[Denji x Reze] COUNTRY MICE | a Chainsaw Man Fanfiction

Chapter Seven: Stars

The night had never seemed so peaceful for the couple; finally, the night was calm and kind to Reze and Denji, who slept with comfortable dreams and dreaded the sounds of the morning when they had to arise. The night could not keep them company forever, and it left as soon as it came. When Reze awoke, she remembered that their previous day had not been a dream, as it had been for many moons, but a reality that was lying beside her. She kept a warm gaze upon Denji, who was still lazily sleeping, his hands cradled beneath his golden locks of hair and his knees bent to his chest. Reze smiled at his childish way of sleeping; it was how she imagined the equally childish boy to sleep. The posture was suitable for him. The poor girl could not imagine a life that was much better than this: waking up warm, with a roof over her head, lying next to someone she was very fond of. She reached out a hand to move a piece of hair from his mouth, but quickly jerked away once she realized her action. Her face turned a heated red once she'd realized the subconscious movement she'd almost preceded and decided to take a shower to wake herself up, think clearly, and refresh herself.

Water battered her shoulders, rolling off her purple hair and onto the floor. Reze thought about Denji and herself. When they first met, she thought that he was stupid. But his sheer lack of responsibility and carefree demeanor intrigued her. It was obvious to her that he did not know what power came with being Chainsaw Man. He didn't know what target that put upon his back. She didn't want to be the one to break that to him. She wanted to observe him, watch how he led his life, and see how he buzzed throughout the day. How Denji would have fun, live in the moment, and be loyal to no one... So she thought. She knew that she had fallen for him long ago when they'd taken their swim together. When she'd suggested they run away together, Reze meant it. Reze wanted to leave with him, but as she thought about her situation... When she thought about how her country would react to her betrayal, it seemed easier to run from her feelings. To kill Denji, as she was ordered to do, and keep those feelings buried forever. Reze had never failed to execute a mission... until Denji came along. Reze had never thought about betrayal... until Denji came along. Reze had never felt guilty about the things she'd done—until Denji came along. Most importantly, Reze had never wanted to change her life for the better—until Denji came along. That fact—the fact that she was willing to change to have a better life with him—proved to her that she was indeed in love with him. And that fact scared her because she had never felt love before. She wasn't ever allowed to experience it. She never had time to. She was in and out of her missions before she could process that they were people and not targets. Before she could process that what she did was wrong, she was off to the next. Denji, however, charmed her from the start with his dumb magic trick. It humanized him. It fascinated Reze. She did not want to run anymore; she wanted to embrace how she felt for Denji. But the way Denji pined over women set her off; she didn't know if it was worth embracing these feelings if he was just going to move on to the next girl.

Reze, turning the squeaky knob, announced the waters end. She dried her body, then her hair, combing it out with her fingers. She didn't bring any extra clothes; she didn't own any. So, she put her old clothes back on. Despite this, she felt clean and refreshed. She quietly pushed the door of the tiny bathroom open, revealing the tiny bed in the middle of the room, where Denji no longer lay.

"Denji?" Reze called worriedly. She tried to shake the worry from her mind. He's grown. He's not a little kid. He can go where he pleases; there is no need to worry. She tried to assure herself but failed to do so. Anxiety lingered in her mind. What if someone had found them? What if someone had taken him—someone who wanted to kill him? She needed to be there to protect him, if that was the case, and... Oh, she couldn't stop her mind from running around in circles. She looked around the room frantically, as if he were there behind a curtain and was going to pop out and scare her at any second. But sure as the sun shone, he was nowhere to be found. Reze began to bite her nails. She knew it—she knew as soon as she brought him away from Makima, he'd run and