Chapter 6:

Umeboshi

Red Flame was walking with Miss Mamiya, it was only the two of them, he felt so happy for this opportunity and thanked the strategist Cologne for this opportunity.

Both of them were called out by Cologne to help a village who was experiencing some problems with ghosts who surprisingly weren't hostile, it was just that they lament didn't let the people sleep and they couldn't see them or talk to them, so it was a problem for them.

It was easier with both of them, they could understand and make amends with the ghosts with no problems, so it wasn't a surprise when they finished faster than they expected, so they were already walking back to the army in the afternoon, the distance wasn't large but he couldn't stop thinking of how faster could be to carry her on his arms and to fly away, but he wasn't brave enough, the last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable by requesting something as bold as that.

Sakura Mamiya gazed at him, her emotions were all over the place after the talk Kagome gave to the three girls, she was sure that Silver Dog and Kagome loved each other, after some time they finally decided to be open about their relationship, it was one of the army most hot topic but the thing that she told them though, the one that was probably on her friends mind too.

She recalled the talk, where Kagome said that Silver Dog and her had their first kiss, she told them that it went like this; it was in one of their talks, It came so natural for both of them, she kissed him first with nervous lips and then he followed, with more security than she had, he kissed her softly and that was enough to all the nerves go away, he tested her lips slowly and-

"Miss Mamiya!" Red Flame voice came later than his touch, he was beside of her holding her waist with one hand, she gazed at him and his face turned red as he managed to said" you have to be careful, a carriage almost hit you"

She turned to her back, seeing a carriage walking towards the place they just visited, was she that lost in her thoughts of that talk? She almost was run over by a carriage for thinking unnecessary things, she didn't even hear the carriage going towards them!

"Thank you, Red Flame" she looked grateful at him with blushy checks, feeling embarrassed for her lack of attention in her surroundings just because she was lost in her mind, in the possibilities she probably had to be with Red Flame like-

Stop, I need to stop thinking about it when he is present!

And then Red flame made the fatal mistake of looking at her face and then her lips, the conversation of Silver Dog came in an instant on his mind.

"Hey, Ataru" silver Dog said opening their room with an expression they didn't recognize.

"What's up?" Ataru said, being in their room they could but the formalities aside and talk like normal teenagers, one of the things they were relieved to be able to do.

"You know about love, right?" Inuyasha walked towards Ataru, putting his hands on Ataru's shoulders, with a pleading look on his face.

Love was a strong word and they all knew it.

"Well, I had been in a relationship before, so I think I got a faint idea, why?"

Ranma and Rinne had their ears in motion when Inuyasha said the L word.

"I love Kagome" he said in a sincere tone and Ataru and the others blinked.

"Are you sure Inuyasha?" Ataru asked" Is it okay to call it, love?"

Ataru already told them about his relationship with Shinobu in the past, even if he really cared for her, the word love in a romantic sense didn't fit them, they were more like friends who were used to being together, helping each other to not feel lonely but they didn't know this until they broke up and returned to being friends.

It was the best decision.

Shinobu now was living happily with a man she was in love, a great boy like them which name was Inaba, he was sure that he was a great choice for his best friend.

So it was important to them to not confuse routine with love, so they couldn't hurt each other as he did that time.

"Yes, I already told Lum about it and-"

"Wait, what did you tell her?"

"That I just cared about protecting Kagome and making her happy, how her smile was as bright as the sun, how she made my heart feel nervous and happy at the same time, how she makes me felt like I am in summer when she congrats me" Inuyasha said, feeling warm but not backing up" and Lum wrote 'That's called love' on a paper and I knew she was right"

Ataru sighed and the other two looked interested in the subject.

"Yep that's probably the closest definition of love for you" Ataru smiled, to his surprise he kind of expected it" just don't go so fast, okay?"

Inuyasha removed his hands off Ataru's shoulders but he looked away from his friend's eyes, with a brilliant red on his checks.

"Inuyasha, what did you do?" Ataru's voice was a mix of authority and curiosity.

"I kissed her"

"YOU, WHAT?!"

"Red Flame?" her sweet voice brought him back to the present, he removed his hand off her waist.

