Chapter 10: Human, Demon, it's all the same.
Akira, Kaim, Takeshi and the girls after much pondering, decided to head to Takeshi and Takae's house. This time Akira decided to cook for all six of them in order to test himself and prove his skills as a cook to his friends.
After everyone, minus Akira who was cooking, took a seat at the table, Misaki was the first to speak "Five days earlier at the club, Akira told us that you were not from this world. Is it true?" she asked Kaim, while the other three beasts looked towards him.
The demon in disquise replied, with a nod "That is correct." causing the four devil-beasts's eyes to widen "I presume he already told you about the demons too?" he continued with a serious tone, earning a nod from them. Even though his face remained stoic, he was worried. He once never cared about how others would judge him sorely by his nature. But now, after realizying the crimes his race had commited, he was afraid that the four young people in front of him were going to change their opinion towards him.
"He did. He told us that you were created accidentally by God and he later tried to exterminate you, only for his son, Satan to oppose him, lead you in battle against his forces, driving him back and then hibernating for millions of years." Replied Takeshi, taking Kaim completely by surprise.
Devilman knew about Lord Satan?
Very few demons back then, demons who Zennon trusted the most, including Kaim himself, knew of Satan's plan. Kaim himself was one of the many demons who had witnessed as the powerful demon psychic Psycho Jenny took Satan's memories before replacing them with those of a human. Such was his plan, to infiltrate human society, live among then, learn about their ways until the time when Psycho Jenny would return Satan's memories.
Nonetheless Kaim retained a stoic face before replying"I see." in a surprised tone "Then i take it, that he also told you that Satan devised a plan to infiltrate human society, learn their ways before we would launch our final attack against humanity with his information to back us up?" earning a nod from the devil-beasts once again, stunning Kaim even more.
"Yep." came Akira's voice after he was done cooking. Then after putting all kinds of plates on the table, including dumplings, vegetables, noodles, bread and soup, he continued "And it so happened that Satan used to be a good friend of mine, while he was a human. That is, until he got his memories back."
Kaim was at a loss for words. Devilman had befriended Lord Satan?
His mouth remained agape for a few seconds before he replied "H… how did you….." his face full of shock and disbelief. But before he could finish his question Akira interrupted him "I'll explain everything in due time. But for now….." he paused before sitting in his chair "Let's eat!" he exclaimed happily earning a smile and a nod from the four young devil-beasts.
And so everyone, including Kaim, began to eat. Takeshi, the girls and even Kaim enjoyed Akira's food a lot. He took the time to borrow all of that stuff from his cart shop. Unsurprisingly, Takae and Takeshi, having already experienced Akira's food the night they went to the club, were enjoying it greatly. Even Kaim was enjoying a salad Akira had made very much. He had to admit it: it was refreshing to eat cooked food, after eons of eating whatever he could find. Food such as this offered a new plethora of tastes he had never before experienced back during the ancient times.
Misaki and Kyoko enjoyed Akira's food the most. Rather amusingly, Kyoko would take most of her food with her hands, not unlike how a monkey feeds, not even bothering to use chopsticks to eat multiple dumplings and other stuff, causing the rest of the group to laugh happily and amusingly at her habits. Even Kaim chuckled at the orange-eyed girl's habits: while they were far from elegant, she looked cute doing it. Then again, demons were never known for good table manners in the first place.
"IT'S DELICIOUS! SO DELICIOUS!" she exclaimed, in the cutest, most adorable voice one could think of causing everyone to chuckle happily, while Takae replied "Careful now. You don't wanna choke!" in her usual upbeat tone, while patting the younger girl on the back slightly.
Misaki, on the other hand, was happily enjoying a soup, but weirdly enough, as soon as she started to drink it, her tongue shrunk and took the form of a stinger, not so different from that of a mosquito. In less than a minute she drank all of it, before her tongue resumed her normal appearance. As she was cleaning her mouth, she spoke "Mmmm… that was actually very good!" in a satisfied and joyful tone. Then she turned towards Akira before continuing "Seriously, were did you learn to cook this well Ak-"
Only to stop as she noticed that Akira was staring at her with comically wide eyes and his mouth slightly agape in an equally comic manner. An uncomfortable look formed on her face before she spoke "Is…. Is there something wrong?" with a worried and uneasy tone. Then Takae and Takeshi began to giggle amusingly before busting out laughing as they quickly figured out that Akira had been unnerved by the way Misaki drank.
