"And you're sure it couldn't have been Amon?" a small black-haired man sat in the center of the council room. He overlooked the skeptical tribe amongst his fellow chairmen, questioning two demons in particular.
"We saw him killing demons with our very eyes!" Kaim iterated stoutly.
"I assure you it wasn't him, but don't worry I can bring Amon back to us," Sirene said with a sultry voice.
The three head council members glanced amongst themselves with uneasiness. Just next to them stood the figure of Psycho Jenny observing vigilantly. She knew the cautionary squirming of the council members all came from her predictions.
The elderly man squawked worriedly, "If all is correct, the course of action is already changing…"
"He's getting ahead of us," the woman stated, more alarmed.
The center man sat puzzling to himself. He shared a look with the psychic demoness and motioned for her to come forth.
"Jenny, why don't you enlighten Sirene, Kaim and the rest of the tribe of our speculations."
She did as she was told and stood before the horde of distrusting devils.
"The balance of our world has been displaced, for the first time in this ceaseless time loop something has changed. The human Akira Fudo, who had failed in all previous attempts has resurrected his spirit from his past lives. What this means I am not sure, but I do know our species and especially our Lord now faces tremendous danger. Fudo has already begun his preparations for a rematch, and we must as well, for this I have devised an emergency plan of action."
The group of demons were clearly befuddled, Sirene chiefly held a repugnant glare.
"How can you be sure?"
"How are we expected to ensure our survival if Devilman already knows what we'll do?"
"It's a lie, a time loop can't be possible!"
The protests all rose randomly at once, and only lasted a few seconds before they were silenced by the chairmen. He skimmed across the mob of devils gravely.
"Whether you wish to believe any of this or not, I conclude we have enough evidence to react with discernible cation. If all is as predicted, demonkind might still have a chance to turn this situation in our favor."
The chairmen now directed all his focus to Jenny who looked back at him attentively.
"Jenny, the last two you requested are here now, shall we take them back and begin phase two?" he whispered. Jenny nodded her head and tapered her gaze to the pair of renowned devils. Sirene stared back with a fierce intensity.
"Sirene, Kaim, we request that the both of you stay for just a bit longer, all else are dismissed," the chairman ordered. He and the rest of the demon panel retreated into one of the back rooms. Jenny followed after them last, giving one final look back before entering. Kaim shared a brief acknowledgement with Sirene until he too made his way to the private speaking quarters. Sirene stuck behind Kaim reluctantly.
When they passed through the doorway the first thing that grabbed Sirene and Kaim's attention was the attendance of two other devils. Ghelmer and Jinmen weren't particularly high-ranking demons and thus their occupancy felt out of place.
"What is this about? What are these two doing here?" Sirene questioned.
"This is phase two of our plan. You four are the demons that had the most impactful encounters with Devilman throughout all the time loops. In theory you all would have the best chance of fighting him again, knowing his weaknesses and learning from your mistakes. Jenny is going to retrieve your memories so that you may fight again and be on equal ground with Devilman."
"Retrieve our memories? Don't be ridiculous, I couldn't be defeated by that pathetic boy, nor could Amon. I have a better idea, I'll just reawaken Amon's heart and all will be on our side either way," Sirene crossed her arms dismissively.
"You try that every time, and every time you ultimately end in failure," Jenny stated staidly. The offence was blatant upon Sirene's features.
"Failure? If I were to ever fail in such a disgraceful way I'd remember!"
"No one remembers. When demons are reborn, they forget their pasts like everything else. But when Fudo resurrected himself it was the spirit of his past life and thus, he regained his memories," Jenny explained, staring severely at the harpy.
Sirene scowled, "Well, if all of this is a time loop and everyone is doomed to forget their previous lives when reborn anyway, why not revive every demon's memories?"
"Reviving even one demon's memory takes time, that's why I only selected the most promising demons for this task," Jenny replied.
"We're hoping to kill Devilman as discreetly as possible. If we can dispose of him without exposing our existence, the better the odds will be in our favor," the chairmen added.
Sirene didn't comment further, she simply stood still with a cold stare. Kaim granted her a supportive look before falling into place with the other two demons. Sirene wasn't quick to join him but when she did, she did so in a puff.
