Alright guys, after an exciting second chapter we settle down a bit now and explore the progression of Denji who maybe has grown in more ways than one. As I've said and demonstrated, this is a re-telling of the story through a new perspective, seeing just how the story MIGHT turn out if Denji had a veryyy special interruption to his life. Please enjoy!
"Now keep your mouth shut and concentrate!"
"Never mind him being a grump! Remember what you learned about this training, your mind has to be as flexible as your body, both need to steadily grow together so you can reeeeally form that connection. See the enemy's movements and your own, create and see the battle in your head and you can sharpen your body without even moving!"
"Wow."
"What now?"
"I'm amazed you sound coherent"
"Lay off me, geez"
"Right…so this shit's supposed to help me get even stronger? Just imaginin' stuff and doin' nothin'?" Denji was decidedly perplexed as he tried to wrap his brain around the whole concept of Image Training.
As he sat cross-legged and motionless he began to slowly feel his muscles and joints relaxed while a steady pressure remained at his hips he directed his energy to his brain but didn't feel much of a difference. The trainee was currently being coached on the ways of using his mind as a training dojo for his body. To maximize his growth in this short period, the two coaches pulled out all the stops so that no period outside of scheduled resting was wasted on anything other than getting stronger. He didn't dislike being treated as a guinea pig for their bizarre yet grueling training regimen, but he felt like his entire ordeal consisted of breaking his mind and body a million times for over a year now.
"You guys don't joke around about this getting stronger business… I feel like I've been beaten to shit in all the ways"
"Only because they have taken an interest in you" The more serious of the pair answered now breaking off of the usual arguments with his fellow teacher.
"And your powers are totally weird, it's fun! You've drunk so much of our blood I'm amazed you haven't transformed yourself yet!" With a hearty laugh, the tallest of the two gave Denji a pat on the back.
"Heh! That'll be a sight to see."
"Yeah…AAAAAnyways I'm trying to concentrate my ki and shit but I ain't seeing crap, anything I'm missing?" Denji inquired as he turned his head to face them, still confused about the whole matter.
"Of course, for Image Training, you have to be completely in tune with the subject you're training with. Whether it be an opponent or a practice tool, once you've known that subject inside and out your mind can see every strike and create what it may believe to be an appropriate response, You need to see yourself react and act as realistically as possible"
"We've sharpened your senses a whole bunch you know! Pretty soon whatever image you can create will start moving as if it has a mind of its own and you can fight and fight and fight until you dominate them and come out of that even stronger"
"Hmm alright I guess I get the jist of it…give me a min I just need to think of someone I might know that well"
'Aki? Nah, I've just met him and barely seen him do anything, and…Power's way too crazy, her moves don't have a pattern…Just met that hot senior with the eyepatch and the other two are scrubs…Hmmm, Gah! I can't think of anythin'!"
"Denji!"
'Huh?'
"Denji!"
'Wait, that voice…
"Yes! Yes! Can you hear me? Can you make out my voice?"
'Pochita?'
Thinking he was opening his eyes, he was suddenly surrounded by a dark space with pieces of guts thrown around his feet. Confused, he looked around and started to panic as he swore he heard a voice inside this place that resembled-
"POCHITA!"
"Yo!"
Running to hug his friend, Denji could not hold back his tears as he laughed and cried at the sight and touch of his best friend he once thought was gone.
"This is most interesting! Those two are really onto something, I don't know of any Devil that has fused with a human who can talk to them, this training they talk about is really something"
"Holy shit dude, I was JUST thinking about you"
"Well, we did everything together so it's only natural…Still, to think this would manifest me at least inside your consciousness, This energy they talk about sure is something groundbreaking"
"Yeah, I don't understand most of the real mystical shit but I can feel, like, these weird currents flowing around and inside me, like I'm in a jacuzzi but it's not water you know?" Denji began to excitedly do his best to explain the concept as best as he processed it back when he was learning the basics.
"I guess I understand that much, as well, But I'm happy we can talk like this" Pochita jumped on his lap and rubbed its head on Denji's abdomen as he leaned in and embraced his long-gone buddy once more.
"Man, am I glad to see you again"
"Likewise, but there was supposed to be a point to this no?"
"Huh?"
"Come Denji, it is time we deepen our bond through battle, You've become monstrous and I'm itching for a good fight"
"You mean sparring? But how's that gonna work? No offense buddy but yer tiny!"
As soon as the last word came out, Denji's mouth was agape as the tiny orange form of Pochita rose and morphed into a towering, hulking mass of metal. Four giant arms protruded from its torso, each carrying the bar of a chainsaw and its head resembled a grungier form of Denji's transformation with its weaponized chainsaw emerging from it.
"W-whoa what the heck?"
"MrrrmrMrmmrrWWhs"
"Uhhh huh… So the bigger the dumber?"
"Apologies, I have rarely verbalized anything while I am at my full power" Stretching its arms, the gargantuan Pochita growled and stretched its numerous limbs before squaring up before Denji.
"Heh! No problem, here goes nothin' " Assuming the stance thought to him by one of his teachers, Denji's legs tightened up as he darted toward his best friend and opponent.
"Perfect, after this we also have much to discuss" Pochita slashed at his leg as Denji grunted feeling the hot chains rip into his flesh.
"Grah! My body has gotten super hard you must be a total monster to still be able to cut me"
Leaning down to drink some of the blood off the entrail-ridden floor, Denji healed his mangled leg back up before striking directly at Pochitas arm, lopping off one arm with a scythe-like swipe of his leg before getting grabbed by the second arm below and flung back out.
"That's one for me but you're pretty good!"
"I should say the same, It usually takes a small army of the most dangerous devils to wound me so I commend you"
"So what's this you wanted to talk about?" Denji began to continue his warm-up, switching between his feet as he hopped on each foot and shook his extremities to loosen the muscles.
