Chapter Text
There was a day that was out of reach.
A distant day that the boy vaguely remembers.
A day that changed his view of the world and cost his future forever.
All he remembers is seeing a devil that holds no form. It was void of a body and no mouth to crack a smile. It approached in the boy's direction and stopped cautiously once close enough.
Despite its scary appearance, he talked to it, curious to know its purpose for approaching the boy.
"Are you a devil?" The boy asked.
But the devil didn't answer.
"Do you need something?" He asked again, in a softer tone.
But the devil didn't answer.
Instead, it turned slightly, lifting its arm, and stood still as if to show the boy something in its void form.
The boy was hesitant at first but looked after a few moments.
It was a scar, a nasty one. If a human wore it, it would be considered life-threatening.
The boy looked at it helplessly for a moment, then looked back up to the devil, staring into its white orb-like eyes on its shapeless face.
"Do you need help?" He asks, not daring to look back at the scar.
The devil shifted away, lowering its arm back to its resting place. It looked scared and hurt. Even though it never said a word, the boy understood what the creature was feeling.
"My mom always said to help others when I can," the boy almost rambled on about his mother, but shook his head and continued, "...How can I help you?"
"A contract," the devil's voice was deep and horse. It croaked as it whispered to the boy, "make a contract with me."
And that was it.
That was all the boy remembered of that day.
To him, it was like a videotape ending abruptly. It was a burden to carry, knowing that no one would ever tell him what he had forgotten because no one was there. It was only him and that devil that day.
It frustrates him.
Because of that frustration constantly boiling inside, he formed a coping mechanism. He would make up possible scenarios in his head that could relate to what happened. But no matter what, it never made him feel better. Instead, it made him feel hopeless, void, like the creature he saw that day.
And now, that creature lies in his body. The boy and the devil share the same name, the same appearance, and the same body. Somedays, he completely forgets about the devil. However, on lonely days, he appreciates that he has company.
After years of exploring the new world he was in and the new people he met, he never met a person like him. But, despite the harsh realities the boy has faced many times in his new life, he continued and became the person he is today;
Shigeo Kageyama.
Or more commonly known as 'Mob.'
…
It was a quiet day in the office. There was no news of any malicious devils in the city which was unusually strange. Usually, devils will appear around 3 or 4 times a day in the city, often inconveniencing Mob as he enjoys the quiet in his area.
Since he works at the Public Safety Devil Hunter, it requires Mob to use his inhuman capabilities more times than Mob would like. Not that Mob dislikes his job, but he is irritated by the overuse of his abilities during his exorcisms.
Ever since Mob was a little boy, he was stuck with a man named Reigen Arataka. Occasionally, this man relies on Mob's abilities in extreme situations with devils. Thus, he regularly faces hardships more times than he can count. However, Mob continues to endure for the sake of protecting the innocent.
Fortunately for Mob, Reigen is a good influence on Mob and practically raised him when his parents were incapable of doing so. Despite the lack of consideration of Mob, he is a decent man that only wishes for the best for the young boy. He welcomed Mob in with open arms, despite him having a Fiend-like appearance that most feared. He gives Mob opportunities for jobs and requests to fulfill Mob's desire of saving innocent civilians.
“Mob, we got a new job.”
…And today was no different.
Mob closed his manga before shifting his attention somewhere else. He quickly settled his book in the drawer beside him and looked at the man expectantly.
"Where is the devil?" The boy says, getting up from his seat and preparing himself to leave. As he packed up necessary items, his eyes wandered to the man's desk and deciphered the nametag the desk displayed.
Reigen Arataka.
"The devil is in the city, not too far from here." Reigen informed as a response, putting on his jacket neatly and straightening it out as he continued, "be prepared Mob."
The boy turned his attention to the man who slid his cell phone into his pocket.
"Why?" Mob asked, unsettled by the sudden mood change.
Reigen became quiet and thoughtfully walked toward the boy. He rustled in his other pocket and pulled out a golden bell. It didn't ring, instead, it quietly clinked against the side as the man paused beside the boy.
"It's a dangerous devil," he says, reaching under the golden bell and easily pulling out a string from the bell, it tingles in response.
