Work Text:
“What happens when we die, Aki?”
It was a warm day in Tokyo, but it was hard to tell from how the wind sliced through the air so high above the earth. A faint smell of smoke wafted through the passing breeze, the scent clinging to the open court that sat in a cleared section of the high skyscraper building. Aki pulled a zippo lighter out of his pants pocket, cradling it in one hand before tugging another object out.
In his hand he held a small carton of cigarettes, the baby blue of the box providing a pleasant contrast to the stark white of the cigarettes themselves. He tugged two out and offered one to the woman who accompanied him, which she gladly accepted and stuck in her mouth before Aki opened his lighter, striking down on the wheel to produce a flame that he then used to burn the paper end of the cigarettes. Taking a slow drag of his cigarette, Aki calmly walked over to the railing that lined the rooftop, observing through a haze the skyline of the city and how the warm afternoon sun glared off of nearby skyscrapers.
When he answered he spoke slowly, asking, “Where is this coming from, Himeno?”
The woman laughed, a trail of smoke spewing from her mouth as she did, and she joined Aki at the railing before she replied, “We’re Devil Hunters, Aki, it’s in our job description to die. Either we retire early after all of the horrors that we’ve seen or we’re killed in action, there is no in between.”
“That doesn’t answer my question," Aki said shortly, watching wisps of smoke trail off his cigarettes. "Why are you asking me this now when we’ve been partnered for a few years?”
“That’s easy,” Himeno mumbled as she continued smoking, the cigarette lighting up slightly as the paper burned more. “You just recently made a contract with the Fox Devil, every Devil Hunter’s fate is sealed when they make a contract with a Devil.”
“I don’t believe that." Aki mused. "I may not fully trust Kon, but as long as I provide her with a meal she will not kill me.”
“Oh, it’s ‘Kon’ now and not ‘the Fox Devil’? Growing a bit attached, are we?” Himeno joked lightly.
Aki didn’t reply to her, instead, he continued to stare off into the skyline of Tokyo, eyes ever watching in case of an unknown Devil attack. His blue eyes strayed momentarily to Himeno beside him, carefully observing the way her black hair cascaded down to her shoulders and how the eyepatch that covered all of her forehead and the left side of her face only emboldened her overall beauty.
Stop. This is not how someone should be thinking about their partner.
Even if he felt that way, Aki couldn’t help himself as his thoughts turned to life beyond dying at the hands of the Gun Devil, imagining himself growing older than he could have thought and settling into an actual home instead of living in an apartment complex in the heart of the city.
No. That life isn’t for me, I have no right to think about that kind of life when I have yet to fulfill my mission.
He finished the last of his cigarette and put it out in a nearby trash can before he crossed over to where Himeno had sat herself down on a bench, kicking her feet and humming to herself. She too had finished her cigarette and was using the last of their break to relax, knowing that she would have to continue to patrol the city until the head office’s conference was over. Upon noticing Aki walking toward her, Himeno sighed exasperatedly and got to her feet, picking her uniform jacket up from the bench and sliding her arms into it.
“Are you ready?” Aki asked, stopping a short distance away.
“No, but sadly this job doesn’t care if we are ready!” Himeno replied.
The two walked across the open rooftop together, remaining quiet as they entered the elevator that was nestled into the side of the building. The doors slid shut after Himeno pressed the button for the lobby, then she relaxed against the bars that were screwed into the walls.
“I don’t know,” Aki muttered after a few minutes.
“What?”
“I’m answering your question from earlier.”
“I understand that, but what do you mean I don’t know?" Himeno pressed, eyes laced with confusion. "Everyone at least has some idea or thought about what happens after they die!”
“I do not. I’m not even sure what will happen in my life before I die, I can’t be certain about what lies after that.”
Himeno paused and took a few moments to try and understand what her partner had told her, pouting slightly when she understood his meaning. “ Akiii,” she dragged out in a way that she knew would take effect with her partner, “Are you saying that you’re afraid of death?”
“Yes,” he responded curtly, adjusting his necktie as if nothing was worrisome about the answer.
“But that doesn’t make any sense. You’re scared of death, but not of the Gun Devil who killed five million people in a matter of minutes?”
“Is that so wrong? My purpose in life is to fight the Gun Devil no matter the outcome and I have prepared myself as much as I can for that day, but nothing can prepare me for death. So yes, I am afraid of dying and whatever uncertainty lies beyond that.”
Himeno adjusted her footing to where she could look at the side of Aki’s face, and she sidled up as close to him as she could while still being respectful of his boundaries. “Don’t worry yourself, Aki, I’m never going to let anything bad happen to your cute self!”
Aki was taken by surprise as Himeno gave him a soft, passionate, but quick kiss on his cheek, and the doors to the elevator slid open before he could regather his thoughts into a coherent outline.
“Come on, Aki!” Himeno waved as she stepped out of the elevator, “Tokyo isn’t going to save itself from Devils!”
As he stepped out of the elevator, Aki’s mind returned to thoughts of life after defeating the Gun Devil, and he felt himself smile softly as he imagined Himeno living with him. He no longer tried to push away the thoughts, instead, he welcomed images of a life he could only hope for.