"Excellent, the sooner we get this over with the sooner we can kill Devilman. I wish luck to you all, demonkind rests in your hands," the chairman tipped his head to them.
Jenny approached her first candidate, Ghelmer the water demon, who wore a face of strong doubt but complied regardless. The demoness lifted her hand and the red glow from her eyes was beginning to drown out all the rest of the light in the room. Ghelmer pulled back initially but began to fall into a steady daze shortly after. All was going accordingly when suddenly another demon rushed into the meeting room in a panic. The abrupt entrance broke Jenny's focus and thus the trance.
"What is the meaning of this!?" the chairman barked.
"S-sir, he, the boy, he's-"
"He's what?" Jenny perked.
"He's awake, and asking where he is," the demon answered nearly out of breath. "What should I tell him? He doesn't seem to know who he is?"
All eyes fell to the psychic demoness who remained collected and thoughtful.
"I'll go speak to him, the sleep I put him under must have worn off. We'll pick this up again when I get back."
The blonde teen's pupils darted nervously across the darkened pale room. It was neat for the most part, although rather vacant, the only bits of furniture included a table, chair, and the bed he was currently laying on. There were no windows, decorations or even paint on the concrete walls. Overall, the space looked much older and dinger than he was used too, it left an unnerving feeling in him. He had woken up in this place but couldn't recall how he had gotten there or where he was to begin with. He wanted to get up and explore but his leg was still hurt, he was lucky enough to get the attention of a rather odd man, hearing his calls. The man seemed suspiciously anxious but informed him that he would send for Jenny.
Jenny, she must be the root of all this he concluded as he sat there calculating. When he heard the door click every ounce of his attention rushed to it.
"Asuka sir, you're awake," Jenny greeted him as she stepped inside.
"Jenny, where am I? Why am I here?"
She quietly closed the door behind her and didn't seem much in a hurry to answer his questions. When she turned back to him, she could see his tolerance was thinning. She kept her patience though and came to stand respectfully before him.
"This is my agency, I brought you here for your own protection sir," she answered. His features rose and his stomach sank, allowing the shock to show through the whole of his body language.
"Protection? What am I being protected from?" he asked. Jenny broke away from their eye contact, drooping her gaze instead to the floor. Ryo leaned more in, his impatience growing.
Jenny seemed as though she was going to speak but at the last second, she instead could only exhale a sigh. Ryo, normally a collected individual, was outwardly starting to show signs of agitation. He didn't like this, there was something horribly wrong, but he couldn't place what and Jenny didn't seem too keen on enlightening him.
"Jenny answer me, what's wrong? What happened to Akira?" he snapped.
She looked back to him with a solemness, "Sir, Akira Fudo no longer exists…"
The dread Ryo felt was visible on his face, "What do you mean?"
"When Fudo merged with Amon, Amon overtook him. Now Amon is out for your head, wanting revenge for you attempting to imprison him," she lied.
Ryo's mouth parted and his head shook lightly, he couldn't believe it, it couldn't be true. His hand came to cradle his forehead as he desperately tried to wrap his mind around the plausibility.
"T-this, it doesn't make any sense," Ryo stammered. "How, how could this happen, Akira's heart was pure, he couldn't lose to…" he cut himself off in a huff. "It just, it doesn't feel right, it couldn't be true."
Jenny's shoulders slumped a little and slowly she came to sit on the edge of her master's bed.
"I'm afraid it's so, I saw it with my own eyes," she said consolingly. Just then Ryo's head jumped up from his hand and his eyes narrowed at her.
"You were there?"
She turned her body and tipped her face in an oddly sweet manner, "Yes I was. I'm sorry to have followed you sir, but it is my duty to protect you and look after you. I know from your research these Sabbaths could become extremely dangerous, and I had to ensure your safety."
The sternness that was once present in Ryo's expression seemed to steadily disappear. It instead taking a much more understanding appearance.
"It's a good thing I went too, you wouldn't have made it out of there alive if it weren't for me. Luckily, the worst you got was a broken leg, but you should heal up fairly quickly," she finished.
"Hmm," he replaced his cheek back into his hand, staring on in deep musing. The thought of Akira being taken over by a devil just didn't set well with him. There had to be an explanation, and some way to fix this.
