Company One was quick to arrive on the Infernal's scene. Kazan was in awe at how many Fire Soldiers were in Company One. It really was the biggest and oldest company. Kazan sucked in a breath to steel himself for what was to come as he focused on a table that was set out with a map on top of it. "This is another mass combustion incident. A total of five victims have turned Infernal. Nozaka, get civilians out of the area. Matsuda Squad, spread out and keep the rest of us informed. The rest of us will search for the Infernals. Let's put them to rest quickly." Lieutenant Flam ordered. "Sir!" All of the fire soldiers responded. "Awesome. This company is like a well oiled machine." Shinra thought as everyone went to their post. Shinra, Arthur, and Kazan were just standing on the sidelines watching. It was almost like they didn't belong in their Company Eight uniforms. "You three stand by. Go to Matsuda Squad if you see something." Karim said as he walked up to the rookies of Company Eight. "Please let us help you sir." Shinra pleaded as Kazan frowned. "Throwing in new recruits will cause confusion. The best thing you can do is just stay here, ya hear?" Karim replied, a bit annoyed. Kazan clenched his fist at the order. "I guess he's right. But still, we're Fire Soldiers too." Kazan said with a serious look on his face.
Akari was crouched atop a nearby building. "Why have there been so many Infernals in one area lately, normally it's one. What sense does this make?" Akari asked as she looked over the area. Something was't sitting right with her. Akari looked down at an alleyway to see a man who walked like he was drunk. Akari chuckled at his drunken walk. "The man should get out of here though. It's a little dangerous." Akari muttered. Shinra felt a weird sensation in his ankles making him look to the left. Shinra chuckled as he seen the same 'drunk' man. Shinra's laughter got Kazan and Arthur's attention. "Oh, hey you alright?" Shinra asked the man. Him and Kazan started walking towards the man. But then they noticed something. "Who's that?" Akari asked as she squinted her eyes and looked down into the alleyway. Shinra and Kazan watched as someone pressed a small glass with an insect inside on the man's back. Arthur ran up to Shinra and Kazan as it happened. As soon as the insect crawled into the man's back, fire ejected from his chest as he grunted. "What?" Kazan questioned. "What happened?" Arthur asked the two. "Hey sir, are you okay?" Kazan asked as he started walking towards the man. Just as Kazan took a step towards the man he turned Infernal. Just as the man turned Infernal someone behind him ran back into the alleyway. "What the hell?!" Akari yelled. She was too high up to see who turned the man Infernal but she knows there was someone responsible. "That's our culprit, after them!" Shinra yelled as fire came out of his feet. "Shouldn't we stop the Infernals first?" Arthur asked asked as Shinra flew around the Infernal and landed. "No, we'll have to leave him to Company One for now." Shinra said before flying into the alleyway.
Akari watched the alleyway illuminate making it easier to see that it was Shinra flying down the ally. "So he's going after them?" Akari asked herself. Arthur secured his blade in the scabbard and ran past the Infernal. "You coming Kazan?" Arthur asked as he stopped in front of the alleyway. Kazan glared at him and shook his head. "I'm putting this Infernal to rest. I'll be there, don't worry." Kazan replied. Arthur nodded before running in. "Give them hell rookies." Akari said as she watched Arthur go into the alleyway. When Kazan looked at the Infernal he froze. Kazan slowly stepped back and ended up tripping and falling on his back. "He was just standing there, minding his own business." Kazan shuttered. Despite the pain he was supposed to be feeling on his back he couldn't feel anything but fear. "Unforgivable... unforgivable." Kazan muttered as the Infernal screamed in pain.
6 Years Ago
"Hey dad?" Kazan called out to his father. Kazan's father hummed in confusion. Kazan's father didn't look any different from Kazan. In fact Kazan got his looks from his father, Fudo Nagamochi. Fudo's hair was a bit more spikier so he never put it in a bun. His skin was darker and his eyes were red. "When are you and mom gonna get me a little sister?" Kazan asked with an unimpressed look on his face. Fudo laughed as he ruffled Kazan's hair. "Come on Kazan, let's get to the restaurant." Fudo said. Kazan's family owned a hibachi grill restaurant. Kazan was walking with Fudo to the restaurant to open it up and start the day. "Every time I ask him that he just laughs." Kazan thought with a slightly annoyed look on his face. When they got to the restaurant Fudo took out his keys to open the restaurant door. But something caught his eye. "Hey Kazan, go help that old lady over there with her groceries." Fudo said as he pointed to an old lady on the crosswalk who was having trouble with her groceries. "Okay." Kazan muttered. Kazan jogged into the street and up to the old lady. "Excuse me Miss, you seem to have trouble with that. May I help?" Kazan asked. "Oh, thank you dear." The older woman smiled as she handed him a few grocery bags. Kazan helped the old lady cross the street and helped her carry her groceries.