"Sorry, I lost myself for a moment there"

"Is there something on your mind?" Mamiya at least felt better knowing that she wasn't the only one lost in her mind.

"Yeah, about strategies and stuff like that" He lied for the first time to her, he didn't dare to say out loud his true thoughts, Sharp Eye would be proud.

"Oh, I see" She didn't believe it one bit, why could he blush by thinking on strategies? That didn't make sense but she didn't have the nerve to talk either, she thought for a moment and gazed at his arm, an interesting and bold idea formed in her head then.

Feeling braver she took his left arm with her hand and brought him closer to her, the blush on her checks didn't match with her sudden resolve but she liked Red Flame, a lot, so she didn't mind it.

She knew her sudden bravery was because she felt for him the same feelings Kagome felt when she was with Silver Dog, Sakura Mamiya was a person that acted more than she talked and even if her character had been more talkative since a few years now, the actions were still crucial to her, she expressed herself better with it, it was only that no one had made her want to be more open in that, until she began to like Red flame that is.

"Miss Mamiya?" How was Red flame still was able to sound coherent was a mystery to even him while she holds his arm firmly, that was almost enough to make him forget everything" Are you feeling dizzy?"

"No, I just wanted to be with you like this" Her honestly caught him off guard "is it okay with you?"

Her nervous tone in her last phrase was the nail to the coffin, the girl he liked, the one who made him feel so many things he couldn't explain was holding his arm with red checks, how did this little gesture make him feel like he won the lottery?

I will love to be like this with you every time we go out

"Sure"

Lum was in love and she was barely hiding it now, only her nurse friends and Silver Dog knew about her unrequited love, other than that she was trying her best to hide it to the others, to him.

At first she pulled it off as an innocent crush or admiration, of being finally seen as a normal person but the time she spent with him, when he tried his best to know the sign language to talk to her, even if he was clumsy at first, he was catching up quickly and to be equal, he taught her how to pronounce some words, he made her laugh, he made her worry, he also talked to her about his insecurities, the ones he walks off the next day, she loved how he smiled when he tells her about their missions, it was one of the things she looked forward to, many times he made her feel so many things, she came to the conclusion he really was such a wonderful person, he deserved to be loved by someone who was at the same level as him, not her, an alien who wasn't valued in this society, who was less than nothing.

Even if she valued herself and she knew that she wasn't like how people call her, it hurt to see someone else being affected by it and after what Sharp eye told her about him; how he was trying everyday to be a better version of himself since he had a lot of pressure from the national generals, to exceed their expectations that were always low when it was about him, a single human who wasn't special like Black Horse, which his only good thing was his strategies, stealth and inhuman resistance, other than that he was expendable.

And she and the others knew that he was wrong, that the stupid nation generals were wrong, he was always training with the Dragon Team, he put himself in the most intense training since he entered the army, he knows to defend himself better thanks to his sparring's with Black Horse, his instincts are better thanks to Silver dog and Red flame helped him on his mental state, making it strong enough to not be possessed at first try, if someone worked more than anyone in the Dragon Team was him, he had fought and she didn't want that all of his hard work to finish in the trash for her, his reputation could change in a second if she confessed to him.

The dreams of calling him Darling or being lovey-dovey with him were just that, Dreams, something that could never happen.

He loved to flirt with girls, every time she caught him flirting with villages girls something broke inside her and it wasn't jealousy, it was the need of being that open about her feelings, but he will never like her that way, who could?, that's why she always gave him a smile, she tried her best to be fine in front of him, in front of everyone, even Silver dog, who could understand her, he was like the brother she never had and she wanted him to be happy with Kagome, the last thing she wanted was to burden him by her inferiority feelings and her impossible love, who was his best friend.

"Hey pretty, wanna small fruit?" The chef of the army, an old man called Kakashi said to her broking her thoughts, he saw how the beautiful girl expression changed while she walked towards the lunch room and he wanted to make her feel a little better, since the nurses came, the ambient became happier.

Lum nodded, feeling embarrassed but accepted the small circular fruit, and she bowed, thanking the gentle old man.

