The bustle of the house was at its height as Akira stood there stiff as a statue and felt the rest of the world whirl right by him. His hand had been hovering over the doorknob after hearing the initial knock for a second now and he knew it was time to act. He grasped the knob catching himself up to the moment as he twisted it open.
The warm sunlight trickled in leaving its presence on the devilman's face, but even more than that the relief that came to him was beyond words. He could see the smiling faces of his parents and from theirs his own grew.
"Mom, Dad you made it!" Akira exclaimed, throwing his arms open to them.
"See Akira, we told you it wouldn't be that long," his dad chuckled as both him and Kaori came in to hug their son.
"Oh, it's so good to see you baby, and it's great to be back," she gave Akira a tight embrace before loosening herself, popping up with exuberance. "Alright where's Akiko, I owe her a big hug too!"
As if on que Akiko came around the corner covering her mouth in her hands, but even still everyone could see her grin beaming through. For a moment, the women were frozen in shock before excitedly rushing towards one another.
"Kaori!"
"Akiko!"
They both hollered out the others name as they collided into each other merrily. They held onto one another like they were little girls again, giggling with joy as they finally parted. They continued to go back and forth about how long it had been and how overjoyed they were to at last see one another again. Akira watched them despite not being a part of their interaction; he felt touched by the sight, nearly crying their tears of happiness.
Akira's dad placed his arm around his son's shoulder as he pleasantly observed his wife's cheerfulness along with him. The devilman looked up, and slowly shared a look of comradery with him, both understanding how magical this all was. His dad didn't stay long though, as Noel finally entered the hallway with a calm brightness to him.
Noel met to give the other a friendly handshake and a brief hug as they made their greetings. It seemed everyone was out now watching the reunion as Miko, and Taro had moseyed their way out of the dining room. Everyone except Miki so far. Akira's eyes wandered to glance up the stairs wondering how much longer she'd be taking.
"So when are we going to eat?" Taro finally broke through and received a light laugh from everyone around.
"Well, lunch is ready now, so if you all would like to have a seat in the dining room, we can start eating," Akiko announced. The group began to shuffle to the dining room with a contentedness about them. Akira followed close from behind, still at awe with everything occurring before him. As they passed the staircase the devilman lingered waiting to see the final member make her appearance.
He heard her quick footsteps first causing him to glance up to see her. She seemed as much in a rush as Akira but was finally beginning to settle. The moment she saw him standing there waiting for her, her whole face bloomed.
"Akira, you didn't have to wait up on me you know," she sounded teasing but no less grateful.
"I know, I wanted to," he answered with a smile as he escorted her to the room blaring with laughter and cheer. They entered with every face looking up to grin at them. So many conversations were going on at once, Akira heard a few good words thrown his way as well as Miki's and they replied in kind. They took the last two seats available next to one another and adjusted to the vibe of the table.
Along with the meal Akira noticed one of the side dishes happened to be an old childhood favorite. A bowl of steaming white rice with a packet of dried bonito flakes sat under his nose. Once he looked up, he noticed everyone had a sample of their own as well.
"Aww, son I can't believe you still eat these. I used to love to tease you about it, do you remember?" his dad began.
"Oh, yeah that was so cute. we couldn't pull the wool over your eyes, you always insisted we were lying," his mother laughed.
"Yeah, I remember. I do that to Taro now," Akira snickered looking at Taro's pouting face.
"I know you're lying about that too," the boy spoke back.
"Oh yeah, then explain how it moves," Akira raised a brow.
Taro immediately seemed to be stumped but was too stubborn to admit defeat, "Well I'm sure it's not cause it's alive."
"Well if you can't think of anything else then it must be alive," Miko casually added.
"That's not true!" he protested.
"Sure it is!" the devillady ruffled his hair playfully, at last evoking a giggle from the boy as well as everyone else.
Everyone had begun to dig in fully now after saying prayer. All around the table people were cracking jokes and catching up just like old times. Taro couldn't help himself but pester Miko who in return would roll her eyes and play along. The fathers were speaking about work and how business had been going, while the mothers reminisced on their time together in school. Akira wasn't talking or even eating anymore as he just immersed himself in the pleasantries.
The mood of the home was just so welcoming and blissful, having his parents there with him and everyone being so ecstatic it was so unusual but so appreciated. This day that had started so miserably had suddenly shifted, feeling like Christmas day itself. Akira beamed, and in a way, he thought he never could again. It was like everything he had ever fantasized about, as his eyes fell over each and every person, he loved so much sitting at that table with him.
