Last chapter, guys! I hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I enjoyed writing it ;)
This one is a huge chapter, so brace yourselves!
On with the show!
Scare You Close
Chapter Six: The Horizon
Many times, Kobeni had agonized about what new, terrible things she would see and fight while working for Public Safety and under Makima. No matter how gruesome her missions were or how unspeakably nightmarish the Devils she encountered were, there seemed to be no end to the horrors of the world.
Just when she thought she had seen everything, another challenge proved her wrong, and just when she started to think that perhaps the world was not such a bad place and that there was hope for humankind, she was faced, over and over again, with the many facets of malice and cruelty.
Makima was not her savior, nor was she her protector. She knew Kobeni could fend for herself, and because their joint missions were a secret, she did not extend a helping hand under any circumstances.
While Makima kept her promise to keep Kobeni busy and away from her family, she did not protect her from them or from the accusing and belittling eyes of others who knew nothing about her.
Sometimes, it was all simply too much, and despite the freedom that Makima provided, the more time passed, the more suffocated Kobeni felt for reasons not even she understood.
There was a certain sort of relief in nights spent in each other's arms. The world turned silent and all doubts and hesitations seemed to fade from Kobeni's mind. Her thoughts of inadequacy and all her deepest fears were drowned by kisses and feverish touches, and for a moment at least, nothing could touch her or wound her. There was no beauty in any of it, only hazy, twisted pleasure and that distinct, companionable quietude that was far from trusting.
Regardless, it was the only mental and emotional escape Kobeni had. Even if they never talked much, at least then and there, Kobeni and Makima understood each other.
She never refused Makima's missions, even if she knew that they would disgust her and bring to the surface the sides of her she both despised and was grateful for.
Makima's eyes were on her at all times, testing Kobeni to the limits of her sanity, and these little missions never got easier.
Nothing ever did.
You're growing stronger by the day Makima always said.
For what purpose? It felt like Makima was slowly grooming her, trying very meticulously to mold Kobeni into something that would benefit some sort of ulterior plan of hers. Kobeni could feel this, and yet it gave her no peace, no reassurance—quite the contrary.
Kobeni felt in her gut that she wasn't cut out for any of Makima's ideals.
Her life had changed too much, but still, it remained the same. While Makima had given her many good things and even a few good moments, it was all too confusing and too much.
For someone as beautiful and calm as Makima was, all she brought was chaos. Soundless, deadly, messed up chaos.
It was something Kobeni was attracted to yet feared beyond herself.
Sometimes, when Kobeni was particularly upset, Makima would somehow sense it and call her to her office. Kobeni always knew what she would be doing there, and oftentimes she was so angry at how weak and predictable that she swore to herself that she wouldn't give in, and yet, faster than she could say 'no', she always threw herself at the beautiful woman and silently demanded to be put at ease.
Makima always smiled knowingly and gladly allowed Kobeni to have the upper hand, as they always ended up having some messy, rather mind-blowing sex.
It frustrated Kobeni that she could never walk away—that she always found solace from the misery of her life in something so vain. The contrast between what she wanted and what she got was enormous, and yet, what she wanted was sadly unattainable.
Was there even a single wish of hers that was attainable at this point?
The constant thought that she was a willing puppet in Makima's hands was frustratingly disturbing.
Kobeni was a fly trapped in a spiderweb, and instead of putting her out of her misery, Makima the spider was slowly consuming her alive so she could see herself disappear.
At least, this is what it felt like.
Kobeni knew she was so much stronger now than she'd ever been, both physically and mentally, yet emotionally, she had never been more unbalanced.
As if all the things she had seen and all the crap she had gone through weren't enough, the thing that finally made her crack was the descent (or ascent?) to Hell.
Out of all the things she had believed could happen to her, that was the last she expected and the one that made her finally snap.
Going through that horrendous experience had been more than traumatizing—the gruesome events, the loss of more comrades (her partner Violence included), and the final straw, Makima's strangely obsessive overprotection of Denji that Kobeni could not for the life of her understand.
She hated it more than she cared to admit, especially because it hurt her feelings and her ego, and because, even though Makima never spoke about Denji, Kobeni just knew something fishy was going on behind her back and that Makima's interest in him was strong.
Or perhaps the woman's interest was merely in the Chainsaw man.
Regardless, just getting out of Hell alive and considerably unharmed had been a blessing that made Kobeni realize that, no matter how miserable her life at home was, this was the time she decided that she didn't need her involvement in Public Safety to make it worse.
The realization of the fragility of everything existing was terrifying. To know that Hell itself was real had made her question everything she believed in and thought she knew.
For the first time, she had taken up therapy to work through the psychological damage and trauma, even if she hadn't told Makima this.
And, despite everything, she knew this was it and that she'd had enough.
Even if this meant that Makima would no longer have anything to do with her anymore, there was no reason to want to pursue whatever they had outside of their work relationship.
No longer a Devil Hunter, would Kobeni even be interesting enough for Makima? For sure, the answer was no.
Not only that, but her usefulness would be null, too.
Thinking about it slapped Kobeni with the harshness of her reality and it made her feel unavoidably sad.
What was she even to Makima but a convenient weapon? A tool she could use and a toy she could play with?
Would Makima even ask her to consider if she resigned? Would she feel sad? Would she talk about them and consider furthering their connection and their current relationship?
It was laughable how Kobeni was such a romantic when she knew perfectly well that the chances that Makima might also kill her on the spot were very high.
Her boss was too layered, and Kobeni, even now, had no way of knowing what to expect.
Just thinking about how that conversation would go filled Kobeni with anxiety.
Unfortunately, she knew Makima well enough to know all the answers, even if, deep down, she hoped she was wrong.
oOo
Kobeni sat on the edge of her small bed, alone in the dim light of the room she shared with her siblings. The silence around her contrasted against the cacophony of her thoughts. The walls seemed to close in on her, and she was glad that everyone was still in the living room watching a movie and that she could have a bit of time for herself, even if she knew that someone would walk in at any given moment.
She thought of her partner, Violence, now gone. Their partnership had been short-lived but cordial, trusting, and filled with silent yet mutual understanding, and his absence left a void inside her. She knew she wasn't to blame for his demise, but she always somehow felt like she was cursed to the point of losing everyone she cared about and that her powers and strength never managed to be enough to save them.
She heaved a sigh, biting down on her lower lip.
Her family, too, loomed over her thoughts. They wouldn't be happy about her leaving Public Security, and she would probably have to work two or three jobs to make the same money every month, but so be it.
The freedom she craved seemed like a distant dream, always out of reach. She longed to break free, to find a life where her choices were her own, not dictated by obligations or someone else's whims.
Kobeni's gaze drifted to the window, and the city lit a blurred tapestry against the night. She yearned for change—for a life where fear and violence weren't constants and she could be allowed to dream and to hope—a life where she could find a semblance of normalcy, perhaps even happiness.
The desire to improve everything, to step away from the world of Devil Hunting, and yet...