"D-DON'T WORRY MISAKI! APPARENTLY HE'S AFRAID OF STINGERS! !HAHAHAHAHAHA!" replied Takae, while covering her mouth with her hand due to how much she was laughing. This caused Kaim to chuckle as well: to say that it was amusing to see the one who had conquered the mighty Amon being unnerved by a simple stinger was an understatement.
"NO! I'M NOT!" Replied Akira, his face as red as a tomato, completely ashamed to show this side of himself to his friends. It was actually rather embarassing to be unnerved by a stinger-like tongue, when Akira had seen all kinds of ugly, disgusting demons.
"Oh. I see." replied Misaki with a giggle. She had just realised that Akira had reacted that way because of her stinger-like tongue. In fact that was her tongue's true form. When she first became a beast, apart from her antennae and eyes, the most profound change in her body was her tongue, which became just like the stinger of a mosquito. Then she would later find out that she could shift her tongue's appearance back into a human one and viceversa, in order to speak the human language.
"HAHAHAHA! I NEVER KNEW HOW SENSITIVE YOU WERE INSIDE! YOU'RE AS ADORABLE AS A LITTLE GIRL! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" exclaimed Takeshi, while getting behind Akira and pulling his cheeks all the while laughing humorously.
Needless to say, Akira was not amused by this. After a few seconds, in a swift motion, he smacked Takeshi on the back of his head, causing his face to slam on the table.
"HOW ADORABLE WAS THAT?!" he shouted, obviously annoyed and with his cheeks still red. Kaim and the girls sweat-dropped. Even Kaim thought that he was overreacting.
Then Akira turned towards Misaki before speaking "Sorry about that. I guess that deep down, i'm still the shy and sensitive kid i was before i became what i am." with a sheepish tone. The red-eyed girl in front of him smiled and replied in a reassuring tone "Don't worry. At least you didn't scream in disgust." while glancing at Takeshi, who had gotten back to his seat, calming Akira down. Because yes: that was how Takeshi reacted when he first saw her tongue.
And so they resumed eating. Then after a while Kaim, after finishing his last dish decided to speak "You still did not answer my question." getting the attention of everyone. At this point nearly everyone had finished eating.
With a sigh, Akira replied in a serious tone "Very well. I guess i should start from the beginning.". He then cleared his throat before continuing "The human Satan disguised himself, Ryo Asuka, was a good friend of mine. I've known him ever since childhood. His father, an archaeologist discovered the existence of the demons when he uncovered an artifact during an expedition in South America that allowed whoever wore it to glimpse into the ancient past of the demons."
"Mmm….. I should have known. The Demon Mask." replied Kaim, earning a nod from Akira. The mask had been created by Psycho Jenny and had been imbued by the demon psychic's visions.
"Yes. It was an unforseen circumstance in his plan. Ever since he became friends with me, he wanted to make sure i survived after the demons eliminated humanity." spoke Akira.
As soon as those words left Akira's mouth, Kaim came to a realization.
"Then the Black Sabbath….." he began only to be interrupted by Akira "Yes. He had planned that too. He made sure i fused with Amon. All because he wanted me to stay by his side once the demons would have replaced humanity."
Kaim was thorougly shocked. Had Satan truly sacrificed Amon, one of the most valorous, mightiest and heroic warriors of demonkind for such a petty reason?
"I…. i cannot believe it…. He threw Amon away like that?!" he replied, incredolous and visibly angered by the revelation. How could Satan have done this? And why did Amon willingly go through with it? That was not something Amon would have done by choice. While far from a saint, Amon was nowhere near as sadistic as the rest of the demons: he never killed those who could not defend themselves. In fact Amon once said to him "What is the point in killing something that doesn't even fight back?" Such was his sense of honor, that when the demons awoke after millions of years, he was one of the very few who did not wish to harm humanity purely because there was no point in it. Well, aside from the warriors of mankind, that is.
