Hey, everyone. Been almost a year since my last Sakura Wars fic. I got a little sidetracked, but I'm getting back on schedule with several projects. Hatsuho became a favorite of mine one of my playthroughs so a story for her was mandatory, even if I had to put it off for a little while. I hope you all enjoy!
I do not own anything.
Mighty as the Storm
Kamiyama had said that it was going to rain, and he turned out to be right. Given he was a naval captain, his ability to read the weather wasn't too surprising. Knowing when a storm was brewing and how strong it could be could make the difference between life and death. Hatsuho knew that he was right, albeit between the two of them, he had to abide by the principle far more than her. Sea storms tended to be absolutely vicious, hundreds of years of history could attest to that.
Hatsuho had seen the sea in the midst of a storm eight teens, and each of those eight times had left her terrified. Water wasn't her element, and seeing it churning so fiercely? She'd be shaking with fear; the thought of being in a ship aboard those waters was enough to make her utterly petrified. That meant that she had to give a modicum of respect to any person that did such a thing. With Captain Kamiyama, it was a helluva lot more than just a modicum.
"You're an incredible guy, you know that?" The words fell out of her mouth like a vase pushed over the ledge, once it fell, she couldn't move fast enough to catch it. By the time that she realized what had happened, it'd crashed onto the floor.
Outside the window, thunder indeed crashed, echoing across the world.
Seijuro completely ignored it, he ignored everything except for Hatsuho. After what she just said, a meteor could strike the outside world and he'd still be looking at him. "Hatsuho," he whispered.
His voice struck her like a clap of thunder. Hatsuho's eyes widened and her cheeks blushed red, almost brighter than her hair. "I-I-I-I mean, y-you're a-a-an incredible guy to go out a-a-and help rescue those sailors, e-e-even though you know we have a show coming up! S-S-Seriously, y-you wouldn't be you if you didn't make a decision like that! Y-You're…gah!" She knew she had to stop talking, otherwise she might as well run down to the harbor and jump into the waters herself. Hatsuho looked away from him, knowing that if she looked at his face, her emotions would take hold of her, and she'd go blabbering on.
"…Thanks for the compliment, Hatsuho." Came his amicable voice, followed by a hearty chuckle. Such a simple combination proved to be too much for her to handle. The shrine maiden ended up turning her head and looking at him. He looked surprisingly good for a guy who'd dived into stormy waters and had to emergency CPR done on him in fast succession, then hustled to a hospital for continued care. "And sorry about throwing a wrench into the theater's plans."
She couldn't help but break out into laughter. "Yeah, you'll definitely be getting an earful from Sumire-san, but in the end, I'm sure she'll say the same thing that I'm about to say-you did the right thing. You…wouldn't be our leader if you didn't do something like that."
It was Seijuro's turn to laugh. "Heh, you know, I probably should have done it with a diving suit, or a Spircle Striker."
"Tsk, the things can be used for more than just combat. Search and rescue can be just as important as demon slaying. Speaking of which, we were lucky that there weren't any demons involved in this mess."
"Nope, just good 'ole mother nature, or rather Susanoo, having one of his…moments." They both shared a laugh at the phrase. It was a common one when the sea and the sky were concerned. Hatsuho made a mental note that if she had to pray to a shrine latter, she would. She'd also silently give thanks for her captain's, her friend's, survival. "As bad as that storm was, I've seen…worse."
Hearing that was both comforting and troubling. The more Hatsuho thought about it, the more curious she was in regards to Seijuro's naval history. He hadn't reached the rank of ship captain by luck, he was just that damn good at his job; that previous record was worthy of respect in its own right.
"You don't make a habit of keeping track of them, do you?" She questioned in a vain attempt to stifle her own inner thoughts.
"Well, kind of. Some are memorable, others not so much. As you can guess, the former are the ones that really stick in your mind, they're the ones you can forget." Suddenly, his eyes hardened as he looked out to the window. Hundreds of raindrops were pounding against it by the second, thunder clapping in the skies above. It almost looked like Seijuro could see it through the glass and curtains. "Truth is, there are some storms that I…do try to recall."
"Why?"
He looked back to her, the hardness in his eyes softening. "Would you believe me if I told you that I sometimes take inspiration from them? Storms are powerful things, and sometimes, you need to be that strong, or at least try to be. Or at least, that's what I think."
"Ah, strong as a storm, huh?" She deduced, not showing any discomfort at the comparison. "You're not completely wrong, storms can be mighty fierce. I can see why you'd look to them for an idea; you swing your swords like they're gusts of wind. Then there's when you decide to channel lightning; gotta say, you're practically an ancient legend come to life in your Mugen!"
Returning her hearty laugh, he sat up. To Hatsuho, it felt like a warm breeze had blown into the room, replacing the dreary mood that the storm outside had attempted to inflict. "Well, thanks, Hatsuho! For what it's worth, I think you live up to your inspiration too."
"My inspiration," she playfully mused, feigning ignorance. Hatsuho quietly basked in the stare that he gave her, it encompassed her eyes and hair. Her cheeks started to change color to match them, a fact that Hatsuho was all too aware of. Hatsuho was aware of it and didn't even try to stop it. "I don't think I ever told you this, but…I got my hair and eyes from my father. Sometimes, my mom said that I was eighty-percent him and the last twenty-percent her. Given how lovey-dovey she is with him, it didn't take me long to realize it was a compliment."
Seijuro chuckled. Amongst all his teammates, Hatsuho was amongst the more open in regards to talking about her family. Secretly, he suspected it might have been due to the fact that she had few traumatizing memories involving them. Seijuro personally didn't like to think about how so many members of his team had seemingly lost a parent or loved one, himself excluded. He and Hatsuho were alike in that regard; however, that didn't mean that either of them were free of trauma or unease. Everyone had their burdens to carry and demons to battle, that's the lesson that he'd learned.
"So…you're the storm and I'm the fire, kind of fits, doesn't it?" She mused. "It also makes you an even better fit for Sakura, doesn't it?"
His gazed focused on her, his mouth a straight frown. "Whenever she fights, she does tend to summon up a storm of cherry blossoms, doesn't she?"