The moment Akira snapped from his daze was when he felt a small hand touch his own. He looked to his side seeing Miki glancing around the room with a rich honey glow to her. The shimmer of her green eyes flickered to him as did her toothy grin.
"Isn't this nice Akira?" she said, shaking his hand gently. Akira's body perked some, the touch she gave him was light but ever so tempting. He felt his anxiety swell inside his chest and the heat burn at his core. He stared at her for some time with wide endearing eyes, he was honestly surprised she didn't mention it. As a matter of fact, she almost seemed to match that look. His throat bobbed with a gulp as finally he allowed his face to calm and slowly curled his fingers around hers.
It was such a subtle move, yet the devilman was hyper fixated to every facet of that motion. He feared for what might happen, if she were to pull away, he would feel foolish and incredibly embarrassed. Even still he kept going steadily enough that it could be mistaken for an accident and gave her plenty of time to retreat. However his testing window was beginning to close, soon would be the moment he had to commit to it, never in his life had such a small move been so nerve-racking and yet she wasn't pulling away. Finally his hand had closed around hers. Both were dead silent watching the other until Akira couldn't keep the brittle smile off his lips any longer.
"…Yeah, it is," he finally said practically on the verge of a whisper.
She smiled back at him with a redness to her cheeks. Her eyes fell to the floor and fluttered back up to him a few times, before finally Akira felt her squeeze his hand back ever so softly. From an outsider's perspective their encounter would have hardly been noticeable, but to them it felt like a million butterflies were parading around their insides.
"Akira!" hearing the sound of his own name was like running into a brick wall. Startled, he whipped his head up and yanked his hand back to his person. Miki doing the same as she faced forward putting her hands in her lap.
The devilman could see by his father's face he hadn't seen what had just occurred and it seemed no one else did either. Akira could have sighed a breath of relief.
"Yeah, dad?" he responded alertly.
Both his parents looked at each other with smiles about to break open with giddy laughter. His father relaxed himself before speaking up again.
"Well, Kaori and I would like to make an announcement," he declared. Just as he had done so the table became silent, and all eyes landed on him.
"That's right, we have a surprise for everyone," Akira's mother added. The devilman's curiosity was at its peak as he raised his head in interest. He figured it was the surprise his father had told him about just the other day.
His parent's gave each other one last excitable look before Reijiro opened his mouth.
"Kaori and I have decided to come back home! We both took up positions offered here in Tokyo and will be working in the city from now on!"
"Yes, we figured it was best, we've spent enough time away," the mother reasoned with a sadness to her voice.
The whole group sat completely stunned, soaking in the information and all that it would entail. Akira above all seemed to have the most stupefied expression of them all. He wasn't even sure if he had heard them correctly. He would get to have his parents back for good? It just didn't seem real, more than anything he feared this was some kind of trick. Perhaps he was still caught in Jinmen's trance, or something similar, but he didn't feel any demon's around, and everyone else seemed just as bewildered.
"Really?" Akira said quietly with a hint of hope.
His parent's nodded their heads as his dad started again.
"That's right son, before we came here, we talked to the owner of our new apartment, and signed off on the lease. It's already ours, oh you're gonna love it!" his father gushed.
"New apartment?" Akira squeaked.
"Yes, it's so nice dear, it has a great view and a lot of space. Your room is huge, and you'll even have your own bathroom!" Kaori enthused.
Akira hadn't moved a muscle and his face had been frozen with a dumbfounded expression. All the other members of the table seemed to be in the same state of shock, sharing quick glances to one another.
"Akira's going away?" Taro at last piped up bringing everyone else back to the moment themselves. Noel cleared his throat and Akiko shifted in her chair, Miko just kept looking back and forth from Akira to his parents quizzically. Both Akira and Miki hadn't moved much, aside from the girl's figure deflating some and the devilman fidgeting his pupils again.
"Yes, that's right," Kaori answered sweetly.
"But don't you worry, he'll still be able to come see you whenever. Our apartment's only ten minutes away from here!" Reijiro inspirited. Hearing that seemed to lighten much of Akira's apprehensions as he felt himself ease up slightly. He could sense a lot of Miki's worries had given in then too.
"So what do you think, Akira? Isn't this great, we can start moving your stuff tomorrow!" his mother said.
