The world is burning before her very eyes. For once, that became possible.
Bright red flowers had engulfed a small figure whole. The dim living room was now in the grace of amber light, the color casting hollow shadows along the countour of her facial muscles sunken from dread. She had to be dreaming, right? This horrible, cruel dream...
Sweat dripped to her jawline. Her lips fanned by the heat quivered.
"K...Kaen...?"
A pitch black face slowly turns to her, flames outlining the charcoal vessel actively. It was indistinguishable, almost anonymous.
Her biggest fear came true: her little brother became a victim of the most feared phenomenon, "Spontaneous Human Combustion," the number one cause of death. Now her brother is no longer human but an Infernal, and there is no way of saving him from this point on.
Her legs are paralyzed from fear. If she dared to breathe against the suffocating air, would her Infernalized baby brother let loose and pounce on her in a mindless rampage? Would she die by the hands of her family?
She gritted her teeth behind sealed lips and kept her apple green eyes locked on Kaen.
Think, Kasai! Your brother hasn't caused a scene yet, so you have to find a way to contact the Fire Force as soon as possible. His suffering has to be put to an end.
Kasai slowly shifts into a guarded stance, the movement not rousing the Infernal into action as it -no, he- continued staring at her with blank orange eye sockets.
She meets his stare nervously. It was daunting to know the face and body belongs to her brother. Her expression then slowly lifts into one of vague hope.
"D-Do...you recognize me...Kaen?" Kasai relaxes her posture slightly as to not raise wariness in the supposedly mindless Infernal. In the depths of her reason she knew it couldn't be likely for an Infernal to understand, but she wanted to believe in blind hope if it meant saving her sanity and conscience.
Infernal Kaen remained standing still and peers at his older sister's face. Oddly enough his clothes were not burned to ashes.
Kasai slowly slides over to the window where it lead to the streets. She has to let someone outside know of this. It would be risky to try to call the Fire Force in the house with an Infernal watching her every move.
"It's okay, Kaen. You'll rest in peace soon. Listen to your big sis and wait there, okay? It'll be over before you know it." Kasai says slowly and gently while putting on a smile to mask her worries. She has to be strong. If she wavers, her brother will sense that too, whether human or Infernal. It's hard to keep a smile on her lips when she has yet to panic before settling down on the fact that the first in their family to go out was the youngest. He was only ten! A child who only recently reached the double-digits. On his tenth birthday, he was so excited to enter the next stage of adulthood, saying how he wanted to become an adult quickly so he can share the burden of his sister's responsibilities. Kasai had laughed at the pure thought and encouraged him to be a good boy in order to achieve what he called his dream.
However, that dream immediately disintegrated into ashes once he became an Infernal. A future that will not become reality.
As though reanimated to life by her words, or perhaps the presence of her voice in general, Kaen took a small step forward and lifted an arm to her direction. He moaned a ghost of a cry that sounded more of a whimper than a zombie moan.
Kasai's chest suffered a pang of guilt and sorrow. The image of her brother's human form replaced his blazing shell. She could almost see the plea in his eyes begging for her touch, her embrace. She too wished to rush to him and hold him tight, whispering words of reassurance. However, his flames will undoubtedly burn her to a crisp. The flames that destroy yet create life; a double-edged sword.
Though the twilight sky shone behind her and casted a shadow obscuring some of her face, she mustered the strength to suppress her tears. She had slid the window open and left one leg swung over the windowsill, the other leg dangling while the toes of her sandal lingered on the floor. She was ready to bounce and shamelessly shout at the entire neighborhood for help if it meant help will be on the way.
Kasai held out a hand to stop him. "Stay right there, Kaen. You don't want to disturb the neighbors, right? Mr. Suzuki really dislikes noise since they startle him easily, and the old lady next door who always gives us konpeito (1) is watching that sappy soap opera right now. Apparently it's a really climatic episode today, so..."
The more she speaks, the more she struggles to maintain her facade. Before she could step off the window frame and onto the patch of grass, a passerby approaches from around the corner. It was an elderly woman whom Kasai usually sees watering her flowers on her usual route to school.
Kasai cursed under her breath. Seeing an Infernal casually standing in someone's house would give anyone a panic attack. Infernals are very dangerous threats after all.