"Is this the reality i have to face? After everything he did for his kind, all the battles he fought and everything he endured, THAT IS HOW SATAN REPAID HIM?!" roared Kaim after slamming his fist on the table, his voice and his face full of anger and outrage, startling the girls. Whatever the reason, Amon had been manipulated in participating in the Black Sabbath and had, most likely, been instructed by Psycho Jenny, who was acting on behalf of Satan or by Satan himself, to specifically possess Akira. Whenever it was foreseen or not, Akira's consciousness, had prevailed over Amon's. And that day, Devilman was born.
Meanwhile Takeshi and the girls were listening closely to the whole conversation. They were disconcerned to see Kaim, usually a calm and collected individual be overwhelmed by anger.
"Kaim." chimed in Takae after watching Kaim's reaction to the revelation "You knew Amon?" she asked in a soft but worried tone, calming him down. For some reason it was depressing to see what Kaim was going through. To learn that everything he believed in was a lie.
Kaim remained silent for a few moments. They knew of Amon too. Of course Akira had told them about him. And why shoudn't they have? He was the reason why Akira was what he is in the first place.
"Yes." replied Kaim, breaking the silence "He was a dear friend of mine, a brother-in-arms as you humans would put it." Everyone else's eyes widened, even Akira's. They were stunned to hear that Amon and Kaim knew each other for a long time.
"We fought together in countless battles. Against the forces of heaven, against other demons and even against dinosaurs." continued Kaim, earning everyone's interest "He became infamous among our kind for his power, his brutality towards his enemies and his love for battle. But unlike most demons, honor defined his character: he never killed those who coudn't defend themselves. He never fought without a reason. He was even caring and compassionate towards those he cared about, including myself and many other demons."
Akira, Takeshi and the girls listened in awe and fascination as Kaim recounted a glimpse of the mighty Amon's past. Akira himself was even more stunned than the rest: up until now, he had never stopped to wonder what kind of individual Amon was. Sure, he knew for a fact that he had some loved ones such as Sirene, but never would he have imagined just what an honourable warrior he was. Apparently Kaim wasn't the only noble demon back then.
"But it still does not explain why he willingly went through with something like this. Amon, like me was one the very few demons who did not wish to harm humanity. After all there was no point in killing beings that coudn't even fight back, as he once said to me." mused Kaim, still processing what Akira had told him.
"Whatever his reason, after the Black Sabbath, Satan's plan went on perfectly. Eventually he got his memories back. Afterwards he showed the entire world a film of the Black Sabbath, stating how demon possession worked. And then….. well i've already told what followed thereafter." spoke Akira in a serious tone.
"But if that is case…" began Kaim after a few moments of silence "Why are we here? What happened to our world?" he asked. Akira sighed. It was time to tell him the truth.
"It wasn't just the humans. The demons were also annihialated." Stated Akira bluntly. The look of pure shock and disbelief on Kaim's face had to be seen to believed. "W-what?" was all he could manage, not believing what he had just heard.
"Satan had caused the death of everyone i cared about." began Akira in a saddened tone, while the four beasts listened, disheartened. "I never forgave him for what he did. So i raised an army of Devilmen like me and waged war towards him for years up until-"
"YOU FOUGHT AGAINST SATAN?!" abruptly shouted Kaim, suddenly getting up from his chair. He was so taken aback, so shocked by what Akira said that he literally springed up on his feet due to the sheer magnitude of the statement. As a son of God, Satan had no equals among the demons he ruled. Not even Zennon himself ever came close to his power, let alone Amon.
"Yes. It all culminated in one final titanic battle over what used to be China. Demons and Devilmen fought to the very last one standing. Eventually only Satan and i remained." continued Akira while Kaim's shock died down and he sat back on his chair.