Who was Kobeni Higashiyama without the rush of survival?
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Perhaps this was just another beginning, another challenge. Perhaps it was all for the best.
She just wanted peace.
Tomorrow, she decided, she would take the first step. It wouldn't be easy, and she wouldn't be free, but perhaps, in the quiet moments between the chaos, she would find herself and her strength without Makima and Public Safety.
oOo
Kobeni's footsteps echoed through the sterile halls of Public Safety, each step heavier than the last. Her resolve threatened to crumble with every step closer to Makima's office, but she kept her head held high as she reminded herself that she had to do this—she needed it for her mental well-being and to stay alive.
She paused outside the door, holding her breath. The memories of their relationship, the missions, and the silent nights spent in each other's arms all swirled in her mind all of a sudden, making her heart constrict and her resolve falter for a moment. Then came the fear for her life, for Makima's wrath (had Kobeni ever seen her angry anyway), and/or for her emotional wounds.
Get yourself together! You can do this. Just as with everything else, you'll fight her for your life if you have to!
With a deep breath, Kobeni knocked.
"Come in, Kobeni-san."
At the mention of her name, Kobeni jumped slightly but still reached for the doorknob and turned it.
Makima sat behind her desk, a picture of calmness, as she finished writing something in a notebook. She closed it, slid it to the side, and finally looked up at Kobeni. Her eyes, always so piercing, now seemed to bore into Kobeni with an intensity that made the younger one falter slightly.
"H-how did you know it was me?" Kobeni asked, closing the door behind her.
"I know you well enough to recognize your footsteps from a distance," Makima explained, intertwining her fingers in front of her face. "I also recognize the nervousness and anticipation in them, so I'm sure there's something serious you'd like to discuss with me."
Raising her eyebrows, Kobeni stared at her with her mouth open, not expecting the other to pay much attention to this type of detail, even though she knew she should've – Makima wasn't human, after all, and taking in people's quirks and characteristics was nothing but an advantage that she could potentially use as signs of weakness.
Shaking her head, Kobeni took a deep breath and straightened up her spine so she could look secure and confident.
"Makima-san," Kobeni began formally, her voice steadier than she felt. "I've come to a decision that I wanted to share with you. I can't do this anymore. I can't be a Devil Hunter, and I can't... Well, I wish to resign."
The words hung in the air, and Kobeni hadn't meant for them to have much of an impact, but they instantly felt heavy and irrevocable.
Makima's expression didn't change, but her eyes—those windows to an unreadable soul—flickered with something unidentifiable.
"Why?" she asked simply, her voice collected and her expression so unreadable that it was afflicting Kobeni's already chaotic state of mind.
"I'm just done," she said, her throat dry. "What I've seen and been through is enough for me. I've crossed paths with death enough times already to know when to take a step back."
"You know you have a special ability to evade death, little one," Makima muttered, narrowing her eyes. "Is that really what you fear?"
"That ability may be useful, but it comes with a price," Kobeni reminded her firmly.
"What about the money?" Makima pressed on. "Your family?"
"I'll figure something out," Kobeni reassured her with a confident nod. It was difficult to look into the woman's beautiful eyes, but she did her best to push her emotions and her fears aside.
Makima didn't move; she didn't even blink, her eyes glued to Kobeni. She was so still that time seemed to have stopped as the world itself seemed to have gone deadly quiet, even if Kobeni's quick heartbeat was so loud it rumbled in her ears.
"Is this about what happened in Hell?" Makima then asked, evenly but so quietly she could've whispered. "About Denji-kun?"
Makima's voice was calm, but there was a sharpness to it, like a blade hidden beneath silk.
Kobeni's heart clenched. "It's everything. The missions, the killing, the horrible things I keep seeing, how anxious and unsafe it all makes me feel—I'm just tired, I can't do it anymore. I feel like a chess piece, and I want to have control of my life, small as it may be."
"I thought you did have control," Makima said, tilting her head to the side. "I thought there were things you did out of your own free will."
Kobeni understood what Makima was alluding to. She swallowed the dryness in her throat.
"A part of that may be true," was all she said, because her voice trembled and she didn't want to lose face in that situation or show any signs of regret or weakness—she didn't allow herself to.
After what felt like several agonizing minutes, Makima stood up, her movements graceful and deliberate. She walked around the desk and made her way towards the younger one, her approach making Kobeni's heart start beating even faster.
Still, she stood her ground, meeting Makima's gaze with a bravery that only their intimacy and the trust that they shared allowed her to have.
"You've been more than just a piece, Kobeni," Makima said softly, stopping just a breath away from her. Her words were slow, uttered clearly and eloquently, and carefully considered. "You've been a revelation. But if this is your decision, I won't stop you. You're free to leave."
Kobeni searched Makima's face for any sign of the woman she had known on those quiet nights but found none. Even if she had expected it and, to a certain extent, hoped that it would be this clean and uncomplicated, she still felt oddly shocked.
"And us?" she asked without thinking, her voice barely a whisper.
Makima's expression finally shifted, a flicker of something like mockery mixed with displeasure crossing her features. "What 'us'?" She asked as if the concept was foreign to her. "Our relationship has been strictly forged by our professional pursuits. A trade, if you must, to suit both our interests. If you go, that's the end of our deal. What use do I have for you?"
I… thought I was ready for this…
And still, Makima's well-chosen words slapped her harder than she expected, and all she could do was stare at the woman's face, motionless, her breath trapped in her throat as her chest tightened in painful ways.
Makima's pretty lips made a small pout. She reached out and casually fixed Kobeni's tie, lowering her eyes to her hands for the first time. "I thought we understood each other, Kobeni-san," she said conversationally, and yet there was an underlying coldness in every word she uttered. "But it seems I was wrong. I had great plans for you. This is the first time you've disappointed me, yet it happened nonetheless."
The words stung more than Kobeni anticipated, but with the pain came an unexpected surge of anger she couldn't explain.
What had she expected, anyway?
"You're not the only one who's disappointed," she snapped, and her tone was cutting enough to capture Makima's gaze. "I guess I'm just not strong enough, Makima-san."
Pushing Makima's hands brusquely away, Kobeni turned and made her way to the door.
"I need your resignation letter, Kobeni-san," Makima said flatly, behind her. "And you're still required to show up to work for another month."
Kobeni pretended that she didn't hear the hint of frustration in the woman's voice; it only made her angrier, and the last thing she needed was to leave the office crying.
She was stronger than that.
Funny how she had gotten inside, fearing for her life but would leave without relief and a broken heart.
"Yes, Makima-san."
She walked out of the office and out of that life, each step lighter than the last, but her very heart and soul were devastated.
Behind her, Makima stood motionless, watching the door close. In the silence of her office, a rare crack appeared in her composed facade, a single moment of vulnerability before it was smoothed away, hidden once more behind the mask of the Control Devil.
oOo
It turned out that Kobeni had no control over the following events of her life, as per usual.
