And here we are with the next chapter. In light of the current day and the fact this story has romance elements too, I figured it would be a good a time as any to update. Lol. Hope all enjoy
XXXX
Azure was...extremely worried. And who could blame him? Just yesterday he'd bid his girlfriend a safe trip for a camp...and barely a day later he got news that the camp caught fire, and about half of the Tennis Club died from that fire. If there was any silver lining, it was that the survivors had apparently not received any life threatening injuries, among them being Jun.
That was why right now he was rushing to the hospital, barely pausing beyond stating his intentions and getting the directions he needed. Reaching the room in question, he opened the door. "Jun!" he gasped when he got in, and saw the sight of his girlfriend on a hospital bed, bandages wrapped around her head and her right arm in a cast and sling, looking out the window with a rather distant gaze.
At the sound of his voice, she turned to look at him...with a bitter sweet smile. "Oh, Azure...you came…" she said, her tone heavy with pain.
That made Azure stop short. It just didn't feel right seeing her like this, but he had a pretty good idea why. "Jun...I'm really sorry about what happened…" he said, walking over and sitting next to her, but Jun didn't respond. "I...I know it's not really a consolation but...I heard what happened and I think you did more than anyone could have done in that situation…" he said softly, placing a hand over hers...and the fact she grasped his hand meant that his words had some effect. Even so, she didn't say anything, which made him sigh slightly. "If you ever want to talk about it...I'm here for you," he said.
Jun closed her eyes at that, a few tears leaking out. "Thank you, Azure," she said softly.
Azure smiled a little. "It's the least I can do for my girl," he said, before leaning over and kissing her on the forehead, causing both of them to blush a little, even if Jun didn't seem upset by his actions.
Silence descended on both of them, though even as he didn't say anything more, Jun could feel his silent support. Yet, as much as that comforted her...it made things harder at the same time. She wanted to tell him. She wanted to be able to put her trust in him and yet...whenever she remembered what happened...she felt afraid. Afraid of what he might think if he knew the truth, knew of what she'd become. The idea that that might drive him away was what scared her the most of all.
Azure blinked as he felt her tighten her grip...and looked at her, seeing the pained look in her eyes. He wanted to ask, but at the same time he knew that jumping in carelessly could only make things worse...so he did the only thing he could do, he squeezed back as a sign of support.
And he would have stayed for as long as he could...if not for a sudden interruption. "Pardon me," a new voice said as the door opened. Both of them looked up...and Jun blinked in surprise as she saw Asuka walk in, having not seen the strange woman again ever since the villa.
Asuka looked at the two of them and gave an apologetic smile...though how real it was...was hard to say for Jun. "I'm with the police. I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but I need to speak with Ms. Fudo regarding the incident."
"Oh, uh… of course, though, what would you need to know?" Azure asked curiously.
"Just if she noticed anything odd before the fire happened that might help us understand what caused it." Asuka said seriously.
"Oh… well, go ahead then." he said, not moving from his spot.
She sighed, shaking her head a bit "Sir… the investigation is still ongoing, so since you aren't related to the incident, I need to ask you to leave the room while I ask her my questions."
"Oh…" he responded with a frown, squeezing Jun's hand a bit.
Jun gave him a sad smile "Hey… it's fine. I'll let you know when you can come back."
Azure seemed a little unsure, but eventually nodded. "I'll be right outside," he said as he got up and went out the room, and no, he was not trying to eavesdrop after he closed the door.
When he was gone, Asuka turned to Jun and smiled a little. "Nice guy. You're quite lucky to have someone like him."
Jun nodded a little, unable to suppress the small smile. "He is…" she said before her expression hardened a little. "But why are you here?" she asked.
"More to check on you than anything else, and to explain a few things so you're not continuously wondering what's happening," Asuka said, taking a seat. "First of all, I imagine you're wondering why nobody has said anything about the incident, not even the girls you'd managed to save."
"They all believe that it was a fire, exactly like the cover story," Jun frowned.
"It's not something I LIKE doing, but yes, we modified their memories in secret to ensure their memories match the official story," Asuka said. "I think you can imagine the kind of panic that would ensue if people knew the true story."
Jun frowned. "I suppose I can. People turning into monsters...if that were to get out, it WOULD be quite a panic," she said...before looking at her arm, thoughts going back to the fact that she was one of those monsters too.
"You're not like that you know," Asuka suddenly said, causing her to blink in surprise. "Oh right, I didn't tell you. I'm an ESPer. Your thoughts were so strong on that one that it was hard for me to NOT hear them. And no, I don't make it a habit to read people's minds and even then I can mainly only read surface thoughts," she explained. "As for why I say what I did, we have a term for what those men had become. We refer to them as Devil Beasts, which despite the rather unflattering name, they aren't actually from Hell."
"Could have fooled me," Jun couldn't help but say. Those things the men had become sure LOOKED like something that crawled out of Hell.
Asuka chuckled a bit at that one. "Yeah, that's kind of a normal reaction. Truth be told, the name was coined from an old Manga, since the transformations are similar to the ones in that story."
"Do I want to know which one?" Jun couldn't help but sweat drop at that one.
