Just as promised, Mari stood by the front entrance waiting for Nayuta when the last school bell rang. Within seconds, kids spilled out of the front doors like a tsunami of chattering, laughing humanity. She anxiously searched the wave of children for a familiar head of smooth dark brown-black hair with a red ribbon tied in it.

The number of students coming out began to lessen, the groups thinning until there were random groups of two, then the loner kids walking all by themselves. Still, no Nayuta. As her anxiety started to rise, she took a step inside the gate.

Nayuta exited the building, her arms linked with the girls walking on each side of her. One girl had long, straight black hair, and the other wavy blond hair. The latter must be a foreign student because her large round eyes were a deep royale blue like Mari's shirt. They each held pieces of paper in their hands, pushing them at Nayuta who looked back and forth between them as if watching a tennis match.

Mari exhaled in relief and smiled when the girls approached her, all still oblivious to her presence while they talked.

"Oooh, who's that?" asked the girl with silky flaxen hair.

"My big sister," Nayuta replied without hesitation. "Her name is Mari."

Mari's chest warmed and her heart swelled with pride. Having no siblings of her own growing up, she was quite proud to be called a big sister.

"I'm Melanie Holmes," the girl with a British accent introduced herself in English, sticking out her hand.

"Nice to meet you, Melanie," Mari returned in English as well, taking her hand.

"You're a foreigner too? American?"

"Yes to both."

"It's very nice to meet you, Miss Mari."

"I'm Tomioka Himari," the other girl said, bowing to her.

"Konnichiwa," Mari greeted her in Japanese, bowing to complete the traditional greeting.

"You speak Japanese?" The girl was taken aback, blinking her pretty dark eyes.

"I try. I've been living here for a little over year," she said, continuing in Japanese.

"Well, we better get going," Melanie said, taking Himari by the hand. "Our meeting will begin soon."

"See you tomorrow, Nayuta," Himari called to her, both girls waving as they walked away.

"Friends?" Mari asked while strolling down the wide cement tiled path toward the gate.

"I think so."

"They seem really nice."

"They are. One even has your name as part of her name."

"That's cool."

"I think so too. Are we still going to get ice cream?" Nayuta inquired since they had reached the gate.

"Of course. Denji's meeting us too. We have two things to celebrate."

"Two?" Nayuta gazed up at her questioning as she took Mari's hand.

"Your first day of school, and my new job. I'll be working at Denji's school as an English teacher."

"Oh, that's good. I'm glad you found a job. I know you were worried."

"You did?" Mari glanced down at the child who was studying the pieces of paper in her hand.

"I did. Even though you tried to hide it. I could see the way the wrinkles appeared on your forehead you were thinking hard about it."

"Wrinkles?" Mari muttered, rubbing her forehead.

"What's bothering you now?"

"Nothing."

"You're lying," Nayuta immediately shot back.

Mari knew the child would not allow her to wiggle out of the untruth. But she was not going to tell her about the run in with the specter of mistakes not quite past.

"How can you tell?" she challenged the disturbingly observant child.

"You squeezed my hand. When you're anxious you do that. Your whole body tensed as well. Your voice rose an octave too. Did you know your voice does that when you're upset or when you lie?"

"How very perceptive of you."

"I watch and listen carefully to people so I can learn emotions and how to respond to them."

"I see."

"So what happened?" Nayuta persisted.

Mari gazed ahead toward the coffee shop. She sighed with resignation. As she had already realized before but seemed to have forgotten there was no point in lying to this discerning girl. The old demonic soul within her appeared to give her maturity and heightened powers of perception beyond her tender years. Being a Control Devil maybe it picked up on inherent emotional weaknesses in order to manipulate people.

"I saw someone I was hoping I would never see again. He's a mean man who frightens me," Mari explained in the most vague way possible while trying not to patronize the child. She glanced down at the papers in Nayuta's hands. To change the subject she asked, "Are those club sign up forms?"

"Yes," she replied, handing them to Mari to look at. "Melanie and Himari belong to a couple of clubs they want me to join. One is for Tabletop games."