After she gathered all of her groceries from Kazan she turned the corner. When Kazan turned around he heard a big explosion. "It's an Infernal!" Everyone started screaming as they ran past Kazan. Kazan was 11 years old the first time he seen an Infernal. "Kazan... run away.... please.... don't look!" His dad said. Kazan slowly looked backed away as he looked at the Infernal before him. He tripped and fell on his back. He seen it happen. He watched his own father turn Infernal. "Dad?" Kazan asked. "That's the Infernal." Someone said behind him. Someone with blue stripes bashed the Infernal into the wall and exterminated its core in the process. "You okay kid?" The man in the blue stripes asked him. "That was my dad." Kazan said in shock as he watch ashes fly away. "I'm sorry kid but the moment your dad turned Infernal his suffering started. We had to put him out of his misery by putting him to rest. We made it quick so it didn't hurt at all." The Special Fire Soldier said. "Really, it really didn't hurt.... you really put him out of his misery?" Kazan asked. "Yes, I mean what I say kid." The Fire Soldier said before he walked away. Kazan sucked in a breath and blew out hardly. All that came out was smoke and small embers. He was angry... but his anger couldn't even compete with the immense grief he felt. Tears slowly streamed down his face as he glared into space. The Fire Soldier stored his weapons in his Company's fire truck then walked up to Kazan and crouched down next to him. "I swear... I swear." Kazan muttered along with other intelligible things.
Now
"This is unforgivable!" Kazan yelled as he stood up. "I swore that as long as I had the title of a Fire Soldier that I would never watch an Infernal suffer and not put them to rest!" Kazan yelled. "I know you're suffering sir. And I'm sorry about that. I didn't know who you were and I don't know now. But I'm gonna put you to rest." Kazan said calmly. "No nuns are here so I'm going to pray for you." Kazan said. Kazan took in a deep breath before calmly exhaling. "The flame is the soul's bre- huh?" Kazan stopped himself when he felt someone place their hand on his shoulder. Kazan turned around to see Akari Akuma. "Good morning. Were you going to put that Infernal to rest?" Akari asked. "Um... yeah." Kazan said. He guessed that Akari was from Matsuda Squad, also known as the squad he was supposed to report to if he seen an Infernal. "You were going to do the prayer too. Well, do you think you can put this Infernal out by yourself?" Akari asked. "Well I don't think, I know." Kazan replied. "Well then, I'll do the prayer." Akari said as she tented her hands. Kazan nodded as he walked closer to the Infernal. "The flame is the soul's breath. The black smoke is the soul's release. Ashes thou wert and art. May thy soul..." Akari prayed as Kazan sucked in a breath. He blew fire out and it hit the Infernal's core and destroyed it. "Return to the great flame of fire." Kazan said as he watched the Infernal slowly turn to ashes. "Latom." They both said.
"I'm sorry. I know I was supposed to inform you but I needed to do this now." Kazan apologized. Akari hummed in confusion. "No, you did it because you and your friends seen it too. Someone turned that man Infernal, and your two other friends went to go hunt him down. I seen it from the building up there but I had no clue who it was. The alleyway was too dark." Akari explained as Kazan examined her attire. When Akari wasn't in the field she always wore a formal outfit but the uniform she wore now wasn't as traditional as everyone else's. Akari wore the same white button up and black vest with gold outlines with the Company One symbol on her left sleeve. Her sleeves were rolled up revealing a burn scar all on the front of her left forearm and her blazer and tie was gone, her dress pants was rolled up to the middle of her calves, and she wore black tabi socks with yellowish gold rubber parts on the heels. There was a strap over her chest and lower torso, that strap held up an odd looking scabbard on her back. The scabbard was square like, it had two swords on the top and three at the bottom. But Kazan just noticed the devil tail and horns. "Go catch up with your friends and chase the bastard down. Give him hell now." Akari ordered. "Yes ma'am!" Kazan responded before running into the alleyway.
