Crossroads Chapter 9: Union Job

Denji's head swivelled from side to side as he, Aki, Tendo and Kurose made their way through the winding corridors of the Public Safety headquarters, searching for any sign of the Reze as they marched through the halls, with Aki leading the way.

As the group started climbing the flight of stairs, Tendo shot Kurose a pointed look as they walked at the back of the group, flanking Denji. Kurose sighed, looking away from Tendo, seemingly losing the silent battle as he voiced the question that had been bugging both of the scarred devil hunters.

"So… you're that chainsaw kid, huh?", Kurose says, fixing Denji with an appraising look, "Not quite what we were expecting, eh Tendo?"

"Eh…?!", Denji looked over his shoulder at Kurose as he followed Aki up the stairs, the aggravation clear on his face as he growled back, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"Oh, don't get me wrong", Kurose raised his hands apologetically, "I'm not going after ya or anything, it's just that- ack!"

Tendo elbowed Kurose in the side, having grown tired of watching him try to explain, "What he's tryin' to say is that you ain't what we were expecting when we heard about ya from Makima, she… well… she never said you were so young…".

Denji flinched at that, the anger draining from his face, being replaced by a small frown, "Yeah… I've been told that a lot recently…", Denji responded quietly, thinking back to the night he spent with Reze at the school as they reached the top of the stairs.

'Don't think we'll be seein' what school is like any time soon…', Denji thought as they marched down the hallway, the final stretch leading towards Makima's office. And despite what Aki had said about him being off the hook, it still felt like a march to death row…

As the two devil hunters continued talking with Denji, Aki was fuming inside, 'How the hell could Denji have run off with a murderer like her', none of the events of the last day made sense to him. First, that monster killed Nomo and the rest of Division 2, and then Denji runs away with that damned killer just because she batted her eyelashes at him.

And then, after all that, Makima wanted to invite them all up to her office to discuss Bomb's fate, as if it shouldn't have been a foregone conclusion!?

As the group arrived in front of the door to Makima's office, Denji shuffled, looking down at his feet anxiously, jolting as a soft voice called out to them only moments after they stopped in front of the door, muffled by the thick oak door.

"Please, come in everyone".

Aki and Denji stood in front of the imposing hardwood table, with Tendo and Kurose hanging back by the door. Aki stood still, his face neutral, though an astute observer would have noticed him grinding his teeth in frustration. In contrast, Denji was slouching, hunched over as his eyes swivelled around the room as if looking for something, pointedly looking at anything or anyone who was not the red-haired woman sitting behind the table, her clasped hands resting on the table.

The silence was only disturbed by the ticking of a clock, as Makima stared impassively at the young devil hunter, a calm smile on her face as her eyes bored into the side of Denji's head.

"Miss Makima", Aki broke the silence first, his voice tense with the man clearly straining to hide his anger, "You called us here to-"

"I honestly can't say", Aki was cut off as Makima raised a hand, silencing him as she addressed the boy she was staring at, "That I'm not disappointed, Denji".

Denji's eyes quickly turned to meet those of Makima as she addressed him, "Miss Makima, I-".

Makima raised her hand again, with Denji's mouth snapping shut as the woman continued on, "Running like that was a deeply reckless thing to do", as she spoke her face maintained the same calm, nearly serene look, "But, in recognition of all the good work you've done for Public Safety, I've decided to overlook this little…hiccup, just this once".

Denji's nervousness dropped from his face momentarily, "T-thanks Miss Makima!", Denji exclaimed, his expression notably brightening for a moment, before he looked away from her once again.

"But… I wasn't by myself…", Denji was looking down to the side as he mumbled back to Makima in response, "I-I ran because I wanted to… go with her…", Denji was sweating nervously as he meekly turned to look her in the eyes again, the concern palpable on his face, "So if I'm being let off easy… then what happens with Reze…?"

"Hmmm… well, that's a different matter", Makima raised her hand to her chin as if thinking about something, "After everything she did, we obviously can't let her go free, on the charges of espionage and terrorism alone we would have all the reasons we need to liquidate her."

"Wh- no! You can't do that Miss Makima!", Denji jerked forward, panicked, only to be sharply elbowed in the side by Aki, who shot Denji a glare as he reprimanded him, "I'd say that would be fitting, you're lucky you're getting off lightly!"

