Sniper

by Ordinn Beaucephalis

When a pyrokinetic has no drive in joining the Special Fire Force because there's too many of them already, she shrugs it off and keeps on living her life. And that's that. "There," he drawled in her ear. "Now you belong somewhere and you're not getting away." [Pre-to-Canon & divergence]

11. Troubles Arising

Author's Note: For this chapter, I'd say that the OST from Bungou Stray Dogs "Kokoro Furuekeri", "Home Sweet Home" from Christophe Héral (the video game "Beyond Good & Evil") and the songs "Numbers" and "Witches" from Daughter would do the trick.

I can't believe I've just realized that Hajiki's first name is "Amon" and "Hajiki" was his surname. Che. Ugh!

XI: Troubles Arising

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Asakusa, at the guardhouse, in the evening

After two years with Niobe, Benimaru had thought he'd managed to tone down his protectiveness over her (his jealousy and possessiveness had never wavered at all, which she unsurprisingly didn't mind). That he'd be able to go on about his business without wondering if his sniper was doing okay—having her safe next to him or in his sight back when he was still supervising her rehabilitation had made him feel better. He'd discussed his need to always be around Niobe with Konro, as he couldn't understand why he had such a hard time being separated from her for far too long and why it would now put him into such a foul mood until he had her back into his arms. That yearning for Niobe, whether sexual or affectionate, was driving him mad.

"I've experienced something close to love only once in my life and it was honestly one of the weirdest things I've ever had to live," Konro had told him, serene and thoughtful. "Hanabi was her name. Pretty thing, just not wife material. While I was always content with just hanging around her, talking or even having sex, I never felt this need to... possess her. To make her mine and know who she belonged to. Hanabi wasn't always on my mind like Niobe is in yours. I didn't need and crave Hanabi because I wasn't exactly in love with her, which made more sense when I thought about our... 'break-up'."

"Was it lust?" Benimaru had asked bluntly.

Konro had nodded. "I'm sure that's what it was, since I wasn't that heartbroken when she got hitched. But it's much more different for you, Beni: when the master took you in, you were an orphan. You've never known the love, affection and touch of your mother, don't have memories of her since she died in your youngest years." His dark eyes slid over to him, soft and compassionate. "Therefore, love never came to you. The master had never thought of teaching you what it means to have feelings, to feel and understand love—to recognize it and accept it. It was a concept he'd chosen to forsake when his wife, the only woman he's ever loved, died without giving him an heir. Maybe it was because he'd believed it would be nothing more than a hindrance? Who knows? Because Niobe is the first woman to ever make you feel this way, you must want to experience with her all the time to fully embrace this love."

Benimaru had frowned, his face scrunched up. "At first, I denied this feeling because I'd managed to convince myself that I was only using Niobe to sate my primal urges and she was fine with that. We were both fine with that arrangement. We... we were using each other." He looked away, his hands hidden in his sleeves. "Then it changed. Everything did between us: the more time we spent together, the more intense this need of possessing Niobe grew in me."

"Although you two weren't ready to accept what it was, you were both starting to fall in love. And you unconsciously drew the line, sending all other men and the jealous women a message." Konro chuckled. "A message that everyone quickly understood: Kirishima Niobe was yours and you were hers."

These types of conversation with Konro had proven to be very eye-opening, since Benimaru truly hadn't known and understood what a romantic relationship was. He hadn't known how to behave around Niobe, how to... be intimate without necessarily having sex, but she'd surprised him by being very patient with his inexperience—she'd taught him and together, they'd learned how to adapt to each other. They'd both learned to know one another like the back of their hand. Benimaru and Niobe had learned to become very protective over one another, which he found out that he really didn't mind. These two years with her had been challenging, but so worth the work, patience and frustration of not getting things right the first time around.

So when Atlas had urged one of his men to get both him and Konro and usher them to Niobe's lab, Benimaru's first thought had immediately gone to her. He knew whatever the teddy bear had to show them had something to do with his beloved. And his instincts had never failed him—not even once. He, his lieutenant and Hikeshi had watched the footage wide-eyed, unable to fully understand what the hell they were witnessing through Fuyubi's eyes. That priest from the 1st pressing a vial containing a strange bug into the kid's side, following by the same kid suddenly bursting up in flames and burning. Burning, burning, screaming and screaming in pain. And while doing so, that traitor son of a bitch from the so-called elite Company was just cheering him on like a goddamn cheerleader would, ecstatic and waiting to see if 'Takkun's' will was going to win over the flames. The shock that had overcome his mind and body when the kid didn't turn into an Infernal, like he'd expected him to, had been so intense that he'd felt the irresistible urge to pummel the grinning bastard and beat him to death. Until he was drenched in his blood.

The following scenes in the footage had had both the captain and the lieutenant on edge, especially when that Rekka bastard fought Niobe. Each of his punches was precise, meant to kill, and he wasn't joking—he'd wanted to hurt her bad enough to take her life. Benimaru had felt immensely proud when Niobe had dealt damage to this son of a bitch, playing him deceitfully while he'd relied mostly on his raw strength. He'd even praised her by saying 'Atta girl' when she'd severed his whole arm with one arrow, immediately followed by the loud cheers of his Hikeshi and the twins. However, what had awakened his killing intent had been the words Rekka had spouted with such enthusiasm and a lewd grin, expressing his dark desire to fuck his girlfriend. Even when she'd chosen his other 'best friend' over him, he'd still lusted after her.

It had taken Konro and many of their Hikeshi to nearly pin Benimaru down and prevent him from grabbing his matoi and fly where the fight was so he could take over Niobe's burden and slaughter the bastard with his bare hands. He'd screamed and roared, scaring Hinata and Hikage in the process, until he'd been forced to sit through the whole thing. The burning rage and his strong killing intent had felt so exhilarating that he'd needed to release himself. For the first time in so long, Benimaru had felt the tempting urge to kill and he wouldn't have lost a single wink of sleep over his actions—after understanding that this Hoshimiya had done this to a lot of kids in Shinjuku and hadn't felt an ounce of remorse over his actions, he thought he could actually put down the son of a bitch and show these Imperial lapdogs how Asakusa dealt with traitors who killed kids the way Hoshimiya did.

If it meant protecting the woman he loved, then so be it. Kirishima Ashura would have agreed and encouraged him to kill Hoshimiya without even blinking.

When Niobe had come back home, Benimaru had been all over her. The sudden urge of making sure that his girlfriend wasn't suffering from anything had felt so natural that he'd just gone with the flow; he'd called for the doctor to look for any kind of injury she might have gotten, he'd stayed next to her while she ate dinner, he'd asked her if she had everything she needed at the moment (because if the answer was yes, then they wouldn't get out of their bedroom until he was fully reassured). And the second she'd nodded with a tense expression, Benimaru had hauled Niobe against him, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist and her arms around his neck, and had wordlessly headed straight to the bath, then their bedroom. No one, not even Konro and the twins, had opposed to his decision. And no one shall come disturb the couple.

In the bath, Benimaru had insisted on washing her himself. Niobe had opened her mouth to contest, but when she'd seen his stormy expression, she'd shut up and relented. He'd paid extra attention to all the curves of her body, his hands trailing up and down her skin. Though the doctor had given her a clean bill of health, Benimaru had still felt the need to check himself. Niobe had leaned comfortably against him, straddling his lap and tangling her hands in his hair in an attempt to soothe him—so she'd sensed how stressed he was, meaning that what was going to follow would be long, long days of of making up. In many ways. He had had his head nestled in the crook of her neck whilst washing her, his lips and teeth never leaving her skin.

His eyes never strayed from Niobe as she put a lacy thong and a shirt that bared one shoulder as pajamas—never mind the traditional sleeping yukata, Benimaru actually preferred this outfit when they'd go to sleep (it was much easier and faster to take off when both were in the mood for sex—which was quite often). When she turned back his way with a long hum, she gave him a small smile while sashaying towards the fūton. Just the sight of these long, toned legs (with the left one being heavily tattooed) and her bouncy breasts was enough to intensify that sexual and affectionate yearning for her. It burned in his veins and demanded to be released, along with all the stress and frustration that had been building up in his body.

"C'mere, baby," Benimaru coaxed in a low, deep voice.

Humming, Niobe caught his hand the second he was reaching for her, let him brutally pull her down until she was pinned under him. She cupped his cheeks and stroked them tenderly while she was wrapping her long legs around his waist to bring him flush to her, eliciting a wanton, deep groan from his throat. Benimaru gazed into her mismatched eyes for a few seconds, noted the slight desperation and lust, and promptly snapped. He crashed his lips on hers for a hard, punishing and passionate kiss that she instantly returned with as much ardor. His tongue delved into her mouth, searching for hers, playing with it. He devoured Niobe greedily, running his hand over her tattooed leg possessively until he dug his fingers into her left ass cheek, relishing in her moan and how she bucked her hips against his. He groaned deeply when her pelvis ground with insistance against his stiff erection, his need growing stronger.

Their lips parted a little while later, very slowly, with a trail of saliva still linking their mouths. Breathless, they stared at one another silently for a few minutes until Benimaru pressed his forehead against hers with a strained expression. Niobe sucked in a breath and bit her lip, anguished while stroking his cheeks tenderly.

"I'm so, so sorry for having worried you, Beni," she murmured against his lips. She shivered when he trailed his other hand up her hip beneath her shirt and groaned when he grabbed it. She tightened her legs around him in retaliation. "I... I have no excuse for scaring you."

"You're damn right about that," Benimaru growled angrily. "You have no fucking excuse. None whatsoever. Do you have any idea just how I felt when I was watching that footage Fuyubi sent us? When that son of a bitch boasted that he wanted to fuck and kill you?"

Niobe's teeth embedded themselves in her lower lip, drawing blood. She avoided his intense, furious gaze by slightly turning her head in shame, which made Benimaru click his tongue in irritation and his eyes flash. No, you don't, he thought as he grabbed her chin to make her face him. He wouldn't allow her to run away from him, not now—the only way he could make Niobe understand that she'd made him feel an emotion he'd never thought would actually take over his mind and body, in tune with his killing intent, was to force her to confront her actions head on. It was too terrifying to even describe such emotion and feeling. And all Shinmon Benimaru wanted was to never feel this way ever again.

"Look at me," Benimaru ordered her. "Damn it, Niobe. Look at me."

She did so, recognizing the tone of his voice—he hadn't used that tone since they'd both confessed to each other following her last breakdown from two years ago. It always managed to snap her attention back to him in less than a second. Inhaling sharply, he sat back up and pulled her along to straddle his lap, his arms wrapped tightly around her body. All flush against him, Benimaru could feel Niobe shivering and shifting in his embrace so she could also feel the large bulge in his yukata, which solidified his yearning. She wanted him as well, despite how angry and freaked out he was at the moment.

Cupping her cheek with one hand, the captain took her bleeding lip between his, sensually sucking on the wound she'd inflicted to herself. The taste of her blood was almost sweet, which Benimaru didn't mind at all. He watched raptly as Niobe blushed deeply at his action, her mismatched eyes half-lidded and hazy with pleasure. Mewling, she melted against him and tangled her fingers into his soft hair to bring him closer. After a few seconds of sucking, Benimaru released her reddened lip.

"You scared me, Niobe," he admitted, his voice ashen.

Niobe sobered up instantly and her expression grew desolate, shame creeping back into her eyes.

