Chapter Text
"It's amazing that you've recovered so easily."
You looked up at the woman, hypnotized by her gorgeous beauty. You've never been so close to such a pretty lady before.
The woman held a bowl, containing baby food-like mush. She scooped up a bit in a spoon as she brought the utensil to you, the bedridden patient. You didn't dare take your eyes off the woman as you gawked rudely at her.
You hadn't even bothered to see or notice the restraints strapped against your wrists and lower legs and waist, keeping them restricted to the area of the bed as you sat up. With your arms at your sides, you obediently opened your mouth as the woman moved the spoon between your lips. You closed your mouth as you pulled and swallowed the mush. It tasted good.
"You like it? That's good because I still have bunches more."
The woman chuckled lightly as a small, warm grin grew on her face when taking strong notice of your dumbfounded expression. She balanced herself on the stool she had been so motherly sitting upon before dipping the ladle back into the bowl.
Your thoughts felt funny, and you couldn't remember how you got here. You were young, maybe 11 or 12 years old you would assume, but even your knowledge about your age seemed fuzzy. You had no clue where you were, nor any idea of what type of room you could be in. The monitors and moving lines with long spikes didn't drag your attention away. Nor did the enclosing white walls around you. The bleach-colored bedding didn't bother you much either. It was only you and the quiet, kind redheaded woman before you.
It felt like a dream. But you wished it wouldn't end up like that.
The inside of the car stayed completely still, a serrated atmosphere creeping into the back. The redhead persisted that her acquaintances joined her, and she got her way in the end. [Name], however, kept their eyes strained to the rushing world outside the window, not looking back at their higher-up. Yet, without even looking, they could just see her cocky grin.
The alluring eyes of their superior burned into the back of their head as they quickly swung their head at her already feeling fed up with the uneven peace inside the vehicle. They knew this was what she wanted, but the sharp silence was becoming even physically painful for them.
"And why are you even dragging me along?" snapped the annoyed Devil Hunter.
"Because I think we need to hang out more," answered the woman who so diligently smiled.
"That's childish. I don't want to be around you."
"But you're still here so we might as well get this done with."
"Why would you bring me along? You can handle this on your own, I know you don't need help."
"Yes, that is true. But I haven't seen you handle a Devil in so long. I'm wanting to see how far you have come." She looked at [Name] curiously.
[Name] knew where she was getting at. It has been ages since their boss saw them take down a Devil. Yet her sudden interest in it seemed very odd and annoying. Makima was trying to get close again which irritated [Name] even more once coming to the realization.
But they kept their cool, they never were one to display what they felt on their face, yet their actions could be a dead giveaway which might be what Makima was looking for as she looked up and down at the assistant.
The car stopped suddenly just before the light redhead could speak.
"Oh, we're here," observed the female with no hesitation.
She turned her head to the acquaintance, smiling pleasantly. But [Name] knew all too well this face of hers was just a ruse. She's used it on multiple people, and it never disappointed her, besides those few who knew her well enough to know.
The pair walked out of their respective sides of the car as the driver up front also exited the vehicle. The shortly planned trio walked out over to the almost abandoned building where the supposed Devil reported was hiding. However, for such a loud complaint the area was stiffly silent.
Barely any breeze and it was kind of cold. Nothing to bother the three besides the bloody mess and tattered human corpses sprained all across the floor. Neither did any of the three Hunters flinch or grimace at the sight. It was common so nothing new was shown to their eyes.
"Someone beat us to the punch." The woman's focused gaze slowly lifted to the shirtless individual ahead of them deep inside the mayhem.
The driver commented on the matter, noting its weirdly shaped head. A lot like a chainsaw. "Looks like that one there is still alive."
The cunning woman began walking slowly to the suspicious being. No one moved to stop her. What would be the point? She was known to be unstoppable. And she knew what she was doing.
She paced up to the chainsaw being before stopping right in front of it. Commenting on its scent. It was neither human nor Devil. But all she did was smile at the Devil-looking creature's massacre.
"So then, this your handy work?" asked the woman smiling curiously.
But all the chainsaw did was fall backward as it groaned and whispered in desperation to be held. And so, she answered. Before the individual could fall the smaller woman grasped onto it, holding them in a hug before its face melted off, revealing a more human head underneath.
