Up in Flames (Fire Force fanfic)

Chapter Fifteen: Before the Dawn Breaks

I sit outside of the grocery store waiting for Benimaru to pick up some dango and sake for our Tsukimi celebration tonight. My mind wanders to all the times this man has seen me at my most vulnerable and damaged. He says he's not kind, yet he's always there when I feel like I can't get back up. What has caused him to think so little of himself?

"Eep!!" I squeal as I feel a cold can pressed against my neck. Only one jerk does that to me...

"Keep leaving yourself open like that and you'll keep getting cold beer to the back of your neck." I look up to see a dull looking Benimaru.

"Why do you have to tease me like that?!" I glare at him.

"Sounds to me like you don't want your beer. That's too bad, looks like I'll just have to drink both." 

"Wait! I want my beer." I pathetically beg.

He smirks playfully at me, "I can be convinced to give it to you, but I need something in exchange."

I stand up from the bench and grab him by the shirt to crash my lips against his. While he's dazed by my kiss, I take my beer from his hand. 

He blushes brightly, "You little sneak."

"Takes one to know one, huh?" I tease him.

He walks around to stand in front of me, "Let's head back to the hotel and change into our kimonos. You do still know how to tie one, right?"

"You jerk! Of course I do. I tied my funeral kimono just fine, thank you very much."

"I know, I'm just teasing you 'cause you're cute when you're mad." He wraps an arm around my waist.

"You're lucky I love you otherwise I'd kick your ass. Let's get to the hotel." I lean into him.

👘👘👘🎑👘👘👘

I look at myself in the hotel's mirror; I can't help but notice how beautiful my mother's handmade kimono looks. The main color theme is a beautiful sky blue color with white hydrangeas and purple chrysanthemums; the sash is a soft gray color with plum colored tsubaki flowers.

I wish my mom could've seen this...I wish she could've met Benimaru.

"Wow..." I turn to see Benimaru standing in the doorway, his mouth agape.

"Does it look weird on me?"

"No, I've never seen such a beautiful sight. Sorry I'm at a loss for words." He cover his beet red face with his hands.

I walk over to him and grab his hands in mine to bring them to my lips. For all his tough guy act, he sure blushes and acts cute.

"Uh...um are you ready to go to the lake?"

I love turning him into a blushing mess.

"Let's go then." I loop my arm through his.

🍂🍂🍂🎑🍂🍂🍂

We walk to the water's edge, our only light being the moon and our paper lantern. Benimaru spreads out a blanket a couple feet away from the water's edge and sets up our nightly picnic. The waning moon hangs daintily in the night sky with the company of the infinite stars. I sit down next to him as he pours us both sake.

"So what do we toast to?" I ask him.

"Do we have to toast?" He replies.

"Come on, humor me." I rest my head on his shoulder.

He cracks a half smile, "Fine, only because you're so incorrigible. We'll toast to your family."

I raise my glass to the moon, "To the Montags."

We clink our glasses together and down the cold sake.

"So what else did you get for us?" I look at the packed basket of food.

He grabs a moon cake from the basket and gently breaks it in half. I open my hand expectingly, but he instead pushes away my hand.

"No, say 'ah'." He lifts the small moon cake up.

I blush bright red, "Teasing me again?!"

"Humor me, I'm incorrigible." He says mocking me.

I open my mouth as he places a small piece of the moon cake delicately inside my mouth. The small cake is still warm and the filling is a sweet red bean paste.

Once I finish eating I look back at the moon...only to notice smoke clouding the sky. "Is that...?"

Suddenly Hakone's infernal alarms went off and we were thrown into another nightmare.