Mercy Killing 7: Protect and Serve

"I wish to be a hero."

Sometimes, on the slower days, she would wonder how often Sanbey had heard that before. How many times Harumi had heard it. It must have been quite a large number, enough that they knew what to ask her.

The Dragonslayer of Mitakihara had, as usual, yet to find any dragons in the vicinity, to her constant chagrin and an incessant chorus of reminders. It wasn't that it bothered her all that much, really, only that her off days gave her a great deal of time to think. Well, off days that she didn't spend visiting Hitomi, at least. Or bothering Harumi - as friendly as the officio's de facto mentor was, it was hard to shake off the nagging feeling that she must have something pressing and important to deal with. Or Mitsuko; say what you will about her harsh demeanour, she made a point of clearing time for anyone who asked for it. Every time.

And then there was Cor- Miss Minakata, of course, but as much as she tried to be... friendly in her own gruff, awkward sort of way, being around a Culexus was always difficult. And now, of course, she was hospitalised. A small twinge of guilt, there, for not having visited yet. A voice of reason, on the other hand, telling her that practically everyone at the Third had a stint in the hospital at some time or the other. They could all shake it off.

Once in a blue moon, her days off from Officio work would coincide with the days that her father - her mother had left the picture a year or two into her life - was also free. The rest of the time, he would instead jump through endless hoops to see to it that he is there with her. Sometimes, of course, he couldn't make it, and she would never dream of arguing; the life of a police officer was nothing if not unpredictable, after all.

As much as he always took pains to be here, the times when he was not - and the stories he would tell - were every bit as inspiring, in her earlier years. All her years, really, to this day. It was what inspired her efforts to, much to his alarm, follow in his path. For that matter, she spent a good number of years following some vague idea of being a 'hero'. In retrospect, it was just as well that she had a little more direction than that, these days.

She had been lucky to find it that day, a few carelessly misplaced papers from the Third. Something about a shadow war with witches, some talk of magic and needing new recruits to stave off their influence. ...Well, no, 'careless' was a harsh way to put it. Some things were bound to get lost. It was lucky that this was found by her rather than... oh, someone who shouldn't be seeing it. Others might laugh if she called it fate, but she never let a little laughter stop her.

When she finally tracked them down, afraid that they might be angry - she had, after all, intruded on their secret world - they were more than accommodating. They were concerned, of course, but willing to hear her out, and in the end they only asked her, when she first suggested her wish, a single question.

"Are you sure?"

It was a test, of course! One which gave her some pause. A test of her courage? Obviously; it was only natural. A quiet, clever test, too, of her morals. Of course, only the best and brightest - the most upstanding candidates that Mitakihara had to offer - could be accepted. The thought of this sort of power being put in the wrong hands was nothing short of terrifying. They needed heroes, yes, but as she soon realised, anyone who wanted to be a hero was the last thing they would want.

She didn't want fame, she told them soon after. Not fame, not glory - well, alright, the title was a small indulgence, after a funny mood she had on a bored thursday afternoon - and not power. She wanted to protect others. That was the beginning and end of it. That brought her some comfort, after the fact: If no one seems to take note of her, if she is not a particularly extraordinary Eversor, that is only proof that her wish is working. That whatever she has will need to be earned. What magic she was given brought her everything she needed: She could tell when others around her were in danger, and how to best stop them from coming to harm. What more could she ask for?

...Well, yes, the term 'human shield' had come up around the Officio a few times. Still, to those who said it, it was an insult; to her, it was a badge of honour.

There was the danger of the job, of course; on that, her father had been assured that the risks were quite small. They, after all, didn't stay dead. Mitsuko, as she recalled, had even volunteered to demonstrate. Something clean, she insisted. There were some things no one needed to see, and equally, some things she didn't care to clean up. He didn't look pleased, exactly, but he relented, with some measure of pride. He asked a few questions now and then, even came to the Third's offices now and then, claiming he should at least know enough to understand the stories she told him.

It took a while for her to realise just how unusual this was.

Training. None of it would come to anything without training. Mitsuko had told her as much on her first day, and for all the caustic demeanour, for all the customary abuse the Vanus showered upon all her pupils, Yuko had accepted it, even thanked her for her help. It was some of the finest teaching the Third had to offer, after all. Her friend - Yuko had considered her one from the start - looked bewildered at first. These days it got a rare smile out of her.

'At least you know what to tell me,' she would say. 'It's a start.'

Twinblades. Why twinblades? Well, sure, it was big and impressive, and... good for crowds? Probably? Really, that was just a guess. They were so... well, no, not heavy. Of course not. She hadn't tried swinging a telephone pole, but she had an inkling that it might, at least, not go too badly. Still, the shape of these things was... well, awkward. It would take some doing. Still, she likes a challenge, or at least, she repeats as much to herself a few dozen times.

The cartoons stay on in the background. She wasn't even following these shows, but the white noises didn't hurt, and they were in English; with luck, she might pick up a few words from osmosis alone. Even enough to understand Penny- no, that was probably never happening.

It wasn't working, so far, but that was alright. Something to practice to, and- oh. Oh dear, that was embarrassing. Good thing no one saw it. ...It was going to be alright, of course. All of this. Some of the Third's best would be with her on the next hunt, the search for the renegade. All the same, she would like to know enough not to make a fool of herself. Enough to justify bringing her along.

Personally, she still couldn't tell why she was chosen. All the more reason to change that.