"Thank you for your concern Jenny, but we need to go home now. I need to find out what went wrong with Akira," he said, trying to nudge himself to the bed's edge. "Help me up," he requested inattentively.
Despite every instinct screaming at her to obey her master's order she remained still. Her unusual behavior quickly claimed Ryo's notice. He stared at her dead on with a tapering gaze.
"Jenny, help me up," he spoke loud and clear.
She paused before continuing with conflicting features, "I'm sorry sir, but we can't go back home."
"Why not?"
"It's not safe there anymore, Amon broke in last night, he's looking for you."
Ryo's eyes were spread wide, and his head rocked disbelieving. His exasperation seemed to be manifesting into the rest of his body, he struggled to keep himself composed.
"I would suggest that you not leave this room sir. Amon wants you dead, and he's gaining henchmen that you should be on alert for as well."
He huffed and narrowed his features, "Jenny, I have to do something I can't just stay here, and you can't just keep me here!"
"I'm afraid I have no other choice sir, you'll be okay, we'll let you heal up here. The others will assist you as I do until I'm finished arranging your living conditions. It's in your best interest sir, it'll all make sense sooner or later," she came back to her feet.
"Jenny, I have to get to the bottom of this, Akira is in danger, there must be a way to save him. If you're going to keep me here at least bring back my studies so that I can investigate further," he instructed.
She slightly bowed accepting his plea as she turned around and departed from the room. When Ryo heard the heavy wooden door close after her, he flung the blankets off himself. He understood her reasoning, but he couldn't stay. As uncomfortable as it was, he fought to stand. He grabbed his coat and hobbled across the room, using the limited furniture to stabilize himself. When he creaked the door open he peeked out to see what was on the other side. There were two men on the opposite side seeming to be guarding his room. He grit his teeth in frustration at first but an idea dawned on him.
The door swung open much to the demon's surprise, leaning on the doorframe Ryo stood looking weak and feeble.
"Asuka, you shouldn't be up, you need to go back to bed," one of them boomed.
"Where's the bathroom?" Ryo spoke flatly.
Comprehension seemed to wash over them both, "Ah of course, it's right down that hall. Let me see if we can find you something to walk with."
Ryo watched the two of them clamber for a support vigilantly. When they finally returned with what looked like used to be a broom handle, he yanked it out of the one's hands. He didn't hesitate to leave a quick strike on each of them, perfectly aimed to take them both down in one blow. They slid to the floor, vacant of all consciousness as Ryo stepped over them casually.
Making his way through the rest of the agency would have been much easier if he didn't have to rely on his stick to get everywhere, but he made do. Anytime he heard someone coming he would simply evaded them and allow them to pass by without him being detected. The more Ryo went, the more the area gave him an uneasy feeling. The place was dark and grungy, there were parts of it that looked like it had been completely abandoned, it couldn't possibly be an agency. He rolled over his unnerving thoughts though, as he finally neared an exit. Approaching the end, he felt the adrenaline race through him and when he pushed open the door, he was greeted by the cool night air. He had done it, he was free.
He only glanced back for a second but even that was enough to know he was being deceived. This building he came out of was definitely not a place of business, it was practically in shambles and rather secluded. Ryo couldn't understand why Jenny would lie to him, but his apprehensions were becoming even more undeniable. He had to find Akira, there was certainly something wrong, he could feel it.
If the worst outcome he had predicted had really come to be, Akira much like Professor Fikira had been overtaken. Ryo couldn't bear the thought. Something about it just didn't add up, Akira couldn't be gone, not completely, and he would stop at nothing to discover the truth.
The drowning sound of the wind at last began to dim as did the grumble of the motorcycle. Akira pulled up in front of the Makimura house and lazily slumped off the bike.
"Come on Taro," even his voice was dead tired. The boy did so but there was something anxious about his movements, something distressed in his face. Akira barely noticed anything, let alone Taro's off behavior. When he had made it to the door is when he realized Taro had stopped walking with him about midway through the yard.
"Taro come on, it's dinner time. You don't want to be late right?" he tried to liven himself up for Taro's sake. The young devilboy seemed to be cautiously taking in each detail of the house. A ray of understanding came to the devilman as he backtracked to meet with Taro.
