Chapter 4. Bloody Good Gut Feeling

At the very beginning of their friendship, after the events of the Bombgirl Devil, Aki and Angel had discovered they shared a passion: good cuisine.

It all had begun with their quick lunch breaks, taken on the fly at the diner near the Public Security offices. They left him unsatisfied and with a certain bitterness in his heart (and stomach), but Aki was a hard worker and he really didn't want to waste time unnecessarily, even though he liked to take his time enjoying well-cooked meals. For that reason, when he would return home, he made sure to prepare complex meals for him and his flatmates; cooking was a little passion of his that he liked to nurture when he could. Besides - he would never admit it - he liked and wanted to take care of those two, making sure they had a warm and nice dinner. Especially when he realised that no one before him had ever taken care of Denji and Power.

What he would have done to have someone who had treated him the same way; he alone knew the fatigue and mental exhaustion of his first year in Tokyo. Coming home and finding everything messy, the crazy no-sense meals, the frustration, the chaos and discomfort not only surrounding him but even in his own head because, although he tried hard, he couldn't keep everything under control. While being only by himself.

It was better not to remember those times.

Angel, however, was fine with keeping him company in his rather shoddy lunches; they were better than anything they fed him at the Public Security. But things changed, and Aki wouldn't have been able to say how, when they found themselves eating a bowl of ramen together at one of the better restaurants in the area.

Aki wished he had time and someone with whom he could try the various restaurants around and to discover new recipes and flavours. He would have liked to frequent so many places that he would have a list of his favourite locations, one that counted more than just the usual rotation sushi and udon restaurant. He was aware that he would probably never be able to fulfil that desire, both due to all the time his job consumed and the two miserable, way too short years he had left to live.

Aki would not even be able to say how and why he had come to unravel that regret in front of that steaming plate of ramen. Angel didn't let the opportunity slip away and offered to be his permanent partner for lunch. Aki didn't think it would work, he was too busy. However Angel, with his slackness, forced him to keep that pact between them by threatening to refuse to work, if Aki didn't take him out to eat somewhere properly. He couldn't tell if Angel was acting on a personal whim or if he was doing that for him and for what he had revealed to him... no, it was impossible that Angel was doing it just for him - Aki tried to convince himself.
Still, he couldn't help feeling mildly excited when that small possibility crept into his thoughts. But why?

He preferred not to indulge in those kinds of thoughts and considerations any further.

Anyway, from that moment on they began to spend all their lunch breaks in different restaurants, checking out new places to try.

Aki parked the car; after about an hour of driving they had arrived at the restaurant where they were to dine together, for the first time. They had chosen an exotic one, more precisely a French one. There were several in Tokyo, but after many searches, they concluded that the one in Shinjuku was the best restaurant of the metropolis. All that remained was to test it to confirm their hypothesis. Aki retrieved his katana from the back seat, got out of the car and entered the only building that was not covered in fluorescent neon and bright signs.

Beyond the white, heavy, wooden door, they stepped into a room with a rather unusual aesthetic. The first thing that jumped out at Aki's eyes was the pale turquoise wallpaper, somewhat sad and dull, on which blue, green and white flowers were painted. The light-coloured floor contrasted with the long, metallic blue carpet, which ran from the front door to the back of the room, where there was another white door, which Aki assumed it led to the kitchen. From the ceiling dangled chandeliers in the shape of ampullae that emitted a soft and faint white light, but there were so many of those that they could maintain a good lightning.

As soon as she spotted them, one of the waitresses greeted them and led the way to the back of the square room, where an additional corridor ran. She made them sit at a round table, wide enough for two, covered with a long white tablecloth. In the middle of the surface, stood an antiquated black candelabra. The waitress handed them two copies of the menu, one for food and one for drinks, and then left, letting them decide what they would order.

"Kitsch, I thought this place was better... they can't even choose the right shade of blue" Angel commented cruelly, taking the little booklet in his hand, flipping through it and heading straight to the back, where the desserts were usually listed. By now he considered himself a true critic, not only of the cuisine, but also of the locations and the friendliness of the staff. Aki had realised that Angel enjoyed being unnecessarily mean with his judgements; he personally avoided taking part in his verdicts but he couldn't deny that he was amused by Angel's snark comments. Also because, over time, Angel had begun to indulge in more and more sharp observations.

"What would be a pretty shade of blue then?"

"A dark and deep, but somehow gentle one... I think. I like that' he replied without looking up from the menu, carefully analysing each line.