Asuka actually laughed at that one. "It was the old Classic 'Devilman'," she answered. "Just like in the Manga, we've classified the people who 'Awaken' into two types. The first are the Devil Beasts, those like the men from before who've lost their minds and humanity, becoming little more than animals. The second are people like you, those who awakened to this power and yet retained their minds and hearts. For these members of a new race on this planet, we've given them the title of that same hero. Devilmen," Asuka said. "Of course, truth be told at the moment the number of Devilmen we're aware of is exactly 1, but we expect more will appear in time."
Jun looked at her, before sighing. "Once upon a time I wouldn't have believed you, but I think I'm well beyond that point," she sighed. "I assume all the secrecy is because I can imagine the world wouldn't take kindly to suddenly finding out that people are turning into monsters."
"We prefer the term 'Evolving' even if I agree, Devil Beasts are monsters, only Devilmen can be considered an evolution," Asuka nodded. "That's why I need to ask you to keep this a secret. Even keeping up the ruse of your 'injuries' for the time being."
"I'm honestly not sure that's a good idea," Jun frowned, looking away. "I don't know how long I can bare lying to everyone about this. I feel like I might snap if I have to keep this up…"
Asuka chuckled lightly at that one.
"Something funny?" Jun glared.
"Sorry, I was just thinking that you're every bit like how your parents described," Asuka said, standing up. "And before you ask, wait till you're released from the hospital. I can tell you a little secret at least. Your parents are in Japan, unofficially. When you return home, well...be sure to lock your room door when you're in it," Asuka said.
"Thanks for reminding me that I wanted to ask you about that," Jun said in annoyance. "But I don't suppose you're going to be answering any questions."
Asuka winked playfully at her. "Not at the moment. Don't worry, there will be plenty of time to answer questions later," she said before walking out of the room.
"Hey, wait!" Jun tried to stop her, but she was already gone, leaving Azure to awkwardly look inside.
"Uh...did something happen?" he blinked.
"Let's just say that woman needs to work on her social skills," Jun grumbled in annoyance, to which Azure sweat dropped. Oh well, at least Jun wasn't all depressed anymore so he supposed that was an improvement.
XXXX
While she was faking her injuries, due to the hospital, or at least some of the medical staff, getting discharged was a lot faster than it should have been, though if she had to guess, the reason was that her injuries were either not as bad as they had initially thought or she was 'healing faster'. Probably the former was the excuse they'd put as the official one. Still, she was keeping up the ruse when she got home, wearing the bandages still...which made her feel bad when Hikaru was unsurprisingly worried for her, seeing the 'injuries'. Even so, he tried to cheer her up, having sensed her less than ideal mood, and guessed that she was bummed over what happened at the camp. Oh he wasn't wrong, and she really did appreciate his attempts to cheer her up, but unfortunately he was unknowingly pressing on the bigger issue she was dealing with, namely the lie that was made to cover up the fact she'd apparently become a new species of human...of which their parents were apparently involved somehow.
Even so, she did her best to keep her real feelings hidden. Due to her arm being in a cast, Hikaru offered to take care of the house until her arm was healed, something she appreciated and the siblings shared an enjoyable evening till it was almost time for bed. Going into her room, she locked her door and undid her bandages, not wanting to keep up the charade more than she needed to.
Sighing she looked out her window up at the moon. Even now her mind was a jumbled mess. She had SOME answers thanks to Asuka, but still a lot of questions that remained unanswered. She had a rough idea what had happened, yet not exactly why it did. Not to mention the fact her parents were somehow involved in this in some way.
She was lost in thought...before a familiar voice suddenly cut through it. "Normally I'd say you're being a bit lax, but seeing as you locked the door, I guess it's fine," came Asuka's voice.
"What?!" Jun gasped in surprise, right as the wall of her room, the one that connected to another apartment promptly opened up, revealing that it was actually a doorway and out of that doorway came Asuka, looking amused as ever.
"Surprise," she chuckled.
"Wha-?! But-?!" Jun sputtered in surprise, because how else was she supposed to react? Eventually though she found her voice. "What is the meaning of this?!" she demanded.
"It's a little something that was added in secret a while back. Yes, I know, it's quite a violation of privacy, but I didn't exactly ask for this one," Asuka said in amusement.
At this point Jun was QUITE annoyed. "Okay, enough games, Asuka! I want to know what's going on or so help me…!" she growled and as she did, her eyes glowed yellow and her teeth seemed to sharpen.
"That's exactly why I'm here. Follow me, the ones who can answer your questions are right inside," Asuka said, beckoning for her to follow.
Jun frowned, eyes still glowing, but she ultimately decided to follow. She wanted answers, and if this was her chance to get it, she was willing to listen. The door led to another apartment, one that from what she could tell was fairly sparsely furnished, like somewhere where the inhabitant didn't actually spend too much time there. However her attention was more on Asuka who went over to the door and opened it up. "Introductions won't be necessary I believe," she said...as from the door emerged her parents.
"Mom? Dad?" Jun gasped in surprise. Asuka HAD mentioned them, but seeing them right here was something else.
"It's good to see you again, Jun," Maria smiled...yet it was a rather sad one.
