Denji trudged along the street as he followed that new transfer student, he thinks his name was Sugo, down the street. Despite the promise of being able to sleep with however many women he wanted, Denji was struggling to get excited about this 'Chainsaw Man Church' that Sugo was prattling on about as they walked.
Back on the roof when Sugo had first approached him about the church, it had sounded pretty good back there, with his fellow hybrid promising that he'd be able to eat whatever food he wanted every day. Hell, even Fumiko had seemed open to the idea when the topic of food came up, making her love of sushi clear from her place perched on Denji's back.
However, it was when he'd started talking about being a tool for his whole life, that Denji took a real interest in what he was saying. A decision he was quickly beginning to regret as he and Sugo came to a halt in front of a large high-rise with an effigy of his devil form's head jutting out from the top of the building.
"The building apparently originally belonged to some cult, the Chainsaw Man Church absorbed the cult and took everything, building and all!"
'What the hell is this…?', Denji thought as he stood beside Sugo, his expression something between disappointment and disbelief as Sugo crowed proudly about the church.
"Awesome right?! We vanquished evil!"
At this point, Denji was beginning to think Fumiko might have been right about this guy… but hey, he was already here, so he might as well see what the deal with the girls is…
"Hey, where are those all-you-can-sleep-with girls?", Denji asked, his voice weary as he looked at Sugo with tired eyes, clearly stating the only reason he was still sticking around.
"Take it easy, we'll get to that", Sugo replied, oblivious to Denji's disinterest as he pointed towards the direction of the door, "Short stuff's gonna give you the tour first".
As they approached the building, a small, nervous-looking boy came out to greet them, standing to attention in between the two rows of trees leading up to the entrance of the grandiose building. Denji looked at the new arrival curiously, unsure where he recognised him from.
"Um… I'll be… um your guide!", the slender boy stuttered out a greeting to Denji and Sugo, sweating bullets as he addressed them, "Y-your guide… Nobana Higashiyama!"
'Oh right, he was stuck in that aquarium too wasn't he!', Denji thought back to his second run-in with the eternity devil, remembering their guide as one of the members of the devil hunter club at school. One thing was still bothering him though, 'Higashiyama… why does that name sound so familiar…?'
Denji shrugged, 'Eh… probably wasn't important'.
As the trio walked in through the door, Denji looked around in awe at the entry hall, with the wall being lined with ornate columns and natural light shining into the building through the huge arched windows. It was more of a cathedral than a porch!
The next thing that caught Denji's eye as he looked around was the vast number of students walking around, with masses of them entering the foyer from the upper levels of the building, streaming down the ornate stairs flanking each side of the room.
"Dude… it's almost all students", Denji said, looking back at Sugo and Nobana. He wasn't sure what he had expected from the church, but he never would've thought that it would just be students running the place.
"G-good eye!", Nobana quickly replied to Denji's observation, "You see, the Chainsaw Man Church is run by a body of students rather than adults!"
Nobana was working himself into a fervour, his nervous stutter vanishing as he began gushing about the church, "The adults' mental faculties are diminished because of an American ultraviolet ray weapon in Japan's air".
"America's the freaking worst!", Sugo barked out, as Denji stopped, a glazed expression on his face as he processed what his two guides had just said.
"Are you for real?", Denji asked, looking at Nobana incredulously as the timid boy looked over his shoulder, responding with just as much conviction as before, "It's really- it's for real! Chainsaw Man's devil powers gave him super vision, that's how he discovered it!"
'Like hell I have super-vision!'
"They're really… for-real dangerous! America and adults both!"
'Are these guys insane?!', Denji was regretting coming here more and more as they kept on speaking, that is until Denji caught sight of the large room to his left, his mouth dropping open as he looked past the pews and up to the massive statue of his hybrid form that dominated the scenery of the room.
"Hey, what's that room?", Denji asked, his voice monotone as he continued gawking at the bizarre scene in front of him, still not quite believing his eyes.
"That's the Chainsaw Man Wedding Chapel!"
Denji's eyes nearly popped out of his head at Nobana's cheery reply, "Chainsaw Man Wedding Chapel?!"
Nobana's voice returned to its usual stutter upon seeing Denji's unexpected response, "That's right…! I-in the next room over, Denji, you'll… erm…"
"You'll have S-E-X with a girl!"
This was what was finally needed to distract Denji from the creepy shrine and draw his attention back to his guide, "Oh! I will?"
