Chapter 13: The beginning of a dark path.
0O0O
Hiro wasn't happy at all right now, Kishibe's words had dug deep into her mind and hung there to remember them all the time.
For once he wanted to help someone, for once he wanted to show that he is capable of helping people even if they are not human in the first place; Makima could have been the perfect example to start with but Hiro wasn't allowed to be within 5 meters of her, what was the problem in the first place? Makima was a demon, Hiro could be fine with that only if she didn't try something that would go against her life, although until now she had shown herself to be very... docile. That word didn't sound right but he would later discover another word to describe Makima's behavior towards him.
But there shouldn't be any problem with him getting involved with Makima anyway, but then why was Kishibe doing everything possible to get him away from her? What was it that made that girl so special to provoke Kishibe's anger?
Hiro didn't get it and he hated it when he didn't understand something but he hated it more when nobody tried to help him understand.
What a morning, he was packed with many things in just a few hours and the day wasn't over yet, it was probably just 11 in the morning but Hiro felt that it was around 10 at night; Being in those facilities felt like an eternity but he didn't regret the trip.
Perhaps what he did regret a little was not having said goodbye properly to Makima, what a shameful way to say goodbye. Hiro also considered that Kishibe could not be the only person in the world who could give him the answers he wanted, he also had Quanxi but it also depended on how willing she would be to give him those answers, although of course, Quanxi was one of those people who did not they communicated so much but somehow said a lot with few words, or at least Hiro saw it that way.
He was also not so sure if Quanxi would have the time to talk to him, it was rare to see her in the apartment and sometimes she would only come to deliver Kishibe's drunken body, then she would leave and return at most two months later, there was no time. to talk to her in addition to saying a simple hello or giving her a little hug.
Another person, but now the most unlikely, was Makima herself; Only she could be able to answer the doubts he had about her, but now those possibilities were very limited. Hiro also knew that it was his fault that Kishibe was the way he was now, he disobeyed his orders and went on a strange adventure with a demon girl or whatever Makima was.
But they didn't have to screw him that way either, after all he came out alive from all that, Makima had also shown to be someone who urgently needed a person with whom to express his emotions, she also needed someone who would be her friend, her family, Hiro could be that person. But now they wouldn't even let him near her. He hated this.
Hiro gradually began to feel his heavy eyelids, so much thinking, frustrating and crying had tired him so much that he felt that he should take the rest of the day.
Hiro spent most of the afternoon sleeping.
0O0O
"Is he crying because you didn't buy him his favorite toy?" Quanxi tried to make a joke among all the tension that had been unleashed in the place. She tried to give Kishibe a smile that would even make him faint, but to his bewilderment the hunter didn't seem to pay that much attention as he just looked at his glass of whiskey in his hand. Her fake smile gradually died until she returned to her typical cold face.
"No, it's more complicated than that" Kishibe told him "Besides the boy got rid of his toys a year ago, he became more interested in literature"
"That explains the stack of books he has in his room"
Kishibe nodded "Do you know how hard it is to get a copy of the Divine Comedy in Japanese? I almost ran out of the prefecture, but it was something the boy wanted for his birthday"
Kishibe had a memory of that day.
A year ago:
"And what do you think?" Kishibe asked Hiro who was sitting on the sofa in the living room reading the book he had given her for his birthday.
The 9 year old turned another page before looking at the hunter with a puzzled look, his mind still processing what he had just read. He had seen a few pages before giving in to stop.
"Well... Let's just say Divine Comedy isn't that funny" Hiro slammed the book shut and got up from the couch to head to the kitchen for a sandwich.
Still in the kitchen Hiro could hear the distinctive sound of a slap coming from the living room.
Present.
"Heh, those are good memories, I still don't believe that silly kid really thought that would bring jokes"
This time Quanxi smiled with sincere amusement upon hearing that little story, though it was only for a second that Kishibe missed "Anyway, can you explain why I just saw my nephew come out of that facility and with all his body parts united?" Quanxi was pretty sure she never planned for Hiro to go to the research center as well. But of course, childish curiosity had no limits just like human stupidity and Kishibe could prove it.
Kishibe rolled his eyes seeing that Quanxi asked the question he didn't want to answer in the first place, she could literally ask anything else first, like what kind of information Yuna told him or did he discover something really big, or did he meet the Control Devil along the way. But no, she asked first because she saw Hiro leave that place, she showed the affection that Quanxi had developed towards the child, maybe being an aunt had already gone to her head.
"Ugh, where do I start?" Kishibe proceeded to tell Quanxi everything, starting with the argument he and Hiro had in the living room last night.