"Now, now Aki, I wasn't finished talking yet", Makima's soft voice silenced the two housemates once again, "Whilst the crimes Bomb committed were indeed grave, the higher-ups have decided that she is much too powerful an asset to simply dispose of, especially with the Gun Devil's allies on the move. A conclusion I agreed with."

"That monster killed the whole of Division 2! How can we just let that go!", Aki shouted, appalled that Public Safety and Makima herself were even contemplating the idea.

Makima didn't flinch at Aki's rage, instead waiting until he was done, with that same calm smile on her face.

"If Public Safety killed every devil that's ever killed one of us, then we wouldn't have all that many devil contracts to fight them with", Makima didn't miss a beat as she turned her attention fully to Aki, "When it comes to the Gun Devil, you know as well as anybody that we need all the resources we can get, and sometimes, in pursuit of the greater good, we have to allow for some necessary evils".

Aki opened his mouth to respond, only to close it again, choosing instead to bide his time and talk to Makima by himself.

Seeing that Aki was placated, at least momentarily, Makima turned her gaze back to Denji, "For that reason, we decided it would be prudent to offer Bomb, or should I say Reze, the same offer we gave Denji here: live and join Public Safety or die as a devil."

"Needless to say, she chose the former", Makima said, her usual serene smile morphing into what could almost be called a smirk.

Upon Makima's revelation that Reze was not only unharmed but was joining Public Safety, all the tension left Denji's body, relief flooding his mind, followed by excitement that he would be able to see her again.

In stark contrast to Denji's joy, Aki was standing stock-still, tight-lipped and stoney-faced whilst Tendo and Kurose shoot each other a conspicuous look from their positions flanking the door.

"That's awesome Miss Makima, you're the best!", Denji was practically beaming, "Where bouts is Reze anyways? Is she here?"

Makima chuckles at Denji's excitement, "All in due time Denji, we have something else to discuss before that", the smile on her face dropped as quickly as it had appeared, "Whilst you were unconscious, Power returned from having her blood drained".

"And, given how much she has improved during your time as her buddy, I've decided to have her work with a new buddy for a while".

"What?! Why?!", Denji exclaimed before catching himself and lowering his tone, "I mean… why would Powy need a new buddy, I thought you said she was doing well…?"

"It's because of how well she's doing that we thought it prudent to socialise her more, afterall if we want her to work well as a member of Public Safety, she should be expected to work with more people than just you and Aki", Makima calmly explained her logic, "However, I do know how close you and Power have become, so there will be no change to her living conditions, Aki here will just escorting her to headquarters in the mornings to meet with her new partner".

"Then… who'll be my buddy if Powy's off with someone else?", Denji asks in confusion.

"You'll find out soon enough Denji", Makima responds, "You'll meet your new partner in the lobby and then you will both be briefed on your new patrol routes. You're dismissed for now Denji, me and Aki need to discuss a few things, though I'm sure we'll be talking again very soon", Makima politely dismissed the teen with a polite smile, watching Denji intently as he walked out, the door clicking shut behind him.

With Denji gone, Makima's gaze turned to Aki, "I believe you have a few questions for me, Hayakawa?"

Aki looked at Makima intensely, before speaking in a halting voice, his anger apparent, "Miss Makima, how could we even consider letting that murderer live!"

"She not only wiped out a whole division, she also killed hundreds of civilians, I can't work with a monster like that!"

"Who even knows if she won't run the first chance she gets!"

"Well I'm afraid that will be unavoidable Hayakawa, as I said before we need all of the firepower possible to defeat the Gun, and having Bomb on our side will more than makeup for the loss in manpower she has caused", Makima responded, a cold, business-like smile on her face as Aki attempted to splutter back a response.

"B-but, how ca-!"

"This is non-negotiable, Hayakawa, and if you think you are unable to work together with her, then we will have to reconsider your place in hunting the Gun".

"No- I… you ca-!", Aki exclaimed, appalled, before catching himself.

"No… I'll work with that… monster, I'll do anything to kill the Gun…", Aki looked away from the red-haired woman in front of him, cowed and defeated as she continued fixing him with her trademark neutral expression.