"Tabletop games? Like board games, card games, and things like that?"

"Exactly."

"Sounds like fun." Mari looked at the other piece of paper. "Conversational English?"

"Yeah, it's another club they belong too. They speak entirely in English while talking. I think I might join it too. It will help all of us learn each others languages better. And become really close friends," Nayuta said, squeezing Mari's hand.

You squeezed my hand. When you're anxious you do that. Apparently Nayuta does that too when she's feeling a bit apprehensive about something.

"I definitely think you should join both. The three of you will become great friends. Why don't you invite them over some time and we can have a tea part? I'll bake scones and make little sandwiches and petit fours."

"That sounds like fun," the girl responded trying to add a bit of cheeriness to her flat monotone voice. "What's a petit four?"

"A little bite sized cake. You'll love them."

Mari gave the child's hand a reassuring squeeze. She couldn't imagine the concept of having to put forth effort to experience and express "normal" emotions. Unfortunately, they lived in a very abnormal world through no fault of their own. A world full of devils and humans who were sometimes worse than the creatures sent straight from Hell. Nayuta did not ask to become the new vessel of the Control Devil yet here she is.

"Big Brother!" Nayuta exclaimed with genuine happiness, letting go of Mari's hand to race toward him despite the fact he was still half a block away.

Mari smiled as the girl launched herself at him to be caught in his strong and protective arms. The tempting aroma of coffee called to her like a siren's song luring a sailor making her aware she had stopped in front of the coffee shop. She would answer the call tomorrow. Glancing inside, she saw the helpful barista finishing up with his present customer.

Suddenly his eyes met hers across the distance. After he smiled and waved, she returned the acknowledgment in the same manner. His striking green eyes appeared to brighten like a light switching on inside of them. A warm sensation like water being poured over her head trickled down to her toes. She wanted to go inside, felt compelled to do so. Her hand raised and rested on the smooth, cold brass door handle.

"Hey," Denji greeted her, inadvertently frightening her and making her jump.

Mari felt a little dizzy, her head throbbing slightly like from a hangover.

"What the hell?" she muttered, touching her forehead. Her face was warm.

"Are you okay?" he asked, pressing his palms to her cheeks and smooshing her face. "Are you running a fever? You're hot and your cheeks are red. You're not getting sick are you?"

"No. I - " She glanced back inside but the man had his back to her. "I'm not sure what happened. I just kinda spaced out for a moment."

She glanced at Denji seeking the comfort of his familiar brown irises. There was a wrinkle between his eyes from his eyebrows drawing together in concern. She reached up to massage away the worry line with her thumb.

"I'm okay now," she assured him. "I'm just tired. I get jumpy when I'm tired."

"Ready for some ice cream?" he asked, sounding quite excited about the prospect like a small child promised a special treat.

They entered the establishment colored like a cotton candy dream in pastel pink and white. A girl about Mari's age with pigtails and a pink apron dress over a white shirt with large puffy sleeves stood behind the counter. Her innocent fawn eyes, clear and trusting like nothing bad had ever happened to her, actually made Mari feel a little jealous.

What a crazy reaction. What is wrong with me?, Mari wondered, shaking her throbbing head. It's been a weird day. Don't worry too much about it. Tomorrow will be better.

She peered into the glass fronted case at the ice cream held in small metal pans rather than giant cardboard tubs like the ice cream parlors back home. The shop girl was explaining each flavor was made at the shop daily and the offerings changed according to the season and available ingredients. There were a few mainstays like chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, red bean, and matcha, but the remaining fifteen of the twenty featured flavors varied.

Not wanting to be a basic white bitch, Mari mused if they made a pumpkin spice during Autumn. She really didn't care for the spice but somethign that actually tasted like pumpkin would be a fun treat. Putting that aside, she perused the present flavors while the other two ordered their selections.

"Mari? Have you decided?" Denji asked, taking out his wallet.

"Uhm..." She searched the flavors listed on the little plastic tents beside the metal dishes. "Oooh, Coffee Toffee Chip." She looked down at Nayuta and giggled. "That's just fun to say."