"B-Beni, I...," she started in a small voice.

He shook his head, motioning her to remain quiet and let him talk. He had to. He had to let it out. "When Atlas visioned the entire footage, I could do nothing but watch the whole thing," he told her. "I could only watch as that kid burned, screamed his pain while that starry-eyed bastard cheered him on, as you fought him until you and Hajiki defeated him..." Benimaru tightened his hold on her, almost painfully so. Niobe didn't budge, her eyes on him. "But what set me off was his words. The sickening glee and lust I'd heard and seen on his face made me see red. I wanted to slaughter him, Niobe. I felt the need to tear him apart, beat him to death until he was unrecognizable and couldn't breathe anymore."

Benimaru inhaled again, then exhaled loudly as he pushed his forehead against Niobe's bust. This way, she couldn't see the rage and blinding bloodlust in his glowing eyes—though he knew she could feel it around them. He was burning all over, his nerves on fire, and he needed to let it all out with her. With Niobe only, because she could calm him down until he was certain that nothing would happen to her. This time, not even the soothing feeling of her fingers weaving through his hair could do the trick.

"And you know what would make me feel a million times better? The fact that he deserves death at the hands of so many people—Fuyubi said that he was responsible for all these weird reports of Infernalization around Shinjuku for the past few months, right?" He snarled, his fingers digging into Niobe's skin. "Son of a bitch. All the kids he's killed without any remorse... Had he done this in Asakusa, he'd be dead and given back in pieces to those proud zealots and I'd have killed to see their faces when presented with the truth that one of their own has been defiling their precious Sun God right under their noses."

Niobe said nothing, as she knew he wasn't joking: anyone doing some kind of fishy business that might threaten the life of one single citizen of Asakusa would have a death sentence looming over their heads. Benimaru wouldn't even waste his time trying to hear them out, as there wouldn't be any point talking—no mercy at all. So killing Hoshimiya Rekka for what he's done (and could have done to Niobe) would have been a no-brainer. Just the thought of that bastard's hands wandering all over her curvy body or even cackling like the madman he was in his town was driving Benimaru insane with bloodlust.

Oh, he could just storm over to the 1st and destroy the whole place until he found the son of a bitch and slaughter him with his bare hands. Yeah, he definitely saw himself level that pompous cathedral to the ground, discard every cleric in his blind rage with a few attacks and hunt down Hoshimiya. No one just made a pass at Kirishima Niobe with such bold and lecherous terms without Shinmon Benimaru hearing about it. As for the murders and the death of so many kids he was responsible for, maybe the captain would let those useless zealots decide his fate after he was done with him (that is to say, if he hadn't murdered him first...).

"Can we forget about Hoshimiya and the horrors he's done? Please," Niobe practically begged in a soft voice. "That trash excuse of a human being shouldn't even be mentioned... yet I still have a report to write for you to review, Waka."

He bristled inwardly and outwardly. That damn title. Hearing it from his beloved's mouth sounded so wrong and too formal when she shouldn't be calling him like that—only his men and Konro did out of utter respect for him. The old bats, store clerks, shop owners and geezers had known him ever since he'd been adopted by Hibachi, so they got used to calling him either by his title or the nickname they gave him. But if Niobe deliberately chose to call him Waka, it was serious. She wasn't in the right state of mind as of now and Benimaru hated it.

Gritting his teeth, Benimaru gently tackled her to her back and towered over her, still sandwiched between her long legs. She looked up at him with a gloomy expression, sighing ruefully when he cupped her left cheek, and leaned into his palm as he stroked it tenderly.

"I'm never Waka to you, Niobe," he told her, his thumb passing over her full lips. "Never. Have I told you how much I dislike it when and why you call me by that title?"

She nodded, her hands finding their way into his hair again to stroke his scalp. Benimaru leaned in just as she was pulling him closer for a slow, lazy kiss that he readily returned as languidly as Niobe and he groaned in her mouth when she locked her long legs around his waist. He lay on top of her, flattening her large breasts and glued his hips to hers intimately while making sure to hold himself a little up with his elbows. Her thighs hugging his hips so tightly was stirring up his lust and urgent need to devour her, which made his cock hard and throb. Growling this time, Benimaru rolled his hips into Niobe in a steady rhythm to make their mutual intention known for good—they both wanted to fuck. Hard and long enough to forget the latest events for a while.

The deep moan she released rattled his bones, setting his nerves ablaze. Then she forced him on his back, flushed and her mismatched eyes wild, and straightened herself on her knees to pull her shirt off her buxom body while Benimaru scrambled to undo his yukata with frantic motions. When he finally managed to free his hard cock with a relieved hiss, he grabbed Niobe's lacy underwear and unapologetically set it on fire. His woman hummed as she grabbed his throbbing shaft, lowered herself in position and he gritted his teeth, the turgid length sinking into her drenched pussy easily. Impatiently and rightly so, Benimaru grabbed Niobe's hips and pulled her down onto him. He couldn't take it anymore and neither could she.

The feeling of filling her up and the perfect, snuggly fit was so amazing that both lovers felt like they'd been struck by lightning; the sniper arched on top of him and gasped in pleasure loudly, her exclamation accompanied by his deep, long grunt. The captain threw his head back on the pillow and gripped Niobe's hips to dig his nails into her skin, leaving marks behind. He'd have loved to relish in this wonderful feeling of her vaginal walls tightening around his rod like a hot vice all night, but Benimaru was too hungry to wait.

His hips thrust up relentlessly in a savage way that mirrored his dark desire, sending his cock deep into Niobe. She matched his pace very easily, slamming her hips down on him with erotic moans and mewls. Her full breasts jiggled teasingly with each motion under Benimaru's lust-filled gaze, making him lick his lips sinfully at the sight of her puckered nipples. He'll get to lather them with love bites and his saliva later on. Later, he promised himself as he stroked the bulge his hard cock was creating in Niobe's flat and toned stomach with one hand. Right now, he just wanted to focus on channeling all his stress, all his pent-up rage and bloodlust into fucking his girlfriend's body.

Fucking. Damn. When was the last time he'd felt the burning, primal urge to fuck Niobe and not make love? It was as satisfying as it was addictive; the energy they'd put in their movements matched their turmoil, needed to be purged. Thus, the fucking was wild and violent in each position—especially in Benimaru's most favorite position, the "Doggystyle". His possessive and territorial nature burst out the first time Niobe would scream his name, drowning in bliss and pleasure, and he'd pound and pound and pound her so that she wouldn't be able to walk straight the next morning, until she couldn't really think anymore. The satisfaction Benimaru would feel upon Niobe returning his affection tenfold after the fucking would make him feel warm inside, especially when she'd look at him lovingly with a sweet smile all the while riding him tenderly. Since the "Cowgirl" was her favorite position to give them both pleasure, he'd always allow his beloved to ride him until she was bone tired.

It really wasn't easy to be the sole female Hikeshi in Company 7. Benimaru now understood why she never wanted a seamstress to alter her outfit to put her curves on display—their newest Hikeshi soldiers were so full of themselves they actually believed they could act tough and mighty whenever she was around to offer tips on combat training, even going as far to put on a show and challenge the captain to a spar. The wild monster that Shinmon Benimaru was underneath his gloomy front would have ripped them to shreds, had they made a serious move on his territory (Kirishima Niobe).

With a savage growl, Benimaru suddenly sat up and wrapped his arms around Niobe's waist to bring her flush to his muscled chest, flattening her jugs against him. She easily complied with his name in a groan that he silenced with his mouth. They kissed hungrily while rutting, their movements in perfect sync and symbiosis. It was just so fucking good, she felt so good and so right; her body had really been made for him and there was no more doubt in his mind that Ashura's daughter belonged to him. It was one thing Shinmon Benimaru was sure of. One of his hands was tangled in her curls, holding Niobe in place even when they parted for air, a trail of saliva still linking their lips. She looked so erotic in his eyes, falling apart from their hard lovemaking, all flushed and putty in his hands.

And that Hoshimiya bastard had boasted about wanting to fuck her. He'd be dead before his hands could even graze her curls, the Destroyer of Asakusa would have stabbed him with his hand right through his heart without even blinking. Mine, Benimaru thought before a sudden primal urge overtook his reason and he acted on it on pure instinct: he brutally pulled out, surprising Niobe out of her blissful haze, and shifted their position so that she was on her stomach, her face buried in his pillow. Her tattooed back was glistening with sweat from all the effort she'd put in riding him raw, and Benimaru wasn't faring any better. His bangs were matted against his forehead, his chest slick. But they were nowhere finished.

Lining himself up in front of her drenched pussy while stroking his throbbing shaft, he reached out to stroke Niobe's back starting from the nape of her neck, then slowly dragged it down to trace the tattooed kanji. When Benimaru stopped at the one he was looking for, he stroked it tenderly before leaning down to press his lips on her hot skin. Niobe hummed in pleasure at his gesture and arched just a little, longing for his touch. Although he couldn't see her face, he knew that she was beaming at the kanji he was kissing and that reaction warmed his heart, which cooled his jets just a little.

Love. What he couldn't say with words, he could just show with his actions. He'd told Niobe that he loved her only once and that had been enough for her.

Kissing the kanji one last time, the captain squeezed her hip to elicit a wanton groan from her, which made him lick his lips. Raising himself back up and grabbing her hips, Benimaru brutally entered Niobe once again and grunted deeply at the wonderful feeling of her walls clenching on his cock. She screamed in his pillow, muffling the sound as she jolted against him. His eyes flashed brightly, his teeth gritting as he got rid of his yukata for more freedom of movement.

"Bear with me, Bunny," he hissed, his voice rough with desire. His hands latched onto her arms and pulled them back towards him, raising Niobe on her knees once again. "We've got a long night ahead of us and I need you with me."

Niobe managed to gaze back at him, her mismatched eyes glowing as well and a feral look in those matching his. "All the way to the end, Tiger," she panted. "Just express yourself."

In other words, he had permission to fuck her however he wanted until he was finally sated and her body was almost breaking under his breeding. Until she just couldn't leave his side without him noticing and helping her up because her muscles were too weak to support her weight once standing. He'd wrecked her a lot these past two years, which had left them both euphoric and satisfied. Following their wild lovemaking would be lots of cuddling, slumbering and sleeping all tangled up in the sheets—then waking up late at night for a hot chocolate and some refreshment, with Niobe clinging to him from behind while he was preparing their beverages, her arms wrapped around his waist and her face pressed intimately against his shoulder. He loved these after-sex moments with her, as they could lay their bare souls to each other so easily.

And that was all Benimaru needed right now. After Hoshimiya and that crazy thing, he needed this with Niobe badly.

Rocking his hips back, he slowly pulled out and immediately slammed back in again in full force. The wet skin slapping sound echoed in the room at the same time as Niobe's squeal, spurned by a primal satisfaction as she arched beautifully. Snarling, he did it once again.

"B-Beni!" Niobe cried out in bliss, jolting in his grasp.

Yes, he thought with a feral look in his glowing eyes. The fucking began anew, with the captain gathering all of his strength. Pistoning his hips against Niobe's ass, Benimaru mercilessly drilled his aching cock into her, reaching deep and hitting all her favorite spots almost automatically. The steady and hard rhythm of his thrusts was shaking both of their bodies, wrecking them with intense pleasure. He knew her body like the back of his own hand and it never failed to satisfy his lusts, to meet his expectations. Niobe moaned, mewled, screamed, sobbed and panted his name, her pleasure—all in tune with his own bliss and sounds. Turning her into a sex-kitten had been his greatest exploit, as she could let out the sweetest and sexiest sounds he'd ever heard from a woman. Benimaru had never been one to make a racket when having sex, not even with any of his past playmates, but what he was feeling with Niobe was driving him wild. It was like...

