Chapter Text
Tuesday
Kyoko waited for her alarm clock to reach 7:30 am…it's 6:48 am now. Soft daylight paints the sky blue and the warm rays of sunshine peak behind fluffy clouds. The birds sing their usual morning melody by the window as if they were alarms themselves. The woman just throws her thick blanket over her head from it all, hoping that the world would just freeze over instead, at least she’d have a reason to not go to work. Some part of her hoped that she would at least drift back into a peaceful slumber but then again she thought the same three hours ago. Too awake to go to sleep, too tired to get out of bed like usual. The young woman could not rest for the past few days, not since those damn terrorists wiped out her entire squad.
Ayumu and Hibiki…
Kyoko buries her face into the pillow. Her master, Kishibe, did say that she may be a bit too sane if she was losing sleep over people she’s known for only three months. There was a time before when she thought that maybe she was a bad mentor but it occurred to her that the mortality rate of this occupation is at least 90%. Her rookies knew what they were getting themselves into. They were nothing special. They were expendable like any other devil hunter in the field…but they were hers. Before she took them under her wing, she was left to patrol the devil-infested streets of Tokyo alone for several months. She managed just fine despite the risk. But It was the little talks and brief companionship that helped stave off the crippling loneliness that clung to her like a parasite.
Just when she thought that her job was getting a little bit more bearable again, Kyoko finds herself alone all over again. Knowing that their deaths were caused by other humans didn’t sit right, and all three of them accepted that their demise would be because of a devil. That’s what all devil hunters signed up for and that’s the death they expected. Not this.
“Fuck it. Let's just start early today” she thinks, not wanting to get lost in thought again. Rubbing the sleep off her eyes, Kyoko groggily sat up and stretched out her numb limbs before standing up with a yawn. Contact with the cold floor sent shivers to her feet that reached up to her neck. She walked up to the balcony area and slid the door open to let the cool gentle breeze in. The smell of fresh air made her glad that her devil contract didn't take that sense away. The birds perched on the rails swiftly flew away as soon as she stepped outside. The day was becoming brighter but early enough for the neighborhood to remain unremarkably peaceful without its usual hustle and bustle. Gazing at the calm scenery made her want to go for a smoke. She was trying to cut down her cigarette intake to just two sticks a day, looks like she'll use her allowance early.
Despite her efforts to quit, she still kept a pack of cigarettes in her closet against her better judgment. Kyoko heads back inside and rummages through her old white closet placed at the far left corner of her bedroom, she specifically hid it beneath all her shorts and underwear. Her fingers fumble through the rows of neatly folded clothing to find her secret stash. It didn’t take long until she found the small box, and right beside it lay a bright pink lighter. The familiar feel of the pack in her hand brought a mix of relief and guilt. She wasted no time in lighting and slipping an indulgent cigarette in her mouth and inhaling it deeply. The woman can no longer taste the nicotine but the heat and smell are enough to jog her memories back when she started smoking at sixteen. Reminiscing at how simple it all was before.
With hazy half-lidded eyes, she jams the pack and lighter back in their rightful place inside the mounds of clothing and shuts the closet door. She remembers the special occasion at work today and sighs. "Where did I leave that damn document again?" she asks out loud.
Probably left it in the living room. Holding the stick down with her thin lips, a trail of smoke follows her path while she maneuvers through her chilly room. Before stepping out, she spots something blue at the corner of her vision, she apparently left it right beside her nightstand. She had no recollection of taking work upstairs…she's not even that old yet and her memory seems to be getting worse. She switches the cigarette to her fingers instead when she grabs the folder. Returning to the balcony, she rests her elbows over the railings, she draws hot smoke into her lungs once again. The warmth of her insides puts her at ease until she decides to review the document one last time. She grips it tighter so it won't slip out of her hands by accident.
Kyoko flips over her buddy’s file and can’t help but feel as worn out as her shoes. She mentally prepped herself since yesterday about the new partnership but it still weighed heavy on her. It almost felt like a cruel joke and she wasn't laughing. Not in the slightest.
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“Kyoko—”
“Eguchi.“ Makima's brows furrow.
“Please refer to me as Eguchi. I've told you this plenty of times before” the taller woman sternly corrected. The redhead in front of her merely smiled, unphased by her slight aggression. “Kyoko, because of the recent loss of your squad and the rising attacks of the terrorist group, I will assign you a new buddy.“
She felt her eyes twitch at the memory of the still very recent incident, “Don't need one, I can handle myself.” she muttered while looking down at the floor, her shoes picking at the crevices of the wood.