Nayuta smiled up at her.

"I like how silly you are, Mari. You make me smile. You make me feel..." She pressed her hand to her chest. "You make me feel warm inside."

"Oh, yeah? Well, guess what? You and your big brother make me feel the same way," she replied, kneeling down in front of Nayuta. "Do you know what that feeling is?"

"Is it..." The girl rubbed her chest and grimaced. She looked like she was having a bout of severe heartburn. Her face relaxed into pensive confusion as if trying to figure out what it felt like. When her eyes connected with Mari's, she asked, unsure of her conclusion, "Is it love?"

Mari smiled, hugging her. She gazed up at Denji standing there watching the interaction with gape mouthed, wide eyed shock and fascination.

"Yeah. I do believe what you're feeling is love, kiddo," she remarked, rising back to a standing position.

"I like it," Nayuta said, continuing to massage her chest over her heart. "It's a good feeling."

Mari gazed at Denji that wonderful warmth spreading through her own chest. Although he did not look at her because his eyes were transfixed on the triple scoop ice cream cone being handed to him, her entire body tingled with the warm fuzzies of a woman hopelessly head over heels in love.

"Yeah," she agreed. "It's a really good feeling."

Nayuta accepted her single scoop of matcha ice cream, then Mari took hers. They joined Denji at the corner table by the window.

"What are we going to do for dinner?" Denji asked taking a bite out of the ball of chocolate ice cream.

"You're thinking about dinner already? We haven't even finished our ice cream," Mari chuckled.

"You know I'm always hungry," he returned, biting off another hunk and almost finishing the chocolate.

"I've heard that only psychopaths bite their ice cream," Mari teased, licking around the entire scoop of hers. The toffee chips scraped against her tongue, prompting her to take a nibble to get them into her mouth.

"I never said I wasn't one," he quipped back, taking a chomp out of the red bean scoop. They both looked at Nayuta's ice cream which bore teeth marks. "It looks like I'm in good company."

"Indeed. We're all mad here," she said, accidentally quoting one of her favorite characters from Alice in Wonderland. "But in a good way."

"I agree. Besides, there's nothing wrong with a good bite. A little nibble," he returned flirtatiously, taking a long luxurious lick of the green matcha ice cream. "But sometimes nothing beats a good licking."

Mari could feel her face heating with a blush from his overt sexual innuendos. Her eyes slid to Nayuta who was filling out the club forms either oblivious to the salacious flirtations or actively ignoring them.

"What are we going to have for dinner?" Nayuta chimed in as if none of the conversation since Denji's initial inquiry had taken place.

"Why don't we try out the ramen shop across the street?" Denji suggested. He reached across the table to take Mari's hand. "You're tired, and I don't want you to have to cook. Besides, we have a lot to celebrate right?"

"Yeah. We do."

After leaving the ice cream shop, they looked around in a few of the stores. Mari bought two candles, a handmade soap, and a body scrub at one shop. Nayuta bought calligraphy supplies and paper at another store.

"I'm going to join calligraphy club too," she explained at the register when they gazed at her questioningly.

"Well, don't overdo it, kiddo," Denji cautioned her, ruffling her hair. "Don't forget about the puppers waiting for you at home. Speaking of, we'll have to take the dogs for a good long walk when we get home to apologize for them for being gone so long today."

"Oooh, you're right. I have the feeling after eating so much we'll be ready for a long walk ourselves," Mari said.

"So let's go get dinner." Denji took them both by the hand, dragging them out of the office and school supply store. "I'm starving."

The portions of ramen were large and tasty. Denji ordered pork belly. Mari and Nayuta ordered chicken. They were only able to eat half of their bowls but Denji gladly finished the food up for them.

Back at their apartments, Mari went to change while Denji and Nayuta wrangled the seriously rambunctious pack who was extremely happy to see them. Once they were leashed, the trio took hold of their energetic canines to be virtually dragged down the stairs. As usual, the other pedestrians gladly cleared a path to allow the whining, yapping tumbling mass of dogs to pass by. Having already learned the way, without prompting, they headed toward the dog run.