"Heh, it's in her name, ya' know." They shared another mutual laugh. In its absence, both mused over their inner thoughts. "Wind…and wind and lightning, yeah, you two are a good fit for each other."
Either she was numb to the sorrow in her voice or she wasn't even trying to hide it. "Hatsuho." Seijuro called, sitting upright causing her eyes to widen in worry. He reached forward and took her hand, surprising her. Seijuro looked straight up at her orange eyes, This feeling that swells up inside of me…is it what I think it is? Hatsuho, is it the same for you? As much as he wanted to ask her that, Seijuro had a feeling that wasn't for the best. It felt too soon, not to mention this wasn't quite the right place for that. "You know, where wind blows and lightning strikes, fire can spread. I'd say that we're a good match ourselves. In battle, I always trust you to have my back, don't I?"
"B-B-Because I-I…because we're comrades, friends!" The fanged girl impulsively shouted. In seeing him laugh, her blush deepened. Ironically, in that rush of heat, she managed to regain some composure. "Tsk, look at me, getting all worked up over something so small. G-G-Geez, I'm glad the others aren't here to see this."
"Yeah, speaking of which, where are they?" The captain asked.
"Oh, they're helping out with search and rescue. Ya' know, you really jumped the gun, Kamiyama." The hammer-user explained. Her gaze drifted back to the window where the storm continued to pound, much like an angry drumbeat. Their teammates were out there in that continued storm. "After you went…the others decided that they'd use the Spiricle Strikers to help with rescue and recovery. It was a decision that Director Sumire had to fight for. Apparently, there's been some rumblings about using mechs for search-and-rescue alongside battling demons."
"That's actually a pretty good idea, to be honest." Seijuro said. "But…I can see an actual reason as to why some aren't so hot on the idea." At his teammate's raised eyebrow, he decided to explain. "Just imagine if some criminals or thugs got a hold of a Spiricle Striker-like machine. It'd be more than the ordinary authorities could handle, unless you made the decision to give them access to strikers of their or higher-grade equipment. As much as I hate to say it, it's a slippery slop that no one's eager to set foot on."
Hatsuho huffed and crossed her arms in a show of annoyance, though her face made it clear she'd taken his words to heart. She could see the mayhem following the scenario that Seijuro had laid out. It was annoying and even downright disheartening, but the fact of the matter was that the black market was a swirling abyss that sucked up everything, and you could find almost anything there. Or turn something into something else, like a tool to save into a weapon of destruction. Another part of her mind wondered off into a different train of thought, one that shadowed the first. Hatsuho thought back to before she joined the Imperial Combat Revue, before her desire to do right was given an official go ahead and sanctioned. She wouldn't say it, but where there would be an increase in crime, there'd be an increase in vigilantism since the official response might fall short.
Shaking he head free of those thoughts, she returned to the present. "Then I guess we really gotta pull double duty, huh? I actually kind of like the thought of using the Mugens to help out when it comes to disasters like this. It sure as hell beats leaving them in the hanger when they could be used for search and rescue. Seriously, not that I'm looking forward to the next natural disaster, but I wouldn't exactly mind using them to help."
"Speaking of which, Hatsuho, if you don't mind me asking…" While he spoke, Seijuro examined his teammate, watching how her body tensed up. "Did you…choose to come see me?"
Her cheeks blazed red and her heartbeat accelerated, practically rivaling the speed of the lightning flashes outside. Hatsuho had a feeling the question was coming, but she was in no way prepared for it. Teeth gnashed as she tried to figure out what the best response to his question would be. Second by second, that proved tremendously difficult. Peering back at his face made the task even harder. She could practically feel her face burning up! Again!
Arrggh! Dammit! Why the hell does this keep on happening around him! Her mind jumped back to the time he came to visit her in her room when she was in the midst of one of her depressions. If not for him, she would have remained in it, and it'd have dragged down the rest of the team as a result. That was no doubt the primary reason that Kamiyama had came to visit her, and yet…Hatsuho felt like there might have been more to it. Deep down, a part of her wanted to believe that he'd came to see her specifically because…he was worried about her on a personal level instead of just on a professional level. Was it selfish to think that way?
She'd quietly thought it had been more than a little selfish for her to come here to see him, even if the others had given somewhat sound arguments as to why.
"Go tend to our captain, be the flame that he needs to recover his strength. Surely you can do that, Hatsuho, for your spirit burns quite bright. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to wake up to its warmth."
Did Anastasia have to be so…flowery in encouraging her? Sure, she was a star actress, but come on! Not to mention she said it in the middle of a raging storm no less! Ironically, the booming thunder and crashing waves had helped drill home her words, leaving Hatsuho speechless. Sometimes, she hated how the Greek actress seemed able to do that, especially since it seemed to be some sort of innate talent of hers. Then again, she was the star actress so…gah, the more Hatsuho thought about it, the more frustrated she became.
"Hey, Hatsuho?"
Blinking, she realized that she'd spaced out. Embarrassment colored her cheeks as she looked down at her hands. "Eh, sorry about that, kind of spaced out there, hopin' that everyone's doing alright."
"It's our team, they'll be fine." He assured. "Thanks for coming to look after me, Hatsuho."
"Like I said, that's what friends are for." Their eyes met and the loss of words returned, along with the rush of relief. It wasn't like she hadn't seen some horrible things in her life, she had, some she wished she could forget, but the sight of Seijuro's comatose body had struck her hard. The sight of her friends being injured always knocked her for a loop, but over the past months, the sight of Seijuro injured gnawed at her, hard. "I'm just…happy that they let me in. I know that doctors can sometimes be picky about letting visitors I to see patients."
"You oughta see navy doctors." The swordsman spoke.
"What are those like? Pains in the ass but they care?"
"Right on point." Seijuro laughed. "I'm actually a little happy that some of them weren't here, one in particular. He'd be chewing me out for trying a stunt as crazy as what I pulled."