"Right, we have a contract Denji"
"Huh?... Wait, when-"
"When we joined that day, we had an agreement, I became a part of you to help you live."
"Yeah…and what was my side again?"
"You have to show me your dream."
"My dream? But…I don't…I don't even know what I want, man, I ate good food with the guys in Tokyo, I got to sleep in an actual bed, and… Makima…I wanna kiss her and hug her and do her sooo bad but… but after all we've been through, especially now, aren't I kind of a dumbass for only thinking of that?"
"I don't care if it sounds stupid, It's your dreams that I learned to share and value, my only regret is not being there to live it with you, seems like all we could share was hell on earth."
"Shit's still fun with you around, buddy, and I always just felt like we could take anything on!"
"Which is why we need to discuss your dreams, I may be a Devil but even I can tell you've been going about it all wrong"
"Oh yeah? Kick my ass first then lecture me"
"Gladly."
With the roar of the engine the battle ensued as, to the outside world, Denji remained motionless in a grassy field surrounded by celestial bodies, a tall, blue, and absurdly strong man, a Cat, and Denji's two masters.
In a certain realm at the edge of another universe...
"Seems like the boy has caught on exceptionally well to your teachings"
"Heh! You two managed to join your heads and make a fully functioning brain"
"W-what? L-Lord!"
"Hey, that isn't very nice! But hey! Let's fight until he wakes up! Come on pleaseeee"
"Bring me another pizza and I'll think about it, mortal"
Back in Tokyo, a few rays of light shone through the shutters into a lavish, yet simple room, At its center and right in the path of those rays, lay a king-sized bed with neatly placed blankets that gently shifted revealing ribbons of scarlet locks forming waves of color as the movements between the sheets gave way to a rising form. A feminine shape revealed itself from the covers and a faint moan gently rippled across the silent room.
Stretching her arms, the young woman let out a small yawn as she rolled her head to loosen her neck and slid to the side of her bed to slide on her favorite pair of slippers. Other than the small pitter-patter of paws heard outside her door, she was greeted once again with the same silence she had already grown accustomed to. Starting her morning ritual, she ruminated on the day and how to ease into it.
The day was as any other for the new director of Special Division 4, her amber eyes settled on a fresh cup of coffee as it brewed. Her pups were a rather unruly bunch yet quickly ran to their assigned bowls at the snap of her fingers. She would usually play with them for a few minutes and enjoy the playful energy of the morning as she was covered in wagging tails and affection, a little slice of heaven for Makima. Taking her first sip, she took note of her agenda.
She was to report a full debrief of the events of yesterday to her superiors as the new director of Special Division 4. They were a cold, calculating, and scary bunch. The high-ranking members of the government reported directly to the prime minister and due to such responsibilities, demanded nothing but absolute obedience and efficiency from her. She knew how to deal with them but dreaded ever having to stand in front of that dark table of the would-be gods of Japan, the only group of people she was beholden to as a high-ranking official of Public Safety.
A small series of rings broke through her trance as she blinked back into reality and glanced at her clock now alerting her that it was time to start her day. With a small sigh, she grabbed her things and made her way to the central building of Public Safety, Tokyo.
"Very well, seems we may have underestimated your keen eye for these dogs"
"Agreed, the boy seems to have a knack for confrontations against devils and human assailants"
"Nevertheless, Makima, we have approved of your new position but we reiterate the importance of your role. The kid is doing well only because you've been proficient in keeping a tight leash, I've expressed my concerns about you growing attached."
"I understand. Thank you for your consideration." Makima stood, almost frigid, in front of her employers/superiors who went over the details of her report and despite the positive feedback always fell back to their usual demeanor.
"We have sacrificed much and gone through great strides to bring you up to this level, for the sake of our country, do not forget that"
"You've proven a valuable asset."
"-And not a waste of our resources."
"I, and the others, expect this trend of successes to continue, Good job."
"Yes." Makima nodded as she felt her throat get a little dry.
"Dismissed."
With a bow of respect, Makima excused herself and turned back to make her way to her office. That group of bigwigs was always an intimidating bunch, after so long they've proven an imposing presence in her life, and her unique sense of perception towards the people around her never really applied the same to them. Maybe it was all due to how she was conditioned for her role here.
With a sigh she sat down behind her desk and leaned back, facing the ceiling and closing her eyes. She always sought out a way to get her desired results out of the relationships she built. People were always obedient, either by fear or infatuation, It was her nature as the Control Devil. But they ingrained it into her head that were her supposed creators, caretakers, the ones that held her leash as she held others. Her plan was also a solution to this, gaining the powers of Chainsawman would break all of her limitations, and attaining these powers would ensure the coming of her new world, and alongside him, everything will finally be complete.
Bringing her hand to her chest she began to smile to herself.
"Chainsaw Man, soon we will stand by each other, I will be yours and you'll be mine, in a perfect world…"
Her attention, however, was switched to the door as her nose picked up a certain set of scents approaching. Not that she needed her heightened senses to tell who was coming anyway. The rabble of Special Division 4 was more than enough to alert anyone on the floor of their presence. With a smile of amusement, she quickly fixed herself up and sat up to meet them accordingly.
"Come in." She beckoned, signaling the group to trickle into the room one by one with the noisy arguments now toned down to utter silence.
"Miss Makima, thank you for your time"
"No problem Aki dear, are you all well?"
"Yes." they all said in unison as the group settled into the atmosphere, Aki stood like a diligent soldier as Himeno relaxed crossing her arms and spending more time looking out the window behind Makima than in the conversation, Power was as tense as always and Denji, her target for the day, remained seemingly on edge, a little uncomfortable but with an amusing hue of red adorning his cheeks.
Amused, Makima looked behind Aki and shot Denji a gentle smile before addressing him directly "You ok Denji? I heard the result of yesterday's attack was largely thanks to your efforts"
"Y-yeah…thanks, I guess…heh, did what I could" Growing ever more nervous around her, he scratched the back of his head and avoided her eyes at all costs.
