Hanabi

"Helena, do you, by any chance, like watching fireworks?"

Helena paused just as she was about to place the food she was carrying while briefly observing the person who asked the question.

He was patiently waiting for her answer with a smile, and from that, she deduced that he had an idea in mind. As usual, she refrained from inquiring about it, content to let him tell her on his own if that was indeed the case.

"Fireworks, Kido-san? Back then, we moved from one base to another and seldom had the chance to see any...sometimes, perhaps, on Independence Day celebrations. Even then, it was in passing...so I cannot really answer for sure," Helena softly replied as she put down the plate containing a row of onigiri on the table.

Kido let out a discreet laugh—though one of fondness instead of ridicule—as he took one. Just like the results of her prior attempts to form them into perfect triangles, all of them were misshapen.

Still, when he bit into the one in his hand, he was pleasantly surprised to find the taste of the filling was to his liking.

"These are good," he told the girl, who looked clearly relieved as soon as she heard the words, even more so when she took a bite of her own.

"Ah, thank goodness...though the shape leaves much to be desired. One of these days...ah, never mind. I'll get the miso; please wait," Helena excused herself to the kitchen.

Left alone, Kido took another bite off his onigiri. Instead of enjoying the taste, however, his mind went back to her reply earlier and the bitter reality it conveyed.

Ah... of course... they are KANSENs. They were not 'born' to enjoy life.

The thought did not sit well with him, but he decided to mull over it no longer. There was no need for them to fight anymore, and if Helena had never had the chance to enjoy a fireworks display before, now she could.

Coincidentally, he asked about it because one would be held that day, and he wanted to take her there. With that in mind, he waited for Helena to return.

"Sorry for the wait...Um, I hope this time I did well," the girl emerged from the kitchen carrying another tray, this time with two bowls of miso soup. She placed one in front of him before returning to her seat.

"Well, I'm sure you do," Kido said, raising the bowl to his mouth and letting the liquid pass his lips. When Helena saw he did not complain nor grimace from the taste, she followed suit and promptly regretted it.

As she had to force herself to swallow the concoction―which, to her chagrin, tasted rather awful―Helena was grateful for her self-control. Otherwise, she was sure she would have them all over the table by now.

What's wrong with it? She wasn't entirely sure. Was the dashi too strong? Or maybe the miso paste had gone stale? Adding insult to the injury, Helena heard the man sitting across her laughing lightly.

She ought to be angry, she thought, but when they locked eyes, Helena only managed a mildly irritated look. However, she did place her bowl on the table with a touch more force than necessary.

"Why...Why didn't you tell me?"

Kido stopped laughing, but his smile remained. Helena can be oddly charming when she puts on that kind of face, and he simply cannot help himself; still, he knew he owed her an apology.

"Sorry, Helena. To be honest, I didn't find them bad...just a bit unique," he trailed off, seeing that his words did not assuage her, "Ah, I mean, sorry. Next time, I will tell you when something's amiss with your cooking."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Well, for the time being, guess we will go back to Western-style food until I can meet up with Hiei-san again and learn..." Helena murmured; her face softened before quickly turning to determination.

Heaving a sigh of relief at that, Kido remembered what he wanted to tell her, so he rose from his chair―rather hurriedly that it almost tipped over―and said,

"Well, how about, as an apology, I take you to a fireworks festival?"

"Fireworks festival?" Helena repeated. So... this is why he asked me about fireworks.

"That's right. I'm surprised that the Sumidagawa Festival will be held this year. But I guess that the Americans had a hand in that matter. In any case, the festival will be a good way to lift the people's spirits, even if it's not as big as the ones before, you know?"

"Ah, it does certainly sound like it would. Tonight, is it?"

"Yes. I could go home early and pick you up before dark, how's that? You certainly need to go out more, you see."

Helena let out a soft giggle. "Aren't you going to get dishonorably discharged if your superiors found out you've been sneaking out to be home early?"

"Eh, we can live off my inheritance and savings for a while, but that's not a problem," Kido shrugged. "It's for your sake, after all."

"E-excuse me," Helena averted her gaze in a feeble attempt to hide her embarrassment. Meanwhile, Kido held back the urge to grin—tried as she might to hide it, he could see that her face was deep red, just like the time she ate a sliver of wasabi by accident at one of Hiei's banquets.

No matter how long they've been together, she would often get easily flustered like that. She was too endearing for words when she did—and Kido treasured such moments.

"Well, in any case, how about it? I could always convince Mikasa-dono to give me a pass once in a while, you know."

Placing a hand on her chest in an attempt to placate her heartbeat as it picked up pace, Helena turned her gaze back at Kido, her smile already telling him what her answer would be.

"How can I refuse? I'm looking forward to it, Kido-san."