It was like he was on fire.

He couldn't remain silent because he didn't want to.

"Damn it, Niobe," Benimaru grunted, his eyes wild. "You're taking it so well, baby girl..."

His voice had gotten raspy and low, thick with desire, and it made Niobe wail. Her sounds spurned him to go harder and faster on her, his hips slamming and grinding and rutting. Her legs were trembling, trying to resist his savage assault, and Benimaru knew it was only a matter of time before she crashed on the fūton. No worries—he'd fuck her down as soon as she crumbled on her stomach, grinding lewdly and drilling his cock to destroy her insides. His hold on her wasn't letting up, no matter just how slick their bodies were becoming, but when Niobe finally slipped from his grasp and crashed down on the fūton, trembling all over and her ass quivering, Benimaru went with the flow and followed her movement like a magnet. Huffing and his heartbeat wild, he glued his hips and chest to his beloved's back to the point he was almost pressing her against the soft mattress and maintained himself up on his elbows to not crush her with his weight.

"Oh, B-Beni," Niobe mewled as he pressed his face into her neck intimately. She moaned when he bit into her skin, melting into his touch. "Please don't stop, love... I need you too."

Benimaru groaned, low and dangerous. "You must be so sensitive right now, Bunny, you're clamping on my cock as if you don't want to let go of me," he rasped in her ear, sliding one hand up her hip.

His hand, bigger than hers, took hold of her large left breast and groped the heavy mound possessively. The deep, throaty whine that escaped her mouth rattled his bones, making him growl like an animal. Niobe turned her head his way and their lips met in a bruising kiss that both deepened hungrily. His hips slammed back into her once again, drilling his cock straight against her womb. His woman squealed in their kiss, her hand flying to his hair. Don't let go of me, Niobe, Benimaru thought fiercely with a savage growl of approval as he dug his nails into her flesh, 'cause I'm yours 'till I die.

Sobbing against his lips, Niobe stroked his head tenderly and clamped onto his aching cock. Benimaru hissed in pleasure from the sudden tightness around him, his nerves pushing him on the edge. His hips stuttered against her ass. He almost pushed his woman against the mat, wanting to man-handle her body and fuck her like an animal right there (exactly how they wanted), but he restrained himself at the last second. There was a very pleasant coil in the pit of his stomach, starting to grow bigger each time he rutted hard and mercilessly against her.

Benimaru felt Niobe smile against his lips. "G-Go on, my Destroyer," she panted, breathless. "Take everything... I'm yours!"

"Always, Bunny," he swore in her ear before latching his mouth on her shoulder.

They were close, he could feel it. Niobe was unraveling in his arms, on the verge of climaxing for the first time this night, and he wanted to make sure it was a staggering one. Hooking his arm just beneath her chest keep her flush to him, Benimaru rutted again as if it were their first time once again—but more intense, rougher and harder. Back when they weren't in love and an item yet, just Shinmon Benimaru and Kirishima Niobe. It had been that sexual and physical yearning for her burning in his veins that had made him fuck her so bad. And it was that same yearning that was driving him to slam his cock so hard against her cervix. It was also that rage that made him act this way—not that both were complaining, he knew she understood.

When he slammed back inside and as deep as he could one last time, Benimaru and Niobe went still and the climax was as brutal as an explosion. His hips stuttered as his cock released hot loads of cum, big gobs of it, straight into her womb while she milked him. He growled deeply into her ear, joined by her throaty moan as she clenched her fingers into his mussed hair. The wave of heat his body released engulfed the whole room, hot and feverish, while the candles almost melted. His teeth latched onto her neck again and bit into the warm flesh, intent on leaving another love bite, and Niobe purred. It took them both some time, but both finally relaxed, with the sniper finally crashing down on the fūton with a panting breath and the captain almost joining her, but he reluctantly pulled out with a satisfied, guttural groan. Panting, his feverish gaze narrowed down on Niobe's pussy and he couldn't help the smug grin on his lips as he stared at the thick gobs of cum slowly seeping out of her hole. It was gushing out abundantly.

"Damn, I made a mess outta ya," he muttered, his voice deep and husky as he grabbed her ass and squeezed it possessively.

A strained chuckle answered him and Niobe shifted weakly under him, trembling and still riding out her orgasm. Benimaru slowly dragged himself to her level and lay next to her with a satisfied huff, his eyes immediately searching for hers. She smiled at him lazily, her mismatched gaze hazy and her cheeks profoundly red. Sucking up a breath, he had to take a moment to take her in and burn that image in his mind; curly white bangs were matted against her damp forehead and getting in the way of her excellent eyes and the others fell around in a disorderly manner that gave her a sexy disheveled look. Niobe was basking in an after-sex glow he'd been able to admire many times on her, which he'd burned in his memory. I really made a mess outta her, Benimaru thought with a grin as he reached for her.

"C'mere, Bunny," he coaxed again, dragging her to his throbbing body.

She hummed in bliss as he took hold of her leg and slowly hooked it around his hip and over him, while Niobe slid a hand up his chest to revere his muscles and cupped his cheek in her warm palm to stroke his skin. With a groan, Benimaru smashed his lips against hers for a languid, lazy kiss that she returned automatically, her bouncy breasts flattened against his muscles. He wrapped his arm around her buxom body and fully pulled her flush to him, his fingers digging into her soft flesh.

"Ten minutes?" she asked in a murmur against his lips.

He tugged at her lower lip with a cheeky grin. "Ten minutes," he confirmed before kissing her again.

---

That night, it rained. And by raining, Benimaru meant buckets—it was pounding outside. The sound was so relaxing that he finally decided to stop at the ninth round with Niobe, embracing her intimately in bed instead. Since she was in no shape to move at all, he'd taken it upon himself to clean up both of them (aftercare became really important to both, especially whenever she was on the verge of falling asleep like him), drag her to bed with him and have a tender moment for themselves. Intimately tangled underneath the fluffy covers, Niobe had moved on top of Benimaru, tucked tightly in his powerful arms with their legs tangled, her face in the crook of his neck. As for him, he was enjoying the feeling of her naked body pressed against his, one hand smack on her ass cheek and stroking it with lazy gestures. Occasionally, she'd kiss his pulse tenderly to make him purr in pure bliss.

Benimaru felt much, much better now. Like he'd been purged from the raging emotions of earlier and it was such a relieving sensation he was basking in. If he had to be honest with himself, he adored angry sex with Niobe as much as he loved their languid, tender lovemaking; she could take his whole anger on herself with such ease that it had baffled him the first time she'd lasted so long (when she'd explained that she'd coaxed her ex-boyfriend to use her body instead of her wall to vent one shitty night, he'd immediately understood that Karim must have had a really bad case of Spontaneous Human Combustion and had needed a serious breather). So when she'd suggested, with an earnest and sincere expression, to have angry sex as the best outlet they needed, Benimaru had leaped at the chance. Our first time had been amazing, he recalled as he pressed a tender kiss to the crown of her head, his fingers threading through her curls.

There had been a few situations where he'd pinned Niobe to the tatami and had drilled his cock into her as if he'd been about to combust; he'd bitten her everywhere on her body, had gripped her hips hard while fucking her doggystyle. It had been as if he were preparing for battle, but the circumstances were just that different—the flames of Infernalization took anyone without making any difference, just like death. And so, Benimaru expected the phenomenon to kill all those who didn't have powers (a grim reminder of how unfair this world had turned out to become). When it had taken the life of one of the young men he'd known as a kid as the both of them had been talking about his relationship with Niobe, something inside of him had snapped.

Once the festival was over, Benimaru had ignored the praise and cheers to stalk back to the guardhouse. Upon entering, he'd almost bumped into the one person he was unconsciously looking for. The second she'd seen his expression, Niobe had frantically whispered to him to let her go before she had to wrestle her way out of his arms (he'd been about to do her smack in the entry of the guardhouse, on the engawa) and had fled to the bedroom, Benimaru hot on her heels and his eyes blazing. Once he'd cornered her into their room, he'd man-handled her body and had pinned her still so she wouldn't escape his desperate embrace. He'd only removed her trousers and underwear, uncaring if she was half-naked while pounding into her.

Niobe had just... let him. She'd let him take her as many times as he needed, as rough and violently as he wanted, and she hadn't complained once. On the contrary, she'd consoled him tenderly when he'd broken down in her arms, his face tucked in her neck while he wept. He'd asked her to sing and she did, without any complaint. Her fingers threading tenderly through his hair, her melodious voice softly echoing in the bedroom, Benimaru had nearly fallen asleep there, nestled in her warmth. These moments had become so precious to him that he'd wanted to keep them for himself and hadn't really wanted to disclose this to Konro, despite his deep friendship with the older Hikeshi.

Selfish as it was, Shinmon Benimaru would happily maim and kill anyone to keep Kirishima Niobe.

"You didn't judge me when I told you all about my addiction to illegal fighting in the Underground," she'd told him one night in the kitchen. "Never. Not even once. On the contrary, you understood me so easily you made me cry. I cried so damn much, Beni. Of relief, of happiness—because you allowed me to express myself in the only way that could purge me of all these negative emotions. You let me."

Her smile had been blinding and her mismatched eyes shining with love, mixed with her tears, and Benimaru had caught her just in time when she'd flung herself into his arms, hugging him with all her might and he'd returned her affection tenfold, burying his face into her curls to inhale her scent. When their lips had met for a tender and sensual kiss, Niobe had murmured a loving 'Thank you, Beni' against his lips before jumping on him and he'd growled savagely as his hands caught her easily, his senses overtaken by her presence and her touch. It hadn't taken long for both lovers to take this matter to their room, all hot and yearning for each other. But when she'd asked him not to restrain himself, to lose himself with her whenever he needed to, he hadn't asked what the hell this was all about—he just did it without any complaints.

That had been their first time having angry sex. It had been late at night, so Benimaru had gagged Niobe with his hand over her mouth, had let her bite his shoulder or his pillow, had let her scratch his back, had bitten her collarbone again, her chest, her back, her shoulders while fucking her as if the world was about to end tomorrow—they couldn't afford to be loud, but their hungry moans and growls had sounded like sweet music in his ear. Just like his growls of dominance that had left her trembling of desire beneath him. He'd been wild, animalistic, possessive, brutal and savage, but she'd returned all the ministrations with as much fierceness. Benimaru had tried angry sex with his previous partners, but the complaints he'd receive from the women for being too rough would just turn him off and he'd dismiss them without a second thought. Niobe had... taken it all. Took it and kept taking it. She understood his need to forget this crapsack of a world, the responsibilities and burden he'd never asked for, and had proposed the solution he'd silently craved and needed.

