AN: Hello! I'm back from my writing sabbatical.
Sorry, I haven't provided any updates or chapters, but I wanted to take a break from writing and simply enjoy some reading and other hobbies. Now that I'm back, I will start writing more updates for this story.
As for my other story, In The MCU With Atom Eve's Powers, I will not come back to that one just yet. I will be focusing on my Chainsaw Man story for now.
Without further ado, let's get on with the chapter!
——
"No! I refuse to bathe!"
"Get in the damn bath."
Denji groaned as he pushed his and Aki's new roommate, Power, into the bathroom. "You're not allowed to leave until you get rid of that terrible smell."
"Our contract states that I be your ally, not that I will listen to your demands! Now release me!" Power fought back; her enhanced strength from being a Fiend allowed her to manage to push Denji back slightly.
"Doesn't matter. If you're going to live with us, you have to be clean! And I swear, if you don't start flushing the toilet, I'm going to take all of Nyāko's treats!"
"Huh!? How dare you!" Power glared at Denji and shoved his face back with her hand. "Do that, and you'll suffer my wrath!"
Aki watched on with a deadpan expression as both of his roommates fell to the ground and began to wrestle. He felt a headache creeping into his temples, and were it not for Makima saying she trusted him more than anyone else, he would have thrown Power out the moment she busted down his door.
"Why me?" Aki muttered and rubbed his face as Denji was kicked in the face.
"Victory for Power!"
"Victory, my ass! Get in the bathroom!"
Turning around, Aki would leave the handling of Power to Denji. After all, the young blonde was the one who had insisted that Power wasn't a threat and should be given the opportunity to prove herself. As such, she was now his problem to deal with.
As he stepped into the kitchen to continue preparing dinner, Aki heard the sounds of grunting and screaming in the background. As the aroma of his curry filled the apartment, a splash of water and a yell of victory echoed from the bathroom.
He let out a miserable sigh and looked over to the table in the living room where several of Denji's study materials sat. The books were made for kindergarten to elementary school students. The books mainly covered basic history and the Japanese language.
Fundamental and common knowledge that any ordinary student should have learned.
"Ever since I was seven years old, I worked tirelessly to pay off a debt that wasn't mine. If I didn't, the Yakuza would have killed me." Denji's words echoed in the examination room.
Aki frowned at the thought and nearly cut his finger while he was slicing an onion. He cursed himself for having lost focus.
After reducing the heat, Aki walked to the bathroom and surveyed the mess that Denji and Power had caused. He glanced at the tub and saw Power scowling as she sat there while Denji shampooed her hair. The hybrid's face was covered in cuts.
"I shall remember this," Power hissed as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Good. Then you should be able to do this on your own next time," Denji, who was soaked in water, sighed and frowned as his hands worked through the built-up dust and grime in Power's hair. "Has no one shown you how to properly clean yourself?"
"I have no need for useless things such as cleaning and washing myself to appease you humans. I am not a human. I am Power!" Power said, but she unconsciously leaned into Denji's hands as he scrubbed her scalp, secretly enjoying the sensation of her scalp being scrubbed.
Aki frowned and looked away.
In his mind, a memory flashed of himself washing his little brother's hair.
"You should know how to wash your hair by now, Taiyo! How long are you going to be a useless kid?" A young Aki said in frustration as he meticulously scrubbed his brother's hair.
"I know how to do it… I just like how you do it, big brother," Taiyo said with a small smile.
"Dinner will be ready soon. When you're done, clean up this mess," Aki said coldly and walked back into the kitchen.
"There wouldn't be a mess if you had helped," Denji called out, but Aki didn't reply.
Denji sighed and turned back to Power. He reached over and grabbed the shower head to rinse off the soap from her hair. As he worked, his eyes turned to her bare shoulders and then to her body, which was submerged in the bath's water. Luckily for him, he managed to get Power to wrap a towel around her torso to cover her private areas.
Easy, this is Power we're talking about. No need to get excited or anything over her. Denji thought with a sigh and focused on finishing his task. She's like a child. So I have to watch over her… still, I wonder if this is what it's like to have had a sibling.
"There. Your hair is all done, just finish up cleaning yourself and drain the water when you're done. Think you can handle that?" Denji asked as he stood to his feet.
