Chapter 9: Worlds Collide
Note: enjoy
0O0O
The sun began to emerge in the city called Tokyo, people milled in the streets, each one to a different destination but on the same path that guides them. It was Friday morning, 7:30 AM to be exact; at this time the children of lower classes had to be in school to take the last day of classes before the weekend, however there was a child who decided to break this rule just for this day.
Hiro Takahashi looked out the car window at the buildings and people passing by, it was a little chilly outside but he was wearing a blue hooded sweater, black tailored jeans and white sneakers. Beside him at the wheel was Kishibe, his guardian and future teacher, his face was stoic and his gaze was always on the road, Kishibe was wearing his standard public security demon hunter outfit, with his well-known big coat. The difference is that now Kishibe was wearing leather driving gloves, Hiro found it strange that he was wearing gloves, he had never seen him wear gloves and wondered why of all the days he was wearing leather gloves today. Maybe he was just cold.
That wasn't important anyway, what was important was that today they were going to see the Demon Research and Demon Hunter Training Center. Aaah it was too epic.
He had waited for this day for three years, but ironically he had also been avoiding it since deep down he still had some fear of demons, but if he put his mind to it he could remove that fear, if Kishibe and Quanxi could then he could too. Tha he expected.
Deep down Hiro still felt a bit sleepy since Kishibe had woken him up at 7 in the morning just to go to this place and it must be added that the discussion they had at night happened at 11 PM which was an hour in the one who should be asleep. But Hiro gave Kishibe a look and the man didn't seem at all affected by the lack of sleep, apparently he was used to it by now. That was one of the many skills that he would surely learn in training from him.
This was very exciting and so terrifying at the same time, exciting because he was sure to come across interesting things in the course of training and terrifying because the future ahead of him was still very uncertain, but at least he hoped to live to save one of those human lives. ugly demons. God wish yes. Although he has realized that the Christian religion has not been much help lately, he thought so because there were hundreds of demons in the world and no angels in sight. Maybe if there was a God he wouldn't let this happen...
But that was another topic for another time when he was lost in his thoughts. After several minutes, Hiro could finally make out from the car window a huge building that stretched around the street for what he thought was about 50 meters wide, he guessed 30 meters high but he wasn't sure.
"Is that the research center?" Hiro asked the sad driver, he looked with curious and wondering eyes at the huge building that with all the tinted windows looked like a giant mirror.
Kishibe continued to look at the street as he replied to the boy, "Yes, that's the place, and if you're wondering why it's bigger on the sides as opposed to the other buildings that are bigger on the top, it's because they also contain demons here, why?" what special places are needed to contain and study them. Add to that that here are also the entertainment fields for hunters, of course it is optional to come to train here, there are other places in Japan "
Hiro turned from the window to look at Kishibe with a nod "And I'll come here to train?"
Kishibe glanced at Hiro for just a second and then both of his eyes returned to the street "We'll see"
"Can you tell me more about this place?"
"There isn't much else, the only thing that might interest you is that the building also extends below us, as you can imagine, it is also used to house demons. In this case, high-ranking demons?"
Hiro felt himself break out in a cold sweat. "High rank?" for some reason that word made him have a bad feeling about those demons.
"Yes, you see Hiro there are weak, normal, difficult demons and then there are the high-ranking ones. Demons that have hundreds or thousands of years of existence, millions of people have died because of them and hunting them was a headache for the hunters of those times, today it is even more difficult to contain them but with new technologies some progress has been made"
"That sounds...creepy" Hiro swallowed hard and felt the hair on his arms stand up, but he wasn't going to back down. No again.
"It is. But you don't have to worry, they're locked in high security vaults" Kishibe gave Hiro a lopsided smile hoping that would calm him down a bit.
Hiro however felt anything but calm, Kishibe's smile actually seemed darker than he wanted him to look. He didn't know if Kishibe was trying to calm him down or was just teasing him, he opted more for the second option but it seemed strange to him that Kishibe made jokes. Today was a strange day.
When they arrived, and after finding an available parking lot, it was already 7:44 in the morning, even with all the excitement and terror of knowing this place, Hiro was hungry, Kishibe did not give him a place to prepare breakfast since they left one once they were both ready.