"What would you have done? Since yesterday I've thought that this child has a fifty percent chance of dying but another fifty percent of surviving" Kishibe poured himself another glass trying not to wince at the hot liquid running down his throat.
Quanxi stood still processing this new information, to say that she was impressed was an understatement. She knew that the boy's mentality had changed drastically since the day his parents died, but now this was a level beyond sheer trauma, because no child her age has those kinds of thoughts.
Dying to save others? That was an extreme thought even for adults, but hearing it from the mouth of a 10-year-old boy was much more worrying, Hiro's mind was wrong, she and Kishibe knew it perfectly. The subject of death should be at least a taboo topic for kids his age, but considering that Hiro almost witnessed his parents' deaths and the fact that he lives with a devil hunter didn't help his mind off for a course of healthier thoughts.
From the moment she took Hiro into her arms, she knew that the boy's life would be different from others. That thought became more evident when she told him that her dream was to be a devil hunter like she and Kishibe. Quanxi was not the one to tell him that the dream would not last long or that it would not come true, the one was Kishibe who was the one who indirectly instilled in him that dream.
They told him, they told him that he didn't have the mentality to be a Devil Hunter, he wasn't crazy. Quanxi and Kishibe were crazy, but that's why they were alive. Quanxi knew that her mind was not the best either, her mentality and her way of seeing the world became more twisted as the years passed, but thanks to the fact that she did not care about the common good and saving people was not her goal, she he was still here, here with the people who kept him company.
But despite everything, the boy continued with his goal of becoming a hunter, with the thought of self-sacrifice, he already showed that he was also crazy. When an adult says that he will sacrifice himself for others to save their lives it sounds very drastic, but because it is always the last option left to them and they have learned from their lives several ways to do good without having to kill themselves. However, when a child says it, a door in his mind opens to let in all the inhuman thoughts that would drive anyone crazy.
That was Hiro's problem, now that he proved to Kishibe that he also had the most important quality to be a hunter, his mind would be wrapped in various thoughts and feelings that would eventually lead him to discover secrets that he was better off without to know.
Hiro's mind was vulnerable.
"I... I don't know, I think the same as you" Quanxi didn't spend enough time with Hiro to predict all his actions or emotions, like what he'll do when he's happy or sad, what face he'll make when he's angry or is he happy, that kind of thing only Kishibe knew.
Kishibe shrugged, recalling that memory from yesterday and thinking of better arguments that would have worked to make Hiro stop doing stupid things. But the past cannot be changed, he already knew that perfectly.
"Anything else?" Quanxi lit a cigarette to relax before Kishibe told her another thing about Hiro that would probably leave her thinking.
"Hmm" Kishibe then told Quanxi how he and Hiro toured the facility, now that he thought about it that little trip felt like forever, probably because of all the events that happened at the same time, but in reality it had only been a few hours.
"After exploring and explaining a few things to him, my time to meet with Yuna was coming, when I got to her office I left the boy outside in one of the seats, then-"
"Stop, why did you leave the child outside and not come in with him?" Quanxi interrupted Kishibe finding a very strange event in his story "We both know that leaving a 10 year old boy in a facility full of demons is a bad idea"
"Oh if you knew what he found" Kishibe thought to himself, he wasn't sure how Quanxi would react to find out that Hiro had found the control demon, but he was going to get to that part.
"It was that... Or let Yuna see it... And you know how she treats children" The hunter frowned trying to imagine a thousand and one possibilities where Yuna would have been interested in Hiro. Of course she saw it at the end when they were saying goodbye but she didn't have the time to process what was happening.
One thing was certain, he would not let that woman touch Hiro's hair, he and Quanxi knew perfectly well the cruel fate that would befall the child if that happened.
Kishibe looked at the glass with whiskey in his hand, the yellowish liquid moving from one side to the other and seemed to encourage him to drink more to calm the anxiety that was to come.
"Oh, I'm really going to need a lot of this" Kishibe sighed one last time, then proceeded to tell everything Yuna told him.
The hybrids' plan and how the control demon fit into all of this. In addition to the plan that Yuna had for Makima in the long term.
"Hmmm" There was a moment when Quanxi stayed to analyze all the information and where Kishibe kept getting drunk feeling the hits of alcohol getting closer.
"Sincerely... Doesn't sound like a bad idea" If Quanxi thought about it, it really was a favorable thing to have hybrids in the hunter corps, having the power of demons and human training would create a perfect soldier ready for the fight battle. The problem was trying to keep them in check so they didn't cause any collateral damage.