"I'm glad to hear that Hayakawa, it would be a shame not to have a talented hunter like yourself with us on the hunt", Makima responded, clearly pleased by his decision, only to open her desk drawer and pull out a manilla folder, setting it down on the table, right in front of Aki, who wasted no time opening it, his face falling as he read its contents.

"Y-you can't be serious!", Aki exclaimed, his face pale as he looked at his boss in shock.

"Oh, this is very much a serious matter Hayakawa, you see, I agree with you that the Bomb is still an unpredictable asset, so I thought it best that she stayed with you", Makima cocked her head as she responded to him, "You are the best suited to keep her in line after all".

Aki looked like he wanted to argue more, to shout and deny Makima's request, then all the fight seemed to leave him at once, as a deep sigh escaped his lips as he shut the folder.

"Was the surname really necessary…?"

"Oh, very much so, as a result of Bomb's rampage the other day, we will be under the spotlight more than ever, and as such I've decided that it was necessary to provide Bomb with a background", Makima replied to the morose-looking Aki's question, "And with her staying with you I thought it would make sense to have her take the identity of a cousin of your former partner, with her family's permission, of course".

Makima then pulls out two more folders, laying them out on the table. Aki grimaces at the sight of them, "Don't tell me…"

"Indeed. For the same reasons, it's been decided that both Power and Denji should take the Hayakawa name. The less attention they attract right now, the better".

"Fine", Aki lets out a deep sigh, "Fine…".

"Well, if that's settled, then you're free to go Hayakawa, unless you have any questions?"

Aki looked at Makima, meeting her fiery eyes, before shaking his head, "No ma'am".

"Very good, I'll make sure to remember your commitment when I choose the team that will go after the Gun Devil", Makima said, smiling at him, pleased by his acceptance. Aki bowed his head as he was dismissed, jaw clenched as he tensely replied, "Thank you, Miss Makima".

As Aki turned on his heel to leave, he heard Makima address Kurose and Tendo, who had been watching sympathetically as Aki was given his orders.

"So, Tendo, Kurose, I heard you're heading back to Kyoto shortly-", this was all Aki heard Makima say before the door clicked shut behind him as he stormed down the hall.

Denji is deep in thought as he starts making his way back down the stairs, his meeting with Makima fresh on his mind.

'Wonder what Makima wanted with Aki… he still seemed pretty pissed bout Reze', a conflicted look crossed his face as he thought of Reze. On one hand, he was delighted that Makima had decided to let Reze live and better yet, let her work in Public Safety!

But on the other hand, all the stuff about Power being given a new buddy rubbed him the wrong way, and he had to go meet some stranger to be his new partner!

'What the hell was up with that!', Denji fumed internally as he marched down the stairs, with Makima for once being the source of his ire, 'I have no idea why Miss Makima is doing this, could she at least pair me with someone I know! I was already paired with Beam, and Reze is also-'

"Oh", Denji stopped as he neared the bottom of the stairs, realisation dawning on him as he started walking towards the lobby again, the conflict on his face replaced by excitement and anticipation.

'Miss Makima wouldn't have… right…?', Denji sped up as his thoughts raced, 'surely after we tried runnin' she wouldn't have… right?'

At this point, Denji had practically broken out into a run as he rushed down the hallway, nearly slamming into a devil hunter as he rushed around the corner to the lobby, ignoring the complaint of the scarred devil hunter he had barged past as he came face-to-face with the girl he'd be looking for ever since he'd woken up, his face flushing as she turned and met his eyes, the relief was palpable on her quickly reddening face

"Denji!"

Reze was standing in the foyer, leaning her back against the wall, her eyes fixed firmly on her feet. A bitter smile came to her face as she looked at the new sneakers that had been given to her: the only part of her new Public Safety uniform that she liked, the suit only reminding her of her new status as a tool of Public Safety.

'Heh… beats ruining my good clothes every time I transform, I guess…', this small smile fades as she brings her hand up to her neck. Much to her chagrin, the standard Public Safety suit didn't include a replacement for her signature choker, she frowns as her fingers brush the grenade-pin trigger it used to hide.

Unlike her powers, the trigger that activated them had never been something she'd been proud of, to her it had always been just an ugly reminder of her servitude, something to be covered up and hidden rather than displayed.