"Hey, I've been in that position before." She casually added, a wistful smile spreading across her face. "Heh, I guess we can both be pretty reckless, though it's usually my thing. You're the captain, so it's your job to be the more level-headed one." Hatsuho's casual smile turned heartfelt as she gazed into his eyes. Instead of her throat tightening up, the words just flowed out of her lips. "I kind of wish that I got to see you in your element. Wind and lighting and water…I see those as being yours, the last one on account of you being a naval captain and all."
"Hatsuho," Seijuro called. "If you wanted to go out on a boat ride, all you had to do was ask." Her cheeks blushed even redder at his simple statement. Seijuro immediately realized that she'd no doubt heard about the "rides" he'd given others, like Sakura and Claris, both of which had been more friendly affairs. The former had simply been an outing amongst friends, and the latter, he'd been to help her with her writing, as well as to visit some islands in the harbor.
"It'd be nice, but…you know that water and I aren't exactly the best mix." She politely fired back. "It's not like I'm afraid of water, but-"
"You can't swim. Yeah, you told me." He cut her off. "And like I told you before, I could teach you, Hatsuho. If you're looking for a swim couch, then-aahh…ahhh…aahhchhu!"
Via reflex, Hatsuho leaned back. She shouldn't have been surprised, not at the sneeze. The surprise was that he'd managed to last this long without sneezing so far. Hatsuho supposed that could be chalked up to his fortitude; she couldn't help but admire that. It was one of the many things about him that she admired.
"S-Sorry about that." He said, the makings of a cold evident in his voice. Suddenly, the vigor that he'd talked to her with seemed all drained up. Odds are it probably had been.
"Don't be, it was kinda inevitable. I mean, you're strong, but you're still human, Kamiyama. Diving into churning storm waters? Yeah, even if you lived, you're not walking away without some scars. Heh, guess a cold is the sea's."
"You're probably right. Hate to say it, but it wouldn't be the first time I've had to battle one of these." The team captain said.
"Yeah, I know that you have…and I know just like last time, you'll beat it." Hatsuho seriously wondered what was up with her. Sometimes when she looked straight into Seijuro's eyes, her throat filled up with cement, other times words flowed out like water from a stream. "To do that, you're going to need some rest. Don't worry, we'll manage while you're napping."
His smile made her feel like the storm outside had ceased the sun had came out. Hatsuho internally wondered where in the hell this warm and bubbly feeling was coming from, and what she could do to stop it. Then again, she couldn't help but acknowledge that a part of her didn't quite want it to stop.
"You'll be here when I wake up?" The swordsman asked. It was hard to tell if he was joking or being genuine, maybe a bit of both.
"Come on, it's me. I'll be here to help drag you back to the theater, with Sakura's help of course. Speaking of which, you better apologize to her when you see her again. She was worried sick about you."
"Yeah…I figured she would be. I definitely got to apologize for scaring her like that." He admitted with a genuine grimace. Seijuro knew that she'd probably wanted to come see him, but someone, likely Sumire-san, had overruled her. In her place, Hatsuho had come. "Hatsuho,"
"Whatever it is, you can tell me when you wake up." She declared. Hatsuho thought of moving her hand to his, but she held herself back, even if it pained her. Why was she so eager to touch him? To feel his pulse? She'd have to have been blind to the last five minutes, blind and deaf. Seijuro smiled at her and thanked her. The urge just wouldn't go away.
Luckily, she was able to sate it. The captain's eyes closed and his breathing grew steady, he was asleep, and with such little difficulty to boot. Given what he'd been through, that wasn't too much of a surprise; he'd earned his rest.
Smiling, Hatsuho gave into her urge and took hold of his right hand. Her grip wasn't too hard as not to disturb his slumber. "What you did out there, that was real hero work, Kamiyama. You're…you're a helluva lot more incredible than I first thought."
Maybe one day in the future, she'd be able to say such words to him while he was awake. Until then, they'd remain in her head, or be spoken to him when he was unconscious. It was ridiculous, she could fight demons without a shred of fear, with the ferocity of a raging fire, but when it came to talking to a guy, her confidence crumbled so fast.
Heh, guess I've still got so much work to do. The redhead mused as she headed for the door.
And right outside of it, she got a pleasant surprise. "Ah, I see the gang's all here."
"How is he?" Sakura asked, stepping forward with concern written all over her face.
"Fine, caught be a bit of a sniffle, but nothing some sleep won't fix." The redhead answered. Relief covered her best friend's face, then spread to the rest of the team.
"Leaping without looking, I wonder if our dear captain spent too much time around you, Hatsuho." Anastasia openly mused.
"Hey, watch it! Don't act like none of you are never a little reckless! I sure as hell know some of you can be, even you Azami!" The hammer-wielder hotly fired back.
For her part, the young ninja seemed entirely unfazed, which was no surprise. "Be that as it may, most of the team's recklessness is tied to you. Not that your brashness is a negative thing at certain times." Hatsuho shot the team ninja a grin, it was a pretty solid compliment, but a compliment none the less. "The doctors said it'd be best if he spent two days here. Does he really need to?"
"Well, he's caught a bit of a cold, nothing too bad." Hatsuho answered.
"Once upon a time, that could have been enough to take him from the world of the living." Anastasia quietly mused. "Thankfully, medicine has progressed far enough that's no longer a concern."
"Yeah, so all we can do is give him his space, and make sure there's a city waitin' for him when he wakes up." The redhead further commanded, not at all realizing that she was being looked at in a new manner by the rest of her teammates, especially Sakura. The dark-haired girl peered back at the door.
Claris caught her gaze and put a hand on her shoulder, she then looked to Hatsuho. "Is it possible that…Sakura could perhaps sneak a peek at him?"
Hatsuho's gaze swung to her oldest and closest friend. Her cheeks immediately lit up with a blush. "I-I-If he's sleeping, t-then I can wait until tomorrow! I don't want to disturb him!"
In seconds, the redhead had her arm wrapped around the shorter girl. "Come on, just a real quick peek won't hurt anyone, least of all him." She was careful in turning the knob and pushing the door open, just a little though. Such cautiousness and care were normally unlike her, but being a part of the Flower Division had changed her in numerous ways. It'd changed Sakura as well.