"Hmm" Feeling content enough with his reaction, their new boss cleared her throat and continued.
"That's the reason why I called all of you here. To personally commend you for your efforts, when I received the reports from the surveying tea, I was impressed and taken aback"
Standing up now, Makima made her way around to the front of the desk to bring herself completely into their field of view.
"Nevertheless, I'm glad you are well, as well as Miss Kobeni"
"Oh! That reminds me, Miss! Please excuse her as she couldn't make it due to still processing everything" Himeno chimed in.
"I understand, I suppose she might still be dealing with some psychological trauma…Himeno, can I trust you to look over her? I could tell she's already the nervous type." Makima replied as she shot Himeno the usual smile.
"Already on it…boss"
"Great, now, please enjoy some down-time as we investigate the whereabouts of this group, if our assumptions are correct they might prove to be a big clue as to the location of the Gun Devil, I'll need you all in top form for when we strike"
"Hell yeah! We'll take the fight to 'em!" Denji pumped his fist as he popped up from behind Aki, wrapping his other arm around his annoyed senior's neck.
"Argh! Please behave Denji!"
Watching it all unfold Makima couldn't help but release a soft chuckle as she watched her pup act so giddy, so motivated, so ignorant "That's right Denji dearest, with the woman you've brought us, I will make sure to gather whatever information I can. Aki, Himeno, I will brief you on the details as soon as we can officially get approval for this mission"
"Understood. Thank you, Miss" Once again, the two seniors responded almost in perfect synch.
"Good, that will be all for the rest of you but Denji-"
"Huh? You need me for something?"
"Yes, but don't fret, you're not in any trouble, although we do need to discuss some important matters. This, I'm afraid, is a more direct assignment so the rest are dismissed."
"Uh.. okay, sure!"
Watching the scene play out Himeno and Aki looked at each other, puzzled while Power crossed her arms with a silent 'hmph!' still, making sure Makima would not overhear her challenging her orders.
Losing her trademark gentle smile, Makima turned to the rest now silent with a penetrating gaze.
"This would be all Aki, Himeno, Power."
"R-roger!"
"U-uh Of course ma'am!"
"Y-yes ma'am, See ya Denji!" With that, Himeno closed the door behind the three as they left, resolving to go get lunch and leave Denji to his fate.
"Now…" Makima continued as she walked back to her desk.
Denji stood nervously yet still enraptured. The sway of her hips, the gentle sound of her delicate steps… He wasn't so sure if she was doing it on purpose or if she was just crafted in the heavens to be so perfect. Every little detail in how she moved and carried herself was enthralling, like something unseen was grabbing him and keeping him suspended at this moment, a captive to this woman's charms.
He watched her playfully turn around, her ponytail following her movement before resting just above her chest. She placed her hands on the desk behind her and purposely lowered herself to rest her buttocks on the desk. As she descended, her back was slowly arched and her head slightly tilted to the side as if beckoning him to stare longer as her gaze sliced through the thick atmosphere to his own eyes, the rings around her iris almost moving like waves closing into his reflection on her beautiful eyes.
"Come closer Denji."
Snapping back into reality, much to her amusement, he shook his head and slapped it between his hands earning a playful chuckle from her in return. He was currently a mess, she rarely had to do much to get him like this but he knew that an opportunity like this couldn't be wasted. He believed that maybe he would have to come up with some sort of excuse to be alone with her again but now he had the perfect opportunity to get things moving and this is the time to show that resolve he's been working on for all that time with his masters. He was a man on a mission, a warrior for the universe, and Makima's future beau! Get pumped man!
"Sure!"
Beckoning him closer to her with a curl of her finger she leaned in as he obediently almost ran towards her. Extending her arm, she stopped him right at the spot she deemed perfect for him to not miss a thing.
"I want us to have a good conversation, I have a few things I need to ask you but I just feel it's all much better if we're closer, is that ok?"
"YES! Of course Miss Makima"
"That's good, so-" Crossing her legs and resting her hands over her knees she continued explaining the reason for her request.
"I've been made well aware of your performance during the attack, there are many things I'm interested in but one particular detail is how quickly you seem to have taken care of some especially dangerous individuals and armed at that."
"O-oh well, you've always wanted results right? So I've just been working my butt off to deliver it"
"While that may be true, and I'm very appreciative of your efforts, it is still a very unusual display. Denji, you're still just a very recent recruit mind you, this is a feat some of our most seasoned agents couldn't pull off so you can understand why I need you to explain this to me further."
Denji gulped at two essentially dangerous situations unfolding. First Makima was going directly for the very thing he was tasked to keep under wraps to not arouse suspicions in his world. Second, she asked all of this while sitting like that, crossing her limbs to accentuate the natural curves of her torso and hips. She would usually drive him insane no matter what she did but today seemed especially trying on his sanity and he didn't know if it was because of the long time he spent without seeing her or if she was trying to drive him nuts. A hormonal war raged within him as he failed to notice her coming up on him and placing her fingers on his chest and tracing small lines along the curvature of his pectorals.
"Denji."
"Oh u-um, sor-"
"What is the reason behind this sudden performance boost I'm seeing? Answer this question darling and maybe…I can give you a little reward." Oh God, her hands, her delicate palms cupped his cheeks as he felt like melting caramel between her fingertips. With a devilish yet subdued smile, she gently ran her nails across his cheeks grazing them, making the hairs at the back of his neck stand on end.
"How's that sound? I know you'll tell me what I want to know, and you know I will follow through on my end so…" her hands slid off of his cheeks down his neck and back to his chest. Her analytical stare was now shaded with sultry undertones which made him feel immobilized by her peering eyes as if chains were wrapping around his body.
"We can continue where we left off, keeping our final promise until you kill the Gun Devil, of course. There's still plenty of treats for my loyal dog" She tapped her fingers on his torso as her hands moved right above his stomach.
