"Grr! No! No way!" Nayuta yelled making the whole bathroom echo her voice.
"Nayuta please." Denji tried to convince her but to no avail.
"Nu-uh! There's no way I'm leaving you with that stinky girl alone!" Nayuta pointed to a nervous Asa who wasn't sure what to do or say.
'Stinky? But I showered this morning.' Asa thought indignant to that insult against her, Yoru gritted her teeth and rolled her eyes.
Nayuta continued. "I gotta make sure you two don't get up to no funny business, also she's a devil."
Asa finally decided to say something. "I just want to talk to him, that's all-"
Nayuta glared at her with a look that excreted authority. "Shut it, no one is talking to you."
Involuntarily, Asa did as she was told, she looked at Yoru. "That's Control..." Yoru shrugged.
"Nayuta, be nice!" Denji scowled. "And please, just leave."
"No!"
"Please?"
"Nu-uh!"
"Pretty please." Denji pleaded with puppy eyes, but Nayuta answered him with a pout, she wasn't budging. Unless... Denji groaned internally, this was going to hurt their income. "Nayuta, if you leave us alone, then once we get out I'll buy you that console you wanted."
Nayuta's eyes widened trying to hide her excitement, she cleared her throat and looked at Denji. "You promise?" she asked with caution.
Denji scoffed a bit. "I promise, I also wanted it for a while."
Nayuta's eyes softened, and her attention turned to Asa, walking past her she said. "If I smell your stench all over him, I'll make sure you eat out of a dog bowl and shit out in the open." Asa could only nod in silence. "And Yoru, if you hear me, control yourself." Yoru frowned, and Nayuta left the room, not before murmuring to herself. "Unlike last time."
Both Asa and Denji looked at each other for what felt like a long while, Denji stared blankly, while Asa averted her eyes from him and looked at Yoru. "Don't look at me, this was your idea. Deal with it." The devil sneered.
Asa clicked her tongue and untied that metaphorical knot inside her throat, admittedly she didn't know how to start this conversation. "So... devils... uh, right?" she could very well hear Yoru facepalming.
"...Yes?" That's all Denji could manage to say while wearing a confused expression.
Asa was sweating profusely, and with a slight pink line on her cheeks, she exhaled deeply. "I-I'm sorry, just... I guess I'm still processing the fact that you're Chainsaw Man... and, well, everything else."
"Was it that hard to believe?" Denji asked feeling a little offended.
Asa's brow furrowed. "Yeah... honestly, you were the last person I would have suspected of being Chainsaw Man."
Denji gave her an annoyed look before saying. "What do you want anyways?"
The girl looked thoughtfully at the ground before connecting her eyes to Denji's. "I'm sorry about... everything, in our date and when you saved me from that devil I said some... things that I shouldn't have to you..."
Asa thought back and cringed at her own words.
'What would you know!? No one has it worse than me!'
She spat those words to his face, to the boy who grew up with nothing, the boy who was a slave to someone else's debt, and the boy who died once...
'No woman in existence would want to have sex with a guy with a chainsaw sticking out of his head!'
"Hmmh, apparently those words aren't true anymore..." Yoru remarked dryly beside her.
"It's not like that!" Asa blurred out loud making Denji look at her weirdly.
"You okay?" He asked.
"Yes! It's nothing important." Asa said trying to shrug off her embarrassment. "I also wanted to thank you for that day when you saved me from that chef-looking devil... I was feeling like-"
"Shit?" Denji interrupted her with a humorous smirk.
"I-I guess you could say that..." she stuttered. "I was feeling as low as I ever had in a long time." The only time she had felt worse was when her mom passed, but there was no point in bringing that up. "And if you hadn't come by and rescue me, I would have died right there... So, thank you." Asa stated flashing Denji with a sincere smile.
It was an odd feeling, Denji couldn't quite point his finger at it, but it wasn't unpleasant that much he could tell. Sometimes in TV news, people would appear, people who were saved by Chainsaw Man, more often than not, they would appear to give their thanks to their hero, and more often than not, those people were women.
It gave Denji a nice boost, but they were just people he'd probably never get to meet, it felt nice for a while at least until the next batch of people he saved came around, and so on and so on...
With Asa, something felt more personal...
Even more for Denji's liking.
"Uh... yeah, no problem." Denji quietly said scratching his head.
Asa raises an eyebrow. 'That's not the reaction I was expecting...' she thought and continued. "Denji, you saved me and that's why..."
"Asa, I would advise you to choose your words very carefully," Yoru said right to her ear just for Asa to completely ignore her.
A solemn tone filled Asa's voice. "I want to save you."
Dumbfolded Denji met that statement. "Huh...?"
"I want to save you." she reiterated. "You don't need to fight, that's why we at the church have taken the burden off of your shoulder, we are killing devils. Meanwhile, you enjoy the life you never had. You don't need to be Chainsaw Man anymore."
Denji looked at her with an unreadable expression, until. "You too, huh?"
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing... I guess you don't have to worry about it..." Denji said with a downcast face. "I'm not planning on becoming Chainsaw Man any time soon..."
"But that's a good thing, right? You don't need to suffer anymore." Asa said with a forced smile noticing Denji's demeanor.
'Good job, Asa, I can tell he's grateful.' Yoru dryly mused.
"Yeah... Hey, Asa?" Denji said staring directly at the girl.
"Yes?"
"Have you ever wanted more... like wanting more, does that make you a bad person?" Denji asked.
Asa frowned at how odd that question was but answered nonetheless. "I... I'd say it doesn't because most of the time it doesn't lead anywhere, and it stays like that... just wishful thinking."
A resigned sigh came from Denji's mouth. "I suppose so, yeah, it's what I have, so why would I want more? Thanks for what you're doing..." He said with a disingenuous tone and walked up to the door, just when he was about to touch the doorknob he felt something grabbing his collar. "What-?"
In a blur, Denji was pinned against the wall. "Stay still." A voice ordered it was Yoru, the scar and eyes were clear indicators. Denji couldn't manage to say anything as Yoru ran her hand underneath his shirt, making him blush at the sensation. Her hand went up and upper until. "There you are."
Yoru had her hand on his pull cord. "Hey, wait!" Denji tried to yell, but Yoru had already pulled the cord.
Denji had closed his eyes waiting for the inevitable pain of the chainsaws coming out of his flesh.
He waited, and so did Yoru, yet there was no pain or blood splattered.
Slowly and confused, the blonde opened his eyes, just to view an equally confused Yoru. Stubborn as always she pulled the cord again, but nothing came of it.
She was about to pull again just for good measure, but Denji pushed her away. "Get off me!"
Yoru stared at Denji without much emotion. "Hmmph... so it's true, our powers don't work here." she shrugged. "I had to make sure."
Denji grabbed his chest. "Wha-What the hell is wrong with you!?"