Her smile drops, “That simply won't do” Her superior looks a bit more stern now, “Most of Division 4's members have been wiped out and it's crucial that we're able to keep whoever we have left.“ She places her elbows on the desk and intertwines her fingers to rest her chin, yellow eyes intently focused on the devil hunter before her.
“You're an important member here and I'm keen on keeping you alive. So I decided to give you someone who's sure to protect you and won't die so easily.“ Makima picks up a blue folder placed at the side of her desk filled with all sorts of stationary and hands it over to Kyoko. She takes it and promptly reviews whatever is written inside. Her expression grows from indifferent to bewildered in a matter of seconds.
“Makima, this is a fiend!“ The agitated woman exclaims.
“And is that an issue? You had a fiend partner before.“ The fain clueless look on her face made her blood boil. She grits her teeth, wanting to spew out so many things but nothing comes out. Makima’s reasons for the supposed partnership made sense but she couldn’t help but be reminded of her late partner, the Moth fiend. Devil employees are meant to be dispensable weapons. They are not meant to last the same way human employees do, the only difference is the lack of rights like insurance and salary. And why should they need it? They’re the very monsters devil hunters swore to hunt. They may be more durable but that doesn't negate the fact that they're still targets for extermination if they ever fall out of line. One or two slip-ups and they're dead, no devil employee ever lasts long. Kyoko is already faced with so much on a daily basis that she doesn't need another one on her conscience whether it's a human or devil…
She wanted to decline but Makima's orders are absolute, an employee of her status has no say on the matter even if she does give her an illusion of choice.
“I suggest you read over the rest of it, please” she gestures to the chair placed across the table. Scratching the back of her head, Kyoko proceeds to plop herself down with crossed legs.
Her eyes are drawn again to the attached photo of the fiend neatly clipped at the right side of the paper. His unique devil trait captures her attention once more. A navy blue shark snout protrudes where the young man's eyes are meant to be, paired with a less-than-appropriate, over-enthusiastic grin filled with sharp canines. He's the Shark fiend named “Beam”. She skims through his devil abilities, like any other fiend, he naturally has enhanced strength and durability but this one is able to swim through solid surfaces. As the fear he represents, he can transform into his shark devil form for short periods of time and can also breathe underwater. His unique skill set puts her previous partner to shame in terms of sheer strength but it only means more trouble.
However, his natural aptitude didn't concern her as much compared to his supposed disposition. This devil was more animalistic, operating more on instinct rather than logic. Here she thought that Public safety only took in devils who are highly rational. How in god's name did this one pass?
Him being constantly topless also raised some personal concerns…
Once she was done, she closes the document and her narrow magenta eyes look up to Makima once again. She stands up and hands it over to the seated woman.
She raises a hand. “You can keep that document to get yourself prepped for tomorrow”, the redhead's nonchalant mannerisms were becoming more and more infuriating to Kyoko and it was obvious from the way she was glaring. She already knew what she was going to say next.
“Tomorrow you'll be working with Beam. Do be patient though, he never had a buddy before.“ Her spiraled eyes seem to be prodding for a reaction, patiently waiting for the woman's cries of protest. Instead, she's met with a mere cold yet level-headed gaze.
“And you want me to show him the ropes?”
“Yes. Out of all the human members in special division 4, I have the most faith in you in handling him.”
“Is that why you gave me your most stupid devil?“ she dryly retorts.
Makima softly laughs as if she agrees with the accusation. “What he lacks in intelligence he makes up for in loyalty. Be nice to him and he'll worship you .”
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A devil worshiping a human…that's unheard of. It's the kind of cheesy bullshit she only sees in movies, all devils have an innate hatred for humans. They can’t control that feeling so Kyoko fully expects her buddy to try killing her at least once.
Kyoko does her usual morning routine. Take a warm bath, put on her uniform, and rustle up some breakfast while the morning news plays on the TV. For today's menu, she’s having Natto over steamed rice and a piece of leftover tuna from yesterday. While the main protein of the dish was being heated in the microwave, she brewed the usual black coffee over at the countertop. The scent wafting through her nose was appetizing but she knows through memory that the taste is bitter and overpowering, up until now, she still doesn't understand the appeal of it.
The woman slightly grimaced at the presentation of her breakfast. Even hospital food probably looked and tasted more appetizing. Luckily for Kyoko, she didn't need to fuss over what her meal could taste like because she lost it long ago. The only thing that matters is the health benefits it provides. She took a seat and gave thanks for the meal before digging into her painfully unappetizing breakfast. The texture of the slimy Natto and dry tuna was awful, she took sips of the dark liquid every now and again to help it go down easier. The incoherent babbles of celebrity gossip in the news were somewhat pleasant in her semi-absent-minded state at least.