"And if you can manage that…" planting a small peck on the crook of his neck the enchantress blew warm air over the moistened spot and gently began to push him away all while locking eyes with her prey.
"You can guess what your reward will be…"
"Guh!" Denji winced as he felt his psyche crash landing into an ocean, in which he was currently drowning. But there it was, that familiar shock that ran through his central nervous system just as they locked eyes and he could see a whole different thing manifesting among those enticing rings and that amber sea, something dangerous.
Denji now felt his heart sink as he confirmed for himself some of the many warnings Pochita had given him during their talk. Makima's eyes reflected something beautiful, but devoid of any emotion, guess they were just pretty to look at. Deep in thought, he felt his body finally come to and loosen up while still under the influence of her touch. He pondered as to how he would approach this. She was commanding the room and conversation as she always did, he grew used to understanding that it always meant everything was going to be alright. All he had to do was just let go and let her drag him anywhere and he would be happy, at peace, and with a great life. But… he was capable of managing that on his own now and he was able to connect with his buddy again even if not physically so the loneliness he once felt dissipated into a new sense of autonomy. Denji had also gained the strength and confidence to push forward thanks to the extraordinary capabilities he'd gained as well as a renewed drive to chase his dreams. If he had any plans to reach her heart he couldn't lose to his old self, even when facing an impossibly hot and enchanting woman such as her!
Watching that familiar look of arousal and shock as it leaves his eyes, Makima's smile began to change into a more sober appearance as her pup was now suddenly reacting differently than usual. His eyes went from his usual manic stare to a much more subdued loo and that worried her. He's not responding, he seems almost let down by her advances. Something strange was definitely up with him and his resistance to her unbeatable charms and powers was more than enough proof to rile her sense of suspicion.
"Denji you seem..different, is everything alright? Is this not to your liking?" Prying on his attention, she leaned down to meet his line of sight as his eyes were placed firmly on the floor. Clasping her behind her in her usual style, she eyed and analyzed his body language to seek for faults in his demeanor.
"Miss, I shouldn't but…I can answer your question…" Placing his hands on her shoulders he gently pushed her back, much to her surprise, and looked up at her questioning eyes without letting her go.
"Can I ask you something first?"
"If you'll give me what I want, I think I can manage that…What is it?" Placing her smaller hands on his, she gently pushed his grip off of her and shot him a serious look, showing him her disappointment in his actions.
Responding with an awkward sigh and a meek 'sorry' he then crossed his arms and looked to the ceiling, closing his eyes as if gathering strength from above, considering his next words carefully.
"Are you…The Control Devil?" That's it, he knew that after this it was a toss-up on how she would react. The way she carried herself and how others behave around her never clued him into believing this was a commonly-known fact. Hell, he even questioned Pochita's sanity when he first revealed it to him but the deeper he went into his explanation the more sense it made even to his crap-filled brain.
"What?" Stepping back, Makima was now more than a bit suspicious of Denji. Especially now that he was prying into information no one except the absolute top brass of the government should know about. When did he even come to question her nature and stranger still, how did her dog know to directly ask about CONTROL out of all the devils out there? If he went to such specifics he knew something but how?
"Denji, we're devil hunters you know? That is a very serious accusation." Zeroing in on him, her arm extended with her pointer finger locking directly onto him.
"Why are you even asking this?" She added, visibly troubled.
"Well, it has a lot to do with the crazy-as-hell story I have to tell you and I promise it'll make sense eventually so… You don't have to try and kill me y'know?" putting his hands up he slowly stepped back from her and tried to ease down her heightened state of aggression.
"How can you even…?" Surprised, his words made her realize he knew what she was going to do and the most astonishing part was, he didn't even seem threatened.
"You ooze killing intent so I guess this shit's kind of a touchy thing but I promise I don't give a crap if you're human or not I just wanna see if what he said is even true and I can trust you with what I'm about to tell you!" Hoping this was sufficient he slowly lowered his hands and watched as she eased down.
"..." Going over her options she quickly came to understand that if he was asking that, then he already knows too much and any attempt at killing him with her current abilities would only prove to him what he seems to already suspect. Lowering her hand she began to feel a new feeling she believed was long dead within her, frustration. She felt limited in her options and could gauge he was serious about his words. His mind showed no signs of faltering on this, her flirtations were barely effective and force didn't seem much better. How did his psyche become so iron-clad?
"Alright…" Choosing to dismiss the maelstrom in her head and resolving that it was best to just listen to his proposition for now, she walked to the door and locked it, making sure whatever came out of her lips was kept only in the ears of present company.
"What I'm about to tell you stays between us…that much should be obvious."
"O-Of course! No probs with that"
"And I want to know how you even came across that"
"S-sure…"
"Well…" Turning to face him, she walked away from the door and stood squarely in front of him, conveying to him very clearly the gravity of the situation.
"I am the Devil of Control, Conquest, Domination or however you wish to view the concept, but I want to make this very clear, my alignment remains with the betterment of humanity and despite the nature of my identity I hold nothing but contempt for devils and only wish to progress our society towards perfect peace"
"Whew, that's a doozy"
"Yes, Denji, and now I want to know how you even know about that. And feel free to also answer my first question."
"Right, well, if you want, take a seat, it's a doozy too"
Sensing the straightforward honesty in his words, she nodded and made her way toward the desk. Taking her seat she leaned into her interlocked fingers as she rested her elbows on the table ready to analyze his every word and expecting them to be worth her telling him that much.
"Go on."
"Well, remember when we came out of that situation at the hotel?"
"Your run-in with the Infinity Devil."
"Right, well after that I went to take a piss and that's where it all got like super crazy" Scratching his head Denji motioned for the empty sit to the front of the office, near the door. Giving yet another silent nod she allowed him to go get it and sit down for the remainder of his explanation.
