Deepest Desire 》Chainsaw Man

Eight

Due to the devil's ability, the Devil Hunters have been stuck on the 8th floor of the hotel. Denji decided to have a little power nap until they figured out a way to leave. Aki and Arai have been searching around for the devil until Arai locked himself in one of the rooms. Kanae had to knock Kobeni out when she slowly started to lose it. After placing her on the bed, Kanae went on the search with Aki.

It this strong tension between them along with awkward silence. Since Aki found Kanae hugging Denji, he's been ignoring her. He would glance at her every now and then to see her gaze on the ground with her ears pointed down, looking sad. Aki couldn't explain why he's upset in the first place, other than being completely jealous of the Chainsaw Devil.

What is there to be jealous of? It was just a friendly hug amongst friends. Yet, from Aki's point of view, it seemed more intimate than it should be. Why did it bug him so much? He had more intimate experiences with Kanae than anyone. They hugged, kissed, shared one sexual experience, and even shared the same bed whenever the Desire Devil requested it.

His mind kept throwing question after question as he tried to figure out why she would hug Denji like that. Did she feel weak and need to hug someone? That theory went out the window because Kanae could have hugged him instead. Fear came to him the moment he thought Kanae could have some sort of feelings for Denji. They're both devils. They could satisfy each other's needs. Denji could satisfy Kanae's needs and desires, so she wouldn't need Aki anymore. That idea left a sour feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"So...what was that back there?" Aki asked as they rounded the corner. "With him?" He almost sneered at her, but his anger wasn't directed at her. He needed answers, and he wasn't going to get them unless he asked. Another rule between the two is not to lie.

"It's not what you think," Kanae rushed out. She felt a bit nervous. How could she explain hugging Denji without outing herself? "I wasn't feeling all too well, and Denji made me feel better."

"How exactly did he?" Aki felt his fist clench against his side. He had to keep his cool before assuming the worst and killing Denji. "Did it have anything to do with your desires? Did you let him touch you again?"

"No! No, no, nothing like that. My desires are fine! Just a friendly conversation between friends because that's what Denji and me are."

Aki felt a bit relieved, but there was something in his gut that told him she was holding something back. "I," he said after a moment. "It's what Denji and I are. Maybe we should go over some grammar while we're looking."

Kanae groaned. "I don't need to know no grammar. I know my grammar good enough." Though she felt relieved that he was talking to her about something else. Aki flicked Kanae's nose. "Hey!"

"Not well enough," he corrected with a small grin.

"You understood what I was saying anyway. And we're not home."

They made their way back to the hotel room where the team resided. "We don't know how long we're gonna stay here. Might as well make the best of it." He began checking his pockets for a cigarette, but found them empty. "Do you have my back-ups?"

"No, I was going to after we killed this devil. Don't hate me."

"Can't even if I try," he unknowingly admitted. He opened the room where Himeno, Denji, and Power were. Aki looked at his partner. "Could really go for a smoke. Please tell me you have some."

"Kanae doesn't have them?" Himeno asked.

"Didn't have enough time to get them. Sorry," Kanae answered with a shrug.

Himeno pointed at the cigarette in her mouth. "That makes two of us because this is the last one I've got."

Aki walked over. "Oh, yeah? Then I get the rest of it," he said.