"Yeah, and then… you'll marry her in the chapel, and after that… you'll join the Chainsaw Man Church!", Nobana prattled off his sales pitch to Denji, his hands pressed together as if in prayer.
"Say what?!", Denji exploded at that revelation, Nobana's confident expression crumbling as Denji rejected his sermon, "I'm not going to marry her! What the hell are you talking about?!"
"G-gotta be a good guide…!", Nobana stuttered, his face contorting as if he was malfunctioning, the cult's salesman scrambling to splutter out a response, "In the Chainsaw Man Church, we encourage student marriages and, uhh… Oh! Right, that's it!"
Nobana's face quickly settled into a calmer expression, his voice clear as he seemed to remember something.
"The current system of getting married after you become an adult was brought over from America. Chainsaw Man saw it for what it really was – a system for controlling Japanese people as slaves! Marrying as students, and then raising the resulting children in the Chainsaw Man Church is the most natural- the most natural marriage system!"
Denji stared at the boy, only a small stutter near the end had interrupted his speech, with Denji looking in the boy's eyes and seeing the conviction of a fanatic. Denji's eye twitched as his face twisted in disgust and disbelief, sure, he hadn't been very enthusiastic about the church when he'd agreed to come, but what Sugo had said about not wanting to be controlled had made him think it at least wouldn't be too bad. But now, he wished he'd never come here…
"For real though, America's the freakin' worst!"
That comment from Sugo was the straw that broke the camel's back, with Denji rounding on his fellow hybrid in fury, pointing an accusatory finger in his face, "You lying sacks of crap! I wanna have sex, but I don't wanna get married!"
"Huh?! Why the hell not?!", Sugo's face was painted with annoyance and confusion as he asked this, however, Denji was in no mood to give answers, instead continuing his tirade.
"I never found no American ultraviolet whatever either!"
A mix of disappointment and shock crossed Sugo's face at that revelation, "Huh?! For real?! You didn't?!"
"Of course not!"
At that final yell, Sugo stood in shock for a moment, staring blankly at Denji, his mouth flailing as if he was looking for the words, only to snap shut as he looked off to the side, mumbling, "I mean, yeah… maybe we lie- make that embellish- things a little… But it's true that the Chainsaw Man Church has saved a lot of people!"
"Does that make it okay to make up crap and force kids to get married though?!", Denji yelled back at Sugo in indignation, "Who the hell were you even gonna marry me to anyways, just some random girl off the street?!"
At this point, Nobana chose to speak again, his once again timid and halting voice interrupting Sugo as he was about to snap back, "A-actually, while the church… does usually arrange the marriages, i-it was actually one of our new members who volunteered to m-marry you".
"What?!", Denji recoiled in shock, a girl had actually asked to marry him! Denji remembered back in that room with Kishibe and the small chick, when he'd been at his lowest point, and he'd seen those girls on TV cheering for Chainsaw Man. Back then, if he'd been offered to go out with one of those fans he'd have agreed in an instant, however, when faced with the reality of marrying someone who worshipped Chainsaw Man, but didn't give a single shit about Denji…
He felt his stomach roil at the thought.
"Who the hell wants to marry me anyway?!", Denji covered his discomfort by throwing his hands in the air as he yelled at Nobana and Sugo. He'd come here for sex, not to get hitched to some stalker or something!
At this point, Sugo decided to interject, pointing over Denji's shoulder towards something behind him, "I told you earlier that the weapons walked with the church. She only approached us a few days ago and, whilst we weren't sure about letting her in at first, but we figured that anyone controlled by Makima would probably make a good fit. Was practically begging to delay her marriage initiation so that she could marry you-".
If Sugo said anything else, Denji didn't hear a word of it as he swung around, coming face to face with familiar green eyes, and a familiar face softly smiling at him, "Long time no see… Denji…"
"R-reze?!", Denji stuttered out in shock, lurching forward as if to embrace her, only to stop himself and pull back, his face twisted in a strange mix of shock, joy and anger, "W-ha? W-why the hell are you here?!"
Reze takes a halting step towards him, mouth open as if to speak, only to shut it again, a small frown on her face as she looks to the side, eyes downcast and clouded with guilt.
"Where were you?", Denji asked in a small voice as he looked at the girl in front of him, the same girl who he'd fallen for, the same girl who he'd swam with in the moonlight and the same girl who he'd waited for, his bag packed with all his worldly possessions as he'd waited in the café, ready to leave behind his life at Public Safety.