Their climax had been violent, almost painful, but so liberating. He'd muffled his growl of dominance in the nape of Niobe's neck while she'd screamed in his pillow, their bodies wrecked with convulsions as they cummed hard together. The way she'd gripped his cock, tightening her cunt all around him, had made him see stars. He'd dug his nails deep into her hips as well, leaving marks of his fingers on her skin. Benimaru had never felt so good, thankful as well, warmth swelling in his chest while cradling Niobe against him possessively and tenderly throughout the whole night. He'd even slept like a baby all night long, spooning with his beloved as she'd wrapped her long leg around and over his hip like she always liked to do. No nightmares, no dreams—just a dreamless sleep he'd wanted for so long. Something primal had taken over his senses, he'd acted on it and she'd willingly submitted. The female had submitted to her alpha. And it had felt heavenly to just lose himself.

She stirred against him with a sleepy moan, her hand on his abdomen, and he grinned tenderly as she clumsily raised herself on top of him. Her bi-coloured curls were wild and sticking out in all sorts of directions and she looked a bit sleepy. Chuckling, Benimaru sat up to wrap his arms around Niobe and pull her flush to him.

"Hot chocolate?" he murmured against her lips, his eyes full of mirth.

He felt her smile against his mouth, her eyes mirroring his joy. "Sir, yes, sir," she purred, cupping his cheeks. "Please."

They shared a languid, deep kiss that almost escaled into the tenth round they've been craving for, but Niobe giggled as she tried to escape his hold, rambling about his delicious hot chocolates. Benimaru couldn't hide his own grin at their antics, his mismatched eyes flashing. She gasped when he rolled them over, his hands roaming her curves and dips and his lips exploring her throat.

[…]

Rummaging through Niobe's drawer, Benimaru paused and observed each one of her underwear very closely and with a very critical eye. All of them were very tempting, as his girlfriend favored lace and he had to admit that he loved tracing the fabric with his fingers before ripping them from her legs. Since he'd taken an instinctive liking to burning them when he was so impatient, Niobe had taken to buying more of them out of town—if anything, the annoyed glares she'd send his way whenever she'd come back home with a bag full of sexy underwear greatly amused him.

Settling for the purple one, he closed the drawer, strolled back towards the sniper, who was patiently waiting for him with a smile. She'd sat up and was now dressed with the shirt she'd thrown away earlier, her long and toned legs half-way drawn back to her chest.

She sent him a playful glare. "Here's to hoping you won't burn this one, Beni," she warned as he kneeled right in front of her.

"I like this one 'cause it matches your purple eye, so I'll make sure not to burn it," Benimaru drawled.

"Cheeky lil' king," she chuckled.

He smirked up at her. "Always, Bunny."

Slowly, he helped her put on her underwear, making sure to drag the fabric and his fingers up her perfect legs to stroke her smooth skin. It was both sensual and provocative, since he was leaning in and getting close to Niobe to put on her underwear—they'd fucked so hard that her legs were still weak from their savage session, which made him feel very satisfied because she'd have trouble walking for some time. He traced her tattooed leg reverently, marveling at the incredible details for a few seconds. When Niobe elevated her hips and allowed him to pull her underwear on her pelvis, Benimaru leaned forward to nip at the skin of her toned pelvis—just right above her pussy. She gasped and jolted in surprise, then fell back down.

He smirked again as he followed her movement easily. "Still sensitive right here, huh?" he asked against the skin of her pelvis.

"Nine rounds of rough angry sex, Beni, that's bound to make you sore," Niobe laughed good-naturedly, biting her lip when he kissed the spot long and tenderly. She threaded her long fingers through his hair, smoothing the mussed bangs. "How are you feeling now, love?"

Benimaru slid his hands down her long legs to latch them onto her ankles and pulled her at his level. She hummed in approval as he towered over her between her thighs, his expression softer than before. He smiled at Niobe, his forehead pressed intimately against hers.

"Better," he murmured. "Now let's go get your chocolate fix, I need your resume from this afternoon."

"Yes, sir."

Picking her up, Benimaru hoisted Niobe against him and wrapped her legs around his waist before sauntering out of the bedroom. He was silent as he padded in direction of the kitchen, his beloved nestled securely in his arms, threading her fingers through his hair and her lips peppering sweet kisses along his neck. Grinding his teeth, he tried his damnedest not to growl while his body was responding positively to her ministrations. Benimaru had half a mind to pin her against the nearest wall and bury himself between her thighs once again, but the kitchen now being in sight quashed his dark plans. Besides, I need to listen to everything she's uncovered, he thought as he slid the shōji shut behind them.

With a hum, Niobe disentangled her limbs from his body and he gently set her down, allowing her to lean back against the counter. Pressing a firm kiss square on her lips, Benimaru smoothed the long curl hanging between her eyes between his fingers before slowly parting from his sniper to gather the ingredients to make her beloved—accursed—hot chocolate. In the meantime, he listened to her report. She recounted everything that happened with Hoshimiya, her voice calm and cool, up until she mentioned something about the 8th and the 5th.

"Remember that day when I holed up into my lab and not even the girls could get me out?" she asked him, her bright eyes staring at him. "Atlas had perceived a disturbance in Company 5's jurisdiction and directly inside their combine, which was a first. He found this weird and so did I, which prompted me to look into it. Turned out that the 8th had assaulted the 5th in order to steal their data about the latest discovery concerning Spontaneous Human Combustion. I hacked into their system to find out why the hell a Fire Force Company would take on another out of the blue, especially one affiliated with Haijima Industries, and found something rather... disturbing."

He frowned at her, handing her the steaming cup of hot chocolate. Once she had the cup filled with the abomination, Benimaru stepped between her long legs and snaked his arms round her waist to pull Niobe closer, without making her step down from the counter. Upon closer look, she looked troubled and he didn't like it.

"Tell me what that masochistic bitch found out," he prompted, his gaze serious as his fingers stroked her bare back underneath her shirt.

"Captain Princess Hibana studies the bodies of Infernals she'd deemed worth of her interest, since her thirst for knowledge doesn't have any limits. The data Company 8 sought to steal from her contains her recent findings, so I hacked her computer and downloaded it safely. Don't worry, I made sure they wouldn't trace me back by leaving a nasty virus I created beforehand." Niobe frowned deeply. "Anyway, through her research, Hibana came to the conclusion that some strange bug—the same that Hoshimiya Rekka has used on Son Nataku—pierced its way into the victim's body and... triggered the combustion."

Benimaru stared at his girlfriend, dumbfounded. What the hell? Seeing the footage Fuyubi had sent them had really shocked him to hell, but the thing had looked so farfetched and crazy that he still couldn't believe it. How could a mere bug trigger the combustion and turn someone into an Infernal?

"The hell kinda bug does that?" he demanded.

Niobe shook her head, just as disturbed as he was. "I have absolutely no idea, but that insect disrupted the victim's core and triggered the Infernalization. I've never heard of any bug being able to do something as insane, which can't be normal. If you ask me, it has got something to do with its composition. It's clear that it's no normal insect and Hoshimiya has the answers to the questions, since he knew what he's been doing for months. That's why the 8th assaulted the 5th, as the bastard had become far too reckless and sloppy for Princess Hibana to not pick up on his trail." Her frown turned into a scowl as she took a long sip of her hot beverage. She swallowed thickly. "However, the fact that we were attacked soon after we neutralized Hoshimiya makes me think that he couldn't have been acting alone."

Don't tell me... Benimaru ground his teeth, his eyes flashing and his fingers suddenly digging into Niobe's flesh. "Are you implying what I think you are?" he growled, sounding dangerous.

The look she gave was enough of an answer, though there was still some hesitation behind her mismatched eyes. She caught his shoulder before he could wrench himself away from her, her touch soothing, but not soothing enough to calm down. The rage was filling him up again, hot and burning.

"We have to make sure everyone's straight," she murmured, her tone a bit frantic. "After finding out that Hoshimiya was a traitor, there's a chance the Special Fire Force might be compromised. Like I said, he couldn't have been acting alone and some other sniper tried to get a shot at him so he wouldn't talk. I almost got killed, Beni. What if... what if he's not the only one who's infiltrated the Companies? I..." She bit her lower lip, her face somber. "Everyone knows everyone in Asakusa, especially you and Konro, so it wouldn't be difficult for you to spot an intruder."

And even if she was making sense, the mere idea of 'cultists' secretly invading his town sounded absolutely ludicrous. And maddening. It could mean that intruders were hiding among his townspeople and they were all unaware—they must also be here whilst he and Niobe were going over possibilities and they had no idea! Then again, what he'd watched earlier in her lab seemingly just confirmed that Infernals could also be man-made (that bug just wasn't natural and how the hell hadn't the kid turned Infernal?), which probably meant that other people were in possession of these insects. If this was true, then the mystery of Spontaneous Human Combustion went deeper than everyone thought and something else was at work in the shadows.

What the hell was going on?

"But we don't know who's out there doing this, right?" Benimaru countered with a scowl. "Suppose I believe that Hoshimiya Rekka is a cultist and isn't the only one out there making Infernals for a moment, what's their goal? How many of them are there? Where are they hiding? What are their abilities? How much do they know about us? And more importantly, who the hell is that 'Evangelist'?"

Niobe huffed, frustrated.

"I have no answer, Beni. To all of your questions. But here's something else you should know: Company 8 has been investigating the other Special Companies in search for clues about Spontaneous Human Combustion, starting with the 5th. Then the 1st by using the Rookie Training Reassignement System, sending two of their recruits as spies." She cupped Benimaru's cheek with her free hand to get his attention on her. "They might be coming to Asakusa next and ask to snoop around, so I thought you should know beforehand and not be surprised by their unexpected arrival."

Nah, he heard that one wrong. Very wrong. At this, Benimaru's scowl turned murderous. His eyes flashed bright as his temper flared angrily, with the candles suddenly lighting up and the flames rising high in the air.

"Huh?!" he whisper-exclaimed, incredulous. "You're kidding, right?!"

Niobe shook her head, looking just as annoyed and moody. "Afraid not. Before Amon brought me back home, I overheard one of the new recruits of the 8th speaking with Karim, who wants to work with their ragtag Company in order to catch this 'Evangelist' and find out why Hoshimiya Rekka 'betrayed' the Special Fire Force. So there's a good chance they might come snooping around here, which is why I'll have Nezumi and Daisuke watching out for them." She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Man, we don't know those guys but they're already a pain in the neck!"

You've got to be fucking kidding me, Benimaru thought viciously, a sneer on his face. And here he'd thought that they'd manage to forget that horror show with the oncoming quiet days because they'd both been looking forward to spending time together as a couple. They'd even planned how they'd spend these days off—sex, nap, relaxation in the hot springs, more sex (he didn't do picnics and dates and Niobe found them boring now, but lounging around in random places, watching animes and playing video games was surprisingly their thing), now their plans were trashed. Shot to hell. Because some Imperial lapdogs were playing 'heroes' and stirring up trouble instead of staying in their fucking lane.

Though Benimaru was mad to have to postpone his days off with his girl, he was still glad that she'd gone with Amon—they wouldn't have uncovered all this mess and the 7th would have remained in the dark, isolating themselves from the other lapdogs and probably surrounded by cultists who'd prey on them. Company 8 would have come to his town, seeking their damn answers and trying to get him to abide by their request for their accursed investigation (he wouldn't have agreed, of course, because he didn't trust anyone who bowed to the Empire). From what Niobe had just told him, these guys sounded more like troublemakers looking for clues and while they might be onto something now, there was no fucking way Benimaru would just let them do whatever they wanted in his turf. They weren't even welcome in Asakusa.

Niobe was right. Trouble was heading their way.