"Good afternoon, my dear. How is-" Once the old lady laid her squinted sights on the blazing inferno, hell let loose. For an old lady, she sure has strong lungs to be able to shriek and disrupt the peaceful town with such vigor. Also, Kasai had never seen her eyes shot open like dinner plates in her whole life. It was almost comical if it weren't for the dire situation.
"Infernal! Someone! Call the Fire Force! SOMEONE!"
At least the woman did it for her.
Infernal Kaen looks to his black hands that were no longer shapely human. Not a single part of him was human.
Why is he on fire? Why is the old lady screaming at the top of her lungs? Why is his big sister torn between consoling the woman and reading his reaction? She's so far away. Why is he in constant pain?
It hurts. This white hot searing pain is compressed against every fiber of his being. Is this what suffering feels like? It's so agonizing. He wants to cry, but when he uttered a sound, it was nothing like his voice, nor a human's.
Then, Kaen realized what he had become.
Kasai glanced to her brother from the corner of her eye and immediately stood rigid, her blood running cold.
The Infernal twitched erratically like a malfunctioning machine about to explode. His flaming limbs bends into a stance. He was looking at the outside world, where his sister stood.
Kasai's breath hitched. As he made gurgling, almost beastly noises, she shouted to the old lady, "Run!"
Kasai immediately reached for the nearest object and grabbed a shovel that was fortunately propped up against the wall by the window. She reenters the house and braced herself with the long shovel raised. Kaen seems to have lost complete control of his conscious upon realizing the fact that he became an Infernal. If he escapes, he'll rampage this neighborhood and put everyone at risk of danger. Kasai knew it was reckless to stay behind and hold him down powerless, but she also had faith that through her words, she could bring Kaen's self-awareness back like he had demonstrated in the beginning. If he calms down, he can become passive.
Kaen runs straight for Kasai and pounced for her throat. What difference in strength! An Infernal's movements are almost feral-like! Using her quick instincts, Kasai stomps her foot on the end of the lightweight wooden countertop placed between them. It flips up to serve as both a shield and cover from the Infernal's sight. Kasai apologizes to Kaen before lifting the upside counter in the same moment to overwhelm the airborne Infernal and swinging the furniture over his head. The Infernal collapses to the floor along with the countertop, screeching in protest. Kasai jumps on top of the countertop and uses her weight to press the flat surface onto Kaen.
With the shovel, Kasai holds it horizontally and shoves the pole in his mouth to prevent him from getting up. Kasai struggles to hold him firmly in place while keeping her balance on the rocking counter like a surfboard. Kaen flailed his short arms around to no avail and growls against the shovel clenched between what is supposedly his jaws.
"Kaen! It's me, Kasai! Your big sis!" She cried. Coming into close contact with an Infernal made her sweat almost uncontrollably, fringes of her hair clinging to her moist skin. It was a miracle her strategy worked. Thank goodness for her quick judgement. Now the big issue is whether she can outlast his drastic physical prowess. If she can try to tire him out, that would make things a lot more easier for both her and the Fire Force. Over Kaen's guttural growls and her grunts bouncing off the living room, she heard voices inquiring what the hell is going on and that the Fire Force will soon arrive in a few minutes.
The sweat surrounding her eyes made Kasai squint. She has to focus. Once he slips from underneath, there is no guarantee the same trick will work again, nor another fortunate opportunity.
Can she even trust the Fire Force to arrive on time? Does it have to be the Fire Force who will put him to rest? What if...
She shot a glance at the end of the shovel.
She had heard that the only way to kill an Infernal is to impale their core that is located in the chest, a painless method of returning them to the raging flames. The shovel looks like a good alternative to strike his core, but...
Kasai gripped the shovel tightly.
To say she never predicted this would happen would be a lie. She sometimes visualized the prospect that one of her family members would burst into flames. She was sure that most, if not all people would think the same. Everyone's biggest fear is death by Human Spontaneous Combustion, and that's her fear too, but for her, what's worse than that is the scenario where her beloved family suddenly went up in hellish blaze.
Why did it have to be Kaen? He's too young to be a victim. What did he do to deserve this? If anyone in the family had to become one, it should be her, not her baby brother. Not even her mother or father. Kaen would need their parental support more than her if she were to become an Infernal. She would have been okay if she was the one to combust, if that meant securing Kaen's future.
