Please read the author's note at the end and do the poll.
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Omniscient POV
"Are you happy now?"
"Can you let go of me? I still have to shower… but hey, I'm down if you want to join me. We never did it together before." Rein whispered, with the clear intention of ending this conversation.
Makima's lips curved, and her eyes dimly sparkled with merriment.
Things were finally back to normal, well, the version of normal she believed in.
His new unpredictability astounded her every passing moment, and if possible, she also wanted to uncover all his secrets.
She had never asked him about his abilities before, not because she didn't want to, but because she'd been waiting for the right time.
Now he was finally opening up about himself, about his new devil powers… and Makima liked that. She liked knowing everything.
She always found a strange satisfaction in learning secrets from people who trusted her wholeheartedly, even when that trust had been earned through manipulation.
As she kept her attention on the present moment, even if things were "back to normal," there was still one thing she needed to take care of.
And she will do it without any hesitation.
Without waiting any longer, she freed her fingers from his, then brought her hands to his face and cupped his cheeks tenderly.
With their faces that close, kissing was inevitable.
And that's what she did.
Rein didn't seem bothered or surprised by it. Makima did what she wanted. He was too used to it by now, so he let her do him.
Besides, if he was being honest? Makima still wasn't a great kisser.
She was better than before… but her kiss still felt like control.
Furthermore, she had no real experience with any of life's pleasures before meeting him. He did feel a little bad for her…but he preferred it this way. Teaching her everything he could, and sharing those experiences with her, was its own kind of fun.
And in truth, he really liked that.
With that, he brought his freed hands around her, pulled her close, and let them drift down until they settled on her perfectly plump butt.
Meanwhile, Makima closed the distance and their lips touched.
It started as a normal kiss, with their lips interlocked, and their kiss slow and gentle. Rein closed his eyes and let himself drown in this moment.
This continued for several seconds until Makima deepened the kiss, putting more force into it this time. Rein didn't mind—on the contrary, he allowed her to do it.
But it seemed that was his mistake…
…because suddenly, Makima tightened her grip on his cheeks while the intensity behind her kiss increased dramatically.
Her palms weren't just holding his face, they were locking his jaw in place, pinning him so there was no room for him to pull back.
Makima had always been gentle with him, but this time, she wasn't.
The kiss changed.
It got rougher, harder, and…bloodier.
Rein's eyes snapped open in disbelief.
"Makmmm—" He tried to speak, but he couldn't. Their mouths weren't open enough to communicate.
Makima kept going, forcing herself on him, all the while trying to claim his lips for herself.
Her forceful kiss built pressure until Rein's lips stretched unnaturally.
The corner of his lips split first as clean tears appeared from the sheer force. Then she bit his tongue when she pulled harder, and that's also when he tasted it…
…that warm and metallic taste of blood.
Blood began to drip from his lips and tongue, and this didn't slow down Makima at all, she continued as if she was enjoying this.
The blood kept dripping, but she didn't let go of him.
Rein tasted his blood again. He also felt that sharp sting where his lips were torn, and his bloodied tongue ached like hell.
Something was wrong.
Rein could tell something was wrong with her.
He knew she had no intention of stopping, and if she kept going, she'd turn his face into a bloody mess…which wasn't exactly pleasant, even if he could regenerate.
He had to stop her.
So he didn't give her any more time and acted swiftly.
He planted his hands on her shoulders and with considerable force, he shoved her back.
Makima's grip on his face broke. Their lips separated, though blood still kept steadily running down his lips.
She stumbled a few steps, but she regained her balance quickly, like nothing had happened.
Now freed from her restraints, Rein wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and then looked down at his hand.
His right palm was covered in so much blood.
His blood.
He didn't show any reaction as if this meant nothing to him, instead, he slowly lifted his eyes to her.
Makima had been staring at him the whole time, while her face was devoid of almost any expression.
The only thing that was written on her face was… possession.
Rein tilted his head in curiosity. He wasn't shocked. He wasn't upset.
He was simply…amazed.
He didn't know Makima had it in her to do that to him…especially now.