***

Helena quite honestly did not expect the event to attract that much crowd—including even American military personnel mingling with the natives.

Kido explained its history along the way as they braved the multitude of people, how it started as a festival for victims of a great famine, and a way to entertain the masses and keep their spirits up.

And now, with the war over, respite like that would indeed be a welcome distraction—especially in such good weather.

"It just occurred to me...you've never worn a yukata before, huh?" Kido abruptly changed the subject when he noticed Helena walking at a slower pace than usual.

"It feels...a bit...too loose-fitting..." Helena replied, blushing slightly. Despite reservations, she wore it nevertheless, if only because Atago had gone through the trouble of dropping by their home at noon to deliver it. She remembered her saying she might like the design and that her usual garment might be too stuffy for the hot, humid weather outside that could persist even through the night.

That's not to say she didn't like the motif—a flock of bluebirds over a light grey base—but she was still embarrassed over how loose it was, fearing that just one misstep on her part might cause it to fall off.

"You have nothing to worry about if you tie your obi properly, you know. And...um—sorry about this—if you at least wear...um...undergarments..."

Apparently, that was too embarrassing for him to say, as he soon turned to look away, a hand covering his mouth.

"Kido-san...seriously..." Helena muttered as she did the same, only in the opposite direction.

The pair soon realized they had no time to be embarrassed as the streets were getting increasingly crowded, and they needed to move. With a single nod and a wave of his hand, Kido beckoned Helena in the direction of the Senso-Ji.

The temple grounds were just as crowded as the streets, and while she wondered why they went there, Helena soon brightened up at the sight of a familiar face among the crowd.

"Hiei-san!" She called out with all her might. Hiei took notice and gestured for the two to come over. When they did, Helena saw that she wasn't alone.

"Laffey?"

"Huh...Oh, Helena, hello...and Commander Kido, too..." Laffey waved sleepily at the newly arrived pair while lightly clinging to Hiei. Unlike Helena and Hiei, she was simply dressed in shorts and a t-shirt that looked a little too big on her tiny frame, along with her ever-present rabbit ears hair ornament.

"You are interested in watching fireworks too, Laffey-chan?" Kido asked, somewhat dubious if that was indeed the case.

"Laffey is not all that interested...not at all. Probably...I just want to meet up with Ayanami," she replied between yawns.

"Good evening, Helena, Commander... " Hiei offered her greeting, followed by a slight bow. She would have bowed deeper, but it was difficult for her to do so with Laffey not letting go of her.

"I did not expect to see all of you here...Are you two the only ones...?"

Chuckling at the look that Helena gave her—mostly hopeful, with a subtle hint of joy—Hiei replied, "Ah, no. There are more. Atago's nearby—we're waiting for her, actually—Akashi is somewhere running a stall...also some U.S. Navy girls...there are too many to mention...Sadly, considering the scope of this event, you might not be able to meet them all. But don't let that get you down."

"It's okay. Seeing familiar faces, even if only a few...it's enough," Helena waved it off. At the same time, Atago arrived in a hurry; after allowing herself a moment to catch her breath, she took stock of the people present and beamed.

"Ara〜Helena-chan; had big sis known you are here...she would've come sooner..." Atago cooed as she pulled the unsuspecting Helena into a tight hug.

"At-Atago-san... this...is embarrassing," Helena gasped as she found her face buried in the older woman's bosom while Hiei and Kido looked on, amused. With Helena's sister, St. Louis—along with the rest of the Brooklyn class—returning to their home country, Atago unexpectedly had taken it upon herself to act as a surrogate older sister for her. Hiei was more or less the same, only she was less blatant about it.

"Mou, call me big sis," Atago pursed her lips into a sulky pout as she let Helena go. "...Or am I...not good enough?"

"Ah..no, that's not it—you are a good older sister, really—"

Atago was definitely only teasing, but that fact apparently eluded Helena, who began apologizing profusely—even Atago was slightly taken aback.

"There, there," she finally cut Helena off by putting one finger on the latter's lips. "Big sis is just fooling around."

"Ah...sorry, I...actually I don't really mind...just surprised," Helena said. She honestly did not mind Atago; she was grateful the cruiser cared for her, but at times she found such affection overwhelming.

"Well, sorry for interrupting your sisterly bonding, but aren't you guys going to reserve a spot? If we're taking too long, all the good ones will be taken, you know?" Kido called out, catching the attention of both Atago and Helena.

"Oh, my, you're here too, Commander...worry not, big sis has already reserved a good one...would you and Helena like to come along?"

"Well, how about it?" Kido turned to Helena; it took a while for her to realize he was letting her decide.

"I...I'm fine with it if you are, Kido-san..." she replied, and Atago let out a small cheer at that.