Mob winched, slightly unsettled by the noise of the bell and he hovered his hands above his ears. As if to block off any more noises the bell may make.
The man notices the sudden serious tension between the two and Mob's uncertain gaze. After Reigen sighed, he put the bell away in his breast pocket to ease the air.
"Do you know the name of the devil?" Mob asks, who begins lowering his hands from his ears and relaxing when the bell is put away.
"Oh! Its name is the Coffee Devil."
Silence fell between the two.
"Coffee devil?" Mob deadpanned, looking at Reigen with a slightly discomforted expression, "Are you sure?”
“Yep! That was the name in the report,” Reigen says, brushing his hair back with a sigh. He walked to the front door of his office and grabbed the keys and pen from a small desk on the side.
“What's so dangerous about a Coffee Devil?” Mob wondered out loud as he picked up a notepad and pencil, then put them inside his pockets.
"In the report, it explained that it has a Gun Flesh. However, that is just speculation." Reigen informs while jotting down some small notes on the calendar on the closed door in front of the man.
"Ah! If that is the case," Mob starts, feeling his eyes widen as the clock ticks, "this is serious."
"Well, let's hope we don't need to summon him today," Reigen says, taking a quick glance down at the bell in his breast pocket before turning his attention to Mob behind him, "anyways, we need to hurry before anyone gets hurt."
…
Thankfully, just as Reigen and Mob arrived at their destination, everyone around the area was evacuated safely by the Public Safety Devil Hunter. As both investigated where the devil could be, it was slowly becoming obvious where the devil ransacked. Remains of buildings lie on the streets, cars crushed beyond recognition, and mud-like trails lead towards buildings and sidewalks. Reigen grew unsettled by the possible strength of this devil while Mob continued to search inside buildings to find more hints about the Coffee Devil's location. After some investigation, it wasn't long before Mob found an open grassland area — a park — where the devil crawled around, eating all nutrients that crossed its path. The devil looked troublesome and was surprisingly large. As Mob observed closer, he noticed that it crawled cautiously but shortly became reckless when it saw a living creature. Its arm would reach out and grab a bird, bug, or anything it could feast on before hurrying on to find its next victim.
It unnerved Mob, seeing a supposedly weak creature be scarcely violent with innocent animals.
“Hey,” Reigen leaned closer to Fiend beside him, whispering to prevent the devil’s noticing them, “are you okay?”
Mob looked at the grass beneath him to avoid looking at the gruesome sight, “Why?”
“Because,” Reigen shifted away, which got the boy's attention. Mob noticed the man point towards the devil with a slight disgust in his expression, “Y'know, horrific view.”
“I’m okay,” Mob admits quietly, grabbing the sleeve on his other arm as a way of comfort, “You should go ahead and exorcize it yourself.”
“Huh?!” Reigen yelped, keeping his voice hush-hush, “You should do it! I must not use my devil! It-it requires too much payment! I might lose a leg if I do it … And I don’t want to lose a leg! — I’ve told you this before, haven’t I?!”
“Oh,” Mob quietly whispers, “I forgot, sorry.”
“Listen, Mob. You should fight it! Otherwise, you will miss your chance of a valuable learning experience!” Reigen sighed, who began to look slightly irritated by the situation and quickly regained his composure. He straightened himself up before patting Mob on the back, signaling Mob to fight the devil, “After all, there is a possibility that it consumed a gun's flesh, and I’m strictly prohibited to touch gun flesh!”
Then, why are you doing this job?, Mob thought to himself before noticing the devil’s sudden change in behavior. A moment before, it was hungrily feasting on another victim, and now it was staring directly in Reigen’s direction with a drool dripping out of his mouth. It growled slowly and dropped its food on the ground before sprinting towards the man.
Reigen quickly took notice and took a sharp turn to run away, screaming, “Mob, exorcize it!”
Mob took a deep breath before raising his hand up towards the devil. He felt his powers crawl underneath his skin and let it pour out of his body, aiming straight towards the chasing devil. It froze with realization sinking in its expression. It begins to panic, flailing around as it feels the force of Mob’s powers. Mob pressed, closing his hand slowly, and watched the devil try to escape his gasp. Mob didn't give the devil a chance and quickly squashed it, which left the colors of Mob’s powers remaining.