Ignoring Denji's outburst, Yoru continued. "It was Asa's idea to talk to you, I told her it was a foolish decision, right now I'm just here to put my input on the matter."
"Just... what's your deal?" Denji asked.
A smile drew on Yoru's face. "I want to kill you."
It took Denji a few seconds to process that statement, and then it hit and it hurt. "What..?"
Asa could very well see the hurt in Denji's face, almost like seeing a kicked puppy, she felt bad, no, beyond bad. She felt like a piece of shit. 'Yoru, please...'
Like Asa did to her, Yoru ignored her. "The truth is, I want the real Chainsaw to fight me and get my revenge. As for what happens to his human pet, I could not care less, but for some pitiful reason Asa does, in any case, make things easier for all of us, once this is all over give Chainsaw away." Yoru placed her finger on Denji's chest.
"Like hell I will!" Denji gritted his teeth, and a second later a bitter laugh came out of his mouth, he ran his hand across his hair and murmured. "Nayuta was right... fuck."
The blonde watched as the girl's eyes softened and the scars faded away. "Denji?" Asa said quietly.
"Is it true? You want to kill me?" A somber tone filled Denji's voice.
"No! I mean... kinda?" Asa stammered.
"Kinda!?"
Taking a deep breath Asa continue. "It's like Yoru said, she wants to kill Chainsaw Man, but I meant what I said, I want to save you, Denji. That means if I and Yoru fight the real Chainsaw Man and kill him then you'll become an ordinary human, you'll be normal again."
"Normal..." Denji's words sounded faint, his glare was lost as he looked into nothingness. If his heart, no, if Pochita was gone then, what's left for Denji?
School?
Friends?
Home?
Nayuta and the pets...
It sounded nice, yet he couldn't phantom the idea of willingly giving Pochita away just like that, there are promises to be kept and dreams to be achieved, despite how shit everything looks maybe someday things will stop being this... shit.
After all, Denji is worth nothing without Chainsaw Man.
"Asa... I won't give Pochita away just like that..." Denji quietly said with a shadow of something cast on him.
"Why-?"
"I just won't, alright!?" Denji exclaimed suddenly. "You saw it, he's my best friend..." his eyes softened as he glared at Asa. "Does this mean... we'll have to-?"
"Fight?" Asa's lip quivered. "I-I'm afraid so..."
Denji said nothing, he just gave her a knowing glare and stepped away from her. "For what is worth, I hope you get rid of that devil, she sounds like a pain in the ass." Inside Asa's mind, Yoru clicked her tongue.
The blonde opened the bathroom door, and his eyes were met by Miri who was leaning against the wall with arms crossed and an impatient expression on him. "Took you long enough."
Denji rolled his eyes. "What? You wanna talk or some shit? Wanna tell me you want to kill me too?"
Miri furrowed his brows. "The hell? No, dude! I just wanna take a leak."
"...Whatever." Denji walked past him.
Miri shrugged and looked at Asa. "You pissed him off or something?"
"Mind your business!" Asa yelled defensively.
Miri put his hands up. "Woah, hold on, I'm with the church too, so your business is mine as well," he stated with a sly grin which made Asa angrier than she already was. "It doesn't matter really... either way Denji will get screwed over."
"Huh?"
"Now leave, unless you want to watch me take a piss," Miri said humorously.
"You pig!" With that Asa left.
"You doing okay?" Nayuta asked quietly while resting her head on Denji's shoulder.
Denji was staring at the ceiling aimlessly. "Uh... yeah."
Nayuta pouted and pitched Denji's cheek which made him groan. "Liar."
"Oww..." Denji shifted his gaze from the ceiling to his little sister. "You were right," he said, his tone flat.
"I'm right about many things, be specific," Nayuta said with a teasing tone.
That tone wasn't appreciated by her brother who gave her a frown. "About every girl I meet tries to kill me."
Now normally, Nayuta would have given him a big told you so, but even for her, kicking her brother when he's down was maybe a bit too much. "Well, now how about you tell me what she did, so punish that dog." she cracked her knuckles.
"It's not a big deal anyway." Denji tried to defend. "It was just Asa going on and on about wanting to save me... but wants to fight me at the same time."
Nayuta stared at him confused. "Huh? That... doesn't make sense."
"I know, right?" A sigh escaped Denji's lips. "And then your sister popped in, at least she was honest, she wants to take Pochita and fight him."
Nayuta gritted her teeth making her lips twitch. "Not a big deal!?" her outburst caught the attention of everyone in the room. "What are you looking at!?" she yelled back, making everyone take their eyes off her. "Are you even mad?"
Denji tilted his head to the side. "Yes?
"Yes? As in doubt?" Nayuta asked carefully.
"I mean sort of?" Denji scratched his head not entirely sure of what he was saying. "What I'm trying to say is, yes, I was angry when I came out of the bathroom, but now I just feel confused, like my brain is getting scattered the more I think about it."
"Why?"
"Your sister told me she wants to kill me, right? But then I thought back to when she..." Denji stopped for a moment and looked back at where Asa was sitting trying to make sure she wasn't listening, their eyes met and Asa averted her gaze. "...kissed me. Then, there's Asa... that's self-explanatory... so I guess I'm like half-mad? Asa wants to save me, and that devil wants to kill me, so half-half? Does that make sense?"
Nayuta gave him a flat stare. "No, no it doesn't."
Denji smirked tensely. "Thought so..."
"Once we're out of here, we'll deal with her, shouldn't be too hard," Nayuta suggested. 'I don't care if Fami needs her.'
"Right, when we're out..." Denji gulped as a wave of anxiety washed all over his body, anxiety reflected on his face.
Taking notice Nayuta glared daggers at Asa who was sweating cold, and before Nayuta could mutter any words. A voice announced.
"Alright kids, I'm back."
Everyone perked up at the sound of Judge's voice, it did knock Denji out of his trance as well, which Nayuta was glad for.
"So, break's over, you know what that means, we're watching the next episode, now before we begin, is anyone still hungry? Because I can bring you any food you'd like, well, as long you keep it reasonable."
Nayuta immediately wasted no time. "I want strawberry ice cream!" In the blink of an eye, a bowl of ice cream appeared on her hands.
Soon the others follow with their orders. "Oh, then give me sushi!" Fumiko exclaimed excitedly, and her wish became true as a small plate rested on her lap.
"I'll have an iced coffee," Yoshida said feeling a sudden cold in his hand.
"Uh... I'll have a cheeseburger," Miri said and stopped for a second, his face was unsure. "Without pickles."
"I'll pass-" Denji was about to pass, but then Nayuta elbowed him lightly. How dare he to pass on free food? "Actually, I want chocolate chip ice cream."
"I'm not hungry, so I'll pass..." Asa said with a shy tone.
'Liar.' Yoru called her out.
"Well, if that's all, then-"
Yoshida suddenly raised his hand. "There's something I would like to ask."
"Sorry, only one order per person."