While he was contemplating murder, two soft hands he knew very well cupped his cheeks and coaxed him to look up, which he begrundgingly did with a scowl. He was met with a soft, yet determined expression.

"Whatever you decide, we'll follow without any complaint," she told him, her forehead pressed against his and her lips ghosting his. "Should there be a cult out there creating Infernals through artificial means, we'll get them before they get us. Just say the word and I'll find a way to corner them, no matter how crafty they are. Asakusa is your town, Beni. Your rules, your way, your orders."

It was now strange how he'd been so suspicious and wary of Niobe back then, as she'd been raised in the belly of the Tokyo Empire as an Asakusan Hikeshi by her proto-nationalist father. He'd watched her closely, had learned how to read her over the past two years. The air changed between them so suddenly that the Destroyer hadn't seen it coming, but he gladly welcomed it the second he understood that she was willing to let him in; all her fears, her doubts and wounds—the trust was now fully shared and solid. Then he let her in as well, sharing with her. No more secrets, they'd vowed to each other while sealing the deal with a fierce kiss during a heated, passionate and heavenly lovemaking.

And damn, was Benimaru glad to have given Niobe a chance to prove herself worthy of being his First Platoon, a member of his Company and the woman he loved dearly. More than anything.

When she hopped down from the counter, Benimaru wrapped one of his arms around her waist tightly to steady her while hers were wound around his neck. He had an expression of deep displeasure on his face that had Niobe smiling sympathetically.

"Gotta have to tell Konro and the guys about all this, since we'll have to prepare ourselves for that so-called cult," he murmured, cupping her left cheek in his palm. He stroked her lower lip tenderly with his thumb. "Damn it, we've been looking forward to this for weeks."

She bit the pad of his thumb tenderly, one eye closed. "Who said we can't enjoy our days off anymore?" she teased, raising herself on her toes to his lips. "I'll brief everyone about what Amon and I have uncovered, set up a trap with my forgetful best friend and I'll be back in the bedroom in no time."

Benimaru raised a brow, unimpressed. Niobe smiled sensually, tilting her head.

"I do remember you saying I wouldn't be getting out of our bedroom until you said so. Was I mistaken? Or if you desire more privacy, we can still go to my father's mansion and hole up in there again."

His Tic-Tac-Toe eyes burned and glowed in the dim light in interest. A wanton, throaty groan escaped his throat as Niobe kissed his lips tenderly. He'd actually forgotten about this—Niobe could ask her father if he could allow them to have his home for themselves for a few days. It usually ended up with a positive answer, as the Raijin would then go straight to Asakusa to give the couple more privacy. The first time they'd done it, Benimaru had been very reluctant to leave the town and she'd understood his concerns; he had wanted to spend time with her alone, but leaving his people unsettled him. It had taken Konro and their Hikeshi to convince him to go with Niobe and leave Asakusa in their care during their absence.

The Raijin's home may look like any mansion built in the Empire from the outside, it had been the inside that made Benimaru feel comfortable—it was indeed very proto-nationalist, with tatami and board floors, shōji screen doors, Koi fish pond, traditionalist garden, beautiful vases, statues of Shintō divinities, drawings and statues of Fūjin Raijin. Upon listening to Niobe's explanations during the tour of the gigantic mansion, Benimaru had understood that her father had wished for her to bathe in his culture and adopt it as her own—which she had. Even though they were living in the belly of the Tokyo Empire, Kirishima Ashura had never forsaken Asakusa. And he had very good taste. The Destroyer had immediately felt right at home and had completely relaxed in his girlfriend's presence, giving in to the list he'd mentally made before leaving (cuddling, nap, sex, bath, lazing around, training, more sex, cooking).

Three days at her father's home? Oh yeah. Absolutely.

"Not a bad idea, our last days off at your father's home were very relaxing and I actually miss Little Brother," he growled, scooping her up. "If we get the chance, let's go there. Not taking any complaints, Bunny."

"None," Niobe murmured with a giggle, wrapping herself around him.

After she downed the rest of her hot chocolate, Benimaru took her back to their bedroom. The shōji closed behind them with an air of finality that sounded right in his ear.

---

There was a thing called 'peace' that Shinmon Benimaru cherished a lot when he absolutely didn't want to be bothered with some bullshit—it had been this way ever since and it hadn't changed when he got together with Kirishima Niobe. On the contrary, it tripled the second they became an item. All the Hikeshi understood that, even Hinata and Hikage. Whenever he wanted to relax with her in their room, they all knew better than bother them (he could be terrifying when he got cockblocked or interrupted during their naps). Intimacy was sacred in their couple.

So why the hell was the phone ringing in the middle of the goddamn night and why the hell was no one answering it?

Groaning sleepily under his breath, Benimaru tightened his arms around Niobe's curvy body and buried his face in her thick curls, inhaling the sweet smell of her moisturizer. Cocoa butter and shea butter—her favorite. As an answer to his movement, she wrapped one long leg around his hip and over him with a pleased hum, to which he sighed happily. He felt so good right now, wrapped in his covers with his girlfriend curled up around him, that moving just a finger would feel like a crime against sleep. Tangling himself with Niobe in the sheets was just heavenly that both always refused to let go of one another. They soothed each other.

Somewhere off in the distance, the ringing finally stopped. Benimaru moaned happily as Niobe clung to his yukata closely, her leg hugging him flush to her body.

But then, something fucked up happened. The phone fucking rang again. As if it were mocking them.

"Whoever is calling is gonna get it," the sniper growled lowly, venom lacing her tone.

Benimaru blocked her movements when she tried to get up, frowning in displeasure. "Forget it," he snapped sleepily. "Not business hours..."

"And if they keep calling? What's next, they'll suddenly find a way to contact us via Atlas?"

Hell. No. He'd completely forgotten it was possible to call Niobe via Atlas, as the teddy bear also acted as a phone and computer at the same damn time—very resourceful and useful, but not at night when even he was asleep on his charging station. Benimaru was sure he looked absolutely murderous (despite his sleepy state) as he let go of his moody girlfriend, got up with her, literally wrapped his arms around her waist as she slid the shōji open lazily. He knew he was kind of being a pain right now, but Niobe honestly didn't even care (she was just as exhausted as he was) as they waddled and stumbled in direction of the blasted phone.

She grabbed the phone lazily, but her tone was in contradiction with her movement.

"What?" she hissed angrily while Benimaru nuzzled the crook of her neck tenderly with his lips, clinging to her back. "Don'tcha know that sleep is sacred? Ya betta have some excellent excuse to call in the middle of tha night and if I don't like ya answer, I'm huntin' ya down."

If mornings were a bitch for her, being awakened at an ungodly hour of the night would definitely put anyone on her kill-list. Ren had done it a few times these past two years, which had resulted in him having been heckled by his sisters with Niobe's help. Fortunately, Konro had been able to convince her not to 'accidentally' shoot him with her arrows. As for answering the phone this late at night? Asking for trouble, a full cussing out and the phone being hung up before you could get to finish your sentence.

"I apologize for calling this late, but this is of the utmost importance. This is Captain Leonard Burns from Company 1," Benimaru heard on the other end of the receiver. "Am I speaking to First Platoon Niobe Kirishima?"

The name of the man speaking snapped Benimaru out of his drowsiness and he blinked twice as he straightened up, wide awake in less than a second—that was a world record. Did he hear that right? Was it really the captain of the 1st calling them at past four in the morning? Even Niobe shook herself awake, her curls almost slapping his face. But that did nothing to calm her down.

"Ya could at least say my name right: it's Kirishima Niobe," she corrected in annoyance, leaning back against Benimaru. "I'm not even sure I should be apologizing myself for the threat. Now to what unpleasant honor are we being graced with a call from the great veteran of the 1st?"

"So that's what Lieutenant Flam meant when he said that he should handle you the second you'd be picking up, I get it now," Captain Burns mused coolly. "You're definitely not a morning person and you immediately switch to rudeness when you have the chance."

A vein pulsed at Niobe's temple, her brow twitched. "I have to admit this is the interlude to tracking down the caller and deal with them in the most deserving way I'll think of. Now why the hell are you calling?"

"Intruders have broken into the grounds of my Company and have reached their goal."

"Stealing whatever is of value to you clerics? Like books of prayers or somethin'?" Niobe drawled sarcastically, a yawn making its way out of her throat.

"Rekka Hoshimiya has been shot. He's dead."

The tone of Burns' voice was grim at best. Just like that, the atmosphere completely changed at the sudden revelation of such statement; Niobe's yawn was interrupted and she blinked many times, shocked, while Benimaru openly scowled in incomprehension. Hoshimiya... was dead? How? Didn't Company 1, the so-called pinnacle and elite of all the Special Fire Force, have better security than most of the other Companies? One would think their grounds would be heavily guarded, since this was under the Holy Sol Temple's authority. How could they have failed to make sure their traitor and prisoner was secure? The lovers exchanged an incredulous glance before his sniper handed him the receiver and he begrundgingly took it.

"And how does your treacherous lieutenant's death have anything to do with us?" Benimaru snarled while Niobe wrapped her arm around his waist and clung to him, nuzzling his muscled chest. "Why call my Company when it doesn't concern us?"

"Captain Shinmon, am I right? It has everything to do with your subordinate, as she's mentioned in mine's report. Moreover, Lieutenant Flam suggested First Platoon Niobe Kirishima to analyze Hoshimiya's wound, considering it's very likely he'd been shot dead by a sniper. Probably the same who'd tried to kill him the first time around. Maybe your subordinate can enlighten us more about the situation."

"That can wait until morning. And hey, don't fucking call me again, zealot!"

He hung up abruptly, the phone rattling into its cradle.

---

Tokyo Empire, Shinjuku, Special Fire Force Company 1

Now that was a first—Shinmon Benimaru having to leave his turf to go into the Tokyo Empire and meet with some zealots and Imperial lapdogs. It was so ludicrous that he still couldn't believe it. Even Konro and their Hikeshi had been really dumbfounded to hear that he wanted to accompany Niobe to the 1st and see what the hell this was all about (no way in hell was he going to let his girlfriend go there on her own when Hoshimiya's murderers might still be lurking around). She also asked them not to mention anything about intruders having probably infiltrated their town, as there could be a good chance anyone who was already hiding among them could catch on.

"After Hoshimiya at the 1st, we shouldn't take any risk," Niobe had told them all, her face grim. "We don't know anything: if they're already hiding among us, what they look like, what their powers are. They could look like your siblings or even your fiancee. Hell, they might be civilians themselves and also dedicated cult followers at the same time, so they may be regular people. Hoshimiya Rekka from Company 1 can't be the only traitor and spy out there doing this, especially if we base ourselves on the means he had to create Infernals. Cultists always have followers spread out everywhere and judging from the way the traitor has managed to keep his secret for this long, they're not your typical cult." She took a breath, yawned a little, then shook herself awake. "So, for everyone's sake, let's just carry on with our lives as if we've never talked about this. Let's pretend we don't know that an impending disaster is about to hit us once again until we bring them out."

Then she added, with the most serious face she could muster, while looking at everyone in the eye.

"Do not make the townspeople panic."

After she recounted everything to everyone in a very detailed resume before she left with him, she took Atlas and Fuyubi so they could analyze Hoshimiya's body and do an AR Reconstruction.

"You sure you're okay with this, Beni?" his sniper had asked him in a shout. "I mean, coming with me to Company 1 knowing they're nothing more than clerics? Other than myself, I've never thought of another proto-nationalist who has no faith into their Sun God prowling their grounds with a purpose."