She only told her parents that she had quit Public Safety long after putting in her resignation letter (a tactical move because she didn't want them to have time to do something about it) and they were very angry. When she refused to beg for her job back, they took matters into their own hands and got her a new job, not even giving her time to look for something that could be at least pleasant or more suitable for her pacific personality.
Kobeni had been willing to take on two or three jobs if necessary, but no—they had to take control of everything without even questioning her.
She had to wonder if they even cared about her, or even saw her as a human being at all. More and more it felt like she was nothing to them but a money-making machine and a parent substitute for the children they had and now didn't feel like raising for themselves.
However, more and more, Kobeni was pushing away the mentality that she owed her family anything, and that she had to do everything for them just because they were her flesh and blood.
She was too isolated to understand what normal family dynamics were, but by then, the brief bonds she had forged and the passing friendships she encountered had been enough to show her that there were many forms of love and care in the world (it gave her hope for better days and kept her faith in humanity intact) and that her family had never been affectionate at all, least of all towards her. At least most of them. The youngest ones weren't to be blamed—they were pure souls who needed her and always had a cute smile to grace her way.
Kobeni's parents had an acquaintance who was a manager at a dine-in called Family Burger, and she was immediately hired with a 16-hour per day shift. It had to be illegal, Kobeni knew, but the pay was high and she wouldn't have to commute from one job to the other, so she thought that it wasn't that bad.
How wrong and, admittedly, naïve she had been.
The company's motto was a façade, and the manager was a hypocrite. They defended that it was a welcoming business where customers felt at home and employees felt like they were integrated into one big happy family. It was true, it felt like a family—Kobeni's abusive and dysfunctional family. The mental and physical cruelty was the same, and she continued to be pushed around and diminished like a cockroach.
Why did this kind of fate follow her everywhere? Just when Kobeni thought she would go to something better, less emotionally demanding...
Her co-workers were arrogant and immediately belittled her and bossed her around. Because she didn't want them to know she'd been a Devil Hunter, they just thought she was a useless, clumsy, and naïve little thing with low self-esteem, too nervous and feeble to fight back. Plus, they knew she needed the money and that her obvious fear of her parents was too strong.
Everyone thought they were doing her a favor by keeping her as an employer.
To a certain extent, it was true.
Kobeni began to work there with a broken heart, her dreams and hopes shattered. The fact that she was immediately mistreated with harsh words behind fake smiles just made her sick to her stomach. The fact that those horrible people preached about love, warmth, and familiar happiness to their customers made her want to gag.
Such was life, and she was stuck again.
Was it worse than Devil Hunting? Worse than killing strangers with Makima?
Honestly, Kobeni didn't know.
She thought that leaving it all behind would help her find herself again, and understand who she was and what she wanted, but instead, she was repressed again, muffled down, brought back to someone she used to be, and now there was nothing but anger, sadness, and confusion.
She didn't know anything anymore. She still knew nothing of who she was or if she was even good at anything.
Well, she'd been good at killing and fighting, even if she hated it.
There was no doubt that she had gotten some form of thrill out of it, but a huge part of that was caused by Makima herself.
Kobeni was also good at pretending to be stupider than she was, but she didn't understand why she kept that façade—why she couldn't just stand up for herself and walk away.
Granted, no longer being a Public Safety employee, she no longer had her powers. Also, it wasn't the first time that she disappeared for a day or two without notice and her parents had made such a scandal that the police had no choice but to track her down. When she came home, her parents weren't relieved or happy to see her alive; they were livid that she had dared to leave and make them believe she would not return. Needless to say, a beating would follow.
Weeks passed in the suffocating atmosphere of Family Burger. Each day felt like a new struggle against the relentless grind of a job that offered no fulfillment, no joy, and certainly no escape from Kobeni's life.
Just as when she'd first arrived at Public Security, she was forced to do cleaning jobs first, which was horrible simply because everyone made her life more difficult by making things messier than they had to be.
Her body moved mechanically through the motions, enduring the condescending remarks from her coworkers. In the silence of her breaks, Kobeni found solace in the empty stares out the restaurant window or alone in the warehouse, where there was nothing but silence and she could pretend that she was nothing, nobody, and that life wasn't as difficult as it was outside.
The dreams that once danced in her mind—of a life free from the shackles of Devil hunting—seemed more distant than ever. Instead of regaining control, she found herself in a new kind of prison—one constructed of grease-stained uniforms and forced smiles.
The contradiction between the world she had chosen to leave and the one she found herself trapped in now left Kobeni in a perpetual state of unrest. Makima's words echoed in her mind, reminding her that she wasn't strong enough, and while she didn't miss Public Safety, she had never felt less confident in her life, constantly sinking into the depths of self-doubt.
Her life with Makima had been agonizing, but it had been something. Kobeni herself had been something, invisible to everyone else, but real beside her beautiful boss.
That was the part she did miss—feeling alive and useful. Feeling… needed, even if just for entertainment.
What a stupid, pitiful thing to think. How much lower could she get?
You need to work harder, Kobeni. We're relying on you! Her mother always said whenever she came home, exhausted and still expected to do housework and help take care of her siblings.
The message felt like a whip, and it fueled the embers of resentment that had been smoldering within her.
Was this all she could do?
oOo
On the day that Kobeni was finally going to start working as a waiter, she felt genuinely hopeful but emotionally and physically drained. She felt queasy; her head was a mess so she had a difficult time focusing, not to mention that she had a strange feeling that something was off.
Regardless, because she had always been called 'cute', she thought that waiting tables would go well enough and that she would finally have a more relaxed job and would be doing something she would be relatively good at.
However, her boss quickly proved her wrong by saying she wasn't genuine enough, that her smile wasn't good enough, and that she had a linguistic tic. She was slapped for it, too, and again, she was too tired and scared to lose her job to say anything.
No matter how hard Kobeni tried, she wasn't even good enough to do something as simple as that.
The only thing she remembered was that she had mindlessly voiced a thought by whispering a low save me. Next thing she knew, there was a huge figure standing next to her that she quickly recognized as the Chainsaw man, even though he was in a shape she wasn't used to. It wasn't Denji as she recalled him; there was no human body, but it was, undoubtedly, the Chainsaw man.
She was shocked at first, so much so that she did not react as the creature began decapitating her abusive co-workers without effort.
She didn't feel in her right mind. Petrified, there was a small flame of happiness, making her heart race as heads rolled.
Perhaps because she was used to Denji, her brain did not immediately register that this figure was not the same person, despite surely using Denji's body. Only when she heard the creature's voice and noticed that there was no trace of Denji in its demeanor did it hit her that she had no idea what to expect or what to do and that it could very quickly end her life.
That's when panic settled in.
Is this Denji? Denji wouldn't hurt me, would he?
But well, she had shoved Denji into death's hands several times, hadn't she? Even if this was him, could he be holding some kind of grudge?
Kobeni had no way of knowing.