Calmy Yoshida replied. "It's not about that, I just want to ask you a question that's all."
"As long as it's not about what you're watching because I won't spoil anything about the show, so sure, go ahead."
"Do you gain something by doing this... all of it? I assume you didn't do this out of the goodness of your heart, so tell us." Yoshida asked, and everyone united and looked at the screen attentively.
"Even though I don't have a body, you're still good at reading people, I'll give you that. Now you're right, I'm not doing this exactly for free, I'm getting something out of it."
This time Fumiko inquired. "And that is?"
"Call it entertainment value, your reactions, I just think they're interesting so say the least..."
Miri furrowed his brows. "So, what you just get a kick out of seeing us react? That sounds dumb!"
"It is, but it tickles that part of someone's brain, it's hard to describe. But, you'd be surprised at how many people are into it."
"People? Are there more people like you?" Yoshida asked.
"You could say that, yes. It's a scary thought, all your achievements, your struggles, and everything in between and further are out there just for someone to feel pity and joy, just for you. But to some extent, people care what happens to you... I kinda got existential with that one."
Everyone had mixed reactions, Yoshida, Fumiko, and Miri had bewildered expressions.
Denji and Asa had severe ones, they looked like the life had been sucked out of them.
Yoru and Nayuta did not care that much.
"If you would like, I can erase that bit of information from your mind once everything is over."
"Yes... please." Asa said faintly.
"Yeah, me too." Denji mimicked Asa's tone.
"Sorry about that, now, we already stated enough, we're starting the show now."
Everybody composed themselves and sat straighter as the chapter title formed on the screen: Arrival to Tokyo.
A lone black car cruised along the road. Inside, Makima gazed out the window when a growling sound caught her attention. She turned to her left, where Denji was sitting. "That was my stomach," he said, holding his belly.
Makima stared at him for a moment before a smile crept across her face. Resting her head on her hand, she asked, "What is your name?"
Denji perked up. "It's Denji!"
"I need to tell you something right now." Makima began to explain. "From now on, you're in my care, Denji. I expect 'yes' or 'woof' for answers, I do not need a dog that says no."
"There she goes..." Miri said, giving a spiteful look at the woman on the screen.
Fumiko hummed. "Mmmh, she was pretty cut and dry with her words, wasn't she?" next to her Yoshida shrugged silently.
The blonde's eyes widen. "When you say that..."
"Someone in forensics told me... that when dogs aren't helpful, then just put them down." Makima finished as she looked back at the window.
Nayuta felt a drop of sweat running down her cheek, the way Makima was referring to Denji as a dog... felt not that different from when she sometimes calls him a dog. But it's just a silly comparison, right? Denji knows that she doesn't mean it, right?
At the corner of her eye, she could very well see Denji's somber expression.
Denji began to think back when he met her. 'I thought she was nice. I kinda like her, but, I had no idea she was scary like this.' he was looking down at his lap and fist clenched. 'Treating me like a damn dog!'
"I knew it..." Denji quietly muttered, in turn, Nayuta looked at him. "I knew she was bad news, but it's not like I could've done anything else."
"You think her killing you would've been better?" Nayuta asked.
Denji pondered with a blank face. "I don't know..."
He hears a small barking as he visualizes Pochita, he sighs heavily and places a hand on his chest. 'I just remember how Pochita's dead.'
The same growling sound came from Denji's stomach. Makima glanced his way. "We haven't had breakfast yet, either. Let's grab something at the rest area." The car briefly stopped by a toll road.
Averting his gaze, Denji mumbled, "Sorry, but I don't have any money."
"Just pick what you like, I'll pay," the redhead offered.
"Eh!?" Denji exclaimed, taken aback.
Makima began to take off her coat. "And you're conspicuous without a shirt on, so wear this. Here," she said, handing it to him.
Denji, now wearing Makima's coat, stood there, contemplating. 'All my life people have been avoiding me, saying I'm filthy and I smell bad. No one has ever been nice to me before. Much less a girl this good-looking!' He admired Makima and smiled. 'I love her!'
Miri facepalmed. "You were so easily winnable, it's painful..." Not that he could blame Denji for it, but still.
'It's unfortunate he isn't like that anymore.' Yoshida couldn't help but think.
Now at the rest area, Denji ordered beside Makima with an excited tone. "I'll take the udon... and a... sausage! Is that cool?"
"Sure," Makima responded and made her order. "I'll take curry udon, please."
"Coming up," the chef casually said.
"Oh, that sounds good too..." Denji's voice started to fade, and so did he, as he was caught by Makima, his face conveniently falling onto her chest.
Fumiko snorted. "Very smooth, senpai, very smooth."
"Denji, are you okay?" Makima asked, still holding onto him.
"You smell good," a muffled Denji spoke.
'Did he smell her?' Asa thought a little creeped out.
One of the devil hunters who came with Makima stepped up and paid for the orders.
"Denji?" the redhead called out.
The blonde snapped out of his happy trance. "Sorry!" he quickly moved away. "The chainsaws cut me up too, so, I think I'm low on blood right now."
Fumiko's smile faltered for a moment. "You're saying every time you turn you cut yourself with those chainsaws?"
"Well, yeah," Denji answered. "It's kinda of a pain in the ass to clean, tho."
"So, even the one coming out of your head... Does it hurt?"
Denji looked to the side, clearly awkward. "Uh, yeah, you know they're chainsaws coming out of my arms and skull constantly cutting me, it's not very nice..."
Fumiko stayed quiet with a concerned expression, that's until Miri mocked her. "You know, I also get hurt. How about you kiss the pain away and sing a lullaby while you're at it."
"Shut up," Fumiko replied with an uncharacteristic tone, she sighed looked down at her plate, and whispered to Yoshida. "You knew?"
"Are you upset?" Yoshida retorted.
"No, not really, I just feel a little dumb for not figuring it out..."
"You shouldn't, information on hybrids is rather scarce, not to mention each hybrid operates differently..." Yoshida explained. "Also, I thought it wasn't relevant to your mission."
Fumiko took a sushi roll and pouted. "No, I guess not."
A curious glint came into Makima's eyes. "How did you end up like this?"
Denji smiled faintly. "I had a pet devil, and he replaced my heart," he explained, reminiscing about his time with Pochita. "It's kinda hard to believe, huh? I don't really wanna believe it, either. Pochita dying for my sake..." he sighed heavily at the end.
Makima smiled, walking a few steps away from Denji. "There's not a lot of precedent for your condition, even from a historical perspective. It doesn't even have a name." Denji was looking down until she said something that perked him up. "I believe you. I've got a particularly good sense of smell. So I can tell, your best friend is alive inside of you, not in the sentimental sense, either. Your body has the scents of both human and devil."
'Even out of all of us, she has the best sense of smell' Yoru thought mildly annoyed looking at Nayuta.