"I'm gonna be a man you'll be proud of, big sis! Big boys have to be strong, kind, and not scared of anything! Kinda like you!"
Kasai dryly laughed. There was humor laced in her voice as she said, "Are you implying I'm not a girl, then?"
Kaen tilts his head. "You're not a girl. You're the best big sis anyone could ask for! That's why I wanna be the one to protect you, not the other way!"
He smiles widely, a pink blush coloring the apples of his cheeks. "I love my strong, gentle big sis more than anyone!"
Kasai bit her lower lip. The tears she held back now freely fall down her burning cheeks heated by the flames. The teardrops dripped and evaporated instantly by Kaen's fiery body.
"I'm sorry. Big sis will save you. Kaen, if you can hear me, know that big sis loves you with all her heart."
Her arms were growing numb, whether from exhaustion or fear she doesn't know. Kaen's inhumane, scratchy cries became white noise throbbing in her eardrums. Her eyes focused on the fuzzy area that should be his core.
It's now or never. Performing the prayer is not something she knows, but she figured the last words he would hear were words from a loving sister to her dear innocent brother she would fight the demon for to protect him.
Kasai swallowed her saliva and swiftly lifted the end of the shovel above her head.
Just as she attempted to strike down, her arm suddenly became paralyzed. The shovel in her hand trembled.
Move, damn it! You knew this would be your responsibility to end his life. If anyone has to do it, it has to be you!
She sucked her teeth before grinding them so hard her teeth could fall off.
Suddenly the door slammed open. Several pounding footsteps marched inside. Bright glowing blue stripes contrasted the dark room.
"What in the- Little girl! Get away from the Infernal!" One of the men told her.
The one instance Kasai left her sights on Kaen to look at the Fire Force in surprise, the Infernal kicked her off, sending her falling on her back with the shovel and countertop out of her grasp. She grunts from the shock inflicted on her backside and groans.
The flames around Kaen danced wildly as he swerved to meet the Fire Force's watchful wary eyes.
"Begin the operation!" "Sir!"
One of the firefighters approached Kasai and lifts her up into a sitting position. However she ignored the gesture and cried out for her brother's name.
"KAEN! Don't attack them!" Kasai said urgently. She was held back by the firefighter who was prompting her to evacuate to safety.
The Infernal paid no heed to her pleas and begun to bounce off the walls and ceiling. Everything tipped over and littered the floor. Picture frames of her and her family cracked and decorations and furniture are marked with burns.
A red apple rolled beside Kasai's foot. The fruit Kaen loved to eat was one of the many ripe apples (she had personally took the time to pick out from the supermarket the best of the best) that escaped from the toppled basket. She would always cut the apple into cute bite-sized rabbit slices specifically for Kaen to enjoy and he would eat every single one.
Kasai glanced to the fruit. The apple, whose skin reflects her long bright red hair, tips over slightly. From the burning sunset light, a patch of it is now bruised.
A firefighter holds his shield up as Kaen shot for him, only for the Infernal to bounce off the shield and ricochet into the wall again. He was too fast for them to keep up, they could only stay still in one spot and keep their defenses up while planning what to do with him.
Kasai squeezed her eyes shut when Kaen bounced off the firefighter's shield, the one who was protecting her. Is there really no way for Kaen to come back to his senses? Can her voice no longer reach him?
"Young lady, you have to get out. It's too dangerous for you to be here." The firefighter said to her, resisting another bounce from Kaen who was only progressively becoming faster. At this point he's just an orange blur.
In an instance, Kaen leapt for Kasai when the firefighter had yet to cover the blank point. The next moment, Kaen had his older sister hostage.
Kasai screams in agony. The flames on his hand was burning the skin tissue on her forearm. Kaen's hands weren't this big to completely wrap her forearm. It could be from the perspective, but somehow the Infernal looks about the size of an adult man, no longer the little boy who stood only up to her torso.
The white hot searing numbed her nerves. She would have tried to pry her arm off, but that would spell a riskier consequence than letting her arm lay limp in the Infernal's grasp.
The Blue Stripes cursed. "It got the girl! Bring in the extinguisher!"
Kasai caught a glimpse of the device aimed at the Infernal and shields her face from the explosion of white gas. Kaen's grip on her loosened and she quickly scoots away. She almost tripped on her face if it weren't for her non-scarred arm propping her upper body.
