The Special Fire Guardhouse smelled faintly of smoke and aged sake. Lanterns cast pools of warm light on the wooden floor as Konro raced in, boots clattering. His face was pale, eyes wide with urgency.
At the head of the room sat the boss of Amakusa, Shinmon Hibachi, drinking from a ceramic cup of sake. The sound of liquid sloshing echoed faintly in the quiet space.
Hibachi raised an eyebrow, noticing Konro's panic.
"What's wrong?" he asked calmly, though the crease in his brow deepened.
Konro bowed quickly, voice tight.
"Boss Hibachi… an Infernal has appeared in the far west of Asakusa."
Hibachi's hand stilled around the cup. Darkness crossed his face.
"Do we know who it is?"
Konro looked up, nodding.
"Yes… it's Setsu."
Hibachi's eyes widened slightly, memories flashing back. The woman who had always prayed to Sol, gentle and resolute.
"Is it… the woman who prays to Sol?" he asked softly.
"Yes, boss," Konro confirmed.
Hibachi stood, setting the cup down with a sharp clink. His face hardened.
"It doesn't matter. She's a citizen of Asakusa now. Round up all the guys, let's put her to rest."
Konro nodded, relief flickering across his face.
"As you wish, boss Hibachi."
---
Back at the house, fire roared like a living thing. The walls groaned and cracked, wooden beams twisting in the heat. Flames licked the roof, sending sparks skyward, illuminating the terror on two young faces.
Benimaru stood in the center of the chaos, fists clenched, legs planted firmly. His little brother Kidan crouched behind him, wide-eyed, trembling.
The Infernal before them, Setsu, burned with an unnatural, furious light. Her hair writhed in living flame, her hands igniting with each twitch. Her eyes glowed, red and unrecognizable.
Tears threatened to spill down Benimaru's cheeks, but he held them back.
'I have to be the older brother,' he thought.
'I cannot show weakness in front of Kidan.'
Suddenly, Setsu lunged, flames trailing behind her like whip-lashes.
Benimaru dove sideways, narrowly avoiding a strike that splintered the floor. He swung a fist, trying to connect with the Infernal's body, but she was fast, too fast. Every punch met fire. Every kick scorched the air.
'No… I have to protect Kidan… I can't let her hurt him!'
In the midst of the chaos, something sparked inside Benimaru. His hands tingled, heat crawling along his skin. The flames around him flared, his own.
A fist struck the Infernal's shoulder. Sparks erupted, and for the first time, the fire recoiled from him. He stumbled back, blinking in shock.
'…I can control fire…?' he thought, awe and terror mingling in his chest.
It surged along his arms as he swung again, striking, dodging, and moving with newfound instinct. The Infernal shrieked, stumbling under his force, though the flames still burned with deadly intensity.
Kidan's eyes were wide, tears streaming down his face. His small hands clenched instinctively, white-knuckled. Flames leapt from the remnants of the hearth nearby and for a brief instant, they bent toward him, wrapping faintly around his trembling fingers. He hadn't meant to. He couldn't even move them fully, but the power responded to his fear, his panic, his need for his brother.
Benimaru saw it. A flicker of hope.
'Kidan…' he whispered, keeping his shield tight around the boy.
The Infernal swung a massive arc of fire toward them. Benimaru rolled, flames grazing his back, and pushed Kidan out of the worst of it. Heat singed his skin, but adrenaline kept him going.
'… I have to do this…' he thought, landing punch after punch, letting the fire flare along his limbs with every strike. His strikes met the Infernal's flames, colliding with arcs of heat, sparks showering the burning yard.
Setsu faltered, recognition flashing through her Infernal rage. Her movements slowed for a fraction of a second. Her voice cracked.
"Benimaru… Kidan…"
Kidan whimpered, tears streaking his dirt-smudged cheeks.
"Mother…"
The Infernal's fire flared violently once more, but her voice broke through, softer now.
"…I… I cannot… hurt you…"
Benimaru's chest heaved. He could see her, trapped within the Infernal form she could no longer control. Every strike he'd made had pained him more than it had her.
She fell to her knees amid the flames, fire still dancing around her, smoke curling in fragile tendrils.