Denji smiled lightly and, with an alleviated tone he said, "Is that so? That's awesome! Really... awesome..." He fainted, this time hitting the ground as everything went black.
Opening his yellow-brown eyes, Denji was met by the sight of Makima. He quickly got up from her lap. "Udon!? The udon?" he looked around just for the udon right in front of him, and he let out a relieved sigh before looking at Makima. "Is it cool if I eat my udo?"
"Really? Asking for permission?" Miri said.
Asa with a blush felt a pit in her stomach. 'I kinda want udon now...'
Makima responded with an affirmative hum. "Are you alright? Can you eat on your own?" she asked.
"I can..." Denji stopped mid-sentence and blinked a few times. "I can not."
Taking the bowl and chopsticks, Makima picked a single noddle. "Here, say 'aah'"
"Please, don't..." Miri begged.
Happily, Denji did as he was told. "Aah.."
Yoshida chuckled softly.
Seeing Denji eating the noddle, she asked. "Is it good?"
"Woof!" He barked with a glint in his eyes.
Everyone in the room felt an extreme amount of secondhand embarrassment, everyone except for Denji who didn't understand why it was a big deal.
"You're really sweet to be enjoying soggy udon this much." She fed him more. "A lot like a dog, actually."
"A shame she said it, I like parallels when they're subtle," Yoshida commented.
Slurping the noodles, the blond finally asked. "Um... what's your name?"
"Makima."
"Miss Makima, is there a type of guy y-you like?"
Makima looked away for a moment thoughtfully, before returning her gaze to Denji who was watching her with suspense, her head lay on her hand and a ray of sunshine illuminated her. "I'm into the 'Denji' type."
"The 'Denji'... type?" Denji stared at her like her answer didn't get through. Until it did. "Dude, that's me."
Miri gave out a grumpy sigh. "Playing you like a damn fiddle."
Denji shrugged.
Now Denji was walking the streets of Tokyo walking past several pedestrians while following Makima from behind, his mouth was agape as he replayed his and Makima's words in his head.
'Is there a type of guy you like?'
'I'm into the 'Denji' type.'
A silly smile formed along with a blush on his face. "I like you, too, Miss Makima," he declared out loud, only to find that Makima was no longer in front of him.
"I knew she made an impression on him, but this is ridiculous," Asa said to Yoru.
"Doesn't that remind you of someone?" Yoru replied making Asa blush and annoyed.
"Denji? This way, come on." Her voice called out, and Denji turned to see her standing in front of a large building. "This is the Tokyo headquarters for our devil hunters."
A relaxed sigh escaped from Fumiko's mouth. "Aaah, quite the fond memories..." she commented and turned to Yoshida. "You know, the first time I went in there I was scared out of my mind thinking I would screw up something."
"New job anxiety?" Yoshida said.
"You know it," Fumiko admitted with a little shame.
"Can't say I do..."
"There are over a thousand devil hunters in Tokyo, including civilians, but Public Safety has the best benefits and a lot of paid vacation time," Makima explained as they walked through the main lobby of the headquarters until they reached the elevator.
Denji blinked, looked at Makima, and thought. 'If Miss Makima likes, then... maybe if we work together, we'll eventually get together, right? And if we get together, we can do 'that' stuff together?' He looked down with fists clenched. 'I wanna! I wanna get with her real bad!'
"That Denji boy has no shame, huh?" Yoru said and Asa nodded without saying a word agreeing with her. "Mmmh..."
Asa felt a small sense of dread when she glanced at Yoru who was observing Denji. "Yoru, what are you-?"
"If that boy is that desperate, maybe you should give him some..." Yoru suggested completely leaving a stunned Asa.
Whatever color was on Asa's face was gone. "Excuse me?"
"If he accomplished that foolish dream of his, then that means his contract-"
"No, I'm not listening to you, just no," Asa said with a furious blush on her face.
The lift arrived at its destination, floor six.
"Denji."
"Yeah?" Now, they both were in Makima's office.
"We're supposed to wear uniforms, so put this on." Makima handed over a plain white button-up shirt, a black tie, and a pair of sleek black pants. "Once you've changed, I'll introduce you to a coworker."
Denji froze, memories of meeting Aki flooding back. If things went as he expected, Power would appear too. It would be good to see them again... even if it was just on a big screen. He missed them terribly.
He didn't even have a picture of them, absolutely nothing...
Just Aki's suit, and Meowy...
Not even their bodies to properly mourn them, Public Safety had taken them away for disposal, to who knows where.
Denji eventually managed to change clothes, though he was having trouble tying the tie. Beside him stood a man in the standard devil hunter uniform, his black hair tied in an unusual top knot. The man appeared uninterested in being there.
"This is Aki Hayakawa. He started three years before you, Denji," Makima introduced. "You're going to be shadowing him for today."
Denji's eyes brightened up, there he was. 'Yep, he looks like a stock-up asshole, just like I remember.' he thought humorously with a half-smile on his face, Aki meant a lot to him, more than he was willing to admit, the same thing with Power.
With them, everything felt 'normal' to some extent, even comfortable. It just felt right.
Aki taught him to look after himself, and Power, well, Power was pretty fun when she wasn't being a bitch most of the time. Denji couldn't help but snort inwardly.
It does make him think, what would have been if-
'I killed Aki... I killed Power...' A single thought, and everything shutter down for him, it was a worm wriggling and expanding inside his skull, he remembered Aki's cold blood on his chainsaws, he could almost feel it. Power's head falling on the floor, he could visualize in front of him, memories that suddenly came knocking inside his head.
"Urk..." Denji quickly covered his mouth as a vile yet familiar taste started to surge from the pit of his stomach.
Nayuta took notice and asked. "Something wrong?"
Denji looked at her with crystallized eyes, a hard and audible gulp was heard before he answered. "Yeah... it's nothing." he forced a smile and he was hoarse, then he looked down at his bowl. "You want it? I'm full..."
"Denji? Are you-?" Nayuta tried to press further but Denji stopped her.
"Please... I don't want it to go to waste..." He did not get an objection from her, besides a worried look.
"Eh!? I'm not working with you, Miss Makima?"
Aki spoke up, "That should be obvious." He grabbed Denji by the back of his collar and began dragging him away. "You're not even in her league. Time to patrol."
"You know, he's kinda cute, he's totally my type." Fumiko casually commented to Yoshida.
"He probably wouldn't stand you." Yoshida smiled.
In turn, Fumiko pouted. "Meanie, it's not you'd know, unless... wait, have you...?"
"Worked with Hayakawa? Yes." Yoshida answered leaning back in his seat. "Didn't interact much with the guy, but from what I've seen, he was a professional, very diligent... maybe a little bit too much for his own good."
Fumiko smirked. "Please, tell me you have his number-"
"He's dead," Yoshida said bluntly killing the light mood going on between the two.
"How...?" Fumiko's throat felt dry.