"How…. How did it end?" asked hesitantly Kaim even though he already knew the answer. Akira closed his eyes for a few moments before he replied "I lost. All it took was a beam of light. It obliterated me from the waist down. It wast the last thing i remembered before i woke up here, in this new world." his voice cracking ever so slightly.
Sadness filled every corner of Kaim's face. The outcome of that battle had already been decided from the start. During the war against the forces of heaven, Kaim himself had witnessed the power of Satan in full display when he fought against the other archangels. He saw entire celestial bodies, moons and planets be obliterated by the same beams of light such as the one that had mortally wounded Akira. What chance did the wielder of Amon's power have against the son of God himself, a being that could destroy entire planets and warp reality itself with ease?
And yet Akira had charged at him, head on. After all what else could he have done? He was the one who had taken everything away from him. Even if he would have died trying, he would not have rested in peace before making him pay for what he did.
"But that's not the end of it. After our battle ended, instead of finishing me off, Satan laid alongside me. At that moment he opened up to me. No matter how much he tried to deny it, his time as a human changed him. It made him realize that the treatment he inflicted upon humanity was not different from how God treated the demons. He wished to annihilate them simply because he thought he could. But it was too late when he realized it." he concluded.
Kaim's heart sank at the reveal. All the cruelties, all the tragedies and all the horror the demons had brought upon mankind were no different from what God did to them. Cursing them with the ability to merge with other lifeforms, dooming them to an existence of violence, survival and even cannibalism. All because he saw them as nothing more than abominations of nature. The demons had repeated that mistake instead of learning from it.
Tears began to fall from Kaim's face as the full implications of the reveal hit him. Everything he and his kind had been through, their battles across the eons of time had been all for nothing. The demons had brought their fate upon them just like the humans did. If the demons had learned to respect humankind instead of oppressing it, none of this would have happened. There would have been no pointless deaths. His beloved Sirene would have been still alive. Now Kaim truly understood that his sacrifice had been completely in vain. The demons were to blame entirely for this.
"It…. It was all our fault….." was all Kaim could manage, his voice cracking in grief, before burying his face in his hands. Akira and Takeshi could only watch in sadness as the demon in disquise before them broke down in tears. Meanwhile Takae, Misaki and Kyoko, who had listened at the entire conversation from the start, were themselves at the verge of tears. Watching the one who had saved them, such a noble, selfless soul in such a state broke their hearts.
"E-everything we have been through….. all the hardships, all the pain, all the suffering i have endured…. It….. it was all… for nothing…." whimpered Kaim, his tears flowing even more.
Misaki and Kyoko could no longer bear to see him like this. They got off their chairs, walked towards Kaim and hugged him deeply. He was just like them. They had seen the same pain, suffering and grief they had experienced in his brown eyes. The pain of having to watch as people close to you, died while you coudn't do anything. And given that Kaim had lived for milions of years, it was safe to assume that there were many of them.
He suddenly gasped as soon as the two girls hugged him "N…..No…. I don't deserve this… not after what my kind… almost did to you…" he whimpered.
Takae's jaw dropped in shock as soon as she came to the realization.
"You….. you betrayed your own kind to save us?" was all she could manage after getting up from her chair and walking towards the disquised demon.
"I…. i have no regrets…. Those bastards deserved it…. The fact that i come from the same kind as those monsters pains m-" he began only to be cut short by the horned girl's hug.
"So what? You are not like them." she replied, after parting from the hug, her yellow eyes, meeting Kaim's own. Overcome by their kindness, Kaim reuturned the hug experiecing yet again how it truly felt to be accepted. To be cradled by another's embrace. To have others who care about you.
"Nobody has ever done what you did for us out of simple altruism." added Misaki with a soft smile, while taking a glance at Akira "Well, aside from Akira, thas is."
Akira and Takeshi both smiled softly, at the emotional moment shared between Kaim and the girls. The former realised that Kaim was more human than many other people he had met throught the years. How ironic. That someone who should be monstrous by nature, as far from human as possible, could possess such a noble and kind soul.
