#kazorashi writes

Just the remembrance of it takes him back in time.

. .

”Oiiii! If it isn’t the Little Prince!” a rather obnoxious voice calls out. Full of youth and vigor, Haruichi sighs and looks over his shoulders. Down the hallway are the most prestigious members of the JAKDF. And they’re only 18 years old.

The 11 year old Haruichi, or Haru as he likes to go by, grumbles as Mina and Gen approach him with a smile, the latter ruffling his hair. “Hey!” Haru slaps Gen’s hand away. “Back off! I worked hard on it this morning!” whines Haru, patting down the top of his head. “It’s not easy fixing my curls you know.” he murmurs quietly.

”You sound like a princess.” snickers the older boy, laughing harder when Mina elbows his gut.

”Don’t mind him too much.” offers Mina with a smile. Haru blushes and turns his eyes downwards to try and hide it (if Mina and Gen are aware of his little crush, they were kind enough to say nothing about it). “Narumi-kun is more of an idiot after he eats.”

”Oi…” Gen scowls and that earns innocent laughter from both Mina and the heir to Izumo Tech.

”Are you guys going back to the lab?” asks the young boy, now following the two teens as they make their way down the hallway. His eyes are bright and filled with delight, as they always are whenever he encounters the two.

”You know it, brat. Stop asking.” Gen smirks. “That’s why you’re always loitering around here instead of being at that fancy school, huh?” Mina elbows Gen again, meanwhile Haru stutters over his words.

”N-No way!” he denies. “I-I’m home schooled anyways!” Pouting, Haru crosses his arms over his chest. “You’re not that great, Gen-nii.”

”You saying this chick here better than me, huh?!” shouts Gen, his eyes narrowing as he points towards Mina. There’s no real malice in his words and Haru grins.

”That’s right! Mina-san is loads better than you! You’re just as uncool as ever.” snorts Haru and he (and maybe Mina as well) take delight in the way Gen seems to physically crumble at his words.

”U-Uncool…”

”Ease up, Narumi-kun. We’re almost there.” says Mina as they turn a corner.

The young boy perks up at those words and rushes forward to stand in front of his friends. ”Can I come this time?!” pleads Haru.

Mina winces at that but sighs. “We’re doing something a little different in there today. Next time.”

The boy just groans, his body deflating at the rejection. “You guys always say I can go ‘next time’ but it never happens.” Mina says nothing against that, she just laughs quietly.

”Yeah, well… Get used to it brat. Now scram. The adults got work to do.” Gen ruffles Haru’s hair again and the child shrieks.

”Stop it!” Patting down his hair once again, Haru growls. “You’re the most uncool adult ever. Gen-nii, you’re so lame!” Sticking his tongue out at Gen, Haru runs away before the older teen is able to grab him.

”HAAAA! DUMB KID!” shouts Gen, raising a fist and shaking it in the air. Once it seems like the child is out of sight, Gen and Mina tense at the same time. He looks towards Mina, a frown on his face. “You okay?”

Mina, who’s been resisting her shaking due to her nerves, takes a deep breath before nodding once. “How are your eyes?” she asks quietly, concern laced in her tone.

Gen scoffs before shaking his head. “Hurts like hell. Let’s get this over with.” Mina takes Gen’s sleeve in her hand and leads him towards the lab. This all happens in front of Haru, who was hiding around the corner they turned earlier from. And while he couldn’t hear his friends words, even he, a child, could tell that the two acted completely different from what he was used to.

’I’ll sneak into that lab if it’s the last thing I do.’ he thinks, tired of always being the one left behind.

And he did sneak in that day.

Only to wish he never had.

Mina’s cries continuously ring inside his ears and the image of Gen’s eyes gushing with blood never leaves his mind. And when Haru is 12 years old, faced with the memory of Mina pointing a gun at Gen with the intention of shooting him and Gen’s eyes dancing with rage towards her, the heir of Izumo Tech confronts his father. In all his life, Haru doesn’t think he’ll ever forget the bone chilling response.

”They’re not your friends. They are soldiers, before anything else. In time, you’ll understand, Haruichi. Because this will all be yours one day.”

. . Haruichi clenches his fist at the memory. It was a day he decided he wanted nothing to do with the last name, Izumo. But his family is hard to runaway from. With the last memory between Mina, Gen, and himself still leaving a bittersweet taste in his mouth, Haruichi storms away from Gen and Mina.

A couple of moments pass before the two captains poke their heads outside of her office. “Was that Little Prince?” asks Mina, crouching on the ground

”Yup.” answers Gen, leaning on top of her head.