Since he'd determined that it would be faster to travel by matoi, Benimaru had insisted on having Niobe riding another one—though he'd rather carry her bridal style. Seeing her balance herself so easily on the wooden pole while they were flying fast towards Company 1, no matter how fast they were going, never ceased to amaze him.

His brow furrowed a little as he glanced at her. "No, I'm not," he had answered her truthfully. "However, we need to get this over with so they can leave us alone."

Her expression softened, sympathetic. "Remember what I said, love?"

"Yeah, yeah. The beginning of trouble... wish you were wrong 'bout this, Bunny."

Benimaru had really wanted to deny that things were about to get rocky, but he'd begrundgingly accepted that fact. What happened yesterday was unprecedented—Infernals being created through artificial means via a strange 'bug', the possibilities of a crazy cult being out there, traitors that may be scattered all over the Companies and in his turf... He couldn't let that slide and certainly couldn't ignore it. Something was at work and if that something threatened the lives of the people of Asakusa, then the Destroyer Shinmon Benimaru would unleash hell on his enemies. Not to mention that 'Evangelist' Hoshimiya kept raving about, the captain thought as he and Niobe walked towards the entrance of Company 1.

He didn't spare the giant obelisk a second glance, for something else got his attention—rather, someone. His keen eyes took in the two men in clerical robes approaching them, holding back a scornful snarl. The taller one had dark blonde hair partially hidden by a black hat, closed eyes—really closed—and a kind expression on his face. The smaller one had lazy eyes, dark grey hair styled in a flattened mohawk and a seemingly irritated expression. When the man frowned heavily at his girlfriend and his gaze lingered just a little too much on Niobe's neck, and probably on the love bites and teeth marks he'd left behind last night, Benimaru couldn't help the primal surge of possessiveness that coursed through his entire body and his fingers flexed in the inside of his happi coat.

This must be...

The two zealots fell into salute instead of tenting their hands like all clerics did. However, there was a certain gloomy atmosphere engulfing them—it had to be because of Hoshimiya's treachery and untimely death. Benimaru remembered that his girlfriend had told him the three were the best of friends, having known each other for years and also deciding to join the Fire Force together with the same purpose in mind (according to what Karim had revealed to her, of course). So finding out that their so-called 'best friend' might not even have been real to begin with must be messing with their minds.

"I'm Lieutenant Huo Yan Li of Company 1," the tall one introduced himself.

"Lieutenant Karim Flam, also from Company 1," the punk followed.

Like he cared, like he cared. Next to him, Niobe merely grumbled a sleepy 'Mornin'' while Benimaru huffed. He wasn't even inside yet and he already wanted to get the hell out of here, his woman tucked in his arms. More so because he was meeting her ex-boyfriend for the first time while the timing was so wrong and the man was looking at her as if she were a suspect.

"Let's get this over with already," he groused rudely.

Li cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Right, please follow us," he quickly complied, motioning for the lovers to follow. "Before we get there, we have to inform you that you weren't the only ones called to come: Captain Burns has reached out to the 2nd and the 8th, so First Class Fire Soldier Chief Platoon Amon Hajiki, Second Class Fire Soldier Shinra Kusakabe, Captain Akitaru Ōbi and Lieutenant Takehisa Hinawa are also here."

Niobe frowned, glancing at Karim. "And why is that? Isn't the report that young nun from your Company wrote sufficient enough for your captain?" she wondered. "Don't you have someone qualified in the medical field to analyze Hoshimiya's body?"

Benimaru's sharp and attentive eyes caught the punk's tightening of his fists, which lasted a few seconds, before he relaxed.

"Our doctor did a full scan of Rekka's corpse after we... found him," Karim muttered, his voice subdued. "He concluded that his heart has been shot out by a very powerful, condensed flame. He wasn't just stabbed, Niobe: his chest has literally been pierced from both sides and there's a hole in there. His body was bathing in a pool of his blood when we found him."

He glanced at the sniper over his shoulder, his eyes frigid. She didn't waver, though Benimaru scowled at the slight animosity in his gaze.

"That's something you could have done."

"Karim!" Huo Yan chastised, almost shocked and alarmed.

Such accusation, no matter how small or implied, remained what it was—an accusation. And since it was directed at his girlfriend, Benimaru immediately bristled and blocked Karim's view of Niobe with his body, snarling and his eyes glowing. Not even her hands clutching at his happi coat and settling on his back could soothe him at the moment.

"The hell is that supposed to mean, that Niobe is your prime suspect?" he demanded hotly. "Is this what this charade is all about?"

Huo Yan quickly raised his hands, trying to look as calm as possible. "No, of course not, we just want to ask—"

"Where there even any guards watching your dead traitor?" Benimaru interrupted instead. "How the hell could you let something like this happen in the first place and then try to bring in my subordinate for questioning when she has nothing to do with this mess?"

Karim's frown deepened and his gaze grew somber while Huo Yan looked away, ashamed. He couldn't believe this... this bullshit. The nerve of that blue-haired punk to direct his grief and anger onto Niobe just because she happened to have the very Ignition Ability that killed Hoshimiya! If it weren't for his girlfriend sliding her hand into his right now, he'd be beating the hell out of her ex-boyfriend for even looking at her. I knew this was a bad idea to come over here, Benimaru thought angrily as he clutched Niobe's fingers. And he was certain his woman was thinking the same damn thing right now.

Clicking her tongue, Niobe tugged at his hand and glanced at Huo Yan. "Waka's right: let's just get this over with and we'll be out of your hair in no time," she bit out, scowling.

"Fine by me!" Karim snapped before storming forward.

Upon staring at his retreating back, she huffed in irritation while Huo Yan sighed sadly with a shake of his head and Benimaru was trying his best not to pounce on him. The Lieutenant Priest gave the sniper and the captain a worried look.

"I sincerely apologize for Karim's behavior, this situation is... taking a serious toll on both Company 1 and us at the same time," he murmured to the lovers as they followed Karim at a certain distance. "Rekka's betrayal was already hard to swallow, but his sudden murder by an Ignition Ability similar to his ex-girlfriend's..."

"Not similar, Huo Yan. It's exactly the same Ignition Ability and I'm not surprised at his hostility," Niobe snipped, stroking Benimaru's hand with her thumb. "Hoshimiya and I weren't the best of friends, and I believe he was upset that I never considered him as more than a mere 'acquaintance'. But I can't imagine the shock of finding out that your so-called 'friend' was just a cover, a front that he created for the sake of a mission he'd probably been given by a possible cult."

Huo Yan's mouth was set into a grim line. "That... and the fact that you destroyed his arm."

"He lived, didn't he? Until now..."

Benimaru opened his mouth to follow with a scathing remark, but Niobe squeezed his hand. He shot her a very irritated glare, scandalized, to which she answered by lifting their linked hands and kissing the back of his tenderly with a look that conveyed 'Please behave, I'll handle this.' Such bullshit and he couldn't even lash out a little to defend his woman's honor. These zealots and Sun God whores needed to be put in their place and stay in their damn lanes if they didn't want their precious Cathedral leveled to the ground. Nodding stiffly, Benimaru gritted his teeth and swallowed his insults. For now.

Huo Yan bowed his head. "Nonetheless, what Rekka has been doing until yesterday was far, far worse. This is unforgivable. Maybe this was Sol exacting punishment for defiling his name and his blessings."

Niobe concealed her verbal and facial aggravation under a hum while Benimaru didn't hide his scornful snort, strolling next to his sniper. Unbelievable, this faith in their sham god was just unbelievable. Her hand reached up to stroke the nape of his neck, massaging it tenderly, and he almost let out a content purr at the feeling of her fingers. Leave it to his girlfriend to notice that he was in a very bad mood, didn't want to be in this damn building filled with worshippers of the Sun God—how many nuns would they be encountering? The four they've just passed by were giving them uncomfortable glances and gossiping like schoolgirls. Absolutely insane—and wanted to hole up with her again.

"I have many, many questions, but...," Niobe started before yawning. "I'll just wait."

Benimaru tugged her closer to him, dropping a little kiss to the crown of her head. After this, they'll be going back to bed—if Niobe said anything about trying to scout out the possible intruders in their town on their day off, he'd have to blackmail her. They could get to it on the low.

After using a door that led into yet another corridor, they went down some stairs, turned around a corner, and entered the last cell of the corridor. Inside were waiting the blue-haired punk Benimaru had wanted to beat to a pulp, Hajiki, the girl that supplied Hoshimiya the children (who seemed to have cried a lot, judging by her puffy eyes), the domineering and legendary veteran Burns Leonard (who'd lost his right eye years ago, according to Niobe), a tall man with an undercut, the same lazy eyes as Flam and wearing the damn coat with the blue stripes of the Special Fire Force. Next to him was a man with brown hair, glasses, inexpressive hazel eyes and also wearing the same coat (he had the most straight face he'd ever seen in his life). And next to this weird guy was a young brat with crimson eyes, messy black hair and an orange jumpsuit. The number 8 was engraved on the insignia. The lapdogs from that Company 8 Niobe had warned us about, Benimaru thought, aggravated and annoyed.

All eyes turned towards them when they entered the cell, with Burns walking in their direction, a somewhat approachable expression on his face as he took Niobe and Benimaru in.

"Thank you for agreeing to come on such short notice, Captain Shinmon," he greeted. "And for bringing First Platoon Niobe Kirishima with you. My lieutenant seemed to believe that her skills would be most appreciated in analyzing Rekka's corpse."

Still couldn't say her name right. These people, I swear, he thought with aggravation. Benimaru's face was hard as stone as he looked up at the older man.

"How convenient and nice of him," he drawled mockingly. "Does it include the bastard seemingly accusing my First Platoon of having murdered that treacherous zealot when I can vouch for her very easily?"

Confusion replaced the somber expression on Burns' face while Amon glared at Karim with a sneer. "What do you mean? No one is accusing your soldier of any crime, she's only here to help us out," the cleric said, frowning.

"Then why does your lieutenant think Niobe might have something to do with his death just because she has the power that did him in?" Benimaru countered, his voice cold.

Understanding dawned on Captain Burns and he half-turned to rest his eye on Lieutenant Flam, who gritted his teeth and glanced away with a conflicted expression. Lieutenant Huo Yan's was just as somber and sad, and he grabbed his colleague's shoulder in support. Sighing, Burns turned back and nodded his head with a closed eye, slightly apologetic.

"Allow me to apologize for my lieutenant's behavior if it offended you both, emotions shouldn't be clouding his judgement. Especially not right now, when Rekka's actions have brought nothing but grief and confusion." Opening his eye, he looked at both Benimaru and Niobe solemnly. "Should you still accept to lend us your skills for this matter, would you mind sharing your conclusions with us?"

Niobe was silent for a moment, considering the request. Benimaru could tell she wanted to refuse and just get the hell out of this hellhole, but since they'd already reached the damn cell, she might as well analyze this mess so they could go home.

Clicking her tongue, she took off her backpack. "The body of that son of a bitch?" she asked tiredly.