Yoshida sighed lightly. "I don't know the details, but he was reported as deceased after the Gun Fiend attack of last year."
Fumiko tightened her jaw so hard it could fall off, she barely managed to murmur. "Oh..." and for a small moment, she fixed her eyes on Denji.
"No! Miss Makima!" Denji struggled and begged.
"Dammit, get up."
"No way! I wanna work with Miss Makima."
Makima watched their banter with a smile. She slowly approached Denji and knelt in front of him. "If you do a good job, we can work together someday." Taking Denji's tie, she tied it for him. "So, do that, okay?"
Denji stared at her in awe, blushing.
Now outside, Aki and Denji walked through a bustling crowd. Denji asked, "Hey, big man. Does Miss Makima have a boyfriend?"
Aki remained silent.
"Hey, come on," Denji said, his tone growing more insistent. "Hey!"
'I don't remember being this down bad for her...' Miri thought with a twitch on his eyebrow, he actually doesn't remember much of his time with Public Safety, except those days he spent in his cell waiting for Makima's call, he was a weapon, and weapons are kept in storage.
"Come with me," Aki finally replied.
In a secluded, grimy alley, Denji was knocked to the ground by a punch to the face from Aki. As Denji wiped the blood from his nose and looked up, Aki locked him in a chokehold, kneed him in the stomach, and kicked him in the chest, sending Denji sprawling into a pile of garbage bags.
Denji groaned out loud, he had totally forgotten about his, meanwhile, the rest were taken aback by the hostile turn this scene took.
"Hey now, that's no way to treat your partner." Fumiko frowned.
"What's up with this jerkface!?" Nayuta hissed.
"Is this even legal?" Asa said.
Miri snorted, while Yoshida's smile grew a bit wider, it was sort of amusing seeing Denji like.
Aki casually took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one up, and took a drag. "You need to quit this job," he said dryly. "Show up tomorrow, and I'll beat you up again."
"This douche, he's petty..." Miri pointed.
The vile taste still lingered in Denji's mouth, despite that, he managed to chuckle, Miri's comment caused him some amusement. "Can't argue with that."
"Why though?" Denji's voice was flat.
"Look, I'm trying to be nice here," Aki clarified, taking another puff. "People who start this job without thinking it through end up dead. I've seen colleagues who got into devil hunting just for the paycheck, and it got all of them killed. The survivors are the ones with real motivation. You're after Makima, right? That's why you took the job."
"Ding-dong!" Denji responded unamused.
Nayuta couldn't help but laugh a bit.
"Then I'm glad I hit you." Aki threw his cigarette at Denji and spat on him, extinguishing the light. "I'll let Makima know you ran off, scared away by the devils." He turned and walked away.
"Yep, petty as fuck." Miri hissed.
An unsuspecting Aki lit another cigarette, unaware that Denji was running up behind him. It was too late. Denji kneed him in the groin, pain instantly contorting Aki's face, causing him to involuntarily spit out a small bit of saliva.
Miri laughed like a hyena, he couldn't contain it, and so did Nayuta.
Fumiko snorted but quickly covered her mouth. "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't."
With a quick breath into his clenched hand, Yoshida managed to suppress the chuckle threatening to escape.
Asa laughed nervously, despite Aki starting everything, she felt a little bad for him.
As Aki fell to the ground, Denji said, "You're really a nice guy, huh?"
Denji kicked Aki again in the crotch.
"Dude have mercy on his balls," Miri said wiping a tear off his eye.
"Because... when I fight a dude..."
Another kick.
"Yes! No mercy!" Nayuta exclaimed clearly pumped up.
"It's nuts... or nothing!" Denji panted, wiping sweat from his forehead. "I had udon for the first time, man. A sausage, too. Got treated like a decent human being for the first time in my life, and even had someone pay for my meal." Aki struggled on the ground, looking up at Denji. "It's like a dream come true for me. I didn't think it through when I started devil hunting, but if I'm able to keep up with this kind of life..." Denji grabbed his tie and looked at Aki with a smile. "I don't care if it kills me."
"Actually, you know, I take it back." Denji paused for a moment and averted his eyes. "It's not just my life, anymore"
Denji couldn't help but pat his chest, involuntarily he looked at Nayuta who gave him a small smile, suddenly he wasn't feeling as shitty as he used to be a while back.
Aki took advantage of Denji's carelessness, he quickly got up and shoulder-bashed Denji taking him by surprise. "Makima..." Aki landed a punch on Denji's face. "is not the kind of woman a punk like you should be chasing!"
"What the hell are you saying!? Sounds like you like her too!" Denji exclaimed and went directly for the balls again.
'Aww, looks like he's blushing.' Fumiko noted inwardly.
Aki fell on his knees and coughed. "Bastard... you really did... only aim... for my balls." he managed to curse before he passed out.
"As he should," Nayuta said smugly, she remembered around the initial days she stayed with him, he warned her about this 'stranger danger' thing, and that's when Denji taught her if some weirdo approached her, go straight for the balls.
Denji looked down at him and blinked realizing what he's done. "Shit."
Denji was now carrying Aki by the shoulder, both were back at Makima's office. "The big man's testicles were attacked by the Nut Devil, ma'am!"
Fumiko giggled like a little girl and looked at Yoshida. "Nut Devil, huh? Do we have one of those?"
Yoshida shook his head lightly with a smile still present on his face. "Who knows."
"That's a lie, he's lying." Aki accused him.
Makima hummed. "So, you think you two can work together?"
Without hesitation, Denji and Aki separated from each other. "No way!" the blonde declared.
"He's a piece of trash!" Aki added.
"I'm glad you two are hitting it off." their boss calmly said. "Denji, you'll be joining Hayakawa's unit."
Denji's face shifted to a more confused one. "Unit?"
Aki had a face of absolute dismay. "This punk?! I've already got enough troublemakers, don't I? Adding another one... I don't know."
"I told you when I put it together, right?" Makima stated and began to explain. "Your team's an experimental one, operating differently from the usual method."
"Experimental?" Asa said curious. "Aren't all Devil Hunter units comprised of only humans?"
Fumiko held a finger in front of her mouth. "That's classified."
Asa was about to say something until Miri intervened. "These fuckers implement Fiends that are worth a shit into some units, you know, they fight monsters with more monsters."
Fumiko frowned at Miri, while Yoshida's lips twitched in mild annoyance.
Denji yawned making Aki shoot him a glare. "What exactly is he, ma'am?"
"Denji is human but can transform into a devil." The redhead responded.
"Damn right! Pretty sweet, huh?" Denji said proudly.
"And that's the truth?" Aki asked wanting to inquire further. "I always figured those stories were baseless rumors."
"I wouldn't blame him." Yoshida shrugged looking at Denji. "Hybrids are extremely rare, and the public eye doesn't have any clue on what are they... well, not so much these days, still hybrids are valuable assets for anyone that can afford it."