"Please… Benimaru… I know this is unfair… but… you must… put me to rest… I cannot… hurt Kidan… or you…"
Benimaru's hands shook, heart breaking in two.
'I… I have to…' he thought. 'I can't let her pain Kidan. I… I have to do it.'
He ignited his fists, flames roaring along his arms. Each step forward was agony. His chest burned with grief, every strike against his mother tearing at his heart.
"I… love you… Mother…" he whispered.
With a final, decisive strike, he ended the Infernal flames. The fire hissed, crackled, and died.
Kidan screamed, leaping forward, but Benimaru wrapped his arms tightly around him.
"It's… okay… Kidan… it's over…" he said, voice cracking.
The night was silent except for the crackle of dying embers. Smoke swirled around the yard.
Benimaru looked down at his little brother, tears slipping freely now. His chest heaved.
'The world… will never be the same…'
Kidan buried his face in Benimaru's chest, small hands clutching desperately.
Benimaru held him close, whispering through tears,
"I… I promise… I'll protect you… always…"
---
Hibachi, Konro, and several men holding Motai arrived at the smoldering Shinmon residence.
The house was a ruin of blackened wood and roaring flames, smoke curling toward the darkened sky. Hibachi's brow furrowed as he surveyed the devastation.
"Without a doubt," he muttered, voice low, "only an Infernal could cause this much destruction… but I cannot sense one inside at all."
Konro, standing at his side, nodded grimly.
"True, boss… could it… have been put to rest?"
Hibachi's eyes narrowed.
"By who?"
Konro shook his head.
"I don't know."
Impatience flashing in his gaze, Hibachi stepped forward, boots crunching on scorched earth. Konro followed closely behind.
What greeted them inside was a scene both chilling and tender.
A boy with messy black hair sat on the floor, chest rising and falling with ragged breaths. Across his lap lay an even younger boy, curled up, still asleep. Dry tears streaked the younger boy's face.
Hibachi's voice was cautious.
"Kid… where is the Infernal?"
Benimaru's tone was calm, steady, almost unnervingly so.
"Dead. I killed my mother."
Hibachi's face darkened. Regret flickered in his eyes.
'If only I'd gotten here sooner…' he thought.
Konro spoke softly beside him.
"You put her to rest… can you… use fire?"
Benimaru tilted his head, remembering the day's events.
"Apparently I can. I didn't know until today."
Hibachi and Konro exchanged a look.
'Interesting,' Hibachi thought. He had been searching for a successor for years, someone who could carry the weight of Amakusa's legacy. So far, he had found nothing. Yet… these two boys, thrown into tragedy and fire, felt different. Unordinary.
He crouched slightly to look at the sleeping boy in Benimaru's lap.
"And this… your brother?"
Benimaru nodded.
Hibachi studied the small boy for a moment before turning back to the older.
"What's your name, kid?"
Benimaru's voice was calm, resolute.
"Benimaru."
Hibachi stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"Benimaru… Shinmon Benimaru," he said aloud. "It does have a nice ring to it."
Konro chuckled faintly, thinking, I guess he's got his pick…
Hibachi straightened, gaze sharp.
"Benimaru, what do you say, will you and your brother come stay with me? There's nothing left for you here anymore anyway."
Konro's voice caught slightly.
"Boss… don't say it like that. They just lost their mother…"
Benimaru calmly set Kidan down on the floor. The younger boy blinked, rubbing his eyes. Benimaru stood and looked at Hibachi squarely.
"Okay… but why would you want to take me and my brother in? Is this… something you do with all orphans?"
Hibachi let out a soft chuckle, eyes gleaming faintly.
"No. Actually… I've been searching for someone to train as my successor here in Asakusa. And I don't know why, but I feel… an incredible amount of potential from you and your brother. One of you… maybe both of you… could become something remarkable. I'll train you in everything I know. I'll turn you into monsters among Fire Soldiers."
Benimaru stared at the old man, incredulous, almost certain he was speaking nonsense. But then his gaze fell to his little brother.
'As long as Kidan has a shelter… it doesn't matter if I have to be enslaved to this old man,' he thought.
He straightened, nodding firmly.
"Fine. We… appreciate the offer."
Hibachi's lips curved into a rare smile, sharp and approving.
"Good."