"If only it was on better terms…" Masato sighed.
"I...don't understand. If you both are here, why didn't you tell us? Why all this secrecy?" Jun asked, very confused.
Both her parents sighed. "It's a bit of a long story," Maria sighed as Asuka closed the door they'd used, and soon ushered them into the living room of this apartment so that they could all sit down.
"To understand what happened, we need to start from the beginning," Masato sighed, and with that the two began explaining the full story, of the existence of the Beast Factor within humans that would eventually 'awaken' and in most cases, turn them into Devil Beasts as a form of evolution, and how they had discovered it...and through that research realized that Jun herself possessed the Beast Factor as well. From there they explained their research in finding a way to control the process, or at the very least allow a human to retain their humanity and thus the Beast Buster Enzyme (BB Enzyme for short) was created. The moment they realized she would one day awaken, they chose to mix the Enzyme into her meals, and through that regular exposure to the Enzyme, it was why when she awakened, she'd managed to maintain her humanity, thus allowing her to become a Devilman instead.
When they were finished explaining… "We're really sorry it had to be this way," Maria apologized sadly. "If it was up to us, you'd never have been involved, but as things were, this was the best option we could think of. I hope you'll forgive us…"
Jun was silent for a moment, taking the time to process the full explanation. Truth be told, she had her doubts about this so-called evolution, a feeling that she'd voiced during the conversation...which everyone else agreed certainly DID feel more like a de-evolution at first glance. But when explained how once transformed, a person could survive in much harsher conditions...a part of her couldn't deny that in a way it made sense. Even so, that wasn't the main issue of the matter. She thought about it carefully, thinking of her past, of her present, and of the reality of the situation...and came to a conclusion. "There's nothing to forgive," she said slowly, both her parents looking at her, seeing her smiling face. "Even if people call it you using me to test your invention, the fact is you did it to save me. It's because of you that I'm still who I am. It's because of you that I still have a future," she said, a few tears of joy. "Your love is why I can still be the person I am. Even if my body's changed, I will take pride that I became a Devilman because my parents loved me enough to save me from becoming a Beast."
Both her parents were taken aback for a moment...before they couldn't help themselves and the tears of joy fell...before Asuka left the room, not wanting to intrude as the family embraced. Even so she had a small smile on her face. Yes, this was the ideal resolution of this matter.
XXXX
A couple of weeks soon passed, and by then enough time had passed that Jun would be able to believably say she'd recovered at a fast rate and return to work. However, things weren't all good with her. While the situation with her parents had been resolved without issue, and the realization that her new state of being was due to their love for her that they did what they could to help her did indeed make the fact she'd lost her humanity more bearable, but when Azure came to visit to make sure she was okay, the full extent of how much her life had changed hit her.
She'd managed to keep up appearances while Azure was visiting...and she hated every second of it. He showed her nothing but care and concern...and she was lying to him the whole time, pretending that she was still injured when in reality she was perfectly fine. Still...she had to do this. The importance of keeping this secret aside...she wasn't fully sure how he'd react to the truth of what had happened. She wanted to believe that he'd accept her no matter what, but the little bit of doubt in her held her back. Maybe eventually she'd be able to confide this in him...but not right now…
That was why when she was eventually able to go back, it felt...bitter sweet. Even as her co-workers greeted her with smiles, the fact remained that things weren't the same anymore. Putting on a somewhat fake smile, she returned the greetings from her co-workers, even smiling a bit deeper when she saw Azure wave to her with a smile, having decided to hang back to let the others congratulate her on her return first.
As she made her way to her desk, several of them also congratulated her for her bravery...which made her have to bite down the slight guilt at having to keep up that lie too...but at the very least one way or another she DID save the students that survived, so that was something if nothing else. As she sat down though...she felt someone coming up behind her...and the feeling of someone looking at her and not in a particularly nice way.
"It's been a while, Fudo," came the voice of one of the faculty members, a middle aged man wearing glasses with a look that Azure had once summed up (and she couldn't help but agree) as looking very punchable.
"Good morning, Mr. Nejima," she sighed in annoyance, a feeling that grew when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
Mr. Nejima grinned at that. "You know…" he said, putting his other hand on her shoulder. "While you were gone this office seemed so burnt out. It's just not the same without you around," he said...and while his words might have SOUNDED nice, the look on his face made his real thoughts fairly clear.
Jun inwardly groaned, seeing Mr. Nejima at it again. Of course, since he was at it again…
"That's quite enough," Azure said simply, grabbing one of Mr. Nejima's arms and pulling it away from Jun, specifically one that had started to snake lower. "I think it also goes without saying that this is sexual harassment," he added, glaring at Nejima.
Nejima 'tsk-ed' in annoyance, but didn't push the issue, letting go of Jun before pulling his arm away from Azure as he walked away. Azure continued to glare a bit, but eventually sighed. "Honestly, that guy never learns," he grumbled.
"I know what you mean," Jun sighed, getting up again. "Thanks though, Azure," she smiled.
"Hey, you've got enough on your plate as is. I'll do what I can so you don't have more to deal with," he smiled in return before they both walked out of the office and down the hall. There was still time before classes started, so they weren't in a rush. "So...how are you holding up?" he asked, concerned.
