Jun looked around the restaurant with both anticipation and fear. There was a time when her agent would have had this set up for her - the interviewer prepared and vetted, with a list of subjects that Jun would and would not discuss. She idly wondered what some of the "would not discuss" subjects had been. She suspected that her love life was frequently on that list. A young man leapt from his seat at a corner table as she entered the room. She approached him with a smile and held out her hand to shake his. It was a conscious decision and she watched with some satisfaction as he took in the gesture, then grasped the hand warmly. He waited for her to sit, then seated himself. Jun found herself liking this Kandagawa, despite her initial concerns. "Thank you for coming on such short notice," he said with a cheeky smile, but his face became serious almost at once. "Fudou-san, I want to assure you that I am not a tabloid muckraker, nor do I wish to create scandal or controversy. I admire your modeling work, and I admire you - and so do our readers. Last year you were voted most popular celebrity in every poll we ran. This interview is meant to be serious and sensitive and if anything I ask is even remotely offensive, I beg your pardon in advance." Jun inclined her head a little in acknowledgement. "I will do my best to answer your questions, Kandagawa-san." The young interviewer was as good as his word. The questions focused on her career, her plans, the past, but in such a general and mild way that Jun began to relax. Nothing along the lines of "What was it like being a murderous mutated monster?" Kandagawa took a deep breath as Jun finished answering a question. He leaned forward and turned the tape recorder off, closed his notebook and sat back. "I have one more question, Fudou-san, but this is entirely off the record. And please don't answer it if you don't wish to. It is entirely for my own personal curiosity and is incredibly rude." Jun felt her muscles clench. What would it be? The possibilities whirled around her brain, each more horrific than the last. "My question is this," Kandagawa's voice shook a little, as if he feared the response he would get. He leaned forward with an intense expression. "Can you...can you still become the Devilman?" It was at that point that Jun noticed that what she had thought was a strangely textured coat, was in fact, a pair of wings, tightly furled against Kandagawa's back. Jun looked him in the eyes and said, "I don't know." He released a deep breath, as if he had been holding it, and sat back. Something in his eyes seemed disappointed, but he smiled to cover it up and thanked her repeatedly for her time. She watched him leave the restaurant; his recorder and notebook tucked tightly under one wing. Jun leaned back and closed her eyes for a moment. It was true - she had no idea if she could change anymore and all of a sudden it struck her as odd. Jun felt like a complete fool. She was pretty sure she looked like one, too. It was twilight and the streets were crowded with people returning home after work and school. Jun moved slowly through the throng, amazed once again at the resilience of humanity. Here they were, mere months after a national emergency that had affected them all and killed many; stopping at shops, buying food, rushing home to loved ones. Those that had loved ones to return to. Jun shook herself out of the impending melancholy - she would not return to the darkness today. She smiled at a child who bumped into her, and ran off, her hooves clicking delicately on the sidewalk. Her hand was clutched tightly around a bouquet of spring flowers, and the fragrance of a garden on a sunny day filled her nostrils. The sky was filling with stars, visible again in the city now that so many of the buildings whose lights had hid them were gone. She felt her cheeks warm a little, as she thought once again of her ridiculous behavior. After the interview with Kandagawa, Jun had wandered the streets for a while, watching the people, visiting places she hadn't had a chance to see in a while. Her old apartment building still stood, but was being rebuilt. Her agency was no more than a pile of rubble. Eventually her meanderings had landed her in a rebuilt shopping area, in front of a new dress shop. Jun had watched the dressers tweak folds into place on a mannequin's shoulder. She remembered clearly what it had been like to be the model everyone wanted...and before she could stop herself, she had stepped into the shop. An hour later, Jun had a new outfit. She had gone home and spent the next hour showering, dressing, doing her hair and makeup in a way that caused her to blush every time she thought about it. And now she looked down at the flowers in her hand and blushed once again. She was acting like it was a date - there wasn't any way around it. A giggle escaped her lips, and she clamped her mouth shut before she could draw too much attention to herself. But it was too late; the giggle welled up and pushed past her will to tumble from her mouth. People near her edged away, but she couldn't take offense. She was too happy to be upset at anyone. She was going to have dinner with a virtual stranger, and the night was crystal clear and beautiful. The smile never left her face as she walked.
Back to Afterword Index - Back to Devilman Lady Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction