[It's a nice sunset. The sky is blood orange, beautiful were it not a sight he's seen countless times walking home late from after school duties or odd jobs for extra money. When Power finally replies, he figures it's going to be another sort of normalcy like that. Angry, pouty, righteous. Something silly he'll brush off without another thought.]
[The message makes him slow to a halt. A thousand thoughts go through his mind.]
[She's lying. She's teasing. But she knows Denji wanders off when he's upset. She's just trying to make me upset. But even Power wouldn't joke about something like this. But she would, because I upset her. She's just trying to get back at me. But Denji does wander off when he's upset. And why is he even upset? He doesn't need to be upset. So long as I - ]
[There's a rumble of a noise behind him, a sound kind of like heavy footsteps, or maybe someone dragging something cumbersome. He picks up his pace, realizing he's stopped dead in his tracks and shoves his phone back into his pocket. Because - Whatever. She's just messing with him. She would joke about something like this. Power's inconsiderate and doesn't think about other people's feelings. Even if sometimes she's the only viewport he has to look at Denji's.]
[The sound happens again and Aki turns to look behind himself, thinking he may be blocking the path -But he's not. There's a figure lurking behind him, only a few steps away.]
[The figure isn't human.]
[He's not sure how it happens, how his body responds so sharply and fluidly right when it all begins. The zombie-like devil lunges at him with a loud groan and Aki sends a punch that crashes through its jaw, splitting it from its face and tearing skin from weak skin, blood spilling down his fist. He staggers back, takes in a breath. The zombie looks back at him, half its face gone, and again goes to attack. And as Aki fends it off, sending right hook after low jab like a choreographed set, and as the devil-like creature starts to fall apart more and more, Aki thinks - Holy shit, I can do this.]
[His heart is racing, sweat pouring down his temple - but Aki doesn't think about any of it. Just lobs punch after punch, sending the zombie into the ground and bloodying his fists and front the more he destroys it into paste. It fights back, absolutely. Claws toward him and groans in agony or anger, attempts to tear at his front but Aki is stronger. He's stronger than this devil. He knows it - He can see it. He always knew he could do this. Devil killing isn't some complicated science or skill that takes decades to learn. It's primal. It's simple. And the blood soaking under his nails proves it.]
[He's in a daze, fists wiped messily clean on his front and knees slick with blood from where he knelt to confirm the devil was dead. It's dark. The sun fully set by the time he both killed the devil and briefly told the man in the Public Safety uniform by the station what happened, watched him race toward the area Aki pointed to. Coming around the corner of the road and stepping through the gate to the apatment, Aki suddenly remembers Power's message and the tizzy it had sent him into, the anxiety he had in that moment... and the total lack of any of that he had while destroying that monster. Aki stares at the lump of Denji on the table, the figure with his head buried into his arms.]
[Likely, he figures, he's upset. But he never ran off. An unbidden, angry thought comes to him through the fog in his mind - I could have killed that whale devil, too.]
[He shakes it off for the moment. Allows it to simply be proof for the next time it happens, to tell someone proudly, I've already killed one before. These are nothing. I'll protect them.]
[Finally, he has proof he can protect him.]
Denji.
[He approaches the table, standing over it with sweat still sticky on his face and dark, almost black blood painting his front.]
Come inside.
[Despite everything else, his tone is gentle. Not commanding or angry. He just wants Denji to come back inside.]
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[It's a nice sunset. The sky is blood orange, beautiful were it not a sight he's seen countless times walking home late from after school duties or odd jobs for extra money. When Power finally replies, he figures it's going to be another sort of normalcy like that. Angry, pouty, righteous. Something silly he'll brush off without another thought.]
[The message makes him slow to a halt. A thousand thoughts go through his mind.]
[She's lying. She's teasing. But she knows Denji wanders off when he's upset. She's just trying to make me upset. But even Power wouldn't joke about something like this. But she would, because I upset her. She's just trying to get back at me. But Denji does wander off when he's upset. And why is he even upset? He doesn't need to be upset. So long as I - ]
[There's a rumble of a noise behind him, a sound kind of like heavy footsteps, or maybe someone dragging something cumbersome. He picks up his pace, realizing he's stopped dead in his tracks and shoves his phone back into his pocket. Because - Whatever. She's just messing with him. She would joke about something like this. Power's inconsiderate and doesn't think about other people's feelings. Even if sometimes she's the only viewport he has to look at Denji's.]
[The sound happens again and Aki turns to look behind himself, thinking he may be blocking the path -But he's not. There's a figure lurking behind him, only a few steps away.]
[The figure isn't human.]
[He's not sure how it happens, how his body responds so sharply and fluidly right when it all begins. The zombie-like devil lunges at him with a loud groan and Aki sends a punch that crashes through its jaw, splitting it from its face and tearing skin from weak skin, blood spilling down his fist. He staggers back, takes in a breath. The zombie looks back at him, half its face gone, and again goes to attack. And as Aki fends it off, sending right hook after low jab like a choreographed set, and as the devil-like creature starts to fall apart more and more, Aki thinks - Holy shit, I can do this.]
[His heart is racing, sweat pouring down his temple - but Aki doesn't think about any of it. Just lobs punch after punch, sending the zombie into the ground and bloodying his fists and front the more he destroys it into paste. It fights back, absolutely. Claws toward him and groans in agony or anger, attempts to tear at his front but Aki is stronger. He's stronger than this devil. He knows it - He can see it. He always knew he could do this. Devil killing isn't some complicated science or skill that takes decades to learn. It's primal. It's simple. And the blood soaking under his nails proves it.]
[He's in a daze, fists wiped messily clean on his front and knees slick with blood from where he knelt to confirm the devil was dead. It's dark. The sun fully set by the time he both killed the devil and briefly told the man in the Public Safety uniform by the station what happened, watched him race toward the area Aki pointed to. Coming around the corner of the road and stepping through the gate to the apatment, Aki suddenly remembers Power's message and the tizzy it had sent him into, the anxiety he had in that moment... and the total lack of any of that he had while destroying that monster. Aki stares at the lump of Denji on the table, the figure with his head buried into his arms.]
[Likely, he figures, he's upset. But he never ran off. An unbidden, angry thought comes to him through the fog in his mind - I could have killed that whale devil, too.]
[He shakes it off for the moment. Allows it to simply be proof for the next time it happens, to tell someone proudly, I've already killed one before. These are nothing. I'll protect them.]
[Finally, he has proof he can protect him.]
Denji.
[He approaches the table, standing over it with sweat still sticky on his face and dark, almost black blood painting his front.]
Come inside.
[Despite everything else, his tone is gentle. Not commanding or angry. He just wants Denji to come back inside.]