"I'm...managing," Jun sighed. "I think I've started to put what happened behind me, but it's not easy…" she said, to which Azure put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I know you'll be alright, but if you ever need to talk about it, I'm here for you," Azure smiled.
"Thank you, Azure," Jun smiled, though it felt bitter sweet, him being so supportive...while she was keeping a big secret from him.
However, before they could talk more. "Hey, I'd heard you were back, but I'm glad to see you're alright. It's nice to have you back, Ms. Fudo," a new voice said, the two turning to see a man in his mid to late 20s with a rather clean look and a friendly smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Okawa," Jun smiled.
"Think nothing of it. I was the one who approved that Lodge after all, so I honestly feel partially responsible for what happened too," he said, maintaining his friendly smile.
"It's alright. What's passed is passed. All we can do is move forward," Jun nodded. Okawa looked like he wanted to say more, but he was stopped when a new voice called for him, everyone turning to see one of the students, a girl with a rather striking hairstyle.
"Ah, Kirishima. Is something wrong?" Okawa asked...and for a split second Azure swore he saw his expression change into something else. What exactly...he couldn't say for sure.
"I...need to talk to you, sir," Kirishima said.
"Is it about your parents? Have you talked to them about your grades?" Okawa asked, to which Kirishima was silent. "Alright, we'll discuss this elsewhere. Please follow me," Okawa said, before saying goodbye to Jun and Azure as he soon left with Kirishima following after him.
"He's very sweet," Jun smiled. "All the students must trust him."
"Is he?" Azure frowned a little, earning a questioning look from her. "Not to sound like a jealous boyfriend, but something about him seems off. Like there's more to him than he's letting on…"
"If you say so…" Jun said a little unsure. On one hand she thought he might be being overly suspicious...but then, it's not like she knew Okawa well enough to be able to confidently say Azure was wrong.
However, before they could discuss this any further, they heard the first bell ring, signifying that classes were about to start. "Let's talk again later, after school," Jun said quickly, Azure nodding quickly as they quickly went to their respective classrooms.
As they did though, they didn't notice Okawa who was at the end of the hallway by then stopping for a moment, before turning around and glaring at them for a moment, a bizarre mix of jealousy and desire.
XXXX
The school day continued, and Jun felt like she was slowly but surely getting back into the flow of her old life. Almost as if nothing had happened. A part of her was happy to see that so far nothing had changed, but a part of her felt almost restless throughout the day, even if she managed to quash that part for now. As morning turned to noon, the remainder of the tennis club gathered together. Though the tragedy of the trip weighed heavily on them all, Jun encouraged them to continue to live on and do their best in memory of their friends.
The tennis club did a good ten laps around the school for their exercise, and practice went well. Despite everything, it seemed that the team would be alright, something that put Jun at ease. Even if the fact that the truth had to be hidden, a part of her was glad that they were taking things well, yet at the same time it didn't really ease the guilt she felt of not being able to do more. Oh she knew it was unreasonable. She'd only awakened to her power BECAUSE of the incident...yet even so a part of her wished she could have saved them. Time quickly passed and before long it was later than she expected. "Oh dear, I really lost track of time," she frowned. "I hope I haven't kept Azure waiting for too long…"
With that in mind, she quickly made her way to the Teacher's Room, and to her relief she found Azure was still waiting. "You kept me waiting for a while," Azure said, though there was no heat behind it. If anything he sounded like he was teasing her.
"Sorry about that," Jun chuckled. "I guess I was just so excited to be back that I overdid it for practice."
"Hey, it's no problem. I'm glad that you're getting back into the swing of things without any issues," Azure smiled. "Speaking of swing, I see you had a great workout."
Jun looked at herself and chuckled. "Guess I did get carried away. How about I get cleaned up before we leave?"
"Sounds good to me," Azure nodded. "I'll be right here when you're done," he said...before he half jokingly added, "Unless you want me to come with you," he said, in a jokingly suggestive tone.
Jun laughed at that one before going for the door. However, before she could leave the room…
"Jun!" came Asuka's voice in her head. "Thank goodness I could contact you in time. I'll explain more later, but to cut a long story short, I'm detecting a Devil Beast inside the School Building. I'm not sure where exactly it is, but it's in there somewhere."
Jun's eyes widened, and she fought back the urge to speak up, but seeing as Asuka was talking to her telepathically, she quickly decided to see if she could communicate back by thinking now. "What? Why is one here?!"
"I'm not fully certain. What I do know is that it's in there...and I think it's coming closer to your position! It might even be after you for some reason!" Asuka warned, causing Jun's eyes to widen in horror.
"Is something wrong, Jun?" Azure asked, looking a bit worried. After all, Jun had suddenly stopped before leaving the room for no apparent reason.
Jun for her part struggled to keep her cool, and quickly thought of what to say and do. "Ah...I'm alright, I just thought that...it's getting rather late, so maybe it would be better if we go home now. I can always have a bath at home," she said quickly.
He blinked at that, before he shrugged "Well, sure, if you want then." he said with a smile "How about I come home with you and cook something up while you're in the shower then?" he offered.