"Shouldn't we have breakfast first? I'm hungry" Hiro pointed out as he got out of the car, he rubbed his belly to emphasize that fact.
Kishibe shook his head "No, I'm sorry but I prefer your breakfast to stay in your stomach" without further ado Kishibe walked towards the entrance. But suddenly Kishibe's instincts lit up like a click.
He quickly raised his gaze to the top of the building that seemed to be 15 stories high, the windows of the building were designed so that you couldn't see inside, they were tinted, but the people inside could clearly see what was going on outside. But that was not an inconvenience, Kishibe could easily feel when someone was looking at him with intensity, and he could also easily feel when a demon was staring at him as if he were prey. Kishibe also stared intently at one of the windows in which the person...or thing was supposed to be.
"She's in there, I can feel her"
Kishibe narrowed his eyes and kept looking up intently "I know, me too" he unconsciously said out loud.
"Eh?" Hiro stood there confused by what Kishibe said, he realized that he only looked at the upstairs windows but Hiro couldn't see anything, the most he saw was the reflection of some clouds. Kishibe stopped looking out the windows when he remembered that Hiro was with him, without wanting to explain he walked back towards the entrance, walking as if nothing had happened.
Hiro also stopped looking out the windows when he realized that Kishibe was leaving him behind, he ran to try to catch up, when he reached him Kishibe was already opening the door for both of them.
When he entered, Hiro was surprised by the typical office environment, to be also a ward for demons yet they kept the place in order.
They even had a receptionist and waiting chairs!
It looked like a clinic or the workplace of some company, if I was honest I expected something more... macabre, like a dark aesthetic like the ones hunters have, or demonic paintings or a picture of Christ pasted on the wall. But no, instead there was a cat clock on the wall that moved its paw every second.
Kishibe seemed to notice the conflict in Hiro "Is there a problem?"
Hiro kept looking to the sides of the place, as if he wanted to find some mini demon that was hiding "Well... I expected it to be more terrifying"
Kishibe snorted "Hey we're not that wild. We still have some social class in this kind of thing, otherwise we wouldn't dress in fancy suits" he said all that as if he felt offended somehow.
Kishibe had a point, so he put those thoughts of his aside and just followed Kishibe to the receptionist.
The receptionist greeted them with a smile "Good morning, welcome to the Demon Research and Demon Hunter Training Center. How can I help you?"
"Hello I'm Kishibe" Hiro gave Kishibe a look that said 'Really? Don't you have another name and surname?' it was a look Kishibe didn't see or chose to ignore.
"I'm here to meet Dr. Yuna Nishimura today, I booked a meeting with her last night" Kishibe continued and could see the receptionist searching through the many documents for the appointment Kishibe had requested.
"Let's see... Oh yeah, here you are, Public Security Demon Slayer Kishibe" she closed the document "Your appointment was scheduled for 8:30 AM, do you want to wait in the room until it's time for the meeting?" "
"In fact, I was hoping to take a tour of the facilities until the time came" Kishibe gave Hiro a quick glance who was just watching how the conversation unfolded, basically he was keeping a note, so next time he would know how to speak with the receptionist. Only if it was necessary.
"I understand, you just need to show his hunter's license to the gate guards in the back to enter the facility. Dr. Nishimura's office is located on the twelfth floor before the demology library."
"Demology?" Hiro asked and that's when the receptionist realized that Kishibe was carrying a child, she hadn't noticed until now. Adults or hunters usually come, but children have not come for many years.
"Does the child come with you?" the woman questioned.
Kishibe nodded "Yes, he is my escort while we look at the facilities, is there any inconvenience?"
"Eeh well, not really, it was just something unexpected. Anyway, when it's time took the elevator and it took you to the corridor that leads to Dr. Nishimura's office"
"Got it, thanks. Hiro, let's go" With that last said, Kishibe started his new walk and Hiro was not long in keeping up with him.
The receptionist looked curiously at the boy who was accompanied by a demon hunter until they moved away from his sight.
Kishibe walked a few meters to the other side of the building where the door that separated the outside world from the terrifying world was located. When he arrived he spotted a black gate that was being guarded by two guards wearing the uniform of hunters.
"Identify yourself" ordered one of the guards and Kishibe pulled out his hunting license, from somewhere Hiro didn't know.