"We're going to walk a little bit further. Will you be okay?" Denji asked Nayuta who threw two balls separating the dogs into two masses to chase a separate target.

"Sure. I'll be fine," she assured them without looking their way.

"What's up?" Mari asked as they took to the path winding through the fabulously landscaped greenspace.

"You tell me," Denji said almost as if accusing her of something. "What happened today to make you so jumpy?" He took her hand in his. He pulled her to a stop, forcing her to look him in the eye by holding her face between his hands. "And don't tell me nothing when it's definitely something. Whatever it is, whoever it is, I'll protect you. I swear."

Mari placed her hand over one of his, pressing her cheek into his palm. She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply to shore up her courage to tell him. She wanted to keep her past a secret, never speak about it out loud. She just wanted to forget and get on with her life - yet that wasn't going to happen. By being an idiot she had gotten herself caught up in something that might never go away.

"I saw the guy who was my handler today."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Denji," she sighed, pulling his hands away from her face. Taking one in of his hands in hers, she continued walking. It was too difficult to talk about this while looking him in the eye. "I was kidnapped by human traffickers and sold to a man here to work in his club. Although he acts like we can be free someday, there's no escape. Every girl owes a debt to this man we can never pay back no matter how hard we try."

"Yeah, I understand what that's like," he said, tightening his grip on her hand.

"The man I saw today, Hideki, is the owner's right hand man. He's Mr. Sato's bodyguard, and the man who keeps track of all the girls. He didn't do it today but I'm afraid he's going to grab me and take me back to the club."

"If this Hideki guy ever shows back, I'll kill him," he seethed, grinding the words through his teeth. "Then I'll go after Mr. Sato and kill him too."

As much as it pained her to hear him talk about murdering people, Mari could not think of two more deserving individuals. They walked along in silence, holding each others hands. Dozens of questions swam around in her brain until she allowed one of them to slip out.

"How many people have you killed?" Mari asked, not sure why she wanted to know.

Maybe it stirred up her curiosity because he talked about killing Hideki and Mr. Sato so casually and with such fierce determination as if he wanted to murder them. Mari held no illusions about what Denji is and what he's capable of. Surely he had murdered a few people, purposely or accidentally, during his time of being a Devil Hunter. She was sure if he murdered with intent, the person deserved it. During the course of a battle, it had to be inevitable to accidentally kill a few humans as collateral damage when slaughtering Devils and Fiends.

"I don't know. I've never kept count," Denji answered, looking up at the sky.

The stars were beginning to appear. For all he knew, there could be as many casualties as in the stars above him. Shit happened when fighting Devils. Buildings got destroyed. Things blew up. All kinds of shrapnel and debris flew through the air including Devil body parts. Sometimes people just plain got in the way. The absolute most wrong place at the worst time possible. Other times, it was impossible to distinguish the humans from the Devils.

Some people would call him a soulless murderer. The ones he saved dared to call him a hero. What is he really? He still saw himself as a lonely loser, abandoned by his parents and the whole world it seemed. A piece of shit who didn't deserve to be loved. But he wanted love so badly.

"You're a good man, Denji," she said as if sensing he needed to be reminded.

Mari moved around to stand in front of him, stopping him when he bumped into her big breasts. He reached out to catch hold of her arms before she fell on her ass on the sidewalk. Pushing up on her tiptoes in her sneakers, she took hold of the back of his neck to bring his head down to kiss his lips.

"I love you," she whispered. "Don't you ever forget that."

Denji wrapped his arms around her waist, picking her up to swing her around.

"Just remind me every day, Mari," he begged, kissing her cheek then her lips.

"You didn't have to ask. I will definitely do that."

"I love you too."

The lamp flickered on, bathing them in a pool of its jaundiced light.

"We should get back to Nayuta. It's getting dark and late. We should be getting home," Mari said, taking his hand in hers to walk back toward to the dog run.

"Yeah. I'll come over after I get a shower."