She felt like she had just entered a fucked up reality when the Chainsaw Man sat at one of the tables and growled for a hamburger. Her remaining co-workers also seemed to be in a panic, hysterical, and it seemed that the consensus was to keep their roles as employees at Family Burger and do everything the same way as before, as if nothing happened. They still yelled the mandatory happy lines and acted like absolute clowns, and Kobeni, literally as scared and confused as they were, simply got along.
Of course, they sent her to serve the Chainsaw Man herself, putting her life in danger.
Of course, she was so nervous and felt so helpless that she had to screw up by tripping and ruining a multitude of his hamburgers.
It had been a long, long time since she had so fiercely feared for her life.
Eventually, she managed to put a hamburger in front of the threatening creature, who ate it before grabbing Kobeni out of the blue and carrying her outside.
Kobeni was so emotionally shaken from days and months of chaos that she could only cry, confused about what the hell was happening and why she was so unlucky to, once again, be caught in the middle of this.
In her mind, she just kept chanting, I don't want to die, please don't hurt me, and yet, while she considered calling out Denji's name, something held her back for reasons unknown.
Had Denji been consumed by the Chainsaw Man? What if he wasn't even conscious of what he was doing? What if it unbalanced him?
So, in tears, Kobeni tried to be as passive as possible, hoping that the creature felt her distress and would eventually let her go.
With blurry eyes, she could see that the buildings outside were wrecked with destruction, showing that some form of fight had taken place, and this anguished her even more because the bad feeling she had at the start of that day filled her with certainty.
Something bad was happening, and she had been caught right in the middle of it, as she always did.
She had evaded death so many times; she couldn't possibly die like this.
Why did I stay here? She thought, all forms of regret filling her mind as she was carried by the Chainsaw man through the streets of Tokyo, sobbing but silent. I should've left. What if the city is destroyed?
Is the world coming to an end?
I need to leave. if I survive, I'm going to leave for good!
To her confusion and dismay, she was taken to the nearest park, where the Chainsaw Man got them ice cream. They ate side-by-side for no apparent reason.
At this point, Kobeni was more traumatized and filled with the aftereffects of adrenaline than exactly scared, but she couldn't stop crying—she was so tired, so disappointed, and so frustrated with life and the universe that she couldn't really find the will to fight, only the discerning, self-preservation instinct to stay low and not fight back, because she was perceptive enough to understand that she was being used to fulfill some kind of purpose.
It made no sense to her as to why she'd been chosen, but she knew better than to ask.
After that, Kobeni found herself at an arcade, and by then, she had to wonder if she was so tired she was hallucinating. The Chainsaw Man told her to dance at one of the machines, so she did because that was all she could do to keep herself alive.
During this time, she wasn't even aware of the altercations that happened outside the arcade. She could feel eyes on the back of her head even if she stopped feeling the huge Devil's presence, so she kept her back turned and focused on dancing for the game.
Time passed and she wasn't even aware of how long she'd been dancing like a monkey—again, a puppet to someone else's whims.
When she stopped, sweaty and a little out of it, she had to ask herself why.
Despite knowing the Chainsaw Man had not been behind her at all times during that period, it was still sitting not too far from her, and this is when she noticed the destruction around her and the ominous atmosphere that had inevitably fallen over the city.
She shivered.
This was also when she noticed none other than Makima, high above them at the top of a building, fearlessly sitting on the railway.
Makima looked cool and emotionless, and while her eyes acknowledged Kobeni, her attention was quickly drawn to the Chainsaw Man, causing Kobeni's heart to sink.
So many questions that had plagued Kobeni's mind finally began to find their answers at that moment. Seeing Makima, the powerful figure she had always been drawn to, Kobeni realized the depth of power she held. Makima, with her terrifying and beautiful presence, was the author of events far beyond Kobeni's understanding.
Kobeni's heart raced with a mix of fear and admiration.
She had been right. Makima was not just another Devil, and it became very clear to Kobeni that her focus, her goal, was the Chainsaw Man.
This was greater and more serious than anything Kobeni had experienced so far, and she could feel it in her gut.
The tension in the air was palpable. Kobeni, still reeling from the day's events, found herself caught between these two formidable beings, each commanding in their own right.
Kobeni's thoughts were a whirlwind of fear and confusion, but also such an unexpected despair that she couldn't control.
She shouldn't be here. She never wanted to see this, to find herself in the middle of the revelation of Makima's true nature and her intentions—she didn't need this.
The scene at the arcade, the unexpected ice cream at the park, and now this confrontation—it all felt surreal to Kobeni.
Did fate need to be so cruel to her right now? Did she have to find someone who had such a critical influence on her in such a situation?
"It's got nothing to do with me…" Kobeni whispered, voicing her thoughts again, maybe more towards Makima, in a useless attempt to let her know she hadn't sided with the Chainsaw Man and that she was there unwillingly.
Regardless, Makima didn't seem impressed. Even though her facial expression didn't change, there was a lingering bitterness in her posture.
"Oh, but it has quite a lot to do with you, Kobeni," Makima said, her voice cold, almost betrayed. "Your fear of the Chainsaw Man is lessening, is it not?"
Why did this sound like an accusation? A wounded accusation.
Was Makima misinterpreting something?
Fear consumed her. Makima was dangerous and was pursuing something Kobeni could not even begin to understand.
How could she ever, when they lived in such different worlds, and had such different desires and ambitions?
Kobeni's eyes, still teary and filled with a mix of fear and exhaustion, watched as the bodies of people she recognized suddenly appeared and hovered around Makima, connected to her by chains.
Gasping, Kobeni brought both hands to her mouth in disbelief.
What…
Makima was speaking but Kobeni could hear her voice, but not process anything anymore.
This was their reality. Nothing Makima said would make any of it make sense, and this was the definite moment that she knew their paths had been irreversibly disconnected.
She knew that whatever happened next could change her life forever, for better or worse. The uncertainty of it all was overwhelming, but at that moment, amidst the chaos and destruction, Kobeni Higashiyama found a strange sense of clarity towards so many things in her life, herself, and her feelings that there was no outlet for them at all.
Whatever her fate, she was a part of something much bigger than herself, and that realization gave her a small measure of peace amidst the turmoil.
As Kobeni stood there, her heart pounding in her chest with horror, sadness, and uncertainty, she watched in a mix of awe and disbelief as the Chainsaw Man positioned himself between her and the looming danger that Makima threw their way.
For a moment, time seemed to slow down, and the chaotic sounds of the city faded into a distant hum. There was only her, the Chainsaw Man, and the imminent threat that he was shielding her from.
The realization that she was being protected by this fearsome creature—a being of raw power and primal aggression—was both terrifying and strangely comforting. Kobeni's mind raced with a tumult of emotions. She had always seen the Chainsaw Man as a symbol of destruction and chaos, a force of nature that was as indiscriminate as it was deadly. But now, here he was, acting as her guardian against all odds.