Akira shook himself mildly before he found the words to start, "Y-yeah, it's great. I-I don't even know what to say."
"Oh, we know it's a bit sudden, dear, but we figured it was a long time coming. You've been living with the Makimura's for so long and we couldn't be more grateful to them, but now you finally get to come home!" the mother sympathized.
Noel's eyes met with his wife's, displaying an understanding between both of them before sedately he spoke.
"Well, this certainly is a surprise. We're happy for you all, but I can't say we won't miss having Akira around, it's been our pleasure to have him."
"Yes, we'll miss you Akira, I'm so glad you were a part of our family. You visit often now!" Akiko said in a sugary tone. She lifted from her chair to meet with him. She came down to him with open arms, Akira leaned into her hold and returned her kind gesture. When they separated the devilman could tell she was touched and had to keep her tears in as she smiled at him and returned to her seat. Taro looked on with a troubled gaze as he tilted his head to the side.
"But Akira, what if I need you?" the boy questioned. Akira acknowledged him in thought but before he could come up with a response Reijiro busted with chortles.
"Oh don't you worry Taro; Akira and you will still be able to see each other and hang out if you need him."
"Yes, and you can call him whenever!" Kaori added.
The adults at the table all seemed to nod along with that answer, but the remaining members all shifted eyes to Akira, knowing the weight of the situation. Akira's throat bobbed and tried to avoid their stares for the time being. He wasn't even sure how he felt, he was excited and yet terrified, hopefully but apprehensive. He took a deep breath and tried to allow his mind to brew on the possible effects of this change.
"Don't worry about it too much son, we don't even have to think about all the little details till tomorrow. In the meantime let's just have a great time and get back to this delicious meal, you guys really outdid yourselves!" his father levied the situation.
"That's absolutely right, just relax Akira we'll handle it all later," the mother finished. It seemed after that the parents all conversed amongst themselves about food and various other topics. The opposite end of the table had seemed to become a lot quieter and more pensive.
Miko squirmed sensing the awkward air, she glanced down at her phone and the second she had her body practically lurched. The people around her noticed as they kept their watch on her.
"What is it Miko?" Miki asked, concerned.
"I'm about to be late, I need to go," she sputtered as she wolfed down the rest of her food and came to her feet.
"Late for what?" Taro asked.
"I need to meet with someone," she answered in a hurry plucking up her things. "Akira, keep me posted on how things are."
Akira tipped his head to her firmly, "I will, thank you Miko."
"Are you leaving so soon," Akiko paid attention to Miko's abrupt movements.
"Yes, but thank you for having me. It was wonderful, goodbye!" she concluded as she dashed out from the dining room.
"You're very welcome, it was a pleasure having you!" Akiko called out to her. Soon the sound of the front door closing was audible, punctuating her departure. Everyone else returned to their previous conversations, but Akira was staring down at his food motionlessly.
"Akira are you okay?" Miki murmured to him.
He closed his eyes and tried to sound friendly, "Y-yeah, it's just. I think I need to excuse myself for just a moment." The devilman came to his feet with the parents recognizing his needs caringly.
Miki kept a close eye on him as he walked away from the table and soon, she felt the push to follow after him.
"Excuse me too," she said in a flush.
"Yeah, and me too!" Taro began to wiggle out from his seat before Miki shot him a stern look.
"No Taro, stay here and finish your food, we'll be right back," she ordered. Taro didn't seem too keen on the idea but still he sat back in his chair with an unhappy slouch. With that Miki turned to catch up with Akira who had already made it up the stairs. When Miki made it to his room, she could see him standing at his window, staring out through the glass with a vacancy to him.
"Akira, are you alright?" she asked sweetly.
He didn't seem to budge for some time after her asking, but when he at last did so, a smile came to his lips, but it was an odd smile. His eyes hadn't changed, and a chuckle soon began to reverb from his chest. His laughter built up into a full-on cackle, the look on his face was crazed and Miki had to admit it was a touch unnerving to her.
"Akira?" she said a bit louder. He pulled away from the window and faced her but not without clutching his torso and nearly doubling over. Her eyes glanced around the room, falling a few extra times to the bedroom door.
"God, I fucking hate him!" Akira finally spat, through his laughter.
Miki's brow knit with confusion as she tilted her head, "What are you talking about?"