The beauty rolls her eyes and pushes Gen off of her. “Stop doing that, we’re not kids anymore Narumi.”

”Well I’m not the one who wants to be nosy after finding out that the Little Prince was just outside the door.” snaps Gen, no real bite in his tone. Shaking her head, Mina pinches the bridge of her nose before sighing. “Can’t believe the brat chose to be at your division over mine. He’s always had bad taste, tch!”

Mina elbows Gen in the stomach and he keels over. “Your fault for always calling him a brat. You’re just as lame as ever, Narumi.”

”This chick…”

End.

No, with these people, he can finally wield his blades confidently and with pride.

Laughter from the others echo in his ears, and he faintly smiles at the sight of everyone drinking happily. Yes, being with everyone here and now...

It was like being home.

And it was all thanks to her.

"I wish," begins Mina quietly, "that moments like this could last forever."

"Won't you join in the festivities, captain?" asks Soshiro, leaning forward with a teasing smile. He's rewarded with a little smile from her pink lips. It shakes his heart and he gulps hard.

"Cheeky." is her reply. "I wouldn't want to ruin the atmosphere."

"I doubt you could." he assures her, snickering. "You're well loved here, captain Ashiro. In fact, I'd wager that everyone would be fighting for your attention."

Just as he was about to step forward to announce that they would join everyone, Mina catches onto the sleeve of his jacket and pulls him back. "Eh?" Looking back, Soshiro is shocked to see what looks like embarrassment cross his captain's face. A thought runs by him for a moment.

'Cute.'

"I...! Can't hold my alcohol well." her quiet confession stuns him. Mina is looking at Soshiro with red flushing across her cheeks so far that it reaches to her ears. "I wouldn't be able to look anyone in the eye if they saw me act out."

'...cute.'

"Ah, then let's go head somewhere else then. If you count act out in front of everyone, you should at least be able to do it infront of your right hand man."

"You'r—"

"Alright my little fledglings! Captain Ashiro and I will be heading back early, have fun tonight!"

Grabbing a nearby 6 pack of Soppora beer, Soshiro bids everyone adieu and leaves with Mina in hand. They ignore the whining caused by everyone at his grabbing some of their alcohol.

The two find themselves on the rooftop of the inn they're staying, a window nearby that leads to Soshiro's room. "Drink up captain!" he cheers, opening a can for themselves and knocking it against each other. "Drink to your hearts content!" He downs his can and Mina follows soon after, happily obliging.

...

Mina is only half a can down and is laughing at everything he says, even when it's not funny. Not to mention, she slaps his shoulder roughly every time.

'Maybe this was a bad idea.' thinks Soshiro as Mina takes another swig of her beer. "You act like an old man when you're drunk, captain."

"Ahahahaha! You're SO funny Hoshina. That will be 100 push ups."

"And abusing your power towards your most trusted, strongest, and most charming soldier? I'm honestly stunned right now." It's true but Soshiro finds he doesn't hate it.

If anything, it's quite funny to see her not like herself. Mina is open and free and maybe it's the night wind that blows through her dark hair lovingly and the moonlight shining down on her pale face with sparkling eyes, but Soshiro finds his chest tightening at the sight of her. No doubt, no one has seen her this way.

"Aaaahhhh! I'm so glad I can let loose." Mina stretches, raising her arms up and arches her back. Soshiro peels his eyes away, blushing. While they're still in their suits, they are still skin tight.

"Ahem, captain, maybe we should head to bed." he suggests before she can grab another can.

Mina whines out loud in a childlike manner. "But it feels nice."

The younger man tilts his head and raises a brow. "What does?"

"Being here." Her blood orange eyes move and are set on him. Soshiro can feel the intensity behind them. Her gaze is sharp but kind in a way. They're almost, dare he say, affectionate? "I like being here with you."

"H-HUH!?" It's his turn to blush. His captain's words are searing in his ears and he drops his can of beer. "A-Ashiro!?" The loud thump of his clambering heart is all he can hear and he doesn't know what to say.

Could this be a prelude to a confession?!

'But I'm not ready yet!' Soshiro internally screams, covering his face with both hands now. "A-Ashiro!"

"It's makes me feel like I'm at home." Mina continues, unaware of her vice captain's inner turmoil.

...oh.

Okay, well that's different.

Somehow he feels disappointed but chucks it up to the alcohol.

"Thanks for tonight. It means a lot to me to know that I can turn to you for things like this now." Her voice is quiet when she says all this and he wonders why there seems to be some sadness to it. "You know, being a captain... It means you have to be strong, to carry the burden of everyone so that they won't get hurt, so that nothing happens. I'm sorry that I decided to share that burden with you too."