Kasai paled several shades at the sight of her arm. A good portion of her skin has been burned, the pink muscles sizzling.
The odor of smoke and human flesh upsets her stomach. Before she realized, the foul taste defiling her tongue and burning the roof of her mouth lingers.
She weakly glances behind her. The fiery vessel of Kaen was dwindling and staggering to its feet. A firefighter prepares to swing his choice of weapon -an axe- straight for the Infernal's core.
Kasai's eyes dilated. In the moment of confusion, Kaen looks back to meet her gaze. She could almost see the contour of his visage being delivered to her.
Kaen has returned to his normal senses. It may be vague, but Kasai recognized his body hesitating to lift a finger against the humans. He was looking to her with horror. He actually fears instant death more than his suffering.
He was searching for his sister's help.
Something sparked in her hands. The source of heat rises from within her palms before spreading to her fingertips. The surge of heat waves danced around her kneeled form. Light V irises bored its eye-piercing fluorescent green hues.
"Leave my brother alone!"
A burst of flames erupt from the bottom of her hands. The intensity she had released shattered the earth beneath everyone as they watched with wide eyes.
Before they knew it, everything went white.
~Fire Force~
News of the sudden destruction made its way to the front page of newspapers and the media. It was said that a young girl who had awakened to her third generation pyrokinetic ability was responsible for the gigantic crate that replaced her house. Much to everyone's astonishment, no one died from it, although most did not come out unscathed and were left with only a few minor injuries.
The girl named Kasai Daigo was found unconscious as a result of her newfound power with minor scratches and a horrendous burn scar marring her entire left forearm permanently. The Infernal who was said to be her little brother, Kaen Daigo, was nowhere to be seen, presumably killed from the explosion his elder sister unleashed. There was no evidence to even search for the Infernal if the case was false otherwise.
Her parents who were away for business were devastated upon hearing the news. Their youngest child was exterminated by his only sibling. They abandoned their previous works to rush for their surviving hospitalized child. Haijima Industries had designed a pair of fist cuffs containing liquid nitrogen for Kasai that suppress her ability.
It was heart-wrenching for her parents when they witnessed the light in her youthful round eyes dull and wield a sharp edge. She never once smiled since that day, and had little to no appetite. All she could think of was her brother. Did he really die from her attack? Did she really kill him? The investigation claimed that there was no findings of a small Infernal, but Kasai has a gut feeling that her brother is still out there surviving on his own. She refused to believe he simply vanished from thin air.
"Mom, dad... I want to become a firefighter. I want... No, I have to join the Fire Force. Kaen is still alive. I can feel it."
It was decided that this coming fall, Kasai would attend the Special Fire Force Training Academy. She would transfer from her previous middle school to the specialized academy that focuses on cultivating students' talents for the Fire Force. Unlike most of her would-be peers, she is a late-bloomer in attaining her ignition ability.
It was also confirmed that Kasai would attend to counseling once every week. Her trauma of her brother's combustion would still be fresh by the time she returns from the hospital. The shift in environment was also affecting her, so everyone around her assured her to take it easy and get accustomed to her new life at the academy at her own pace.
Meanwhile the Daigo family will be residing in grandfather Hari's home. They have to restart from scratch since their home was completely wiped from existence, much to Kasai's bottomless pit of remorse. Her parents did not hold it against her and brushed it off, though she could tell they were saying that in consideration of her mental state.
During her stay in the hospital, a member from Haijima Industries would occasionally come to check up on her and her hand cuffs for the best optimal experience. Much to his surprise, Kasai pretty much has a basic grasp of her pyrokinetic powers. She said she was "visualizing" her flames into how they would be implemented while she laid on the hospital bed staring out the window, in all her reason and knowledge of logic. All she needed to do now was to actually set her hands on fire and experiment, which these sturdy balls that encompassed her fists separately are preventing her from doing.
She was wary of anyone from Haijima Industries, honestly, though she didn't show it. She assumed they would have taken her in as some test subject if it weren't for her parents who were still around and holding custody of her as their child. She was grateful they still kept her around instead of disowning or abandoning her. Her parents are rather gentle souls who genuinely care for their kids. It doesn't help that both are worry warts and balls of anxiety, though.
