Walkuerenritt: Ride of the Valkyries: 04/01/2027, 16:45 Kazami had passed the civil service exam, graduated from firefighting school, and was assigned to the Rokumei City Eastern Fire Station. Since she hadn't had to do any sort of manual labor up until that point, she had to push herself to the limit to become a firefighter. But she overcame her trials and worked with all her might every day. She never hesitated, not even at dispatches where her life was at stake. She had little to lose and bore a huge responsibility. That allowed her to forge an iron will and bravery that bordered on recklessness. --She tempered herself with that iron will of hers.  (I have to get stronger... or I won't be able to save anyone.)Kazami had learned of her own weakness through the weeks she had spent wandering around in a daze like an empty shell. So to overcome that weakness, she put herself through rigorous training beyond the norm. Her body and mind grew in strength with each strenuous day. Before long, they granted her a level of skill that defied her gender and natural talent. Then four years after she became a firefighter-- Kazami's skills were finally acknowledged, allowing her to enlist in Sirius. Thus came about the birth of the Rokumei City Fire Department's first female rescue worker.  ♪ BGM: Quiet Days of Rokumei City ♫ Then one early afternoon, shortly before her transfer was to take place-- Kazami passed by the Central Fire Station and witnessed a man jogging around the grounds. (That man is a member of Sirius...)They both worked for the Rokumei City Fire Department. She at least knew his name and face. They had never spoken before because they'd been working in different stations, but that was all about to change. Figuring she should give him a brief greeting, Kazami waited for the man to come on over. It wasn't long before he returned to the fire station's front gate.  Kazami walked up to the man as he took a breath. Though he had a somewhat harsh look on his face and seemed strict-- Kazami had to contain the feelings welling from her heart when she saw his face up Close. (... We finally meet...!)She hesitated for a few seconds, then resolved herself and called out to him. Excuse me! Hmm? You are Fire Sergeant Watase Kasasagi, captain of Sirius' Team A, correct? I am... and you are? I am Kazami Tachibana, Firefighter. I'm scheduled to enlist in Sirius starting next week, sir.Watase's eyes widened in what appeared to be surprise and interest when he saw the salute Kazami gave and heard her introduction. So you're our department's lady rescue worker, huh? I've heard the rumors. The commander did say we had this incredible female firefighter in our midst. Sir! I am honored to hear that, sir!Kazami stood straight as she kept up the salute. Her heart was ringing like an alarm bell. Now now, no need to be so tense. We'll be squadmates starting next week, after all. But you are my superior. Well, that's true. Guess you've got a point. Anyway, I look forward to working with you. I'm expecting great things from you. And I look forward to working under your command, sir.Watase lightly patted the polite Kazami on the shoulder and headed back towards the station. Kazami watched him walk away and thought to herself: (... So he really doesn't remember, does he... Well, I suppose it has been six years.)Kazami smiled wryly. --The name ''Watase Kasasagi'' was well-known even in the Eastern Fire Station. He was known as ''Sirius' Ace'', ''Iron Man'' and ''Rokumei City's King Kong''. But those nicknames didn't matter. For he was a very special rescue worker to Kazami-~ (He's the one... who stopped me in the apartment six years ago and rescued Nagisa...)He was also the one who'd visited her over and over again in an attempt to deliver the locket Nagisa had entrusted him with. That said, Kazami didn't even remember that part. It appeared Watase had forgotten as well. But Kazami still wore that locket to that day. She'd been hoping to thank him all those years... But a long time had gone by without a single apology from her for sending him away. Bringing it up now would probably just cause Watase to relive his guilt of failing to save Nagisa. But Kazami had always hoped that a day would come where she could thank him. (Would Nagisa be angry... if I said one of my reasons for enlisting in Sirius was so I could work at the same place as that man?)Kazami looked to the skies with that thought.  (I met the man who rescued you after all these years. He seems strict, but he really is a nice person. You big sister will be doing her best... so please keep cheering me on.)All the tension Kazami had been feeling loosened up during her brief conversation with Watase. And at the same time, she started to look forward to her new job a little bit--. But she had no time to entertain such thoughts after joining Sirius. On duty, Watase was harsh and cold, leaving no room at all for sentimentalities. In contrast, Kazami was impulsive and straightfoward: the kind who kept throwing herself into danger on dispatches. The two of them kept clashing over their opinions, meaning Kazami kept losing more and more chances to thank him. Then one day-- She got injured during a dispatch.  ♪ BGM: Looming Crisis ♫ Tachibana! You were way too reckless back there! Didn't you hear me tell you to stop!? Didn't I say you were running in too deep!? ...My apologies.Kazami replied while keeping her dissatisfaction hidden. Their dispatch had been to a fire at a high-rise apartment. Kazami had jumped too eagerly at the call to save lives and got a burn on her face for it. Of course, it wasn't bad enough to leave a scar or anything. So she felt a bit irritated that Watase was giving her a full blown lecture in spite of that. It's sheer dumb luck that you got away with just a light burn. Be extra careful to ensure you don't screw up like this ever again. But... did we not receive a report that there was a five-year-old girl trapped in that apartment? Children's actions are unpredictable. So I felt we had to rescue her before she did something unexpect-- Are you saying it's okay to put yourself in danger if it means saving lives? Only a fool thinks that. ...!Those words sent blood rushing to Kazami's head. With all due respect, Captain... is it not our job to save lives? I do not believe that what you just said is befitting of a captain of Sirius. Don't talk like you've got it all figured out! That's what an idiot does! !! Listen up, Tachibana. Only an amateur glorifies acts of martyrdom. It's -because- we have a duty to save lives that we can't treat our own lives so lightly. Even if you fail to save one life on the job... you can still save many more lives as long as you're alive. Dying in the line of duty means condemning all those other lives you -could- have saved, right? ...!Kazami was shocked by those words. She had never thought of it that way. She had been working under the belief that if she were faced with someone in need of rescue, she should save them even at the cost of her own life. (But... the Captain's absolutely right.) ...Of course, I'm not saying you should abandon lives that can be saved, not at all. But don't mistake recklessness for bravery. You're a capable one, but there's also a somewhat unstable side to you. You're so reckless I can't even bear to watch. Just make sure you correct that aspect of yourself, if nothing else. Y... yes sir.Kazami hung her head in shame, embarrassed of her own foolishness. Watase sighed, then patted her on the shoulder. ...Well, but then again, I do get where you're coming from. Huh...?♪ BGM: Words of Healing ♫ You must still be haunted by what happened to your sister. ...Kazami's eyes widened. C-Captain, do you mean... you remember me? Hmm? Yeah... There's no way I could ever forget you... That was the first time I had ever seen a woman look so heartbroken. ...! I didn't say anything about it because I figured it was something you didn't really want to remember... N-no, my apologies!Kazami bowed deeply. All this time, I've wanted to thank you for what you did back then myself...! Thank you very much for delivering my sister's present! Nah, don't mention it. You should be thanking Dojima too. He's the one who actually carried her out, you see. Y-yes sir!Kazami bowed one more time, causing a wry smile to form on Watase's face. ...But either way, no matter what happened in the past, acting without concern for your own safety is dangerous. Keep that passion of yours in check from now on before you act. Always be calm and collected. Roger that, sir! Very good! Then head on over to the infirmary right away and get that burn treated! Yes, sir! If you'll excuse me, sir!Kazami turned around and walked off. Though she'd been scolded, her heart felt very clear.  After all, no matter how skilled they were, a rescue worker had to be calm if they wanted to survive that line of work. Once they saw she'd acquired that cool head, Watase and the rest of the team acknowledged Kazami as one of them-- And she became a member of Sirius in both name and spirit. TheMcD fucked around with this message at 16:40 on May 18, 2017 |
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