She poked her head out through the slight crack, her blue eyes widened, then lowered in gratification at seeing him. Sakura could hear the soft breathing of the dual-wielder, a clear sign that he was alright. Upon pulling away, she ushered Hatsuho to close the door, which she did. She did it with the same gentleness as to which she'd opened it.
"Thanks for looking after him, Hatsuho." Sakura affectionately whispered.
"H-Hey, he's our teammate, a-a-and our friend, so…yeah."
"Ah, why the embarrassment in doing your duty as a member of the team." The silver-haired gunwoman playfully jabbed.
"Anastasia!"
"Shh, remember, Kamiyama's in there sleeping." Azami chided, an air of amusement in her voice. She maintained her usual stoic demeanor as Hatsuho attempted to glare at the young ninja girl. It hardly phased her.
"Gaah, come on, guys, let's go. Kamiyama deserves his sleep." The shrine maiden declared, marching forward with Sakura following behind her along with Claris.
"It seems she's stepping up as leader in absence of Kamiyama, doesn't it?" The blonde sorcerous whispered to the swordswoman.
"She has, hasn't it? It's not too surprising though, she used to lead a small vigilante group before joining the Flower Division, so she has some experience." Sakura affirmed before looking back to her old friend with a warm smile. Hatsuho, you're changing, and you may not even know it. Looking back at the door, she felt her cheeks redden. I…wonder if falling in love may have something to do with that. Of course, that last thought was kept to herself. For the sake of her friend's pride, she'd keep it to herself.
For now.
It always amazed Hatsuho how in the aftermath of storms, the sky could be so clear. Even if she knew the reasons behind it, folklore and scientific alike, the clarity of the sky after a storm still instilled a sense of awe in her. The clear skies were also damn good for relaxing. Especially with…company.
"So…" Her companion offered.
"Don't think for a second that I'm backing out of this! Come on, let's go!" The redhead roared, yet she didn't take one single step forward. It was a major contrast to the boastful proclamation that she'd just made.
Lesser men would have made a smart crack about it. Luckily, Seijuro Kamiyama wasn't that kind of man, he was cut from a different cloth, one that was exceedingly rare and quite valuable.
Confining his amusement to a light chuckle, he held his hand out to her, almost like a gentleman. She took it, blushing like a smitten girl, which she was beginning to suspect that she was. Not that Hatsuho was ready to admit that just yet.
Gently gripping her hand, he began to help ease her into the water, letting its coldness consume her. She didn't have a problem with the cold, a fact she was at times willing to boast to Anastasia. Ice she could handle, but water? Well, it wasn't like she was afraid of swimming, she wasn't. It's just that water wasn't really her element, which was to be expected given her element was fire.
But here she was, in a public pool with Seijuro learning how to swim. If she was going to have a teacher, who better than a former sailor like him? Who also happened to be her commanding officer? Yeah, she'd put her faith in him, as she'd done numerous times. She'd trusted him countless times before, and this time would be no different.
Seijuro helped ease her out into the middle of the pool, holding fast onto her hands. He could see that Hatsuho was vastly self-conscious of their joined hands, her cheeks were blushing so much that it was a wonder she wasn't evaporating the water into steam. For his part, Seijuro felt a certain heat building up within him, keeping the coldness of the water at bay. Likewise, his presence kept the fear in Hatsuho at bay. The question was, if he pulled his hands away, would it all come rushing back into her. He knew that at some point, he was going to have to ask the question, but he was scared to. That and…Seijuro just didn't want to let go of Hatsuho's hands.
You're going to have to let go eventual. I mean, she can't exactly learn how to swim with you literally holding her hand the entire time, right?
He remembered when he learned how to swim. Practicing in the local pond with his parents beside him. Their presence brought him immense comfort; that comfort remained even when they let go and let him swim on his side. There were there watching from a distance and he knew they wouldn't let him drown. Over time, he took that safety and turned it into confidence that had helped carry him through the navy.
"S-S-So, how am I doing so far?" Hatsuho asked.
"Pretty good. Hatsuho, I…" He started, only to lose the strength to speak, especially as he looked into her eyes. "I…"
She looked straight into his eyes, feeling that same loss of speech. Hatsuho felt her heartbeat increase, and with that increase came naked worry. Her cheeks burned red as she continued to stare at him. Ah, dammit! When the hell is this ever going to end?! What do I have to do to make it end! The answer was actually staring her in face the, literally, but she wasn't strong enough to admit that. Her mouth tasted like sandpaper in spite of being surrounded by water. Come to think of it, the water itself felt pretty hot, and it was growing hotter. Was it the same for Seijuro?
"You…what? K-K-Kamiyama, i-if something's on your mind t-t-then…"
"Then will you two hurry-up and kiss already!" A voice shouted from afar.
"Or, you know, this sort of thing to another pool." A second added, a chuckle following the statement. "Surely there's plenty of pools more preferable for a couple of youngsters like you."
If their cheeks weren't red before, then they were certainly red now. Both pilots broke out into confused and nervous denials aimed at the small gathering of spectators. They'd been watching them for who knew how long, and apparently, they'd decided to voice their thoughts, rather unwarrantedly. Or maybe they simply saw the direction things were going and simply wanted Seijuro and Hatsuho to just get it over with? The only thing that would have made it worse were if some of their teammates were presently, namely Anastasia who'd have been quite vocal in goading them on.
Seijuro and Hatsuho could practically feel their Greek teammate looking at them and asking would they just hurry up and confess. Was that what they wanted to do?
Looking back at each other, they both realized that was exactly it. "I like you." Is what they wanted to say to each other. It was amazing how those three simple words could invoke such terror in them though. What happened after they said those words? A date? A kiss? Now, while they were still in the middle of trying to revive the theater?
"I-I-I'm good! Y-You can let go of me now! I-I've learned enough that you can let go of me and I can f-f-float on my own!" The redhead's words burst out of out her mouth. Impulse and nervousness had forced them out like a shell from a cannon. They certainly slammed into Seijuro with the force of an artillery shell.