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Kyoko walked down the hallways of Public safety like usual while casually greeting familiar and unfamiliar faces along the way. As she went on further, there were notably fewer people now until the hallways were practically empty. When she reaches Makima's office, she pauses and grips the doorknob tight, hesitant to get in right away. Why was she nervous all of the sudden?
Breathing out, she takes a step back and moves to one of the multiple spare windows to gaze at her reflection from the outside. Thankfully there was no one inside the room. She adjusts her tie and small katana strapped at her back while making sure there aren’t any creases on her uniform. She finger-combs any stray strands of her dark shoulder-length hair but it didn't take long until she realizes that she was just stalling at this point. She walks back to the door, pausing for a second before finally getting in. Makima is seated at her desk and greets Kyoko with her usual placid smile. The room is the same as it always was, neat, organized, and devoid of personality.
“Good morning, Kyoko”. She returned the gesture with a small bow, one of her eyes twitching over the use of her first name yet again, “Morning, ma’am” she half-heartedly replied.
She straightened her back and stared back at her superior expectantly. “So where’s my buddy?” she inquired.
“Excited are we?” she quipped as Kyoko felt herself heat up from annoyance.
“I’m not” she scoffs while shoving clammy hands into the pockets of her pants, “I just want to get it over with.”
“He’s actually here right now” Makima clarifies, the curve of her lips not faltering at all. Kyoko's eyes widen, wondering where he could possibly be inside the barren room. She didn't notice anyone else when she entered the office. Makima is amused by the reaction, she always seems to relish every moment the stoic woman loses her cool.
“Come out, Beam” she calls.
Almost immediately from the wooden floors emerge a tiny shark fin. The once solid surface has ripples surrounding the fin as if its matter is completely changed into a liquid form. A part of her wanted to touch it, it was quite nutty to look at. The devil's dark hair and toned back peaks through but there seemed to be an air of hesitance judging from how he paused halfway. Kyoko took a curious step forward to examine why there was a hold-up. Before she could react, she was surprised by the sudden appearance of an arm gripping above the ripples. Pointy nails scrape at the wood and make a hideous creak like it was in some horror movie. Once he’s had a good grip he practically leaps off the ground fully emerged. She stumbles back but quickly keeps her balance once again. Any supposed shyness is replaced by curiosity and eagerness judging by how he stood tall with a big toothy grin plastered on his face.
Beam looked exactly like the pictures, a fair well-endowed young man with short messy dark hair. The only article of clothing he wore was swimming trunks…he can't even be bothered to wear some sandals. His most prominent feature is the navy blue shark snout protruding from his head that covers the top part of his face. She did wonder if the fiend could see but his file stated no vision impairment, so he probably can.
He was a bit taller and muscular than she had initially thought. Though his devil trait was a bit off-putting, Kyoko would dare say that the man was good-looking. The body he chose anyway. The fiend leans a bit closer, trying to catch a whiff of the devil hunter's unfamiliar scent like a wild animal. She cringes away but is not at all surprised by the behavior, he was a devil after all underneath the human skin. Despite all the mental preparations she did beforehand, seeing her so-called buddy in the flesh is an entirely new experience she could have never prepared for. When he was done familiarizing himself with her scent, he perked up with his head tilted in curiosity. She judgmentally eyes him from top to bottom, stopping at his face to settle a glare. He doesn’t seem to be phased by her obvious distaste.
The Shark fiend holds out his large hand towards her. "Buddy” he greets.
Kyoko raises a brow over the unexpected gesture, unsure if she should take the friendly offer. “Yeah…I’m your new buddy”
“My name’s Beam!” God, why do all devils have such stupid names? His arm is still patiently extended towards her, hoping for her to return the gesture.
“I know" she tiredly replied, "Kyoko Eguchi.” She took her right hand out of her pocket and slowly pulls it up for a handshake. He instantly grabs it before she even gets the chance to reach him. She flinched at the sudden contact, the grip was a little too tight for comfort. The fiend aggressively shook her up and down, feeling her shoulder sockets popping ever so slightly. His face remains unnervingly locked onto hers until he finally releases his grip, she brazenly wipes her palm on her blazer. It's easy to imagine him crushing her frail bones and muscles with no effort at all.
“Now that you're well acquainted with each other, it's time for your first mission,” Makima announces and both of them straighten up. Beneath her lashes, she caught a slight jerkiness in Beam's movement and his teeth sucking on his lower lip when their superior spoke. She wonders if those fangs can easily puncture his own human flesh.
“You two are tasked to kill the Jellyfish devil.”