The same girl who'd never arrived.
As Denji looked at her, his face tinged with hurt and confusion, Reze's regretful eyes flicked to meet his, before flicking away just as quickly.
"Could the rest of you leave, please?", Reze's gaze remained focused on the ground as she addressed Sugo and Nobana, her voice carrying a slight waver as she spoke.
"Why the hell should we leave him alone with you Bomb?", Sugo scoffed as he looked at Reze in disdain, "I don't care if you were under Makima's control as well, you communists are just as bad as the Americans!"
Sugo was oblivious as Denji and Reze flinched, the mention of Makima making the both of them shift uncomfortably as Sugo went on another tangent about the American government.
Reze's eye twitched as she opened her mouth to snap at Sugo, "I said could y-!"
"Shut it already! Can't you take a hint you nutjob?!", Reze's protest was cut off as Denji finally lost patience with the delusional transfer student, "Me an' Reze have a lot to talk about more important stuff than your UV rays or whatever!"
"Hey, what the hell?!", Sugo began to square up to Denji, "The Chainsaw Man Church has saved tons of people from the Americans, you should know since you discovered the American ray weapon with your super vis-"
"I've already told ya that I don't have super-vision you weirdo! Now can you just leave already!"
"N-now everyone can we p-please not f-fight…", Nobana interjected weakly as he held up a shaky hand from the sidelines, "If we c-can carry on with the t-tour…"
"Now, Nobana, that won't be necessary", everyone except Sugo jolted as a new voice suddenly spoke up from behind them as an imposing figure put his arm around Denji's shoulder, bringing him in close as he tried to struggle away.
"Hey! Leggo you creep!", Denji slipped away from the newcomer's arm and scurried over next to Reze, eyeing the newcomer warily. He struck an imposing figure as he stood amid the group of high schoolers, his hair tied back and an unsettling smile resting on his face as he fixed his gaze on Denji.
The man stuck out his hand towards Denji, the same hollow grin fixed to his face as he spoke, "Hey there Chainsaw, it's been a long time, or that's what I'm told anyways, considering neither me, you or Bomb here remember anything about all that. My name's Barem".
Denji continued eyeing Barem's hand distrustfully until the man withdrew it with a sigh, "Geez so distrustful… well, Sugo, Nobana, I suppose we should leave Denji's recruitment up to our newest member, she's the only one of us that he knows after all…"
"You sure that we can trust the Bomb? She was a tool of those damned Russians, how do we know she's with us?!", Sugo threw a venomous glance at Reze as he protested, only to be cut off as Barem raises his hand.
"Sugo, young Reze here is a valued member of our organisation, she believes in Chainsaw Man just as much as we do, might even more so…", he fixes his gaze on Reze, watching her with a knowing smile as he continues, "Good luck Bomb, hopefully you can bring Chainsaw back out, would be a hassle if we had to take matters into our own hands…"
"Come on you two, let's leave them to get reacquainted!"
With Barem leading Sugo and Nobana away, Denji and Reze were left alone in the arch of the chapel entrance, a heavy silence descending on the pair as the cultists took their leave.
Reze was the first to break the silence as soon as the other three were out of earshot, "Sooo… I suppose I owe you an explanation Denji…", she kept her eyes on the ground as she spoke, any happiness she felt from seeing Denji again being tainted by her guilt over not just their last conversation, but also all the things that she did to him that day…
"I… waited… you know?", Reze's gaze snapped up to Denji, who was looking off into space, a melancholic look on his face as he spoke, "At the café, I mean… from Noon all the way until the old man kicked me out…"
Denji turned to look at her, the same dead look on his face as looked her in the eyes, "Y'know, since you didn't show… I just figured that I was wrong about everythin', I thought that you didn't like me after all…but then you show up and say you want to marry me after all this time…?"
"What do you really want Reze?", as Denji asked this, he wasn't angry, at least as far as Reze could tell. Instead, he just seemed tired and drained, the energetic boy she once knew seemingly gone.
"I'm sorry Denji… I…", Reze looked away again before quickly steeling her nerves, reminding herself why she'd came here, why she'd decided to meet with Denji again as she looked back up at him.
"The truth is that you were right on that beach, Denji, about everything", Denji flinched in surprise at this, "When you asked me to run away with you… I'd never wanted to do anything more".