His face crumbled. "Um, well…okay then. Just…I'll be right here, alright." Looking down at their interlocked hands, Seijuro realized that letting go was like trying to pull apart two magnets. By the law of physics, they were attracted to each other and met to be together. Regardless, he heeded his teammate's words and let go. He felt a jolt of pain hit him almost like he'd been pricked with a needle.
Nodding at his understanding, the team captain let go, moving away a step. He watched as Hatsuho's face darkened with concern. She was trying not to panic, she wasn't panicking; not too much at least.
"O-O-O-Okay…okay…I…I got this. I've got the floating part down." She murmured, to both herself and Seijuro.
The latter smirked in amusement as he watched the redhead float on her own. "Yeah, you do. Now, how's about you try moving?" With those words, her determination crumbled as she realized that just floating in the water wasn't going to cut it, not for her. "Remember, Hatsuho, I'm right here."
"A-A-Alright. O-O-One step forward." Right before her, Seijuro used his arms to demonstrate what to do so she could swim forward. Hatsuho was glad that she wasn't scared enough that she couldn't follow his attention. She attempted to mimic his motions, and the results were…not quite as bad as they could have been. The redhead felt herself move a small inch. Her heart was racing with both fear and excitement. She needed something to focus on so that the former could be beaten down. Seijuro's face was that something. Immediately, the fear that had been trying to infect her ground to a halt as serenity took its place.
Seijuro's lips curved into a smile as he watched his teammate swim another inch forward. It didn't take him long to realize that she was swimming toward him. Masking his excitement behind a well-meaning smile, he gradually pulled back, staying within arm's reach of Hatsuho, but not moving to hold her. At least not unless she needed it. There were a few times it looked like she did and Seijuro felt a desire to go to her, only to be stopped when she vigorously shook her head. He got the message-unless it looked like she was seriously about to drown then he wasn't to help, only watch. That was a little painful to him, but Seijuro could understand and he obliged her.
From the moment he agreed to teach Hatsuho how to swim, he knew it wasn't going to be a fast process. He'd seen her swimming skills first hand and, well, abysmal was the perfect description. Turning that into capability sure as hell wasn't going to be done in an afternoon, though Seijuro knew a few people from his naval academy days who would try. He tried to picture them teaching his redheaded teammate and ended up with a headache. Patience was the key here.
Patience was what he exorcised as he guided Hatsuho through her first lap around the pool. Something that normally would have taken a minute at best was extended to about fifteen minutes for her. It was a pretty enjoyable ten minutes as far as Seijuro was concerned. He was actually happy for the extension as it gave him more time to spend with his fiery-haired teammate. Seijuro enjoyed staying just a few inches ahead of her, guiding her around the rectangle-shaped swimming pool. Their practice swim didn't go unnoticed by the other pool goers, several of whom commented about what they were seeing.
"You're on your way, son. Just find her a nice ring and you'll be all set!" One older gentleman whispered to him as they passed him and his wife by. Said wife giggled in amused agreement with her husband.
He wasn't the only one to receive them though.
"You're so lucky." One girl whispered to Hatsuho as she was round a corner, doing her best not to hug it even though she wanted to. "I'd give anything for my boyfriend to do this sort of thing with me. I'd love it if he did it to help me with ice skating!"
"H-H-He's not my boyfriend!" Hatsuho impulsively shouted back. A few others looked at her with smirks on their faces; they believed her about as much as anyone believed a wolf could become a vegetarian.
"Then be prepared to have someone else snatch him up." Another girl, an adult woman, proclaimed. Her smirk was half-joking and half mocking as she flicked her eyes over to Seijuro. There was something about her gaze that Hatsuho really didn't like. "A man as fine as him, I guarantee you, some other woman will come along and snatch him up for herself. She'll have made quite the catch."
Hatsuho looked at the older woman, jet-black hair and seasoned dark green eyes that spoke of age and wisdom, both of which she used to mock the Flower Division pilot.
"Um, hey, Hatsuho, you doing alright?" The man in question called.
"F-F-Fine. I'm fine, j-j-just give me a second t-to catch myself." It was nice of him to pretend that he hadn't heard any of that conversation. She knew that he did, he was in earshot of the whole thing! Hell, some of the girls had even looked at him! Some even batted their eyes too! Suddenly, the source of Hatsuho's motivation turned from determination to rage. It made for one hell of a fuel source as she found herself moving at a slightly faster place, her previous fear of drowning temporarily forgotten. Again, Seijuro didn't say anything, even though he probably noticed the change. What mattered in his eyes was that she was making progress.
Speaking of his eyes, hers ended up meeting his as she neared the end of her first lap around the pool. His warm brown eyes cackled with such joy that Hatsuho temporarily forgot herself. She just felt so…lost in his gaze. Then the realization hit her that she was in the water.
"Ah! Ahhh! Crap! Ah crap!" The hammer-user flailed.
Seijuro surged forward in an instant. "I got you!" And he did, his hands latched onto her shoulders, holding so that she wouldn't drown like she always feared she would. "You okay?" He asked with an openly concerned voice.
"I-I-I am now." Came her response. A heartbeat later and she realized exactly what had happened. Embarrassment made her cheeks burn red and made her look away. "I'm s-sorry about that. And I almost made a full trip all around."
"Yeah, you did…and you will. Just try again next time, Hatsuho." He encouraged, giving her that warm smile that he always did when they goofed up. It seemed like that smile was part of his duty as team captain; maybe it was since if he wasn't able to encourage others, he wouldn't have been selected as team captain.
Somedays, she woke up and went to bed really glad that he was their captain, because he knew how to led them, and he knew how to be their trusted friend while doing so. Sometimes, just before she went to sleep, she toyed with the possibility that she didn't just consider him a friend.
"Y-Yeah. Hey, Kamiyama, um, you wouldn't have a problem with next time being right now, would you?"
"None at all, Hatsuho." He happily responded.
Did he have to add that damn charming smile? On second thought, Hatsuho was happy that he did. It just…gave her the extra confidence boost that she needed.
