"Help!" You cried in alarm chased by an infernal. The entire block was under panic. People started spontaneously combusting like some sort of outbreak. You were shopping with a friend when she suddenly turned. That's when you noticed she wasn't the only one.

You turn the corner only to be blocked by two more. You search for an object to protect yourself. It was a long shot, but you didn't have a choice. As they close in, you swing the lead pipe in attempts to keep them away. The closer they get the drier the air. You don't know how long you've kept them at bay when you finally reached your limit. Your vision blurred and your body felt overheated from exhaustion. You make one last attempt to swing at the infernal before you collapse.

'Am I going to die here?' You helplessly watch as the infernal that was once your friend takes the first step as the others follow swarm around you. Tears prick your eyes as you grasp to whatever little hope there is. 'Somebody...please...help me.'

The flaming corpses that once surrounded are bulldozed by a striped figure dressed in fireproof layers. They toss a mechanical ball to extinguish their flames for a moment before another person enters the scene. The fire force had arrived in time. The masked man kneels and says a few words of reassurance, "don't worry. We'll get you out of here." He hoists you into his arms carrying you out of danger. "You're going to be ok. Stay with me now." His voice gets drowned out as you fade in and out of consciousness until eventually you pass out.
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You come to the afternoon breeze, and find yourself in a hospital bed. Your hands are bandaged from the burns caused from holding a heating pipe. A doctor approaches welcoming you back to reality. She checks on your vitals as you gradually recollect the previous events before blacking out. You vaguely remember a masked person from the fire force hauled you to safety. "It looks like you're well. You weren't hurt too badly, but you are still dehydrated. We would like to keep you over night just to make sure." She informed.

You nod in agreement. "Do you per-chance know of the person who saved me? They were a fire solider, and had some sort of metal mask on."

"Oh, that would be company eight's captain. They're in charge of this district."

"The captain, huh?" You hummed in deep thought on how to repay the crew.


      Once you recovered, you made a stop to company eight's station where you found yourself dumbfounded by the exterior. It's difficult to believe an official is found in a run down building. Luckily, you spot two teens in orange jumpsuits arguing. You recognize them as signs of the force. "Excuse me." You called out grabbing their attention.

"Hello there." The famous devil foot, Shinra, is the first to greet you. Although his grin may seem terrifying, his mannerisms say another.

"Who are you and what business do you have in the knight king's castle, peasant." Arthur queried.

Before you could retort, Shinra scolds the fool. "I'm sorry. Pay no mind to him. He's an idiot." Arthur protests but is ignored. "What brings you here?"

"I was wondering if I could meet everyone to thank properly for saving me during the outbreak." You said.

"Sure. Follow me." Shinra leads the way into office where the others usually gather. Various faces chattering amongst themselves as they liven the room. You can feel how much of a family they are just by being in the room. However you did not admire the fact all eyes are drawn to you. "Guys we have a guest. She wants to say a couple of words to us." He turns to you, "the floor is yours."

You take a deep breath and shake away your nerves. "Hello, my name is (Y/n). I came to thank all of you for saving me and of course the people during the outbreak. If it weren't for you I wouldn't be here." You raise the large basket you brought with you. "I made you all some pies as a token of my appreciation." You set it on the desk and unveil a variety of pies. The sweet scent fills the room causing everyone to drool. You're immediately flattered by their praises.

"I know everyone wants a taste, so why don't we all take a break and move into the cafeteria." Hinawa advised earning cheers from his division. As soon as the table has been set, Hinawa urged them to thank you. You sense tension within the man, but it seems the crew are used to him. Sister Iris becomes perplexed by a bag wrapped in ribbon.

"(Y/n), what's this?"

You retrieve the bag nearly forgetting your objective. "These are for the captain. I wanted to personally thank him for putting my friend to rest and rescuing me."

"Unfortunately, the captain isn't here at the moment." Hinawa stated. "He's been called for a conference. He should be here tomorrow."

You hang your head in disappointment and fiddle with the bag. "Oh, I see. I guess I can come around tomorrow."


    You bid farewell, and take your leave, content to have the honor of meeting company eight. They were kind, elated to receive a treat by you. Their conversations bounced between topics. There wasn't a dull moment where you didn't enjoy being in their circle for a moment. "I guess my visit wasn't too bad." You surmized.

As you step onto the sidewalk, you bump into a man in a suit. You blush the minute your eyes lock this ending up fixated for longer than intended. His lips curve into a smile before greeting you with a, "hello there. Did you find what you needed?" He rubs the back of his neck apologetically. "Hopefully my team wasn't rude."

You shake your head, "no, they were welcoming." You hear him let out a sigh of relief. "Excuse me, but are you by chance the captain?"

The male puffs his chest out proudly and says, "yes I am. Akitaru Ōbi at your service, Miss."

You throw Obi off guard as you offer him the bag of treats as though you were a high schooler confessing your love. He hesitates, but accepts your gift. "You saved me in the alley during the outbreak, and put my friend to rest. I wanted to thank you personally." You raise your head with tears. "Thank you, so much. If it weren't for you I-" You couldn't force yourself to say another word. It was too painful and to him, you probably looked pitiful. With that thought in mind, you refuse to hear what Obi will say next and opt to curtsy home. You barely hear him call out, to no avail. You were too distraught to look back.