"Oh, yeah it can all be a little overwhelming at first, but it's okay. Everything's all back safe and sound as it was," he kneeled to his level. "There's nothing to worry about Taro, I'll protect you."
The younger of the two stared back at Akira and seemed to ease slightly but was far from relaxed.
"Yeah, but…" Taro glanced away. Outwardly Akira could tell frustration was festering within him but deep down, he could also sense sadness.
"Yeah, but what?" he said calmly. Suddenly Taro's gaze became distant, and drool spilled over his lip as he sniffed at the air. This action compelled Akria to try and pick up on what he was smelling. He could already discern quite a bit from the air, but he hadn't really been focusing on it, however, when he did it all clicked. The savory scent of meat was on the breeze and it was coming from inside the house. Now paying attention to it Akira could feel his instinctual hunger nearly sweep him away too. He swallowed it back though and retook his place in the moment.
"Don't worry Taro we'll get fed. There probably won't be enough for us at dinner though, heck it's sure not enough for me."
"I'm hungry," Taro wined.
"I know I am too, I'll think of something, don't worry," he placed a hand on Taro's shoulder. The boy brought his hands up together at his chest and seemed to be breathing heavily.
"But Akira I am worried…"
"I know you are, I don't blame you. I'll get us some meat and that'll help a lot, you'll see," he smiled but for some reason Akira could feel the old familiar warmth of tears well up under his lids. It was strange, he hadn't felt like crying in so long, he thought he never could again, and yet here it was. His heart beating with compassion and remembrance. He turned his head to get a good look at Taro's face, his cheeks were red, and his eyes seemed puffy.
Akira's brow knit, "Taro what's wrong?"
"I-I'm hungry, and-and..." his voice was brittle and just then his tears overflowed in both his and Akira's eyes. "M-mom and Dad are gonna be mad at me," he choked through sobs. Akira's mouth parted and his head shook lightly. He tried to keep control of his tears and pay all his attention to the troubled child.
"Taro what are you talking about? Why would your mom and dad be mad at you?"
"I-I didn't mean to," he whimpered. "I'm so sorry, I-I didn't want to hurt mom, and dad was so mad at me."
Akira felt as though he had been punched right through the chest hearing the young boy's weeping confession. He wanted to speak to him but was at a loss for words, all he could bring himself to do was wrap him in a tight hug letting him cry into his shoulder.
When Akira finally drew his breath again, he managed to speak, but with a trembling voice.
"Taro, it's okay it's going to be okay, t-that didn't happen."
Listening to that stifled Taro's bawling slightly. "What do you mean?" he sniffled. Akira pulled away but kept a gentle grip on both of Taro's arms.
"I mean that didn't happen. Your parents are fine, they aren't mad at you, they love you, they always love you. All that was just a nightmare, nothing but a bad dream."
"A bad dream?" the boy repeated. "But I remember it, I remember being dead and scared and..."
"Yeah, I know, but that's only what could have happened, but I will make sure it doesn't ever happen again."
"Really?"
"Yes, I promise," Akira affirmed watching the boy's body rise. Taro slowly nodded his head and his features warmed as he wiped his tears away.
"Okay, maybe I can help you," Taro offered. Akira closed his eyes and chuckled to himself before rising again.
"That's good, as a matter of fact, you actually can help me rustle up something to eat," he smiled with an idea.
"I can?" Taro said following Akira as he walked to the backside of the house. Akira glanced around the immediate area ensuring the coast was clear before turning back to Taro.
"Yes, you can," Akira removed his shirt and folded it neatly onto a bench. "Your parents are going to be upset I'm keeping you out this late, but we have to," just as he finished his wings burst loose from his back. Taro was clearly awestruck and there was a new joyful gleam in his eyes.
"Are we gonna fly Akira?" he exclaimed.
"It's the fastest way to travel," he lent his hand out to him. The boy took it without question allowing Akira to haul him onto his back. "And we got a ways to go."
In a swift downbeat the two were in the air as Akira climbed higher into the sky. Soon enough they were shrouded in the clouds and safe from any wandering eyes. He rushed them over Tokyo as quick as he could until the city was setting on the horizon behind them. The devilman finally landed them in the quiet forested greenery surrounding the city. The stars shone brightly out here, and the only noise was the ambiance of crickets and other forest creatures.