"Must be quite the story then"
"Yeah…but seriously Miss, this can't get out of here, if this gets thrown around the public we're gonna be in big trouble".
Sharpening her peering eyes on Denji, she raised her eyebrows in interest.
"How so?"
"Like You, Me, The whole city, and even the planet, just gone."
"Gone?"
"Destroyed, erased, like nothin' ever happened and no one here ever existed"
With her interest peaked, she once again scanned his mind and saw not a trace of jest, either this was a complete delusion, or whatever he was going to get into might be a threat if his talks of extinction were anything to go by.
"So you're saying the nature of your sudden spike in strength, agility, and power is tied to something that could very well erase everything?"
"Pretty much, I knew you'd get it, Miss"
"Alright. I'm trusting you to keep what I've told you between us so I'll do the same, continue"
As the day progressed Denji unraveled the matters of his sudden disappearance. A blink of an eye in their time-space meant years of his displacement. His conversations with the absolute power of the universes, which she then came to hear were several. How he was selected as an envoy and trained by two beings of seemingly extraordinary power if the feats he explained were factual, that is.
He also went into at least some specifics of the training he endured in fantastical places and hard-to-believe scenarios. His body was honed under extremely harsh conditions and his senses were brought far beyond the capabilities she understood were possible for humans.
"This is… a lot"
"I know, I know. I get this all sounds like some crazy fever dream but it's for real! I'll show you later!..i-if it's ok with you that is"
"If you have a way of making all of this seem plausible, I'll allow it…please continue"
"So getting into what I said just know, a lot of the trainin' was weird, kind of mental stuff. I managed to be able to read people's energy"
"How's that work?"
"Well, everyone kinda has vibrations or like a flow of this ki, when we're happy, sad or angry we show it through that, but also our body gives off signals when you're getting ready to do something, especially when it's attacking and stuff. The energy becomes wilder and it's almost like I can see the path the attack's gonna take before it happens and not with my eyes but my sense of energy."
"So that's how you saw through me back then"
"Yeah, you were getting ready to do something crazy with that finger"
"Well, as I've said dear, this is some very classified and dangerous ground you're now standing on. You're just a recruit and this is heavily protected information. You can guess the trouble it'll cause everyone if people just started hearing one of Public Safety's top officers was a devil"
"Yeah but no worries I won't say anything"
"I know I can count on you, Denji" With a warm smile she barely even noticed she has started to ease down. Her alertness had subsided and now she was simply enthralled in his story. Truthfully, it all sounded so silly it almost eased her into forgetting the gravity of the current situation. He still knows what she is and even if he didn't care that complicated things far too much though not as much as these new set of circumstances. If he's telling the truth, she might be dealing with powers far beyond her current understanding of the world and the cosmos on her path to peace.
"Heh, you got it so where was I?"
"You were talking about this…ki energy?"
"Ahh yeah yeah so this stuff is crazy and it's not the only form of energy, there's also Spirit Energy which is another crazy thing but with that came something called Image Training?"
"And what does that entail?"
"Well at first, it was a way of learning to train my brain to be as strong and agile as my body, so that I could push my head to go as fast as my body and make me a super-efficient, like, brawler. You sit like you do when you meditate and you use your energy to create like a tv in your head and you can make it take the shape of someone or somethin' in your head with it and fight 'em over and over again and you get better and better cause it's like unlimited practice!"
"I see, quite handy then if you can couple those two concepts well"
"Yeah, and the craziest thing is what happened as I was learning to do that"
"Do tell dear"
"While I was tryna come up with a good fight to train on, this guy showed up!" Pulling the starter from the gaps between the buttons of his shirt. Denji playfully tugged on it while pointing to his chest with his other hand.
"You mean…"
"Pochita! Or I guess you'd know him as the Chainsaw Devil!"
Her eyes widened as she processed what he was even implying, did he make contact? Is there some unknown way for hybrids to talk to their devil halves?
"Denji, what happened then?"
"I guess that the image training helped me hone my energy with my thoughts and he took it and made himself a body in my head so whenever I lock into that state I can talk to him again!"
"That's…Denji forgive me but it's becoming increasingly hard to follow any of this…" Regardless of all the blank points that still lacked an explanation, the teen's particular story was especially fantastical and only grew more and more convoluted as time went on. In hell alone she's experienced plenty of crazy things but Denji's accounts still rattled her mind.
"He was the one who told me about you being the Control Devil"
"..."
"Hey, how would I even know about that if it wasn't through something crazy like this? We both know that no one in our team knows about this"
"That may be so, but there's still the matter of you both talking about anything like old friends…The Chainsawman I know is nothing like that, he doesn't even talk, he is chaos and power incarnate" Crossing her arms in a matter-of-factly manner, Makima further pressed the blonde on her issues with his statement.
"And why was I such a hot topic in your talks?"
"Ah! Well" Getting nervous now, Denji cursed his hubris. Her questioning why he would even talk about her to such depths was not in his plans.
"Hmm?" Now resting her head on her crossed hands she maintained her serious demeanor although seeing him fidget was pretty amusing.
"Um, can we talk about that a bit l-later?"
"Hmm? What's coming later Denji?" She loved poking him into a corner, seeing how he'd respond to the slightest bit of playful pressure at least showed her her charm still got through sometimes.
"Well, u-uh"
"Relax, for now, show me."
"Show you?"
"Denji, surely you realize how strange everything you've told me is, how am I supposed to believe any of this with no real proof?"
"Agh man, lemme think then…" Rubbing his temple, the boy beat his brain up until a lightbulb popped into his head.
"Alright! I got just the thing, I finished most of my story anyways so how about this?" Extending his arm he motioned her to come to him.
"Come on over and grab my hand"
"Oh? A close-up demonstration?" Slowly getting up, she arched her back and stretched while carefully eyeing Denji for a reaction. To further her amusement, she caught him gulping down a big wad of air while fixated on her chest earning him a small chuckle.