The other Devil Hunters in the back stayed quiet as they watched. Nothing came to mind of the driver beside his honest trust in the woman to decide the best decision. However, [Name] questioned the situation. Someone neither Devil nor human? Reminded them of an old discourse long ago. It almost felt like a childhood memory that they were merely clinging onto.
"Is there any indication that he has been possessed?" asked the man.
The young woman answered in disagreement to the man's question as she continued to simper at the blond who held a puzzled expression on his face. He had no clue what the hell was going on. He could only feel the warm hands around his waist.
And as the female brought the boy down, clarifying her profession and target for the Zombie Devil. She lowered him onto her lap, holding his head up by her hand.
"Either you die by my hand as a depraved Devil. Or you let me keep you as a human being," offered the cold yet radiating woman.
As she bribed the boy with food, he hastily agreed to be her pet. [Name] almost flinched at the thought that another one has fallen under her influence. Might as well be keeping a checklist of these types of things. Don't want to lose count.
She helped the boy up, bringing him over to the others. She looked over at the hatted man. "Get the car started, will you?"
She then turned her head and smiled kindly to her assistant before requesting a deed. "Please, clean him up. We have some towels in the back."
[Name] nodded curtly before Makima handed the Devil-human kid over. He followed them to the back of the car, staying silent and ever so observant. [Name] opened the trunk as they scoured for the towels. Once brought into view they swiftly picked up the lightly tanned cloth and began wiping down the boy. They stayed gentle but vigilant. They kept a frowned, nonchalant expression as the boy stayed wide-eyed at the helpful humans around him, dumbfounded by the sudden kindness.
Down the waist. Over the arms. Up the legs.
Once the blood and flesh seemed to be gone and the boy was almost spotless, they wrapped up the towel and threw it back into the truck. They closed it before escorting the boy back into the automobile.
Makima requested for their new guest to take the window seat as [Name], unbothered by the change, sat up in the front. The car ride was enjoyable at the most. [Name] was happy to hear some conversation in the car even if it was between a victimizer and their now newly owned pet.
As their conversation continued, they could tell the boy was thrown once she brought up him being her dog. He could see it too. She was scary. Hell, no one thought of anything else when bringing up words to describe her.
The Devil-human's name was revealed to be Denji, which [Name] found curiously to liking.
The pair's conversations continued as Denji's stomach growled again. But even with the redhead's offer of going somewhere to eat he denied it because of his lack of money. Though his ears perked up once she brought up paying for it herself.
[Name] felt bad for him. He probably was homeless before all of this. He just looked like it: Hungry. Willing to go with random strangers. Lack of clothing. It all just connected for them.
The ring-eyed woman gleefully handed her coat to him, bringing up his lack of a top. He seemed amazed by her sudden gift to him. He was definitely homeless.
It wasn't long till [Name] brought their thoughts to the clouds as the car ride continued. They didn't know how long they ended up daydreaming before they finally got to their stop. Makima forced them back to reality as she pulled herself between the two front seats and smiled softly at her current sidekick.
"Time to come back, [Name]. We're here." Despite the soft tone in her voice, they still woke up unnoticeably startled.
[Name] slowly rolled their head, leaning back against the car seat, groaning as they opened the door, already forgetting what they had thought of and having the lingering feeling it was just getting good. Makima giggled quietly at their visible frustration.
The four of them made it to the front desk. The driver stayed to the side on watch as the other three looked at the menus in desperation for something to harness their starvation.
The blond got plain udon and a sausage whilst the famous redhead decided on some curry udon. [Name] didn't care so they grabbed some plain udon too.
Denji suddenly became dizzy and fell directly onto Makima's chest, leaving [Name] behind them in the center cringing.
After Denji apologized, explaining his amount of blood was low, Makima inquired about his ability to become a Devil. He speedily summarized he had a pet Devil that had replaced his heart. He seemed shocked to have now noticed the love that his pet had for him to sacrifice his life so he could continue his, as his hand lay out in front of him, almost to touch something.