This time for sure, I'll do it, and it'll be thanks to you, Kamiyama. When all of this was over with, when she felt like she'd gained enough skill to the point she could say that she could swim, she'd hopefully have the courage to say that to his face.
A tiny voice in the back of her mind jabbed at her, telling her that there would be a special way for her to thank him. Hatsuho knew that there was, but she wasn't sure she'd have enough bravery to go through with that. How ironic, huh?
The sunset was always beautiful, especially sunset on the beach. Normally crystalline blue waters turned the color of flames, sparkling like crystalized fire. Dots of white and black and brown sailed across the sea, boat horns blaring. It wouldn't end when the light faded complete and the sea once again turned dark, life would go on. That was the thing about the ocean, life was always moving above and below the waves, even if one couldn't see the latter. It was fascinating all things.
It was awe-inspiring that there were those who could go out into those waters when they weren't as calm as they were now.
Hatsuho looked to one of the people who did that, and had lived to tell about it after pulling off one crazy-ass stunt. Jumping out and swimming in the middle of a storm? Not sailing out on a boat but out and out swimming by himself amidst stormy waters?
Growing up, she'd heard some question the sanity of naval officers. Hatsuho herself had sometimes questioned the sanity of her captain and friend.
Looking out at the water, she quietly wondered if she'd ever have the courage to do what he did. A full day of swim practice was nowhere near enough for her to get over her unease about swimming. She still didn't feel confident in calling herself a swimmer, and she doubted that even when she did, she'd be able to do what he did.
"Hatsuho?" The voice of the dual-wielder called.
Coming to a stop, she looked straight at him, taken aback by the glow of his face in the sunset. "Y-Y-Yeah?"
"Something's on your mind, isn't it?" He deduced. "What is it? Were you thinking about the storm two days ago?"
She looked ready to deny his inquiry, but at the last second, seemed to lose the will. "Yeah, I was. I mean, it was inevitable that I would, taking this way back home which brought us by the sea and all." It had been her choice that they take this road. Seijuro had raised one word of complaint about it, merely nodding in acceptance of her decision. Hatsuho almost wished that he had complained. "You…what you did took some real guts, you know that? I've been wonderin' if I could…ever do the same."
He didn't looked at all surprised by her words, almost like he was expecting it. "Truth be told, I kind of hope if you you're ever in the position I was in, you'd chose not to follow me."
Eyes flashing, the hammer-user put her hands on her hips and leaned toward him. "Oh, so you're saying that if there's people in danger and just me, it'd be better for me to just let 'em drown?"
"What? No! Of course not!" Seijuro immediately argued. The fire in his eyes dimmed as the reason caught up to his emotions, or rather, the two intermixed leading to the sorrowful look in his eyes. "Hatsuho, it's just…I know that I was in a pretty bad shape. If you did what I did, you'd have been in the same state I was in." His hands tightened into fists as the image clawed its way to the forefront of his mind. "I'm not sure if I would have been able to take that."
The pain in his voice was real. So too was the pain in her eyes. "That's how we felt seeing you lying in the hospital bed, Kamiyama. It sure as hell wasn't easy for any of us…including me." She felt the painful thump of her heart reverberate throughout her body. Seijuro seemingly heard it as his face darkened even further. Hatsuho didn't mean for that to happen, but she wanted him to know how she felt. Her emotions overrode her better judgement causing her to reach out and grab at his right hand. The move caught both of them off-guard, but Hatsuho recovered quicker than her captain. "I was scared for ya', really, really scared. If our positions were reversed…I know you'd be that scared for me too."
"Yeah…I would be." He admitted. "Honestly, if something happened to you, I'm not sure I'd be able to keep on leading the team."
"Kamiyama," the redhead whispered.
"I'm serious, Hatsuho." Though his face was contorted in pain, it was also hardened. It seemed as if he were picturing what would happen if they lost Hatsuho, either to the demons or some random occurrence that was completely out of their control. Seijuro wasn't sure which would be worse. His face showed that he was envisioning both scenarios, and he didn't like either of them. "You're…you're someone important to me. As a teammate and as a friend." He stopped there, fearful of saying something that he wouldn't be able to take back.
Hatsuho was half happy and half saddened that he did. Ultimately, she settled on it being for the best. Still, she couldn't completely suppress her feelings. She tightened her hold on his hand, breaking him out of his depressive contemplation.
"Don't write me off so easily, Kamiyama. I'm not the type who'll go and tap out just like that." Her trademark boastful had returned, catching his attention and lightening his face, very much like a torch illuminating the darkness. "If our positions were reversed in that storm, I'd go out and rescue some folks, especially if one of them were you." Her grip on his hand subconsciously tightened as she thought of him in danger. "If we're in the middle of a battle and I see you, I'm coming to help. I'll fly in to save your butt, and we'll both walk away. Both of us, got it?"
He was silent, seemingly in awe of the woman before him. One could have said some of that might have been due to the sunset glow of her face. With her red hair and eyes, Hatsuho seemed the embodiment of some sort of fire spirit, perhaps even an avatar Amaterasu herself given she'd brought light to the darkness creeping into Seijuro's soul. He was already enamored with her, but this experience simply furthered the admiration. Or perhaps there was another word for what he was feeling for her, a four letter word that he was scared to proclaim.
"Hey, you spacing out on me? Are you going to make me repeat myself?" Her voice called.
Snapping out of his stupor, he shook his head. "N-N-No, I got it. D-D-Don't worry. I've never thought that lowly of you! Never will!"
"You better not." She playfully threatened.
Chuckling, he looked down in a stray glance and saw that their hands were still connected. Heat suddenly enveloped his face, and Hatsuho's. Both of them realized that the handholding that gone on a little while longer than either of them had expected, yet they didn't immediately let go. Their eyes met one another and held the other's gaze.
"Then will you two hurry-up and kiss already!"
Why was it they were thinking of that at a time like now? Also, why did they feel like someone was going to barge in on the moment and say that to them now?
It was the fear of that happening that caused them both to remove their hands from one another.
"L-L-Let's g-g-get back home. Gotta let everyone see that I really did survive my first day of swim practice a-and that I'm ready for more!" Hatsuho boomed, taking one step forward.