And there are tears in her eyes.

They don't fall down though and Soshiro shakes his head.

"No, I'm glad you did." he tells her softly, reaching out to pat her head. "Captain, you gave me people and a place to call home. I'll do whatever it takes to protect them with you."

And you. I want to protect you too.

He doesn't say those words but he can feel them so strongly wanting to come out.

Soshiro continues to pat her head and blushes when she leans into his touch. "It's like Kafka..." she whispers.

He doesn't catch that and strains his ears. "What was that?"

Shaking her head, Mina pulls away and grabs another beer. "Let's have another one!"

"I think that's enough."

...

Soshiro has Mina on his back and he walks back to her room. 'She didn't even finish her second beer can.' he laughs to himself and adjusts her so she's more comfortable on his back.

"Mmm..." Mina nuzzles into his neck and heat strikes Soshiro's gut.

"Captaaaain, don't do that!" he complains under his breath, his face feeling hot and stiff still.

"Hehe, dumb. My room is still a ways to go." she pokes the side of his face. "You have cheeks like mochi."

"As a man, that hurts to hear."

Mina giggles and Soshiro feels like he can hear wedding bells along with them. "I like mochi."

He takes a mental note of that for future reference."...then that's not so bad." Continuing on his way, Soshiro thinks back to their conversation on the roof.

She had mentioned that being with him was like being home for her.

'Wonder what that means.' Honestly, her words touched him. Because he could feel the sincerity in them. If he were a little more greedy tonight, he would hope she meant it in a way that was special for just the two of them.

Taking one more glance at her sleeping face, Soshiro is pleased to find her quiet and softly snoring. "Oh well. Next time then." he murmurs before pressing his head against hers for a moment.

But man, is his captain cute.

Soshiro immediately makes a grab for his swords behind him. Seeing that, the older man frowns. "Stop that! I've come here in peace."

"You'll be leaving in pieces, I'll make sure of that." Soshiro growls and raises a hand above his head, the sharp weapon almost glinting with glee as if it were part of the person himself.

"Hoshina, stop." a cool voice speaks slowly from within the room. Soshiro halts. "Put the sword down." To his reluctance, he puts his sword down and puts them away before side stepping. Mina comes into view and she's still in their casual uniform. Soichiro pouts playfully.

"Mina-chan, why aren't you dressed up?" he asks, walking closer to her and giving her the bouquet. She looks at it with a raised brow before taking them slowly. Soichiro takes a moment to glance behind him and snickers to himself, seeing a vein crawl up his brother's neck. Honestly, he was too cute.

"It's just a conference to talk about this year's kaiju development. Hardly worth something to get dressed over for. Also, I don't believe you have mentioned being my date prior to today." As she says this with indifference, he notes that Mina manages to find a mug large enough to hold the flowers he brought and places them in there, as if to deal with them later.

He smiles at that.

Soichiro has often been told before that the captain of the Third Division was someone who was hard to get close to and when he first met her, he could see why. She was very straight laced and preferred a quieter side. Or so he thought. Upon closer inspection, Mina's actions were that of someone with a soft heart and was very caring.

Her finding a mug was more proof of this.

"Any time we go out, consider it a date itself, Mina-chaaaaAANN?" Soichiro voice hitches as Soshiro's face suddenly comes into view, his eyes wide open and frown on his face. Red eyes stare viciously at him.

"Don't call her that."

"But that's her name."

"Captain Ashiro is good enough."

Soichiro just smiles. "Sounds like you guys aren't close."

"Stop provoking my vice captain." Mina sighs before getting up. "I agreed to go because you have a car. Now let's go, Hoshina-san. I'd like to be there on time."

"Of course!" he chirps. Nearly skipping to the door, he holds it open for her. Soshiro scowls before crossing his arms over his chest. The moment they're both out the door, he speaks up.

"Would you consider this as being off-duty now, Captain Ashiro?" he asks. To Soichiro's surprise, Mina's ears turn a bit red. Biting her fine lips, she sighs once again and gives a single nod his way.

To Soichiro's confusion, his brother smiles warmly and all the tension in his body seems to leave, despite being in his presence. 'What is this development?' he wonders.

"I'll pick you up afterwards, Mina." Soshiro says. "Let's have dinner tonight."

'Oh. ...oh?'

Gaping like a fish, Soichiro looks at Mina who's face has turned a pretty shade of pink. "OOOOHHHH!?" he cries, shock too small an understatement to describe what he is feeling. 'SINCE WHEN?!'

