Burning the Evidence

It was a rare sight and sound happening outside the formerly captain's office. In her little hidden meadow that the nicest and best Captain she could ever hope to have had thoughtfully made for her... was a fire pit. Lined in a circle with rocks she had pulled up, there was a nice little fire burning there.

The sights that might be surprising were as follows: The ever cloaked and nervous Mia lacked her signature cloak, the fire burning there was purple, there were almost boxes full of magazines that were the source of the fire as Mia tore them up and threw them in.

The sound was her voice. Normally quiet or muffled, or even hidden entirely, her clear sweet voice was angry. Or at least frustrated or something as she grumbled and yelled only a bit louder than speaking at the magazines which were the source of her bane. She kicked a box in frustration, not stubbing her toe but just making her more angry because there was no pain to make her angrier at this whole thing.

Nothing could make her hate these stupid things more.

Hideki turned a corner, shifting the pile of books in his hands. He looked up and down the walkway, frowning. Where was that noise coming from? It sounded like... some kind of shouting maybe? He sniffed. Was that smoke? Oh god, was somebody setting the library on fire? He broke into a jog, speeding past the captain's office door, before skidding and backwalking to the door. Was it... through here? He tried the door. Locked. He sighed and leaned the books against the wall, finagling his keys loose before opening the door.

The noise was immediately louder. Aha. Was it... outside? He walked over to the window and peered outside. What was he even seeing? Mia, without her cloak. Angry and screaming and burning things. And... not.. wearing.. her cloak... His face turned red and he dropped the books. Unrelated events actually, as he dropped the books from shock of seeing her furious. He also dropped immediately to the floor when the books fell, realizing how loud it would be and not wanting to be seen.

He laid on the floor, eyes wide. Wh...What the hell... What the heelllll.... Why was she so mad? Why was she burning her magazines? WHY DID SHE LOOK LIKE THAT UNDER HER CLOAK?!

Three more hellspawn magazines fell to the purple flames of anger and upsetness and flusteredness. Three little flames danced around her head as she tore up the next one, but a large sound from inside her office distracted her momentarily.

She flipped around and stared up the ladder...seeing nothing and heading nothing. Maybe...someone had knocked? Well it was her day off. So it wasn't as if anyone expected her inside. This was why she was out here... No one could find Mia and those awful awful 'presents' that...that...Vice Captain had the nerve to...

Her face was red as she finished tearing up this magazine, moving to the next in the large backlog she had to get through...

Hideki, feeling like enough time had passed, slowly climbed up to the window and looked out at the garden. Oh man... what even was going on. He ducked down and looked around... Okay... So Mia was acting waay different then he'd ever seen and ... was... in way less concealing clothing then he'd ever NO NO NO BAD HIDEKI NO. SHE IS UPSET AND MAYBE NEEDS A FRIEND. FOCUS ON THAT. C'MOOON. He bumped his fists together, focusing. Okay. Go help friend. Worst comes to worst she tries to set you on fire or something... Okay... Go.

He stood up. "Mia?" He hopped over the sill and slid down the ladder. "Wh..What's going on? Are you okay? Are those your magazines? Why are you burning them? Am I asking too many questions?" OKAY STOP. He stood there awkwardly, more terrified of his lieutenant than any captain probably should be.

Turning at the sound of her name with a gasp, the current magazine piece she was setting on fire with a tiny purple flame at the end of her finger fluttered to the ground. She let out another gasp, more like a squeak this time and promptly stepped on it to put it out... before bending down and tossing the offending item into the pit.

"N-Nothing Captain!" Reverting to a bit of formality, she turned bright red and tried to step in front of the boxes so he couldn't see their contents. She looked utterly shocked and flustered all at once, one hand going up to her face to try and cover part. "U-Um I am just...getting rid of some trash. It was the best way to dispose of it. N-No! Not too many, its okay. I am perfectly fine!"

Why was he acting so oddly? She was now confused as well, the few flames dancing around her head dying down. Behind her the magazines still burnt well.

Hideki paused, glancing up from her, to the box, to the fire, to her... to the box, to the fire... Well... her reaction made him less afraid of being lit on fire... now he was mostly just.. suspicious. He walked forward calmly. "Um.. What... What'cha doing?" He asked, placing his hands behind his back. He smelled something fishy afoot... Not to mention that digging into this would help him NOT FREAK OUT over his silly cute lieutenant having the BODY OF A GODDESS...

"Oh? We have a trash bin.. So.. What..." He leaned one way around her. "Are..." He leaned the other. "You doing?" He quickly tried to side step her to see what these magazines were. If she was hiding them they couldn't just be her regular magazines, right?