The guard inspected it for a few seconds until he handed it back, then he saw the boy who came with him and Hiro flinched at the look both guards were giving him.
"You should know that when a minor enters here it is the responsibility of the companion, in this case a hunter, to keep him at bay from anything unusual, from any suspicious object or from the many demons that are sheltered in this place, is that clear? "
"Of course, he will be with me at all times, he will not be separated from me" Kishibe said with the most seriousness that Hiro had ever heard come out of him.
The guards said no more and opened the door for Kishibe, and he and Hiro entered. The first thing they came across was a dark corridor that was illuminated with many red lights, throughout the place there were many doors in the form of vaults painted black and in each one the word danger was written in kanji and in English. . This whole place was extremely creepy for Hiro, he was a bit cold and he was pretty sure he could hear some unknown sound coming from the vaults.
This all seemed like something out of a nightmare.
Hiro flinched when someone put a hand on his shoulder but calmed down when he realized it was just Kishibe. Speaking of him, he had a serious look on his face directed at Hiro. Kishibe crouched down to his height and placed both hands on his shoulders.
"Now, listen to me very carefully kid. From now on I don't want you to separate from me, I want you to stay by my side until it's time to go to the twelfth floor. If you see something that seems out of the ordinary, tell me , if you see something that I can't see tell me. This place is sometimes a labyrinth for those who come for the first time and believe me you don't want to get lost in this place. In this tour I will show you some basic things about how demon hunters train , just that, we won't do anything else in this place, do you understand?"
Hiro froze throughout Kishibe's speech but he managed to give a stiff nod. Pará Kishibe was more than enough and they both got going.
They started to walk down the corridor which gave Hiro the creeps, Kishibe was walking calmly as if it was the city street but Hiro was walking shakily next to him. Suddenly some non-human screams were heard coming from the vaults that were near the exit door, that made Hiro widen his eyes in fear.
"What was that!?" he asked terrified and Kishibe just talked quietly as they continued walking.
"They are demons obviously, they are some that have been selected for study and analysis. These doors here" Kishibe brazenly banged on the doors and made the roars and screams at the doors intensify and become more noisy, that it only made Hiro more afraid "They are made of a Titanium and Tungsten alloy, which prevents the demons from passing through the doors"
Hiro gulped. "Is it really safe to be that close to us?"
Kishibe wasn't one to brag but he did anyway "Boy, if I wanted to, I could take down all these demons without a problem" he said and Hiro looked at him in amazement.
"R-really?"
Kishibe nodded almost sagely "Of course, better worry about those below us, they can beat me up"
Hiro was going to thank Kishibe after this, now he was going to be afraid to look down thanks to him.
The corridor wasn't that long, but it was relatively wider than normal, probably to keep some distance between the non-hunters and the demons. They took a few more steps and through the monotonous darkness they could see the exit door, Kishibe opened it and Hiro was blinded by a huge white light that came from inside. He instinctively closed his eyes and covered himself with a hand. Finally after he thought he was already inside, Hiro opened his eyes and found himself in a huge room. The room looked like a huge interrogation room like the ones in those cop-and-criminal movies, but three times as big. It had, of course, a black door and next to it there was a huge spy mirror where the spectators could see the room inside but the people inside could not see that they were being watched. The ceiling was big, it was very far from the ground like 10 or 12 meters, but it was big, as if whatever happened here was huge. The lower part, the floor and the walls consequently had a huge separation, almost the same size as a normal soccer field.
"Wow, what is this place?" The boy asked totally amazed by the size of the room. Hiro got the feeling of feeling very small in a room like this.
On the other hand, Kishibe only had not entirely pleasant memories of this place, here he had shed sweat, blood, the blood of others and had broken one or another limb. He was beginning to regret coming to this place but Quanxi pressed him to put his butt on the line for once. He thought it was fair, not only for the three years that Quanxi had helped him, but that he could tolerate this place better than she would, Quanxi's experience here was not very nice. She only hoped that Hiro would do relatively better.
"Hiro, this is one of the main training rooms in the research center, this is where future hunters are trained."
"Are they all this big?"
"Depends, this room is made in a way for people to train and at the same time be studied by the research staff" Kishibe narrowed his eyes 'And of course to train and observe dangerous beings' he thought last.
