Stronger Than Fire

By: Aviantei

Chapter Sixteen

In the days after their date, Emília had returned to her usual level of professionalism and casual relations. Renzo could hardly manage keeping up, but he did it anyway—Emília gave no room for hesitation after all. And, slowly, Renzo started to shift back to the usual of language lessons and consistent experiments at the hands of Harper.

He was slacking in a way, but it was enough effort that neither girl had snapped at him for it. Renzo did his little language exercises whenever the app gave him alerts, and was able to wake up fast enough to pass out an increased amount of numbers per session without remembering any sort of vague phrase from the Yamantaka contract. If anything, he had made sure he didn't remember anything about it, which was only making his situation harder.

"Good news," Emília said, smiling. It was incredibly genuine, the first real excitement Renzo had seen out of her since— "We've been assigned to a mission! We only have a few days to prepare, though, so I'll let Har know you'll be sticking with me until we get back."

"A job, huh?" At that point, Renzo knew he really was slacking. Wasn't his job supposed to be paying attention to what was going on, not playing around on his tablet? Sure, Emília could make them look like the same thing, but that didn't mean he had accomplished that feat just yet. "What kind of job?"

Emília smiled, abandoning her chair in favor of sitting on her desk. "We're making our move against Patiti," she said, and Renzo couldn't help but remember the mission to Britain. "The higher-ups have determined that they're an annoying enough of a force to give unnecessary help to the True Cross. So we're going to take an offensive on their Japan branch to mix things up. Their relationship is already strained, so we're hoping to make it worse by taking out their main connection to Samael, since he's the head of their negotiations."

Are they serious? Japan? It felt like some sort of joke. Still, turning down the mission because of that would have just made things obvious. Renzo cleared his throat. "Sorry, though, I haven't really made any progress with Harper. I can't say I'm really fit material for a raid that big…" he said.

Emília dismissed it with a shake of the head so violent he could hear her beads across the room. "We're not the forefront—that's what raid teams are for." She raised both her hands pointing one index finger at Renzo, the other to herself. "We're an information team set up to observe and collect data about their manpower and anything else we can find. In fact, if you went summoning Yamantaka all willy-nilly, I'd be angry at you for wasting your energy."

An observation mission, then? As long as things didn't get too crazy, Renzo could definitely handle that.

"Right, the most important thing," Emília said. "It looks like your little Cram School buddies are on an away mission at the field office we're attacking. I can't say if they'll get caught up in things or not, but I figured I'd prepare you so we wouldn't have to waste time on the shock." Renzo tried to process the words. His first real mission in ages, and he had to deal with this? He wanted to think they were better than that, but it was just easy to imagine someone slipping up and blowing his cover. Emília practically materialized in front of him, and he expected a lecture for being distracted. Instead, she smiled at him, sending chills down his spine. "You gonna be okay? The Kamiki girl's gonna be there. What're you planning to do if she gets in the way?"

Renzo swallowed, feeling his throat turn raw. "You said we were on Intelligence Detail," he said, and he knew it was the wrong defense.

"Yeah, but it's still our job. If she gets in the way, then…?" Emília left the sentence dangling, then burst out into laughter. "I get this is pretty hard for you, Kid. I mean, you like her, right?"

"Um." Of course he liked her. She was the only girl he wanted to love. But at the same time, he… "I made myself like her," Renzo admitted. Emília kept watching him, her eyes not moving anywhere else. It was more unnerving than usual. "It worked out perfectly with my job, and she's really cute. And what you said before was right—my façade was a lot more real than I thought, so I actually did fall for her." He should have smiled. That's what people did when they thought about the person they loved. But Renzo knew it would be faked, and he couldn't stand Emília calling him out on it. "I liked her a lot. I even got to be her hero, though that was a lie…"

He wanted to look away from her. Renzo just couldn't. "Past tense, huh?" she said, not pulling any punches, and Renzo winced. "So once she was out of the picture, you just stopped? Hm, that sort of stuff does happen."

"I still care for her!" Renzo protested. He needed to care for her, but his feelings were as weak as his voice.

He thought of Izumo, frowning, the few times she smiled. Even when she yelled at him for being an idiot, she was really great. And even though he remembered his heart racing around her before, he was annoyingly stable.

"But it's not enough, huh? To say that you like her." Emília shrugged, the clattering of her beads having more substance than his argument. "Well, I guess to some people that could be enough. But the way you are, I just don't think you care all that much. Sorry if I'm wrong."

Emília apologizing was unnatural, even if her tone was offhanded. Renzo couldn't even justify himself. Like the rest of the letters from the Cram School, Renzo had left Izumo's unopened. If he was crazy about her, then he would have tossed professionalism aside and read it, despite the potential consequences. In reality, he was still on the verge of burning it.

Renzo laughed. There was no good way to describe it. "I guess you're right."

Emília raised an eyebrow. "Am I?" she asked.

