When Gwen walked into the station that day, still reeling from Yokai legends, the state of agitation caused her to freeze. All thoughts of the Captain's writings fled her mind as she rushed to her team leader.
"Erik!", she called. "What's wrong ?"
The bulky man turned to her, features tense.
"The garage door is stuck."
Gwen turned to the massive metallic lift over gate that kept their vehicle safe during the night.
"Shit."
"We called the repair team, they said it would take a few hours."
A few hours… anything could happen within a few hours, but the firetruck wasn't needed every day. If luck was on their side, this would be the only stressing moment of the day.
"Let's cross fingers that…", she started.
A hand landed upon her mouth, startling her.
"Argh ! Shut the hell up, you're going to jinx us. Go and play the piano instead."
The piano ? In the middle of a shift ?
"But… ?"
"That will help us unwind", Erik concluded, walking away.
The young woman shrugged, and tucked her bag below the piano, extracting music sheets and shuffling through. Choosing some Einaudi composition, Gwen allowed her fingers to lull the fire station and herself to a suspended moment of contentment. Le onde was one of her favourite pieces. Funny, how her love for the piano was used as a psychological support whenever things went awry.
Afterwards, Gwen shifted to the newest Simon Daum composition It's gonna be alright. She cursed through every mistake, but her team mates didn't seem to mind as they milled around. In the back of her mind, though, the young woman counted the minutes before the repair team could make it. Being short of the firetruck was akin to running a marathon with a missing leg. A fleeting though ran to her Captain, up there, who must be having a fit.
Or perhaps not; the man was always calm when facing danger. Probably a result of many years spent in the army… As she was starting another piece, the blaring alarm split her ears. Gwen's fingers landed on the piano awkwardly, the sound echoing through the basement.
"Fuck", she swore, flying from her seat to join her unit.
"We need the truck !", someone shouted.
Gwen's stomach plummeted. Damn murphy ! Curses sounded as the whole station sparked to life. Erik and three of their strongest men attempted to lift the massive door that kept them trapped, shouts and grunts telling her the mechanism was stuck.
"Call the eleventh !", a booming voice sounded from upstairs.
Would the eleventh station be able to cover the distance in time ? Every minute counted in a fire.
The Captain nearly jumped down the pole, his hand barely touching the metal bar. Wide eyed, Gwen watched his knees bend to accommodate the one story fall as if he's just jumped over a bench. He took off at once, dragging a heavy ladder over his shoulder to reach for the mechanism of the garage door.
"Watch out!", he bellowed, ripping the cover with his bare hands. The piece of heavy plastic fell below them, indentations in the place his fingers had dug into it. Then, Taishō reached for the chain and yanked – hard. The muscles of his arms budged, his whole body tensed as he pulled like a madman.
"Drop it, Capt'n. You're gonna get hurt", Stephen yelled from the upper floor.
Doctor's orders.
Blatantly ignored…
Taishō didn't respond, sweat forming at his brow as he kept pressuring the mechanism to disengage. Failure was not an option. Tendrils of indigo energy seemed to form around the Captain, angry and vibrant, as if to encourage him in the task. Gwen wondered if she was going crazy.
Unfortunately, the mechanism was fully stuck, and crimson droplets fell from Taishō's fingers. Gwen's breath caught, that stupid chain seemed to be coiling around her lungs as she watched the formidable Captain wrestle a piece of metal with the rage of a minor god. His fingers slid and he jerked, nearly falling backwards.
This spurred Gwen into action; she realised she was only one who believed in him in this moment. This wasn't an act of desperation, but a realistic option, right ? Grabbing her safety gloves, she ran to the ladder and climbed, overlapping his legs until her chest was nearly crushed to his back.
"Here !", she yelled in the agitation, handing him the gloves.
Taishō huffed in frustration, blood sliding down his right hand but he took the preferred items.
"Don't stay here", he commanded, hastily diving into the protective gloves.
"Aye aye, sir", she responded, descending in haste until her feet touched the ground. Then, she braced the ladder with all her might. Two colleagues framed her, pushing on the metal contraption to ensure its stability. Gwen shifted aside to get a clearer view of her Captain. She saw him take a deep breath, his muscles coiling in anticipation before her grabbed the unyielding chain and pulled with all his might. The mechanism groaned.
Gwen's heart leapt. Bless that man's obstination, he was about to manage !
The muscles of his neck tensed as he released a mighty kiai. A wave of unknown power nearly brought her to her knees, and Gwen's jaw hit the floor at the display of pure ferality.
And then, the Captain's eyes flashed red, the war cry turning into a full roar. Blue stripes materialised on his cheeks, some deep indigo arrow that marked his high cheekbone. Gwen shivered, entranced by the sight of her Captain's full power. Another groan from the mechanism filled the room before it gave way and cracked.
He made it !
Elation filled Gwen's chest. Crazy, incredible, stubborn man ! Taishō lurched when the chain gave way, almost falling to his death.
"Taishō !", she cried, her heart missing a beat.
With a graceful twist – no one that tall should be this agile - the man realigned himself with the ladder and gave the chain a determined glare. Then he grabbed a fistful of metal and pulled again. The door groaned under the strain, the sound of protest filling the whole garage. Silence had fallen in the room, anticipation growing, disbelief written plain on the younger men's faces.
Then, a ray of light filtered on the ground. People gasped; the door had moved !
Another voice rose in the garage, but Gwen was too stunned to make sense of it. A dozen men grabbed the heavy panel to help lift it, sliding their hands under the metal. The young woman cringed; if the Captain let go, there would be dozens of fractures.
But they trusted him not to, and he didn't. Hell bent on submitting reality to his will, Taishō yanked on the chain anew, assuming the full weight of the humongous garage door with the tips of his fingers. Then, the additional aid relieved the pressure, and the door was pulled to human level. Gwen watched, giddy with anticipation, when the recruits managed to lift it up over their heads.
But it wasn't enough – the truck was too high to pass through. Above her, the Captain was panting, the stripes nowhere to be seen, arms locked in a mighty pull.
A few curses flew about as ladders were brought. Seconds ticked, turning into a full minute. With a sigh, Taishō resumed his wrestle with the chain, slowly but surely lifting the enormous door. Each pull brought it up a few mores inches until Erik barrelled towards them with a crowbar.
"Block it! Gwen, with me !"
The young woman left her post, completely flabbergasted by the crazy display of strength. How could a single man perform such a feat ?
One last look at the Captain, still perched upon the ladder, and she was assembling her gear. For now, a building in flames awaited them, and she jumped in the truck with the determination of a warrior. Their Captain General had ensured they could fight, and she would honour him by performing her duty.
Still, as the siren was switched on and she started fiddling with the hoses, Gwen couldn't help but reflect on what she's seen. There were plenty of rumours running about the Captain, most of them centered around his physical prowess and his past in the army. She had just witnessed, first hand, just how insanely strong he could be.
But none of those sayings mentioned tattoos or red eyes, meaning she was the only one who'd seen it. Coincidence, or what it the sight playing with her again ? Gwen frowned, uneasy with the idea of dipping into the supernatural again. That part of her life belonged to the past, to the sunny days before her mother's death.
But then… why did it feel like the Inu no Taishō described in his writings was one and the same with the Captain ? If those dreams only came from his subconscious, how would he know about the markings ? How much of it was true ?
I think you're starting to see that this Tōga is not the one we're used to. Else he would have broken down the door with a hammer, and that's it. Even InuYasha would have done it easily. So why the change ? : D