CHAPTER 5: The Fly and the Monkey

The last couple of weeks had been all peace and quiet. Akira even discovered that he was actually pretty good at cooking. So he decided to open up a cart ramen shop under one of Tokyo's many subway lines. To his surprise in just a week he had been quite succesful. Granted he hadn't gained much, but 5000 yen in a single week? Pretty impressive for someone who had just figured out last week how to cook.

"Here's your change. Don't get mugged on the way home." spoke Akira to a customer who had just payed after eating ramen. "Thanks a lot" replied said customer while leaving. And with that, another 300 yen had been gained. Tonight though not a lot of customers had come. While cleaning the dishes, Akira took an opportunity to recall the events that happened in the last weeks, especially when he met Takae and Takeshi's friends.

2 Weeks Ago

Akira still coudn't believe it.

As he was walking in one of Tokyo's many parks along with the young couple, he saw countless people among the crowd who had ears, noses, eyes and tails of all shapes and sizes. Cat-like, wolf-like, snake-like, insect-like, monkey-like, you name it. And they just were there, without a care in the world, happily chatting and walking not just with each other, but even with normal human people.

Noticing Akira's amazement, Takae (who now wore, a blue sweatshirt over her shirt) spoke "Beautiful isn't it? " with her usual upbeat tone to which the half-devil replied "Yep. Never in my life would i have imagined to see something like this. It is true then: man and demon living together." with a joyful tone.

"Wasn't easy to get this far though. Many good people gave their lives to make this happen." added Takeshi.

The two coudn't help but smile. It warmed their heart to see Akira marvel at the beauty that was the coexistence and acceptance of the two races.

"Just one thing though…." spoke Akira, pulling the couple out of their thoughts "What are those devices that those two are tapping on with such intensity?" he said, pointing at two girls who were sending messages with their phone.

This caused both Takae and Takeshi to stare at Akira, with wide eyes and a puzzled look on their faces.

"What?" he asked, casually. The young couple then sweat-dropped at the realization that Akira did not know what a cellphone was. After exchanging a look, Takeshi spoke "You tell him." with an awkward tone, to which his girlfriend replied with a defeated tone "Ugh, fine." she then turned towards the half-devil and asked him"Akira, you know what a telephone is, right?" He casually replied "Uh-uh."

Yet it took several minutes of explanations for Akira to understand how it worked, much to the demonic couple's displeasure.

"Oh, i get it! It's just like a telephone, only it is pocket-sized, needs to be recharged, can send messages that work exaclty like letters, besides making calls and you can take it with you whenever you want! Right?" Said Akira, finally piecing every bit of information together.

"Talk about being a slow learner." spoke Takae, a little embarassed.

"Took you long enough…" added Takeshi, with a sarcastic tone.

"Hey, give me a break man! We didn't have those back in '72. We used to send letters to each other. And need i remind you of how my world ended?" replied Akira, a little annoyed.

"N-no, of course not." replied the brown haired devil-beast with a sweat-drop.

"Hmm.. portable phones huh? Guess a lot can change in 26 years." Thought Akira. Honestly he was looking forward to find out just how much technology had advanced.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by two cute, feminine voices shouting "TAKAE! TAKESHI! OVER HERE!" Then Akira spotted two young girls right in front of them, which were happily waving towards them. One of them, the older of the two, wore a blue sweater with a hood, blue and light grey striped pants and blue shoes. She had black, shoulder lenght hair, tied in a high ponytail,with bangs coming down the middle, red eyes devoid of a pupil and a pair of insect-like antennas coming from her brow right above her eyes. The other, which looked a few years younger, wore a pink jacket, with a white shirt underneath, a red scarf around her neck, red pants and shoes and had light brown hair braided in two locks on each side. She almost looked like a normal human girl. That is, if it weren't for her orange eyes, dark brown fur that covered her entire arms up to her hands, making them look like those of a monkey, and her slightly sharp teeth.

Immediately recognizing her friends, Takae cheerfully waved back at them and shouted "MISAKI! KYOKO!" and then ran to hug both of them.

"Oh, there they are." spoke Takeshi, as he saw his girlfriend being pulled in a tight embrace by her two friends.

"How you've being doing, Takae? It's been a while since we last saw you." spoke the older of the two girls, now identified as Misaki, while fondling with Takae's hair and horns.

"Oh, please we last saw each other weeks ago." replied Takae, with an sarcastic and equally joyful tone.

"It seemed like a lot more. By the way, how's he or she coming along?" spoke the younger girl, now known as Kyoko, with interest in her voice, while gesturing at Takae's belly.

"Don't know yet. Besides, i'm only at the second month. Still, thanks for the thought!" replied Takae with affection in her eyes and voice.

Warmed by how close the three girls were to each other, Akira spoke "Well, what would you know. They are so adorable together. I guess they go a long way back." while putting one of his hands on his hip.

"They do." replied Takeshi. Then he put an hand on Akira's shoulder and, staring him in the eyes, he continued "But make no mistake. They have suffered just as much as we have. Both of them were kicked out of their own houses after becoming what they are."