Despite the situation, Jun couldn't help but smile at that. "I'd like that," she said. With that agreed, they soon left the room and made their way to the entrance of the school. The Teacher's Room was on the top floor, so while Jun knew they needed to escape, she couldn't make them move faster than a light hurry. At first things seemed like it wouldn't be an issue, but right as they reached the first floor, an odd sound reached their ears.
"Is something...scraping against something else?" Azure blinked.
"I...it sounds like it…" Jun frowned, now getting rather worried, a feeling that grew when there was a loud noise, like something being thrown around.
"What the hell-?!" Azure gasped, running to the source of the sound, Jun wanting to stop him, but she couldn't say anything and could only chase after him. What they found… "What in the world is going on here?!" Azure gasped in alarm. The reason for that was because someone or something had apparently knocked over not just the shoe lockers, but thrown around several other things, with the end result being a pile up of objects that were now blocking the exit. "Who or what could have done this?" he couldn't help but ask, while behind him Jun had an increasingly sinking feeling in her chest, a feeling that increased when they heard the scraping again, and turned to the source, seeing what appeared to be a tall humanoid figure. They couldn't see the details, but the limbs were long, almost gangly, and the figure was far too tall to be human.
At that point Jun couldn't keep herself silent. "We need to run!" she said in alarm, grabbing Azure's arm and pulling him along.
Azure let out a squawk of surprise, due to still processing what he was seeing, but once he regained his wits, he didn't argue and ran as well. Moving quickly, they went straight for the door that led to the practice building. Both of them wouldn't call themselves Movie Buffs...but they've seen enough scary movies to know that they'd have a better chance running somewhere they both had more space and could potentially find things to fight back with.
Once they were at the Practice building, they ran up to the second floor, before taking a moment to catch their breaths. "What...was that thing?" Azure gasped. He may not be a biology teacher, but he knew that whatever that was, it wasn't human, nor was it something that should be all the way in a city.
"Something dangerous…" Jun frowned. "We need to find a way to escape…"
"I'm with you there, but where do we-?" Azure started, right before they heard a crash, no doubt the door to the Practice Building. Whatever it was, it was chasing after them with a destructive zeal.
"It's here…" Jun frowned, hushing him. Azure gulped but both were on high alert, as they listened carefully to get an idea where the creature was. They heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs slowly, methodically even. Realizing where the creature was coming from, they went down the opposite stairs, hoping to avoid the creature along the way. However, when they reached the first floor again, they saw that the creature had once again blocked a potential exit. If there was any doubt before, it was gone now. This creature was hunting them.
"Where to now?" Azure frowned.
Jun also looked worried, thinking quickly. This Devil Beast wanted them for some reason, and while the obvious answer to how to deal with it was to fight...that would mean that she'd reveal herself to Azure. She could tell him to hide, but...not only would that risk the Beast finding him first without her around, there was no way he'd abandon her like that. He was too chivalrous for his own good sometimes.
"...we should go to the gym. At least not only is there space for us to hide, there's plenty of things we could probably use to slow it down," Jun said after a moment.
"Works for me. It's connected to the area for the Martial Arts club too," Azure added, earning a nod from Jun as well, realizing what he was going for.
With that in agreement, they quickly made their way towards the gym, right as they noticed the sound of something coming down the stairs. "How is it following us?" Azure frowned, right as Jun had a thought and idly sniffed herself, wincing a little. "...seriously? How good is its nose? You don't smell THAT bad," Azure sweat dropped.
"Maybe I should have hit the showers first after all," Jun couldn't help but say with slight mirth...until she realized something. "No matter where we run, it'll keep following."
Azure stopped, realizing what she meant. "That's a problem. We need to throw it off our trail somehow."
Jun thought about it for a moment...before an idea came to her, but she was a little unsure. "Azure, I can trust you, right?"
"Of course you can. What do you have in mind?" Azure asked without hesitation.
"Something that if this works, we'll hopefully get this thing off our tails," Jun sighed...and Azure could swear he saw her blush a bit.
The reason for that soon was revealed, when following her lead, they soon went to the higher floors, evading the creature that unsurprisingly followed them as they went. After dodging it a few times, they were soon in one of the rooms they'd already hid in once.
"Okay, seems like we've lost it for now," Azure frowned, peeking through a crack in the doors, before getting away from it. "What was the pla-?" he started to ask as he turned around...and he felt his brain short circuit a bit.
The reason for that? Right there, he saw Jun taking off her clothes...and by the time he did look, she apparently hadn't stopped at taking off her gym clothes, she was taking it ALL off. So surprised he was that he could only stare as she revealed EVERYTHING she had to offer physically. He always imagined she'd be attractive, but now that he was looking at her, her slender yet firm form, her lightly muscled limbs and well toned body, a rather lovely ass and sizable bust (he'd guess she was a D cup), needless to say she was just as if not more lovely than he imagined...and he was pretty sure he felt himself getting hard.
Jun noticed him staring and her blush brightened, yet she proceeded to gather up her clothes, even her shoes, into a bundle.
Azure gulped thickly before finally finding his voice. "W-what are you doing?" he asked, blushing brightly as well at seeing his girlfriend naked.
