Beyond Control 9 (Patreon)

Beyond Control 9 - or ‘I refuse to be Controlled, so I will attain the [Heavens] to not get dommed by a certain redhead Control Devil' (Chainsaw Man, SI!)

It didn’t take me too long to spot Reze when she started to infiltrate Tokyo. Not when I was aware of where her workplace was and had been keeping tabs for long before the Katana Man Arc.

My patience had been rewarded when she started to work there- quite clumsy, but overall relatively subdued as she was waiting for the one target to come and find her. It was in the right spot- near the flat where Denji, Power and Aki lived, so it was easy for her to ultimately stage a way to get to know Denji.

Or should have been quite simple if not for the fact I had been on her butt from day one.

One moment Reze was making her way to her ‘apartment’, clearly going to the local abandoned school to use as her makeshift base for the time being, but found her simple steps disrupted when she heard something shift and… she was suddenly brought into unconsciousness as I extracted the memories related to her lengthy and horrible torture at the hand of the Soviet Union.

I couldn’t exactly get all I needed through a single risk without being a bit more selective, but since a large chunk of her existence was through pain, it was easy for me to just snatch a fairly sizable amount of memories and then, as she slumbered, take care of the rest.

Not a pleasant task considering how complicated some of those were, with hints of triggers having been left around in deeper memories and forcing me to surgically strike those down. By the end of the process, I had a big DISC and several small ones.

Reze slept through it all, and I managed to carefully carry her on my back as we made it back to my flat. I had prepared a small guest room, nothing that could really be turned into a proper ‘girl room’ for many, but should be enough for Reze to appreciate.

As I had her slip through the sheets, I could feel her unconsciously reach out for the missing warmth and, that’s where I felt a sense of righteousness on what I was doing. Reze was a good ally and a troublesome enemy- not just because of her Bomb Girl’s abilities, but also for her contacts within the Union… which I needed for some ideas I have now that The International Assassins Arc has been avoided.

But first, I had to have Reze on board with what I planned to do. I gave her a chance to be free of her shackles, but her personality was not one without flaws. Sweet and yet bitter, sad and yet curious of the world around her- she was curious as a child, but cynical as a middle-aged human being that had been through a war or two.

When she woke up, she looked a bit tired. The experience of having her memories removed had to have been a bit straining on her, so that easily explained her blunt request for water.

I had a glass and a bottle ready and she looked thankful when I offered her that.

Slowly, her gaze fluttered around as she realized this was all unfamiliar. The room, the bed, the sheets, the water itself and… me. Now, I know many would be upset to know I decided against wearing a mask when first meeting her, but there was a deep reasoning behind that decision: in this case, I wanted Reze to be my ally.

Not my dog, not my puppet, or my minion. She will be her own person with her own plans, but, for the time being, she will assist me because it is convenient to her as much as it is for me.

“W-Who… are you?”

I blinked, then offered a tiny smile. “My name is John Bukharin. How are you, Reze?”

She lowered her eyes to the glass.

“Good. Why am I here?”

“Safety.”

“Why?” She whispered quietly. “Why can’t I remember much?”

“I removed some of your memories,” I flatly admitted, her gaze back to me, eyes widening in shock and with an ounce of outrage at this. “How about you just ask me more questions?”

Reze paused, then slowly nodded. “Why did you do that?”

“You are not exactly a normal girl, Reze. I left behind what you are.”

“Bomb Girl. Hybrid Devil,” She muttered these words robotically, then frowned as she couldn’t connect the source of that. “How did I turn into this?”

“You are from the Soviet Union, Reze. You were a ‘super-soldier’ trained to become a tool to them. They tortured you, they starved you, they even tested your regeneration as hybrids heal fast with enough blood.”

…

“...You are not lying.”

“I am not.”

“I can tell by how calm you are,” She mumbled, showing a perplexed look. “This is… odd. I know things, but I don’t know how I know them.”

“That’s the feeling of losing memories. I will give them back to you if you wish. I already isolated triggers which may be used to control you, but I am here to offer you a deal.”