Renzo knew what this was. She wanted him to say it, not just have it spelled out for him. It was hard to do, considering how much he knew the blow was going to hurt. "I really don't like her that way anymore…" The lump in his throat was large enough that it would probably consume his Adam's apple at this point. "I care about what happens to her, but I think my feelings moved on." He managed laugh again, making sure to look at Emília when he said it. "I guess I really am fickle, considering I think I like you."

For a section, Emília's eyes widened. It was something Renzo had never seen before, and he was struck speechless as a result. She recovered first, pushing a bit of her hair aside. "Fickle? More like stupid," she muttered.

"It's fine if that's what you think of me," Renzo said, pressing forward. "But I can't help it. I can't stop thinking about you. You just push all my limits, and I…" He trailed off, feeling stupid. She was right about him, and he knew it, knew she would never take him seriously like this.

Emília huffed but didn't force the conversation to a close. "Is it really me?" she asked, some of the hardness from the park coming back into her voice. "You've hardly been around me. Besides, you could pick an easier target. What about Devi? She's lonely. She'll love you."

"Yeah, but aren't you lonely?"

Renzo hadn't meant to say the words. But the shock from before was nothing compared to the look on Emília's face at the moment, completely taken aback. Renzo didn't think he knew her well enough to conclude things like that; it had just been a good follow up at the time, but the look on her face meant…

Is that true, then? Are you lonely?

Do you want someone to be around, to be close to you? It's not that hard, then; just say yes…

"I am serious," Renzo said. At least for now, I really do mean it. "We've got some time before anything major happens, right? And I'm just a kid, so you should be able to handle me on the side." Renzo stood up, leaning over his desk. "I won't be too much trouble, Emília-chan, I promise."

She stared at him for a moment, then sighed. "Come on, you take me looking for info and spring this on me instead? Sheesh, how am I supposed to handle someone like you?" She moved closer, their noses almost touching. Renzo didn't dare move. "And with that look on your face, too… It's the most honest I've seen you yet." Her voice was getting softer, gentler. "You better not disappoint me, okay?"

Renzo blinked. That was a yes, right? That had to have been a yes, because if it was anything else Emília was more of a liar than he was. And since it was a yes, then—

Renzo tipped his head, not caring about anything else she had said. They kissed, and her lips were soft, even softer than her fingertips.

One thing was for certain—Renzo liked this area of Japan better than he did Inari. For one thing, he didn't have to worry about getting mentally poisoned over grabbing a snack. For another, since it was a pretty busy area and they were trying to blend in, it was easy for him to send out a quick message to the Headmaster on his Academy phone, which had actual cell service for once instead of Mephisto magic.

Knowing that his warning wouldn't really do much good, Renzo returned the phone to his jacket and tried to relax a little. Sure, it was the most delayed warning ever, but when exercising caution, he didn't have much choice, did he? It didn't help that the other Cram School kids were here, making the desire for the operation to fail harder to suppress.

"It's a pretty crowded place," Emília said, walking up to him. Patiti's base was pretty far up north, where winter didn't really hesitate. As such, both Renzo and Emília were decked out in thick winter jackets. Renzo tried not to be so disheartened—they were dating now, surely someday she'd let him see. Emília waved her acquired dango in the air, the spoils of the snack break she had gone on. "Want some?" she offered.

Renzo took a snack for himself, looking over the area as he chewed. "Yeah," he agreed, mainly because the streets were filled by festival goers. "It's a bit late in the year for a doll festival, though? Wonder what these guys are even thinking…" The only festivals that should be held at this point were ones for New Years, especially with this weather. Even with his jacket and the absence of snow, Renzo was freezing.

"Probably a diversionary tactic," Emília said, taking a whole dango in one bite for herself. Unlike Renzo, she didn't bother to separate chewing and words. "Usually big bases are kept secret, but putting on a show says 'We don't care who notices this place!' Of course, that sort of thinking has become obvious, too. When you get into subterfuge, it's possible to get lost overthinking things." She swallowed, pilfering the last dango for her own. "Of course, we have confirmed information that this is the Patiti Japan branch, so it's not like we're working off hunches."

"I see," Renzo muttered. Their cover at this point was only to be light, enough to blend in that Emília hadn't found a façade necessary. Knowing that, it was okay to take her hand, and Emília was significantly less jumpy that time than the one at the park. "Gotten used to liking me as the real you, then?"

Emília rolled her eyes, which Renzo guessed he deserved. "I'm just taking it seriously," she muttered. "This isn't a game or a reward anymore. There's no point in getting jumpy over it." Even though her words were a stout, professional denial, her neck was still tinting pink. Renzo chuckled, earning a glare that had been converted into a pout halfway through.

"I'm just teasing," he assured, which didn't seem to improve Emília's flush. "Come on, we've got some time before things get rolling. Let's wander around a bit. I'm actually pretty hungry. Maybe some takoyaki, some mochi…"

Emília nodded. "I've actually never tried mochi before," she said. "I think I saw a stand on the way back, though? Wanna hit up there next?"