"Believe me, I'm not too crazy about this plan either, but if that thing is following us based on smell…" Jun said, still blushing a bit at the clear attention she was getting. The only reason she wasn't completely mortified was because it was Azure seeing her like this.
"You want to use your clothes as a decoy?" Azure blinked in realization, earning a nod from her.
"Yes," Jun nodded. "We'll use these clothes to try and throw it off our trail," she said, rubbing herself with her clothes, getting more of her sweat on them than they already had.
Azure nodded, seeing the logic there...while also trying to think of other things...which admittedly was a bit easier than he expected...probably due to the monster that was stalking them. However, as he thought about the plan...he realized something else.
"Wait… I'm pretty sweaty too actually." he said, patting his clothes a bit. "It'd be able to sniff me out too probably."
Jun blinked at that, and while she realized that he was right… "Wait, are you suggesting…?"
Azure blushed a bit, before nodding slowly. "It'd be meaningless if we got caught anyway, so...guess I'll be joining you," he said, trying to sound normal...even if it was clear he felt VERY awkward about this.
Now it was Jun's turn to gulp thickly, but she nodded in agreement, seeing as yes, if the Beast followed them because of his smell, then it would be meaningless…that and she'd be lying if she said the idea of seeing him naked didn't appeal to her...a feeling that she did her best to push down. Not the time right now.
With that in agreement, Azure started undressing. As he did, Jun couldn't help but blush as she watched him do so. The first to go was his shirt, vest, and tie, revealing his upper torso which she noted was rather different from most Japanese men...which made sense seeing as he wasn't from Japan. She saw that he had a well built upper body, a bit more on the lean side, but still showed well trained muscles as well as a firm chest and six pack, which had this been any other time, she'd probably want nothing more than to take her time and admire them, maybe even run her fingers over them, a feeling that made her nipples harden. However, Azure wasn't done as he took off his socks and shoes, before undoing his belt and pulling his pants down, revealing his lower body. Like with his upper body, his legs were also well toned, completing the image of someone who like her was once in sports, and though they'd both 'retired', they still worked to keep in shape. Of course, speaking of shape...her gaze was soon firmly on his member. It was big to say the least, and she could tell because right now it was fully erect, no doubt thanks to the impromptu show she'd given him. All in all, despite the situation, Jun couldn't help but stare at the image of her boyfriend in the nude, both of them blushing a bit.
"Since we're clearly both thinking it, you look great," Azure chuckled a bit awkwardly, wiping the sweat off his body with his clothes, covering them in his smell.
"Y-yeah," Jun said with a wry smile. However, before they could say anything else, they heard the familiar scraping sound. Now fully serious again, Jun quickly moved to one of the desks and placed one of her clothes into the desk, while they quickly went and hid behind the teacher's desk.
They soon heard the door opening, and they heard footsteps, which were moving towards the desk. Once they heard them stop, they moved quickly and got out of the room, having just enough time to hear an angry roar for some reason. From there it was a run from room to room, leaving some of their clothes at random places...a fact that was notably uncomfortable for Azure seeing as he was still a bit hard from seeing Jun naked...and the fact she was often in front of him, giving him a clear view of her back and shapely rear...not helping.
They continued to leave a trail all over the place, the monster becoming more agitated for some reason judging by the sounds it was making each time, before they eventually made their way to the gym and got in. Taking a moment to catch their breaths, they sat leaned against a wall for a bit. "Okay, I think we lost it. Now that we're here, we can use the emergency exit," Azure sighed.
"Yes, granted we'll have other things to worry about, but I think we can both agree that is preferable," Jun sighed as well, both of them blushing when they realized the problem with this plan was that escape would mean they were streaking. Oh well, that definitely beats dealing with the Beast.
"True," Azure chuckled humourlessly...and couldn't help but once again admire the sight of his girlfriend naked as the day she was born, covered in sweat from running and her breasts swaying a little as she panted. Quickly banishing those thoughts, they made their way to the exit. However, right as they were about to open it, a loud crashing sound was heard, causing them to stop short...as that came from directly above them.
"...you don't think…?" Jun gasped.
Azure's eyes widened at that, before acting quickly, he grabbed her and ran into the nearest room, which happened to be a locker room. Good thing too, as right when they got in, they heard the sound of something bursting, probably the door to the exit. "Dammit...how smart is this thing?" Azure growled...and instinctively held Jun close as they hid in the locker room.
"It's like it knows the layout of this school," Jun gasped slightly...before realizing the position they were in. "Um...Azure?" she gulped, though she had to admit...had this been any other situation she'd have enjoyed this position, the feeling of him holding her close protectively...and she also enjoyed the feeling of his strong chest pressing against her breasts.
He blinked a bit, before he realized how… close he was holding her, and let go of her. "Uh… sorry about that." he said with a bright blush.
"It's alright," Jun said, and smiled despite the situation. It honestly felt nice knowing how much he cared.
However, before they could do anything else, the sound of footsteps approached the room. The moment they heard that, Azure was thinking a mile a minute...and saw a metal baseball bat nearby. Thinking something that was definitely brave...yet very stupid...he made his decision. Grabbing Jun, he pulled her close much to her surprise and kissed her. "I love you, Jun. I just wanted you to know that," he smiled, Jun looking confused at his sudden declaration...before he suddenly pushed her into a locker and closed the door.