Burns nodded again and stepped off to the side, revealing what he'd been hiding. Benimaru's eyes fell onto the hunched figure on the ground, the arms not chained to the wall but stuck in a fireproof straight-jacket, and he approached it with Niobe to inspect the corpse closer. When he finally saw it up front, he blinked twice as understanding dawned on him and he couldn't help the way he stared at the wound; Rekka's chest had really been pierced inside out, blasted through organs and spine. The hole was just a perfect circle, reminiscent of those made by Niobe's arrows through targets. The blast had even created a hole on the wall behind Hoshimiya's corpse. The heart had been shot out too, so he must have died instantly while bleeding out like a slaughtered animal—his corpse was bathing in a pool of dried blood, seeping into the cobblestone. The sight in itself was gruesome at best.

Now Benimaru understood why Lieutenant Flam acted this way towards his woman—had Niobe shot Rekka, this would have been the exact same result. She'd have killed Hoshimiya the same way. That and the fact it could have been her (he'd love to prove them wrong but recounting what they'd done all night was too much of a private matter).

"Absolutely impressive," Niobe whistled, crouching to get a better look at the wound. "The sniper who did this had Hoshimiya at gunpoint and the arrow created a crater behind his body. The flame was quite powerful enough to burn through. It was an execution."

"We've reached that conclusion before you arrived," Captain Burns revealed while she put her backpack down. "Since you're also a sniper, you must think like one as well. Could you walk us through after analyzing the scene for clues?"

Niobe hummed positively as she got back up. "Of course," she assured, her eyes looking around the entire cell. "I'll just need Amon, Fuyubi and Atlas to sweep the entire dungeon for us."

The captain of the 8th frowned in confusion, just like his second, the twerp who seemed awed at his presence and Burns. "Who are—" he started to question.

As an answer, Niobe's backpack started moving from the inside, drawing all attention. A mere second later, Fuyubi poked his head out and his red eyes immediately found Hoshimiya's body. Next to him, Atlas also stood to step out of the backpack under the soldiers' dumbfounded stares. The girl with the puffy golden eyes gasped, jolting, and pointed at the AI.

"Captain Burns, there it is!" she exclaimed excitedly. "The talking cat!"

The AI's red eyes slid over to her lazily. "Oh, it's you again!" Fuyubi remarked in a yawn. Then he stepped out of the backpack, sitting in front of Hoshimiya's corpse as if he owned the damn cell. "Have you worked up the guts to stand up to this mad animal and finished him off in the night or has the other sniper struck again?"

"You shouldn't remind Kotatsu Tamaki of such harrowing memories, Fuyubi," Atlas chimed in, raising a paw to stroke the feline's head. His robotic eyes found Tamaki, who flinched back at him. "She feels guilty enough as it is and we shouldn't add more salt on the injury."

The feline AI snorted, licking his paw. "Whatever you say, bear cub. She was the one who couldn't see past her admiration for the psychopath and almost got herself killed along with those kids she'd brought for slaughter."

"Shut up, pussycat," the Destroyer ordered, his eyes on the rookie.

She'd visibly flinched at Fuyubi's words, as if she'd been slapped by the feline, and was now trying her best to make herself invisible behind Lieutenant Li. The girl's lips were quivering and tears were threatening to spill from her huge golden eyes, guilt permeating and surrounding her body like a gloomy cloud. If anything, the remorse and sense of responsibility were eating her up and she certainly didn't need Fuyubi's senseless 'verbal beating'. Not that I really care, Benimaru thought as he focused back on his girlfriend.

Benimaru wasn't even fazed as the twerp, his captain and lieutenant were looking very interested in the talking robots his girlfriend had created. Captain Burns and Lieutenant Li also looked invested, since their Company didn't seem keen on having technology anywhere near their Cathedral—or anywhere inside the ostentatious building. After having been introduced to these little wonders two years back, following with Daisuke and Nezumi, the Destroyer just got used to seeing them interact with the townspeople and was content enough with their work of watching over Asakusa alongside his Hikeshi.

"She couldn't have done that," Amon sighed, moving to join Niobe while Tamaki sputtered in shock. "Sister Tamaki Kotatsu wouldn't have had the guts to confront him by herself, especially not after having played a role in his deed. Bad news, Hawk-Eye: I've already analyzed the scene prior to your arrival and let me tell you this—my eyes have never seen a crime scene this squeaky clean in a long time. There's nothing here."

Niobe looked at him with wide eyes, incredulous. Even Benimaru looked slightly disbelieving at that statement. "You're kidding," she said slowly.

"Afraid not, Chief Platoon Hajiki scanned the whole area for clues and couldn't find anything with his ability," Ōbi elaborated, his hands on his hips. "This is a bit disheartening to admit, but this crime scene is flawless."

Flam Karim crossed his arms against his chest, silent and brooding.

If Amon himself couldn't find anything, then they must have missed something. No way could this crime have been this perfect—it was just impossible. There had to be a clue somewhere. And judging by how his girlfriend was carefully looking around the cell, she was thinking the same thing. With a huff, Niobe turned back to face them, did a somersault to back up a few steps until she was standing in the door frame, gazing down at the hole in Hoshimiya's body with a calculating gaze. Frowning a little, she backed up a little more of four steps, then hummed in wonder.

Burns shifted in his stance. "Talk to us," he asked—which sounded like an order and made Benimaru glare at him.

"Since there really seemed to be nothing in this cell, I'll trust Amon's judgement: the crime scene is completely flawless and don't expect to find any clue," Niobe said, blinking owlishly. "Should there have been any, I don't believe the sniper could have had the time to clean up. The fire arrow doesn't leave anything behind. Fuyubi, Atlas, I brought you two here for nothing."

The feline snorted, stretching on the ground near the twerp. "Whatever. It's actually a relief to see the bastard dead," he drawled contentedly.

"I agree," Atlas chimed in, blinking his robotic eyes.

"Sure. However, what I can tell you is this."

Bringing her hands up, her mismatched eyes glowed as bright, eerie green flames flared up to life, grew until they formed the big bow and she drew her left hand back with an arrow notched between three of her fingers. She pointed at Hoshimiya's corpse with a blank face, completely focused and the arrowed-shaped pupils pointing up. Benimaru almost snorted in derision when the lapdogs shifted uneasily, clearly uncomfortable with her using her powers here.

"Just so the arrow would pierce Hoshimiya's body and kill him instantly, this is where the sniper was standing and aiming. As you can see, they didn't even need to enter the cell and close in to get a clean shot. The fact that there's no evidence to be found means that the sniper's ability was the best course of option—deadly and efficient. Their eyesight is as good as mine, I can attest to that, and the arrow is big and powerful enough to kill with one shot only." She scowled. "Unlike Amon, I can't see through walls, so I'd have had to get inside the dungeon to deal with my target with a direct hit."

The zealots looked alarmed. "That means... the sniper was able to cross our grounds, slip inside the building and get to the dungeon without anyone noticing!" Kotatsu exclaimed in horror, paling.

"No shit," Benimaru scoffed in derision, his tone mocking.

Looking aggravated, Niobe snorted in derision at Burns. "Seeing how open your grounds are, I'm not even surprised this must be how it happened. Anyone can prowl around your Company's expansive and ostentatious base with no real problem and you wouldn't even notice roaches mating. No security system whatsoever, no fences, no watchdogs to keep guard. In other words: you. Are. Completely. Vulnerable!" She extinguished her flames while staring at Burns with an incredulous gaze. "You're completely exposed, which is a problem! For four years, I was able to sneak inside without your nuns seeing me and it was too easy."

The mockery in her words was downright insulting. It stung more when everyone here—bar the idiots from Company 8—knew it was the honest truth. Flam shifting against the wall and biting his lower lip confirmed her statement, since the lieutenant had been the one to receive her visits as her then boyfriend. Benimaru had been stunned to see how open the grounds of Company 1 were, never mind how ostentatious and show off they were. At least, his Hikeshi held shifts day and night to keep watch over their precious town, and since Niobe had suggested creating her AI to help out with the rounds, it had become extremely difficult for visitors to slip by without Company 7 knowing about their presence inside their turf. Even their identities and backgrounds were now known to them.

In other words, Niobe's technology helped them a lot more than he admitted and he was (secretly) immensely glad and extremely proud of her skills being beneficial to Asakusa. She hadn't changed the town at all and had adapted to his demands very easily.

When Burns moved to get closer to his girlfriend with a stormy expression, Benimaru's body also moved on its own automatically and got in the way before the older captain could face Niobe and try to intimidate her. He stood in front of her, hands shuffled in his sleeves, and staring up provocatively. The old veteran stared back without flinching, but even he stopped short in his tracks. All at once, the atmosphere shifted dangerously and became so tense that everyone else froze and just... stared to see what would happen.

The two most powerful Fire Soldiers of the Force facing off and squaring up just wasn't good. Not now or ever.

"If you want a fight, you gotta go through me," Benimaru declared threateningly. "Stay the hell away from my subordinate."

Burns scowled at the lovers, grinding his jaws.

"Captain Burns, it wouldn't be wise to anger Captain Shinmon," Li warned. "Making enemies of the proto-nationalists could lead to disastrous results. Besides, First Platoon Kirishima raises a good point: it is frighteningly easy to access the grounds of Company 1 and since she's familiar with the Cathedral, then maybe..."

The green eye in Burns' left side of his face glittered like an emerald. "Are you implying that some soldiers of my unit may have a hand in allowing Hoshimiya's murderer to get inside and slip out unnoticed?" he asked, his tone dangerously low.

Behind Benimaru, Niobe got closer to him and put a comforting hand on his back. He slightly leaned into her touch, still protective and eyeing Burns for any movement.

"Why not? It's very possible. Hell, Hoshimiya managed to hide his real nature and affiliation from you, his captain, from Karim and Huo Yan, his supposed best friends, for years! You never suspected a damn thing, meaning that he was really good at hiding a secret this big and horrible! Even I, who didn't really like him, am beyond pissed to not have suspected a single thing because he never slipped up until yesterday! Obviously, he was dedicated enough to be very careful in his mission to find this 'Pilot Light' for this 'Evangelist' he kept raving about!" Benimaru saw her arm shooting up past his shoulder and she rudely pointed at Hoshimiya's corpse. "Or else, how the hell did the sniper manage to navigate their way inside such big cathedral this easily and—most importantly—find the door leading down in the dungeons until they stumbled upon the traitor's cell? Either they also knowledge of the Company's base from the get go or you have more than just one traitor among your ranks who helped them out! You're telling me you never thought about that possibility? Hoshimiya and the other two goons can't be the only ones out there creating Infernals! I refuse to believe it!"

"You don't know that," Burns challenged coldly.

"Do you?" Niobe sneered back.

"Alright, let's just calm down for a sec!" Ōbi exclaimed as he walked forward and inserted his huge body between the Destroyer and the veteran. He held out his hands to prevent both captains from going at each other, his frown in place. "Although this is a stretch, First Platoon Kirishima's theory is sound and logical: there might be someone who helped the sniper in getting inside and take out Rekka Hoshimiya."

Scoffing, Burns turned his attention on Ōbi and completely left the lovers alone.

"You'd know first hand and all, wouldn't you Ōbi?" he ground out coldly. "Considering you sent two of your rookies as spies to snoop around in my Company without an authorization, I find your input quite insulting. What you did is a show of disrespect that I won't tolerate. If it weren't for the fact that we're all Fire Soldiers fighting for the same cause, I'd have given you a piece of my mind."

The captain of the 8th grimaced visibly, but stood his ground. Benimaru watched the exchange with a blank expression, feeling more annoyed than anything, while Niobe went back inside the cell to fetch her backpack, Fuyubi and Atlas. Time to get the hell outta here, he thought.