"I'll be in your care then" Stepping over to him, she took his hand, her eyes fixated on his.
"R-right so just keep calm and stay close it's gonna be quick and I don't wan-oof!" Feeling something soft bump against his torso. He looked down to catch a scene that froze him in place.
"Close enough?" She had taken his hand and spun around to land with her back against his chest, tugging his arm over her stomach, locking herself in place.
"U-uh yeah" Before he passed out, Denji closed his eyes, and placing two fingers firmly onto his forehead, he focused past the nerve-wracking situation before him. Finding a suitable signature, his eyes shot open.
"Alright! Instant-transmission…"
"Instant what?"
"Go!"
Feeling her insides hollow out, She could only muster a small gasp as in a blink of an eye they landed gently on an open field on one of the most beautiful landscapes she's ever seen.
"Denji…What…is"
"This ain't Japan, I'll tell you that"
Taking advantage of her stupefied state he gently set her on her feet and released her as he spread his arms and took in the fresh air.
"Ain't this great miss?"
"This…" The mountains, the river gently running nearby, the distinct wildlife, this wasn't Japan at all, this was somewhere on the other side of the world.
"Denji do you even know where this is?"
"Nah sorry, I just felt the peace here and decided to pop here. I can't believe I managed to pull it off without the guys helping me hehe!" With a hearty chuckle, Denji fell on his back on a bed of daisies and crossed his legs while Makima was left questioning everything she knew.
"Denji, this is America, we're thousands of miles away…Is this some sort of trick?"
"Nah, we're really here!"
"So…"
"Wasn't kidding, Miss"
"This is a lot to take in"
"You can sit if you want Miss, your first transmission can take a lot out of ya" Patting a space on the ground next to him Denji sat up and shot her a beaming peace sign.
"..sure" Taking her seat, she leaned back, supporting herself in her arms, and took in the scenery she never had the chance to see for herself.
"So you can move in an instant…anywhere?"
"Anywhere I can successfully read the energy and figure out where it is. Got no idea where America is but I could totally feel the peace in the animals and the plants so I knew it had to be awesome"
"Awesome it is"
"Buuut, I can't really go anywhere yet. I can't just do this whenever I'm not a master like the guy who taught me this"
"So it was a special occasion?"
"Yeah.." Looking away, Denji did his best to hide his blush from her line of sight.
Looking back up to the blue sky Denji steeled himself and turned forward focusing on what was next.
"I talked with Pochita 'cause I really like you, Miss"
"..." Leaning forward, keeping her gaze on him, she began to feel a certain kind of anxiety come over her but she didn't understand why.
"I know it's weird having people talk behind your back and junk but… I feel like my dreams have always been shitty but this one I think is at least a bit noble"
"And what's that?"
"You, Miss… uh, but with all due respect!...Being w-with you"
"I see" This was expected and by design, she was no stranger to the infatuation of others, her nature facilitated that and it paved the way to her machinations bringing her closer than ever to her dream even though everything seemed to float away with the gentle breeze caressing her face. Optimism washed over her as she could once again paint a clear picture of her perfect world over such a beautiful and tranquil canvas.
"But knowing you're the Control Devil, Pochita explained to me there are lots of things I had to be willing to give you…and some I can't give up"
Taken out of her daydream, the devil in question turned to look at the teen with a quizzical look.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, like I said, I can feel things before they even happen, I dunno why yet but I know there's some hostility towards me and you keep calling me your dog…"
"Denji, choose your words wisely"
"Even if you hate me now for saying this, I ain't stopping till I can be the dude who can be by your side without you ever using your powers"
"What are you talking about?"
"You were my first real hug and I can't describe how amazin' it felt to hug someone like that and i wanna return the favor to you"
"..." She spoke nothing as she stood and walked a bit further from him, feeling uncomfortable in the direction of the conversation.
"And I know you wanna kill me and get to Chainsawman but-"
Now turning to point her index finger back at him, she lifted her thumb like the hammer of a handgun.
"I'm not familiar with how capable you have become now but don't underestimate my resolve, all the steps I've taken and plan to take are necessary for the betterment of mankind."
With a sigh, Denji got up and dusted off his shirt.
"Well, your dog ain't here no more. So what's gonna happen now?"
"Bang." a giant explosion was heard for miles as debris shot out from the spot Denji stood on.
"If I can't bring out Chainsawman yet, I'll just break you now, we'll see if your friends come."
Feeling an immense amount of pressure start to manifest around her, she took a few steps back surveying the scene to see if her eyes fooled her. As the dust from her attack settled she could confirm it wasn't just tricks her eyes played on her. There stood Denji, completely unharmed, dusting off his body before placing his hands on his hips like a disappointed parent.
"You know Miss, he told me I was nuts for being so serious about you, and said you were all kinds of messed up but…" As he hopped up and down Denji loosened up the muscles of his extremities and landed firmly on his feet crouching into a stance she only remembers seeing in old martial arts movies.
"I figure I'm messed up enough to be a great match!"
"What is the meaning of this, Denji?"
" Gotta show you your leash got busted a long time ago so you finally understand that plan of yours ain't gonna cut it the way you're going about it" With a firm grunt, he stomped on the ground as it cracked and the force of the impact sent a burst of air in her direction.
Covering her face with her arms she winced as the strong pressure pushed her back a few steps and broke her focus on her attack. Bringing her finger back up her eyes began to slightly change as the usually neat rings around her eyes began to change and look more like circular blotches of blood circling in on her target. Keeping her finger pointed at the teen, she focused her powers on his body as he began to tense up.
Denji felt a strange pressure build-up within his body as if razors were trying to eviscerate his insides, deducing that this was possibly what Makima was trying to do, he chuckled and concentrated his force inward as small bolts of lightning began to course around his body.
"Haaaaaa!" The small bolts became wild rays that spewed out and began to strike the surrounding areas.