After a few moments of silence — for safety measures in case it somehow came back — Mob let his powers back and quickly investigated the scene. Searching for a hint of a gun flesh, but was left confused when it realized there was nothing. No remains of the Coffee Devil after, nor a single leftover of Gun.
Mob felt disturbed, afraid of what this could possibly mean. He silently stood up and turned to Reigen, who was peeking from behind a tree.
“Damn, Fiends are scary…” Reigen admits as he walks out and away from the tree. He stared at the ground where the devil was exorcized. His face quickly twisted to concern as he walked closer, “Nothing?”
Mob shook his head disappointedly, “Nothing, I don’t even see a fragment.”
Reigen hummed in response and began contemplating. Mob begins to feel worried that he somehow squished it along with the Coffee Devil. Feeling doubt bubbled with anxiety that he might not be fit for this job anymore but was shortly interrupted by Reigen coughing.
“We should probably go and report to Makima.” The man huffed and without a moment’s notice, he began walking away.
“Why Makima?” Mob asks, walking beside Reigen and wondering why he would report this to someone so big in the company.
“Because this is serious, Mob!” Reigen retorted, crossing his arms with a stern look, “That Devil had no reason to be so strong, and I believe there is something that we don’t know and something important that we must report as soon as possible.”
…
“I have been receiving news like that for a few months now,” She says with a gentle smile in the man’s direction, settling her hands against the desk below, “No need to worry.”
“Ah,” Reigen sat in a seat in defeat, embarrassed. “Why haven’t I heard about this until now?”
“My apologies for not telling you sooner,” Makima shifted in her chair to begin working on paperwork. She began organizing and reading as she talked to the man on the other side of her desk, “Since you are a team of two out of many teams, It’s easy to forget about you sometimes.”
Reigen sighed with a disappointed expression. Makima interrupts before the man could say anything, “Actually, where is your other member anyways?”
Mob felt slightly tense as he hid behind the door leading to the office, fidgeting with his hands as he listened. He often eavesdropped to avoid getting close to Maikma. For some reason, there was an unsettling air about her that he can’t describe. He never thought to share this worry with Reigen as it may raise questions that Mob even knows the answer to. He can't figure out why he feels this way and always tries desperately to avoid Makima’s attention. But he continues to do it anyway, ignoring the questioning looks he often gets when people walk by him.
“Oh, Mob?” Reigen says, “He’s right outside this office right now.”
Mob flinched, embarrassed that he got caught eavesdropping, and quickly opened the door to enter the office to apologize, “I'm sorry!”
“No need to be,” She says with a slight smile, “I actually wanted to talk to you both for a while now.”
Mob blinked, surprised by the sudden information, and took a seat next to Reigen. Makima carefully pulls out a stack of papers in a folder and begins flipping through all, searching for a single paper among all. Her eyes glazed at each page quickly, going back and forth as she observed pieces of paper; a fast rhythm and Mob stared in amazement at how quickly she was reading each paper. She goes on to explain as she searched, “You came in to report that a weak devil was unnaturally strong, correct?”
“That’s right, Ma’am,” Reigen confirms.
Makima continues, “That has been an ongoing issue that we struggle with that I want you both to help.”
She stops abruptly, pausing at a piece of paper, and quickly takes it out.
“Here it is,” She says, carefully placing a piece of paper on the desk as she placed the folders back in their original place, “In this paper, it talks about an organization of devils and humans that wishes to destroy Public Safety Devil Hunter.”
“Oh, wow,” Reigen says, leaning from his chair to take a closer look at the paper below, “This is serious.”
“But, how does this connect to devils being unnaturally strong?” Mob asks, curiously as he leaned over to read the paper along with Reigen.
“Good question,” Makima replied, placing her hands on her desk while maintaining a polite smile in the boy's direction. Mob doesn’t dare to smile back. She goes on, “The organization that I’ve mentioned is aiding devils and humans by giving them unnaturally strong abilities, then letting them roam free in the city.”
Reigen scoffed, crossing his arms as he leaned back on his seat, “What’s the reason for making them roam free in the city? That’s just a waste of time.”