But Kobeni had no time to think about this or Makima's heartlessness and ruthlessness because everything turned black before she could understand anything at all.
oOo
Kobeni had at some point been woken up by Kishibe, and the only thing she knew was that her head hurt and that she seemed to have passed out, but she wasn't hurt anywhere.
There was a lot of wreckage and debris around her, which had hidden her form and prevented her from being spotted by the enemy.
Despite how much the events had taken an unexpected turn, Kobeni still wondered if Makima had simply let her be because she was just that useless and irrelevant or if she had somehow, allowed her to live because of their past.
Kobeni couldn't believe how naïve she was still, despite the circumstances, but she couldn't help it.
It hurt.
Kishibe had been able to take Kobeni and Denji out of Makima's sight and to a momentarily safe place. The dimly lit warehouse he got for them offered a temporary sanctuary from the chaos outside, but Kobeni knew that, all too soon, they would need to leave, and she had no idea what to do afterward or what to expect.
Why was fate so cruel to her? Out of all the places she could've been and all the situations, she had to be in the middle of Makima's ascension and her fight with the Chainsaw Man. It was dumb, ironic, and simply unfair.
Kobeni was so confused and exhausted that she didn't know what to think or where to turn. She had barely recovered from a heartbreak and the disappointment of what her life had become; it was almost as if life just kept throwing her under the bus over and over again.
The warehouse was mostly empty, save for a few boxes, a TV, and an armchair. There was electricity, and it was so disturbingly quiet that they couldn't hear a sound coming from outside (hopefully the same happened the other way around). There was also a bucket that Kobeni supposed they would have to use to relieve themselves.
Kishibe had brought food for them, but it became obvious that there wasn't enough for more than a day at all.
What a shitty situation!
However, when Kishibe told her that she could not contact her family, Kobeni felt...
It was barely hope, more like relief, followed by pure apathy.
There was no telling what would happen next. This was her chance. Her parents would not know where she was, and the restaurant she worked at as well as the employees had been destroyed, so by all means, she could've just been blasted and gone in the middle of the fight, too.
She could just pretend that she had died, vanished, and turned to ash. She would have nothing, and she would be nothing—nobody.
It was a terrifying thought, and she had no clue what to do from then on. Considering she survived, of course.
Denji was a mess, and while Kobeni had rarely felt any sympathy for the brat, she had to admit that, reckless and arrogant as he was, he was brave, and he had to be suffering a lot. After all, he'd had his delusions about Makima completely shattered, so his heart was sure to be broken.
But well, Kobeni herself had been faced with what she believed to be Makima's darker side and she had still for some unfathomable reasons, felt hopeful.
Deep inside her ignorance, she had believed that Makima harbored some feelings for her, frivolous or minimal as they might've been.
After their brief conversation about their struggles, their lives, and their meaning, Kobeni quickly understood, without need for vocal acknowledgment, that they had been misunderstanding each other the whole time and that both had been manipulated by life, by Makima, naively hoping that they could both somehow find a "normal" life.
What shocked Kobeni the most was how different her notion of "normal" was from Denji's. Considering the teen's standards, Kobeni's life with her parents was "normal," a luxury because she had the minimum; she had all the basic foundations of what was needed to live and survive—a roof over her head, food on the table, and clean clothes.
What kind of life had he lived before Makima found him that he had never considered that people could still be miserable while simply surviving? That they could still aim for more, better? That happiness came in many shapes.
Denji thought that wishing for more than the basics needed to live was greedy, so he hadn't dared to wish for more, and it broke Kobeni's heart.
She realized he'd grown up without love, without a home, without dreams. All he needed was a chance to see that "normal" was pretty boring for him to realize he wanted more.
Maybe it was true, though. Maybe human beings were just too selfish, too greedy, and too dissatisfied.
Would something ever be enough?
Seeing how popular The Chainsaw Man was on TV, Denji finally realized how bland his life was and how much he yearned for more. For someone other than Kobeni, his breakdown could've been considered absurd. He cried, got on his knees, and claimed to want steak for breakfast, popularity, many girlfriends, and lots of sex. But the fact alone that he was breaking down was proof enough of how programmed his brain had been into believing that these selfish things that he should not ask for because the bare minimum was supposed to be enough and something he was grateful for.
It was so pitiful in so many ways that after watching him, Kobeni simply stopped feeling sad for herself.
She had nothing, but she was free. Her mind was her own, her thoughts were her own, and even her selfishness and greed, her dreams—all of it had been fabricated by her and her alone, even if they had been provoked by the events of her life, much like Denji.
While Denji's story was humbling and had taught her a few things, she had no intention of being humble and settling for less than she deserved.
Kobeni could not remember a time in her life when she hadn't worked herself to the bone, and the moments of happiness she had had were so few that she could remember them all with clarity.
She could not simply believe that there was no divine retribution, no karmic cycle to make it up to her; she refused to.
Denji sobbed for a long time as repetitive news of the Chainsaw Man and a new threat echoed in the otherwise quiet room.
At some point, Kishibe's gruff voice interrupted the silence. "I'm going to check the premises," he announced, getting up from the armchair he had been sitting on. "Keep low; stay quiet. We don't know when Makima'll find us. I'll be back in five minutes max."
Kobeni and Denji merely nodded, too tired to say anything.
As Kishibe left and locked them inside the room again, Kobeni heaved a sigh and hugged her knees closer to her chest, tiredly. Denjui sniffed and wiped his nose on the sleeve of his shirt. Kobeni made a face but scrutinized the boy's face curiously.
"Denji," she began cautiously, knowing this was probably the last chance she'd ever have to ask her questions. "What's your relationship with Makima-san?"
Denji's eyes flickered towards her, a storm of conflicting emotions surfacing, but he didn't seem surprised. "I'm her dog," he said blandly, with a shrug. "Always have been. I even wanted it until recently."
A ripple of surprise and empathy danced in Kobeni's eyes. "Her dog?"
"Yeah," Denji sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "She was the one who controlled me, but I was fine with it. Happy even. Until..."
Denji's voice faltered. "She tricked me and killed Power in front of me like it was nothing," he finally admitted. "And later she said I was unworthy of the Chainsaw Man. That she didn't care about me. And in truth, she's trying to kill me to get Pochita, and this betrayal... to know that everything I thought and believed about her, my savior, was a lie. It hurts like hell. So much so that I don't know what to do." He bit down on his lower lip and closed his eyes, letting his head fall back against the wall. "But, you know what? I still like her."
Denji was sitting not too far from Kobeni, not close enough to reach, and yet she could swear that, somehow, she could feel the anguish in his heart, something palpable, and something she could, to a certain extent, empathize with.
It shouldn't horrify her, given the extent of Makima's cruelty, but it still did. Clearly, Makima had been focused on breaking Denji from the inside out and had not held back.
Kobeni's gaze sharpened, an unspoken question hanging in the air.
"Why?" she asked, her curiosity outweighing the wariness in her voice. "How can you still like her?"