'Smooth-talker...' thought Aki, because there was no way Angel was referring solely to a colour with those words. For sure Angel was targeting something expensive on the menu. Aki immersed himself in reading the menu to hide the slight blush that was spreading across his cheeks; he could feel them burn. His eyes scrolled over the long list of items on the menu. He was sure that he had seen the word 'Ratatouille en Salade' at least a couple of times, as he ran his eyes over it a third one, and recognised the shape of the words, not because he had actually read them. He glanced up, over the pages, to observe Angel. He was smiling slightly as he nodded in satisfaction, then turned the pages to go back to the beginning of the menu. He must have found his dessert.

Aki found himself thinking how rare it was to see Angel let loose in such natural, happy expressions, not knowing he was being watched. He shook his head slightly to clear his mind from that thought.

He decided that he also had to focus on choosing his dinner. He went through the list again, paying as much attention as he could: gnocchi, soupe, broth, ratatouille, rice... No, none of those first courses was really impressing him. He preferred a second course. He turned the page and contemplated it. Roast stuffed lamb with a side of potatoes? Yes, that could work for his liking, he thought satisfied. It could work a little less for his already too light wallet... but he had decided to spare no expense that evening. He picked up the wine list.

"I made my decision... Profitterole and, to accompany, savoury pie."

Angel closed the menu sonorously, letting himself go completely against the back of his chair, emitting a relieved sigh.

"Usually the dessert accompanies the rest of the meal, not the other way around..." pointed out Aki, feeling the need to, as he raised his head from the menu, looking at Angel skeptically. He replied with a disinterested expression, saying nothing. Not that he needed to, Aki could already hear him talking in his mind asserting 'Do I look like I care about these human conventions?' or something along those lines.

"And don't tell me you chose savoury pie just because it's called pie?"

"Bingo..."

Aki gasped in disbelief at the reply. Food critic, duh; he was going to be the most corrupt critic in history!

He went back to his wines and decided to pick up the first one he had laid his eyes on: a red Grenache. He turned to signal the waitress and ordered for both of them. She quickly scribbled everything down in her notebook and then left for the kitchen.

The dishes did not take long to arrive, the waitress approached the table, juggling between the chairs and the tables in the room. She placed the plates right in front of them, accompanying the gesture with a suave 'Bon appétit'.
To his utter disappointment, Angel noticed that he had not received the profiteroles first, despite the fact that he had made sure to have Aki tell the waitress his choices in the precise order he had set. After the waitress had filled Aki's goblet and left, Angel earned a slightly arrogant 'I told you so' from the the other, who was slowly and complacently sipping his wine.

Angel started to bite the quinche, eating it tastily with his hands. Aki cut the lamb precisely, carefully picking all the meat off the bone. He was focusing more and more; the lighting seemed to have weakened compared to before.

Cric
A sinister crackling sound erupted not too far from him.
The light from the chandelier flickered noticeably above their table.

Aki flinched, taken aback. He looked up at the ceiling.
The shadow of the ampulla created a peculiar pattern on the chalk-white ceiling; it was hypnotic how it magnified and flickered following the intensity of the light.
He got anxious unnecessarily. His heart was beating a little faster, but he tried to play it down: "You're right, this place is pretty shoddy... at least the food is good."

Angel looked up at him as he chewed, crumbs had gathered around his lips. It seemed to Aki that he was looking at him strangely, but he didn't pay much attention to it as it was caught by something else.

He heard some heavier footsteps approaching. They came from the corridor that opened just behind their table. He turned his gaze towards that point, over Angel's shoulder, waiting impatiently. A waiting clearly marked by the agitated beats of his heart.

From there a man emerged: he had dyed blond hair and a large tattoo on his forear. It was a large red design. Aki tried to get a better look at it; it looked like a Chinese dragon. The man, realising that Aki was staring at him, turned just enough to stare back menacingly.
Their eyes met for a moment.
Aki had never met the man before and yet, as soon as they exchanged that look, the other man's eyes widened, as if he recognised him.

In a few moments, he sprinted away towards the exit.

He was running away from him!

Aki's reflexes were too slow, the man had already passed their table and arrived at the entrance. He stood up abruptly from his chair. It fell to the floor with a thud, attracting the attention of the other customers. He grabbed the katana he had placed on the table.
He felt everyone's eyes on him, but decided not to care.

"Angel, hurry up! He's getting away from us!" he exclaimed.

He too looked at him surprised, not getting up. He didn't even have time to argue back that Aki, stunned, grabbed him by the wrist, from above his jacket, and started dragging him, running towards the exit, slaloming between tables and chairs. Angel, behind him, was struggling to pick up the pace of his steps.

'Hey, you two! Where do you think you're going? You have to pay the bill" the waitress shouted angrily, chasing after them.

