Chapter Text
Another day, another bill to pay. That's the first thought the girl had in mind at least once a week. But right now, she was lucky she had enough money to spend on the bills and food. Sometimes she didn't even mind eating anything in particular, being satisfied with plain, simple, scarce and often tasteless stuff. She was used to that lifestyle, actually! Her family was so numerous that oftentimes there would not be enough food for everyone. All the siblings always ended up discussing who would sacrifice their empty tummy for the sake of the rest, it was truly a sad thought, but they were everything they had back then. Just themselves, trying to survive in a world full of danger. If it wasn't the people that wanted to hurt the family, it were the devils that lurked around the small town they lived in.
But at least now, Kobeni Higashiyama had moved on from those times. Only to come back there, this time with no family to care for.
Kobeni moved out to Tokyo after collecting enough money for herself in secret, since her parents usually demanded every single yen anyone within her siblings had. But that money couldn't go unnoticed for long. When her parents found out about her plan, they almost broke into a fight. Eventually Kobeni managed to calm them down, telling them that it was for the best that she left the house. After a while, they were convinced and let her travel to Tokyo... but under one condition: Sending them money over for the sake of her "gifted brother". The girl knew her brother was just an excuse, her parents only wanting the money for themselves. Even if he was the actual reason for the money, she was sure he was being used as a money-maker tool too. Well, this might have as well been the only exit she had to that life, so she accepted and left her town. Ever since that day, Kobeni never saw the face of any family members. Her sisters and brothers, her parents and anyone she had ever known were left behind, only remaining in her memories.
That's enough. She can't keep living in the past! Well, not that the present was much more different. Still! Her focus should now only rest on getting more income.
Once she arrived at Tokyo, Kobeni knew she had a million more opportunities of independence here than in her home town. What she failed to realize was the surprising amount of competence behind her. Tons of people wanting to participate in this society, it made it too difficult to keep up with her new future life. And to make it worse, Kobeni was not exactly what the market called for. Reserved, shy, socially awkward, anxious... those were the sole reasons so many jobs turned her down. If she couldn't keep the customers comfortable, there were no opportunities left for her. It was then that she thought hard about it, and a scary thought crossed through her brain: Sexual worker, or the infamous Public Safety Devil Hunter position. Two options that made her tremble. She would definitely not choose option one. Selling herself like that... What would her family think? What would she think of herself? Not to mention the dangers it brought. At least it wasn't as dangerous as option two, which was a verified death sentence. Devil Hunters at her home town never made it past two months inside the job, their fate always sealed by a heartless devil screaming for blood and death of all humans. In fact, that was how almost one of her sisters died. She was saved by a colleague who, in an attempt to avoid her death, sacrificed himself in order to let her live. She was so moved when she heard the story, it reminded her a lot about her childhood too.
Alright! Enough is enough! Point is, Kobeni finally opted for becoming a Devil Hunter in Public Safety. It was a hard decision, but she figured living a sentenced life was better than a life full of misery for years on end. Besides, Devil Hunters weren't exactly needed to appease any kind of customer. All they had to do was get rid of devils either by killing or capturing them. The risk of perishing after one is said to be painfully high, but the salary is another thing to talk about. Of course putting your life on the line brings some sort of benefit to it, with a single paycheck being worth two whole months of rent and other expensive necessities. As long as you had the guts, you were in for the job. And Kobeni was barely brave enough for it, her motivations keeping her on track.
Once hired at Public Safety, she was positioned as a Rookie recruit under the commands of Himeno, another experienced Devil Hunter. Himeno was tasked with training Kobeni, whose demure attitude often made her a target for pranks and laughs. It did bother her at first, but she got used to it and learned that she can't back up now that she got blessed (or cursed) with such a job. Her first months in Public Safety weren't all that bad either, she got coupled with another newbie, Hirokazu Arai, who was also under the commands of Himeno. They both usually trained and patrolled together, where Arai demonstrated being fit for the job, more than Kobeni could ever be. Even then, Arai always tried to get her feelings up when she was at her lowest. That made her happy, knowing someone outside her family actually cared about her.