"Akira, why are we out here?" the child asked as he slid off Akira's back. The older male began walking ahead of him, scanning the woodland observantly. Taro tried to catch on to what it was but couldn't tell anything outright.
"All the times before this one, I had a person that had enough money to feed me all the meat I could want. Only now I realize that person will ultimately always betray me, and it's up to me to stop him once and for all," Akira explained.
"Okay, but why are we out here?" the boy asked again.
"To get meat Taro, fresh and red. We have to get it ourselves now."
Before the devilchild could question him further Akira stopped him and stood as stiff as stone. He seemed to be sensing something, when he did move again, he stared off into a deep thicket. Taro followed his gaze and when he paid attention, he could begin to see through it. A ways into the tangled mess was a herd of sika deer. The more Taro zeroed in on them the more he noticed their potent scent and even the gentle steps they tried to hide were resonating in his ears. This must have been what Akira had been tuning into from the start.
Taro instantly began to salivate just thinking about devouring one of them. The thought was too tempting on pure impulse. Taro was about to chase after them but was halted by a muscular arm with a bluish tint. He gazed up to see Akira mid-transformation starring down at him with a disapproving expression.
"Taro you don't rush in, because you did that their heartbeats have risen and they've become more cautious," he whispered.
The boy, upon the devilman pointing it out, acknowledged this change in the prey, but pouted regardless.
"What does that matter? It's not like they stand a chance against us, anyway, let's just eat them. I did this to a dog before."
Akira exhaled deeply leaned down closer to his level, "This isn't about just catching food Taro. Your instincts will push you to survive or to do something you don't want. You have to know how to control it and use it when you need to, you have to learn how to work with it. That means you have to be aware of your surroundings at all times, even in battle you must stay aware because there will come a time when blunt force won't be enough for some foes. Even I had to learn that, and I still struggle to keep myself in check sometimes. Do you understand?"
Taro looked discouraged but slowly came around, "I guess, but I'm starving!"
"Yeah, yeah I know I am too. We'll pig out now but don't forget what I told you it's very important. Especially with how young you are, it's probably all really confusing. Feel free to ask me if you need help with anything or have questions. I mean, if you really want to be helping me, I'll owe it too you right?" Akira attempted to lift the child's spirits.
"Really? You're gonna let me help you!?" Taro piped up. Akira nearly cringed, knowing the deer had well been spooked off after that. Taro himself seemed to know too as he covered his own mouth. "Sorry…" he squeaked. Akira nodded his head to him tiredly accepting his apology and straightening himself up again.
"Yes, but you'll need a lot of practice first, I can't have you getting hurt. Maybe hunting will help you get a start?" he smirked.
"Yeah! Come on Akira, they couldn't have gotten far!" Taro sped off ahead of him, leaving Akira to follow after with a pleasant roll of his eyes.
The devilmen tracked down the herd once again and began their long-awaited feast. At first Akira had been catching most of the food but Taro became more accustomed to his demonic body the longer they went. While Akira favored a more stalk, chase and pounce approach to his hunting Taro discovered he did better by sitting still and blending in until his prey crossed his path. Once they had done so he would snatch them in his tentacles and pull them into his mouth. Akira took notice of Taro's unique abilities, with some training he had a lot of promise, and he'd need all the skilled help he could get. As he waited for the boy to finish up his meals Akira sat with himself and licked up as much of the blood off himself as possible.
He recalled the previous war with Satan and his devilmen he wondered perhaps if much like Taro his army would do well with some practice. The first time that was a luxury they couldn't afford, and frankly Akira himself was far too vengeful to consider it. As he sat and watched the boy pick the last bits of meat from the deer's bone, he got the idea. The sooner he resurrected his men the soon they could learn to fight together. A thoughtful smile formed at his lips as he lifted onto his feet again. It was something he'd need to look into but for now there were more immediate tasks for him to bear.
"Come on Taro, we have to get home now. You're out way later than you were supposed to be," Akira spoke over his shoulder opening his wings. No protests came from the sleepy child, he promptly hopped onto his back and dosed off. With that the pair took off into the night back home. As Akira went his thoughts always returned to one person. He missed her and tomorrow he concluded would be the day. The day Miki would know his truth.