebbed ceiling of his room. Somewhere in the distance he could hear the others snoring and he was glad for once to not be the only member of the gang technically without a home.
Minutes passed and the nightmare faded away from his memory like water dripping through his fingers. Sleep claimed him once more and he slept soundly and dreamlessly until morning filtered in through the dusty curtains and Kusanagi burst into his room shouting at him to get out of bed.
He mumbled and grumbled his way into the shower and then down to the bar where he ate breakfast silently. Even though he didn't remember the nightmare about the painful fire, waking from it in the dead of night left him feeling drained and exhausted. When his plate was empty and cleaned, he finally grabbed his board and aluminum baseball bat before heading out the door but Kusanagi stopped him.
"Where do you think you're off to, Yata-chan?"
"To meet up with Otome," he mumbled feeling confused. It was the same thing he did every day for the past month and a half.
Kusanagi shook his head and leaned against the bar seriously. "The boss wants to meet with all of us later. It's about Totsuka-san."
Misaki's heart skipped a beat for two reasons. One was because of the memory of what had happened to the most passive member of Homura, Tatara Totsuka. The other was because the boss was calling a meeting. That rarely ever happened.
"I'll be back in time, don't worry," he promised stepping out the door before Kusanagi could stop him once more.