Kazan grinned when he seen Shinra and Arthur. Shinra had his arm wrapped around Arthur's shoulder. Kazan couldn't stop in time so he jumped over the two and somersaulted over them and landed perfectly on the ground. Kazan was shocked to see Lieutenant Hoshimiya and Lieutenant Flam. "Huh?" Kazan questioned. Karim looked annoyed while Rekka looked serious. "I could've sworn the person who turned that man Infernal was wearing the same robes as the three Lieutenant Priest." Kazan thought with a serious look on his face. "Sorry, we three at the Eighth don't get to visit Shinjuku much. We all kind of got lost." Shinra said with a fake smile. Tamaki walked into the same area as the five of them and saluted. "We finished Lieutenant Rekka! All the Infernals have been laid to rest." Tamaki said. "Got it. Good work Tamaki. And that was an amazing somersault Kazan." Rekka praised as Kazan, Arthur, and Shinra frowned. Tamaki smiled softly as Kazan let out a sigh of annoyance. "It was one of them, if they are who Shinra found then it is one of them." Kazan thought. "Let's head back" Karim said. Rekka, Karim, and Tamaki walked past Shinra, Arthur and Kazan. After they were gone Arthur looked at Shinra. "Shinra, why did you stop me?" Arthur asked. Shinra frowned, he didn't answer. "We should get going." Kazan said before walking down the alleyway with Shinra. Arthur scoffed. "Hey Shinra." Kazan called out. Shinra hummed in confusion as he turned around. Kazan grabbed Shinra's shoulder and punched him in the gut making Shinra grunt in pain. "Why did you punch him?" Arthur asked. "When I was younger I promised myself that as long as I have the title of a Fire Soldier I wouldn't watch an Infernal burn and not do anything about it. The way you flew past that Infernal with a grin on your face and said he can wait, that didn't make me happy. I know saving one Infernal life doesn't amount to all the other lives that could be saved by tracking down our culprit but still." Kazan explained as he let go of Shinra. "Sorry but... I smile when I'm nervous." Shinra said as he clutched his stomach it took a while for Kazan to register what Shinra had just said. "I'm sorry!" Kazan apologized. "It's fine... I totally get it. Damn, you punch hard." Shinra sighed.
The three of them sat in their shared dorm. It was evening and the sky was a calm orange color. "Someone's been creating Infernals and the Lieutenants are our top suspects, right?" Arthur asked as Kazan closed his eyes. "Yeah but we can't tell friend from foe here so we need to wait." Shinra said. "Arthur, I know you aren't very happy about the situation but if we acted then, we might've been silenced for good." Kazan explained. "So what do you two think we should do now? That man was killed." Arthur said as he crossed his arms. "I know, I saw it with my own eyes. He pressed a bottle containing an insect against that civilian's back, and right after that, he turned Infernal." Shinra explained. Kazan opened his eyes and stood up from his bed. "What that person is doing is just pure evil. How can a Fire Soldier justify doing this?!" Kazan yelled. He was about ready to snap. "I talked to a nun who was passing by earlier. Only the lieutenants wear the robes you saw on the culprit. So we should start by investigating Karim and Rekka." Arthur said. "You speak as if it's the simplest thing in the world. Don't forget that they're both formidable foes." Kazan warned with a frown. "What does that matter? Strong or not they should be held accountable." Arthur said. Kazan let out a sigh. "Fine. Shinra, I think Arthur is right. We should investigate them now." Kazan said as Shinra nodded.
So there the three of them were. Walking through the hallways of the Grand Cathedral looking for the lieutenant's rooms. "Let's start by searching Karim's room." Shinra said. "You sure he's not in it?" Arthur asked as Kazan shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked at Arthur and smirked. Arthur had his jacket on over his jumpsuit and a mask covering half of his face. "Yeah, I asked Juggernaut to make something up and keep him occupied." Shinra replied. "Did you tell him about the mission?" Kazan asked. "No need. He seemed to have taking a liking to Tamaki. So when I said that I could get her number for him he volunteered to help us out, no questions asked." Shinra explained as he and Kazan leaned on the wall while Arthur checked around the corner. "But anyway, why are you wearing that weird get up?" Shinra asked. "Yeah I was thinking the same thing." Kazan chuckled. Arthur threw up the peace sign. "I made a job change. I went from knight to assassin." Arthur said as Kazan quietly laughed. "So after all that insufferable knight talk, you're... what?" Shinra asked. "Still a knight." Arthur said as he took of the mask and hood with a smirk. Shinra stood there in awe at how dumb Arthur was as Kazan found Karim's dorm room.