Hiro put his brain to work as he continued to admire the place, "But isn't this place too big just to do that sort of thing? I mean, if I were to build something like that it would be for some kind of extremely large practice, wouldn't it?" Hiro looked at Kishibe for confirmation.
"You know, sometimes you're so perceptive it's scary" Kishibe made a mental note to test Hiro's intelligence once his training officially started. He was 10 years old, he said he didn't mind dying, and he has a great insight that if it wasn't for him being human, he would think he could read minds.
That was very close!
"Oh...sorry" Hiro rubbed his arm embarrassed and looked at the floor with a small blush "I just like to think about things a lot and they get out of hand"
Kishibe rolled his eyes "That doesn't matter anyway. But yes, this place is made for high level training"
"What do you mean high level?" Hiro was intrigued by the kind of training the hunters received in this room. Surely they pushed them to the limit in some way.
"Do you remember that I told you that the hunters use a contract with the demons to fight with other demons? Well, in this room those skills are also trained, obviously avoiding the guidelines or exchanges of the contract until the day comes when they must kill demons"
"Wow" Now Hiro understood perfectly, the power used in this place must surely be monstrous
"Let's go" Kishibe walked to the other corridor that was next to the room, Hiro followed him getting used to Kishibe's pace.
As they walked Hiro asked another question "Where is everyone? I thought there would be more people in this place.
Kishibe put his hands in his pockets as he spoke "Doctors or scientists usually spend all day in their offices or in the laboratories, the most you will see here are security personnel, paperwork and the occasional mad scientist who comes out from his cave
Kishibe glanced at his watch, it was 7:55 so he had time to teach Hiro a few more things before he started the more tedious stuff. They walked until they found an elevator and another door, Kishibe took the elevator and Hiro obediently followed him, they got into it and Hiro found the list of buttons curious. It was not the same as the list that was in the elevator of his apartment where there were numbers that specified which floor the elevator would send you to, but in this one it was different since instead of numbers there were letters of the alphabet, they went vertically from A to Z
"Where we go?" Hiro questioned.
Kishibe pressed the button with the letter A, it could be a good start "Let's go to a somewhat dark place that I like" with the above said, the elevator began to move down, Hiro then realized that they would go to the depths of this place, where those demons that could kick Kishibe's ass were found.
Hiro swallowed and felt his stomach tighten with anxiety, his hand instinctively gripping the bottom of Kishibe's sack for safety. Kishibe didn't say anything at this and just decided to ignore him for the entire trip.
Immediately after the button was pressed, movement of the elevator going down could be felt.
"How far down does this go?" Hiro questioned when he felt like hours had passed since he entered, however it had only been 6 minutes.
"If I remember correctly, about 20 meters. Only the first level"
"...Why are they so far down?"
"Remember they are not run-of-the-mill demons, you can't kill them with just a few bullets and that's it. We keep them underground as much as we can for better contingency, plus no one in their right mind would keep a thousand-year-old demon with a high experience in a lab room, not even the craziest scientist. Some of these demons haven't seen sunlight in years."
Nobody said anything else. However inside Kishibe's mind an irritating conflict was raging.
"I hate this place"
"We don't ask you"
"I still hate him"
"Stop complaining, we're not even there"
"I never liked this place, it's dark, grimy and lonely"
"Oh don't be a crybaby, you were only here for 2 years before you made a contract with this human, meanwhile I was here for 5 years!"
"5 years!? I was here 10 years!"
"Shut up for once" Kishibe said mentally to the three demons of him who did not stop talking. He somehow managed to make a mental growl.
"I just hope they've already taken the fire demon away, I didn't like that guy"
"You don't like anyone"
"Certain"
"It's not entirely true, I like some humans, like this boy, Hiro seems to have a future as a hunter. I mean just look at those motivations"
"Well you're right, I've never met a human who had those kinds of dreams, and he doesn't even mind dying trying. He's admirable, and I don't tell just anyone"
Kishibe raised an eyebrow as he listened to the conversation in his mind, first they started criticizing each other and then they started praising a boy who was destined to kill his class. Was ironic.
Finally the elevator stopped, the doors opened with a ding and boy and hunter got out, one looking really nervous and the other being completely calm.