Denji looked back at him with mouth open and bored eyes. "Dude, was that supposed to be a compliment?"
A sly grin was drawn on Fumiko's lips. "You heard that Miri? You're special, well, maybe not as much as Denji."
Miri gritted his teeth and hot air left his nostrils.
Makima continued. "He's special. Which is why he's going to be receiving special treatment. If he tries to resign or becomes insubordinate... Denji will be disposed of as a devil."
"Uh, what does that mean?" Denji asked.
"It means we're working together until you die," Makima said plainly.
"She didn't even sugarcoat it..." Miri said.
"Never ever..." Denji replied.
It was dusk outside in the streets of Tokyo, we could see Denji and Aki walking down a crowded street. "You'll be living with me, so I can keep an eye on you." the older devil hunter declared with Denji following behind. "Just remember, they say I can kill you if you run off."
The blonde looked down before asking. "Hey, is Miss Makima a bad person?"
Now, in theory, that was a simple question, both Denji and Miri and indirectly Fumiko were proof of what type of person Makima was.
Miri hated her, yet, Denji couldn't bring himself to do the same.
Denji looks a Nayuta, she isn't like her, she's a devil, and the violent behavior comes with it, that's a given. Nayuta hasn't given him one reason she's bad or good for that matter, she only cares about herself and himself, so that's good?
In that aspect, Denji sees a bit of himself in Nayuta, but he's not sure if that's a good thing.
"If that's the case, then give up on her. If you really are a devil, you should be grateful she doesn't kill you. We're devil hunters, you got that?"
"So, she's a good person, then?"
"Of course she is," Aki said not looking back at Denji. "She saved my life."
"So, Control brainwashed him too," Yoru noted observant.
Asa looked at where Yoru was sitting. "Brainwashed him...? How...?"
"She's called the Control Devil for a reason." Yoru sighed. "I don't know the full extent of Control's abilities... she hid that away from us, not that I blame her, probably slipped one of her chains in that poor bastard..."
Several images of Makima flashed through Denji's mind, and he blushed. "Miss Makima... I hope I get to hug you again."
"UUUUHHHHH!?" Aki yelled incredulously making a few citizens look at him.
A few laughs broke out.
Now the scene showed several jars of jam lined up. Denji's voice was heard saying, "Strawberry jam, plum jam, orange jam..." His hand dipped a spoon into a small jar of honey, then reached for a cinnamon shaker. "Then, some honey and butter, plus... Let's throw some cinnamon on, too."
"That looks... gross," Asa said with slight disgust.
Nayuta took offense to that since Denji's super toast was her favorite dessert. 'The hell does she know, she doesn't even get to try it.'
"I got the best toast ever here!" Denji exclaimed, admiring his creation. He took a big bite. "So good! It's freaking amazing!"
Aki glanced down at the table, eyeing the mess Denji had made.
'Just like a dog.' Yoshida thought hopelessly.
Later, Denji was in the bathtub, banging on it and singing loudly. "Woof! Woof! Woof!"
Aki, in another room doing laundry, yelled in annoyance, "How long are you gonna be in there!?"
Now Denji was dozing off while sitting on the toilet until Aki knocked loudly on the door. "Don't fall asleep on the toilet!"
"How does someone fall asleep in on the toilet," Asa asked genuinely confused.
Denji yawned and left the bathroom, leaving Aki to open the door and discover...
Denji had used the whole roll of toilet paper.
Bewilderment hung in the air as everyone stared at the screen, at a loss for words until Miri broke the silence. "Dude... how...? What type of shit were you taking that made use of the entire roll?"
The question on everyone's mind, though they might have said it differently, was clear. How?
Denji kept his eyes down, his face red with embarrassment while Nayuta patted his back reassuringly.
Aki stood there, seething silently.
It was a sunny day, a house was focused on, surrounded by server police cars and officers, in a radio message a police officer said. "A Fiend has been reported in an east Nerima residence. Civilian evacuation and cordon are both complete."
"The Fiend in question has holed up in a second-story room." A policeman explained the situation to Aki and Denji who just arrived. "We'll leave it to you Devil Hunters from here."
"Is this a new rookie, Hayakawa?" Another officer asked.
The Devil Hunters walked inside the house. "Hey, what's a Fiend?" Denji asked carrying his axe by the shoulder.
"Did you never go to school or something?" Aki retorted.
"Nah, never man." The blonde answered bluntly.
Both Asa and Fumiko grimaced a bit, knowing full well the young boy wasn't lying.
Aki seemed to be slightly taken aback by his answer. "When a devil takes control of a human corpse, you get a Fiend."
'Did he...?' Yoshida raised an eyebrow taking notice of Aki's body language.
They both walked up to the second floor, and Denji inquired, "Wait, doesn't that make a Fiend?"
"No, Fiends always have characteristics on their heads," Aki explained, standing in front of a room door. "Should be obvious once you see one."
Asa brought her hand to her face, right on top where the scars form when Yoru takes control, she looked at her a bit anxious, Yoru noted and with a disinterested tone, she said. "You got something on your mind, spit it out, Asa."
The girl was still a tad bit hesitant, she gulped and asked. "Yoru... what are we?"
"What kind of stupid question is that? We are-" Yoru was about to give her answer, but she drew blank. She didn't have one, she never thought about it really, Asa was her host, but her consciousness still lived, so they weren't a Fiend, nor a hybrid.
Asa only grew anxious at the lack of response. "Yoru?"
Yoru for a moment seemed to be at a loss, it wasn't reassuring for Asa. "I... don't know..."
Asa did not press further, that whole hypothetical was scary in itself, she would rather not think about it, and she was pretty sure neither did Yoru.
With a strong kick, Aki busted the door open. There was the Fiend, eating a parrot's carcass. As Aki said, it had noticeable characteristics: green skin and two appendages on top of its lips resembling pincers.
Fumiko gasped a bit as her eyes fixed on the dead animal. "You poor thing..."
"The devil controls a Fiend's personality. Kill this one," Aki ordered. "Turn into a devil and show me what you can do. That'll help me figure out if you're of any use."
"Don't look at me..." the Fiend growled. "You're dead! Dead, dead, dead! Damn Devil Hunters!"
The Fiend rushed at them. Denji raised his axe and, with a swift move, the Fiend's head was cut off, rolling on the floor.
"Hey, why didn't you use your devil powers?" Aki asked.
Denji turned his head to his. "The thing is... when I kill devils they get real messed up. So, like... I coulda ended up like this Fiend, right? So, I kinda wanted to make it painless for him."
Yoshida tilted his head with curiosity, Denji wasn't someone who you would call kind-hearted, this was somewhat of a throw-off, so maybe he used to be altruistic, either that or he's straight-up lying.
Aki walked up to him and grabbed his head pressing it to the nearby window. "Alright, listen to me. Fiends are just like any other devil. If you're hunting them, then drop the sympathy."