And still that didn't last long.
There was this particular mission in which Himeno's team was tasked to participate in. Kobeni thought nothing about it at first, only seeing it as an usual trip to kill a malicious devil inside a tall building. Except, this time it was different. She knew devils fed themselves with the fear of humans to make themselves stronger, so she had to avoid being frightened. Oh, such an easy thing to say yet hard thing to do. Kobeni was terrified of tons of things. Let it be spiders, cockroaches, public speaking, failure, you name it. And yet there was something so common and simple that she could not handle, something many people were used to, or more like something people have to get used to in a world full of devils. Loneliness. And was it a surprise when the Isolation Devil was the one that had to be defeated! Its power? Apparently it could isolate everyone's minds into their own, a completely pitch black place where no one except you stayed there. The scene that the devil left around was atrocious: lots and lots of people in their own apartments, entire families and friends being unconscious on the floor. It looked like a nightmare, Kobeni almost thought they were dead! Himeno quickly explained that they might be trapped into their own minds, but for some of them that was too late. People completely overtaken by the devil's power were actually dead, consumed by the desperation of not being alone. Their own brains betrayed them, killing them on the spot. Kobeni was shocked to a point she refused going further with the mission, asking permission for retreat. However, that was useless. When she turned around, the devil was just there. A giant blob of flesh, looking kind of like a comically large plate of spaghetti with several eyes of all sizes everywhere, extended one of its limbs and laid it on Kobeni's forehead. In that instant she shut her eyes close, and when she opened them again about five seconds later, everything around her was nothing but a black void containing her. She tried screaming for help, but there was no answer. Heck, there was no sound either. She doubted she was seeing anything too, maybe it wasn't just a dark place, but rather she was unable to percieve anything around her. She covered her mouth, and slightly poked her own eyes to check if they were still there. Her body remained the same, her mind didn't.
Kobeni was unaware of how much time had passed already, and the last thing she remembered was herself laying down on the empty abyss that was the ground, completely given up at this point with her eyes closed and tears still running down her cheeks. A sudden muted sound appeared to call her name, it was distant yet it kept calling until it became louder and louder. The next thing she knew when she opened her eyes was Arai frantically shaking her while Himeno stood beside him, eyeing the giant corpse of a devil left behind.
The weekend went by. Kobeni still had frequent nightmares involving the encounter with the devil from the last mission, sometimes not being able to stop thinking about the situation. She should have known better, she repeated in her head. The Devil Hunter job was not suitable for anyone. The only reason she was serving as a Devil Hunter was because there were no options left (or rather, not so pleasant ones) that let her live a good enough life. Probably, if she had to think about it, the only good outcome from this job was the somewhat cheap devil contract she managed to get due to her already miserable persona. Those devil powers gifted her insane agility skills, a good use in hand-to-hand combats against enemies. She had yet to demonstrate its use, too, it could have worked on the Isolation Devil if it wasn't for the enclosed space and sudden appearance of the creature in said place.
Speaking of which, that devil reminded her of what she is now: lonely. Sure she did have coworkers to hang out with... but most of the time she did not have the energy nor time to spend with them. Her family? Not even living close by. Friends...? Maybe Arai could be considered one? Himeno was another story, pretty impulsive and totally a bad influence for her standards.
She did not enjoy being alone. And the thought of it made her sick to the stomach. She missed her family so much, she had sent four postcards up until now explaining how her life had been in these past six months, and also got on calls with them when she had the opportunity to make them. Her promise was still there too, a certain amount of money was sent directly to her parents each month. At first they demanded more, not being able to even say a simple 'Thank you'. Eventually they stopped asking their daughter about a larger amount of funds after they were repeatedly ignored by her.