Although that was the least of it, because hearing the plan that Yuna had for Makima was something... It made her very nervous if not scared.
Having a devil, and one as dangerous as the Control Devil, in a team of devil hunters was extremely risky. Being someone with a dossier very befitting of her name, it's no wonder that more than anyone who knew her story would be very reluctant to go along with a plan like that.
"You're saying that according to Yuna, Makima doesn't have any of her past life memories right?" When Quanxi heard that part of the story, a part of her was not very convinced, it's not like she knows how the mind of every devil being works, but the knowledge of hell should be something mandatory or even general culture in the mind of every demon, and not necessarily because it's a nice place.
"I think... that she tells the truth" Kishibe replied feeling little by little how the alcohol was taking its toll on him.
"Hmm?" Quanxi was interested in what Kishibe said, not many people accept Yuna Nishimura's opinions "Why do you think so?"
Kishibe tried to compose himself a bit in his seat, trying to dispel the drowsiness that he was beginning to feel.
"It's because... I think she was killed in hell" Kishibe had many memories of the last time he fought against Makima, at that time she didn't call himself that but it was the same control devil with the same yellow eyes. .. and the same murderous intentions.
Quanxi's eye widened slightly at that theory "Maybe... After you killed her... We thought she would reincarnate into another human body, she did, but not as we expected"
"Yes, that's why I have a theory that she was also killed in hell, that's why when she came back to the human world she had no recollection of being a devil."
It was simple devil theory that Yuna had taught them long ago, however what impressed him was that even in hell the control devil was not welcome.
Quanxi clicked her tongue "Tch, they don't even want her in hell and they sent her back here to make our lives more complicated. That just goes to show that even the demons in hell can't stand her."
"Yes..." Kishibe felt that he couldn't take it anymore, at some point he was going to pass out due to all the alcohol he consumed "The only one who wants to be by her side is Hiro.. That kid has balls"
Quanxi raised an eyebrow in confusion at that last statement, what did Hiro and the control devil have to do with it?
Kishibe was probably already drinking too much and just saying random things.
"What are you talking about?" She felt that maybe it wasn't a good idea to ask for more but when Kishibe was drunk he used to let out a lot of secrets which she was sure were very personal.
That was how she found out that he was in love with her.
Even before she knew it, there was already that annoying flirtation of his but she had always believed that he was just bothering her. She was wrong.
Kishibe let out a dry laugh, remembering now with humor what Hiro did, perhaps it was due to the alcohol since before that made him euphoric to the point of wanting to faint.
"Oh didn't i tell you? Hiro... That kid met that manipulative brat while I wasn't looking, they even hugged each other and those things I'd like to do with you... Hehe Hiro said that she is now his friend and I don't know what else" Kishibe laughed some more before crashing his face on the table getting completely knocked out by all the alcohol in his system.
His snoring was the only sound in the room where only his body was left with a bottle of alcohol next to it, and leaving a Quanxi with her eye wide open.
0O0O
Hiro's blue eyes began to open slowly adjusting to the low light in the room.
How long had he been asleep? He tried to look at his desk clock and saw that it was 2 o'clock in the afternoon, his stomach let him know as well realizing that he had skipped lunch.
His eyes were beginning to adjust to the darkness of the room, he probably should have opened the curtains before falling asleep. As he looked at his room, he began to realize that someone was sitting in a chair next to his bed.
Thinking it was Kishibe, he sat up on the bed and rubbed his eyes trying to dispel the rest of his exhaustion. His mind was not prepared to deal with the hunter's scolding and lectures, much less when he was just waking up, sleepy and hungry.
"Kishibe... What's wrong?" when he opened his eyes he realized a small detail, Kishibe didn't have gray hair and he was pretty sure he never wore an eye patch.
Quanxi was the one sitting near his bed.
"..."
"..."
They both felt a déjà vu at that moment.
A part of Hiro was confused and curious that Quanxi was here in her room, but another part of him was very disturbed that she was watching him while he slept.
"Finally awake" was what Quanxi said to break the small thread of discomfort "Young people these days are deep sleepers" Quanxi spoke as if she were an old woman who saw her time running out, even though she was only around 30 years.
Hiro blinked once more "Quanxi, what's wrong, why are you in my room?"
Quanxi took a deep breath and exhaled before answering the boy "Well, while you were sleeping Kishibe and I were talking about everything that happened in the morning, including your...little adventure with Makima" Quanxi laughed when she felt Hiro suddenly flinch, she knew that the boy was hiding something interesting that she needed to know.