Luckily for Hiro, this place was better lit, unlike the first corridor that had all those red lights that scared him, this place had completely white lights and perfectly placed on the ceiling. The only thing that did not change was the huge vaults that served as a prison for these demons.
"Well boy, welcome to the first level, level A" Kishibe said raising his arms pointing at all the vaults as if they were works of art in a museum.
"It's more...cleaner" was the only thing Hiro managed to say as he moved his head around admiring the effort they put into making this place look neater.
"Seriously, is that the only thing he's going to say?"
Kishibe ignored both comments and gave his watch one more glance, and now it was 8:05, the walk here had taken longer than expected but luckily there was an elevator at the end of the hall so he could use it to get directly to the office. of Yuna.
Hiro also realized that this place was quieter than the first one, there were demons here from what Kishibe said, ultra powerful demons, well he didn't use the word ultra but it was a way to define his power. And even with so much power in their hands, they preferred to remain silent.
"It's very quiet in here" it was so quiet that his voice echoed in the place which seemed kind of funny to him, he just hoped he didn't disturb some demon who was probably taking a nap.
He wondered if demons had naps too.
Kishibe stuffed his hands into his coat pockets and looked down at his damned responsibility "These demons have spent so much time in this place and no one has paid attention to their screams or growls, so much so..."
"They think it's not worth saying anything because they'll never come out…" Hiro finished for him realizing the reason for the silence. If he thought about it, these demons must have made a lot of noise for a long time, demanding to be released, but in the end they never did and preferred to give up.
"...Yes, after making scandals for so many years they finally gave up and just stayed silent, waiting for something interesting to happen"
"How old is this place?"
Kishibe scratched his chin as he thought, and that's when he became aware of the scratchy sensation of a regrowing beard.
"Well, the offices upstairs have been around for about 10 years. But the underground bases, I think they've been around since the Second World War, if I'm not mistaken"
Hiro's jaw dropped at that fact, he wondered how old the hunting organizations were. Yet another question came to his young mind.
"Which demon has been here the longest?"
"Well, I prefer not to say names" Kishibe glanced at the door to the right of him just for a moment "But the oldest should be the first one who came here in 1944"
"Wow"
"Sometimes we wonder if they're still there, they don't make any noise like you heard" they both began to walk cautiously.
As he expected, none of the vaults emanated any kind of sound, they were so quiet that it seemed that there was nothing inside. It was so calm and quiet that the only sound that echoed was his footsteps approaching the end of the hall.
Even so, knowing that inside those vaults there are dark beings that would surely kill him, caused a dark aura that seemed to spread throughout the corridor.
It was quiet, but scary at the same time. And he didn't know what to feel about it.
"Hey"
"Yes?"
"I don't think I've ever asked you, but you told me a long time ago that hunters make contracts with demons in exchange for power and they get a part of you" Hiro recalled looking up to meet Kishibe's face but he just limited himself to look ahead.
"It shows that you have a good memory" Kishibe praised but it was an emotionless praise. 'Although I had already mentioned it recently'
"So I want to ask, what is your demon? Or do you at least have any?" Hiro raised an eyebrow and curiosity as ever was present on his small face.
Kishibe sighed, if he continued like this he was going to run out of air, he would have invented a rule of only asking one question a day. But damn childish curiosity.
"Yes, I have demons that I have made a contract with. There are three of them actually." Kishibe drew three fingers on his left hand to prove it, but he kept looking straight ahead without paying attention to Hiro's astonished face.
"Can you have more than one!?"
"Yes, although most think that it is better to only have one, there are long-term repercussions if you use them constantly, now imagine having three demons that ask for something in return for their services"
"What have they taken from you?" Hiro questioned fearful of the answer.
"Kid... you have no idea. But let's not talk about that. I have three demons that I have made a contract with, I have the knife demon, the needle demon, and the claw demon"
Hiro couldn't help the fascination seeping into his voice. "They sound amazing."
"Ha, finally someone accepts it"
"I don't think the same, but everyone has their own opinion of him" Kishibe said nonchalantly earning a snarl from one of his demons.
"Fuck you"
Finally they entered the elevator, Kishibe pressed the button that would take them upstairs. He looked at his watch again for what he thought was the third time that day and his eyes widened slightly when he noticed the hands on the clock pointed to 8:16.
