Stronger Than Fire

By: Aviantei

Chapter Five

"So you actually got Arlie to snap at you? That's amazing." Emília grinned before letting out a spluttering of giggles, just under the radar of grabbing attention. Then again, the rest of the cafeteria was so loud that Renzo doubted that anyone would have noticed if his boss had just burst out into laughter. Wielding a fork in hand, Emília pointed it at the face of her subordinate across the table. "Actually, I think that's a first. Xe never gets angry around me."

Renzo could theorize that was because Nikita probably was a suck-up around xir boss, but he would keep that theory to himself until he got more proof. The last thing he needed for today was Emília criticizing him on another weakness of his skill set. "Well, I guess I know better now," he said instead. "I'll keep all discussions between me and… Nikita focused on work for now."

Emília only smiled. "The word that you're looking for is 'xem,'" she provided. Renzo tried to put it into his memory, but the only thing that got burned at all was his face heating up. What was this even supposed to be? Did he really cave under pressure this easily? "Come on, I know English is your second language, but you can't trip over it that easily. If you can't do a little language acquisition, we're only gonna be able to use you in Japan, and that won't do shit considering that the entire True Cross there has to know your face. You did make quite the splash at your little cultural festival, you know?"

"Are you saying that English isn't your first language?" Sure, she had a bit of an accent, but Renzo just assumed that was regional.

Emília only smirked. "Nice try."

Okay, so then a different tactic was necessary here. "But what you're really saying is that you haven't found a suitable job for me yet," Renzo retorted. In a week, he had learned that Emília didn't really mind friendly banter, despite the rank gap. For the first time, though, his words managed to make the girl grimace. Renzo was too surprised to feel proud.

"As a matter of fact," she said, then made a conscious effort to unclench her jaw, "I decided that I was getting tired of you just piggybacking off of orders. So instead, I'm going to have you look over all of Arlie's recent data reports from major contributors, and then you can make some calls on where we need to focus our efforts. Information weak points and time-wise priorities. Oh, and I want you to consider your own flaws and talents and decide what you want to work on next, and, if you really want to impress me, you can go ahead and pick out an assignment all on your own that you think will help with your improvement."

Renzo processed the information a few seconds later than he probably should have. It was the necessary blow to make his jaw drop open. Disinterested in his panic, Emília scooped up a rather large lump of curry from Renzo's plate and dropped it into the boy's mouth.

She hadn't included much rice in the bite, either, and he spluttered, snagging the glass water he had almost forgotten to get earlier. "You can't be serious!" he exclaimed, not quite sure which atrocity he was talking about. "That's something insanely big, right? That's the sort of stuff you handle, not people like me."

"Calm down, Kid," Emília criticized, causing Renzo to actually consider what was going on. "It's a practice exercise. Since there's nothing available for you otherwise, I want you to take a more analytical approach to your intelligence skills. I know it's not ideal, but I'd rather have you do this than just be idle." Knowing her feelings on the matter of desk work, this really had to be the only option. "Besides, have my own plans for our next moves. I just want to see how yours stack up."

Renzo swallowed, gripping onto his glass too hard. "And the stuff about me picking my own assignment?" he asked, hoping that was just a practice exercise, too.

Emília's smirk answered the question, though she verbalized it anyway. "Like I said, it's time for you to start working on your own improvement. Once you start to understand yourself better, there will be all sorts of options out there." She tapped his forehead with a finger before pulling back. "And while your willingness to follow my lead is cute, you really need a better pick-up line. By the way, put that on your list of things to improve and see what Arlie really thinks of you."

"Right…" Renzo said, taking a mental note to not get any more on the bigender's potential bad side. He was pretty sure he didn't need to know any more of what Nikita thought of him.

It was better to focus on more pleasant things, like just how casual Emília was with him. She had touched him, even if briefly. Her skin had been soft, just like her words.

But no matter how gentle it had been said, Renzo was definitely sure that he didn't need to know any more of himself, for better or for worse.

The Illuminati wasn't just limited to their base, having significant control over the surrounding town. They promoted themselves as the Illumination Foundation, and nobody in the town even batted an eye when members went into town in uniform. Emília preferred to avoid such scenarios, so she removed her Illuminati jacket from her layers, traded her pants and boots for a more casual set, and headed out into town.

Her legs might not have been perfect, but she at least knew how to show them off in the right way. She wondered what the Kid might do if he saw her. Probably laugh nervously until he could come up for some excuse as to why his ears were turning red all the way to the tips.

She could have borrowed an Illuminati car, but it wasn't that far of a walk, and she wanted to stretch out at least some. Spending the entire day on desk work was bad enough, but she had also stayed overtime at that.

Reports were coming in daily concerning the True Cross's defenses. Most branches had gone and updated their security after the Commander's declaration of war, and several third-party exorcist unions were doing the same. Everyone was on edge for an attack, which was probably why the Commander was pacing things slowly. No one would probably drop their guards, but it was much more likely that the Illuminati would be exploiting a minor, unexpected opening.

Which was where the Intelligence Division came in. Most agents didn't realize it, but it was their job to find that opening.

