#...they

i. aftermath

Denji manages to find Power, and it barely takes him a month. Nayuta is left with Kishibe during that time, and he manages to explain enough of the situation to Power that the little girl isn't immediately torn to pieces by her (how Power retained her memories, he isn't sure, but he's grateful that she did).

Kishibe's 'welcome-back' gift to them both is a pair of tickets up to Hokkaido and back, and a set of directions. He tells them that the directions lead to where Hayakawa Aki's gravestone has been situated, and agrees to continue looking after Nayuta until after their second trip out of Tokyo is complete.

Power shouts a lot, when they get back to the apartment (theirs, now- it's not Aki's, not anymore). She yells about how it's a terrible welcome-back-from-hell present, about the fact that Denji has to take care of Nayuta, about the fact that there's only two tickets and the Angel Devil should have gotten one as well. They both ignore the way Power's voice cracks, or the way she looks at the shut door to Aki's room with something in-between hope and grief.

Denji knows that the Angel Devil hasn't been seen since the confrontation with Makima. He caught a glimpse of Angel, briefly, eyes wide and pained, and then nothing- the only trace of Angel found since then a white feather Denji found on the apartment balcony.

So, Denji and Power take the train up to Hokkaido, both of them subdued and quiet. Neither one has much to say, really. Power asks a few listless questions about what Denji's been up to, between the last time they met and him dragging her out of hell, but the conversation just... dies out. As Denji watches the scenery fly by, he can't help but think of a boy in the snow, waiting for his little brother so they can play catch.

Hokkaido is... pretty, Denji supposes. He can't really comment on it, seeing as they're both preoccupied with their own thoughts. The site that's been arranged is hidden in familiar woods, and Denji suspects it's located close to where Aki's family house used to be. As they make their way through the trees, Denji spots a flash of red hair and feathered wings, and can't really be surprised by it. As the Angel Devil turns to glance at them, he can tell the other isn't surprised to see the two of them, either.

Aki's gravestone is made from dark blue stone, his name carved into it with skillful precision. There are flowers planted around his grave, white ones that look like birds in flight, or a pair of spread wings- the flowers according to Aki's will, apparently.

"White egret orchids," the Angel Devil supplies, when he sees Denji gazing at the flowers, "Allegedly, they mean something similar to 'my thoughts will follow you into your dreams'."

Power opens her mouth, but shuts it as Angel turns back to the gravestone. If Denji were to guess, he'd say she was probably thinking something along the lines of 'You sure it's not just because they look like your wings?'. He might have asked that, to be fair.

They don't get the chance to say any more, as Angel moves forward until he's standing right at the gravestone, eyes unreadable.

"Two months," he says, and Denji's eyes widen as a blade falls into the devil's outstretched hand. A knife, like a dagger, light glinting off the blade. The hilt is a familiar shade of blue, marked with silver detail, and Denji can't quite place it. He watches Angel move forward, lay the blade at the gravestone, and whisper something to it before standing up and moving towards the forest, vanishing into the snowy trees.

Both he and Power know, somehow, that they'll never see the Angel Devil again- no one will. He won't stick around in this realm.

(They wouldn't have tried to hear what Angel said, that was strictly between him and Aki; but if they had managed to listen in, they'd have heard more emotion than either of them thought the Angel Devil capable of showing, words the devil never thought he would say. "You don't just get to leave me alone like that. Wait for me, Hayakawa Aki, until I find you again, and we can do it right this time.")

ii. epilogue

Not everything will end in tragedy- sometimes, it just takes a bit of time.

There is a laugh, and two figures walking down the street. The one with long, autumn-red hair swipes an ice cream cone from his taller companion, grinning at him as they hold hands.

"That's mine," the taller one says, though there's no real annoyance in his voice- just a quiet, affectionate tone, that he reserves specifically for his companion. Said companion blinks up at him, "It's my favourite flavour." "I know."

They continue walking, chatting along the way- their fingers interlocked. The taller one leans down to kiss his companion's cheek, smiling at him, "I'm glad you found me again."

"So am I. We'll do it right this time."