Seijuro took a step forward and walked beside her. "Yeah, you're on your way to earning your flippers."
Grinning, she playfully jabbed him in the side. The Combat Revue pilots walked side by side, happy at the closeness that they held. At heart, they longed for more, but what they had at the moment was enough. For now, anyway, the future was something of a different story.
There was a storm outside and a storm inside the dojo. Both were of seemingly equal power, that Hatsuho was sure of.
She was quietly readying herself to brave the latter, knowing that it would be the most intense storm that she ever faced. In spite of the nervousness, Hatsuho couldn't help but feel genuinely excited. She was a woman of action, and she enjoyed a good challenge. Seijuro Kamiyama could offer her more than just a good challenge; a tiny voice in her head whispered about all that he could offer her, but she refused to listen to it. Hatsuho bemoaned that it sounded just a little bit like her mother's. It was potentially a little too early to start thinking about all that stuff.
Shoving that voice to the side, she stepped forward, her bare feet causing a slight creak in the floor boards. It was most definitely from her feet and not the thunder booming aside. The thunderclap and the wind had been a constant ever since they arrived at this dojo, so too was the whooshing of the wind.
"Ready, Hatsuho?" The former naval captain called.
Twirling her hammer, the redhead assumed a battle stance. "Hell yeah, I am. Let's go!"
There was a flash of lightning followed by a crack of thunder, the gong for the pilots' practice match.
Thunk!
Their wooden weapons collided with the force equal to a boulder crashing into the earth. In spite of that force, their weapons didn't break beneath the force; the reinforcement from their spiritual energy was that strong. It fueled them as their weapons clashed again and again, a pair of wooden swords and a wooden mallet. At first glance, one would have thought that the latter would have smashed the former two into splinters, but that was far from the truth. Every collision, even with the wakizashi-sized blade, Hatsuho almost felt like she was hitting an iron pillar. And it was barely half as strong as the strength of his full-sized bokken. Seijuro definitely had speed on his side, the speed of lightning, but Hatsuho was certainly no slouch; she'd gotten up against opponents who held similar advantages before.
The fact that she was still there and that they weren't, some not even on the same plain, meant she wasn't going to be going down easily.
Seijuro knew that, and it excited him even more. He moved swiftly and precisely with his swords, exploiting whatever gaps there were in his teammate's defense. There were many, but he jubilantly discovered that whenever he went for one, Hatsuho responded with the ferocity of a tiger. That same ferocity was there when she went on the attack, aiming to smack him with her wooden mallet. One blow wouldn't be enough to take him down, but he knew it'd be enough to stun him, then the next two or three blows would do the job.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! THUNK!
BOOM! BOOM!
It seemed that two forces were in competition to see who could shake the dojo grounds more-mother nature or the two Imperial Combat Revue pilots. One look at them and it was easy to see that they were almost comparable to forces of nature themselves. Such was a testament to their skill as warriors. They needed to be that strong as the duty of defending Tokyo and humanity from the threat of demons fell to them.
At the moment, any demon that saw the two pilots would have been gripped by a near suffocating sense of fear. The blades flashed like lightning and the mallet roared like thunder, or fire considering its wielder. In fact, the hammer was seemingly leaving a trail of ember-like light in its wake. Such was the nature of the spiritual energy of Hatsuho-it manifested and acted exactly like fire, burning away evil. In contrast, Seijuro's swords moved swiftly like the lightning and with the fierceness of the wind, both of which were raging outside the dojo. He'd been modeling his movements after the storm, striking with the thunder ad lightning as if he were attuned to it. He was.
Hatsuho was yet again in awe of that, just as she had been before. Watching from the sidelines, she'd felt herself enchanted, almost like she was watching a dance. She'd seen it before with Sakura, but Seijuro's was…fiercer, and something about it more attractive.
The truth of it was that she was simply attracted to him, as a woman to a man. That attraction magnified as they exchanged blows. Her growing affection was signified in the embers growing along her mallet; in what felt like no time, they'd erupted into flames that just barely kept from burning the wood. Seijuro looked to the flames and smirked. Hatsuho grinned at him, then came at him with everything she had. The swordsman responded in kind with a coat of wind around his blades.
Outside, thunder boomed, and inside fire roared as it was detoured by mighty rotations of wind. Once distance was gained, that wind was launched at the redhead. Hatsuho ceased the flames and swung her hammer, deflecting the blasts with sheer physical force. She lunged for Seijuro afterward, her mallet reared back and ready to flatten him.
Whoosh!
He was a blur moving toward her, too fast for her to respond in time. Ducking into a spin, he swung both his bokken out, aiming to cut her on the side. Instinct screamed at her to move, and she did, yet she still felt the edge of his bokken glid across her abdomen. Hatsuho knew if this had been a real fight and those had been real blades, Seijuro have just dealt the winning blow.
Spinning away, she huffed ad looked at him, a smile on her sweaty face. Seijuro smiled back at her; they were both definitely enjoying this. The best part was that the fight wasn't over yet.
They went at each other again, his swords meeting her hammer Yet again, the dojo rung with the sounds of wood colliding against wood. The greatest shockwave came when the tip of the bokken collided with the head of the mallet, a gale-like shockwave fanning outward. Neither fighters were detoured and quickly moved to continue the battle. Seijuro moved in to strike at her again.
But Hatsuho had a plan, a daring plan at that.
Fire swirled around her mallet, which she aimed at the ground. Up she went, and down she came, spinning around like a tornado of fire. Seijuro knew he couldn't defend against it, so he rolled backward, feeling the ground shake beneath the force of her impact. When she came up, he saw Hatsuho still coming at him.
THOOM!
The swordsman's feet slid across the floor and his arms rung from the impact. A small flicker of embers danced around the impact site of Hatsuho's mallet. She stood before them, still wearing that cocky grin that he adored so much. Seijuro rose to his feet, his swords at the rate.
Another crack of thunder outside and they went at each other, their weapons clashing in a continuation of the storm that they'd created.
-o-
"It's…amazing."
"Yeah, that's one of the cool things about storms. After they end…the sky's never clearer. Same thing goes for the ocean."