Her eyes widening Makima felt as if her invisible influence was being suppressed and outright erased from within him. This was dangerous, the more he resisted her attacks the more it affected her perception of domination over him. The image of her standing relative to Denji was beginning to change as more and more she used her offensive repertoire and he just kept brushing it off or forcing her influence out of his body. Her strengths lie in perception, she viewed herself as superior, and in-turn her victims would gradually fall into her trance, which granted her complete domination over their psyche and their bodies. But this was falling on its face as the young punk was dishing out a complete rejection of her onslaught.
Launching another volley of invisible shots at Denji, She continued to no avail as she would still make out his form standing tall in the same spot, not even moved or shaken. Once the smoke started to clear once more Denji just stood there, arm outstretched with his palm facing forward with no more than a few scratches on it. Growing desperate Makima now fully opened her hand and closed her eyes once more concentrating for a moment.
"Hell Devil, honor our accords, it is time" This was the best she could muster for the moment. As a slit began to form on her wrist, blood began to shoot out as a rope of guts followed the gushing blood and formed various circles around Denji unveiling a hauntingly beautiful landscape of greenery within. As these doors began to churn and writhe, various cries and wails could be heard as a horde of devils forced their way through the pathways and charged Denji.
"Uh oh," Denji quickly took note of the number of strange openings forming around him as different jaws, arms, and weapons began to shoot out from them. It seemed she opened several doorways to hell and summoned a small army to her aid.
VROOOM
Pulling on his starter, Denji outstretched his arms as numerous barbed chains shot out and violently grabbed into the different manifestations attacking him.
"RAHHHH!" Pulling his arms towards himself the chains followed as they ripped and tore into everything they grabbed onto. Flesh was torn to ribbons and swords and lances shattered as the spirit of the Hero of Hell began manifesting in a circus of blood and guts around the young boy as he flung his arms with wild precision basically quartering every single devil that aimed to attack him. The boy was making a mess of hell from the outside and barely breaking a sweat.
"Ah, crap how the hell am I gonna explain THIS when I get back?" Denji rose from the falling rain of multicolor blood with pure disgust on his face.
"What is this? What is this?" Astonished, Makima could only watch with mouth agape as Denji came out of that, annoyed, brushing off the bits and pieces of devils covering his uniform.
Looking up at her, he flashed a cocky smile and a peace sign.
"I'm telling you, everything I said is true… I'm way stronger than you think." Denji explained as he began to walk towards her, small strings of lightning covering his body, the chains now fully retracted into the now-closing wounds in his arms.
Seeing one of her stronger tactics failing, she knew nothing short of a Primal Devil would manage to actually kill him. He would do the same to all the other hybrids she's collected and her attacks failed to cause any real damage to him. Gathering her wits, she closed her eyes and exhaled, lowering her arm in defeat.
"I see it now, you really have become amazing." looking down at the ground, she could only muster these simple words as her sight dulled and her mind went adrift into a pit of disappointment and frustration. She went over countless scenarios and pitted them against all the amazing things he demonstrated and none seemed to come out in her favor. She was utterly defeated and not even by Chainsaw Man but by its vessel who merely used his powers for convenience.
"I guess so."
"Do away with me if you must. This looks unwinnable"
"Told ya…so, you ready to call it quits on this whole using Pochita to rule the world?"
"This dream is all I've ever wanted or cared about Denji. I've already considered it not being attainable as I've been preparing since my bout with the Hero of Hell many years ago and took into account every possible scenario…but I certainly did not foresee this so, it's best if you do away with me now. If you were to summon Chainsaw Man, you could-"
"Yeah, that's not gonna happen."
"Pardon?"
"I'm not gonna kill you, Miss."
"Denji, there's no point in continuing this dance, I admit defeat and I prefer to become a part of Chainsaw Man than to try all of this again, it's been far too long trying to bring perfect peace and I'm exhausted"
"There's still something you haven't tried, maybe the one thing that's actually behind all of this crazy shit you've been planin'"
"Please elaborate."
"I'll start with this, You see miss, I've never really known what a real hug was like till I met you. I'm sure you know that already"
"I wasn't even being genuine then Denji, I merely wanted to get close to you, as I'm sure you already know, as well."
Unfazed by her cold remarks Denji placed his hands on each side of his waist and firmly stared her down "Yeah sure, but it was still nice at the time. I got to make a connection, I met a hot girl that actually treated me nice and I know you know that meant everything to me…even if it was all bullshit you brightened up my entire shitty life with that alone"
"..."
"So even if you were bullshittin' Miss, what I'm trying to get at here is maybe you could use that too, maybe you could've used a nice hug since a long time ago"
In a rare sign of emotion, Makima's eyebrow twitched as his words began to daringly strike at her psyche "Denji, how can you possibly know or understand my desires?"
"I know everyone around you is like a dog and no one has ever been anythin' more…Shits lonely, right? Plus, I know you got these freaky powers that basically make it super hard for you to make any real friends or connections…See, I was just a shitstain on the side of the road for everyone else but you…you were more like a Goddess everyone worships but never gets real close to… I never knew your sweetness was fake but you always knew why people stayed close to you and that none of it was real"
"..."
"I… made a promise to Pochita and myself that if I'm ever gonna take anything really seriously that I had to at least start with this, so…ah shit…" Noticing a brief reflection of the sun on her cheek. Denji lost his train of thought at the sight of her eyes. Tears began to fall from her eyes and adorned her cheeks as he stared in disbelief. Now he felt like an utter piece of shit, he never expected her to actually cry. Now he's the dude that made his crush cry, nice.
Noticing his reaction, she looked down at her shirt to find small spots forming on her chest. Gently gliding her thumb across her eyes she examined the small bead of tear resting on it and looked up towards Denji, wiping her tears with her hand.
