how to be a human being; hirofumi yoshida

viii.

Yoshida Hirofumi did not panic or worry, nor did he show such emotions on his face. He kept to himself and only talked to others when the conversation would benefit him. He was a private devil hunter, one who was well known for getting the job done quickly and efficiently and had a contract with the Octopus Devil. He would never admit to being afraid, and yet, as he heard Saki asking him for help, an uncomfortable feeling developed in his chest at the mere thought of arriving a second too late.

As he opened his mouth to add a 'don't hang up' to his 'don't die on me', the call ended abruptly as though the phone was dead, broken, or knocked out of her hands. He did not want to imagine Saki had been hurt, let alone had gone against his words, and died before he could do his job and protect her from the devil.

His apartment was not far from school, and yet, he felt as though the distance had doubled as he jogged throughout the quiet streets of Tokyo to Fourth East High in nothing but his pajama bottoms and a loose t-shirt. There were no signs nor sounds of a devil attack even as he grew closer and closer to school, and for one fleeting second, he feared the worst. That what he would see when he arrived would be a sight he was used to in the field – that he would see a corpse rather than a human being.

When he slowed to a stop, arriving outside of the school, he found the street in front of Fourth East to be empty and devoid of life. And then, without warning, a cacophony flooded his senses, and the harsh, metallic smell of blood preceded the sight of Saki running towards him, partly coated in blood, a mixture of frustration and panic on her face that melted into relief at the sight of him. The devil behind her was triple her size and did not bother to change its focus to him, rather it readied itself to deal a finishing blow on Saki, pulling back its sharpened appendage and aiming it at her heart.

He curled his index and middle finger around each other, the action second nature to him, as he said into the night, "Octopus."

Tentacles from his contracted devil appeared out of thin air, curling around the attacking devil's limbs and around its throats, squeezing and squeezing and squeezing until the devil's innards and purple-blue blood spilled all over the floor. Some of it landed on Saki, who screamed at the sudden onslaught of devil entrails upon her, but to her credit, she didn't stop, she continued on until she was within the safe zone of Yoshida. She was in her pajamas as well, coated in goop and her own blood, her right hand injured in a way that would need more than basic first aid. And even though the devil had been defeated, she still ducked behind him, grabbing onto his sleeve with her uninjured hand like he might protect her from anything and everything.

"You're late," Saki huffed, cautiously peering over Yoshida's shoulder to ensure the devil really was down for the count.

Octopus disappeared once the contacted devil had ensured the other was indeed dead, allowing Yoshida to give Saki his full attention like he would have liked to have done from the start. And although he should have called Public Safety to clean up the devil the second it was defeated, he turned to her instead and took in her state of being all while asking, "How much pain are you in?"

"What?" Saki tilted her head, wondering why he would ask her about pain until he gestured towards her still bleeding hand and the hurt must have hit her all at once. She gritted her teeth and held her hand tight to her chest. "None until you pointed it out."

And yet, despite the sudden pain, that relief was still painted across her face – the knowledge that she had been saved and would continue to live another day. Yoshida had not directly been given information about the devil who had raised Saki, but seeing her now, after an encounter with death, his theory as to who raised her became a little more likely.

"Here, let me see," Yoshida said softly, taking her hand in his when she offered it and examining the wound. She winced as his fingers gently held her hand and looked away from her injury, and if he had not been a veteran in the field, Yoshida might have turned away as well. Half of the palm of her hand was missing, a gaping wound, revealing skeletal and blood vessels beneath the surface, and if she did not receive immediate help, her whole hand might be lost. His only option was to call Public Safety and ask for the one who could reattach limbs and other parts. "I'm going to make a quick phone call. Sit here for me, for now."

She gave a nod as he led her over to the curb, helping her sit down, then ripping off the edge of his shirt to soak up the blood and keep over the wound until help arrived. As Yoshida went to take his phone from his pocket and dial the Public Safety number, Saki's uninjured hand reached out and grabbed the loose fabric of his pants, tugging it like a lost child would looking for their mother. She asked quietly, "Will you sit with me?"

"I will," Yoshida said as he did just that. In an instant, her head had fallen on his shoulder, and she was out cold, sending the slightest hint of surprise to his face. The surprise melted away into a hidden smile as he promised her, "I will take care of you, Saki. Leave it to me."

Ever so carefully, he extended an arm around her shoulders, ignoring the devil blood and guts that got onto his skin because of his motion, and kept her close.