"I-I told you. T-Trash!" Mia knew that look, she'd seen Hideki use it more than once when he was insanely curious about something. She waved her arms in front of him as he tried to lean around her, leaning with him to keep him from seeing. He couldn't see those magazines! It would look so bad and the truth was too strange to explain! Mia didn't even LIKE lingerie or porno magazines! Why!?

Why... He side stepped her and she reached for his arm only to miss. He was going to see he was going to see he was going to seee! "H-Hideki! No! Don't look at them!"

The fire flared at her unease, she was beat red but... there was no way he could mistake what was in those boxes from this range. There was no way he didn't already know...

Hideki just... stared... just stared at the box...His face growing redder and redder. "Uh... Tha-that..." There was no mistaking the box... It was... a certain kind of magazine... he knew right away.. n-not that he had any experience with that! I mean, he was like 17 and probably would be forever, it's not-but seriously he didn't.. Okay... Wait.. Why did SHE... have magazines with WOMEN on them. His face was reaching critical mass when he just... turned quietly... and walked away.

Walked across the garden over to the bench he'd left before and passed over sitting on it, opting to sit on the ground behind it, curled into a ball. Wha...Wha... How... And she was so.... Yup. Done. Doooooone.

Hideki didn't say a damn thing to her. Instead he turned the color of a tomato, turned on his heel and walked to the bench. Mia thought he would...at least sit on it. No! Instead he went over it and sat on the ground behind it, curling into a ball.

...Mia's face was just as red as his! She was just as embarrassed! How come HE got to freak out like this!?

Moving forward and stumbling, she reached out to Hideki as she made her way over to the stone bench. "Hideki it's not what you THINK! I was given these by that EVIL LITTLE Vice Captain of Masa's! S-SHE seemed to think I n-needed help! I-I am getting rid of them so she can't hurt someone else!"

Hideki continued to stare at the ground. A vice captain.. of Masa's? Masa... Masa... Masaru? Wait... That was... Aoi's squad? O-of course... Of COURSE it was Miss Murohana... His face turned redder, remembering the last time he'd seen her. He glanced up to see Mia beat red over him. "Uh.. Uhhh.." He looked down again. Okay... That... explained that.. but she was still... He had NEEEVER expected her to look like THAT...

He quickly stood up, like a shot. He stood still before looking sideways at her and skittering a few feet away. He cleared his throat. "Ah. I see. That would be an awkward situation indeed, and I understand." He also was facing away from her. "W-wait... wh-what did she think you needed help with?"

Hideki glances and weird sounds were starting to get to her. Why couldn't he just...talk! She was doing her hardest to be... to be good about this! Her cloak was right over there, she could go get it... Mia didn't want to though, he was her Captain and she trusted him!

His sudden movements startled her and she stumbled back, watching him skitter away like a cat with tape on its paws. It was adorable and helped ease the red on her face even as she stared a bit confused. Well...he understood so that was a good point. Her face was only momentarily eased from its suffering as his next question had returned it to its former shining brightness.

"U-Um...stuff...like...that...w-with...t-the...picking out...s-stuff...under...a-and...stuff...like...b-being...n-naked...w-with...Eeek!" Mia looked down, her fingers poking together as she couldn't say those works. She squeaked at the end, unable to keep her voice level or even think that word...

Oh god... she was... she was as cute as ever. Even looking like that, she was still cute. How was she poking her fingers together like that. Did she not even know what she looked like? He tried to straighten himself out as she stuttered. Okay.. Just... focus. She was stuttering but trying to explain. So he just needed to listen... She needed help with stuff to wear... under... okay, so she asked Aoi for help with underwear? And... And... being naked... Red face was back. She was getting undressed? She wanted advice for being naked? With.. With... She ended in adorable squeak that almost shut his brain completely off.

But not completely... She was talking about being naked with someone... With... with... No. No no, she was so shy it would be someone there was some build up to that and furthermore she was telling him about it which meant... which meant...

Then suddenly... DESPAIR...

She.. had... a boyfriend? A boyfriend... she was.... INVOLVED...with?

He blinked a few times. "O-Oh? Mia has a boyfriend?" He asked, his face pulling into a little smirk.

Internally, in his mind, he just... turned around... slowly sunk to the ground... curled up and grabbed his legs. And just... scooted to the corner. Despaaair.

"S-She just assumed! I didn't...I didn't want this!" Mia was more flustered and shook her head from side to side, her hands going to her face. No! No Hideki nooo! Don't assume! That smirk meant he was thinking the same thing Aoi had thought and it wasn't what she wanted at all!

"M-Masa isn't... H-He's n-not like that!" She blurted that out before covering her mouth. She...hadn't wanted to admit that... She wasn't...sure she...wanted people knowing...yet... "I-Its not...l-like that...she's..."

Evil and cruel and horrible.