Denji's eyes met hers again, and surprisingly, he smiled. "Because she's Makima-san. Even after everything, I still like her. Despite how much she destroyed me, I'm here because of her. I ate good food, learned things, made friends, and even had a family because of her, even if it was all a fucking plan to bring me down. Does this make sense?"
Kobeni's throat constricted and she felt tears welling up in her eyes again. Her and Denji's situation could not be more different, and yet, yes, it made perfect sense because she felt it too.
"It does make sense," she muttered, burying her face in her arms and swallowing down her tears. "She's the Control Devil, after all."
Denji went quiet for a while, probably considering the implications of Kobeni's words.
After a while, he cleared his throat. "Do you... care about her, too?" Denji asked straightforwardly, but there was no judgment, just an obvious desire to connect with her in something that they could have in common.
Kobeni's response, however, was delivered with a calm resignation as she lifted her head. "I was a doll in Makima's hands," she replied in a whisper. "She taught me a lot about myself and my strength and pushed me and my abilities beyond anything I thought was possible. She made me believe I had meaning to her, much like she did with you. I feared and idolized her, and she fed both of those sides very well. But she also taught me how to not trust people and not to live in the illusion of being cared for. So I don't know; maybe my feelings for her are similar to yours."
A silence settled over the warehouse as Denji stared at her, taking in every word and the meaning behind it, all clicking inside his head. However, he simply nodded his understanding before looking away. "Makima-san sure is beautiful. I mean, beautiful. When she's not, you know, doing terrible stuff."
Kobeni, despite the gravity of their situation, found herself nodding in reluctant agreement. She feared speaking too much, and reminiscing on Makima's attributes didn't help her feel any better at all.
As if compelled by a shared understanding, Denji continued. "She can't win this."
It was as if it pained him to say it out loud.
"I can't think of a way to beat her when she's invincible," Kobeni muttered. "Running sounds like the best option, but I know she'll find us. Especially you; she won't just let you go now that all of this has started."
Denji made an agreeing, unintelligible sound with the back of his throat before speaking. "We need to think. I can't fight her head on and keep slamming my head against the same wall."
Kobeni nodded and released a tired sigh. Denji was trying to team up to get her to help him, but while Kobeni understood his intentions and how dangerous Makima was to them and the world, if there was one thing she had given up on, it was fighting Devils, and that included her previous superior.
Kobeni's life and her mental health were more important than anything else happening in the world. She'd given her life and her whims away her whole life, and she wasn't going to keep doing it now that she had a chance to be free.
Besides, she was heartbroken enough. There was no way she could endure taking part in Makima's demise and remaining sane; she would feel devastated forever.
Stubbornly, Kobeni's mouth remained closed. Thankfully, Denji didn't push any further conversation for a long time, and she was able to fall into a nightmare-filled sleep.
oOo
The night was deep as Denji crawled towards Kobeni, gently shaking her awake from her restless slumber.
"Kobeni, wake up." Denji's hushed voice cut through the silence.
Kobeni stirred, her eyes adjusting to the low light. She felt so tired that she could barely open her eyes. "Denji-kun? What is it?" She asked, her voice still heavy with sleep.
Denji's gaze held an urgency that matched the excitement of his rushed thoughts. "I've been thinking. Makima-san, she can't die. No matter what we do, she can't die, right?"
Denji's expression was conflicted as he spoke, his tone almost desperate. "I was wondering... if we tear her apart into tiny pieces and scatter them, maybe that could do it."
That was enough to help Kobeni wake up properly as she straightened herself from her uncomfortable position sitting against the wall.
"She heals in seconds!" Kobeni hissed, the mental image alone making her sick to her stomach and making her heart race. "There would be no time to scatter the pieces!"
"You're crazy strong, Kobeni!" Denji insisted emphatically. "If we think of a plan, all we need to do is find a way to weaken her so that when we tear her apart, she can't be pulled back together and then we destroy the pieces! Maybe if we burn them, or... or feed them to animals or... "
"Stop it!" Kobeni snapped, dragging herself further away from the teen because, despite how many horrible things she had witnessed in her life, this was probably one of the most horrifying things she had ever considered, and she didn't like the slightly insane gleam in Denji's eyes.
Kishibe's sleeping form shifted slightly at Kobeni's dry outburst, but he quickly proceeded, snoring softly.
The proposition hung in the air. Kobeni felt a chill run down her spine. "I'm no longer a Devil Hunter, so other than my athletic abilities, I have no power to do anything anymore," she whispered firmly. "But even if I did... that's too gruesome; I can't... I don't want to..."
Denji's eyes bore into hers with a mix of determination and desperation. "You've been to hell and back!" He threw. "You think thinking about ways to kill a woman I like is easy for me? If you had any involvement with her at all, we should use that as leverage! Help me out here! We have to work this through together!"
"I can't, Denji-kun," Kobeni said firmly, her gaze unwavering as she repeated, "I don't have my powers anymore, and even if I did, I'd rather keep her memory intact the way I remember it, even if our last moments together were painful. I don't want to be a part of this."
"Do you realize how dangerous and evil she is?" Denji interrupted. "You've seen all the damage she did out there!"
"I realize it better than you think," Kobeni snapped, frowning. "I've seen the worst of her way before you ever did."
This made Denji jump slightly, his eyebrows disappearing under his fringe in realization. "Were you aware of who she was?" he asked in a whisper. "Did you know about all of this? Her plans?"
"No, of course not!" Kobeni clarified at once, shaking her head. "But I saw her powers—a part of them, at least—even if I wasn't sure what she was for a while. I didn't know any of this, or her plans, or her true purpose."
Denji didn't say anything for a while, before nodding, slowly.
"I thought you were afraid to die," he said, and his voice was so low that his words were enunciated slowly. "She'll kill you if she wins. She'll kill us all."
Kobeni shook her head again.
"I'm not opposed to whatever it is that you want to do by yourself," she muttered, crossing her arms protectively over her chest. Her heart ached. "But I'm done with this. I appreciate you guys saving my life, and I will do whatever I can to make it up to you for protecting me, but... Don't ask me to get involved; I won't. I can't. Don't ask me to do it, please."…"
Denji's shoulders slumped, an acknowledgment of the harsh reality they faced. His eyes still stared at Kobeni as if trying to read her—as if simply by staring, he expected to understand the story and be able to read between the lines of all the things Kobeni didn't tell him. She looked away, protecting herself from his scrutinizing gaze.
"I'll do it myself, then," he eventually said, defeated, and she felt him sit back against the wall. "I'll save the world somehow. We'll be fine."
As the weight of their unspoken and diverging decisions settled upon them, Kobeni couldn't suppress the welling emotions within. Tears gathered in her eyes, silently streaming down her cheeks. The pain of acknowledging Makima's imminent demise brought forth a complex tangle of emotions she tried to ignore but simply couldn't.
Why couldn't she simply not give a damn?
"I know it's the right thing to do," Kobeni whispered, her voice choking with sorrow.