"You're a good man, Kaim. Not like those who locked us in the concentration camp." said Kyoko as well in a reassuring, soft tone, while putting one of her hands on Kaim's left shoulder.
This caused Kaim, having being told earlier what a concentration camp was by Akira, to stir up. "What? What do you mean locked?" he asked, slightly taken aback.
Akira and Takeshi exchanged a look before sighing. It was time to tell Kaim about the beasts. After they both got and walked towards Kaim before sitting before him, Takeshi spoke "You may have noticed it. How many people don't entirely look human in this world, including us." in a serious tone, earning a nod from the disquised demon.
"They are not demons. They are called Devil-Beasts." added Akira, his voice just as serious.
"Devil…. Beasts?" asked Kaim, confused, earning a nod from Takeshi "Yes. We are humans who have been transformed into demonic creatures after the activation of a genetic factor in our DNA. Many have called us "the next step in human evolution". As you may have noticed, each beast is completely different from one another." he replied, while pointing at Takae's eyes and horns, at Misaki's antennae and at Kyoko's fur.
"Not only that, but many of them lose their humanity after their transformation. They become nothing more than wild animals, driven only by the instinct to feed and survive. Others, retain their conscience, but develop contempt towards mankind, viewing themselves as superior beings who have the right to do everything." added Takae, with a stern look on her face, and a hint of anger in her voice.
Kaim was dumbfounded. Humans evolving into demons? The mere concept of humans acquiring the strength and the savage nature of the demons at the cost of their free will was terrifying enough, but the fact that some of those people could be utter scumbags without any reedemable qualities? He coudn't even imagine what such people would be capable of, if such a twisted power were to fall on their hands
"But some of them, like us, retain it." added Misaki as well. "Didn't stop the Human Alliance from mistreating and even torturing some of us."
This caused Kaim's eyes to widen. "T….. That is how the other humans treated you?" he asked with a serious tone.
(OST: "Elegy" = watch?v=urPG62zXTUM = Devil Lady soundtrack, the track that plays from 3:21 to 5:31)
The three girls at first coudn't reply. The memories of all they went through, from Chika's death and their imprisonment were still fresh in their minds. But after a few seconds, Kyoko was the one to speak "Yes. They were afraid of us. We never hurt anyone in our lives but it didn't matter to them. We were different in their eyes. And that was all they needed to justify imprisoning us, torturing us…" she paused, as it became too painful to recall those memories. Then after a few seconds she continued "….. killing our friend Chika…." in a weak, sorrowful tone, causing Takae and Misaki's faces to fill with sadness and grief.
"Chika?" asked Akira, having never heard of her. Takae, in return, weakly nodded before replying "She was a dear friend of us. Back when the city was quarantined due to the increase in the appearance of devil-beasts, we tried, throught the underground network of the city to reach Tsukuba Island, a district which had been claimed by several beasts who opposed mankind."
"Why?" asked Kaim, taken aback by what he heard. Takae turned towards him before replying "What else could we have done? True, we didn't want to associate ourselves with those psychopaths, but we didn't have anywhere else to go…." but then she stopped, her voice becoming weaker and her eyes getting weary. She coudn't find the strength to talk about it. The events of that day were still firmly embedded in her mind and she would never forget them.
Kaim then came towards her and after putting a hand on her shoulder, he spoke "Takae. What happened?" his voice filled with worry and seriousness. Takae gasped as her eyes met Kaim's own. She realized that he was there for her and that he was willing to listen. Finally, she replied "We….. we were caught by human soldiers. They… they beat us up…. Starting with Kyoko…." her voice becoming weaker and weaker each time she uttered a word, until she could no longer find the strength to speak. Kyoko's face filled with sadness and sorrow, as her memories of the soldiers stomping on her head without a care in the world, came back.
"They…. They called us animals… " she spoke with a saddened and resentful tone, clenching her fists in anger "We had never hurt anyone in our lives before! And yet they tortured us with glee as if we were nothing!" she exclaimed in fury, baring her sharp teeth.