"Such menial matters are below me!" Power said with a huff.
"Oh yeah, well then I guess you're not as great and capable as you said you were then," Denji sighed. "It looks like the Blood Fiend isn't as powerful as I thought."
"Heresy! Just watch me! I'll be cleaner than you and the one with the top knot!" Power said, then stood to remove her towel and finish cleaning herself.
Luckily for Denji, he had left the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Despite understanding that Power had a child-like mentality, her body was that of a young woman.
Even Denji, who in his other life grew up to be 18 years old, wasn't experienced in anything involving the other sex. He hadn't even had a girlfriend. So seeing a naked young woman around his age wouldn't do him any good, especially considering he was physically 16 years old and at the highest point of being attracted to the opposite sex.
It's no wonder that Makima weaponized her body against the original Denji. He wasn't as emotionally mature or intelligent enough to understand what she was doing. Add in his raging teenage hormones, and it was no wonder he was nothing but putty to be molded by her. Denji thought as he felt his own body heat up at seeing Power's body. Raising a fist, he punched himself on the cheek, instantly dispersing any lewd thoughts from his head. I need to focus. I have to ignore stuff like that and focus on changing the future. My future.
"Better go change," Denji said and walked into his room to remove his wet clothes.
-=C-S-M=-
The following day, after an eventful breakfast in which Power pissed Aki off by making a mess with her food, Denji and Power changed into their Devil Hunter uniforms and began their morning patrol. After a few uneventful hours, Denji was approached by a fellow Devil Hunter as he and Power were eating skewered meat at a local park.
"Excuse me, Makima-san has asked me to bring you to her," The Devil Hunter said, her tired eyes landing on Denji apathetically. "Please head over to Headquarters as soon as possible. I'll accompany your Buddy."
Denji frowned, but nodded nonetheless. He turned to Power, who was chewing on her food while glaring at the Hunter, and patted her head.
"Behave,"
"Never!"
After wishing the Hunter good luck, Denji left the park and began his short journey through the city. As he walked past all those out in the streets, Denji couldn't help but clench his hands in his pockets.
If I remember correctly, this should be around the time Makima will ask me to defeat the Gun Devil. Denji thought, his eyes briefly turning down to see several mice staring at him in a nearby alley. I have to be careful about how I handle this conversation.
After twenty minutes, Denji finally arrived at the Tokyo Devil Hunters Headquarters. After receiving directions from Makima's secretary, he walked up to the administrative floor and entered a large office filled with books and documents. Several desks and chairs sat empty with half-finished coffee cups on their surfaces, enveloping the space with the smell of roasted beans.
"Denji-kun, over here," Makima said, he hands folded behind her as she turned away from the window she was staring into. The warm rays of light from the setting sun bathed her figure. "Unfortunately, I had to pull you away from your patrol due to the fact that I need you to look over the property damage reports from the Bat and Leech Devil incidents. But don't worry, I'll help guide you through them."
Denji gulped and shook his head at the sight. Time to lock in.
Sitting down, Denji squinted at the piles of documents before him. All of which were in Japanese. This wouldn't be so bad if these were in English, but then that would raise the question of how an uneducated orphan learned how to read and speak English. He thought as he tried to read one of the forms.
Unfortunately, his studies in learning to read Japanese were progressing slowly, leaving him able to recognize only a few characters and words.
Standing behind him, Makima smiled as she watched Denji struggle to read the forms. Leaning forward so as to rub shoulders with Denji, Makima spoke into his ear.
"This is the property damage report. It goes over all of the damage from your fight with the Bat and Leech Devils and the repairs that will be needed. Here, I went ahead and created a hanko stamp for you," Makima said as she placed down a small carriage that held a thin tube with what Denji assumed was the kanji for his name. "I'll guide you through the paperwork, all you'll have to do is apply your stamp as we go. Okay?"
"Yeah… got it," Denji said as he inspected his stamp.
Over the next half hour, Makima guided Denji through several stacks of forms, each one going over all the necessary paperwork and procedures in handling the aftermath of a Devil's appearance and battle.
While that in itself was so bad for Denji to deal with, boring as it was, he had to focus on ignoring Makima invading his personal space.