"...Nevertheless, This is just how things are. As you're now aware, I'm the Control Devil, and the nature of my existence will remain the same no matter the circumstance. My reality is just…unavoidable and I've already resigned myself to that" Keeping her line of sight lowered she avoided his eyes as admitting any sort of regret was painfully uncharacteristic and would only further her current state of humiliation at his hands.
"I know, I know but… well you can't mess with ME so…maybe that's another thing you weren't counting on"
Looking up, she now raised an eyebrow as she began to put the pieces together "So you're saying the only way I may be able to break that pattern is…with you?"
"Yeah…"
"...Denji, your optimism is something I can genuinely say I admire but I don't think that will be possible… Even if what you're saying makes perfect sense there are still too many other things to consider about our current places in life"
"Hey if you just don't dig me I made peace with that too but just say it, Miss"
"Denji, you're very sweet the very fact that we're even talking like this after I attempted to blow you to bits is proof enough of that but…I don't feel like you feel, I don't see love or affection as anything other than a means to an end, I can't see it any other way"
"Well no shit, you've never been loved! Me neither so isn't it worth at least a shot? Who cares if we screw it up?"
With a sigh, Makima squatted down and rested her head on her folded arms just over her knees. Her head felt heavy and so did her body and she felt like she needed to just rest her troubled mind.
"Denji you're too hard-headed…I honestly do not see any of this happening…and it's crazy that we're even having this conversation but…"
"But…?" With a hopeful grin, he pointed at her to urge her to continue.
"If you take us back, and we pretend this never happened…My next day off is coming up and… The movie theater is doing a marathon for cheap…i…could entertain the idea of a date."
"Seriously?! Aw HELL YEAAHHH" Pumping his fist up in the air, Denji shouted happily into the heavens as she watched on, a smile creeping into her face.
"It's funny…"
"Hmm? What is, Miss?"
"You're unaffected by my powers yet you couldn't be happier to go on a date with me even after our battle"
"Heh! I wasn't just shit-talkin' when I said I liked you"
"Well alright, casanova, take us home now. It's probably way past work hours and the agency will go crazy if we're nowhere to be found"
"R-right! Sorry!" Extending his arm, Denji smiled at Makima as she grabbed it, and with two fingers on his forehead, they were off to return to Tokyo.
Luckily she had spare uniforms stored nearby, at her office and they changed quickly after arriving with Denji waiting outside while she finished. It was already nighttime and there were no more than a handful of hunters left, working security shifts, some surprised at seeing her still there and with a recruit of what was now her division. Luckily she had spare uniforms stored nearby and they changed quickly after arriving with Denji waiting outside while she finished.
"Um, mind if I walk ya home Miss?"
"Oh, you want to make sure I make it home ok? After all that?"
"Would be an ass if I just let ya walk home alone no?"
"Ok." With a small smile, she hooked her arm under his "Lead the way"
Continuing on, the pair eventually arrived at the entrance of her apartment with Makima tapping on the door to signal her arrival. Hearing a load of barking and pitter-patter of little feet jumping about, Denji raised an eyebrow at his red-headed crush, earning a giggle from her.
"They're my dogs, I've been away longer than usual today so they must be restless. I guess this is goodnight Denji"
"Uh, yeah…thanks for giving it a shot, Miss"
"It's fine Denji dear…but I'll be frank, I'll give the date a shot and IF there's any truth behind your restless optimism only then can I consider altering my plans, any other way and we will fight again and you'll have no choice but to kill me or I will go after whoever I must to make things happen, understand?"
"...i-i guess"
"Good, now go back to Hayakawa's, they're probably worried sick."
"O-okay…um" Taking a bold step forward Denji outstretched his arms and cautiously approached his senior and boss.
"Can I…um give you a hug?"
"Oh?"
"If it's alright…"
Feeling playful, Makima smiled and distanced herself from Denji until her back was against the door.
"I don't know…can you?"
Zeroing in on her mesmerizing eyes and the energy around her, Denji caught on to a mischievous glint in the devilish circles around her irises and swallowed deep. She was testing him already. She was seeing if he really does have the balls to try and get close to her.
Deciding he committed too much to just chicken out, Denji took a few more steps until his incessantly shaking fingers touched the door behind her. His eyes focused on hers as her hands snaked along his arms beside her up to his shoulders, her smile still present and her eyes trapping him in the classic clutches of womanly charms, no Devil power to be found.
Taking her actions as permission, he closed in and gently let his hands glide along her middle back, gently lifting her torso off of the surface of the door. In response, she further led her hands past his shoulders and along his neck. She was amused at the shakiness of his hands and how uneasy he was with her openness.
Seeing as her body followed his tentative pulls, he decided to go all in and pull her fully towards him as she rested her chin on the crook of his neck and her torso on his. Denji was in heaven, her scent and her gentle heartbeats were lulling him into a pure sense of joy as her warm breath in the chilly night made the little hairs along his neck stand on end. This was a sensory overload and he felt it driving him towards insanity.
Makima herself pondered on the meaning of such things as she closed her eyes and remained silent. She began to feel stirrings of things she couldn't identify, it was simply not in her vernacular but she knew she didn't mind continuing this closeness between them. Maybe she was actually enjoying this. It brought her back to memories of an old movie she used to watch whenever she had the chance to just sit down and watch something. The actors, of course, faked everything and she knew it but they did it so well that their exchanges, their kisses, their hugs felt so real, so desirable for her. Realizing they were stuck in that embrace for over a minute now, she tapped on his back and he immediately released her.
"Goodnight" She shot him a warm smile to which he smiled back, almost in relief.
"Thanks for that, Miss, I'm glad we got our first real hug"
"It was nice, now go on, don't keep them waiting."
With no further words, he bowed and looked around before…flying off? This just kept getting crazier and crazier. Also, why didn't he fly them back? It would've been faster…
Nevertheless, she entered into the absolute chaos within her apartment, thanks to her dogs, but strangely, she was more aloof and light-footed than ever. Unbeknownst to the Control Devil herself, things slowly began to change around her.