Unease flashed through her gaze. “What sort of deal?”

“I have an enemy right now. Someone that has been acting as Tokyo’s watchdog for some time now and that you were sent to… spy upon one of her dogs. The Chainsaw Man.”

A glint of familiarity appeared in her eyes. “Chainsaw…?”

“The Devil that can erase other Devils by devouring them” I explained to her, filling the void she had on the matter. “Such a powerful Devil that can be used as a tool to shape the tool if someone is able to steal them.”

“Yes… was that my… mission?”

“Not exactly,” I admitted truthfully. “Your mission, by your superiors’ order, was to seize the Chainsaw Man’s heart and bring it back to the homeland. That would have been used by your former jailors to summon the Darkness Devil and obtain great power for their country. If you failed it, then you were to expose the Chainsaw Man to the rest of the world.”

…

…

“R-Really? It sounds so… complicated. I know things but… do I know enough?”

Reze sounded quite innocent about this. I could tell it was related to her dislike for murdering people, and without the ‘context’ that should be felt stronger than before.

“You don’t. Or rather, your superiors didn’t know enough and thus you don’t,” I replied calmly. “Which is why the first plan would have failed and the second one would have been explained. By the Chainsaw Man’s superior.”

Curiosity flickered at it. “Are those bad people?”

“The Chainsaw Man? No. The one in charge of him? I… I would say they have good ideas but plan to do it through horrible means.”

“How bad?” The girl asked and I hummed.

“She really doesn’t care about how many dead bodies she has to leave behind for her good plans to come to fruition.”

“That’s quite bad.”

I smiled and nodded. “That’s quite bad, indeed.”

…

“And… How do I fit in this? I mean, what is your situation about it all?”

“Well, Reze, my plan is simple- I want to stop this woman from causing a mess and… maybe do something nice for the world without actually causing a genocide in the process. I am sure that sounds fairly good but… it’s difficult,” I pointed a finger at her. “Which is why I need a friend and an ally.”

“Why me?” Reze asked, head tilting to the side. “I am not much.”

“You are someone that has a good heart and soul. Despite what many would say out of a necessity to break you or bribe you… I know you had it rough. I didn’t even need to see what memories I removed to know it was bad. Your body, even now, is itching to just run away despite me not being a threat. You can perceive trouble in a way that should not be possible- and while that’s good for some, it’s terrifying for me. You… they hurt you and that’s not right.”

She bowed her head at that. “I am… surprised. I didn’t notice how tense I was up until now.”

“Which is why I want to make it clear that I don’t seek to put you in danger. I just need someone that is reliable that can get things around. I will not ask you to use your powers- in fact, if things go as smoothly as I plan them to be, you will not be using those unless you want to.”

“...Is that so? You mean it? You don’t need my powers?”

“I don’t. As I said, Reze, I need someone to rely upon as a good human being.”

…

…

Reze smiled. “I think that’s fair.”

Great-

“And… since we are friends, can you help me go to the bathroom?”

I frowned. “You can’t go on your own?”

“My legs are still tired. And you are not going to peep!”

I was very confused by this. I mean, I got that I had to carry her to the bathroom, but she literally had me sit on the floor beside the toilet as she released her bladder. I was confused, thinking this was some sort of test but-

“Isn’t that what friends do?” Reze asked innocently. “I remember my first friend tended to do this too, sitting with me as I didn’t like doing it alone.”

“That’s more of a child-only thing, Reze.”

She blinked for a moment and then slowly nodded. “Okay.”

I thought this was over-

“Do you want to switch? As an apology?”

“Nope.”

She genuinely looked confused by my refusal, but it actually died there.

I know that I should be happy for Reze now that she will be given some proper affection, but… I forgot this girl ended up being compatible with the living being known as Denji. And that means far more than it should…

—--------d-d-d-d—------

AN

Makima may not like this development for many reasons. One of which may be quite amusing when John will learn about it.