And yet… how could he forget?
Makima was Makima. A yandere, possessive to the bone. Something like this was always going to happen, one way or another.
He wiped the last smear of blood from his lip with his thumb, then looked at her like he was studying an unsolved puzzle.
"What's wrong, dear?" Rein asked softly. "Everything alright?"
His healed lips slightly curved until they formed into a faint smile.
"Tell me, why did you do that?"
He asked it in the gentlest way he could. Even though there was no real gentleness behind it.
Even if he was a devil, he didn't like this kind of intimacy. It was weird, it made him feel miserable... and he hated that feeling.
Makima's golden eyes lingered on him for a couple of seconds, like she was searching for something. She stayed silent, and then her lips finally parted.
"I was simply reminding you…" she said almost calmly, "…who you belong to."
'Reminding me…?
Ahh. So that's what this was.'
Rein's thoughts clicked into place almost instantly.
It was simple, really.
Makima was jealous.
Yes. Makima was jealous. She would never admit it, but her possessiveness told him everything.
From her perspective, her actions were justified.
The reality was this:
Rein stopped his country-breaker attack because of Reze, not because of Makima.
And that must have irked her. Knowing he cared about another woman besides her.
Makima wasn't the type to share.
In her mind, she owned him, even if she phrased him as her equal.
And the reason she had been so patient before, even letting him bond with Reze, Rein finally got it.
She had a sinister motive.
He realized she wanted to give him the same treatment she gave to Denji.
She wanted him to get romantically involved with Reze to the point where he'd become emotionally attached.
And just like Power, Makima would've killed Reze the same way, completely breaking what was left of him in the end.
He couldn't tell why, but he wasn't angry. From the very beginning, he knew what type of woman he was associating himself with, and he was prepared for the consequences; But he wasn't going to just sit there and let everything collapse around him.
Not now. Not ever.
Reze was under his protection. As long as he was alive, she would live safely.
He would make sure of it.
And why did he care that much?
Because Reze was the only one holding onto the last bit of humanity that was left in him.
Humanity. Something Makima wanted to take away from him and she succeeded…albeit partially.
Speaking of the devil, he had to do something about her.
If he didn't calm her down, things would only keep getting worse, and he wouldn't be meeting Reze anytime soon.
So he didn't waste time.
Rein stepped forward until he was right in front of her. He was a couple of inches taller than her, so she had to look up at him.
Then he took her hands.
"I only have eyes for you, Makima," Rein said 'earnestly.'
He tightened his grip just a little, squeezing her hands to show his possessiveness.
"Trust me when I say this, you are the only woman I love and will ever love," Rein said honestly… even as he inwardly cringed at his own words.
This time, Makima saw it, the sincerity in his eyes.
For a moment, she actually felt better.
But then that familiar thought crept back in again.
Rein was the Human Devil now.
And what were humans?
Lying monsters.
Monsters that were much more cunning than other types of monsters.
Monsters who smiled, spoke softly, and hid knives behind their backs.
They were a real nuisance.
So even if his words sounded sincere, it was still hard for her to fully trust him. Blindly trusting others was a fool's work; so she made sure she always kept an upper hand.
Rein caught this uncertainty in her eyes instantly.
He couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh. Annoyed that he had to bother himself to prove his loyalty to her.
"…If you still don't believe me then you'd at least trust the poison you used on me, right?" He said
Makima didn't answer.
The look on her face was enough to tell him she was listening.
"The poison catches intent for betrayal," he continued. "It even catches intent for betraying love."
He paused for a long second, just enough to let his words sink in.
"In simple words…"
"If I ever become unfaithful...the link we share will inform you the moment it happens."
To his words, Makima's ringed eyes narrowed slightly.
How could she forget about the observer function? The one thing that was keeping Rein from breaking the poison?
The part of the poison that also happened to watch him.
And it would sense betrayal before it even happened.
Even kissing or having sex with another woman counted as an act of betrayal.
Makima understood it completely.
And for the first time since their bloody kiss, a faint smile returned to her lips.