Right. That also reminded her of another thing. Technically, this weekend was the one where she gets her paycheck plus bonus for the Isolation Devil mission. It took a long, long night to consider it, but she finally came to a conclusion...
She turned in her resignation the next morning.
Kobeni didn't want to think about what the others would say about it. But she's sure it was the best decision she has made. Not only was she a mess at that last mission, her performance in general for half a year could be seen as mediocre by lots of other Devil Hunters. Well, at least she won't have to worry about dying in her job anymore. That being said, now she needs a new one.
Three months. Kobeni was unable to find a new job for three months. She still had some amount of money left from her previous one, being able to live off well for about one and a half months. It could have gone better if she didn't send money over to her parents this time, nor if she didn't decide to spend so much money on ice cream too. Not only it made her insanely happy, it also helped with the terrifying thoughts about her lonely life, her economic status and even those constant nightmares she still has. It was the addiction she needed: simple, sweet and soft. That did not stop her wallet from crying for help though. Kobeni managed to pull through the next half of the month and the one following it, barely. Now in a critical situation, she was about to give up and return to her family home, away from Tokyo. That meant leaving all of these personal growth opportunities behind, returning to a life she feels conflicted about. A part of her yearns for seeing her siblings again, the other begs to stay here and continue her new life, even during these hard times.
Yesterday Kobeni sold some of her possessions at a pawnshop to get a little bit more money. It wasn't as much as she expected, but any amount of yen she could possibly get felt like a gift to her. She just hoped she didn't have to sell her car yet...
This morning she opted for cooking a small portion of plain white rice. It wasn't the worst meal ever, but it certainly was not good. She ate while thinking between her family and Tokyo. She wondered how his older brother was doing, soon he would enroll in college with her money. It would be half a lie if Kobeni said she didn't mind that, since she literally risked her life on the daily for around six months straight to get it. Although, that didn't mean her brother didn't deserve those studies. He is a hard worker afterall, college would pay off all his efforts and his life will be a dream come true. She just wished that was the case, and not that her parents were actually keeping the money for themselves.
After finishing eating, Kobeni washed the dishes and proceeded to change her pajamas into her casual wear: a crimson red T-shirt with a light orange and white stripes pattern, and a pair of black sweatpants with her old gray shoes below.
Outside was a really nice weather, not too windy yet not too cold, with the sun casting its warm brightness over the streets of the city. Kobeni wanted to take a moment to enjoy herself during these times of stress, so she left her apartment and began strolling aimlessly by the streets. Barely any people could be seen walking outside, the streets only getting busier the further she left her apartment behind. While walking through the city, she began considering yet again going back to her parents', contemplating her now ruined future in Tokyo and how leaving may be the best option. Well, was it though? Would her parents just take her in again now? Suddenly, Kobeni remembered she wasn't completely screwed up, since there was still an option sealed at the back of her mind, an option she's been ignoring since the beginning. Becoming a sexual worker could get her out of this crappy life right now...
The girl suddenly tripped on something soft and lost balance, falling face-first into the pavement. She moved her head up slightly, still dazed from the fall, and managed to focus her blurry vision into a mostly white figure. Kobeni sat up, rubbed her eyes and spotted a cat staring at her. It was a white cat with a pair of black colored ears, as well as a black tailtip and a small black stripe running down from the top of its head to its neck. It meowed frantically at her, as if trying to catch her attention. Kobeni just stared at it for a few seconds, then reached out her arm to pet the kitty. It recoiled though, but never completely left her behind. It kept meowing at Kobeni for a bit more, which confused the girl.
"...What is it you want me to do?" She subconsciously asked the cat, as if actually expecting an answer coming back from it. Instead, the feline padded away from her, stopping a few meters by and resuming the meows. To this, Kobeni stood up and began following the creature, partly because she was curious about what its purpose was, and because she wanted to pet it badly.