'I'll have to get a new one as soon as I can', Reze thought, shifting her suit jacket to help cover the trigger, the smile returning to her face as an idea came to mind, 'Maybe I should drag Denji out when I go to get one…', she giggled lightly as she thought back to the beach shop, 'Would be nice to make him all flustered again'.

Reze had been waiting in the lobby for a while now, she'd woken up in that same interrogation room, with Makima nowhere to be found. All she remembered was agreeing to join Public Safety, in trade for her life, after that her memories got… fuzzy…

After that, some gruff Public Safety grunt tossed her her new uniform and forwarded on Makima's orders to wait for her orders in the lobby.

'I hope Denji is alright…', she knew that Makima had insinuated that Denji was unharmed, but that was of little comfort when her last memories of him were of him bleeding out on the train platform, she shuddered wrapping her arms around her torso, reminded of quickly Makima had overwhelmed them both, and of those ringed eyes leering down at her.

The thought of running had crossed her mind as she waited, but it was an idea she had quickly dismissed, it would be impossible to hide from that witch anywhere in Japan, her and Denji's disastrous escape attempt had proved that much…

And besides, this arrangement wasn't all bad, sure she was under the thumb of another government, but now she could have a life outside just killing, she'd even get to work with Denji!

All-in-all, Reze would be willing to swallow remaining a tool for the government, at least this way she can have a bit of normalcy, being able to live outside of that damned room and being able to share that life with someone like her, well…

Wasn't that more than what a monster like her deserved…?

"Hey, you! I'm talkin' to you!", Reze looked up to see a balding devil hunter glaring at her, a scar running down from his left eye.

"Hope you aren't getting comfortable, you murderer!", the man sneered at her, his tone dripping with scorn, "If it was up ta' me, I'd have you locked up down with the devils!"

Reze looked up at the man, speaking drolly in response, "Иди на хуй".

The man scoffed indignantly, "Tch, hope you rot in hell, you fucking foreigner", he sneered down at her before spitting right at her feet, barging past her, making sure to clip her shoulder as he left. She turned, glaring at the man as he left, though the anger soon gave way to guilt, she couldn't exactly blame these people for hating her, she had killed dozens of them after all…

And then, suddenly a shock of blond hair appeared from around the corner, her emerald eyes widened upon locking with a familiar pair of caramel orbs. "Denji!", she rushed to him immediately, almost instinctively, wrapping her arms around his chest as she practically crashed into him, "I-I'm glad you're okay!"

Denji froze for a moment, stunned by the sudden contact, before returning the embrace with gusto, "Same to you, Reze, I thought you were dead when I woke up!", he broke from the embrace, putting his arms on her shoulders as the two teens drank in the sight of each other, Denji looks to the side sheepishly, "I… don't really remember much from the train station but… I'm sorry, you coulda probably got away easily if I wasn't there".

Reze reached up, putting her hand on his cheek, turning his gaze back to her, "Honestly Denji… I should be the one apologising, I was the one who dragged you into this whole mess, all I did was get you hurt…"

"Y'know, I meant what I said, back at the beach", Denji grinned at her cheekily, "A man's gotta do, what a man's gotta do. Even if I knew that'd happen, I'd have made the same choice again".

Reze's cheeks reddened at his reply, with her playfully swatting his arm in response, "Geez… how can you say stuff like that so casually…", embarrassed yet grinning Reze stepped back from him.

"Soooo siiir… what brings you down here to little old me anyways?", Reze's trademark teasing made its return as she grinned at him. Denji rolled his eyes, though with the smile on his face betraying his pleasure at her teasing,

"Well, Miss Makima told me that I'd meet my new buddy down here", said Denji, returning her teasing grin with one of his own, "So… lookin' forward to workin' with you, buddy".

Reze blinked in surprise, she'd been told she'd be working with Denji, though she'd assumed Makima just meant she'd be working at Public Safety, not that she'd work side-by-side with him, 'But, why would Makima pair us together after we tried to run?'

Despite that mystery, Reze chose to push it to the back of her mind for now, after all, it's not like Makima had much to fear from them running away…

Not to be beaten, Reze shook off her momentary surprise, pouting as she replied to Denji, "Oh… and here I thought we were a lot more than buddies…"

"Wha- I- I mean- huh!", Denji spluttered, his façade breaking as Reze burst out laughing, doubled over

"Ahahahaha!"