Denji reached out, gently placing a hand on Kobeni's shoulder as if offering a silent reassurance.
The warehouse seemed to echo with the quiet sobs coming from Kobeni's throat.
oOo
As morning arrived, Kobeni felt as if the previous day had been the longest and most draining of her whole life. Yes, there had been days when she'd worked so hard she could barely remember who she was or acknowledge exactly where it hurt, but that previous day and night were horrible in every single way and she would not forget it for as long as she lived.
Kishibe had studied the outside of the warehouse for a while before he deemed it safe for them to leave. Denji stated that Makima was waiting for him anyway, so they were safe merely because she had created an opening.
For some reason, Kobeni knew it, too.
"Where do you think she is hiding?" Kishibe asked.
"The graveyard," Kobeni and Denji said at the same time, before looking at each other with a mixture of sadness and guilt.
Kobeni didn't know how she knew about this, but she did. It told her that Makima was waiting for her too, not just Denji.
What did Makima want, anyway? To see her? For Kobeni to try and attack her, too? To mock her? Kill her on the spot?
However, even though Kobeni's mind told her that it was a terrible idea, her heart stupidly told her otherwise.
She didn't want to fight Makima, and she definitely didn't want to die by her hands, and yet, for some inexplicable reason, she accepted and embraced the fact that she had to go.
Something told her that it would be alright.
oOo
The morning sun cast long shadows across the seemingly endless graveyard, where the graves marked with wooden crosses stood in solemn rows. Kobeni and Makima found themselves amid this field of the departed. The quiet rustle of leaves and distant crows were the only witnesses to the heavy conversation that unfolded.
Kobeni had not expected Makima to meet her alone.
Denji was nowhere to be seen, but Kobeni knew he was watching, waiting for his turn with the beautiful individual who had changed both of them irreversibly.
Kobeni's gaze remained steadfast; her eyes locked onto Makima's inscrutable expression. She looked almost cruelly childish in her relaxed demeanor, younger than ever. She looked ethereal in the morning light, strands of her hair billowing in the wind and glimmering in the early sun rays, her hands behind her back.
Looking at her like this brought Kobeni a strange source of peace. Out of all the times she had considered Makima beautiful, she had never seen her quite like this, so much herself and yet so strangely different, as if she was someone else entirely.
"I thought you would run from my calling," Makima said, the softness in her voice familiar. "For someone who fights so avidly for her life, you sure are reckless."
Kobeni clenched her fists at her sides and raised her chin. Every nerve in her body was on edge, but she wasn't afraid—something in her didn't allow her to, and she didn't delve into it too much; it was not worthy.
Determination laced her voice as she spoke. "Denji will be the one to end you," she said firmly. "I didn't come here to fight you. I have no power to do so."
"You don't want to pay me back for trying to kill you yesterday?" Makima asked, tilting her head to the side curiously, her small smile still in place.
Kobeni all but swallowed. "I have no anger or resentment against you," she said simply, with a nod. "You'll eventually get exactly what you deserve. I wanted to see you, because I feel sorry for you. It must be lonely to know everyone who loves you is just manipulated to do so. Without that, you have nothing."
Makima regarded Kobeni with an air of detached calmness, a semblance of amusement playing at the corners of her lips, and yet her eyes darkened with something close to fury and bitterness.
"You're a fascinating one, Kobeni," she said, her tone cold. "I always thought so. The optimism you cling to is both endearing and misguided. Unfortunately, I won't die, and neither you nor Denji will live to see the world you so desperately envision without me."
"Why not end me now, then?" Kobeni questioned, her voice defiant, her chest tight with confusion and sadness—they seemed so distant from what they'd been before. "Do it."
Makima's response was cryptic, her eyes glinting with something confusing.
"I'm intrigued to see what lengths you'll go to survive. Death is not always the answer, and you, my dear, are undeniably resilient. I'd hate to rob myself of the entertainment your unpredictable nature provides." She paused, considering Kobeni, her eyes seemingly softening for a mere second, which had Kobeni's heart throbbing with something she knew would not dissipate for a long time. "But I will hunt you down, Kobeni."
Torn between conflicting emotions—dejection, love, and anger—Kobeni pressed further, her voice trembling with emotion. "Did I ever mean anything to you?"
"Humans and their useless emotions." Makima's eyes, usually impenetrable, revealed a flicker of emotion—perhaps sadness, perhaps disappointment. "I had hoped for a different ending for us, Kobeni," she said with a nod, a confession of sorts. "I had a vision where you would be standing next to me right now rather than in front of me. But I guess I always knew being beside me would be too much. That's why it was so much fun to see how long you endured."
Kobeni inhaled sharply through her nose, a knot keeping her from saying anything.
"You have seen bad sides of me, but not the worst," Makima proceeded, for the first time not moving to come closer to Kobeni, even if the tension in the air proved otherwise. "Death might be the most merciful thing that happens to you, little one. Yet, I find pleasure in watching you run and fight. I try to bring you down but you always escape. So take comfort in the fact that I like to see you cling to life. You brought some amusement to my days, that's for sure."
As the weight of those unspoken words lingered in the air, Kobeni and Makima remained locked in a lingering gaze, giving away a connection that defied easy definition.
Kobeni didn't know what to say. This was Makima's language—a Devil's language—and Kobeni understood it well by now. At the tip of her tongue, words she had sworn not to ever say, not even to herself, threatened to leave her lips but she pressed them together and swallowed them down.
What was the use? She knew Makima knew her feelings and her heart. Makima understood people's needs, which was why she was so good at manipulating others and making them do exactly what she wanted.
Makima knew how Kobeni felt and had always known. Kobeni's feelings had fueled her intentions all along.
It was no use. This was barely a love story.
"I will be here," Kobeni said, blinking the tears away from her eyes. "I never wanted anything bad to happen to you, but if it does, I'm right here."
At this, Makima shook her head, and this time, a genuine look of incredulity and fondness was transparent in her attractive features. "Do you want to see him win?" she asked. "Or is this some form of self-punishment for you?"
It was a good question, to which Kobeni had no answer.
"I just want to be left alone and to feel at peace, and this is what feels right. I do wish the conditions were more favorable for me to stand beside you, too." Kobeni said it sincerely, keeping her words as cryptic as Makima's. Then, she politely bowed down. "As it is, good luck, Makima-san."
Kobeni straightened up. With a final, lingering look, Kobeni turned away, her steps resolute but heavy with the weight of farewell.
"You're the most interesting human I know, Kobeni," she heard, whispering behind her, and for the first time, there was a crack in that voice, a vulnerability that almost made Kobeni's resolve falter. "Good luck to you, too, little one."
As Kobeni walked away, the echoes of their conversation followed her like shadows cast by the morning sun. A profound ache gnawed at her in a sense of loss, devastation, and an unspoken acknowledgment that the woman she left behind had been a very significant part of her world.
And soon she would be lost forever.
For a mere second, Kobeni wondered what would happen if she turned around and chose to stay. What would happen if, instead of running, she chose to stand beside Makima and follow her?