"My entire family was killed by a devil right in front of me."
"I've had drinks with the cops down below. They're risking their lives to protect their wives and kids"
"Everyone is serious about this, except you."
"I'd rather make any devil I kill to suffer as much as possible."
What Aki was saying resonated with Fumiko, she would say it out loud, but she loathed the fact that Fiends were allowed in Public Safety units.
"What are you trying to do? Make friends with them?"
"If I could be friends with a devil then, yeah, I would." Denji finally gave a reply. "Cuz I don't have any friends."
Yoshida vaguely recalls the Blood Fiend, she and Denji had a curious relationship, to say the least, so it didn't sound far-fetched, next to him Fumiko was frowning.
Aki's eyes widened a bit, despite not showing it, he was angry, so he let go of Denji. "I'll remember that." and walked away.
Denji stood there for a moment making sure Aki didn't come back, after that he kneeled down. "I guess I pissed him off," Denji said looking down at some porn magazines on the ground. "I was trying to keep off the blood of these dirty magazines. When the chainsaws come out, blood gets everywhere and makes a real mess."
A few disappointed looks fell on Denji who took no mind to them.
"Honestly, coming from you Denji, I'm not surprised," Yoshida said humorously.
Denji took a magazine and looked back at the Fiend's corpse. "I made things easy for you, so I'll keep these!" taking a small glance at the magazines, Denji stood up. "Alright, porn is secured."
A small flash of Pochita came across Denji's head. 'I want you to show me your dreams.'
"I'm pretty serious about this, Pochita." Denji solemnly stated. "I'm already living the dream just like our bargain said."
'I'll remember that.' Aki's words replayed in his head.
Denji approached and looked out the nearby window. "My dream might've become true already, but he must be chasing his."
'I get to bathe every day, eat good food... Get to hang out with a hot chick.'
'My life's a ten out of ten right now, but it feels something's missing.'
Asa groaned inwardly. "This is depressing..."
'Am I missing something? Something that'd give me a real perfect score?'
Denji's eyes fixed on Aki who was talking to a group of cops. 'He's gotta be after some revenge shit, and those cops are trying to protect their families.' Back out from the window, he thought about Makima. 'I wonder if Miss Makima is after anything like that?' and for a moment he thought about her boobs. 'Miss Makima...'
"No way..." Miri said faintly trying to hide his smile.
'I'm hoping this doesn't go where I think it's going...' Asa thought.
"I wanna touch her boobs..." The blonde admitted out loud while squatting, covering his face with his arms.
Asa hoped for too much. "You pig!" she blurted out.
Without shame, Denji shrugged. "I don't see what's wrong with that."
Miri snorted. "Geez Mitaka, you're acting like a fucking martyr it's almost sad."
Asa refused to say anything else and sat back fuming.
A soft gust of wind blew on the boy, making him realize something. 'Touching boobs is a dream I gave up a long time ago, but I've got a real job now, maybe I could pull it off?'
'I probably couldn't score with a girl just yet. But boobs?'
'If I had the right plan and the willpower, then maybe...'
Denji thought back to Aki. 'Everyone is serious about this except you.'
'So, that's what he meant!' Denji's arm reached forward, making a grabbing motion. 'I've found it! Something to be serious about! My goal is...'
"Boobs!" Denji exclaimed heatedly.
"Conviction can make wonders for someone." Yoshida joked.
"Boobs?" Makima was right in front of him, tilting her head to the side. Denji was now in her office.
"Hey! Pay attention, dumbass!" Aki scolded from beside him.
"Did he seriously blurt it out in front of her?" Fumiko laughed.
"Listen to what?" Denji asked, looking lost.
Makima continued, "I'm assigning you a partner starting today, Denji."
"Partner?"
"As a precaution, Public Safety executes patrols and smaller missions with two-person teams." As Makima was explaining, someone outside in the hallway was approaching. "This is great timing, she's here. Be careful, she's a Fiend."
With a loud bang, the door was thrown open, and the Fiend loudly declared while striking a pose, "Prostrate yourselves, humans! For I am Power! Are you to be my so-called partner!?" The Fiend was a strawberry-blonde girl with long hair, a pair of red horns protuded from the top her of head, she had sharp teeth, and her eyes were yellow and red with a cross-shaped pattern."
Denji straightened up in his seat, this time he somewhat felt more prepared, his eyes crystalized again like Aki she hadn't changed one bit, and that was good, at least from what his memories could tell they were the same.
Denji quickly shook his head. 'No no, don't think about it, just focus on the screen...'
He felt something cold against his cheek, it was Nayuta pressing a spoon with some ice cream. "You want some now?"
He looked at her with a lazy smile and opened his mouth.
She was wearing the same dress shirt and black slacks Denji was given, except she had a blue jacket hanging halfway off her body.
Denji was baffled. "Power!? Your name is Power!? And you're a Fiend? Are Fiends allowed to be Devil Hunters?" He paused, his eyes fixing on her boobs. "Well, whatever, nice to meet you!"
"Po...wer?" Fumiko said placing her finger on her chin. "Do Fiends themselves come up with their own name?"
"In fact they do," Yoshida answered.
"Fiends, like devils, are targets for extermination," Makima clarified. "But Power is highly rational, so she's been on Hayakawa's team."
"I mentioned this before, but Public Safety Devil Extermination Special Division 4 is an experimental unit."
"The higher-ups will be looking to dissolve your team as soon as possible if you can't get results."
"Do I need to explain what would happen to you two if that happens?"
Denji sighed heavily, and Miri narrowed his eyes.
On top of a building roof, Denji, and Power were patrolling while the blonde remembered what Makima told him. 'Power's horns stand a bit too much, so you'll want to patrol areas without a lot of pedestrians.'
Fumiko then asked. "So, you were doing your patrol roofs? Does that mean...?"
"Yep, we were jumping from one rooftop to another," Denji answered honestly.
Power was looking around following Denji, and eventually ran off to see below the building, then she ran off view, and finally, she ran back at Denji just to slap him on the back of his head. "Human! Provide me with something to kill immediately! I yearn for blood." The Fiend demanded.
"She's quite the feisty one, huh?" Miri said.
They walked past a cat resting on an air vent, Denji talked to himself. 'I can put up with crazy as long as she's hot enough.'
'The question is how do I get my hands on those boobs?' Walking outside a second-story building, they came to a halt when they saw two policemen in front of them who approached them.
There was only silence, except for Fumiko who giggled in the background.
Just then, Denji remembered Makima's advice. 'If you run into any civilian Devil Hunter, or the police try to question you about what you're doing...'
With a sly grin, Denji showed his badge. "We're with Public Safety Devil Extermination Special Division 4."
'...say that show them your ID, and they'll make a sour face and leave you alone.' And just like she said, the officers left them alone.
Asa narrowed her eyes confused. "Wait, do the police have distaint for Public Safety, why would they?"