"At first I thought that it'd just put you in danger, so I left you on the beach, but…", a frown coming to her face as she gave her account of that day, "the idea… I couldn't get it out of my head… us going to school together and… well… I just thought that I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't try to run away with you… so I did."
"W-what?!", Denji exclaimed, shocked out of his depressive stupor by the admission from his second love, "But you never even showed up! How coul-"
Denji was cut off again as Reze brazenly put her finger to his lip, shushing him as she fixed him with a serious look, "I tried, Denji… I just never made it…"
Denji's face twisted in confusion for a moment before understanding washed over his face, "Oh, I get it… so Miss Makima got you, right?"
"Yeah… ambushed me on the way there, in the alley just opposite the Crossroads", Reze was surprised that Denji caught on so quickly, she guessed that he'd taken her final advice after all, "How'd you guess it was her anyway?"
Denji laughed bitterly at that, "She basically told me herself, I suppose… after I-", Denji froze up at the memories that came rushing to him, 'After I killed Power…'
He shook his head, and forced himself to continue, "Well, she told me that she'd… well that she'd kill any friends that I'd ever make, and any family that I'd ever have…"
Denji flinches as he feels a warm grip on his hand, with Reze having grasped his hand in hers, looking him in the eyes, "I'm sorry… Denji, for not making it, for hurting you, for not coming to you sooner… and for everything that witch did to you…"
"I won't leave you again Denji!", suddenly Denji took his hand from hers, looking at her with an indecipherable look, "Denji, I-!"
Reze was interrupted as Denji crashed into her, crushing her in a tight hug, one which, once she recovered from her surprise, she returned with gusto.
"I'm just… glad you're alive… Reze…", Reze felt some damp on her shoulder, as tears silently leaked from Denji's eyes as he buried his head into the crook of her neck. Reze simply smiled into his chest as she rubbed circles gently on his back, tears pricking her own eyes despite her best efforts.
"I missed you too… Denji…"
They had stood in each other's embrace for what had felt like hours, but in reality, was only a few short minutes. Reze was the first to break from the embrace, her arms reluctantly drawing away from Denji as she tilted her head upwards to look him in the eyes. Last time she had seen him, he'd already nearly been a head taller than her, but now she had to crane her neck to meet his gaze.
As she separated from him, Denji finally had a chance to drink in the sight of the girl in front of him. She was looking up at him with those same emerald eyes he'd fallen for in that phone booth so long ago. She had her hair tied up in her usual loose bun and the same choker around her neck, camouflaging her pin. However, one thing stood out to Denji the most.
"Reze… Is that my school's uniform?", Denji's eyes brightened hopefully as he questioned Reze's new look.
"Well, that's part of the reason I'm here, in order to join this… cult, you have to be a student. So, the old man enrolled me at your school".
"Whaddya mean old man? And why'd you even join these crazies anyway?!", Denji asked, simultaneously overjoyed to see her again and baffled that she was part of this church of whackos.
Reze looked around shiftily before grabbing Denji's hand and dragging him up closer to the altar of the church.
"H-hey, Reze I know ya volunteered to m-marry me, but I'm not su-", Denji stuttered as she dragged him down to sit on one of the front-row pews near to the altar.
"I'm not here to marry you, Denji", Reze smirked lightly as she spoke, before sliding in closer to him, "At least not here anyway…"
"Wha-!", Denji nearly yelled in surprise, a blush lighting up his cheeks as Reze clamped her hand over his mouth, holding her finger to her lips with the other, shushing him as her eyes dart around the church.
"I'm sorry, as much as I'd love to tease you more, we don't have long until that creep out there loses his patience", on hearing this Denji's face turned serious, the blush fading from his face as Reze's hand retreated from his mouth, "Right, I'm all ears, wanna fill me in on all this crap?"
"I was sent here by the one who revived me, an old drunk called Kishibe, he kept me in a holding cell for… must've been months, then one day he gave me the offer of infiltrating this place and enrolling in your school. And, well… here I am", Reze shrugged as she recounted what happened to her in the wake of the final confrontation with Makima.
"You met Master Kishibe?! He said he was gonna be busy, but he never said anythin' else about it…", Denji said, listening raptly to what Reze was saying.
"Yeah, but that's not what's important right now, what is important is that you stay as far away from this place, these people, as you can. They say they worship Chainsaw Man, but they don't care one bit about you, Denji".