"We're Devil Hunters, I'll come over later" Aki answered her, opening the door and pushing his partner out as the woman cursed at them.

"Angel, run to the car and don't lose track of him" Aki said. He also ran to his car, opened it and quickly got behind the wheel. Angel jumped into the seat next to his.

Aki started the gears, pressing hard on the accelerator, without even fastening his seatbelt. He was whizzing along the road at a speed well above the limit, hoping to catch up with the man and catch him, blocking his way. His heart was pounding. Maybe he was the man they were looking for: the tattooed dragon, the name Ryu. It made perfect sense.

He absolutely had to find him. He was the man they were looking for.

However... why did he already know him?
How was it possible that they were in the same place?
Was he following them? No, it made no sense. So many questions crowded his mind, following each other at a frightening speed, but he would think about that later. The chasing was more important.

As he continued on the straightaway and passed the few cars in front of him, he saw the man run and turn into a dark alley. It was lit only by the white light of the large full moon, which had now emerged from the dark, rain-laden clouds, and a red neon sign in the shape of an arrow. It hung from the wall, pointing towards the ground. It blinked erratically.

"Get out and follow him, don't lose him! I'm parking."

"You really want to tire me out tonight..." Angel answered him a little hesitantly. He got out of the speeding car and, as soon as he had regained his balance, he set off in pursuit, disappearing into the shadows of the alley.

Aki cursed: because of the car he was wasting a lot of time, the idea of blocking the man's way had backfired. He went a little further and abruptly stopped it, as best he could, drifting slightly and climbing the pavement with one of the front wheels.

He rushed out, running back towards the alley where Angel had gone in.

He was greeted by the buzz of high voltage, echoing through the empty street from the rickety sign.

He passed under the neon he had seen earlier. The puddles formed by the rain earlier in the afternoon in red, were glowing red with irregular intermittence. He noticed with disgust that the effect made them look like they were full of blood and not water.

He came to an abandoned building. On the side of the open green metal door, there was the neon sign, also unlit: 'Heaven is a place on Earth'. A flickering yellow light shone from the inside.

It was the only place that could be reached from that street: the man and Angel had to be there.

He stepped in.

The interior was desolate; the place had been abandoned for who knows how many years. The white plaster was falling off the walls, peeling from the grey concrete; the desk at the entrance had turned red with rust. The floor consisted of square, dirty tiles that once must have been white. Next to the desk, there was a long corridor that seemed to lead nowhere, but from which several rooms branched off: the building appeared to be an abandoned brothel. From another door to his right, also open, came the pale yellow light. He had not heard any noise from the rooms in the corridor, so they must have gone that way. He unsheathed his katana, putting his guard on, and approached the door.

He looked in.

There was a long, steep metal staircase, also rusted. He started to walk down it. The bolts holding it together screeched under his steps.
As he descended, he felt dizzy. He lost his balance slightly. He brought one hand to his head and with the other, in which he was holding the katana, he supported himself close to the wall.
He closed his eyes.

Angel was spitting blood, badly wounded, slumped on the dusty ground.
A huge slash, from which gushed thick streams of blood, cut through his body at stomach level.

A deep, derisive laugh burst into his mind, spreading from the bottom. "This future is inevitable, Aki Hayakawa... the future is the best'' whispered the Future Devil to him, continuing to mock him.

He reopened his eyes.
He was still on the stairs.

Shit. He had to find Angel.

Now.

Anxiety was creeping over him like never before. Things were getting really ugly.

That could not be an inevitable future.

Just thinking about it, he felt a tight knot in the pit of his stomach and a strong sense of nausea. He wasn't going to let Angel die like that. He wouldn't let anyone die, least of all Angel. The words of that bastard of Future could go to hell. He would have saved the angel.

With nerves on edge, he rushed down the flight of stairs. He had arrived in a basement filled with smoke, but it didn't bother his breathing. It was more like a dense fog.

What if he didn't make it?

No. He mustn't let himself give in to those kinds of thoughts. However, the remote, tiny possibility that the premonition might come true was making him lose his mind. He tightened his grip on the hilt of his katana.

He did not want to lose anyone else. He did not want to cry for anyone else.

He scanned his surroundings more closely. On the side of the room he saw a familiar red blob. Thank God, the kami or whoever it was... He barely sighed, relieved.

Aki reached for him.

"Angel, you're alright..." he said, reassuring more himself, and barely lowering his katana. Angel turned towards him.

"Yes, of course" he replied apathetically, not letting any emotion show.

Having found him again, however, only increased his paranoia: what he had seen must have been in the near future but not so near. It was better to finish their job as soon as possible and get out of there.

"Where did he go?" he asked nervous.

