Ardent Hope: Chainsaw Man x Male Reader Insert.

35. Moonlit.

Power ran desperately, she didn't even want to look back as she did so, as if her life depended on it, and in a certain way, it really did. The zombies summoned by the Zombie Devil chased her not so far away, the gasps and crackles left behind by their rotten corpses only made her nervous.

So she kept running, towards the apartment complex Kishibe instructed them to reach for once they had the opportunity. The body of the Chainsaw Man, by that moment, was slowly trying to regain his original shape, diminishing in size and melting the armor covering his skin to reveal that of Denji's underneath, but he was still too weak, so Power had to carry him.

She didn't even understood why she was running after a couple of minutes on which she did so, (Y/N) was left behind under immediate danger, he was all alone to face against Makima, she couldn't do such a thing, but something right at the back of her mind almost ordered her to do it.

This was, perhaps, (Y/N)'s last dying wish.

One of the zombies reached for her, his nails clawing deeply into her skin and tearing apart a huge chunk of her leg, but that didn't stop her from running. Summoning a couple of spears from her promptly cut wrists, the blood seemed to reform a shape and reach for the zombies behind her, cleaving into their heads and rendering them dead for good.

But slowly, they kept reaching for her, and steady, her body was beginning to crumble apart as they did. It wasn't until she reached for the exact same street Kishibe already told them about that she was able to look back at once, and under the stormy skies, her gaze almost clouded by the constant raindrops that kept pouring down, she was able to discern the very image of a pillar of golden fire erupting towards the sky.

Already dark outside, there was almost no one roaming around the streets, and that left Power quite the comfort to maneuver on the almost claustrophobic spaces and intricate design of the streets.

She kept running towards the apartment complex, and upon reaching for the entrance of the almost decaying building and entering, carrying over her back the body of the now fully revealed Denji, she was met by the gaze that of Kishibe, who was left behind to deal with the zombies as she ran upstairs.

Denji opened his eyes after what felt like a long dream, only aware of the darkness surrounding him as a whole embrace. Power was the first thing he saw upon being called back to reality, she was standing over him, staring into his eyes, hers seemed harsh and almost furious. "Power...?"

"You idiot!" She cried, punching Denji directly in the chest, repeatedly, as she did so. "I saved you, I had to save you, we had to save you!"

Denji almost didn't even register the pain on his chest, only a gasp left his lips as he stared into her eyes. "You didn't have to, I think I've lived long enough, Power."

"Huh!?"

"I ate a lot of good grub, I flirted with a girl and got on a date with her, I got to play videogames with you guys, (Y/N), Aki and you..." He explained. "From my point of view back when I was stuck in a debt trap, I really did get to live my dream life, Power." His voice came in a low whisper, he didn't even want to talk about this. "There's nothing more waiting for me in this new life, not now, not that (Y/N) blames me for the death of Aki, just as I do..."

"You really are an idiot, don't say such things." Power's voice sounded hurt upon hearing his words, and she reached for his shoulders in an attempt for him to listen clearly. "(Y/N)'s fighting against Makima, all alone, in this very moment, Denji."

"Wait, he's what!?" Denji almost jumped out of the chair on which he was sitting, and he would've done so if it wasn't for Power avoiding it.

"He told me to bring you to a safe place." Her voice was now soft, almost as if she was explaining something to a small child. "He doesn't hate you, nor blame you for anything, Denji." She said. "He was just scared, I think..."