He needed... to process this... The second she said the name... It was like a punch in the chest. That... That confirmed it... She was involved with this captain, Masaru... "N-not.. like... I mean.. I know... Mia wouldn't be with someone who was like that. I am sure he is sweet. I was just teasing." His voice evened out even though he was more distraught. He walked over. "Sssooo.... the Terror of Lt. Murohana aside... Tell your captain..." He walked over and sat down on the bench. "You and Masaru are an item, huh?" He knew it was a weird thing to jump to, but he was doing whatever he had to to not let on how shocked he was.

"H-He is! He...really...is so very kind...and he fell from a tree when we met...and he has a cute little sister I...visit a lot..." Mia rambled a bit, a floodgate of sort opening as Hideki talked. She felt at ease with him, so it was easier than it would have been to say things once she was going.

"...M-Mhm. S-Sorta. N-Not...sorta...yes...w-we...kissed..." Mia looked down, unable to look up as she admitted that. That was her benchmark, her first kiss and it had been in his room and...She flushed more and let out embarrassed sounds. "...He said my singing was pretty..."

Hideki nodded, listening as best as he could. Ugh. He just... needed a minute to clear his head... damn it... First the Yuzu disaster and now... Okay... So.. .they kissed that didn't... Yeah.. Yeah it did. Okay, Hideki, come on. Don't be ridiculous. He looked over, managing to hear the last part clearly. He smiled. "Well, I'm sure it is. He sounds sweet." He paused, before suddenly widening his eyes and standing up.

"O-Oh shit! Shit! Be right back! I forgot something upstairs!" He got up and ran up the ladder, climbing into the office. He picked up the books he'd been carrying and... just sat there with them for a second. Okay... Breathe, Hideki... Breathe... He took a long slow breath before thwacking his head on the books. Okay... He felt... better... Mia was dating someone... and that was actually okay. He nodded, taking another slow breath. She needs a friend right now though, Hideki, soo... head in the game yeah? He nodded to himself, feeling collected now. "Yeah."

He stood up and hopped over the window sill, sliding back down the ladder. "Sorry about that... I... told someone I would wake them up from a nap... so they wouldn't be late to a meeting.." Okay, that sounded stupid. "So... Tell me more about the two of you." He said, hopping onto the bench and sitting down.

"I would...think you would know Masa? H-He is a captain too." Mia was startled by Hideki's lack of knowledge, but it might make sense since he was really new. And young. Very very young by shinigami standards...

"Okay..." She looked baffled by such an action, taking a seat on the bench for a brief period of time and playing with her loose hair. It rarely got put up for such reasons as it gave her hands something to do... She twisted and pulled the long locks of jet black, before pulling them up to her mouth and covering part of her face with it.

It took a bit for him to return and Mia was considering going back to the burning of the abominations. She smiled and nodded in acceptance. "That was nice of you Hideki. U-Um...there's...not much...to tell...W-We...s-somehow....he...likes me..."

Mia sounded surprised and a bit in shock. How...could someone like her? Someone like him especially?

Still a little flustered but already feeling better, his head back on the right train, he motioned for Mia to sit on the bench, scooting over so she'd have plenty of room to maintain personal space. "Mia, I don't think there's any 'somehow' to it. I'd honestly be astonished someone WOULDN'T like you." He sighed, placing his hands in his lap, looking over to her with a smile. "You're smart, pretty, energetic. I think Captain Shirakawa is the one who should be confused one out of the two of you." He grinned. He was still feeling a little... awkward maybe? But it was starting to pass.

"N-No! Masa is...really sweet...and really kind... He's kind of like a silly prince a-and I don't...understand...why me..." Mia couldn't call the man a prince fully, because he was rather...silly. He stuttered a lot around her sometimes, messed up words and said things that were better left quiet... but it was just as much as she did.

She was beat red as she sat back down on the bench, holding her face in her hands. Aaah! How could captain say such things of her! "Y-You are way too nice Hideki. Too sweet..."

"A silly prince, huh? Well he IS a noble, right?" He asked, his mind harkening back to the conversation he'd had with Yuzuki down in the catacombs before. Hrm. He'd only met Captain Shirakawa the once but he certainly fit the bill of a nobleman. He could easily enough see him being a sweet gentleman to Mia. There was maybe some portion of him that was a little bummed out, but the smile it brought to his face was genuine. "I'm not too sweet. I'm just observant. And hopefully this silly prince of yours is as sweet as you say. Only the best for our Head of the Library, you know." He said with a grin.

Hrm... Come to think of it... Huh. He wondered. "So.. Are the two of you like... Have you started going out on dates yet?" He wouldn't think to use their relationship, but if she and the captain had started fully fledged dating... well, a day at the beach was fun, right?