"Some of them do, yes." Yoshida began to explain. "The gap between criminal and devil rate in Tokyo is big, Devil Hunters get a big prize while the police are there to pick up the crumbs, they hardly find anything to do that they will bother anyone who looks suspicious enough in order to earn their paycheck."
Back on another rooftop, Denji was sitting on a railing, while Power was squatting holding the railings from behind. "Where the hell are all the devils!?" Denji complained.
"It's most likely my fault!" Power said proudly passing her finger below her nose. "Before becoming a Fiend, I was a devil feared by all! Demonic peons will likely flee the moment they catch my scent!"
"Lying as always I see..." Yoru said shaking her head.
"Have you two met?" Asa asked.
"Only once, she wasn't nothing more than a slimy lying coward." Yoru intentionally left out the fact that the Blood Devil lied her way out when she had her defeated against the ground, the worst part Yoru was foolish enough to believe her lies.
The Blood Devil had airs of greatness everywhere she'd go, and the sheer thought she thought she could take on the War Devil was laughable even pitiful to some extent.
"Wait, how are we gonna get anything done, then!?" Denji retorted, and he came to a realization about what Makima said before. 'If you have any questions, just ask Hayakawa. He's the one who put you two together.'
'That asshole! He set me up! He stuck me with Power so I can't do shit!' Denji imagined Aki giving him a nasty stick-out tongue.
Denji could feel a smile stretching on his face. "Dickhead."
Power whiffed the air, and excitedly announced. "The scent of blood!" She started running off.
Denji took notice. "Whoa! Hey, crazy, where are you going!?" he quickly followed.
"The game is afoot!" Power was dashing like a madwoman. "The battle is joined!"
Meanwhile, Denji struggled to keep up with her. "Damn, she's fast!"
Down below in the street, a civilian Devil Hunter was talking in a phone booth. "It's the Sea Cucumber Devil. Yes, the Sea Cucumber Devil." Not so far from him, there was a cylindrical fleshy magenta mass, with human fingers sticking out of it and a skull in the middle. "Requesting back up, in front of the Nerima Station."
"Sea Cucumber Devil, seriously?" Miri facepalmed. "These devils are getting pretty lame."
Asa on the other hand, began to remember when she was eight her mom made a soup that sea cucumber in it, it didn't sit well with her back, because, after a few minutes, she started puking all over her room floor, since then she hated that thing.
Power dropped down and while in the air blood came out of her wrist, the blood formed a giant maze. With a solid strike, she decimated the devil leaving nothing but blood and guts around the area.
Fumiko did not like the implication of blood coming out of Power's writs.
The civilian Devil Hunter was dumbfounded. "What the...?
"Did you see!? The kill is mine!" Power announced high and might, and started laughing like a maniac in the air.
While Denji was simply looking down, unsure what to make of it.
"Man, Fiends are just a fucking headache." Miri declared.
The room lit up.
"And that's all for today folks, like before y'all get a one-hour break, until then feel free to do whatever you want."
Everyone proceeded to finish with the meals that were given to them, except for Asa who was trying to suppress her hunger, that's until she felt someone dragging her out.
'What Am I doing here?' Asa thought as she nervously watched Nayuta lock the bathroom door.
Nayuta glared and pointed at her. "You! Get lost, I wanna have a chat with my sis," she demanded.
"Uh...?" Asa hesitanted.
"I'll take care of this one, Asa," Yoru reassured her, and so they switched. "What do you want Control?"
Nayuta clicked her tongue. "What do you want with Denji?"
"With your pet human?" Yoru rolled her eyes. "Nothing, nothing at all, I couldn't care less about him, I just told him how things were, I want to kill Chainsaw Man."
Nayuta was boiling. "Ergo, you want to kill Denji!"
"I don't see the problem." Yoru shrugged.
"He's my brother!"
Yoru couldn't help but smirk. "And I'm your sister, yet I don't see you caring this much about me, how heartbreaking."
"You're not my family, for all I'm concerned the only family I have is Denji!" Nayuta growled. "I swear if I found out Fami put you up to this-!"
Yoru raised an eyebrow. "Fami? Have you-?"
"Yes! I talked to her before! She was on and on about some big disaster coming, I honestly don't care!"
"Fami... I should have known, she always kept things from others, you and her were similar in that regard." Yoru sighed sharply.
"Not that I would know..." Nayuta exhaled slowly calming a bit. "How... were things like before, were we like an actual family?"
"Why do you even want to know that?" Yoru said annoyed.
"Humor me." Nayuta insisted. "I'll tell you what, since I'm asking first you'll get to ask me anything you want."
The War Devil rested her finger on her chin, that offer sounded tempting. "Fine." she conceded. "No, we weren't a family as humans would describe it, I was in hell challenging the strongest I could find, Famine out there doing her own thing I barely saw her, and Death... I honestly don't know..." Yoru locked her eyes with Nayuta's. "But you, you... were the worst, thinking were above me and Famine, even Death! You loathed us, I knew that, I just wish I had done something before you started moving on with your plans, not because I wanted a better world for the humans, but because I wanted to see your face when your dreams crumbled to pieces."
Nayuta stared in silence but Yoru could tell she was stunned.
"Not the answer you were hoping for?" Yoru taunted.
Nayuta slowly shook her head. "Your turn, ask away."
"You could rip that boy's heart anytime you wanted, right? And you would have achieved your dream, Chainsaw Man at the palm of your hand. So, why not do it? I'm pretty sure you've lived with him for some time now, you could have done it at any time. That's what I don't understand..." Yoru finally made her question, just for Nayuta to look at the ground and ponder.
Nayuta stood silent like a statue for a moment. "I... don't understand it either, it's like I know you're my sister from the get-go, I just know. It's similar to Denji, I didn't care about him when I met him, but something changed... something I can't put a finger on, but I don't mind either way, whether I know or don't, I'm just happy with him, I go to school, make my homework, take the pets out, eat a good meal, brush my teeth, and go to sleep. Sounds dull, doesn't it? I wouldn't mind if humanity goes down the drain as well, but Denji... he stays with me."
Yoru stared at her sister almost dumbfounded. "You've changed..."
"After what you said, would that be a bad thing?"
"Not really, but you're still in my way..."
Nayuta looked at Yoru, her yellow spiral pupils brightening. "I'm gonna say this once, if you or that girl get close to Denji, I'll kill you both."
Yoru couldn't hide her laugh. "You're welcome to try, Control."
"My name is Nayuta." The little sister left slamming the door shut.
In the end, Yoru was left alone with Asa who remained silent in the exchange between siblings.
Author's notes:
Here it is, finally it took longer than expected, my job has been sucking me dry to no end, and that's why some of the dialogue feels lazy to me, I bang my head against the wall trying to come up with something, I forget that shouldn't think too about it and just then is when I get something.
Also depends on which characters I'm writing, I love to write Denji and Nayuta.
~Please review.