"He ruined everything; he really did. I regret ever giving my time to this sorry son of a bitch!" Akira's mood suddenly shifted from hysterical to wrathful in a split second.
"What? Who are you talking about!?" her tone was becoming more lost.
Akira had been shaking and pacing around the room, but he stopped abruptly and began to approach her now. He seemed to try to slow himself down so as to not upset her, but his erratic behavior was still very much present.
"Ryo, Satan, whatever the hell he wants to call himself! It's all his fault!"
Miki watched him with a condoling look, as his anger was starting to make sense to her. She noticed his very body was starting to change slightly, expressing the hurt he felt.
"I swear I could rip him apart hundreds of times, and it still wouldn't be enough!" Akira growled. His shirt had torn apart at this point as his wings and muscles broke free from him, changing into a half-formed state. He grit his fangs as he balled up his fists to in some way expel at least a portion of his aggression. He didn't seem too fond of how she was reacting; he could smell Miki was nervous around him like this. He did everything he could to swallow back his feelings.
"This was supposed to be my life! It always was! He took it away! He took it away every time!" there was a difference in that last statement. Unlike the others there was an immense sadness that could be deduced from the devilman's tone alone. Miki knew his emotions were coming to a head and inside she felt genuinely sorry for him. She could see his strength and she knew of his pain but still she slowly opened her arms. Akira seemed shocked at her decision, but he didn't reject it. He stood there and allowed it to happen. She embraced him despite his devilish form she took him in with love and empathy.
"I'm sorry Akira, it isn't fair, I can understand why you're upset," she said soothingly. The wrath had been silenced as Akira's heart filled with a new emotion. Within he could have cried for all he had ever lost but he didn't. Steadily he brought his arms up and fully took her in, unconsciously wrapping his wings around her as well.
"It'll be okay, we're here now, you've done so much to keep us all safe. Being worked up about things that happened in the past doesn't help the future," she hummed in his ear.
"I'm sorry Miki, I hate having you see me like this," he said in a quivering voice.
"It's alright," she halted for a second and thought of her next response. "It doesn't change how I feel about you," her voice was earnest. Hearing that Akira's face lightened ever so slightly as he felt a warm spark touch his heart. His mouth opened as if to say something, but eventually he closed it and hugged her tighter, nuzzling himself into her neck.
"And you know what?" Miki continued. "Maybe it's not all bad. I mean, you wouldn't have gotten your powers otherwise and you wouldn't be able to save anyone. Heck, it could be even better, now you're not the only one that has to save everybody by yourself either."
A small smile had fixed itself to the devilman's expression for some time, as he calmly took in her words. Finally he sighed and pulled himself apart from her, while keeping his arms around her back.
"Yeah, you could be right. It's just a lot to take in," his gaze had stuck to hers, as they both seemed to get lost in each other's eyes. Soon however, remembrance widened her stare and broke them from their trance.
"Oh, that reminds me!" she chimed. "I still need to tell you!"
"Tell me what?" Akira asked endearingly.
"You won't have to worry about me as much anymore. I went with Tako today and he and I are going to train."
"Train for what?" he said, becoming slightly leerier.
She almost couldn't speak at first trying to maintain her giggles, "I'm a witch."
Akira's expression was blank for a solid moment before the true meaning of what she had said began to make sense. A baffled look came first that was preceded by a face of fret and worry.
"Y-you're a, a…"
She nodded eagerly to him, "A witch! I can use my power to help you. You were needing to find a witch anyway, right?"
"Uh," Akira seemed very unsure, but tried to appear as supportive as he could. "T-that's great Miki, it's just, are you sure it's safe? I mean I can protect you…"
Miki's head tilted to the side as her mood settled. She seemed moved by his sentiment as she gave him a tiny smile.
"Oh, I know you can, and I appreciate it. But this way maybe I could protect you too," she said as she subtly took his hand. Her contact helped soothe his bothered mind. It was so odd but so welcomed, every time she made herself known to him it was like every negative thought in his mind would evacuate. He held onto her hand and allowed himself to just relax.
"Thank you, Miki, it probably is best that you can defend yourself. I hate the thought of anything happening to you because I couldn't be there to stop it," he somberly confessed.
He could hear her exhale blissfully, as her eyes shyly traced the floor and her cheeks plumped.
"Yeah, I know," she responded softly.