The moment the door closed, Jun realized what he was doing. "No! Don't do it Azure!" she shouted, banging on the door.
Outside, Azure grabbed the metal bat and the moment the creature reared its ugly head, he roared and smashed it in the face, actually making it reel back. The moment it did, Azure pressed the advantage, smashing it repeatedly, and actually managing to drive it back to the Gym area. However, after a few strikes, the creature grabbed the bat, stopping the strike he was going for, and with a burst of strength, wrenched it out of his grip.
Azure gasped at the loss of his weapon, and before he could react, he was kicked in the side, sending him flying away from the creature. He groaned, but quickly got back on his feet, just in time to see the creature bend the metal bat like it was paper and toss it aside. His eyes widened, before they narrowed in determination, and he went into a fighter's stance, ready to fight as much as he could even as his body was groaning in pain from the impact. The creature looked at him for a moment...and he swore for a moment he saw the creature's hideous face twist into a sadistic smirk as it charged at him.
Azure moved quickly, managing to roll out of the way, but the creature quickly skidded to a halt, turning to face him. Azure growled as he took advantage of its momentary lull of movement and took the chance to close the distance, punching the creature in the chest a few times before landing a strong kick to its joints. His attack had SOME effect as the creature stumbled a little, but it barely did anything as the creature countered with a powerful punch to the gut, causing him to cough up blood while he was launched back again. Coughing on the ground, he tried to get to his feet, but before he could, the monster was upon him, and before he could react, it grabbed his right arm and lifted him into the air. Once again seeing the sadistic look on the monster's face, he barely had time to brace himself before the monster delivered several more punches, his body buckling under the pressure, yet he felt like the force wasn't as strong as it could be...like the thing was purposely holding back with each strike, before one strike sent him flying back again as the monster let him go at the last moment.
Azure was...getting tired of his impromptu airtime today...that and his whole body was in pain. Too bad it seemed the monster wasn't done with him, as in a blur of movement it got behind him and before he could react, he was caught in a full nelson hold. Eyes widening, he tried to escape, but the monster's larger size meant that his feet were dangling in the air, while the thing was stronger than he was, meaning he was trapped. He could feel its breath on him, right before its head reared back, and the next thing he knew he felt sharp fangs pierce his shoulder, drawing a shout of pain from him as he felt the creature start to literally tear into him, the jaws on his shoulder holding him still while its claws started to rake all over his body, which tensed and spasmed in pain and at that moment Azure realized that right now...he was the mouse. The mouse being toyed with by the cat.
Jun was banging on the locker door, trying to escape until she heard the pained shout. The moment she heard Azure shouting in pain, her eyes widened in horror. No! She wouldn't leave the man she loved to fight this monster, especially when she had power of her own! Those feelings caused her Beast Factor to stir, and while she didn't transform, she felt the strength fill her limbs, and she actually broke the lock on the locker, freeing her from it. "Azure!" she said in alarm, turning to find him. The locker room was empty, but she could still hear Azure, and ran to the gym. When she reached the Gym, her eyes widened in horror. "Azure! No!"
Azure heard her, and while he was wondering how she escaped, he couldn't voice it as he was in utter agony. The creature had a firm hold on him still and by now it had clawed and bit him in various spots, leaving him bleeding profusely, and yet he could tell he was only alive because this thing seemed to derive...enjoyment...from his pain. Even so, he did the only thing he could think to do when he realized his girlfriend was there. "Jun…!" he gasped. "Run!" he shouted. The creature heard him and seemed to snarl, before he felt himself being flung away by the creature, landing painfully on the ground, his blood falling to the ground. Groaning, he tried to get up, but only managed to flip himself over, his chest rising and falling as he breathed heavily on his back, Jun immediately by his side.
Jun was near frantic as she was at her boyfriend's side, helping him sit up, not caring the least about the blood getting on her. Now that she could see him this close, she saw how badly the Beast had hurt him. His body was covered in scratches that were bleeding badly, while his shoulder had been bitten to the point it was a miracle that the flesh hadn't been ripped off. Heck, it was arguably a miracle in and of itself that he was still alive. However, as much as seeing him in this state pained her...it also brought forth another emotion as she felt anger bubbling up in her as she turned to glare at the Beast that hurt someone she cared for, and she felt that feeling from before start to rise up.
The Beast however seemed to get more enraged at seeing them together and charged forward. Seeing it coming, Azure's eyes widened, before he pushed Jun out of the way, right as the clawed hand came down.
Time seemed to slow for Jun as she was pushed away, but the moment she realized what had happened, Azure had been knocked back again, blood on the ground as he was bleeding from a wound on the chest. The world seemed to stop for her, all she could see was him taking what looked like a fatal wound, and the Beast that did that to him...and she felt something snap inside her. A feral roar escaped her mouth as her own Beast came to the forefront, her body tensing as it grew and transformed, and before long she stood in her Devilman form, murderous rage in her eyes.