Obi peers at the goodie bag and unties the ribbon to find chocolate chip cookies inside.  He takes a bite finding it bittersweet to enjoy while you're upset. That doesn't deter him from acknowledging how delicious your cookies are.
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"You what?" Maki croaked. "(Y/n) gave you chocolate chip cookies? Do you know what that means?"

Ōbi sweatdrops, seemingly perplexed by the question or rather the meaning behind the cookies of which Maki is suddenly bent on. "Uh...no?"

Maki crosses her arms over her chest, a visible pout of disapproval. "It means that (Y/n) has a crush on you." Everyone in the office yelp "what" in disbelief. "Think about it. She came in dressed in cute clothes, she was bummed out when you weren't around and now we find out she made a special goodie bag just for you, not to mention her treats have chocolate in them. Chocolate sir." As ridiculous as it sounds, it sort of made sense to the others. The problem is Making is known to be entangled in romantic fairy tales.

Ōbi pinches the bridge of nose. "I don't think, Miss (Y/n) came here to ask me out. She clearly wanted to extend her gratitude towards all of us."

"What if Maki is right? It's not something to overlook." Iris defended.

"As flattering as that is, my job takes priority. There can't be any distractions." The girls whine, attempting to convince their captain. Thankfully, alarms go off sparing Ōbi from the subject as everyone race to their lockers to gear up.
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Throughout the drive, Ōbi's mind was elsewhere. What Maki said and how you left the conversation as if you had more to say. It's unsettling to him. Perhaps there was a connection with his investigation or maybe it's a personal issue. Whatever the case, it's been weighing him down for the past few days.

As if that isn't the worst, during a fight, he's often saved by his comrades. The infernal they were up against was a wild one. It was difficult to close in when their body alone is a furnace. Intense heat emanates melting it's surroundings while occasionally tossing fireballs. "Maki, try to control those flames. The rest of us need to cool them down enough to weaken. Shinra, you'll give it the finishing blow."

As soon as the orders are given, the captain halts in his tracks the minute he catches a glimpse of your face amongst the crowd. Hinawa hollars out to his captain to revert into combat. 'Maybe it was my imagination?' He thought. Regardless of his assumptions, he tried his best to distract himself with work.


    Near the end of the mission, the infernal sees an incoming fireball far too late to block. To his surprise, you tackle the captain out of the way. "(Y/n), what are you doing?"

"Saving your life." You responded. As the smoke clears, you find the infernal is gone. You help the man off his feet as his team check up on him. You're glad to see him well praising his crew for their hard work. You didn't want to be in the middle of it deciding to step away.

However, Ōbi taps your shoulder and asks, "please wait. I would like to talk to you in private if that's ok?" You nod in agreement.
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Ōbi hands you canned beverage before taking a seat beside you. The sound of running water from the park fountain fills the awkward silence. You're not sure the reason for the arrangement, but it's the least you can do for him. You lower your gaze at your drink and tap your nails on the can until finally he spoke up, "I guess we're even now. That was reckless of you, but brave. Thank you."

You blush feeling unworthy of his praise. "You're welcome. Anyone would have done the same. You guys do a lot for us."

"It's what we do. Saving lives is the most important part of the gig before we can put an infernal to rest, even if they are in pain. We try to do it as quick as possible." He said.

You're reminded of your friend, yet his words brought some comfort knowing the Fire Force takes their job seriously while considering the people. You squeeze the container regretably for running out on Ōbi.  "That means a lot. I'm sorry I ran off like that. I didn't expect my friend's death to hit me so hard. I'm grateful for what you've done for her." Tears begin to pinprick and your throat runs dry. "She was my close friend. We did everything together, and she was the one I would talk to when things get shitty. It's hard to believe she's gone."

Hearing the story behind the loss of your friend is disheartening. It comes with the job he's grown accustomed to. The only solace he can provide are words of comfort.  "My condolences. I've seen man people lose their loved ones. It's not easy, but I'm sure your friend is glad you're still alive. She would want you to move on and live your best life." You peer up at him as he proceeds, "that being said, if you ever need a friend, you can always come around the station. I'll be around to listen."

Something about the way he looks at you with confidence mixed with a warm aura soothes you. "I'll take you up on that offer." You chirped.

"I almost forgot to thank you for the cookies. They were delicious." He complimented. "They were merely a token of appreciation right?"

"Yeah." You said.

"I thought so. One of my subordinates tried to persuade me into thinking there was a deeper meaning like a confession of love." He chortled.

You purse your lips into a pout while your cheeks grow rosy. "Maybe they were. Is that so bad?"

He pauses in utter disbelief. "N-no there's nothing wrong. I just thought-"

It's your turn to chuckle at him. "Does the very idea of a woman having the slightest crush you make you this adorable?" Ōbi blushes trying to process the situation before he could make a fool of himself. You boldly sneak a kiss to his cheek. "I think I have my answer. That was a thank you kiss for being a sweetheart." You finish your drink and toss it into the recycling bin.

"So will I see you around?" He queried.

"Maybe." You smirked. "Bye for now, tiger."

"Tiger?"

"Yeah, you remind me of one." You walk away leaving Ōbi intrigued. If he were given a second chance, he'll be sure to take the risk and ask you out.