"Guys come on, it's right here." Kazan whispered. The three of them looked at the name tag on the right side of the door that read 'Karim Flam--- Out'. "It seems Juggernaut is doing a good job. He's still not here." Kazan said. Shinra twisted the doorknob, yet the door didn't open. Kazan let out a sigh before crouching down and examining the lock for the dorm room door. "Don't ask why, but I can pick locks." Kazan said. "Really?" Shinra asked in shock. "I need a bobby pin or a paperclip. Something small and shar- Arthur!" Kazan loudly whispered in shock as Arthur burnt the door open. "What was that?" Shinra asked. "I call it the Mini Excalibur. I make em' from a sheet of plastic, which means they all tend to melt after one use." Arthur explained. "You idiot! This'll make it obvious that someone broke in here!" Shinra whispered loudly. "Assassin my ass." Kazan said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "You two don't sound like yourselves. Guess you both lost your nerve after Burns kicked your ass." Arthur said as he stepped in the doorway. "What did you say?" Shinra asked as Kazan's eye twitched. "If the mystery of human combustion could be solved cleanly, then someone would've done it by now." Arthur said as Kazan fake gasped. "I'd be surprised to see you solve anything." Shinra said as Arthur chuckled. "Never forget that you two got knocked on you asses before me and I got the most hits in, all with an injured back." Kazan laughed as he patted both Shinra and Arthur on the back.
The three of them walked into Karim's dorm and started their investigation. Akari chuckled as she watched Arthur, Shinra, and Kazan walk into Karim's dorm room. "I should've known." Akari said with a smirk. "I didn't think much when the Eighth's rookies came here for training because it's about that time that rookies come for rookie reassignment training. But it all clicked after I seen the rookies chase after the suspect from the ally. The First is under investigation by the Eighth." Akari thought. It wasn't hard for Akari to figure out that her own company was under investigation, not only because she was smart, it was also because Company Eight wasn't the only people doing a little investigation. Akari leaned onto the wall that was around the corner from Karim's dorm room. "Man... I don't get enough food for this crap. They're lucky I'm helping them out." Akari muttered as she peeked around the corner. Her stomach growled causing her to sigh. Akari figured that the rookies would go into one of the lieutenant's rooms so she was watching for anyone to come so she could stall for them. "They owe me." Akari thought as she turned around. Karim just came down from another hallway into the one Akari was in. Before he could turn the corner Akari tapped his shoulder making Karim stop. "Why are leaning against the wall like you're selling something?" Karim asked making Akari gasp. "What makes you think I look like a drug dealer?" Akari asked as she furrowed her eyebrows. She genuinely was sad about Karim's words. "I didn't say you look like a drug dealer. But anyway why are you leaning on the wall?" Karim asked as Akari let out a small sigh. "The rookies from Company Eight broke into your dorm room. It was pretty funny." Akari snickered as Karim's eye widened. "What?" Karim asked before trying to turning the corner. Akari grabbed his arm and pulled him next to her.
"Company Eight put Company One under investigation. Understandable, after all a lot of people have been turning Infernal in groups in our jurisdiction. We look awfully suspicious right now." Akari chuckled. "Let them look. There's nothing in your room to hide. Right?" Akari asked. Karim looked at her and sighed. "Karim.... what's in your room?" Akari asked as she put a hand on his shoulder and gripped it tensely. "It's not me. I found a bug someone is using to turn others Infernal. I caught it not too long ago and its in my room. They aren't the only ones trying to investigate the company. And you're on the trail too. Aren't you?" Karim asked, or more accurately stated. Akari let his shoulder go and grinned. She dug into a hidden pocket in her blazer. "The bug looks like this, right?" Akari asked as she took out a small container with an insect in it. Karim nodded making Akari's grin grow wider. "Good. If it really was you I was afraid I was gonna have to burn you right here in the cathedral. Lucky for you, I actually trust you. Now, I think it's about time you go ahead and greet your guest." Akari said. "More like unwanted guest." Karim muttered. "Let me know how it goes." Akari said as she placed the vial in his hand. Right after that she left. Karim watched Akari turn the corner. Giving him the vial was all the more reason to trust her. "I don't know why she doesn't insist on joining in. She might as well help me confront the rookies." Karim thought.