Emília didn't really care much about that. She didn't care much about her job, either. Bringing Gehenna and Assiah together. Who cared? A job was a job, and that was that. If there was a better offer—which was unlikely—Emília could do it, too. She would do whatever job she needed to do perfectly, even if it meant getting put into a position where she couldn't do much besides paperwork.

In about fifteen minutes, Emília had made it to her intended location—a hole in the wall restaurant with foods from nearly every European nationality on the menu. She wasn't too picky about her food intake so long as her nutrients were balanced, but Arlie tended to have localized cravings that would be better satisfied by an away mission to the country in question.

Emília stepped inside, making her way to the corner of the bar right up against the wall. What could have been a snug fit in other restaurants was instead cozy, given that, while popular enough to keep running, didn't attract too large of a crowd at any given time. Arlie was already sitting there, and Emília dropped into place beside xem.

"You're pretty late," xe commented, and Emília dismissed the concern with a wave of her hand. "I don't think I've ever seen you work so hard, Boss."

As any superior officer would, Emília stuck out her tongue in response. "I always work hard. I think you mean, 'I've never seen the higher-ups demand so much at once.' I just don't want someone like Miss Glasses storming in on 'the sake of the Commander!' and making a big mess because she didn't get some file or whatever. Like, seriously. I'd rather just put in some extra hours and save myself the headache."

Arlie put a finger to xir lips. "But what if she comes in complaining that you're building up too much overtime?"

Emília dropped her head down to the bar, letting out a long, "Aaagh! Doesn't she have anything better to do? You have a job, right? Why don't you do that? Seriously, she seems to spend all her time crawling up the Commander's ass, why doesn't she—"

"Excuse me?" Arlie waved a hand, leaning over the bar. "Master? Two rounds, please?"

Emília looked up, cheek pressing against wood. "You know I don't drink, Arlie."

"Yeah, I know. They're both for me."

Emília snorted and sat up. "It's been a while since we've been able to just joke around like this," she said, finally paying attention to the menu card. Considering her nutrition needs, she started to eliminate possibilities.

The bartender deposited the requested drinks in front of them, then retreated. It was a pretty casual place where you could just shout out whenever you were ready. Arlie coddled the first of xir drinks, burying xir face in the mug before responding, "That's 'cause you've been spending all your time with the new kid."

It was one thing to think of Shima Renzo on her own; having someone else mention him tended to bring the words into a new perspective. "You say that like you're jealous," she teased. "For someone that can pull off an infiltration mission so easily, he hasn't really made any other friends. I'm just helping him out."

"He doesn't have any friends because you monopolize all his time," Arlie corrected, and Emília guessed that was right. She hadn't really even given him much of a choice of what to do at lunch, and security cameras had him retreating to his room whenever he was off. "I'm sure if you dumped him into the lunch room all alone, he'd find some skirt or another to chase. That is, if we actually had skirts."

"Are you trying to complicate your own wardrobe choices more than they already are?"

"There's nothing complicated about wearing whatever I want." Arlie stared at xir drink for a bit, and Emília let her own gaze wander. Was it wrong for her to mess around with the new kid? Especially whenever he had so much potential, just kind of waiting to get out there. "If you're gonna take off one of the kid gloves by giving him that ridiculous assignment, just go all the way with it."

Emília couldn't help but smile. Laugh, even. She was pretty proud of herself for coming up with that one. "What, is it too much?' she asked, even though she knew the answer already. If she couldn't give him an assignment fit to his aptitude, she just needed to apply a serious amount of pressure instead.

Arlie set xir drink down, only halfway through it. Xe didn't get drunk too fast, but xe still applied enough moderation to remain sober while eating. Still, two drinks from the get-go meant that someone would need carried back to the base tonight, and it certainly wasn't Emília. "He came into my office looking like he was about to cry," Arlie reported.

Okay, maybe she had gone a bit too far. But it was too late to pull back now. And, besides, Emília really wanted to see the results. "You'll help him out, right?" she asked, resting her head on the back of her hand.

"If that's what you want." Arlie's generally peaceful expression wavered for a second—not enough to be serious, but less than complacent. "You've never really been like this before. Just what are you trying to do, Boss?"

Emília shook her head, the familiar clattering of beads signaling the end of the discussion. "Enough about work," she said, knowing that Arlie would listen. Emília flashed her subordinate a reassuring smile before raising a hand and her voice. "Hey, Devi, I'm starving! Let me order already!"

Yukio stepped into Futsumaya, still feeling definite weight over his shoulders. As if things hadn't been stressful enough, with the Impure King and the Illuminati—not to even begin with the stress his eyes were causing—Shima's defection only had added to the psychological stress. Even knowing that it had been a ruse hadn't taken that weight away, and he had seen that in his students.

No, they were not just his students. In Inari, they had been his team, and he had been trusted as their leader.

"Oh, Yuki-chan!" Shiemi's bright voice reached his ears, and Yukio tried his best to smile. He had been expecting the girl's mother instead, but was able to make the attitude adjustment with ease. If there was one person he couldn't make worry anymore, it was Shiemi. "Come to get supplies again?"