This brought Akira's spirit down a little. Growing up without your parents was one thing. Watching them die was another. But being disowned and kicked out of the place you once called home by those who, up until then, had raised you? He had no doubt that it would have been a traumatizing experience.

But then the two girls noticed him. After parting from their hug, Kyoko spoke "Hey, Takae, who's that guy that's talking to Takeshi? Don't remember seeing him before." while pointing at him and with an inquisitive look on her face.

Akira, aware that they were staring at him, started to feel a little uncomfortable. Then Misaki walked towards him, and after staring him down, she spoke "He's kinda cute though. And he kinda looks a little like you Tak." causing Akira to blush a little.

"Oh, him? Must be the hairstyle. And, let's just say that, he got lost and, after helping us out a little, we welcomed him in our house." spoke Takeshi while putting his arm around Akira's shoulder. Then the half-demon stepped forward and introduced himself "It's more complicated than that, but yeah, you could say that. Name's Akira. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. My name is Misaki." spoke the insect-antennaed girl, while putting a hand on her chest and bowing slightly introducing herself.

"And i'm Kyoko! Pleased to meet you!" chimed in excitedly the younger girl, while putting her hands behind her back.

"The pleasure is mine." replied Akira with a smile. He had to admit it: Kyoko, was just adorable. She reminded him of Sachiko slightly due to how sweet she sounded and how she looked.

Then Akira noticed that Misaki was staring him down, a bit too intensely. He then spoke "Something wrong?" with concern in his voice, to which Misaki answered "Interesting. I've never seen a Beast like you."

"You haven't?" asked Akira, a bit unnerved by her behaviour.

"Plus i noticed that you were staring at my antennas, right?" she continued gaining an uneasy look on Akira's face.

"I… I guess you could say that… I just coudn't help it…..." he replied with a sheepish look on his face, and rubbing the back of his head with one of his hands.

"Well, you don't need to hide your amazement." replied Misaki with a soft smile, calming Akira down. He expected her to feel a little insulted due of how he stared at her antennas. Instead she almost sounded flattered by the way Akira stared at her. Then she continued "Plus, they aren't just for show. They allow me to sense heat, sound, smell and taste better. In other words they allow me to better orientate myself in the environment. They especially come in handy in the dark, where normal humans can't see. They even allow me to tell fellow Beasts apart from normal humans."

Akira, intrigued by her antennas added, with a hand on his chin: "I see. They work exactly like those of a normal insect."earning a nod from the girl. Then an idea formed in his mind: "Has anyonye also ever told you that, coupled with your beautiful hair and eyes, they make you look eerily attractive?" he added, with a smile.

This caused Misaki to blush intensely to the point her cheeks almost turned as red as her eyes. No one had ever given her such a compliment before. Noticing her friend in trouble, Takae chimed in "Well would you look at that. I think it's the first time someone has hit on you, Misaki. You know what that means right?" she teased, with a playful tone in her voice, to which her friend replied, embarrassed "N-n-no! It isn't like that!" causing Akira, Takeshi, Kyoko and Takae to laugh for what seemed like a couple of minutes.

"Relax. It's just a compliment. I would never date someone i've just met." said Akira, calming Misaki down, but making Takae and Takeshi laugh even more.

Then Kyoko came towards Akira and said "You know, you're not that bad looking yourself, mister!" causing Akira to turn his attention on the cute girl. He then replied with a smug smile and striked a pose with a hand behind his head, the other on his hip and tilting his head on the right, while still looking at the girl, highlighting his phisique: "I know. Guess it's a perk of being half-demon." causing Kyoko to blush as well, though not to the same extent as her friend.

"Okay, now you're just showing off." teased Takeshi, causing Akira to drop out of his boasting "Sorry about that. I do tend to get carried away." he replied with a sheepish tone, causing Takeshi to laugh once again, a laugh that was soon shared by all five half-devils.

End Flashback

"Ah, i had such a good time that day." thought Akira happily. He then recounted of how they went to a ramen restaurant, the nice food they enjoyed, how they went shopping afterwards and many other fond memories. Akira was glad that even after all he went through, he managed to start again, to find new friends, to have created such bonds in such a short time.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the arrival of two new customers. "Thanks for coming, what would y-" he then stopped after recognizing two familiar faces "Takae? Takeshi? What are you doing here? He asked.

"Hey, what does that mean? We're paying customers just like anybody else." replied Takeshi, a little offended. He then continued "Char-siu Pork."

"And Chicken Noodles for me." added Takae.

"You got it. Sorry about that. Wasn't expecting you two to come here." apologized Akira, for his reaction earlier before getting the ramen ready.

"Don't sweat it. So, this what you've been up to last week. Didn't know you were good at cooking." spoke Takae, with interest in her voice.

"Funny thing is, i didn't know i was good at it too. I kinda got inspired to start this little business after we went at that ramen restaurant with Misaki and Kyoko. Plus i wanted to earn a bit of money for myself in order to buy a new house for myself in the future." answered Akira, while cutting some vegetables with his knife.

Takae, understanding the reason why Akira started his activity, spoke "Oh, i see. You don't have to worry about that Akira. Feel free to stay by our house as much as you wish." with a reassuring tone.