"Chika coudn't stand it… She turned in her true form and attacked the soldiers….." chimed in Misaki, just as infuriated and saddened by the memories of what happened that day, causing the other two girls's eyes began to fill with tears. "They….. they… " she began weakly, momentarily averting her gaze from the others due to the pain those memories brought back. Finally, overcome by anger, outrage and sorrow, tears beginning to fall from her eyes, she screamed in anguish "THEY GUNNED HER DOWN LIKE A WILD ANIMAL! FOR THE SOLE CRIME OF PROTECTING US!"
Kyoko coudn't take it anymore. She buried her head on Misaki's chest and began to cry once again while the antennaed girl hugged her, while Takae closed her eyes, turned her head away from the others, hugged herself and also broke down in tears. Takeshi then came towards his girlfriend and hugged her, comforting her "Takae... It's alright, i'm here." he spoke softly, causing her to bury her head in her boyfriend's chest.
Akira and Kaim gasped, utterly shocked by what they had heard. The former realised that Takeshi wasn't lying when he said that the girls had suffered. It wasn't enough for them to be ostracized from the rest of society because of what they became, they had to watch as their friend was executed for the only crime of defending them. Not by fellow beasts but by human beings. What they once were. They were exacly like him: their lives had been thrown upside down by their transformations, their own family and society itself had turned its back towards them and nothing but pain, misery and grief came out of it.
On the other hand Kaim was appalled. How could the other humans have treated these girls who had never hurt anyone in their lives before, like this? He would have understood it if demons or other beasts were the ones responsible. But other humans, what these girls were originally? It made Kaim realise that being a human or a demon didn't matter. No matter the race, no matter how many noble souls existed, there would always be people like that. Evil, hedonistic and cruel people who think they have the right to do everything, not unlike the majority of the demons.
"How….. how could they?" he spoke, nothing but contempt present in his voice. Then he turned towards Akira before saying "You were right, Devilman. Humans truly can be as bad as us demons."
(Soundtrack ends)
Akira nodded but before he could speak, Takeshi beat him to it "Yeah. And what i and these girls have been through is the proof. Luckily we were able to escape and eventually the Human Alliance collapsed and humans and beasts managed to put aside their differences and learn to live together. Many good people, of both sides gave up their lives to make this happen."
Kaim's eyes widened. Like Akira before him, he thought to have misheard. "H… humans and Beasts…. Living together?" he spoke hesitantly, his face and his voice full of disbelief. Then Akira came towards him, put a hand on his shoulder and spoke "Believe me, i too coudn't believe it, when they told me. That is why you've seen many humans and beasts together in the streets. They now live together in peace and harmony." he spoke in his usual cheerful, uplifting tone.
Kaim coudn't believe it. The two races were living together after putting their differences aside. It was the complete opposite of what happened back on Akira and Kaim's original world. Then he came to a realisation: this was a world of peace, not a world of war, not a cruel merciless, unforgiving world like the ancient times. It was a world worth fighting for, a world worth dying for. Too many had given up their lives to make this dream come true.
All of Kaim's sadness dissappeared from his gaze in that moment. Determination and resolve replaced them. He came towards Misaki and Kyoko, who were still grieving at the reminiscence of what they went through.
"Misaki. Kyoko." he called out in a soft tone, getting their attention. Then he put his hands on their shoulders before speaking "What those humans did to you was wrong. Only cowards would treat those who cannot even defend themselves like dirt."
Those words caught Takae, Takeshi and Akira's attention. The former stopped crying and all three of them watched as the emotional moment began to unfold.
Their eyes met Kaim's own as soon as those words left his mouth and they gasped. His eyes were no longer full of grief and sorrow but by resolve and resolution. "Heed my words. Be it other humans or even my kind, until my time will come, i shall not let any harm befall you and this world ever again." he then pulled the girls in a hug before closing his eyes and concluding "I swear it. By my honor as a warrior. By my pride as a demon. You will suffer no more."
The two girls, overcome by joy, returned the hug before weakly replying "K…. Kaim….. Thank…. You." They had realised that Kaim was just like them: hurt. They understood what Kaim was going through when he learned the truth and in turn he had undestood that what these girls went through was no different to what he went through. The pain of having to watch as someone close to you died while you coudn't do anything about it.