"H-He is. The head...of his family." Mia admitted, looking down more. She was quite literally in no position to date anyone of such stature but... Masa didn't seem to care so. And Hideki seemed to think she was amazing too. She blushed more but glanced up, with a happy smile. She trusted him utterly, she could look at him a bit. "Thank you Hideki."

As he asked though, her eyes closed tightly in embarrassment as she pulled a bit of hair in front of her mouth again. "Y-Yeah... We had one so far. W-We um turned...a sparring area into a...fun area."

"Is there...something bad? Should we not?" Mia looked concerned as she realized that may be bad to be dating like that so soon. She was nervous and didn't want to mess things up. Hideki would know! He was so smart.

He rubbed the back of his neck, a bashful grin sprouting. "Ah. It's... It's nothing. Just telling the truth." He said, still a little shy around her, for now at least. He was suddenly missing her trademark cloak, but he would manage just fine. He just needed to maintain eye level, that was all. It would help, of course, if she stopped doing adorkable things like covering her face with her hair. He smiled with a little laugh. "A fun area? Sounds... interesting..." He had no idea what a 'fun area' entailed, but before he could ask..

"No no no, it's fine. It's GOOD." He said, quickly throwing his hands up. He'd have to watch his phrasing on the subject. It seemed her regular timidity was doubled on the matter. "Actually... I..." He sighed. "Um.. I wonder... I didn't know... you were close to Captain Shirakawa.. See uh.." He rubbed his head, suddenly finding something interesting to look at directly away from Mia. "See I... have a friend..? and... she's .. not really allowed out of the house without a proper escort... Which she said Captain Shirakawa would be excellent for.." He sighed, slumping a little. Just be direct, Hideki. He turned back to Mia, finally. "Well... If you guys are dating... maybe... If you wanted to go to the beach with him, Masaru would be willing to go as an escort so Yuzuki could go?" It sounded really silly now that he said it....

"S-Still is...nice to say. So I thank you." Mia smiled brighter, feeling a bit more at ease as she spoke more. She just had to remember her Captain was an amazing person who was nice, that he wasn't angry at her for things and would listen.

Before she could reply with what they had done, even if it had been embarrassing the captain deserved to know... That poor battleground would never be the same again... She was given an odd request. Who...could possibly need an escort who would be Hideki's friend... Waaait she had heard some sort of odd rumor about a woman who visited Hideki with white hair and red markings! She'd seen her a few times herself, a lovely woman with a haughty face. A small smile broke through at his reactions and movements, captain was so expressive...

Thinking for a second, even if the thought of the beach utterly terrified her... She couldn't swim well at ALL and bathing suit... even if she DID HAVE ONE... she would just wear her cloak... Glancing away, staring down at the ground intently as she sighed. "U-Um... I can ask him. I...could go too. Y-You want to take your friend and if I...go he might want to more."

Hideki seemed to want to go so bad, she could do this for Captain. Who was his friend though? "Uh, who is she?"

Seeing Mia at ease put Hideki at ease and his posture relaxed, turning to sit sideways some on the bench and to face her better. At her unease on the beach subject though, he suddenly felt bad for asking her. This was the first time he'd ever even seen her without her cloak. She probably wouldn't have fun at the beach. "N-no.. I mean... If you... wouldn't have fun, it's fine... I can talk to Captain Shirakawa and figure out another way. It just occurred to me, I dunno... you two might have fun together at the beach..." He knew he was flip flopping on what he was saying and decided to just change the subject, however uncomfortable it might be to do so.

"Um.. She.. She's... well she's a noble. Yuzuki Morinaga... She... came in needing help a while back.. .and we made friends... She's the heir to her family so they're REAAALLY protective of her... I think she only even gets to come here because it's the library... But uh... She's... I mean... Well, she's a FRIEND... but... I also.. sort of..." His face turned red and Hideki rather decidedly spun to straddle the bench facing away from Mia and crossed his arms.

"N-No! I'll be fine. I can do it. I need to do more... I want to do more." Mia's voice was a strong as she could allow right now, only one stutter and pause each. She started at Hideki and shook her head. "I-I would feel better with both you and Masa there too! So it would be fine. I could hide behind either of you and... I can wear my cloak too. I have a beach umbrella so everything will be fine."

She wouldn't let that subject drop until she had said something at least. However Hideki's next confession had her stunned. A noble woman? He... was friends with her too? She wasn't a shinigami, so it was odd that they had met though if she had needed help in the library it would be normal. But his final words brought a soft smile to her face, as he shifted to look away.

Scooting down the bench, she placed a hand on his shoulder and tilted her head even if he couldn't see. She had her soft smile on still as she spoke. "You like her too? I think Masa would help you even if I didn't go then. He's...someone who likes to help others in their relationships if he can. He brightens up when he can, so I am sure you could get to go on your date!"