"Plus a lot of people in the streets were speaking highly of you. So it was only appropriate for us to check you out." added Takeshi.

"Oh… nice to hear that." replied Akira, while adding the finishing touches at the bowl. "There! Char-siu Pork and Chicken Noodles!"

Akira was pleased to see how the young couple enjoyed his bowls. Takae in particular was revelling herself every time she took a bite out of the chicken "Mmmmm…. Soooo gooood…." she spoke with an euphoric tone, earning a chuckle from the half-devil "I know, right! Not telling you my secret though!" he replied satisfied, with a smug grin on his face.

"Hate to inflate your ego, but it is great." added Takeshi while taking a bite out of the pork. He had to admit that it was some of the best ramen he's ever had in his life.

"You know you've got to pay for that right?" asked Akira, not trusting the Devil-Beast's habits. Takeshi replied "Yeah, i know, don't worry." then after finishing his plate, he continued "Say, when do you get off work?"

"I usually get off at 11 P.M. Why?" asked Akira, confused as to why he was being asked that.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that we and the girls were thinking about going to a dancing club tonight. If you don't mind, we wished to ask if you would like to join us." chimed in Takae, after finishing her own bowl.

Akira pondered for a bit about what to do. Ever since he became Devilman, going in a dancing club brought back the memories of that fateful day. But then again, in this world humans and beasts were coexisting, so it would be common to see them together during such activities. Plus not a lot of customers came tonight. After taking a look at his watch and noticing that it was 10 P.M. , Akira spoke "Sure, why not. Besides, i haven't had many customers tonight."

This earned a happy look on the couple's faces "It's settled then. Come on. Let's go have some fun." spoke Takeshi, with an encouraging tone.

A couple dozen minutes later

After closing his cart shop, Akira and the couple arrived at the dancing club's entrance, where a number of people were in a line awaiting their turn to pay their bill before entering. The trio soon spotted Misaki and Kyoko, who were chatting together and they, in turn spotted them. After waving at them, Kyoko spoke "Hi there, guys! You look good! Especially you, Takae!" with her usual cheerful tone.

Takae was now wearing a black crop shirt, black shorts and boots. Takeshi, in addition to his usual clothes, now wore a black Jean Jacket, which made him look like a gang biker. And Akira was now wearing a dark blue long-sleveed shirt, black jeans and shoes. The three had stopped by at the couple's house to change their clothes.

"You too, girls!" replied happily Takae. Misaki now wore only her sleveless white shirt, and azure short pants, while Kyoko now wore a white blouse, a grey skirt that reached at her knees and brown shoes, making her look almost like a schoolgirl. Both outfits highlighted Misaki's unique appearance and Kyoko's cuteness.

Noticing the way Akira was staring at her, Kyoko spoke "Hey, everything alright?" to which the half-devil replied "Oh, nothing. It's just that you look so adorable. You do kinda remind of a friend i once knew."

This caused a slight blush to appear on the young girl. "I-I do?" she replied nervously while tapping her pointer fingers together, before continuing with a flattered tone "awww, nice to hear that."

"She usually does that, whenever someone praises her." spoke Misaki with an equally cheeful tone, while putting her arm around Kyoko's shoulders, earning a giggle from the orange-eyed girl.

"Well, now that everyone's accounted for, let's get this show on the road!" exclaimed Takeshi getting a nod from the other four half-devils. And so, they joined the line of people that were awaiting their turn to pay their bill to the bouncer at the entrance of the club. Said bouncer was a tall, well built man that had short brown hair, brown eyes and a goatee. He wore a light brown suit and pants, a light yellow shirt underneath and a red tie.

"You may enter. Have a good time." spoke the bouncer to a couple which had just payed the bill. "Next."

But when Akira and the gang's time came, the bouncer, after saying "Alright, i'll need to see some docu-" stopped immediately when his eyes fell on Akira. The half-devil started to feel uneasy as the man coldly stared him in eyes.

After what seemed like a couple of hours, Takeshi butted in and spoke "Is there something wrong?" pulling the man out of his thoughts. Then the bouncer turned towards Takeshi and spoke "Apologies. You may enter." while stepping aside earning a confused look from the five young devils.

After entering the club, Takeshi pulled Akira close and spoke "What the hell was that? He didn't even ask for our documents." with concern in his voice.

"I'll tell you later." replied Akira, after putting a finger close to his mouth, to keep him quiet. "Let's enjoy ourselves for now."

Outside the club

The bouncer stood in deep thought, as for a while new people weren't coming at the club.

"There is no doubt about it. It's him." Thought the bouncer after pondering at what had just happened. He coudn't believe it. Ever since he awakened several weeks ago, he thought that he was the only one left. Yet, here outside the entrance of a dancing club like any other, he met him. His friend's enemy. The one who had stolen the body of the one she loved. This gave him hope: if Devilman was alive and well in this world, then there was a possibility, no matter how small, that she was alive too.

"My love. I don't care how much time it will take, but i promise you. I will find you." Spoke the man, his hope restored.