***

With Atago taking the lead, the small group—sticking close together so nobody would get separated—traversed the winding crowd, passing the food stalls run by those eager to make a fortune after a period of hardships.

The location she mentioned turned out to be the river bank.

The area was clearly much sought after, and the people—sitting in groups—guarded their preferred spot by not moving even an inch as they waited for the sunset. Nevertheless, they certainly kept the ages-old tradition of being orderly, and no one fought for the other's place.

Soon enough, Helena and the others found the place they were looking for, marked by the presence of Takao, sitting in a rigid posture between Ayanami and, much to Helena's surprise, Maryland. She was the first to notice them coming and immediately latched onto Helena.

"Oh boy, glad you guys came...I'm bored off my ass! These two...seriously, can they even say something longer than two words?" Maryland moaned while Helena struggled to find the words to answer. Kido swore he saw Takao's ear twitching though she said nothing otherwise, while Ayanami only cocked her head as if she was confused.

"Well, well, Maryland-chan," Atago piped up, one hand gingerly on Maryland's bare shoulder, "I'm sorry that my sister is so quiet...but she's actually a good person if you don't push, you know?"

"Is that so..." Maryland replied while letting go of Helena, who breathed a soft, nearly inaudible sigh of relief afterward. "Eh, whatever. I'm only here to hear some bang. I wanna know how loud these fireworks you people are so proud of can get."

And with that, Maryland returned to where she sat before; meanwhile, Laffey had removed herself from Hiei and went to Ayanami, fist extended. Wordlessly and with her expression unchanging, Ayanami bumped her own fist against it.

Kido, who watched what the two were doing, thought the scene would have been cute; however, their apparent lack of enthusiasm made it funny instead.

Deciding it was time as the sun had already set, Hiei approached Kido and Helena and whispered for them to find a place to sit before taking a seat next to Atago.

'Tamaya!'

The anxious, impatient murmur among the crowd disappeared, replaced by loud cheers as the first wave of fireworks shot off into the sky and exploded into a flower-like shape of many colors with a loud boom; the second and the third followed soon after.

Helena glanced at Maryland. She cheered as the others cheered, laughed as the others laughed; even for someone who claimed to be living only for battle, she definitely enjoyed the spectacle. However, Helena found herself unable to.

'Why...can't I…enjoy this...' she questioned herself. Only after another boom resounded around her and a memory flashed through her mind did she find the answer—the loud noise reminded her too much of the Kula Gulf. Of the torpedoes and the gunfire that nearly sank her.

"Helena...?"

Looking up to meet his concerned gaze, Helena suddenly felt very pathetic.

He must have noticed how I froze up, was what she thought.

"Sorry, Kido-san, it was nothing," she tried to dismiss the concern, but he clearly won't have any of it.

"What's wrong...?"

"I...Sorry. It's just...I suddenly...I remembered something I shouldn't be remembering..."

"...Will you tell me about it...?" Kido asked again softly. "It's okay if you don't want to, so don't force yourself," he added, drawing Helena closer and stroking her hair.

There was a rather long pause before Helena answered.

"...The noise...they...reminded me too much of...of that battle."

Kido hummed his understanding; it's no easy feat to forget the horrors of war. Some may carry that memory to their deaths; even among those who have gotten over it, such memories may resurface—usually in most unfortunate circumstances.

"It's okay; I'm here; you are safe with us. Nobody is coming after you anymore."

After that, neither said anything further; when the silence was finally broken, it was Helena who spoke—Kido noticed her voice was not as strained as before.

"...But...then I remembered...you came back for me and took me away...to safety."

Another wave of fireworks shot up to the sky and exploded, followed by cheers.

"...And I'm glad I did," Kido said, raising his voice slightly to counter the noise.

"...Thank you for saving me, Kido-san," Helena whispered.

Kido chuckled. "And thanks to you too, Helena," he replied; upon hearing that, the cruiser looked up, confused.

"Why?"

"...By the eight million, I can't believe I'm saying something this embarrassing," Kido coughed awkwardly. "...okay. I'm grateful because through meeting and getting to know you...I found a...let's say...a sense of purpose. Otherwise...I'd still be drifting without aim. Even I joined Mikasa-dono's resistance without knowing what I truly wanted to do."

"Ah..." At a loss for words and feeling the heat rising up her cheeks, Helena was relieved it was mostly dark. She wasn't too keen on being seen getting flustered twice in the same day.

"...But that's that. Of course, we can always talk about this anytime, but for now...I just want to ask something from you...can I?"

"Ye-yes?"

"Remember to never keep your troubles to yourself, okay?"

"Ye-yes...I'll try, Kido-san."

"Promise?"

"I promise."