They kept walking through the streets until the cat reached an alleyway. It was dark and hidden, a place no one would try to check out. It didn't lead anywhere in particular, it was filled with trash containers and random wooden structures, presumably construction resources. The kitty entered the place and Kobeni followed behind. 'Is it lost? Is it trying to get home? Or maybe it has a litter to care for?' Kobeni thought as she got further and further in the alley. There was a point she couldn't even see properly due to the lack of light in there.
The cat meowed a final time, now sitting on one of the containers and licking itself clean. Kobeni just looked at it confused, now aware that she followed a random cat to a random place as if there was actually a purpose behind it. It was certainly just a cat. Well, cats usually don't have evil goals, do they? Leading her to an empty and dark place was totally not sketchy for a cat.
However, those thoughts came to an end when a strong force pinned her body against a brick wall, a pity yelp escaping her mouth. Her own arms were locked onto the wall by other arms much, much more stronger than hers.
"Human!" A raspy yet incredibly loud feminine voice yelled behind her ears. "You may live if you hand down your possessions of value to me! 'Tis an order!"
Kobeni trembled from head to toe while letting out short squeaks of terror. Great. Just what she needed, a thief wanting to steal... What, exactly? She didn't have anything valuable on her. It was embarrassing, actually.
She answered with a soft and nervous tone. Tears already forming in the corner of her eyes. "I- I do-... don't have any...thing you want..."
The thief behind her immediatly didn't believe her, but giving a better look at the girl, she noticed she wasn't even carrying any sort of bag or purse. Her pants were seemingly pocketless too, and she was also empty handed, which infuriated the thief more.
'Really, is this some kind of vicious joke?' The thief thought. She let go of Kobeni's hold and cleaned her hands with her clothes. "Such a pitiful human. Even I, a devil, shall spare your worthless life. Nyako! 'Tis an awful work you made!" She finished saying, turning towards the cat now known as Nyako, who meowed in response to the devil's complaint.
Wait, a devil? A devil trying to steal from Kobeni!?
The girl adjusted her eyes to the supposed devil, now noticing some new feautures in the darkness. It wasn't an actual devil. Well, it did not look like one. These were known as fiends, devils in possession of a corpse. She learned that during her training as a Public Safety Devil Hunter, some fiends were recluted to work besides humans. Usually fiends were taken care of just like devils were, but some of them were also really useful as hunters. The reason? Fiends weren't nearly as strong as in their real devil form, so they were less of a problem and more prone to consider offers that kept them alive. This particular fiend looked like a young woman with really long and messy pinkish blonde hair, with two small scarlet red horns protruding at the top. Moving her eyes to her face feautures, she noticed the distinct shape of her iris, it being resembled as a yellow and red circle with a cross in the middle. There was something questionable about her outfit, though.
"...A-Are you from Public Safety?" Kobeni dared to shyly ask, pointing at her uniform. She was pretty sure it was from Public Safety since it looked almost exactly like the one she used to own. Said uniform the fiend was wearing was a dirty white shirt adorned with a crooked black tie, and a pair of black loose pants. It made sense if she answered with yes since she was a fiend, but at the same time it wouldn't. A fiend all alone by a dark and creepy alley? With no one else but a cat?? A cat that is an accomplice that lures people here for the fiend to steal from??? The more she thought about it, the less sense it made.
But the fiend only growled before her. "Shush, human! 'Tis none of your business. The great Power allowed your freedom, thus you must take it or face consequences!"
Kobeni gasped lightly. "Power...?" She repeated.
"Power, well yes. That's the name humans fear the most. Everyone shall treat the Blood Fiend with the respect I deserve!!" Power declared, a fist triumphally up in the air. "Now, bow before your superior!!!" She pointed dramatically at an anxious Kobeni, who began trembling yet again.
Defenseless, Kobeni just froze in place for a few seconds out of fear. She had completely forgotten she was spared from the devil's hands.