Time flew by, it felt like a short time but in reality they were there for 11 minutes, or maybe the time demon was playing some kind of bad joke on him.
Hiro rolled up the sleeve of his sweater to reveal his small digital watch, noted the time and looked at Kishibe asking if he was aware of what time it was.
"Are you going to that meeting yet?"
"Unfortunately, yes" Kishibe didn't need Hiro to remind him "Our tour took longer than I imagined, I was hoping I could show you many more things but time is not on my side this time. Don't worry, next time maybe we'll watch deeper this place"
Hiro didn't know if he was happy or scared about that.
The ride up the elevator took a good ten minutes. Ten damn where no one spoke and only the music from the elevator was heard.
Finally the sensation of going up in the elevator stopped and a second later the doors opened revealing an ordinary corridor that looked like an office, it even had a water dispenser next to a philodendron plant. The right part of the office was not made of concrete walls, but like Kishibe's apartment, it was protected by several tinted windows, so there was a good view from this height.
Next to the water dispenser and the floor were 4 tandem chairs that were stuck together. Apparently they were the waiting chairs for people waiting their turn to talk to Dr. Hiro sat in one of them.
Before opening the door Kishibe looked at both sides of the corridor, his eyes never deceived him, but at the moment there was no kind of danger in sight, so he could easily leave Hiro here while he talked to Yuna. However, inside he felt very reluctant to leave the child out here, especially when a certain demon was around here. But then Kishibe wondered if Yuna let Makima wander the halls alone, doing that would be the stupidest thing in the world considering the kind of demon she is. But on the other hand if Makima could freely walk around the offices without fear of repercussions, then that meant her training was going better than they expected.
Still that made him nervous, because you never know what control devil can do.
Kishibe turned to Hiro who was sitting in the first chair by the door, his face calm but waiting for whatever he was going to say.
What could he tell him? Hey boy look there is a demon that can control people loose around here so be careful.
That didn't sound right, so he would try to improvise by sounding calm as if no demon was around.
"Why don't you just go into the room with the child?"
"Are you kidding right? Kishibe wouldn't let that crazy woman get close to that boy. Besides, if they start talking and Hiro brings up his motivations for becoming a hunter then Yuna would have good reasons to keep him locked up here"
"You think?"
"What tell you Quanxi"
His conversion finally gave her a decision.
"Child" Kishibe announced "This meeting will probably last longer than I wanted. And inside is not an environment you want to be in, believe me, it's boring" it was partly true, he never liked meetings with high-ranking staff but he had to go anyway. "Do you think you can sit here and wait?"
Hiro nodded "Uh sure I guess" inside Hiro was dying from all the boredom that was about to come but he stopped himself from showing it "I think I can stay here and see the view" they were so high that he could even see the building where I lived from here.
"Okay, just remember that if you feel something wrong, knock on the door and call me. I'll respond immediately and kill anything out of the ordinary" Hiro felt a little confused by the extreme care Kishibe was showing him. Yes, he could call it extreme since it was the first time he showed all of his concern on him. Generally it was not concern that he showed but interest in the things he was going to do, but at the same time in a disinterested way.
"Eeh okay" What could be what had Kishibe so worried apart from all the things they saw? Sometimes Kishibe could be a difficult enigma to understand. Or rather, all hunters were weird in his way.
Kishibe took one last look at Hiro before sighing and knocking twice on the door, a sound that seemed to echo throughout the hallway in the silence that had fallen. After a few seconds a Pass was heard from inside and it was where Kishibe was given the go-ahead to enter.
Then Kishibe disappeared into the room and the last thing Hiro saw of him was a sack that rose slightly before disappearing completely.
0O0O
Kishibe closed the door behind him, finally seeing Dr. Yuna Nishimura motherfucker sitting at his desk after several years. She was reading a document whose content Kishibe was unaware of but when she heard the door close she fixed her eyes on the visitor.
A lopsided smile formed on her face and she looked at Kishibe with bright eyes that had no purity in them.
Kishibe felt a tick form in his right eye but managed to stop it and go back to his stoic face.