The tranquilly quiet of the room filled their ears as they stood together, nervously but joyously. Neither knew what to say to the other but both enjoyed the other's presence. They could have stayed like that much longer, but the pitter-patter of paws took them both away. Looking over, Akira could see Tako now waiting in the doorway. He had a charming look about him even if he was giving them a bit of a stink eye.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he chafed. The pink came to both the teens' faces as they scooched apart.
"It's okay, what is it Tako?" Miki asked brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear.
"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to practice while we can. We have a lot to learn and little time to do it, after you're finished with lunch we could get started," the cat said.
"Right, I hope you don't mind Akira," Miki glanced back at him with a precious grin. The devilman couldn't help but match her as he nodded his head.
"That's fine we should probably get back, and I'm sure there's a lot of details to work out for me," he suggested.
"Oh, that's true," Miki appeared a little downcast. "You know I'm really going to miss you; you'll have to still come by a lot alright?"
"Aww Miki, I wouldn't leave you," his eyes shimmered at her fondly. Her own smile only brightened further as she bashfully ducked her head and placed her hands behind her back.
"Well, that's good because we're gonna have a lot of demons to face, and I don't want to learn all these skills without getting to use any of them!" she joked. At last she turned on her heel and began to make her way out the door.
"Yeah, but hopefully you'll never have to use them," he responded back in a jovial voice, but she could tell he was serious. It was heartwarming to her; she chuckled a little before speaking again.
"Yeah, oh, and you'll have to show me your new home too. You're gonna have a whole big room to yourself and everything!"
The carefree spark Akira had only minutes ago at the family table seemed to light up in him once more. It was a cheery feeling he wasn't used to but one he would give anything to keep forever. He felt it spread all throughout his body as at last his mind settled on the real and true possibility that he would get to have his parents again, and his own home too. It was the first time he really got to consider the truth and the first he got to really enjoy the idea. Glee took over his whole mood now as he breathed out his laughter.
"You're right, I will have to let you see it, but I gotta see it first! I can't wait, I can't even remember the last time I lived with my parents!" he spoke faster. His emotions rubbed off on Miki as she went along with him.
"I'm so happy for you, I can't wait either, but I also can, it's gonna be so weird not having you here, but at least it'll be for a good reason," she enthralled with him. However, she felt Tako rub up against her again signaling it was time for them to go. Akira noticed too and gave her the look that told her it was alright as he grabbed a new shirt and escorted her back down the hallway. They didn't say much more to each other but as they made it back to the table full of merriment, a mutual feeling of adoration filled their hearts and tickled their insides. They sat back down with everyone greeting them warmly. The group carried on and sitting there together Akira couldn't remember the last time he felt so happy. Contently he joined in, taking the opportunity to at last fully embrace the ones he called his family.
With great care the feminine devil scoured the streets and skies of the metropolis. Through broad daylight and the dark of night she continued her hunt. Not for even a moment had Jenny stopped to rest as she felt her brain stress to find any sight of her master. Hour by hour her apprehensions just got that much more unbearable, nothing good could come from these events and she knew it was a result of her own shortcomings. The guilt of failing her lord's commands was bad enough but the guilt of losing him, when he was so vulnerable, the possibility that he could be in severe danger, it was agonizing for her to think.
The day had already grown dark once more and still she turned up nothing. Still she pressed on scoping out yet another section of the city. The wind blew against the fur of her body as her eyes narrowed and her stare remained vigilant. While Jenny stood up there, she began to sense something, and it wasn't what she had been hoping for.
She heard the sound of leathery wings flapping before it landed just behind her. The demoness sighed and closed her eyes without even turning around.
"What is it?" she asked in a frustrated voice.
She could hear the meager council servant quiver following her demand.
"O-oh, yes, Psycho Jenny, I was sent by the council to fetch you. You haven't reported back in some time, and they are urgently pushing for you to return," it sounded panicky.
Her frustration seeped from her breath as she slowly exhaled and tapered her gaze. She had a sinking feeling guessing what this was about, she hated even bothering to ask.
"On what terms?" she hissed.
"Jinmen has been defeated, we need Sirene and Kiam to be awakened at once," it explained. She growled, having her assumptions be confirmed. The demoness felt as though she were stuck between a rock and a hard place, she needed to find her master but couldn't risk leaving her fellow kind exposed. Her hands had balled up into fists as she finally levitated herself into the air settling on her decision. She could hear the tiny council member perked at her actions as at last she spoke back.
"I'll be on my way…"