Karim's room wasn't that flashy. The man didn't seem like he wanted much so his room wasn't expected to have too little or too much in his room. Just enough. There were no crazy bed sheets, just the ones issued to him. A few pictures and a few books. There was nothing too special about his room except the fact that he didn't have a roommate. "I bet this guy doesn't do much with his personal life." Kazan said as the three of them walked up to his desk. "Do you guys really think Lieutenant Flam is our guy?" Kazan asked as he picked up a picture of Karim with Rekka and Li. They all looked happy. Kazan turned around and looked at Arthur and Shinra then back at the picture. "I know you've taken a liking to Karim but that doesn't mean he's not in the clear." Shinra said as Kazan put the picture in the exact same spot he found it in. "I know... but Karim doesn't seem like the type to even be interested in that kind of crap. Just look at him in that photo." Kazan said. Shinra looked at the picture with a disappointed expression. "Dude, he doesn't even look like he wants to take the picture." Shinra said. "No he wants to be there. At first glance he looks like he'd rather not be taking the photo but once you get to know a person like that, you'll know that they cherish moments like these a lot." Kazan said as he warmly smiled down at the picture. "What?" Arthur asked in confusion. "Never mind. Shinra's right... he's not off the hook yet." Kazan muttered before trying to open a drawer.
The drawer didn't open causing Kazan and Shinra to sigh. It was another lock. Arthur used another Mini Excalibur on the drawer to Karim's desk making Shinra and Kazan frown at him. Kazan opened the drawer and in the desk was some documents and a small glass container with an insect in it. Shinra gasped as Kazan glared. "That vial." Shinra whispered as Arthur picked it up. "So one of these can turn someone Infernal?" Arthur asked. "That settles it. Karim Flam is our culprit." Shinra declared. "I'll make him pay." Kazan growled as he turned around. Just as Kazan turned around Karim opened the door. "Shit!" Kazan whispered yelled as his stomach dropped in dread. Karim walked in. "I left that buggy little bug there as bait to lure you three out. Your behavior in that back alley was suspicious earlier, so I thought I'd test you." Karim explained as the three rookies tensed up. "The Eighth really did trail the same trail I'm trailing. Interesting." Karim said. "What are you getting at?" Shinra asked as he grinned nervously. Kazan looked back at him and glared. "As if it wasn't anymore obvious what we were doing now. We might as well just say we got lost." Kazan thought as he looked back at Karim. "I wanna catch the louse who's spreading them too." Karim said in a hushed down tone. "So we're on the same side then?" Arthur asked. "No... if I were some evil villain turning people Infernal, I'd probably say the same thing. How do we know we can trust you?" Kazan asked as he crossed his arms.
"You saw the culprit at work, right? Judging by the fact that I'm one of your first suspects, they must've been in robes like mine." Karim said. Kazan blankly stared at Karim. "It wasn't me. And there was just one solitary single person there who wore robes like mine." Karim said. Kazan's eyes widened at his words. "Rekka Hoshimiya." Shinra said. "Had a case two months ago where a large group of kids all caught fire at once. I knew it couldn't be natural. And then I found the insect at the scene. One of our First Class Fire Soldiers found an insect today. She's smarter than most so she's been able to trail him too." Karim said as he held up the vial he got from Akari. "So he's been targeting children?" Shinra asked nervously. "Children... kids... little kids?" Kazan asked as his hand shook. He was so angry that he was shaking. He wanted to punch the wall but since it wasn't his room he had to keep his hands to himself. "What man does that? To Children?"Kazan asked. "That's sickening. If it really is your friend then.... shit I don't even know what to say." Kazan muttered. "So I guess everything is settled then. Let's go." Shinra said. The three of them left Karim's room without another word. The three of them made it back to their own dorm room. "Shinra... what the hell are we going to do?" Kazan asked as he angrily paced the room. On one hand he was happy that the culprit wasn't Karim but on the other hand he was angry that Rekka was targeting children.
"We go after them of course. This is still our mission." Shinra said. Kazan got out a messenger bag and started putting medical supplies in it. "What's that for?" Arthur asked. "If we're looking for Lieutenant Rekka, who knows what might happen. We might need it." Kazan said. The three of them got ready for what ever was about to come their way while looking for Rekka. They left their dorm and waited for Karim. Kazan leaned on the wall with his arms crossed. He still was very pissed off. Karim hummed in confusion when he saw the three rookies waiting for him. "You're about to go look for Rekka, right? We're coming with you." Arthur said. Karim shook his head. "Company One will sort this out. Outsiders like you should stay out of it." Karim said. "With all due respect sir we're currently assigned to Karim Squad." Kazan said. "Then consider this an order from your Lieutenant. Do not come with me." Karim ordered. "AS if we have to take orders from you. The three of us are with Company Eight, remember?" Arthur asked. The three of them looked at Karim as Karim looked back at the three of them.
"So, you three are my squad cause you're serving under me, but you aren't my squad cause you're not under me." Karim said with a smirk. "Feel free to feel free then." Karim said as he walked past them. Karim really did have an odd way of speaking.