"But just look at what the wind brought me" said Yuna putting the document on the table and giving the hunter all her attention "But if it's the young Kishibe, well even though as a young man you don't have anything anymore"
Kishibe sighed "Hello Dr. Yuna. I see that time has hardly taken its toll on you" the last time they saw each other was 15 years ago when he and Quanxi finished their training at the age of 23, by that time Yuna was already in her 30s He was only 7 years older than them but he talked to them as if they were only 10 year olds. He hoped it wasn't like that anymore.
Yuna's smile did not waver "What can I say? I have taken good care of myself even at 45 years old"
Kishibe sat down in one of the two chairs that were in front of the desk. Yuna clasped her hands together and placed them on the desk.
"Now, to what do I owe this…pleasant visit?" she questioned her calmly but inside she was very sure what could be the reason why the best demon hunter of recent times was here. After all, it was very difficult for this man to miss something.
Kishibe crossed his arms and said in the most serious voice possible "I think we both know why I'm here"
It was there that the mood of the room finally changed from a friendly fake one, to a completely tense one, flooded by the many dark thoughts each one had.
Finally the Dra's smile disappeared to be replaced by a blank stare.
0O0O
Hiro was still sitting on the chair with his legs swinging up and down for sheer amusement. Despite being so close to the door he couldn't hear any of the words being said inside, either that or they weren't talking at all.
Hiro looked up and down the hallway, to the left of him up ahead was an elevator that led somewhere unknown to him. To the right of him was nothing but the plant and the water dispenser and the elevator that brought them here.
This was probably the most boring place in the building, perhaps because of its aesthetic, which was very similar to an ordinary office. Probably if they put red lights on it it would look less boring.
"Oooh this sucks" he complained "Not even ten minutes have passed and I'm already bored"
He crossed his arms in an anger that would have seemed cute to anyone who had been there.
"There is literally nothing to do here."
"Oh, but there are many wonderful things to see in this place" said a voice.
Hiro felt his blood run cold and gasped in sudden fright, his entire body stiffening. Slowly and cautiously he turned to the right again and his heart skipped a beat but not in a good way.
There, sitting next to him was what appeared to be a girl his own age, she had light brown hair that was almost red, it was pulled back in a ponytail, she had short bangs that barely went above her eyes, and had two long side bangs. She was wearing blue jeans, a long sleeved red sweater just like Hiro and she had white sneakers.
What amazed Hiro the most were her yellow eyes that seemed to have multiple rings in them, for a moment he felt mesmerized. Very strange but somehow they reminded him of those hypnotizing wheels they used at fairs.
But that didn't matter what did matter was how had she managed to appear next to her without him noticing!?
Hiro's eyes were wide, he was really scared right now. This girl came and sat next to her without him noticing her coming in the first place, from what she knew and Kishibe had told her, that wasn't normal at all.
Besides, the smile she was showing him only made the situation that much more disturbing than it already was.
"W-w-w-who are y-y-you?" Hiro demanded still in shock, someone coming to your side without feeling her presence and talking to you is really scary. And even more so if he took into account that the only way to get in was through the elevator, but at no time did the elevator doors open for the girl who was STILL sitting next to him to come out.
And Kishibe told her that this was a labyrinth for new people, what if she was a girl who was lost many years ago and is a spirit that wanders the halls to steal the souls of visitors?
In this world, and more so in this place, that was very possible.
The girl in question giggled as she covered her mouth and Hiro once again felt mesmerized. But now in a good way. But deep down he felt that she was just making fun of him.
"Oh my apologies, my name is Makima, and you are?"
Makima? What a... peculiar name, he had never heard of a person with a name like that.
"Uuuh, I-I-I-I'm Hiro, Hiro Takahashi"
Hiro started going over a bit, first he was sitting here, then this girl named Makima appeared out of nowhere, and now they're sharing names like they were in the park making new friends. There wasn't much of a difference since it was always difficult for him to talk to new people, especially with children his age.
"Hiro" she said as if she was relishing the name "I see, nice name" Makima was now looking straight ahead appreciating the beautiful view of the city, his legs were swinging up and down mimicking Hiro's little childish behavior, which he kept looking at her scared, since she kept that smile that partly disturbed him and on the other hand seemed cute to him.
'Ok Hiro no need to rush. She's a very pretty but scary girl, she came out of nowhere and now she's sitting right next to you and she doesn't look like she intends to leave. Wait, what if she's not actually a girl? What if she really is a demon disguised as a girl?'