As the trigger, she could still feel the connection between them.
This time, she didn't have a problem trusting him. Because now she had something better than trust.
She had almost permanent insurance.
Why almost? Because Makima knew there was no such thing as permanent insurance.
Someone like her, who had eyes everywhere, wouldn't simply let things slip through her fingers.
She let it happen once, when Rein broke her contract. She wasn't taking any risks now, not if there was even a chance he could overcome her new control.
That was probably also why she had "acquired" the highest-grade poison from the Greek Pantheon.
A poison that marked its subject, Rein, as her property. And if she ever chose to issue the death command, it would bypass every known immortality gimmick… even cleverly worded damage-transfer contracts like her own
Makima loosened her hold on him and stepped forward and hug him instead. Her head rested on his shoulder, and her arms wrapped around his waist.
"I love it when you prove your loyalty to me," Makima whispered.
She snuggled closer.
"You can have friends."
She paused for a second
"…Anything beyond that is forbidden. Of course."
Rein smiled and hugged her back, his hands sliding over her sexy back.
"Thank you, Makima," he said, cheerful on the outside. "You're the best~"
Makima smiled like she'd received pleasant news.
Then she pulled back just enough to look at him properly.
She tilted her head, and her beautiful eyes met his blue ones.
"Shall we go back inside? Don't you want to bathe with me?" she asked, her eyes bright with delight.
Rein's smile widened again.
"Yes, I do~" He said.
His smile looked warm and innocent on the outside…
…but it was anything but that on the inside. If anything, it was pure mischief.
He was trying his absolute best to hold back the overwhelming urge to laugh, really laugh, and ridicule her right to her face.
Though his eyes were on hers, his mind was elsewhere.
'Makima, Makima, Makima.
I can't believe you fell for that.
The poison you trust so much…you know, it just so happens that it was partially destroyed by a devil…a devil you killed without a care.
Turns out…he also happens to be my best friend.
My only friend in this world…
…Angel Devil.'
Everything he just told her, every reassurance he had given her, every display of "loyalty", it was all a lie.
Why?
Because the observer function, the part that would've warned Makima the instant he acted on his treacherous intents…was permanently muted.
It happened somewhere around his seventh or eighth year in the Aging World.
Back when he was talking to the Angel Devil, about Makima, and how she'd made his life difficult, he also mentioned the poison and its mechanism out of sheer boredom.
He didn't reveal it just to ask for Angel's help with anything.
He never asked for help from anyone.
But guess what? Angel Devil being such a homie, helped him out of pure goodwill, without even telling him.
Angel couldn't fully destroy the poison, but he could cripple it partially. So he muted the part that watched Rein, without severing the link.
Now the only way Makima could ever use it was if she actively knew Rein betrayed her.
And the contract they made in Kyoto? That made it even harder for her.
She couldn't trigger the poison unless betrayal was confirmed by herself.
Rein was free to do whatever he wanted.
Not that he had any intention of betraying Makima, well…
…aside from Reze of course.
Makima didn't waste time. She separated from him gently, her hands sliding off his wrists.
She gave him one last smile before she turned back toward the door and started walking toward it.
Rein didn't move, he only watched her back.
Then he slowly followed behind her, quiet and obedient as if he was back to being her good dog.
On the surface, it might've looked like he was only thinking about bathing with her.
But in reality, there was only one thought dominating his mind.
And it made him grin like a certain white-haired and blindfolded idiot who once mocked him for his greatest "failure" like it was the funniest joke in the world.
'Checkmate, Makima.'
His grin widened, like outplaying her this time meant complete victory.
It wasn't.
He ignored one crucial fact–
Makima is always watching.
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Author's Note:
No I am not a kinky bastard nor do I have any weird fetish. I simply thought this was the type of shit Makima would actually do, that's why I wrote that scene. If I am wrong then feel free to criticize me.
Anyway here's the poll.
Based on the last two chapters you've read about Rein, do you like his development … or do you prefer the old him? I need to know so I can portray him better in the next Arc.
Yes (seems promising).
No (loved the old one).