[Name], despite being behind the two, seemingly not caring, had the most perplexed expression they ever had made. Taken aback they were but this was beyond anything they ever heard of from someone else. A Devil caring for a human's life was rare but not impossible and they knew that. [Name] really wanted to know more about their relationships and compare but it felt too invasive at the moment, he still seemed to be grieving. That however didn't stop [Name] to think of a couple of possibilities of how they met. But they were so deep into thought until being pulled back once Makima patted their shoulder and walked past them, getting their attention.
Makima, speaking aloud to her small audience, pointed out her keen capability of smell as she walked away to face the two beings, one intrigued and the other already knowledgeable of this.
She mentions Denji not emitting a human or Devil's scent. Being right in between or far off the chart. It was so rare it is currently unknown of a name or title. [Name] was all for Devil-human, plain and simple. But Makima ignored their weakly raised hand and intruded comment as she continued to satisfy Denji by sensing his beloved pet inside of him, a body part of it hanging out from his chest.
It weirded out [Name] but this job was weird, and Denji seemed pleased, so they decided to not pay mind to it. Plus, their interest still daunted them of how any of this was, well, feasible.
Once again Denji fell unconscious and began toppling forward. [Name] instinctively grabbed onto the guest, catching him just before he could get a rough concussion, as they pulled his arm over their shoulder and balanced him against their side.
"Nice catch, [Name]," complimented Makima. The sweet-looking woman grinned at the cat-like reflexes their acquaintance had.
[Name] ignored her as they brought the unconscious Devil-human to a table. Makima asked them to lay his head on her lap. [Name] could easily tell what she was planning as they did so at her request. Uncomfortable, yes, but Makima would have done it herself anyways. Plus, the boy seemed like he needed cushioning.
The food soon arrived yet the cloaked being still hadn't woken up. [Name] quickly ate their meal and so did Makima. They began talking as they sat across from each other, a soft tension between the two.
"So, [Name], what do you think of Denji?" questioned Makima ignoring the fact the boy was right underneath her chin.
"...I don't know." They only just met, plus they never even had a chance to talk to the kid.
"You are welcome to talk to him if you wish. I won’t go against it."
[Name] hates it when she phrases her words like she controls and has to approve of every action they do. But she doesn't and she knows that.
"I don't like to talk unless necessary. You know that."
"Yes, but you might interact with Denji more in the future. So at least make a new friend," grinned the woman so helplessly.
[Name] shrugged. What good did it do anyway? They worked alone, most of the time. That was almost always the main focus of their job, working alone and watching.
But soon the conversation was broken as the blond suddenly awoke and lunged forward in confusion. He was devasted for his udon. He went to go eat it, but his stomach made noise once more before turning over to the two who seemed almost like Gods to him.
"Can I please dig in?" asked the boy courteously.
Makima answered, as [Name] got up to bring their dishes to the counter to be returned. "Sure. I have to ask though, think you're really up to it?"
Once [Name] returned, they were disgustedly greeted to Denji being fed by her hand. He was already submitting to her like a damned dog. The sudden encounter brought some bad thoughts and feelings to [Name] as they clawed at the lingering flashbacks of repeated memories.
They, however, repressed the thoughts as they trudged back over to the table, an emotionless frown kept on their face.
"You guys are insufferable," remarked [Name].
Denji obliviously slurped up the soggy udon noodle as he looked back and forth between the two higher-ups, noticing their uneasy energy.
Makima simply smiled at their response as she replied with an eerie tone that only [Name] could feel from her voice. "Don't be jealous. I can feed you too if you like. Just like how it used to be."
An uncomfortable yet almost bittersweet stabbing pain snaked through their legs and up their spine as [Name] kept their poker face and shook their head.
Conversations continued between the Devil-human and the infamous Devil Hunter. [Name] stayed quiet between the pair. The car trip was the same, quiet with small talk between the two persistent people in the back.
Unexpectedly, Denji asked those in front of the car a question. "Hey, um, what do you do?"
The two ignored him assuming he was asking Makima something. Yet someone suddenly grabbed onto [Name]'s upper arm and shook it lightly. They turned their head quickly to the back seeing an interested expression on Denji's face.
"What do you do?" repeated Denji.
[Name] was taken aback by the sudden curiosity from the boy. Their response, however, was simple and short. "Same as Makima. Devil Hunting."