Denji was about to reply when a deep, gruff voice cut both it and Reze's laughter short.

"Are you kids done, or do I need to waste more of my time here?"

"EEEK!" "AHH!"

Both Denji and Reze yelped and spun around, both in a fighting stance until Denji realised who the owner of the tired voice was.

"Master Kishibe! What the hell?!", Denji griped as the old Devil Hunter stared at the impassively

"This old guy is Kishibe!?", Reze exclaimed, still on edge. The reputation of Public Safety's strongest Devil Hunter preceded him, with him and Makima being at the top of the list of people she was told to avoid on her mission.

Kishibe ignored Reze, addressing Denji first, "I'm disappointed that you thought you'd be able to escape Public Safety kid", he took a swing from his hip flask before continuing, "Thought you'd have learnt that much from your training".

"Hey, me and Powy learnt a lot! You never taught us anything like that!"

"Shut it kid", Kishibe said, pointing at Denji who instinctively clamped his mouth shut. Kishibe then turned to Reze.

"So you're the Bomb, huh?", he cast an appraising eye over the girl.

"Yeah, what about it", Reze watched the old hunter warily, staying on guard.

"Hmmm… you've been taught well, though I suppose 'taught' would be the wrong word", Kishibe fixed her with a piercing look, making her shudder.

"Well, as much as I'd love to chat more, I've been told by Makima to give you two your marching orders", He pulls out a laminated piece of paper: a map.

"That's your new patrol route, you're to head out on it now and return here by 5pm to meet Hayakawa, if you're late we'll assume you ran again, and then we'll have to put you down. Understood?"

"Yes Master Kishibe!", Denji quickly replied, whilst Reze continued giving the old man a wary glare, suspicious of how much he knew of her life.

"I don't know why I'm having to babysit you kids…", Kishibe sighed before turning and walking away, looking over his shoulder as he went, "Anyways, I'm gonna hit the bar, try not to transform by the way, you two caused quite the stir the other day".

"I'm sure we'll be talkin' again very soon".

"So that was 'Mad Dog Kishibe', huh?", Reze asked Denji, the two teens turned Devil Hunters were walking around their new patrol route in Chiyoda, a notably more central route compared to Denji's old route, likely to keep them close to Public Safety Headquarters…

"Yeah, that was him alright", Denji responded, "You don't seem too impressed?"

"It's not that, I can tell he's plenty dangerous… I just didn't expect him to reek of alcohol…", Reze responds, though leaving out her other concern regarding the old hunter: that he knew about the room… 'Suppose it'd make sense if he did… with him being so high up in Public Safety…'

Denji frowned, shuddering, "Oh yeah, he's plenty dangerous alright… beat the shit outta me and Power when he was trainin' us"

"That bad…?", Reze looked at him curiously.

"He broke our necks the first time we met him", Denji responds dryly, before proceeding to list off the many, many different 'teaching methods' Kishibe used on them.

The two sat outside a small coffee shop, having decided to grab lunch after Denji had exhausted his long list of Kishibe's lessons, with the two now sipping on a cup of coffee each, their sandwiches having been long-devoured.

"This coffee tastes like shit!", Denji complains as he took another swing from the disposable cup, his face scrunched up at the taste. Reze smiled smugly as she drank hers, "Thought you liked coffee now, Deeenji?"

"I do!", Denji snaps back, "But this is just awful, it tastes like crap!"

"Hahaha! Oh yeah, this might be the worst instant coffee I've ever had!", Reze laughed as she gave up her façade of enjoying the swill that the café passed off as coffee.

"Huhh!? But how come your drinking it if it tastes like crap!?", Denji exclaimed, looking at her incredulously.

"So are you though?", Reze deftly avoids answering the question, posing Denji one of her own instead. Denji just shrugs in response.

"What if I like crap", he takes another swig of the coffee. "Same", Reze says nonchalantly, following Denji's lead and raising the cup up to her lips.

It only took a moment for both of the hybrids to burst into laughter, spewing the coffee they had been drinking on the ground next to them.

"Pfft hahahaha!"

"Ahahahahah!"