They initially protested against the thought of sending their daughter to the academy, but one look at Kasai's resolve and they knew she wouldn't back down. Once she decides on something, she doesn't go back from it.
Kasai made it her mission to learn more about the Infernals and the mysterious phenomenon revolving around them. Is it really randomized for who will combust spontaneously? There has been no cure for it, but she hopes that will be proven otherwise. If there's the slightest possibility, even a mere 0.1 percent chance of a cure, she would devote her life to assist in that feat.
Back then, Kaen was self-aware to an extent. He conveyed the message that he didn't want to die despite being in constant pain. His attachment to life must be that strong if he was willing to bear the pain and endure the form of an Infernal for the rest of his life. It takes centuries for Infernals to die on their own, too.
If Kaen wants to live longer, then Kasai will abide by that wish and stop anyone from attempting to end his life.
Where did he go, though? Kasai hopes her little brother is safe. Did he end up lost somewhere? Hopefully he's still around the district even after a month since the incident.
Kasai gingerly grazed her fingertips against the roll of bandages wrapped around her left forearm. She bared no ill will towards the scar that will surely look hideous to expose. In fact, she embraced it. It was proof she let her heart waver from putting his inferno days to rest. It was also proof that she is weak, both physically and mentally. Kaen is not at fault for inflicting the scar.
Oh, Kasai forgot to mention that Haijima Industries has deemed her control of her flames to be safe as long as she doesn't bomb a building. She's not so irresponsible to cause large scale problems. Thank goodness she no longer has to carry those awkward hand cuffs anymore.
Kasai lifts her palm. Every time she summons flames, it was always in the form of her resolve. She may not be the brightest in the science field, so she can't defend herself with scientific facts, but she believes flames appear through a person's emotions. What they want to do, how they wish to approach it, and what form they will assume to make that happen. Her resolve is simple: save Kaen and prevent future incidents from traumatizing little children like she was.
She was her own hero, if that made sense. After seeing how slow and unreliable the Blue Stripes can be, she hopes to become a Blue Stripe that knows to be timely.
While she has her morals, she can be petty at times, whether people like it or not. Was she complaining how the Fire Force took their sweet time while a powerless 13-year old girl was holding an Infernal back? Maybe. (Granted, Kaen is a short little boy for his age, but that doesn't mean anything when a walking fireball of death is up against a human girl with no remarkable physical prowess.) Was she furious by the incompetence the Fire Force had? Perhaps. Was she bitter that she was being scolded by one of the firefighters for "being reckless" and "quick to throw her life away"? More likely than you think.
"Well if you guys weren't such slowpokes in your job then pick up the pace dammit," is what she would spit back with pettiness. You may think this older sister character is purely sweet and morally right in several ways, but how Kasai deals with strifes is the same way she likes her coffee: black and bitter like her soul.
That just got darker.
This is Kasai's dark side. The girl that's bitter with the world and hates glorification and preaching (like the Holy Sol Temple but that's another story). The "strong, gentle" big sis Kaen likes to proclaim is just a strong front she puts in his presence. The older sibling has to live up as the little sibling's role model, or someone to follow in general, lest they'll pick up the bad habits and be that delinquent or thug crouched on the streets and picking fights every second.
The real Kasai is an insecure ball of anxiety who doesn't trust herself to hold a stack of papers with her butterfingers. In a way, she's really clumsy with anything regarding her hands, yet somehow she's lucky enough to pass her clumsiness within the safe zone and not rouse suspicion. She thinks she may have inherited this side of her from her parents and still does to this day. It's one thing if she's nervous on a daily basis, but with the addition of her sweaty palms she hates with a passion, her fear levels escalates to the extent of not wanting to make hand contact with anyone, much less boys. You know, that kind of stuff.
Gosh damn it.
While Kasai doesn't really mind the responsibility of an older sibling, she does find it somewhat exhausting. Grinning and putting up with things is something she was used to for her whole life. Many people including her family think she's an independent, respectable sister model who has good judgement and resolves people's problems in the blink of an eye. They seem to praise her as some charismatic leader figure. She was even encouraged to be a politician, but there was no way the mother of anxiety will let her rest in peace if she did decide to become one.
That's why Kasai dislikes pressure placed by the people around her; in other words excessive praises. Don't they see how they're setting the bars too high? They'll collapse like Jenga blocks.
