Another Chance | Aki x Reader

21: It's Quit or be Killed

You were restless the entire night. You were exhausted and slightly regretful of the sequence of events between Aki and yourself—frustrated at the lack of self-control you had when it came to that man.  You would have kissed Aki if it weren't for that damn phone call you got from Madoka. You don't even know what he was saying to make things worse. It was all a haze; other thoughts occupied your mind  - none of which involved Madoka. You were also filled with guilt for almost kissing your friend's crush. This was something you didn't want to tell Himeno but you were unsure if it was the right thing to do to keep from her. 

"Should I just call in sick?' you thought to yourself, "Probably not; Makima would kill me. And I don't want to make things more awkward between Aki and me." You slowly get out of your bed and head to your restroom to ready yourself for work. 

As you were brushing your teeth, you were trying to adjust your loose tie wrapped around your neck.  You were mentally preparing yourself for how you would talk with Aki. You didn't want to make things uncomfortable for the both of you. You also didn't want to tick off Himeno about what went on with the both of you. As you continue contemplating your life decisions, you feel your phone ring.  

"Hello," You say muffled as you brush your teeth.  

"Hey y/n, Himeno here; you running a little late? We meeting at a restaurant to eat breakfast might wanna hurry it up."

You spit out the foaming toothpaste, "yeah, I'm heading there right now, just trying to fix my tie; I'll be there soon. Buy me some food, yeh!" 

Himeno laughs, accepting to buy you food, and hangs up. You start to head towards the restaurant, eager to eat but hoping that things will be okay. As you were walking, you heard multiple loud bangings. You look around, trying to pinpoint the location of the sound. "A gun, but there shouldn't be any guns... I highly doubt it would be at the restaurant... I hope it's not," you thought nervously, increasing your speed as you ran towards the restaurant. You diligently avoid people, and soon enough, you arrive across the restaurant. You sigh with relief as everything seems normal; maybe it was all in your head? As you take one step forward...

CRASH

You witness the build in front of you smash into pieces as the fox devil head appears.  You immediately call out to Forest to build you a small shelter to shield you from the falling debris. Once you feel the concrete settle, you peak out and see the destruction that has ensued. 

You sigh in disbelief, "Shit... please not again, why was I late again..." you breathe out anxiously.

You run towards the scene, unsheathing your machetes quickly. You look up and see a man with a katana sticking out of his head and hands. You hear Aki voice out, "Power... stop Himeno's bleeding."  Your eyes quickly search for Power and Himeno; soon, you see Himeno in a terrible state. You shakily scream out, "Power, where's Denji?" 

Power points towards the direction of Denji, who is bleeding out from his head. You head towards him and carry him out from the rubble. You were concerned, but you did your best to compose yourself and display no emotion.   

"Let's go, Denji; we gotta make a run for it for now." You turn back and see the Katana man heading towards you fast. You sigh heavily, feeling uneasy as you set down Denji carefully, "I'll be back, kid."

You run towards the Katana man and swing your first attacks. His katanas clash against your machetes. Multiple clinks emmit from the weapon as you continually block off the attack from the devil.  You wanted to call in your Devil, but you were too focused on blocking off the man's attacks; you couldn't think of what to call for. "God damn it, why have I not finished this stupid devil already? Why the fuck am I getting weak now," you thought to yourself. Your moves were a bit sloppy from before, anxiety slowly getting the best of you. The man swung one of his katanas quickly towards your neck; however, in mere seconds, you were able to dodge it by ducking low into a split and pushing him back by kicking him in his torso. Quickly, you jump back up and charge towards him, gradually driving him back with each swing of your machetes.  Your goal right now was to keep the katana man as far away from Denji as possible.