Beelzebub adventures chapter 12
Awakening from his first real sleep in a week, Oga opened his eyes slowly, without being completely sure if all the crazy events taking place before he closed them were even real or just another bad dream. The memory of the heat of Kunieda's body started to invade his mind, and always welcome contrast to the cold stone of his previous nightmares. The feeling of her supple body and breasts on the palm of his hands, heat rose to his face and intimate parts, while his weakened state could barely repress his impulses. The lighting of the room he was in finally was too strong and he got aware of his surroundings, though everything was so blurry he could not distinguish anything.
…
Kunieda looked at the man who saved her (and whom she saved in return) with relief after seeing him come back to life. "Thank goodness he's awake." she thinks to herself.
Dr. Furcas, Lamia, Furuichi, Hilda, Kanzaki and Himekawa stood at the side of the bed near her. Kunieda looked at them, and then back at Oga. After three days in a near coma, the king of Ishiyama refused to let go his crown. Her joy knew no limits as she struggled to keep her tears and sobs from emerging.
Oga looked at them with his usual bored expression. "What is it?"
Dr. Furcas went to his side and touched him in the shoulder. "Do you recognize me? Can you see me, boy?"
Kunieda waited for what appeared to be insufferable minutes. The doctors were not too optimist of his recovery. After all, Oga had gone through one of the hardest types of human-demon fusions any contractor could experience, for a relatively long time. The strain on his organism could leave permanent sequels he would carry to his grave if he survived, some of them being losing more than a sense. The doctor waved his hand in front of his eyes and started to talk to his ear trying to get a reaction out of him.
"I'm sorry everyone, but I'm afraid he might…"
"Would you please shut up, you stupid droplet? I don't want to see your ugly face. I'm your patient you know? Shouldn't I rest to recover quicker?" Oga barks.
"YOU RETARD! You have already slept three fucking days! We're trying to see if you're alive and well yet you…" Lamia and Himekawa struggled to keep Hilda from throwing any potentially hazardous object at Oga's face. Kunieda forced herself not to jump over her to give her a well deserved punch to the face.
Furuichi tried to calm everyone. "Haha, well, at least he didn't lose his memory, it seems…"
"He can see, listen and articulate. Over time, we'll see what other functions he kept." Dr. Furcas ignored the further pleads of the boy and continued examining him. Kunieda got closer to him. On both sides of his skull, Dr. Furcas was able to find two small protuberances, the skin of his scalp being coarser and thicker.
"The demonic DNA left its mark on you, boy. If it had been any longer, this show would have become a comedy version of gore fest of anime you all loved ten years ago…what was it named...Elves love to Lie?" Dr. Furcas asked.
"Elfen Lied." Kunieda corrected, with a weak smile of relief appearing on her face.
"That one. Well, you will not grow any big horns, but I'll recommend you to grow your hair a bit more. This two little guys might get a bit too noticeable. The ladies will run away from you if you don't." Dr. Furcas recommends.
"I don't give a shit about that, doc. Do I still look like a fucking punk?J Oga asks.
"No boy, your hair color is back to normal." Dr. Furcas replies.
"Then just end it fast." Oga says.
The thoughts of Oga rocking a long mane made blood rise to Kunieda's cheeks. Her mental fantasies were interrupted by the sudden arrival of the people they were waiting for. Jeanpierre, along with his brother Alaindelon, entered the room. She could see two royal guards standing at both sides of the door, outside. Both males greeted everyone with formality and approached the bed. Looking Oga with a stern face, the military man started talking.
"How is the young man, Doctor?" Jeanpierre asks.
"Even though he might need a bit more analyses, there seems to be no permanent damage in his body save for a couple little things on his head. I wouldn't discount other after effects appearing in the near future, however." Dr. Furcas answers.
Jeanpierre looked at Oga with a stare that only reflected amazement. "In all my years at the service of His Demonic Majesty, I can say with certainty that very little men have endured what you did, Tatsumi Oga. Yet another time, you have performed a great service to the Kingdom. We owe you another one. We'll cover the hospital expenses completely, and will award you with further…"
"Where's Beel?" Oga interrupted coldly.
Kunieda and the entire room were shocked at the question. As no one answered, Oga's eyes opened more while he started to lose patience. After looking at each other, Dr. Furcas nodded to Lamia, who proceeded to walk out of the room through a second door on the other side of the room.
"Can't you answer a damn question, you turds?" Oga soon ran out of breath had to gasp for air. Finally, Lamia returned to the room with a sleeping Beel, dressed with a miniature hospital gown. His skin was pale and his body unusually cold, but he was at least breathing normally. He didn't have his yellow pacifier on his mouth, his two fangs protruding from his tiny mouth. She placed him on Oga's chest, who embraced the toddler, looking at him with his eyes open broad. A tense moment of silence followed, the young man visibly struggling to avoid breaking in sobs, closing his eyes repeatedly to avoid the tears to fall over his cheeks (without success) while he embraced the baby.
''Always acting so tough, Oga. Guess that will never change…or am I wrong?'' Kunieda said to herself, moved by the sight.''
"He's ok, boy. He had made a lot of progress in the last days. The young Kaiser will be back to normal in a few days." Dr. Furcas stated.
"Please give us some lone time." Oga says, watching Beel sleeping.
After a few moments of hesitation, Jeanpierre nodded. He was the first leaving the room, followed by his brother, Dr. Furcas and Lamia. Kanzaki and Himekawa followed soon, and Furuichi after them. For a few seconds, Hilda looked at him with a worried face before looking at Kunieda, who started following her to the door.
"Hey Queen, please stay." Hilda says.
Both women stopped on their tracks and looked at Oga. Kunieda, barely believing her ears, turned around looking at him on the eye.
"Sit right there." Hilda says.
After looking at Hilda, who looked at her with contempt, Kunieda headed where she was asked to. The wet nurse resigned herself and closed the door behind her.
Kunieda sit down, still feeling nervous. Oga would not stop looking her in the eye for an apparent eternity. Finally, he looked away and started talking. "So, how are the others?
"They…they're here in the hospital. They're still recovering from their injuries. The doctors are also treating them to try to get the demonic cells out of their bodies. It's quite hard for them. They're not as strong as you.- Kunieda replied.
"How long has been Beel like this?" Oga asks.
"Well, you two were separated almost an entire day after you were admitted. He was on the verge of…passing away. It was a horrible sight. Right now, he looks perfectly healthy compared to what he was back then." Kunieda replies.
"So…"
"As you yourself, you'll be fine." Kunieda says.
"What about you? How are you feeling?" Oga asks.
Their friendship had only become stronger in the entire year after she graduated, with him looking out for her to hang out along with the others whenever her schedule is free. She never got enough of that question, treasuring it as one of the most precious things that she could ever hear it. This time, she could not tell him everything. Feeling guilty, she answered him.
"I woke up this morning. So far, the doctors found almost nothing on me either, besides two small mounds on my head too. Seems I'll have to grow my hair a bit longer too." Kunieda replies.
"I hope so. You looked better that way." Oga stated.
Kunieda smiled, looking away to hide her blush "Well, not as long. It's a pain in the ass having to wash it all the time. My new schedule makes me sweat a lot more than before."
"So, how have you been doing at college? I bet it's boring as hell." Oga continues their conversation.
They started chatting about their lives. As she already told him before, Kunieda was close to finishing her first year of studies at the Ishiyama University, minoring in Physical Education, as she planned to compete in international Kendo and later become a PE teacher. She had struggled a bit with some tests, as she felt ill several times that year, and had missed several important tests she feared she would not be able to pass. Surprisingly enough, he told her he was planning to study in the same college.
"Really Oga? You're going to attend the same college as me?" Kunieda surprisingly asks.
"My parents always told me I'm too dumb for anything else. Those idiots don't realize I'm not dumb, I just get bored very easily. Keeping my shape with sports and training with old bastard Saotome while I fight demons from to time seems a good option." Oga says.
"Do you realize you're calling me dumb too?" Kunieda reminds, smiling with an annoyed expression.
Oga smiled at her without replying.
"I can already picture you following the steps of your ''beloved'' trainer, passing your knowledge to the future demon busters." Kunieda said with a smart aleck tone.
"I'll be less annoying and much better than that old geezer who can't shave well." Oga says.
Both younglings chuckled, easing the tension in the environment. He continued in a way she could not imagine.
"So? Has anyone… made another one of your girls cry'' again?" Oga asks.
"What do you mean?" Kunieda pretended not to understand the question, answering in a sarcastic tone.
Oga looked at her with an amused face. Kunieda knew very well what those words meant. The same words she had used two years ago to make him know her feelings in a way he could understand.
"No, nobody else." Kunieda says.
"Really? Japanese dudes gotta be ugly if I'm the only handsome bastard around…I mean, the most dangerous." Oga says, realizing what he just said.
"It's not like that, you…no one makes my girls cry like you do." Kunieda pointed out.
"What about you? Are Hebisaki or any other girl ''challenging you to a sparring session''?" Oga asks.
"Ringo and some other girls are giving a try. None of them were lucky." Kunieda says.
Oga looked at her in the eye again, amused. Both remained silent for a few minutes. Kunieda could only wonder what went through his mind. It was true she had met more handsome, more intelligent, and arguably more charismatic guys at college, where she soon got a good amount of admirers. Oga, however, still held her heart in a very powerful grasp no one could match. The most powerful man she had ever known, along with arguably the best young ''father'' she had ever known, along with the most amicable thug she would ever meet. He was the almost the best combination of a bad boy and a provider every woman desired. Her relationship with Hilda, despite still a bit tense, was not bad either, though the uncertainty of not knowing if Oga had developed feelings (or at least sexual desire) over her always loomed over her head. She knew he was not an asexual, not the same man who called her ''Sensuous Airline'' and who had placed his King's Crest on her intimate parts. The way he fondled and grabbed her in the Opera Hall, creative and seemingly experienced, was something only a man capable of feeling lust, reading about it and fantasizing over it could do. She struggled to keep calm before her head started steaming again.
After one year of her ''un-confession'', Kunieda had grown to be much more secured when interacting with him, up to the point of talking about themselves, although she still had her daydreaming moments and tsundere squealing from time to time. She had also got used to the fact that he didn't share her feelings despite knowing them, treasuring the fact that he still wanted to be one of her best friends. A small spark of hope still glowed deep inside her, not wanting to let go the man who had changed her life, waiting for the day she could say everything she wanted to tell him with the best words that could come out of her mouth. Then, maybe then…
Finally, Oga broke the silence. "Well, your grandpa will be excited to see you. Kouta also misses you a lot. I gotta take you to them soon, I want to kick that old geezer's ass when we fight again."
"I wonder when you two will end that stupid beef." Kunieda wonders.
"He called me ''grandson'' the last time I met him. I'm not going to let go that easily, not until I beat him." Oga says.
Both of them laughed, with a bit of steam coming out from under Aoi's jet black her, without suspecting Oga found that sight of her to be one of the most delighting and heartwarming ones, the one he hoped to see the most after a week of horror. No tears nor more dead, cold stone. Only laughs and radiant heat, the same that was still warm on his arms, especially on his right hand and face…