Makima got up from her chair, before making her way to another drawer that holds quite a few organized folders inside. She starts shuffling through them all while answering Reigen’s question, “Apparently, they want to be known. They want to start a panic in the Public Safety Hunter so our forces that don't wish to be involved quit and…”
Makima paused, pulling out a page of a newspaper, she carefully observes before wandering back to her desk silently.
Reigen grows impatient and asks, “And… What?”
“... And we believe they are trying to make us weaker, by overwhelming us with as many devils they can send out,” Makima informs, while placing a piece of newspaper on the table for them to read.
Reigen fell quiet, tapping his feet on the floor in a rhythm before quickly swiping the two papers and observing the contents they displayed. Mob noticed that Reigen was reading the papers as fast as he could. After a moment, he handed the papers to Mob while processing the information he read.
“Do you know what this organization is called?” Reigen asks as Mob begins reading the paper for himself.
“They call themselves…” Maikma says before Mob begins turning out their voices as he reads the papers Reigen handed him.
The first thing he noticed was that one out of the two papers is a recent newspaper ripped out of its base, explaining how there was a high increase of devils in the city. Some parts go on to talk about the victims and the devils that were involved, most of the devils’ names are weak and hold no power to them, but still manage to get a decent amount of people injured or worse; killed. Other parts were conspiring about what this could mean and what may happen in the future. Mob switched to the other paper, which was a letter from the organization Makima mentioned earlier, saying what their purpose is and what they wish to do. However, despite such revealing info on their intentions, there is no location. No indication of where their base is, which implies that they do wish to stir a panic or a possible war.
It unsettled Mob, knowing there is a serious organization that wishes to harm the innocent while destroying Public Safety Devil Hunter. He begins to feel doubt, and loss of hope for the peaceful future Mob always looked forward to.
As Mob continued to observe the letter, he gazed at the bottom and noticed that there was a signature along with a short hand-written note, “Good luck. - CLAW.”
“Mob, let’s go,” Reigen voiced, breaking Mob from being in deep thought about the paper. The adult got up from his seat and headed straight to the door. Mob quickly placed the paper on the desk and hurried to follow the man, feeling Makima’s gaze behind him.
“So,” Reigen starts, getting Mob’s attention, “I’m assuming you read those letters?”
Mob hummed with a nod, noticing Reigen pull out a folded piece of paper that fit in his pockets. He unfolded them as he continued to walk to an elevator to leave, pressing a button as he handed Mob the paper. Mob gently takes it and begins reading it, but becomes confused as to why it was information about a person.
“Why did you give me this?” Mob asks, wondering while watching the buttons above the closed elevator slowly approach their floor. When it finally reached their floor, the doors opened with a quiet song before the doors opened. Reigen stepped in with Mob following behind him.
“That kid is going to be a part of our team from now on,” Reigen informs as he pressed the lobby button on the control panel, watching the elevator silently close as he waited. Mob became interested and began reading more about the person on the paper. Reigen continues, “He’s the same age as you.”
“He is,” Mob confirms as he reads the boy's age and gender, “have you met him before?”
“No, but I believe he’s a good fit for our team,” Reigen smiled at the boy, “Plus, it’s a good chance to make a friend the same age as you."
Mob’s eyes widened, already fantasizing about becoming friends with this boy, “Yeah, I’ve always wanted a friend around my age.”
Reigen chuckled, a smile plastered on his face as he watched Mob smile slightly, “We’ll meet him tomorrow at our office.”
Mob smiled, looking back at the paper at the person’s picture taken. He was a boy that looked to be a great friend to have. His hair was blond, long, and carefully brushed, and his iris was dark blue, shining with friendliness sparking behind his eyes. Mob was excited to have a new member on his team. He had never worked with anyone other than Reigen before, so the boy couldn't help but be ecstatic to meet a new person.
“Do you know his name?” Mob turns to Reigen, watching the elevator slow down before stopping at the lobby floor.
“Yes! Makima told me," Reigen smiled, before watching the doors of the silver elevator open, "I believe his name is Teruki Hanazawa.”
...
CSM x MP100 designs of Mob and Reigen