"See you." is all Mina says before she begins to walk away. Soichiro is hot on her heels, talking non-stop and asking many, many questions that he needs answers to. Mina gives him none.

And that was the first and last time he was able to take Mina out anywhere.

Soshiro bought a car.

She didn’t say anything to him. Her only actions were staying by his bedside as he was recovering from another episode. There were no words of encouragement or eyes of judgment. All she did was take care of him and hold his hand.

One day, he has asked why she even bothered. “We’re not close.” He told her, and it was true. But she looked at him, tilting her head, holding his hand harder.

“You’re right. Hahi, but that doesn’t mean you should suffer alone. Everyone deserves someone to stay by their side, heartache and all. Now, open up Gokudera-san.” She says, bringing food closer to him (how did he miss a whole plate of food?).

“I can feed myself!” He blurted out, embarrassed by the action.

“Hee hee, yeah but nooo~! Say ‘ahhh’!”

“No! Stupid woman!”

She had shoved the spoon into his mouth anyways. Watching him chew slowly, he caught a hint of a smile on her. It was on the verge of turning evening and the hues of red, pink and orange from the setting sun made Haru look...just a little bit different.

And after that day, he had continued to pay more attention to her. He noticed little things about her, like how she let her hair down when she was stressed, or how she would stick her tongue out when deep in thought. How she would furrow her eye brows with fire in her eyes when she was determined and how she held hands with those she cared about. It made him think of himself, to be honest.

That they weren’t close but she still cared. And that thought was...

Comforting.

With cheeks turning pink at the thought, he huffed while sitting alone in his room. “There must have been something in that food.” He murmurs under his breath as he continues making samples of his work to present to the Tenth. The thought of Haru lingered in his mind, something that annoyed him but over time, grew to accept.

Maybe one day, he’ll be able to hold her hand. And be that person who can stay by her side.

The love of his life.

His twin brother called him crazy.

But what does Carlos know?

Every waking moment of Camilo’s life, he was living but never felt...alive. Like he was missing a part of him. And he struggled with it for a long time because he knew, he just knew that that person was looking for him too. His only problem was that he didn’t know who that person was. What they looked like, what they sounded like, if they were tall or short, bulky or skinny, boy or girl.

All he had going for him was a feeling of constant suffocation. Like he’s spent a whole ‘nother lifetime from ages ago, pining for this person. Always together but growing farther apart. Sometimes, when he dreams, he’ll get fragments of a candle, a village, and a family he’s never seen before.

And a laugh.

A laughter he longs to hear now.

So as Camilo chuckles with his friends as they roam the school hallways, talking about the new student in their school today, joking and horsing around, he still feels like he’s not able to breathe. This has always been his problem.

This was suffering.

Then he spots the back of a girl he’s never seen before. Her short, dark hair is pulled back by a butterfly clip. She’s talking with their principal, Señor Agustín, very animatedly at that. The poor man looks at her, complexed, before spotting Camilo.

‘Shit.’ He thinks, ready to turn around.

“Camilo! There! Come here, please?” Asks the man in his suit. “Ooh’s” and “aah’s” get passed around the group of students before Camilo shoves off his best friend. He gives Camilo his best puppy look.

“Shut up, cabrón.” He hisses before putting on his best, polite smile. “Coming  Señor Agustín!” Running over, the lanky boy stands next to the girl but doesn’t bother to look at her. “How can I help you?”

“This is out new student, Mirabel. She’s come from afar and needs help adjusting. Can you show her around?” Before he can even get a chance to deny his request, the principal is turning around and quickly walking away. The teen sighs deeply.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” He murmurs under his breath.

“I know, right? That man seems way too clumsy to be a principal.” Says a girlish, overly cheerful voice. Looking at the chica next to him, he’s greeted by large, cocoa eyes (they’re so pretty) behind forest green frames, mocha skin (which looks so soft), and a smile that seems brighter than the sun (so familiar). It’s almost magical, the upward pull on her lips.

Camilo blinks.

Mirabel sticks a hand out for him to shake. “Hola, me llama Mirabel.” She laughs and the boy sucks in a sharp breath, his heart thumping. That’s it.

That’s the laughs he love.

Dumbly, he holds her hand and doesn’t let go. Raising a thick brow, Mirabel just continues to smile, tilting her head. “I’m sorry, this seems strange. Have we...met before?” She inquires, holding Camilo’s hand just a little tighter.

He can feel the tears burn in the back of his eyes because Dios, she’s it. She’s the one. The person he’s been waiting for. The love of his life. And for the first time in 15 years, Camilo feels like he can breathe.