Kasai is a real modest girl and doesn't know how to take a compliment. She could get hopelessly flustered if someone pressed her buttons a few times.
Wait, this character exposition is getting too long. What was she doing? Oh yes, she was playing with her flames a little bit.
Orange light radiated from her palms. It was odd since she could feel the heat yet not cringe from the touch of flames that were her own. Haijima Industries had explained to her that was the perk of a third generation user like her; to summon flames and have strong fire resistance. If only that saved her from her scar earlier...
Kasai analyzed her flames with her glowing V green eyes. It may be her imagination, but she doesn't recall fire being purely orange before. Fire has a shade to it, usually in orange and yellow colors. Yet her flames appear a little... dark. It's not the vivid orange you see in orange jumpsuits. This orange has a tint of dark tones underneath it, like there was a bit of darkness mixed in it.
Her eyes flashed back to their usual dark pupils once she extinguished the flames rising from her palm and rests her back on the bed. It could just be her seeing the world a little less brightly than some others. It's not like she's a pyromaniac. What would worrying about the color of flames do for her?
Kasai sighs.
Too much thinking.
~Fire Force~
The summer ended before it even started. Now the second semester of school begins within the first week of September. It's strange how the season flew by so quickly. Kasai spent half of her summer break in a hospital while the rest was focused on training with her flames. She couldn't reflect on a day where she had a normal day like a normal girl, not with the absence of her brother remaining vacant in her everyday life.
Her parents were also under the spell, not just her. They would avoid talking about Kaen like the plague and put on stiff smiles and quivering brows. They're really horrible at hiding stuff.
Her grandfather Hari, while mourning internally for his "absence" (as Kasai had put it. Kaen is not dead. He can't be), is not a man who dwells on things forever. At the dinner table everyone would be awkwardly silent and unwilling to make eye contact, however old man Hari still has spunk to slap them awake and finish their meals (sometimes in a literal sense of slapping). He once expressed being visibly tired of the tension and prompted the family to have energy. With a few insistence, the Daigo family slowly but surely becomes familiar with Hari's home.
Hari is a craftsman who owns a glass shop. Everything for sale is handmade and exclusive to his works. Kasai remembered she and Kaen had once visited his shop that had beautiful decorations made out of glass. Glass windows, crystal animal figurines, and even jewelry were included. The sunlight refracted through the bright colors made them sparkle dazzlingly almost like the sun itself.
Even today Hari is still making a business. Apparently he specializes in mosaic glass art and has taken a few requests from churches to design and make them. In Kasai's free time she would stop by the garage and watch her grandfather do his magic. His workspace is one of the few areas where she can settle down and be free of worries.
From the corner of the room, Kasai was twirling a strand of bright apple red hair in her finger with interest when Hari came up to her after having dropped what he was doing to ask her why the gloom and doom.
"A few of my classmates said I was a 'brother killer.'" Kasai said darkly, not meeting her grandfather's gaze.
Hari's bright cerulean blue eyes that could almost penetrate her soul were always full of laughter and kindness. He swiped sweat droplets from his crimson red brow with his forearm that boasted decades of strength and skill poured into his job. He spoke gruffly, "But you say Kaen is still out there."
"Yeah, but everyone tells me that it's impossible for him to be alive. And they were being assholes about it, too." Kasai replied, scowling at the remembrance of their words being spat so nonchalantly. At the time, she didn't say anything back since she has no concrete evidence to prove Kaen is still alive. Kasai may be lying to herself by believing so, but sometimes having faith keeps her on her toes much more than dwelling in the pits of despair.
Hari pursed his lips under his bushy mustache. "Folks always be ready to jump and bash on others, kid. They get off on that kinda stuff." He ruffles the back of his short spiky hair and heaves a sigh. "I'm sure your little bro is out there somewhere. You never leave without saying goodbye, after all."
Hari pats Kasai's head with his large callous hand that radiated warmth like the sunlight.
He grinned widely. "Plus, I doubt you or Kaen will lose to the flames that dare to break your bond."
Kasai finally looks up to him with light shedding in her green eyes. When he puts it that way, it all makes sense for her to not give up even more for her brother's sake. That's why she believes in Kaen. They will reunite in the future, even if it takes a decade for her to find him.