Would the world Makima wanted to build be that bad? She aimed for perfection, happiness, and satisfaction for all—a world with no poverty, no sickness, and no sadness.
But then again, wouldn't that kind of world turn people into robots? Wasn't that just another form of control, a way to smother down human beings' abilities to feel, to make choices, to learn from their mistakes (or not?), and to improve themselves?
Perfection was simply not possible. Complete fulfillment was simply not attainable, ever, and thinking about that possibility was just absurd.
No, this had to end.
Kobeni just didn't want to have anything to do with it simply because she would not be able to endure living a life with that weight.
Makima knew it. They both knew, now, the undeniable marks they had left in each other's lives.
No matter what happened, she would not forget about it.
If Makima was lucky enough to survive, Kobeni hoped that she wouldn't forget it either.
And if she came for her, well, Kobeni would look forward to it.
For now, she wanted to be there for Makima, so she knew that she wasn't alone. No matter what happened, if this was the end, hard as it may be, Kobeni would watch and grieve because that was all she could do to heal and all she could give to Makima as a final act of affection.
oOo
In the shadow of a towering tree, its branches extending like protective arms, Kobeni stood as a silent witness to the climactic confrontation between Denji, the chainsaw man, and Makima.
From her concealed vantage point, far enough to not be noticed but close enough to see, Kobeni's eyes traced every movement, every flash of the chainsaw's teeth, as Denji unleashed his torrent of pent-up emotions upon Makima. The once revered figure now stood vulnerable, exposed to the relentless onslaught of the very power she had once sought to control.
As the chainsaw man tore through Makima, the visceral splatter of blood, which sounds she couldn't hear, seemed to echo within Kobeni's soul all the same. Tears welled up in her eyes, mirroring the surging emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.
Still, she had no impulse to intervene, much to her surprise. The twisted love she had once harbored for Makima seemed to shine brightly within her, yet at the same time, for some reason, it was muffled by the weight of responsibility—or knowing what should be done.
And while it hurt, Kobeni's resolution was unfaltering.
Unblinkingly, Kobeni choked back her sorrow, her hands clenching at the fabric of her clothing. Witnessing the destruction of someone she had, in some convoluted way, cared for, pressed down upon her, was something she knew she needed to do to move on from everything, disappear, and start anew.
This was the necessary reckoning for both of them.
The echoes of the chainsaw's fury subsided, leaving only the lingering scent of metallic dread in the air, carried by the breeze. This was when Kobeni cautiously emerged from the shadows. Her eyes, still moist from witnessing the gruesome event, now shifted to Denji before she slowly made her way to them.
Her steps were agonizingly slow, and it seemed to take hours for her to reach the spot.
The scene was macabre. Makima's shattered form was scattered on the ground, barely recognizable. Her head was nowhere in sight.
Denji had come up with a plan that would work in keeping Makima from regenerating at the normal speed, but Kobeni had been too devastated and sickened to even pay attention to it.
It didn't matter to her what he had done or how he had done it.
Still, because she was too involved and because she had refused to help Denji with Makima's death, she promised she would be there to at least help him clean up because he was having a hard time, too, and with this, Kobeni could empathize.
The Chainsaw Man was motionless, kneeling on the bloodied ground like a huge beast, and it seemed dead, too, so still and quiet, incapable of doing anything further, numb to the carnage he had just unleashed.
Kobeni approached him slowly, her gaze falling to the fragments of Makima that lay strewn across the ground. There was no triumph in her heart.
Without uttering a word, Kobeni kneeled beside Denji and began the somber task of opening several plastic bags she had brought with her. Pulling out her large, sharp knife, she cut bone and flesh into smaller pieces, before collecting them with her bare hands, gently separating them into the bags.
There was no disgust, only solemn reverence, and she didn't speak a word. She felt nothing, simply because she had prepared for this and had learned how to numb herself whenever these tasks were required.
When the task was finally complete, Kobeni glanced at Denji, who had, by now, returned to his normal shape, yet he sat still. Kobeni noticed his eyes following her actions as she tied a knot in all the bags and then shoved all of the smaller bags inside a larger one.
"I've made up my mind," he said unexpectedly, his voice devoid of emotion. "I'm not going to scatter her. I'll keep her."
"Keep her?" Kobeni asked, confused.
"Yeah," he said, with an exhausted shrug. "As I said, I've been wanting steak for breakfast for a while. At least I won't have to spend any money."
Kobeni couldn't even feel horrified anymore. Something inside her had told her this was the probable outcome of this situation, and in a sick way, she accepted it, unable to be judgemental.
"Okay, Denji-kun," she said carefully, with an understanding nod, before getting up. Her hands were bloodied, but she still wiped them on her pants. "Will you be okay?"
Denji now looked down at the large bag that rested on the ground at Kobeni's feet. "She'll stay with me, so yeah, I'll be fine."
With another nod, Kobeni silently bid her goodbyes and walked away.
There was nothing here for her anymore.
oOo
Kobeni never returned to her family, leaving them in the belief that she had met an unfortunate end during the tumultuous events that unfolded the day Family Burger was destroyed. From what she heard, they were frustrated that there was no longer her source of income, but other than that, they did nothing to try and find her or retrieve her body.
Despite knowing this would happen, Kobeni still grieved because it was cruel and heartless. Regardless, it only furthered her resolve to leave them behind.
Thanks to Kishibe's contacts, she could easily get herself a fake ID and passport and move across the country to a small town. She changed her hair color and style. Because she had not been reported as missing, she was able to legalize herself with her new name.
Life was almost boring there, but she had a job and a small apartment, and every day she woke up free in ways that still haunted her. She still had nightmares and feared that her family would find her and make her a slave again, but slowly she was healing.
She had no intentions of staying put for long, but until she had enough money to move again, she had to make do.
It was liberating and scary at the same time. She wasn't as happy as she thought that she would be, but she was learning about herself, making plans, and daring to dream, and that was enough.
She corresponded with Denji, who was learning how to write and read, and she was always impressed by his evolution and by how long his letters became every time.
Despite the void left by Makima's absence, Kobeni chose life over lamentation. The scars of her past guided her toward the person she wanted to become.
As the days turned into months and months into years, Kobeni embraced the unpredictable nature of life. The world, though still twisted, held the potential for transformation.
In her solitude, she found a quiet strength.
She held onto the large knife that Makima had given her, the one that had fought so hard and so many times to save her life.
The beginning and the end.
In a way, she thought that, even if she no longer had a contract with a Devil, she was still paying her dues, and probably always would.
It was a fate she had accepted.
Still, there was joy in the simplicity of existence, cherishing each moment like a trophy of the freedom she had earned.
But through it all, she never forgot that, despite how manipulated she had been, Makima had given her something that would always be her own: the ability to see that she was stronger than she believed and the fact that, in one way or another, she had been a unique existence to one of the most powerful creatures that had graced the world.
The End
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