"No, don't take any time away from Nayuta. At least wait until she's asleep," she suggested.

"Okay. I'll do that. But I want to be with you. I need..." He stroked her palm with his thumb.

"Yeah, me too."

~\'/~

Mari was sitting on the couch reading a book when she heard the number pad on her door beeping. She hopped up to her feet when deadbolt retracted. Resisting the desire to run to him, she waited for Denji in the living room by the sofa. She was wearing a short filmy white chiffon negligee with silk string bikini underwear underneath.

"Oh, shit, you look fucking fantastic," Denji said, clasping his hands onto her ass and lifting her up.

"I love it when you talk so dirty giving me a compliment," she giggled, enclosing his waist with her legs.

"Mmmm," he groaned, claiming her lips forcefully.

Somehow he managed to blindly stagger his way to her bedroom, holding her in his arms while she ravaged his mouth with a ferocious kiss. He slammed her back into the door, the knob pressing into the back of his hand with bruising pressure.

Mari reached down to grasp the knob and open door which unfortunately caused him to stumble and basically fall into her room. At least the bed was there to catch them before they hit the floor.

"Oof," she grunted when his body landed on top of hers. She pushed him off, throwing him over onto his back. She straddled his hips, smiling down at him.

Denji reached up, grabbing the thin strap of her see through nightgown. He meant to slide the delicate fabric down her arm but instead snapped it, pulling the material away from her breast. Since she did not protest or seem angry, he did the same thing to the other strap. The gossamer material gathered around her waist like a cloud.

"Oh, so that's how it is huh?" she muttered with a lopsided grin. Seizing the collar of his t-shirt, she pulled with all of her might, ripping the fabric.

"Fuck me," he murmured more as a remark of surprise rather than a request.

"That's the idea," she chuckled, continuing to tear the cotton of his shirt until it was hanging on by the sleeves on his arms.

Denji laughed and growled playfully. Holding her by the waist, he flipped her over onto her back eliciting a squeal from her followed by a fit of laughter. Not bothering to removed his tattered shirt, he bent down to latch onto her nipple, licking and sucking simultaneously.

"Oh, Denji," she gasped, sliding her fingers into his hair.

His fingers caressed her side, tickling her until she writhed under his body which kept her pinned her to the bed. His fingers slid under the top of her underwear. The strap bit into the skin across her hip with painful, pinching intensity as it stretched to its limit. Finally the piece of material broke from the tension when he pushed his hand underneath.

Mari opened her mouth and cried out his name when he slid his forefinger and middle fingers into her. She pulled his mouth away from her breast, kissing him deeply, thrusting her tongue between his lips. His fingers mimicked the movements of her tongue, pushing inside, pulling back before sliding back in to explore the warm wet walls.

His lips drifted away from hers, down her chin, to place a line of kisses diagonally to her collarbone. He nibbled the prominent bone, pushing his fingers deeper to caress a smooth spot deep inside with his fingertips.

"Oh, my god," she gasped, biting his shoulder.

Denji kept his hand still, not moving except to massage the special spot with his fingers. Her teeth pressed into the firm muscle on the round part of his shoulder, muffling her sounds of pleasure into rhythmic groans. He grunted when her teeth continued to sink into the muscle without breaking the skin. Her vaginal walls gripped his fingers then released and continued to do so until her body tensed under his and began to shake. With her hips thrusting at his hand, she threw back her head, yelling his name and trembling with her ongoing climax.

"How'd you like that?" he asked, kissing her lips. "You told me I owed you one."

"Mmmm," she hummed with a smile on her lips. "That was incredible. You're amazing."

Her hand slid down his chest, pushing between their bodies to cup the erection that had been twitching and pulsating against her thigh.

"I want more. Give me more," she practically begged, rubbing him through the thin material of his sleep pants. He wasn't wearing underwear beneath.

"You don't have to beg for it," he teased her, receiving one of her sweet little giggles in return.

Raising his hips so she could push down the pants, he stared into the eyes of the woman he loved with an almost frightening desperation. Without completely undressing, he pushed into her body, hot and ready and wanting him. He had never been so sincerely wanted before in his life, and it was an intoxicating aphrodisiac.