"Oh, yeah, that one looked like it made the stuff fresh. Let's go for it." Squeezing her hand one more time, Renzo lead Emília through the crowd, glad that he had some form of life experience that she didn't. He didn't expect to have many more opportunities for that in the future, so he'd take what he could get. "You're in for a treat, you know?"

"Is that so?" Her voice sounded light, and when he looked back, she had the most peaceful smile he'd ever seen on her face. "I guess I'll enjoy the opportunity. We only have a few hours until the mission start time, you know. Gotta make the most of it."

Renzo groaned. "Can you maybe not talk about work when I get the chance to take you on a real date?"

"You should have thought about that before you decided to go ahead and date your boss."

He was halfway to protesting, except Emília turned on him, flashing an almost delicate smile that sent the retort crawling right back down Renzo's throat. How the hell did I get so lucky again? he thought, though the circumstances surrounding everything proved that might not be the most productive question to ask. Ah, who even cares? I'll take advantage of the few hours I can snag before I have to think about the annoying stuff.

They were close enough to each other in the crowd that Renzo had no trouble hearing the rattle of her beads, swaying as she moved.

Mephisto hummed under his breath as he looked over the room that Patiti had leant out to the True Cross. Numerous exorcists dressed in black mingled with others in Patiti's own tan uniformed, their golden linings playing a contrast to the silver ones of the True Cross Knights. The chatter was loud as the newfound allies coordinated with each other, planning out their roles. In his dog form, no one paid him much mind, most uninformed glances dismissing him as someone's all-too pampered familiar.

"There you are, Sir Pheles."

Unfortunately, that disguise didn't work on people who were in the know, and Okumura Yukio just so happened to be one of those people. The boy's expression was even more stern as usual, probably due to the additional stress of needing to lead an undertrained group of cram school students into battle. Behind their teacher, the rest of the children stood out from the uniformed crowd in their casual winter clothes and accessories.

Mephisto let out as dramatic as a sigh as he could manage as a dog (which was still pretty dramatic) as he looked at Yukio. "Do try not to ruin the surprise, will you? I like being able to walk around without much of a fuss." Sure, there were a handful of exorcists within the True Cross who were around of his dog form, but Mephisto liked keeping his cards close to his chest. It was satisfying enough that he'd gotten Angel to ask him the favor of lending the True Cross Academy Cram School students to the mission. "But enough of that small talk. Do you feel as if everyone's up to the task today?"

Yukio's brow furrowed in faint worry, but he did exceptionally well at keeping the tone from his voice. "So long as things don't become too hectic, we should be fine. I'll keep an eye on everyone, and we'll focus primarily on support and evacuating civilians."

Mephisto nodded; he had enough faith that with the group before him, things wouldn't go quite according to plan, which would keep the situation from getting too boring. Of course, he had his own ways of spicing the situation up. "Well, Shima-kun reported in and said that things should be starting shortly, so stay alert, everyone."

"You heard from Shima?!" Konekomaru said, his voice rising an octave higher than usual. If the rest of the cram school students hadn't been listening to the exchange before, they certainly were now, and Suguro looked like he was about to bust a blood vessel in his neck. "Where—"

And from somewhere at the lower floors of Patiti's hideout, the deep rumble of an explosion triggered a massive shaking in the building.

"That, I imagine," Mephisto said dryly, "would be him."

Fun was a word that had far too many meanings to bother remembering them all.

It was something that changed with each new iteration, whether there was a change in gender, a change in personality, a change in core existence. Each persona had its own interests, its own things it enjoyed doing. If you dived in deep enough, it was simple to enjoy whatever you felt like. Fun was unconditionally relative.

Chatting about mundane things.

Going out for a drink.

Planning for the moment when you gathered up someone's secrets and pulled the wool over their eyes so thoroughly they didn't stand a chance.

Some things, no matter the persona, wouldn't change. It was a nasty habit of hers, she supposed, but not one worth fighting. It made the job all the more exciting.

But for fun to be something simple and as peaceful as holding hands and enjoying time with one another, no expectations involved…

She locked the memories away, somewhere deep were they wouldn't get in the way, and barreled forward without any sense of remorse.

[Author's Notes]

And with this chapter, I've finally reached the end of my holiday/fanfic anniversary bonus posting! As enjoyable as it is to mess around with all the chapters, prepping them for posting does put a bit of strain on my energy levels, so I'm glad to make it through the cycle! At least with each fic I finish the posting gauntlet does get smaller...

But enough about that; I wanna talk about the lovely readers who show their support! In this case, thanks go out to JuliaDaria for her review! Hopefully the actual fluff in this chapter helps to satisfy you, heh.

The opening sequence is another one of those sets I originally built in my pilot episode and had to tweak a bit to better fit the context I'd built up. But, yes, actual relationship stuff here. Just in time to delve into an action arc! Obviously what we're looking for here, I'm sure.

In any event, it's time for the next Patiti raid, this time with the True Cross Academy group involved! This can obviously only end in disaster, which we'll start on next chapter. Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[01.04.2020]