The girls didn't know it, but a profound change had happened within Kaim. He had found his new purpose in this world, a reason to fight: protecting these girls and even his two new half-demon friends. Not even his fellow demons will be spared from his wrath from now on if they would even dare to lay a finger on his friends. And if it would eventually come down to it, he will even oppose his beloved Sirene if it means protecting his friends. Of course, given that the demons had been reborn in this world as well, it meant that there was a very high chance that even Sirene had been reborn.
"Sirene….. i hope you will understand…" mused Kaim in his mind, while still hugging the girls. He hoped that Sirene would open her eyes just as he did. After all, even she, was much more noble than the rest of his kind. Heck the only time she did anything against humanity was when she attacked Akira and the Makimura Family and even then, it was only because Akira had taken Amon away from her. Of course, until then, he will continue to search for her.
Akira, Takeshi and Takae, smiled softly at the beautiful sight. Watching as the bond between the girls and Kaim formed warmed their hearts.
"Awww. Look at them. It's as if they've known each other for years." spoke Takae in a joyful tone while putting her hands together and tilting her head slightly.
"Yep. Beneath his uptight exterior, he has a heart of gold." added happily Akira, while putting an arm around Takeshi's shoulders.
"Hard to believe that someone like him is more human than a lot of people we've met." spoke Takeshi, while crossing his arms. He witnessed first-hand how the humans mistreated him, the girls and countless other beasts in the concentration camp. And here, before his eyes was someone who, by nature should be as far as human as possible, displaying more kindness and altruism than many humans.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kaim and the girls parted from the hug. Then an idea formed in Akira's mind and he came towards them and spoke "Right, if you three are done cuddling, how about this: since it's sales day today, why don't we go out shopping? And who knows, maybe we'll find something more casual for you too Kaim. I mean, no offense, but that suit looks a bit expensive and too formal for hanging out with a bunch of misfits like us." in a half-cheerful, half-joking tone first glancing at the girls and then at Kaim himself, earning a giggle from Takeshi and the girls.
"I guess you could say that. It seems i still have a lot to learn about your customs." replied Kaim with a smile.
"Sure, why not!" replied Kyoko with her usual upbeat tone while Misaki simply smiled and nodded.
"Count us in." chimed in cheerfully Takeshi while Takae added "And i know just the place!" then she turned towards Kaim before continuing "Don't worry. You'll be impressed by the quality of the clothes they sell." in her usual cheerful tone.
"Very well then. Lead the way." replied happily the disquised demon. He coudn't be happier. For the first time in the eons of his existence, he had found the closest thing he could get to a family. They had accepted him, despite his nature and he accepted them too. Now he will move on with a smile on his face, knowing that he's got people to return to. People who care for him and whom he cares about as well.
And so they left, in their quest to buy some new clothes and other stuff.
(Earlier, in the same day, somewhere else in the city)
After two months, she had returned back to the place where her career began. The building of her agency was on the other side of the road, still the same as it was before it all began.
"I wonder…. How much has changed in these last months….." mused Jun, deeply absorbed in thought. Her life had been thrown upside down on that fateful day six months ago, when Asuka manipulated her in awakening as a beast. Discovering that her personality could go from shy and sensitive to vicious and ruthless, the fact that she could inflict violence on others and revel in such violence, deeply affected Jun. She was disgusted by what she had become. But then again what kind of normal person woudn't have reacted like that? Upon finding themselves with a body that wasn't theirs, finding out new dark sides of their personality and the constant fear of losing control of yourself and having to live with the aftermath.
"Kazumi…. I'm doing this for you…. This is what you would have wanted… You were always there for me… you always gave me the resolve to move forward… Thank you…." she mused once again to herself. Kazumi was the one who encouraged her to move on even after she found out what she truly was. And now Akira had done the same the day before despite having only known Jun for less than 24 hours. He had given her the strength to move forward once again. And now she was going to make the most of it.
And so she took a deep breath before entering the building.