By the time they had recovered from their joint laughing fit, what was left of their coffee was cold, not that either of them especially cared…

"Ahhhh….", Reze wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, "I already miss Mr Kayo's coffee, he made a great cup, well when he got off his ass to do it anyways…"

"Huh, suppose we probably can't go back there anytime soon", Denji noted, "Though I guess we could make up a reason for why you joined Public Safety…?"

"Ohhh, have I got you hooked on coffee now?"

"Somethin' like that"

Suddenly, Denji's eyes widened as if he remembered something, "Hey Reze, I forgot to ask but what happened back at the train station? I just remember getting' the drinks, then waking up with Aki starin' at me".

The mirth disappeared from Reze's face, flashes of what happened coming back to her, "Well… it was Makima herself that ambushed us…"

"Wha- really, Miss Makima!?"

Reze nodded silently at Denji's shocked interjection, "Yeah… I don't remember much, just that she just… appeared outta nowhere on the other side of the platform, she took you out, then everything goes black…"

She lets out a sigh, "After that, I woke up in an interrogation room, Makima was there and she offered me a deal, work for her and don't die basically…"

To Reze's surprise, no surprise showed on Denji's face as he spoke, "Oh yeah, that's the same offer she made me, guess that must be pretty normal for Public Safety".

"Wh-what?", Reze was appalled by how nonchalantly Denji reported that he had been coerced into working for Public Safety. She had, perhaps naively, assumed that even though Denji wasn't allowed to go to school, that he at least had more freedom than she did.

As it turns out, his situation was worse than she thought…

"No Denji, that's not normal at all!", Reze exclaimed, before catching herself and lowering her voice, "It's normal for… criminals like me to get an offer like that, but you were just a normal kid, what'd you do to deserve that?"

Denji's forehead creases in confusion, conflict clear on his face, "I-I've killed people too, the Yakuza that I was payin' my debt to, and Miss Makima gave me a life better than anything I had before…"

Reze finally found her voice again as Denji trailed off, "Denji… Makima didn't do all that out of the kindness of her heart…", she spoke softly, looking at the young man sympathetically.

"I mean, Miss Makima let us off easy after we tried running, she even let us be buddies!", Denji's voice started to raise, his tone defensive as Reze reached out to set her hand on his arm.

"Denji…", she spoke softly, patting his arm comfortingly as she sighed in defeat, "I know she did all that, it's just, I don't know why they allowed someone… like me… to live after all that…"

Reze looks at Denji, griping his arm more tightly now, an anxious look on her face, "I'm happy to be here… I really am, it's better than what I deserve, but…"

Reze trailed off as she thought back to her encounter with her new boss, her memory of the events since that witch ambushed them at the train station was fuzzy at best. A fact that made a chill go up her spine, Makima's ominous reputation didn't exactly soothe her worries over her hazy memories, especially considering that nobody even knew what contracts the woman actually possessed…

Denji looked at Reze in surprise, not having expected such a passive response, his guard dropping once more as he focused back on Reze, catching the girl by surprise by grabbing her hand in his own.

"Reze… sorry for, y'know, snapping at you there and all… you didn't deserve that…", Denji looked Reze in the eyes, his own being conveying both guilt and sympathy, "I don't really know what your life was like before… but what I do know is that you do deserve better than that…"

Denji smiled as Reze's cheeks lit up, her mouth open slightly in surprise as Denji continued, "I know we won't be able to go to school together like you wanted, but we do get paid days off soooo… we could maybe, y'know go out somewhere sometime…", Denji's face was now as red as Reze's, his hand still holding on to Reze's as he looked away abashedly.

Reze's flustered surprise was slowly replaced by a fond smile as Denji spoke, with the girl giggling lightly as Denji finished, "Denjiii, are you by any chance asking me on another daaate?", Reze was grinning now, hoping to hide her own embarrassment by teasing the boy. She failed.

Denji, instead of becoming even more embarrassed, simply looked back at Reze, his cheeks still flushed, but his face dead serious, "Yeah. I'm asking you on a date, Reze."

All Reze could do for a moment was stare back, open-mouthed, she was sure that her face had become as red as a berry, though she found that didn't care about that at all as she responded, "I'd love to go on a date with you… Denji".

As Denji suddenly jumped up from his seat, shouting in celebration, Reze found herself laughing at his enthusiasm as a thought crossed her mind.

Even if she was still a weapon and a tool, and even if she had simply traded one master for another, at least she was no longer alone.