Hiro felt all traces of sleep drain away from him "Oh...Yeah...About that..." he tried to come up with an answer but trying to explain all of this to Quanxi was going to be embarrassing and he wasn't sure how she would react.
"Kishibe barely told me about that, before he passed out from drinking so much, he is currently sleeping peacefully with his face glued to the table" Quanxi didn't even bother to carry Kishibe's body to the sofa to make him sleep better, there were more important things .
"I see" Hiro didn't know how to feel about that, he was really happy to talk to anyone other than Kishibe.
"So" Quanxi crossed her legs in her seat, she was still dressed in her office uniform but without her coat which made Hiro think that maybe she had no intention of leaving yet "I want you to tell me what happened there, from your point of view
Resigned, Hiro began to tell everything that happened in the facilities, in the same way that he told Kishibe. No doubt telling this story was tiring him a lot and he was sure that in the future he would be forced to keep telling it.
Throughout the explanation, Quanxi's gaze did not change, she always maintained that stoic and cold face that characterized her despite the fact that they were telling her something that even surprised Kishibe himself, despite the fact that she reached the part of the hug she did not say nothing and kept looking at him as if he were a statue or as if she was not surprised at all. Hiro was getting scared that she wouldn't say anything, that wasn't a good sign either.
"In the end Kishibe and I left the building where we found you... That's all"
"Okay, that clears all my doubts" Quanxi relaxed her head on the head of the chair, her look now showed that she was relaxed, although of course the only one who could notice those details was Kishibe because he was the one who knew her best. To Hiro it was as if she was just analyzing the whole situation.
Quanxi opened one eye so quickly that she made Hiro flinch, apparently this interrogation wasn't over yet.
"And why were you crying?" Quanxi's question caught him off guard, until he remembered how he went to sleep in his room angry and sad at him.
"Well... Kishibe said not to go near her again, but I really don't want to do that" Hiro started to frown and his tone was stern which showed that the boy was serious.
"But why?" Quanxi asked again but now with a hint of authority, wanting the boy not to beat around the bush and tell the truth that was in her heart.
Hiro's look was determined, he was going to say everything he thought about this whole situation "Because she is suffering, she has lived her whole life without a family or without someone to take care of her! Did you listen to everything I said? She doesn't know what it's like to have someone by her side, a mother, a father, a brother or sister, not even a friend! I know what it feels like to have no one and that's why I offered to be her friend!"
Quanxi just stayed silent.
"My dream is to become a public security devil hunter, even if I die at a young age, as long as I have saved at least one person in my entire life... Then I will die happy, because I know I did the right thing" Hiro looked into Quanxi's only visible eye, a look so determined on his face that he seemed to be one of those heroes that appear in cartoons.
"That's why I want to help Makima! I want her to be the first person I can save from all the loneliness she's endured, I don't care if she's human or not, no one should live like that. If I ever turn her back to see him smile the way she did with me...then I'll die in peace" Hiro ended up letting out all the air of confidence he had left.
Quanxi didn't say anything again for several seconds; maybe Kishibe was right, the child had a 50/50 chance of dying and living at the same time. He wanted a life where he could help others by being a hunter, needless to say that if so his life would not last long. On the other hand, he was also crazy to want to help a demon to get out of his deep loneliness that he complained about so much, if so, perhaps the child could live longer than expected.
After all, in this world what abounds most are the mentally ill.
"Okay, I've heard enough" Quanxi got up from her seat and headed for the door, the boy's eyes following her confused.
That was it?
"Wait... you're not going to say anything?" Hiro asked.
Quanxi stopped when his hand touched the knob, her mind was currently developing a plan that in the long run would probably be beneficial for everyone. But a key piece was Hiro, the plan would have to be discussed with Kishibe first and that would be the tricky part because she wasn't sure he would accept, instead Hiro would be more than happy to accept this plan.
Quanxi turned around and gave her a small knowing smile "No, I don't really have anything to say, just know that it's likely that you'll see that girl again sooner than you think" with that she opened the door and left the room.
Hiro gaped, unable to answer.
0O0O.
Notes: Have you ever had that feeling that when you are doing something that you like, many people think that you are not doing it well?
This is my case with this chapter, I really think it could have been better but maybe it's because I never imagined these scenarios because my imagination stayed when Hiro and Makima met, I never thought of getting to that point in the story and I stayed in white while creating something new.
But anyway, here with a new chapter trying to create a new arc from scratch.
I hope that at least you are having a good time in this part of Fan fiction, it is probably not the best translation but I try. Remember to leave your comment, I read everyone, whether they are constructive or destructive criticism, they help me improve.
See you later.