"I had a good reason to send Shinra and Arthur in your Company, which I already explained to you earlier," Ōbi defended himself firmly. "Hibana's data directly led to Shinjuku, as it was the main location of all discrepancies she'd recorded."

"And you thought you could just get involved in a matter that never concerned you in the first place, didn't you? Just like how you attacked the 5th to steal Hibana's data because your ragtag, joke of a Company doesn't have a science team yet?" Burns narrowed his eye dangerously at the taller man. "The only thing you're succeeding at is stirring up trouble between the Companies on your own instead of bringing in results because you have no idea what you're doing."

Benimaru clicked his tongue in annoyance, looking aggravated. "We didn't come here to listen to you bitching like angry schoolgirls," he called, turning his back on the arguing zealots. "This has dragged on for far too long, so go ahead and squabble all you want without us. Let's go, Niobe. We've wasted enough time here as it is."

"Yes, sir," Niobe answered dutifully as she appeared next to him, putting her backpack on.

A good look at his girlfriend told him that she was very tired of all this—well, he did wear her out last night and even he needed another good night's sleep right now. Just the mere idea of getting back to bed with Niobe, her snuggling up to him and spooning between the covers sounded heavenly. Besides, they didn't come here for this bullshit between Imperial lapdogs. Both proto-nationalists started to walk away.

"We're gonna keep on as we have been," Benimaru announced curtly, not looking back.

However, these clowns never seemed to be the type to give up. And just as he thought, he was proven right almost at once.

"Wait, Captain Shinmon!" Ōbi called out to him. "Please come back, there's more we'd like to discuss with you!"

Piss off, lapdog, Benimaru thought lazily without stopping or looking back. Company 1 had a lot to sort out and Niobe had handed them their homework. They could sort out that mess all by themselves now. And he was certainly not taking any complaints.

---

Tokyo Empire, Asakusa

More days passed, spent in dullness instead of the bliss brought by the days off Benimaru and Niobe had been looking forward to in weeks. Now that she'd evoked the possibility of spies being not only implanted in the Special Fire Force but also among civilians all over the Tokyo Empire (and his hometown!), Company 7 was on semi-high alert. The Destroyer was glad that his Hikeshi took Niobe's word very seriously; pretending as if nothing was wrong when there might be some crazy cultists targeting their turf and townspeople wasn't easy and was putting them all on edge, but they were doing their best.

Moreover, there was another problem that was starting to irritate the hell out of him and it held the name of that brand new thorn in his side—those damn lapdogs from Company 8. Ever since the annoying visit at the 1st, they'd been receiving calls and messages from Captain Ōbi. Benimaru had idea what the hell this was all about, since he thoroughly refused to pick up the phone and no one else did either, but he wasn't going to abide. He didn't work with Imperial lapdogs and wouldn't allow a single one of them to take advantage of them. The Emperor had already spat on their wounded pride two years ago when the Great Fire hit Asakusa by inducting the Hikeshi Fire brigade in the Imperial Force, they didn't need the newest lapdogs to believe they should become friends just because they pretended to play by the rules.

When the calls on the Company's line wouldn't work, Niobe's phone was next. The name 'Oze Maki' was one Benimaru had become familiar with, despite not meeting the girl herself. His girlfriend could spend some absurd time speaking to her on the phone—to the point he'd start bothering her just because he felt like it. But the second the calls from Company 8 had stopped and her phone had started ringing with the Oze girl as the caller, they'd become suspicious.

"Niobe, how have you been? Are you busy?" the Oze girl had asked cheerfully—too cheerfully.

As for his girlfriend, she'd looked irritated (mostly because Benimaru was holding her away from a bundle full of daifuku and she was trying to climb onto him to catch it). But she'd also been listening to her friend on the phone.

"No," she'd told her friend, making grabby hands at the bundle.

"B-B-But you have no idea what I'm about to say!" the female lapdog had cried.

"Yes, I do. But still no."

Before her friend could keep trying, Niobe had rushed to hang up and had jumped onto him to get her sweets, resulting in him crashing on his back. Then started the struggle between the two of them, which had been attended by both Hinata and Hikage, the twins cheering for them, until Benimaru ended the game by hauling his girlfriend on his shoulder and strolling back to their bedroom for some more... adult fun.

"Think they want to investigate our jurisdiction next?" Benimaru had asked Niobe later on as they were lounging in the patio, his head nestled between her busty breasts.

"Maybe, maybe not," she'd responded lazily, her fingers threading in his hair. "It's on their list after clearing out the 5th and the 1st. And I don't think you'd be keen on having them in Asakusa, despite their good intentions: after what I said the other day, I believe they will want to hear more about my theories."

He'd clicked his tongue in annoyance but never moved from his spot—he was way too comfortable.

"Too much trouble," he'd grumbled unhappily before nuzzling his face in Niobe's bust and nipping her flesh, making her gasp and jolt.

And it was. Just because Niobe had voiced her opinion didn't mean that she'd want to help them out as much as they wanted—she and Benimaru had gone to Company 1 only because Burns had piqued her curiosity and since she was a naturally curious person, not trying to know what happened to the murderous bastard would have driven her crazy. He knew his beloved like the back of his hand by now, so he'd agreed to accompany her to this den of sheeps so she could voice her theories. And that was it. They may all be Fire Soldiers, Benimaru was the captain, she was his subordinate and dutifully followed his orders like everyone else. He knew Niobe would never go against him, even when she sometimes voiced her opinions and worries. So Company 8 could shove it far up their asses for all he cared—he didn't mingle with Imperial lapdogs.

---

Tokyo Empire, the Holy See

Apparently, the lapdogs just weren't about done with their bullshit: this time, all the captains of the Special Companies were called in by the Emperor for a conference. The old goat had finally been updated on these cultists that were roaming their streets wild, turning people into Infernals left and right, and now wanted his toys to take care of a problem his useless, bony ass couldn't handle on its own. And what's more, since all Company captains will be there, Benimaru was sure that Ōbi would push his luck again and try to talk to them. Tch.

Benimaru scoffed, looking aggravated. "Can't believe we had to concede and come to this place to listen to an old goat rambling about his Sun God," he sneered.

Next to him, Niobe chuckled. "Should it be uneventful and uninteresting, we leave whenever you want to," she chirped, stroking the nape of his neck tenderly.

"That's exactly what we're going to do," he said.

On his right, Konro sighed. "Please don't start, you two," he almost pleaded. "This was a direct invitation to the conference and attending was mandatory, so we had no choice."

Huffing in annoyance, the Destroyer walked up to the gigantic doors, his second and third just a step behind him. They opened by themselves slowly, revealing the outlandish and cringy decoration of the inside; proper to another damn church, the several benches aligned in front of the stage where a large seat was set made it look like the old goat would be gazing down on them like the king and messiah he believed himself to be. Show off zealots, Benimaru thought snidely as he looked around him in complete disinterest, slowly walking towards a pier. Allowing Niobe to get in first, he followed to sit next to her, propped up his feet and crossed them, then leaned back with his arms propped up as well. Closing his eyes, he contemplated going to sleep but the perspective of Konro elbowing him in the gut to listen to the wheezing goat sounded very unpleasant, so he stayed awake. Just in case.

Feeling Niobe's smooth curls tickling the tips of his fingers, Benimaru ran them through the thick hair idly and consciously. That caused her to sit closer to him, until her shoulders brushed with his intimately. The contact made him quirk the side of his lips a little, but it was instantly quashed by the unpleasant feeling of being watched. And he knew who was watching him: opening his eyes, he glanced over to his right to catch the little twerp from the 8th in the act, a weird shark-toothed smile on his lips. Was he excited to meet him again since the first time? Anyway, it still irritated him.

He leaned over to properly stare at the rookie. "The hell are you grinnin' at, snot-face?" he demanded rudely.

"Waka," Konro murmured in warning, holding a hand to placate him.

Just then, the 'star' of the shitshow finally made his appearance; flanked by two of his... whatever, Benimaru couldn't bring himself to learn their titles. The old goat slowly walked towards his throne. Dressed in his distasteful robes, the shriveled man wanted to make it look like he was the one in command here. And with all the other captains standing up to tent their hands in respect, Benimaru had to admit it was a success. Lapdogs, all of them, he thought with a concealed scoff as he leaned back, eyes closed, and somewhat focused on Niobe's hand interlaced with his. Her thumb was tracing circles on his skin tenderly in an attempt to soothe him—because this meeting was going to be a serious pain. He squeezed her hand in return, thankful for her touch.

"The time has come," the Emperor wheezed. "All Company captains, as well as their guests, have arrived."

Benimaru was quite tempted to fall asleep right here, right now, as this was nothing more than a useless charade. But a very small part of him wanted to hear what that goat had to say.

"Let's begin this emergency conference at once. I've spoken with the general of the Tokyo Army and the Chief of the Fire Defense Agency. They told me of a group acting in secret, threatening our nation's safety, indulging in blasphemy. They would defile the Great Sol's blessings."

Holy shit, this was even worse than he thought.

"Brave captains of the Special Fire Force, I call on you to make these blasphemers pay for their sins."

Benimaru just had to speak on this one. "Would you stop rambling about your Sun God?" he drawled out loud, annoyed to the core.

And of course, his lack of respect drew attention from the other captains—especially the one from the 2nd, who shot up from his seat. He opened his eyes to gaze at the man lazily, unimpressed.

"What?! Benimaru Shinmon, you stand before our great Emperor!" he boomed. "You should cease your insolence and treat him with respect or face Gustav Honda's wrath!"

Tch. "Shut yer mouth, Honda Gustav," Benimaru shot back. "I don't like hearing my name said backward."

"He prefers his surname first?" the captain of the 6th, Huang Kayoko Niobe had called her, wondered as she looked back at them with bright yellow eyes.

Another voice, more metallic than human, sounded behind him. "You must be a proto-nationalist," the captain of the sketchy 3rd, Dr. Giovanni almost scoffed in derision.

Damn right and he will always be proud of who he was. These lapdogs wouldn't even get it, so why should he justify himself?

"Look," he said, standing up to his feet. "the 7th is nothing but a bunch of idiots from the vigilante core. I don't recall swearing an oath to your god or your empire."

And that was that. With everything said and done, Benimaru walked away from the shitshow with Konro and Niobe following him. He couldn't stand being here any longer. Not even the stares from all the zealots, and especially those from the 8th, could stop him from leaving.

"We're gonna keep on as we have been," were his final words.

"Hey, come back!" Honda Gustav shouted after them. "We aren't finished talking yet!"

Not even that old goat. "Stop right there!" he wheezed with all the authority he could muster.

No hesitation at all as they walked out the doors. Even if the other Companies might get to work together to find the cultists 'defiling' the infinitely Great Sol's damn blessings, Company 7 would do whatever they want. No one, especially not that old goat dressed in his robes and certainly not a sham god, would tell Shinmon Benimaru what to do. And if the 8th was seriously going to consider coming to stir up trouble in his turf, then he'd be there waiting to show these Fire Soldiers wannabes the consequences of pissing off the Hikeshi from Asakusa. As for these cultists, he, Konro, Niobe and their Hikeshi would hunt them down on their own without the help of these zealots from the Empire.

Game on, he thought with a murderous scowl and his eyes burning.