Up in Flames (Fire Force fanfic)

Chapter One: Rude Boy

I sat across from a bored looking young man. The raven haired man scowls at my resume.

"So the emperor has sent you here to act as a sister and soldier?"

"Yes. I have completed my sister and medicinal training at the Holy Sol Temple and I have been trained in combat."

He closes his eyes and when he opens them, I can't help but shrink back. "Is that supposed to impress me?"

"Excuse me?!" I shoot back.

"I don't know if you know this but we do not work directly for the emperor. We are willing to cooperate, but to be frank we're more of a separate entity. So take your prayers and medicine and get out."

I tremble with anger and dare to return his fiery glare, "I am more than qualified to work here and I'm here on recommendation from the emperor. Why am I not good enough to fight alongside?"

He stands up towering over me, "I'll put it simply for you 'sister' Clarisse. We do not follow the church or believe in the supposed Sun God or whatever the hell you folks believe in. Your prayers are not useful."

I slam my hands on the table, "My job as a sister is not to perform some magical bullshit. Our purpose is for the living who are mourning the dead. And if you think I believe in a god, then you're dumber than I thought. I became a sister so I could learn how to heal my fellow soldiers and so I can help ease the minds of those in mourning."

He smiles menacingly, "Get out of my guardhouse."

What follows was pure chaos. I flip over his desk, give him the bird and call him a smarmy mother fucker. His fire soldiers haul me out of the building.

I'm not going back with my tail between my legs. I will do the one thing I can get away with. Peaceful protest.

"Oi, girl what did I say about leaving?" Shinmon scowls down at me.

"You said to leave the guardhouse, nothing about hanging outside your guardhouse. I am not doing anything illegal, I am merely protesting against your decision."

"By sitting under my office window!?" He yells.

"I am exercising my right to peaceful protest." I say with passive aggression.

"We'll see how long that lasts. There's no way you'll last beyond three days." He sneers as he leaves.

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Fuck that jerk!! I'm going to annoy him so much that he'll have to take me into his ranks. I'm going to run that asshole into the ground. My pride demands it.

"Another bowl shop keep!" I demand. 

"Well that's a rare sight, haven't seen any of you Sol sisters around here in a while." I turn to find a much kinder looking man with a scar slashed across the bridge of his nose.

"Maybe because of that pompous captain." I huff.

He laughs quietly and sits next to me at the ramen bar. "Yeah he can be difficult. I'm sorry if he was rude to you. But what is one of the sisters doing down here?"

"Well I was approved to come take up a post as both a sister and a soldier. But that asshole kicked me out before even giving me a chance." I sulk as I start eating my new ramen bowl.

"Which generation soldier?" He asks.

"Second and third generation soldier."

"Just like Shinmon." He mutters.

"You're telling me that jerk is also a double generation!?" I ask in exasperation.

"Yep they don't call him, Asakusa's King of Destruction for nothing."

"King of destruction, huh?"

Hopefully annoying persistence can break him down.

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The moon is big and bright over head as I return to my spot under the captain's office window. Every now and then I catch glimpses of smoke filling the sky. I just want to live a peaceful life again. One where people don't live in fear of becoming a living flame.

The smell of smoke brings me back to a memory of a country house set ablaze and the unrecognizable monstrous faces that were once my parents and brother. Their eyes burned like coals that night so long ago.

"Hey girl, why're you crying?" I look up to see a familiar rude boy.

"What!? I'm not crying, you're crying." I stubbornly say.

Shinmon sits down next to me. "The fire isn't near here so you don't have to worry."

I breathe in, "That's not the problem."

"Then what is?"

I look back up at the smoky night sky, the only light visible in the sky is the moon's faint glow. "The problem is constantly fearing for your life is now a normal thing. That we're all ticking time bomb to someday go up in flames or control flames. It's unfair."

"Yeah humanity has been dealt a shitty hand. But we gotta make the most of it and figure out how to stop it. Sadly soldiering on is our only option."

I look at him, "Why're you being so nice to me? It's weirding me out."

"I can't stand girls crying. I wouldn't be able to sleep with such a noisy brat next to my building." He stands up. "You should seriously just leave and find a fire force company who would be happy to have you. There are plenty of them."

I met his gaze, "I'm not letting you get off the hook that easy. Soon you will be begging me to join."

He smiles a crooked smile, "Goodnight girl."

I huff, "I have a name you know!!!"

Shinmon just kept walking further away into the dark streets.