"Yeah, that's right," he said, stepping up to the counter. Shiemi had her schoolwork spread out, both for normal and exorcist classes. Yukio wouldn't be surprised if she handed him an assignment for the wrong class tomorrow, but whatever helped her study. "Actually, your mother said there was a shipment that came in for me, so I think everything I need should all be together."

Shiemi shot up into a standing position, looking all the world like she was about to face plant on the ground. "Okay, just let me run and get it!" As promised, she ran to the back of the shop, leaving Yukio to idle in the entrance. After a few minutes, Shiemi returned, box in hand. "Here you go, Yuki-chan! Oh, the total, the total…"

Yukio retrieved the money from his wallet, offering it out. Shiemi tendered his change out from the register, then just stood there, starting to fidget. Yukio waited for her to say something, but she stayed silent. "Um, is something wrong?" he ventured.

"Yuki-chan…" Shiemi wrung her hands together before finally meeting his eyes. "There's something I want to ask you!"

"That's fine." Yukio almost recoiled from the force of her words. Looking back to the front counter, he guessed, "Is it help with your lessons?" It wasn't too bad of a conclusion. After all, Shiemi had never had schooling before, and putting a regular course load on top of exorcist training had to be a challenge. Which was why he was thrown off when Shiemi shook her head.

"No, I've been doing fine." Her expression made the message clear: I've been working hard, so please don't worry about me like that anymore! "It's just…about Shima-kun."

Yukio felt himself tense up without meaning to. He hadn't really wanted to talk about this right now, but if Shiemi was asking, he couldn't really refuse. Nodding, Yukio moved to sit down in front of the counter, and Shiemi blustered around for some pillows. Once they were both settled comfortably and Shiemi's homework was shoved to the side, the girl silently exhaled.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I've just been so confused." If Yukio was reading the situation right, then everyone was. Confused and depressed and worried. Not even Rin, who was generally too carefree for comfort, had sobered himself a bit. "At first, I didn't really get it. I thought, 'Shima-kun likes Izumo-chan, there's no way he would hurt her!' And so, I guess I just went along with everything because I thought it had to be a joke."

Yukio was impressed. The whole time, Shiemi hadn't let anything like that come to light. She had even successfully defeated her opposing chimera zombie. For a Tamer, focus of will was an essential. For her to be wavering and still produce such successful results…

"But the way he talked to us," Shiemi continued, her voice quiet, "it wasn't a joke was it? That moment, I thought I understood. But I was so relieved we got Izumo-chan back that it didn't really settle with me until later. And just when I accepted it, that Shima-kun wasn't coming back to us…" She trialed off, and Yukio didn't blame her.

He had gone through a similar thing. He had accepted the responsibility, and then he braced himself to tell Shima's family, only to have them reveal the opposite.

"I feel guilty…because I should be relieved. It seems obvious, but I can't do it." Shiemi placed a hand on her chest. "I feel all muddled inside, Yuki-chan. Am… Am I a bad person…?"

Yukio wanted to do something—anything to help Shiemi feel better. In his lap, his hands twitched at the thought of holding hers. He fastened them to his pants instead, settling for eye contact. "You're not a bad person, Shiemi-san," he said. "I…" He swallowed. Was it alright to show this weakness to someone he was supposed to be a leader to? "I'm also very confused right now. It's a lot to take in. You haven't done anything wrong."

He couldn't tell whether or not her tears were from sadness or relief. But through her soft sobs, Shiemi managed to pronounce the words "Thank you."

Yukio decided, that as a friend, being open like this was perfectly fine.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized he was scared.

At first, this had seemed like his choice; he was the one who had made the call to some along, to accept the responsibility. The second that someone else spoke up; either giving tasks or saying how much they believed in him, he would start to wonder:

Is this what I really want?

In all honesty, he wasn't sure anymore. He hadn't made any decisions that could possibly lead him. He was supposed to be acting as himself now, as a pretense for his infiltration. And yet…

"Just who am I again?"

[NOTES] Yay for Yukio and Shiemi! I really like the approach that Kato's recently took to that relationship, actually. However, I wrote this before the most recent chapters came out, so... (shrugs) It's fanfiction and an AU on top of that, so we'll see what we can do.

Thanks to Haneru for their follow! Every time someone follows or favorites a story, it gives me strength. (nods) Reviews give me new life! That being said, I'm glad this story is getting attention, bit by bit. And, as an author, any form of feedback is excellent, so of course I'll take that, too! But having people read my work is good enough, too, so I appreciate all of it.

Anyway, this is my last fanfiction update of 2015, so happy new year declarations are in order! I hope everyone's had a safe holiday season and will continue to do so all the way through the upcoming year. The next time I'll see everyone it'll be 2016, over at I Go Around...which is my [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm] project for this winter. If you like writing challenges, consider checking us out. Even if you don't, there's lot of great stories in the community, so it's not like you'll leave empty handed.

And looking at it, that's all that I can say... Thanks again to everyone for their support this year and I'll see you for sure at the next update in two weeks!

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