Hiro felt himself hyperventilate, he looked away from Makima for a moment to look at the ground and have a conflict in her mind. That made him miss the look Makima was giving him and the slow approach she was making towards him.
'Should I call Kishibe!? But what if I interrupted him at an important moment!? Oh God, this is bad, I'm so scared, No! Get a grip Hiro, you can handle this. She's just a girl, and if she tries anything, I'll beat her up. Wait, that's not morally correct, I'll just call Kishibe and he can handle it-
Before Hiro could think further, Makima had closed the gap between them and she brought her nose to his neck and took a deep breath. Needless to say, Hiro was shocked by what had just happened.
Just a second later Makima returned to his position in his chair with a satisfied smile "Hmm, your smell is different, I've never felt it before" his smile seemed to grow a little more and his eyes gave a momentary shine "That means that you are someone new in this place"
Hiro barely paid attention to what Makima said, he kept his hand on her neck at the point where Makima had smelled him. He was still surprised by what happened, in all the ways she could attack him, he never imagined it would be like this.
A small part of him felt…stalked, he didn't know if that was the word but clearly his personal space was overcome in a strange way.
But for that little moment when Makima was so close to him, she could smell her, she smelled good. He didn't know how to describe it but she was very close to vanilla, it was a scent he liked anyway.
Makima meanwhile was enjoying Hiro's peculiar scent, it wasn't an unpleasant smell, he even smelled good but she couldn't describe it, but somehow this smell was very… strong. And she liked.
"You know?" Makima spoke trying to get Hiro's attention "I like your smell"
Hiro had a blank stare but his mind was a mess 'Ok I can't handle this' without hesitation, Hiro was about to knock on the door to call Kishibe but a hand caught his that wasn't going to knock on the door. Hiro turned around and could see Makima taking his right hand, she had a small smile on her face.
"Earlier I heard you say there's nothing to do here. Let me show you a little place that might interest you" she suggested in an almost pleading manner but Hiro thought his mind was just playing tricks on her.
Hiro knew that he shouldn't go, every ounce of his responsibility told him that he should stay here where Kishibe left off. But on the other hand he had this girl suggesting he go to a place that was interesting, and he was getting bored as hell. But she was a girl who appeared out of nowhere and she was of dubious origin, bad things could happen.
But in some way even he didn't know about her, the more he looked into her eyes, the more reluctant he felt to knock on the door. He felt that he should go with her to that place even if he was terrifying.
But the more he saw her, the more she became an enigma for him, that feeling of following her was growing in him and apart from terrifying him, she had him captivated, if not curious. There was a mystery behind those yellow eyes, a mystery he would like to solve.
"I-okay" Hiro replied managing to come up with an answer.
Makima's smile was as big as the first time she saw him "Fine, come with me" she stood up still holding her hands to guide him, he didn't seem to want to let her go and she didn't care.
It was there that Hiro came back to reality a bit and realized as they walked to the elevator that his hands were still together. The fact made his cheeks turn red but he noticed that Makima was calm. He also noticed that her hand was cold, but very soft. He by pure instinct he ran his thumb over her hand rubbing it and feeling the soft sensation. That earned him a small laugh from her, and Hiro found himself smiling too.
Both finally took the elevator, Makima pressed a button that would take them to the top of the building to the demology library. The doors closed and the corridor was left completely alone.
0O0O
Notes: Chapter premiered on wattpad on 12/24/2021 (Just to clarify)
But look at that ship potential.
I officially declared Hiro a SIMP. Ok no, we'll see that as this progresses.
You can consider this as a Christmas present since it is the moment that all of America has been waiting for. If I'm honest, for months I've been imagining what Makima and Hiro's meeting would be like, there were many scenarios that I thought about but finally I stayed with this one.
Damn this is the longest chapter of this story surpassing chapter 3 by a thousand words.
It's about 7,600 not counting final grades. I think it's very good with how it ended, it's perfect, I liked it and I'm pretty sure you will too. But just like me you were left wanting more of Hiro and Makima but don't worry my guys, the next chapter will have a lot of that.
Well that would be it, I love you. I was abusamadres-sama and don't forget to keep your mother away from me.
PS: Spiderman NWH best arachnid movie.