Sharp eye was lost, thinking of the last events when he went to the lunch room, Silver Dog and Higurashi were definitely an item or at least were most honest about what they feel since their mission together and the first kiss between them was the cherry to the cake, Black Horse and Tendo were now engaged, even if it was for Tendo's well-being he could see that they began to get used to the term and he wasn't blind , he could see the romantic tension they had sometimes and now Red Flame and Mamiya were the definitions of pure and young love, Red Flame loved Mamiya, making him vulnerable to blushing every time she smiled at him and Mamiya only gave him those smiles, he even made her blush, they spend time together talking about anything, his theory turned correct now, all of them were lost causes.

And now, he was beginning to be one of the lost causes too, the attraction he felt for the oni girl was growing stronger every day, she was a good listener and her smile was adorable, her personality was kind and explosive if the soldiers bothered her, she cheered him up when he felt down, she was brave, besides Kagome she was the second one to be unfazed by Silver Dog bad mood.

An attraction was good, it's been a long time since he got this excited to talk to just one girl and he didn't even need to flirt with her to give him an opportunity to talk or to had her attention, she was something else and his heart began to want to see her more often, not even Shinobu gave him her attention until a few weeks later in their friendship, maybe Lum felt bad for him? Probably but he didn't care, thanks for that he actually had an opportunity to not be an idiot around her, he tried to be more honest with her.

She made him want to understand a language he didn't even know it excited until he meets her, because he wanted to have a conversation with her, he gave her classes of pronunciation and he almost lost his heart the first times he heard her voice, who was incredibly cute and enchanting when she tried her best to talk.

Who could have thought that the Dragon team would be enchanted by the nurses? Was this a funny joke to God to pass the time? Will all of us be enough to end this war without losing the people we cared about? Is it okay to be attracted or even love when there is a war, which has lasted fifty years? Was it stupid to believe that we had a chance to end the war and be happy?

Sharp eye sighed, he needed to stop overthinking, it was probably a good idea to eat alone in the lunchroom to put his mind at ease and that plan went to the trash when he recognized an aquamarine hair a few meters in front of him.

Screw the plan of eating alone

"Lum, there you are!" Sharp eye said walking towards her with a smile, holding a sandwich on one of his hands" Want to accompany me to eat outside?"

Lum nodded while still holding the strange fruit on her hand, they walked together, he told her about today's morning mission and she heard him with a smile in her face.

"And then we finished them with a group attack, it felt so good!" Sharp eye said proudly, they decided to sit outside on one of the wood benches, when he looked at her, he noticed for the first time the fruit she had in her hand "Oh, never thought you like umeboshi"

Lum looked at him and then at the fruit, her expression told him everything.

"You never ate one?" He said smiling" its flavor is a bit strong but it's cool, you should try it"

Lum smiled and put the Umeboshi in her mouth, tasting it first as if it was candy and then her expression turned red, she put both of her hands on her checks, closing her eyes hard and Sharp eye panicked.

"Wow, are you okay?" Sharp eye asked, maybe the flavor was so much? but he had seen her eat normally other things and even things that made a normal person tongue burn, why was this different?

"Hic"

"Eh?"

Lum looked around her and then gazed at him, her expression was red and her eyes half closed and…she smelled like booze?

"Lum, are you alright?"

"Darling!" She said with a perfect Japanese before throwing herself at him, making them both fall down to the grass, she was on top of him, hugging him tightly and he could feel her, her body was a lot to take in, her breasts were touching his chest and he needed to think of something else while keeping his hands to himself.

What just happened? She just ate an Umeboshi and that didn't have enough alcohol to make her drunk, a normal person or youkai would never…

But she wasn't a human, she was an Alien and her tastes were different than theirs….

Damn it!

"Lum, you're probably drunk!" Sharp eye said, incorporating himself a little, still being gentle with her while holding her shoulders, she was so close, he could see perfectly her beautiful eyes, her lips and he needed to keep talking to her because she wasn't right and he was supposed to not get distracted by her, this was serious "We need you to take you to where the girls are so you can rest and-"

He froze when he recognized the look she gave to him , it was the same one he saw that Miss Godai gave to the lieutenant Yusaku in their last visit to the army when she thought he wasn't looking, but this time it came from Lum and it was directed at him.