"I love you," Mari whispered, not allowing her eyes to stray from his.

"You really do, don't you?" he asked rather than returning the sentiment.

"I do," she confirmed.

"I do," he repeated, smiling down at her. "One day you'll say that to me for a different reason."

"One day," she assured him, grasping his ass and pulling him tightly against her to sink him deeper.

Denji felt like he was drowning inside of her. She figuratively held his heart in the palm of her hand. She literally held him deep inside of her at the moment, drawing him closer physically and emotionally to make him a part of her.

"I love you," Mari declared again, kissing his lips.

"I love you too," he replied this time, his hip bones pushing into hers, grinding as he rocked himself inside of her. She issued a shuddering gasp. "Again?"

"Again." Her fingernails scraped the skin of butt cheeks as her fingers flexed to hold onto him.

He continued the slow, gentle movement of his hips, pushing her closer and closer to a second orgasm. Dropping kisses across her forehead, her closed eyelids, and her cheeks, he felt her quaking under him.

"Don't stop," she urged him, tightening her grip.

Denji bit his lower lip, his ass stinging from her fingernails piercing the skin. He came, thrusting himself in and out of her to ride out the anesthetizing orgasm that eradicated all pain both emotional and physical with numbing bliss. She was right. Pain administered at the correct time could heighten pleasure. He held her as she followed along behind him to arrive at the most delightful destination of a climax.

"Twice. I made you come twice," he whispered in her ear with an air of self-satisfaction for a job well done.

"Yes, yes, you did," she panted, enclosing his shoulders with her arms and his waist with her legs. "You should be proud of yourself."

"Oh, I am. You have no idea."

"Yes, I do." She laughed, pushing him off of her so she could breath better.

Turning on her side, she faced him as they lay on the bed side by side, staring at each other. His cheeks were the prettiest shade of pink, blushed from his efforts. His eyes were glassy as if he were drunk.

Love drunk, she thought, giggling at her own private joke. She was a bit tipsy herself.

Her finger traced the line of his jaw still slightly rounded with his teenage youthfulness. What would he look when he reached twenty? Thirty? Forty? She hoped to find out.

"Do I make you happy?" he asked, running his fingers through her messy curls. "You laugh a lot when you're with me."

"You make me incredibly happy, Denji. I'll be yours as long as you will have me," Mari swore, sliding her cheek across the bed without lifting her head to kiss his lips.

"Well then, you better be prepared to stick around for a while. I want you with me always," he said, kissing her back.

"I like the sound of that."

"We're a family aren't we?"

"Yeah. We are."

Mari began to hum. She toyed with his hair as they lay there, gazing into each other's eyes. Then she began to sing.

"Stars shining bright above you...Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you."" She paused, smiling at him while twisting her finger around a lock of his hair. "Birds singin' in the sycamore trees...Dream a little dream of me...Say "Nighty night" and kiss me."*

Denji did kiss her, a tender peck on the lips. When her arm draped over his shoulders, he lay his arm over her waist.

"Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me...While I'm alone and blue as can be...Dream a little dream of me," she sang. "Stars fading but - "

Denji kissed her again to make her stop singing.

"You'll never be alone or blue again. And neither will I," he added, giving her a smile. "I won't give you time to miss me."

"Hmmm," she hummed happily, caressing his cheek with her fingertips. "You are my dream come true."

"Guess we'll have to dream a new dream, together."

"Nighty night, my love."

"Good night."

They pressed their foreheads together, clinging to each other. Listening to the sounds of their lover's breathing, wanting to hang on to every second but needing to go to sleep, they drifted to that faraway dreamland.

Author's note: The song is "Dream a Little Dream of Me" written in 1931: the lyrics by Gus Kahn, the music by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt. It has been sung and recorded many times. The most renowned version is by Cass Elliot (Mama Cass of the Mamas and Papas in 1968). A few examples of other legendary artists who have sung it are Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Doris Day, and Ella Fitzgerald.