No matter how many people shut her down and label her as a "brother killer" or "murderer," she will fight to save Kaen. False names won't deter her.
Kasai solidifies her gaze into one of resolve. "Grandpa, I need to ask you..." She stands and bows low, hands straight at her sides. "Please train me and teach me how to use my flames to their full potential!"
Hari slowly turned away from the furnace fire he had set his eyes on and looks down to the space above her lowered head. Kasai had learned a few days into their move that Hari is a second generation pyrokinetic who manipulates flames rather than summoning them of his free will unlike Kasai herself. She had seen a few instances where he would wave his hands and the fire would move as though they had minds of their own. Apparently the ability and technique differs for each individual and is rarely ever the same.
"Training will be hell for a young lass like you. You think you got what it takes to undergo my regimen?"
Kasai straightens her back and looks up. "I've prepared myself for this. That's why I bothered to ask."
Hari stares down at her before flashing a hearty grin. "Ha! You ain't my granddaughter for nothin'! Let's see how far your spunk will take you."
"Thank you very much! Please take care of me!"
For the next three years, Kasai would train under her spartan mentor she never realized he had a side to.
~Fire Force~
Before the second semester of school would begin, the girl has made a decision she had been contemplating since the day Kaen became an Infernal.
Imagine her parents' horror when they saw their daughter gripping a pair of scissors and slicing her long bright red hair in one clean sweep. Hari was there to witness it too. He had simply returned to tweak a piece of metal in his busy hands and plier. His smirk was all she needed to affirm she feels nothing for the loss of her beautiful locks she and her parents took pride in.
She did not start a rebellion, Kasai corrected her parents who were quick to jump on said assumption. Rather, she will become a reformed woman from here on. Kasai will need to throw away her insecurities and keep her head up as she marches on the path to becoming part of the Fire Force. No more doom and gloom. No more pessimism nonsense. They won't get you anywhere, Kasai. Your brother is waiting.
Kasai, now in her chin-length redhead glory, wore her academy's black sailor uniform and stood in front of the gates where the cross sign stared back at her. Students entering in cast curious glances at the new face whose vivid red hair color contrasting the dark uniform made her a stick out like a sore thumb. She was used to the unwanted attention since birth.
Kasai clenched her fists. The first step into becoming a Blue Stripe. With her flames, she'll prove herself useful and land a position that will let her come into contact with all kinds of Infernals with legal authority. By achieving that, the chances of encountering Kaen will double.
'I'll find you one day sooner or later, Kaen. Until then, I'll be strong.'
Kasai was now standing in front of the classroom door she will be a part of from here on, waiting for permission to enter. Remember, Kasai, first impressions are very important no matter how lightly everyone makes of it. Be positive and pretend the rumors about you never existed.
She heard the teacher call her in and she twists the doorknob open.
Her green eyes looked straight ahead despite all eyes following her every move as she walked up beside the teacher's desk. She dismissed the spread of discreet exchanges regarding her bright red hair and her infamous reputation spawned from the Infernal incident.
Kasai turns to face the class and bows politely.
"My name's Kasai Daigo. I wish to become a part of the Blue Stripes. I hope we'll get along."
The world continues to revolve in spite of Kaen's Infernal transformation. For her, the world had long ago ceased to move.
Now instead, she will face the Sun God that is all in its holiness and walk backwards into hell where her damned baby brother is cursed to burn for eternity.
[The Journey to Inferno]
(1) - Konpeito is Japanese rock candy.
Name Trivia Corner
Kasai is one of the many ways that mean "fire" in Japanese.
Kaen is one of the many ways that mean "flame" in Japanese.
Daigo simply means "fifth."
Hari means "glass" or "crystal."
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs.
Genres: Family, Friendship, Mystery, Romance, Humor, and others that I'm not sure would be defined in this fic.
Pairing(s): ShinraXOC, though it's pretty mild since I rarely ever make romance the main focus. I guess it could be a slow burn? I don't know, but there will be ShinraXOC moments, that's for sure.
Notes to make: I should really stop publishing new fics when I should be focusing on my other OC fics that take forever to finish.
Please excuse any typos and grammatical errors you happen to find! I'm doing nearly everything on mobile and typos are a bitch.
Please fave/follow and/or review! They help out a lot.