This wasn't right! She wasn't in her right mind, this shouldn't be happening!

"Lum please we need to take you to the-" His talking stopped as he looked at how she closed her eyes and gave him her lips, she cut the distance between them and kissed him tenderly as she put one of her hands on his check, Sharp eyes opened his eyes in surprise, trying his best to fight the temptation on corresponding the kiss, which had an electrifying effect on him, that was beginning to feel amazing.

She is drunk, this isn't okay, I should just…

She removed her hand from his check and with her other hand, moved them around his neck, making them closer and Sharp eye knew he was screwed.

That's it, I surrender!

He responded the kiss and kissed her for a few more minutes until both had to breathe for hair, it wasn't his first kiss but damn did it felt like it was.

She gazed at him once more before she laid her head on his chest, with a beautiful smile on her face and then she fell asleep.

"Well, this is bad" Sharp eye admitted to himself, now he knew how the others felt and boy, she just made it more difficult to him now.

But first, I need to take her to the others

Lum was in deep sleep when he carried her bridal style, she was lighter than he expected and as he walked, he began to think.

So, The girl I am attracted to just kissed me and called me Darling, it's not a big deal, I can control the situation.

He knew he was lying to himself.

When he arrived at the place where the nurses healed, he found Mamiya and Tendo in there.

"Hello girls, can you help me out to put this sleeping beauty on a bed?" Sharp eye asked a little bit awkward.

"Oh dear, what happened?" Mamiya said going to them with Tendo by her side "Did she fainted?"

"No, I think she's just actually really drunk" Sharp eye said and caught Tendo's worried expression.

"Did she took a sip of sake?" Tendo said, for the look of what she just said, this wasn't the first time Lum got like this.

"Umeboshi actually, I think the chef gave it to her and she took it thinking that it was only a normal fruit"

"Even Umeboshi affects her that much?!" Tendo gazed at her friend" Did she did anything bad?"

She kissed me

"Nope, she only called me Darling and her Japanese sounded perfect" Sharp eye caught for a moment how both nurses changed looks between them for a second, making him confused.

"You see Sharp eye, that's because Lum has been reading for the hundred times one of her favorite novels, and there is a couple in there so they call each other a lot of things, and one of them is Darling" Mamiya said quickly, trying her best to sound casual.

"Yes, and she just finished it yesterday so, that's probably why she said that, you know, with that so fresh in her mind " Tendo finished with a smile.

The truth was that girls knew why she called him Darling but they couldn't said it since it was Lum's secret and they promised to never share it to the guys, especially to him but that didn't stop them for rooting for her friend, they knew that Sharp eye was more than a carefree and flirty guy, the way he acted around Lum was so cute to see but they keep it to themselves, for respect to her friend.

"I see, well it's good that it was me who was with her, I don't want to think what could have happened if she was with Cologne"

"Please Sharp eye, keep this as a secret, don't tell Lum about, you know, the Darling thing, she will feel bad if she knew she acted like that, after all the promise…." Tendo and Mamiya looked at the ground.

Erasing his good mood, Sharp eye felt impotent too, they knew that Lum was chained to a promise with the nation, her behavior had to be perfect and perfect mean a soulless body, meaning that any show of 'impurity' or 'inappropriate behavior' she does could cost her nurse career and nationality, All of them hated that promise, it was bullshit.

And Lum wasn't a good liar like him, she was like an open book and the last thing he wanted was to make her feel bad for a thing that was out her control, as he understood the situation he asked if it was ok to put her on one of the beds there and they nodded, he then layed her carefully in the bed.

She was a beautiful girl with a gold heart for him and she didn't deserve to be monitored, he wanted her to always act like she does when she is with him since when she is with people she doesn't know or are looking her in a disrespecting matter she becomes a shell of herself.

And he fucking hated that.

A/N: Wanted a bit of fluff before the next chapter, since it will be angsty also, the real deal will begin, there will be still fluffy moments but this time I will go a bit more serious in the theme of war, I will balance it out.

Also, I am so happy that I developed FOUR relationships in a span of six chapters and don't worry, I will keep developing them further!