Azure was barely conscious from the punishment he'd taken, not to mention the blood he was losing. However, even as he felt himself fading out of consciousness, he was conscious enough to see what had happened…sort of. He wasn't sure if he was actually seeing that, or if he was just hallucinating, but when he saw Jun transform, his thoughts of what she'd become were savage...yet beautiful. And that was the last thought he had before he blacked out from his injuries.
Jun roared as she charged forward, the Devil Beast seemingly a bit surprised at her transformation, giving her the opening to land a savage punch across its face. Its head snapped to the side, sending it reeling back. However, Jun wasn't going to give it time to recover. Still roaring with rage, she followed up with a savage elbow strike in the chest with enough force that would have caved a normal person's chest in, sending the Beast wheezing a bit, but by now it had gotten over its surprise, and fought back.
Well...tried to fight back would have been the more accurate term for what the Beast did. Its strikes were sloppy, simply aiming to cause damage however it could. Against a human such an attack would be a problem, but Jun was a Devilman, and even in her anger, her skills remained, allowing her to evade the attack, and countering with a claw strike of her own, slashing at the Beast's chest as if in revenge for what it did to Azure.
The Beast roared in pain, but glared at her angrily, charging forward once again. Jun snarled in response and met the charge, but before they reached each other, the Beast suddenly jumped, and used its claws to grip onto the nearby wall. Surprised, Jun skidded to a halt, allowing the Beast to charge at her from its new position, allowing it to slam right into her, sending both flying and rolling as the Beast managed to get behind her grabbed her from behind, digging its claws into her as it had one hand on her head, while the other grabbed her chest, drawing blood with its claws.
Jun roared in a mix of anger, pain...and some indignation as she realized it was basically groping her, while she fought to escape, and in response, her tail reacted, and before the Beast realized it, her tail skewered it...right in the balls.
The Beast roared in utter agony as it let go of her, backing away due to its impromptu castration. Snarling in pure rage, it looked like it wanted to fight...before it abruptly did an about face and tried to escape. However…
"Looks like I made it JUST in time!" came Asuka's voice as she suddenly appeared not far from the exit, a full auto handgun in her hands, before she pulled the trigger. She grit her teeth as she had to use her power to withstand the recoil, but the gun fired several bullets, each of them containing BB Enzyme, which impacted the Beast, penetrating its skin.
The Beast roared in pain as it recoiled from the shots, before feeling something was wrong, its body seizing up as the Enzyme started messing with its Beast Factor. "Now! Finish it while it's unable to move freely, Lady!" Asuka shouted.
Jun didn't fully register the last bit, but all she knew was that Asuka's convenient intervention gave her the opening she needed and she lunged for the Beast. The moment she got her claws on it, she slammed a hand right into it, breaking right through skin and meat, pulling out some of the bone in the process. However she wasn't done as she used the hand that still held the jagged broken bones and used it to deliver a savage blow to the face, probably breaking some of its skull while also cutting it with its own bones. The Beast was sent flying away, but Jun continued to pursue it, having no intention whatsoever to let it escape. It hurt Azure. It hurt the man she loved. It had to PAY!
The Beast barely regained its bearings as she was already upon it, and for a moment its face turned into a look of fear as it tried to defend itself, but she was far too angry to care at the moment, and with a flash of her claws, the arm it was trying to defend with flew right off. The Beast barely got a chance to roar in pain, before she plunged both her arms into the wound she'd already made, breaking right through its spine, before she roared in feral rage, lifting the Beast over her and pulled her arms away in opposite directions…
Asuka chose to look away at that single moment, the sound that followed letting her know the deed was done, as the Beast that had enraged Jun so badly was torn in half, its two halves falling to the ground a good several feet away from each other. Looking back, she saw Jun, covered in blood, eyes still glowing with feral rage as she breathed heavily, before releasing a roar of feral rage...which slowly decreased till eventually Jun reverted to her human form, and sank to her knees, looking completely drained emotionally as she was now punching the ground, tears falling from her eyes as Asuka could FEEL the anger, frustration, and grief that was emanating from her.
Taking a brief scan of her thoughts, as well as seeing the badly injured and no doubt dying Azure, Asuka's eyes widened before she grabbed a communicator she had and immediately called for help and told them to bring a paramedic ASAP, while extending her senses towards Azure, realizing that while he was badly hurt, his brainwaves were more or less stable, meaning that there would be time to save him. Once that was done, she went over to Jun slowly, kneeling down next to her and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, looking at her sympathetically, telepathically communicating to Jun that help was coming, and of Azure's severe...but not fatal condition.
That was the last straw for Jun as she broke down sobbing in sadness and relief as Asuka pulled her into a comforting hug, not caring about the blood she was getting on herself.
As Jun wept, the dying Beast could still see her, its body too ruined to do anything but as it saw her, it let out one final growl...of frustration...jealousy...and despair. It saw the way she attacked, what triggered her to transform. It seemed in the end, that man had won her and now she would never be his. That was the last thought in the Beast's mind before it finally stopped.
XXXX
And done. It seems Jun's life as a Devilman is starting out on a rocky beginning. Even so, she has to persevere.
As always, reviews are appreciated. Thank you