She nodded. "Maybe one day, you can get me on a boat and you can show that to me one day." Looking to him, she grinned. "If you're with me, I think I'd be able to stick out the storm on the boat."
Laughing, Seijuro responded, "Appealing idea, but maybe it'd be for the best that we wait a little. Trust me, the waves can change on you in a heartbeat. For now, I say we just enjoy the sky."
"That sounds like a pretty good idea." The redhead affirmed. She looked to her right, seeing her teammate, captain, and friend smiling at her. Seijuro's joyous face was enough to send her heart into overdrive, it was perhaps racing faster now than it had been during their training.
From the bottom of her heart, she was happy that it had just been the two of them. No doubt, Hatsuho loved hanging out with all of her teammates, especially her best friend. That said, there was just something special about her spending time together with Seijuro, alone, just the two of them. Secretly, she longed for those times they could spend together, rather it was sparring as they'd chosen to do this afternoon or anything else.
"Ah, I see. Have fun on your date then, and please tell me about it so I can use it for my writing!" Claris had called when she spotted them leaving the theater together to go run some errands. That's all it was, but the European sorcerous and writer had seen something else entirely.
Hatsuho was loath to admit what she'd seen was right.
"Hey, Kami…yama." She called out. He immediately turned to him. With the sunlight on his face, he looked more handsome than he usually was. "Would you be up for…coming here to this dojo with me again?"
"Sure, I'd love…" His words stopped as a realization seemingly dawned on him. Seijuro would have liked to blame the following blush on the sun, but he knew it was futile. "Hatsuho, I'd love to…especially if it were…just the two of us." The swordsman met his teammate's gaze. It took a great amount of willpower on his part to remain impassive as her jaw dropped and she stared at him in confusion. Seijuro saw hope flickering in her autumn-red eyes. "I liked coming here before, but…coming to this dojo, it got even better with you here with me. And looking up at the sky after a storm with you…it's…the best, Hatsuho."
The normally boisterous pilot was left speechless at her captain's words. "Kami…yama…Seijuro…"
"Heh, you just called me by my first name." He laughed.
"W-W-Well, of course I'm gonna call you by your first name!" The hammer-user shouted, her cheeks flaring up. "I mean, after a speech like that, how the hell can't I? Especially with how I feel about ya'!" A nanosecond after her declaration, Hatsuho realized she'd finally let her inner feelings out. Her hands slapped over her mouth as she looked back and forth, anywhere but Seijuro's face.
"Hatsuho," Seijuro called in a soothing voice. Immediately, all the fear that had begun to bumble up within her was blown away, as if by the wind. Slowly, the swordsman reached out with his hand, removing hers from her mouth. Seijuro held hers in his. He was glad that he'd yet to put his gloves back on; in fact, he was sure he wasn't going to be wearing them again for the rest of the day. "You have no idea how happy I am hearing all of that. It's a great relief to know that my feelings aren't complete one-sided."
"Y-Y-Y-Your feelings?! W-W-Wait, your feelings for me?" The redhead stammered.
Seijuro gave a mock look to the side. "Well, of all the girls, you're the one that I think about the most so yeah, pretty much. I like you, Hatsuho, I like you a lot."
She blinked at him. "A-A-And I-I like you a lot too, S-Seijuro." Saying those words made all the air leave her body. Hatsuho felt like she was about to collapse onto the floor. Perhaps seeing that Seijuro gripped her hand. "I-I-I, w-w-we…"
"It's not like there's a rule against relationships amongst teammates, right?"
"N-No, but…I mean…I'm…I'm…"
"You're the most amazing woman that I've ever met, Hatsuho." He pressed. "Do you remember what I said when we were walking back from swim practice?" She nodded, her eyes twinkling showing that not only did she remember, she cherished the memory. "The reason why I said something happening to you would hurt me is because…it'd be a blow to my heart that I don't think I'd ever recover from."
Swallowing the developing lump in her throat, Hatsuho sat upright. Her cheeks were still blushing red and her heart beating like a drum. "Yeah, I remember what you said, but do you remember what I said?" His eyes widened in surprise. Seeing her chance, she reached up and cradled his cheek with her left hand. "No matter what happens, I'll always have your back, and I'll make damn sure that we make it back alive. Now, I've got more reason than ever to make sure of that."
He looked into her eyes and saw the desire that she'd held back for weeks. It was the same as his. "Same here." Seijuro affirmed with a smile.
Feeling the fear shaken off of them, the pilots moved toward one another. The pair's lips met just as the autumn wind blew against them. Its slightly chilly breeze gave cover for Hatsuho to wrap her arms around Seijuro's neck. Smiling against her lips, the swordsman responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her against him. It was something that he'd wanted to do for quite some time; secretly, Hatsuho had been yearning for it herself. The hearts of the two warriors had been calling out for each other, and finally it'd been answered.
It felt like the last hours of daylight had passed by the time they separated, but it was still out, shining bright in the aftermath of the storm. Looking to the sky, Seijuro immediately deduced it was going to be a calm evening and a tranquil night. A perfect night for a date.
"Hatsuho," He began.
"Geez, look at you, already trying to sweep me off my feet." She laughed.
"Hm, I'd say that I've already succeeded to get you to this point."
Bursting into giggles, she pecked him on the cheek and stood up, taking him with her. Her heart was bursting with joy, so much so that she almost felt her legs go wobbly. It was such a strange feeling to have, especially for someone like her. She didn't she had that much of a chance of ending up with a guy as amazing as Seijuro Kamiyama, but her life had taken an interesting turn, and so too had his.
They knew there would be more storms in their future, some so dark that they seemed like they might never lift, but they would. There was no such thing as an endless storm. The sun would always shine again, and the sky would clear up allowing bright blue to be seen by all. Enduring the storms wouldn't be easy, but it was doable. Seijuro and Hatsuho knew that, and they knew together they had the strength to brave any storm that came their way. They would, for themselves, their friends, and the people who relied on them.
Fin.
My third Sakura Wars fic with another one of my favorite girls, finally completed.