Power groaned, annoyed at this. Usually devils enjoy watching humans' misery, but this human... it is different. As much as the fiend enjoyed her look of shock and terror, it quickly grew boring and repetitive. Her victims always ran away the moment they had the opportunity to do so, or even tried to attack the fiend in a way of self-defense (of course, to no avail against such a strong devil). This girl did not try anything at all, as if she had given up. Did she not have anything to lose? Those kinds of humans were always said to be the most dangerous ones... and to Power, dangerous meant useful. Now she craved more than just terrorizing the world. And thinking about the whole situation she encountered herself in, it gave her a brilliant (to devil standards) idea. "I may grant you a proposition."
"Huh?" Kobeni stuttered, confused.
"As a devil, my ultimate goal is to witness humanity suffer or perish a painful fate." She rubbed her chin with a smug look plastered on her face. "But perhaps I might try different methods of torture to apply on them."
"Huuhhh????"
Power took Nyako and placed it on her chest, hugging it tight while petting its head. "I wish to indulge in illegal activities in order to entertain myself out of humans' misery. Thus, you must serve as my subordinate. Allow me to use your puny existence in favor of these errands."
Kobeni didn't say anything, she was too busy processing the words that left the fiend's mouth. Ridiculous. What she just said was completely absurd, so much so that it almost sounded insulting. It reminded her of some kind of silly cartoon trope. Her?? Out of all people, Kobeni? Participating in lawbreaking acts that could potentially go wrong at any time... with a fiend, nonetheless. This devil had a screw loose for sure. She wanted Kobeni as a tool for her own sins. It took about a minute to come up with a conclusion. Not because it was difficult to agree, but because Kobeni needed to build up some courage to what might happen next.
She took a deep breath before giving her answer. "...I... refuse..."
Power's devilish smirk faded, replaced by a disappointed frown instead. "'Tis an order, human. I am commanding you to join me as my partner-in-crime."
The girl's body shivered for a couple seconds. "You said proposition..."
"Did not!" The fiend argued loudly, dropping Nyako back on the ground. She slowly approached Kobeni. "You will obey me." She growled, materializing a sharp blood knife from her wrist and pointing at her with it.
Kobeni flinched at the sudden movement Power made with her knife. Sweat was starting to run through her forehead, then she knew she had no escape from this, her only choice was to accept the devil's 'request'.
"...Alright. I will assist you." She replied, though it came out as a broken whisper. "So please, put that thing away."
Power melted the blood knife back into her own arm. Then, she lifted that same arm and placed it over Kobeni's shoulders, grinning in excitement. "'Tis nice to make business with you, human! An offer like this is not given to anyone, you know?"
"I- I thought it was an order?"
"Lies!" The devil backed up, arms crossed. "Now, you shall guide me to your den."
"My apartment!?" She exclaimed, now stressed over Power's true intentions. "Wuh- why!?"
There was no response coming from the fiend this time. Just a menacing look that replaced all the words that were needed. Kobeni instantly knew what that meant.
The girl sighed. "Alright. Follow me..." They both exited the alleyway, Nyako padding between Power's legs, as the girls headed to Kobeni's place. It was a rather silent walk, with the occasional meows and purrs coming from both the fiend and the cat, as if they were communicating and understanding their own language. In the meantime, Kobeni was occupied with her thoughts yet again. Bringing a devil inside her home seemed too dangerous, but she knew she had no choice now. Well, most importantly, what about her financial status!? She can't afford maintaining a devil and an evil cat under the same roof, can she!? And the delinquency she is forcefully dragged into!!?? The last thing she wants is to end up in prison! She's far too nice to do this kind of stuff. As soon as Power finds her useless, she will be disposed, either dead or alive. Kobeni still wasn't completely sure about the fiend's purpose, but did not risk to find out. For now, her only worry should be keeping herself alive.
Still, Kobeni promised herself she would find a way out of this situation.