"That way" Angel pointed to an undefined spot in front of them.
"I've been waiting for you to go" he started walking.

Aki didn't move though. Something wasn't right, but he was unable to say what.

He could feel the drops of sweat, produced by anxiety, running down the side of his forehead to his cheeks. He could feel his laboured breath making its way from his lungs and out through his nose, condensing into little clouds.

How cold was it down there?

He only realised it at that moment: until a short while before, he hadn't been cold and didn't even have goose bumps. He felt his heart up to his throat and the blood hammering in his temples and neck, almost knocking him out.

"Angel, wait" he pleaded. Yet Angel did not turn around. His back, his wings, his slightly less bright halo, which Aki had observed a thousand times before, were so familiar but at the same time seemed so foreign to him.
His instinct was screaming at him to be very careful.

However, when he noticed that Angel was getting too far ahead, he decided to follow him. He saw him step into the blanket of fog. And he heard him speak.

Aki pursued him.

The scene before him left him shocked. The grip on his katana loosened instinctively, but he did not let it fall from his hand.

Angel was talking to a woman.

Short black hair, dressed in a suit and tie. She turned towards him.

A blindfold and a blue eye.

Himeno.

It was really Himeno.

His breathing became more laboured, he widened his eyes.

He was so confused.

Himeno was dead, she couldn't be there.

He had seen her die before his eyes.

For him.

What on earth was she doing there, then?

Himeno moved his lips and spoke softly: "Aki."

His heart sank into his chest with excruciating pain. He had to decide... he had to decide quickly.

That wasn't Himeno, that couldn't be her. It was a joke. An evil prank by another one of those bastard devils. Who could it be if not a devil? He was furious. How dare they take her image and use her in that vile way. And perhaps, it was from that 'Himeno' that his vision might have started.

His gaze instinctively shifted to Angel.

Right, he had to protect Angel.

He didn't have to think about it, because that thing wasn't Himeno.

He closed his eyes.

He took a deep breath, gathering all his energy and willpower. He gripped the katana with both hands, holding the hilt so tightly that he felt pain in his fingers and nails. He gave himself the push with his feet and lunged towards the devil.

"Monster!" he screamed with all the air in his lungs, before piercing from side to side through the woman's abdomen. A cold tear escaped from his eye, flying away. He felt clearly as his blade made its way through the flesh.

He opened his eyes again.

The blood began to spread, staining the clear shirt. The fog around him had completely dissipated.

He drew his katana quickly from the woman's belly. Blood violently spurted from the wound, staining the surroundings, and him too, contaminating his white shirt. He felt a few drops splash on his cheek and lips as well, so close to his nose that he could smell the ferrous scent.

He looked at Himeno. She was spitting blood.

What had he done? He was breathing sharply in pain, he could feel the air lacking in his lungs.

Frantically he turned his gaze to Angel. He was no longer there. He saw more fog moving across the floor, crawling towards him.

He felt long, gnarled, skeletal fingers grabbing his chin and turning his head.

His blood froze in his veins as he continued to gasp heavily and faster from his mouth, seeking air.

In front of him there was a white wax mask in the shape of a crescent moon. A distorted black smile made its way across the face, following the curvature, slowly coming closer and closer to the tips. It had no lips, iron wires were sewn to hold together the flesh that slowly was unfolding into a smile, more similar to a pitch dark chasm.
The cadaverous, wrinkled skin was tearing, leaking thick, purplish fluid. The small eyes were closed, also clamped shut by seams of wire. It was breathing icy air heavily all over him, blowing the black wisps away from his face with every puff.

"Aki Hayakawa... you've been cursed" it grinned, moving closer and closer to his face. Its eyelids cracked on the iron, that were holding them together, as it opened them wide, revealing two tiny glassy pupils and pinned them to his blue eyes. Putrid blood gushed from the eye sockets as well. It began to laugh louder and louder, in a distorted manner, almost screeching, making his ears ring painfully. He could almost hear them explode. The monster's mouth grew wider and wider, Aki imagined he was about to be swallowed.

Was he going to die? Was that the worst possible way?
He was terrified.

The devil, however, turned Aki's head violently towards Himeno. The figure melted away like mist, revealing first a dim halo and then red hair below. As his mouth and belly dripped with blood, Angel looked at him with pained, pleading eyes, before the strength in his legs failed him. He collapsed to the ground. Dust rose up on impact.

He was in the same stance Aki had seen in his vision, surrounded only by the sharp cackles of the beast that had trapped them.

Author's Note:

Hi, welcome back! I hope you liked this chapter, we are finally into the story now. :)

See you in the next days with chapter 5 'This Kind of Taste'.