Damn it! She smells nice! Denji roared in his head as Makima's face was barely a foot away. Stay strong! This is all part of her plan! Don't let her win!
Deciding to focus his attention on the paperwork he couldn't read, Denji slowly leaned away from Makima.
An action that didn't go unnoticed by her.
"Hm? Are you okay, Denji-kun? You must be tired of all this paperwork. It must feel like you're being punished for defeating the Bat and the Leech," Makima said as she placed her hand on Denji's shoulder.
"Nope! I'm good! I just… need to stretch!" Denji quickly jumped from his chair and made some space between himself and Makima.
Makima frowned as she watched Denji go through a few stretches, each one releasing a soft pop as he moved. Her frown didn't last as a small smile overtook her face. "I believe a break is in order. As a reward for doing such a good job handling the Bat and the Leech, allow me to treat you to some food. You can even think of this… as a date."
"Nah, I'm good,"
Makima blinked, and her carefully crafted smile, a smile which would have easily bewitched anyone else, faded away.
Denji ignored her and sat back down to continue applying his signature. "Aki is making Yakisoba tonight, so I'll have to pass. How about a rain check?" He said as he lifted a new form. "What's this one for?"
"…that's from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport," Makima said.
"That so? Well, what's it say?" Denji said as he tried to read the form himself, only to fail once again.
Eventually, Denji finished going over all the necessary documents and bade farewell to Makima, who struggled to understand what had just happened.
From the window of her office, she watched as Denji left Headquarters. "He wasn't swayed by me. That… shouldn't have happened," Makima muttered as she watched Denji leave the premises. "This isn't what I predicted."
Makima closed her eyes and continued watching Denji through the eyes of any nearby birds or mice in the city. Deciding to leave him be, at least for now, she slowly opened her ringed eyes and stared out at the city with displeasure.
"I have to rethink my approach,"
Down below in the dark streets of Tokyo, Denji, after making sure there wasn't anything watching him, let out a deep sigh as he leaned against the wall of a dirty alley.
That was fucking close! I almost broke several times! Denji thought as he tried to calm his breathing and regain control of his blushing face. Makima is dangerous.
Once he was relatively calm, Denji groaned and pressed his forehead against the cool brick wall. "…what am I doing? I know what she is, what she will do. Yet I'm acting like a crush-stricken middle schooler."
He stood still and thought back to all the subtle touches that Makima had provided. The way she would lean in close so her scent could be taken in by him, and the way she would push her chest to his line of sight. All in an effort to seduce and manipulate him.
Ignoring the words on the phone, Denji opened the door. Standing before him was the one he grew to see as family, his head now in the shape of a gun barrel, while their left arm was now an M16 Carbine.
"…Denji," the Gun Fiend muttered and raised his left arm. Aiming his weapon at the one he wished to protect above all else.
"She's not a woman…"
Led by hand through her apartment, Denji numbly did as he was told and opened the front door. He blinked as his body grew cold as he stared at his Buddy, who looked equally terrified.
"Bang," Makima said with a gleeful smile, her finger gun pointed at a girl holding a cake.
Pulling his head back, Denji slammed his forehead against the brick wall. He grunted and glared at the wall as pain pulsed through his head. With blood sliding down his face, Denji closed his eyes.
While Denji knew what would happen in the future, it didn't affect how he saw and interacted with those around him. Especially Aki and Power. While he hadn't known them for too long, he didn't dislike them.
Aki, though uptight and strict, wasn't a bad person. In his own way, he made sure to look after Denji and Power. Over time, Denji came to see Aki as a good friend.
Power, while incredibly eccentric and difficult to deal with, wasn't as terrible as other Fiends were said to be. She had a strong, boisterous personality that Denji often found amusing. Even though she annoyed him 90% of the time, he still enjoyed spending time with her.
With this in mind, Denji would push past any attempts Makima made to manipulate and control him.
He wouldn't fall prey to her. He would do what he had to in order to change the future and save everyone he could.
Although Denji had been thrust into this life against his will, one he would have turned down if given the choice, he had come to accept that it was now his reality. He was determined to do everything in his power to change his future and the futures of those around him.
"Makima is a Devil," Denji muttered and opened his now determined eyes. "I'll stop her. I won't allow any of that to happen."