Also, note that this will have content similar to that film, so if you have not read my content warnings I placed on the Score review of that film, you may want to do that.
There is also a small art piece I drew to accompany the story. Click the "read more" to see the full post.
2 Years as a Country Mouse
The wooden ceiling creaked overhead as bright moonlight poured through the window. Ainokura village had no light pollution, leading to surprisingly bright and beautifully calm nights. Two figures lay still in a simple bed within the one-room structure. One figure, a young woman named Reze, was sleeping quietly. The other, a young man named Denji, observed her in a matching silence. However, while his mouth spoke no words, deep within his heart, he was holding a lengthy conversation with someone incredibly important.
"Pochita. I... I think I did it. I think I've found my dream. I want to tell you about it."
He stirred slightly, his chest rising in a deep breath.
"I guess I have been so busy, I haven't talked to you much. Want to hear?"
Silence followed, but as Denji looked over at the figure opposite him, his heart thumped ever so slightly harder in his chest. He smiled.
"I thought you would."
Denji thought for a moment. Where to even start? The last years had been a blur, and some big details now seemed hazy and vague. He would just have to try his best.
"Reze and I ran away together, Pochita. I chose her... remember when I was asking you who you would choose? I made my choice, and we ran away together. It happened after we had a crazy battle. Turns out she was a secret agent sent to take you away. But... she loved me. She was like us, Pochita. She wanted a normal life, but the crappy people around her took her when she was just a kid. They basically tortured her. She doesn't talk about it much, but it seems like her childhood was a lot like mine... except she didn't have you to save her."
Denji's eyes drifted to a small metal ring dangling from the side of Reze's neck. She had been merged with the Bomb-Devil, much like he had merged with Pochita.
"When we first ran away, things were pretty tough. I'm not gonna lie, Pochita, I felt like I had made the wrong choice. I was right back where I started... back to not sleeping in a bed and not eating any food. We even lived off a single loaf of bread for a while. I guess it is a good thing that I had learned how to survive. Reze was also not nearly as fun as I expected. She was always tense. Apparently, she wasn't lying when she said she had faked a lot of her affection towards me. To be fair, we were in hot water. She had expected to have someone help us escape, but that fell through. We wound up totally on the run and always watching our backs."
Denji fidgeted, formatting his thoughts. His face felt slightly warm.
"That being said... she was still nice to me. It was pretty clear that my going with her meant a lot. We didn't do anything sexy together. Of course, I really wanted to, but we were so desperate, it just never happened. We did sleep together, though. It was cold most nights, so we slept against each other. She was so warm... it reminded me of how you and I would make it through the winters. With her being against me, I struggled to fall asleep pretty often..."
"We eventually made it here, Pochita. It was so remote, we felt sure no one could find us. I started working by cutting wood again, and we renovated this little shed together. Life was starting to feel good again. We were making enough money to eat okay grub, and Reze seemed happier each day we lived in peace. It was awesome..."
Denji's jaw clenched slightly.
"But then there was this big, awful devil attack. Apparently, it was the Gun Devil. I got hit and died. Luckily, it missed Reze, but probably about half the people in this tiny village got killed. Reze revived me, but it was a pretty horrible day. We didn't even see the devil. We only heard later from some gossip that the Gun had shown up and gotten defeated. I wonder if Aki was there. I know he really wanted to kill that Devil."
"Despite that really bad day, our lives kept getting better. I swear Reze got cuter and cuter by the day. Eventually, it felt exactly like when we were first becoming friends. She smiled and laughed and even went back to telling rude jokes! I imagine she did it mostly for me, but I liked it all the same. She is so darn cute, Pochita."
Denji took a deep breath, smiling softly as Reze continued to sleep peacefully. Her mouth was slightly open, and he could just barely make out the sounds of her breath.
"After a while... Reze started dropping hints. Lots of them. I know I'm not the smartest, but even I picked up. She wanted to get married. I thought that seemed unnecessary... and hard to do considering we were still pretty poor! But I think it mattered to her a lot. Unlike me... I think Reze really looked up to her parents. She had this kinda kiddy, perfect view of what they were like. I worry that maybe it is all some fantasy she dreamed up. My dad was a loser who ruined my life, and I don't even remember my mom... but if it is what she wanted, I was willing to do it. Plus... if she wanted to get married, I took that to mean she would definitely want to..."
Denji gulped, stopping mid-thought.
"So I saved for a few months. I bought this ring. I knew it was cheap, but it was as much as I could do. You should have seen how happy she looked when I asked."
Denji smiled brightly in the moonlit room.
"We knew this wrinkly older lady. She was really religious, always going to this church. It felt like she walked there every day. Almost all of those church members died in the Gun Devil attack, but that didn't stop her. One day, when I was off cutting trees, Reze asked her if we could use the church for a small wedding. The old lady was ecstatic. She had clearly been upset that we had been living together without being married. She helped Reze sew a simple wedding dress, and this guy she knew lent me a suit. I must've lost a lot of weight because the suit practically swallowed me. The day of the wedding, they had their pastor officiate us. I've never seen Reze look more beautiful than when she walked down the aisle. Her face looked like it was shooting out sunbeams! I felt a little bad... using a church even though we were devils. I dunno. Her smile made it all worth it, though!"
"After that is when my dream really started coming true, Pochita. Reze had been working to plant a garden, and we started to have lots of good food to eat. There was no power to our little house, but Reze got some old school textbooks from the wrinkly lady she had become buddies with ever since she let us use the church and helped with the dress. She sometimes goes over to the lady's place and they have coffee together. Reze started to teach me how to read. She also started making us both breakfast every morning, and I did the dishes before leaving to work. We swam in the nearby lake when it wasn't too cold. We were happy. Really happy."
Denji's face flushed slightly.
"I've had sex now, Pochita. We do it pretty often, too. It is better than I ever imagined it could be back when you and I were together. It feels good, but it also just really messes with my heart! I didn't think I could love anyone like this, but it is awesome. I am sure you'd be happy for me."
The small, sharp sound of a snapping twig entered the wooden house. Denji glanced to see the cause. Nothing to worry about. A deer and her fawn.
"That being said, life didn't stay perfect. Things got really scary. I think we both felt like we were always being watched. Reze decided to hide packets of our blood around the house just in case. She was really vigilant and careful. But... but one day I came home and found the house completely blown apart. Reze was on the ground... mangled. Her left hand was gone. Her ring gone. Her head..."
Denji shuddered, taking a moment to calm himself.
"Someone was standing over her. A lady. I... I can't remember her face. I knew her, but I don't remember. I felt so sick. I felt like the promise I made to show you my dream had been utterly and completely destroyed. Something must have hit me. Pochita. I blacked out. But I feel like... were you there?"
"The next thing I remember is Reze waking me up. That dude-that-looks-like-a-chick, Angel, was there. And Kishibe. Blood was everywhere. Kishibe said something weird... I think it was 'You've just changed everything. Let's hope not for the worst.'... I dunno. That dude is a drunk and slurs half of what he says. They left us alone. Said we could be safe now."
Denji reached his hand forward slightly, placing it closer to Reze's.
"We rebuilt the house. Replanted the garden. We went to a festival and watched fireworks. I think it has been about six months since all that happened, and I have almost saved up enough for a new ring. It is a peaceful, happy life we have."
"I feel... free, Pochita."
"Reze and I can handle anything that comes our way. I love her Pochita... I hope you think this is a good enough dream."
Denji's eyes grew heavy.
"Thank you for letting me show it to you."
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