"This marriage that they're pushing… something's very wrong with it, and not just that they're marrying kids", Reze looks uneasily towards Denji, "They marry them in groups, all the women in identical dresses, all men in identical suits, then they take their vows and that's when things get weird. The vows… they all pledge them to work in the name of justice, then it's sealed with some kind of… sexual ritual…"
"S-sex?!"
"Quiet you!", Reze snapped, though with no bite to it, as she swatted him playfully, trying to hide the smile on her face, "When I heard that they were going to approach you, I figured that I might as well volunteer to marry you, rather than have you and some poor girl get their live signed away to… well whatever the hell they're doing here…"
"Hey! For the record, I wasn't just gonna marry some random chick, I have standards!", Denji pouted as he protested at her assumption that he would go along with the initiation.
"Oh, so you just came for the sex then?", Reze drawled in response.
"Of cour-! Of course not!", Denji stammered back, flustered as Reze burst out into a fit of laughter.
"Ahahahaha!", Reze wiped tears from her eyes as she leaned into Denji, her laughter petering out as she rested her head on his shoulder, "I missed this y'know, just us two hanging out. Those days we spent at the café… they were some of the best days of my life…"
"Same here…", Denji replied as he hesitantly rested his head on hers, relieved when she didn't move away, "Almost every other good day I had before that, turns out I was bein' led along, not knowing any better, not having any say of my own…"
Denji's face screwed up in frustration as he tried to get the words out, "Ahhh… I'm crap at this stuff! What I'm tryin' to say is… I'm glad I got to see you again, Reze".
They sat in the pew, leaning against each other for a time, before Reze finally moved, sitting up and stretching, letting out a disappointed sigh as she did.
"I suppose it's time for you to get moving, Denji", Reze was practically pouting as she stood up, with Denji quickly standing up with her, "Wha- why?"
"Well, it's been a while, and I'm sure you don't want to get stuck talking to suspenders and tinfoil-hat again."
Denji nodded at this before grabbing her by the hand, his eyes carrying some of his old brightness as he spoke, "Sounds like a plan! So, where are we gonna go now?"
At that, Reze gave Denji a bittersweet smile as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze, before sliding her hand out of his grasp and "I… can't go with you Denji…"
"Huh?! But why not?", Denji's face fell, clearly disappointed, "I thought you woulda wanted to hang out some more…?"
Reze shook her head morosely as she replied, "I wish I could… but these wackos are up to something, and whatever it is, it'll happen soon."
"What the hell does it matter what these crazies are doin'? Why's that our problem?"
"And here I thought you wised up a bit Denji… This building has your devil forms' head on top of it, they literally worship you", Reze shook her head again, rolling her eyes at his obliviousness, "Whatever they're planning, you'll be riiight in the middle of it. That makes it my problem."
Suddenly Reze's head swings around, looking over her shoulder as if she heard something.
"Shit! We've been talking for too long, that'll be them on the way back", Reze took a protesting Denji by the hand, dragging him towards an exit door at the side of the room.
"Wait! What do you mean I'll be in the middle of it?! When will I see you again?!"
"Don't worry about that right now, just go!", Reze snaps in frustration as she tried to corral him out of the door, only for her annoyance to fade away upon seeing the hurt look on Denji's face.
Reze sighed, pausing her pushing to look up at Denji with a wry smile on her face, "Don't worry Denji, I'll see you in school. Now go!
Denji looked at her for a moment before his face hardened, a determined look on his face. Suddenly Denji leaned down, capturing Reze's lips with his own. The kiss was careful, chaste. And yet Reze melted into his arms, her eyes closing as her worries about the approaching church members were momentarily forgotten as she attempted to pull Denji in closer and deepen the kiss.
And then Denji pulled away.
"W-wha- Denji?", Reze's face was flushed, her voice breathy and confused as Denji separated himself from her, opening the side door Reze had moments ago been pushing him towards.
Denji beamed as he looked over his shoulder, clearly pleased that he was able to embarrass her for a change, throwing up a peace sign as he made his way out the door, shouting as he went, "See you at school Reze!"
As the door swung shut, Reze stared at the door in shock for a moment, before a serene smile lit up her flushed face.
'Hmmm… looks like Denji's wised up in one way at least, getting the drop on me like that'.
As the sounds of footsteps echoed from the chapel entrance, one thought went through Reze's head as she turned around to explain her 'failure' to her fellow weapons.
'We'll have to save the wedding for another day… Denji…'