dakishimetai | denji

七

All the while Aki and Denji were outside patrolling, Ame and Makima were left in the same floor of the same building and same spot.

"What do you think about being controlled, Ame?" Makima asks as she sat down in front of the two angels sitting before her, in the middle of them is a round, wooden table with two tea cups and a single pot filled with tea. Makima leaned forward to pour tea onto the empty cups; though it may seem like a genuine action, she wanted to take a whiff of the delectable scent of Ame's blood coursing through her veins and every part of her body.

Ame shook her head. "Controlling can be damaging and a form of abuse. I simply smile at the good and frown at the bad." She replied, curtly nodding her head before taking a hold of the teacup, catching it's fresh and slightly roasted aroma.

"Is this yerba mate tea?" Ame asks

Makima smiles. "You got it! The government provided everything for your arrival, Ame."

"That's really so kind of them." Ame replied, gently smiling as she brought the cup to her lips, taking a sip.

"Have you ever been overseas before? Like South Korea perhaps?" Makima asks, watching Ame as she places the cup back on top of the table.

Ame shook her head once again. "I've never traveled outside of Japan. I've always been in Takaharu." She truthfully spoke.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Makima leaned her back onto the leather seat. "I see." she hummed, crossing her right leg over her left. "Then perhaps...are you related to the first emperor of Japan, Emperor Jimmu?" Ame's eyes slightly widened before she hesitatingly nodded her head.

"Then that makes you a direct descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu and the storm god Susanoo!" Makima exclaims, to which Ame nodded her head again.

"Emperor Jimmu married Empress Himetataraisuzu and together, they bore three sons: Hikoyai, Kamuyaimimi and Kamununukawamimi, whom later the third prince became Emperor Suizei. Though he was married to her, the emperor had a consort named Ahiratsu. And the couple had three children, two sons and one daughter. And through their daughter, Princess Misaki, my lineage can be traced." Ame explains, offering Makima a tight lipped smile.

"I'm impressed how you know your family's roots." Makima spoke, grinning at the girl.

Ame, who's still smiling, simply shrugged her shoulders. "I've heard that elders prefer their sons to marry a girl who knew her ancestors." Ame spoke but Makima only lets out a laugh.

"You're so interesting, Ame!" The red haired official hollered, leaving Ame confused in her spot.

"...Is it not like that anymore?" Ame asks, embarrassment slowly creeping into her.

Wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, Makima's laughter slowly dies down. "Maybe it's still like that for traditional families but modern times are approaching and some families are adapting to modernistic ways." With her mouth slightly parted, Ame nodded her head.

"Tell me honestly, Ame," Makima begins to say, "Which period were you born and how old are you?"

Before Ame could respond to Makima's question, the door suddenly opened and a beaten looking Denji and Aki entered the room. The two women turning their head to look at them.

"Hayakawa's got assaulted by a testicle demon." Denji was the first to speak, his words causing Ame to imagine what a testicle demon to look like inside her mind.

"That's a lie" Aki responded, pointing at Denji. "He's a liar"

Despite their accusations to each other, Makima smiled to the two of them. "So, you think you two can get along?"

"No problemo"

"He's the worst"

"That's good then." Makima spoke, "Denji, I'll have you join Hayakawa's squad." She added. In the background, Ame took a hold of her cup again, taking another sip of tea.

"Work with this brat?" Aki complains, "I've already got enough pain in the asses already, getting one more freak is just-"

"I told you that when I made the squad" Makima interferes "that I was going to try an experimental system no one else had tried." With a smile on her lips, Makima walked and stood behind Ame before placing her hands on her shoulders.

"Denji is a human that can become the devil. With Ame in this squad, it's like heaven and hell coming to terms!" Makima brings up. As Denji saw Ame sitting on the couch, he couldn't help but blush profusely.

"Are you serious?" Aki questions, "I haven't heard of anything like that outside of the rumors"

"They're both unique. That's why they're both getting special treatment." Makima says, "If he quits the public safety bureau or violates any rules or anything like that, he'll be taken care of like any other demon. But Ame? The higher ups are especially fond of her. She's like a modern day heavenly being that...possibly the whole of Japan could pray to. But her existence is still a rumor to the majority."

"Heavenly being? Whole of Japan? Pray?" Denji asks, a puzzling look clouding his face. "What do you mean?"

As Makima firmly held Ame's shoulders, she took another whiff of her blood, the metallic yet pleasingly pungent smell wafting through her nostrils, letting out a satisfied sigh after. "I look forward to working with you both until you both die."

.   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . ♡

With the information that both Kazuto and Shirohato are already at the shared apartment, the three of them - Aki, Denji and Ame were on their way to the said place.

"In order to keep watch on you two, we have to live together. And it's fine to kill you if you run off somewhere" Aki spoke before turning his head to glance at Denji. "The government officials will surely have my head if they knew that even a small scratch will be found on Ame."

As both Denji and Aki continued to walk normally, Ame wasn't. Though she's used to wearing a geta slipper, wearing a single tooth traditional slipper one was especially different. Taking small but cautious steps, Ame tried to get used to wearing the slipper but as she stepped with her right foot and applied too much of her weight, she almost toppled onto the ground. Bracing herself for an impact that was to come but didn't.

Standing beside her with one hand on her shoulder and the other around her waist, Ame tried to stand up on her feet before turning to face Denji with a smile. "Thank you so much!" she beams to him.

Ducking his head down, Denji looked at the slippers curiously. "Can you really walk in that?" He asks

A tint pink color immediately cast on her cheeks. "I mean...I'm trying..." she spoke, blinking her eyes twice. "I'm doing good at getting used to it, right?"

"Yeah you sure can that you're falling down" Denji deadpans before kneeling down on one knee in front of her, his back facing hers. "Get on"

"I'm alright!" Ame insisted, the color on her cheeks deepening as people were looking in their way. "You've probably had a tiring morning after patrolling earlier...!" Whatever Ame was trying to say, Denji took a hold of her wrist with his right hand and the back of her left knee on the other as he carries her behind his back. Immediately, the girl wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Patrolling? There wasn't even a devil earlier" Denji spoke as he carried Ame on his back. "Testicle devil? That was just made up by me!" He laughed. With his hands holding onto the back of her knees securely, Ame smiled softly before resting her head on top of her arm, finding herself getting comfortable.

re written: 041124