Ardent Hope II. Chainsaw Man x Male Reader Insert.

10. Devotion.

"Makima?" the voice of a man Nayuta didn't recognize talked first, sending a chilling shiver down her spine as the echoes of his disgraceful plea crept from beyond any dream or vision she could have.

"Makima!" Then Denji said, and she recognized that very well. Overly ecstatic, maybe even out of words, speaking mostly not by a sentence, but by the plethora of emotions his voice was able to convey.

"Makima." Indifferent, the voice of Power made itself present as a single remembrance. Like Denji, only her voice was able to demonstrate whatever it was she felt in that moment, although her emotions were far more easily to put together. A deep sense of bitter regret, fear, respect, and a slight hint of jealousy.

"Makima..." And finally, the voice of (Y/N) pronounced that same putrid name, and in no more than a whisper that is. It was far too complex for Nayuta to assimilate at first, but maybe the first glance into the remembrances of the broken mind of Denji made her a favor in demonstrating the way such scene came to happen in the first place. She saw, too, the image of Power being shattered in a hundred pieces, the killing intent behind the very own eyes of what she herself had been back then, and the hollow, almost teary eyes of (Y/N), staring back at her. "You betrayed me, Makima."

And just like that, her view shifted right into another memory.

"Good morning, Denji." The voice of a mature woman said right at his side. As he opened his eyes, only the yellow eyes of Makima stared back at him, and it was the very only thing he was able to focus on. Although his mind raced through hundreds of thoughts, something as subtle as the euphoric tingle of her breath touching his skin was enough to keep him at bay. "Did you sleep well?"

The immaculate white of Makima's apartment was deeply resented by his eyes, stinging by the drowsiness caused by his restless mind. "Yeah." He chose to lie. "Yeah, I slept well enough."

"Great." Makima was lying at his side, scurrying trying to fit herself into the not so comfortable couch of her living room. Although Denji was at her side, only a single person remained present in her dreams. "Not so bad." She said, her hand reaching of his cheek and caressing his skin in a tender manner. "Not so bad for a mere creation of mine."

"Am I really that pathetic?" Denji asked, still staring deep into her eyes. Infatuated by her touch, he almost absentmindedly crept closer to her, although Makima quickly backed up a bit.

"Have I ever told you...?" Makima completely ignored his question. Although somewhat counterintuitive judging by her previous actions, Denji didn't complain the moment he saw her get closer, and closer. Her lips, mere inches apart from his, were the only thing Denji cared about in that moment. "How much I've come to hate you?"

Sank deep beneath thousands of emotions, her words still cut as deep as a knife. "No, you haven't." the deplorable state of Denji was only able to muster in words, a voice as frail as the life he devoted to her.

"I hate you." Makima cupped Denji's face with both her hands, bringing him even a little closer. "From the very bottom of my heart, I hate you." Perhaps, thousands and thousands of things could've been said from that specific moment, and all of them would've been redundant enough to end up bringing the same topic, the same reaction, and the same pity, and still, Denji was only able to focus on a sole thing as he kept staring deep into Makima's eyes, and that was the single, lonely tear rolling down her eye as she stared back at him.

But he would never remember such a thing.

As Makima promptly realized her mistake, and said "You won't remember any of this." In a completely different tone from her usual self. And just like that, Denji forgot about it, and a single moment after that, a ringing bell on the entrance door snapped him back to reality.