Dream-catcher
Summary: Shura's not sleeping well. Mephisto offers to help... at a price. But what will they do when her nightmares start coming true? And when the lines between them are inevitably blurred, the demon and the exorcist may just find another problem on their hands. "It's a simple exchange, Shura... anything can be bought at the price of your soul." Mephisto/Shura
Genre: Romance, Mystery
A/N: Who doesn't need more of this wonderful pairing XD This kind of takes place after the events in my Mephy/Shura oneshot, 'Dream-Eater' but it isn't necessary to read it to understand this story (although I'd appreciate it if you checked it out). Just know that I will be referring to Mephisto as the same Mephistopheles from Goethe legend. So yes, he makes contracts and takes people's souls :3 So from the manga side of Blue Exorcist, this is a little AU I guess :P Oh, and that in the oneshot Mephisto sneaks around Shura's dreams as a sort of amusement/entertainment for him XD
Disclaimer: I do not own Blue Exorcist.
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Chapter 1- Contracts Made in Blood
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The red-headed exorcist lounged lazily against the wooden desk, long locks cascading down her shoulder as she took another sip from the metal can. She breathed out a contented sigh, swinging her legs as she hummed a little tune.
"Ah, Shura-sensei, should you really be drinking in front of us?" The timid voice of Konekomaru rang out followed by a chorus of agreements.
"Bug off, kid. You guys are all takin' a test so this should be fine." She waved her hand dismissively, cheeks flushed pink from the alcohol.
"And didn't you say you were eighteen? You're not old enough to drink!" Rin shot up from his desk, tail twitching angrily behind him as he slammed his hands against the desk in front of him.
"That's a detention, kid. No talkin' when tests are out." She chastised, waggling her finger patronizingly.
"What? You've got to be kidding me!"
"No talkin' back either. 'Less you want to visit the principal. Now, sit back down."
Begrudgingly, Rin sat down, gritting his teeth angrily. The room lapsed once again into silence, save for the upper class exorcist's humming and the sound of pencils on paper.
Bon was the first one to finish his test, handing the woman his paper before stalking back over to his desk. Just as he reached his desk, a light chortle could be heard somewhere from the confines of the room.
"The hell? Oi, Bon, quit yer yapping!"
"It's not me, sensei!" He retorted back, turning his eyes to the navy-haired teen.
"Why are you snickering Okumura? You're not even done with the test?"
"W-what? That wasn't me, I swear—"
"Hello, my wonderful students~!" A chipper voice rang out, a puff of smoke from the back wall revealing a certain demon king of space and time.
"Hey, get out of my classroom, ya stupid clown!" Shura yelled, placing the drink inauspiciously behind her.
He walked languidly towards the front of the room, a lopsided, albeit fanged grin on his face.
"Now, now, Shura-san, let's not be hasty. I don't think you should be chastising the students so harshly, given your present condition..." He trailed off, forest green eyes boring into hers.
"Shut up! This is my classroom, Mephisto!"
"Is that any way to talk to your superior?" He pretended to act offended, turning away in mock pain.
"It is when he's a clown in a stupid white suit!"
A flash of annoyance crossed his handsome features, but quickly disappeared when his gloved hands trailed the side of the desk. He stepped close enough to the upper-class exorcist that she could feel his breath against her skin.
"Never try to hide something from a demon." He whispered, snatching up the beer can from behind her. She scowled, reaching for the can only to fall face-forward off the edge of the desk, clearly inebriated.
Mephisto sighed, reaching out a gloved hand to help her up. The red-head took it... only to flip the demon onto his back as well.
He lay wide-eyed and surprised but quickly recovered, casting an amused grin in the exorcist's direction after he stood up. "How cute... come to my office in two hours, Shura-san." He said, stressing the honorific in a teasing manner.
"Like hell I will! You were spying on my class as a stupid bug again, weren't ya? And then you go and take my drink!"
The class was entirely silent at the impending argument, all eyes cast on the two bickering adults in the front of the room.
"Have it your way then. I will visit you later once I've decided the proper punishment for your behavior." There was a tinge of darkness to his words as the demon walked out of the room, spinning his umbrella while chuckling.
Shura returned to lounging on the desk, casting an annoyed look at her class as they continued to stare dimly at her. "What do you kids think yer lookin' at? Get back to yer test unless ya want to fail!"
All heads dipped back to their test, the sound of pencils on paper once again filling the classroom.
It was around midnight when the upper class exorcist finally made it to her room. A full day of teaching combined with dealing with Mephisto's eccentricities had left the woman more than exhausted. She quickly crawled under the inviting covers, intent on letting the aches and pains of the day disappear in the lull of peaceful sleep.
"Good evening, Shura." A smooth voice broke through the heavy darkness, startling the woman. She quickly jumped from the bed, pulling her sword from her chest. With her other hand she flicked on the lamp, amethyst eyes scanning the room for the intruder.
"Ah, I'm not here for a fight... as tempting as that might be."
Shura glared angrily at the shadowed figure, lips twisted into a frown. "Geeze, ya couldn't have visited earlier? What do ya want, Mephy? It's bad enough I see you in my dreams."
He chuckled at the nickname but otherwise approached wordlessly, a glint of darkness in his emerald eyes. Shura backed away instinctively, fingers clenching against the blade in her hand.
"I'm here to give you your punishment, of course. No alcohol for a week, no exceptions."
"Yer dumber than I thought if you believe I'll just go along with that stupid rule."
"Oh, but you have to, Shura dear." He spoke the affection teasingly, enjoying the scowl he received in return.
The woman pointed the sword towards him, eyes narrowed angrily. "Really? Why's that?"
Suddenly, he appeared at her side, hands grasped around her sword. "Because I could kill you in seconds." She blinked in surprise and then the demon was on top of her, blade in his hand. He brought the weapon to her neck, smiling all the while.
"Now, doesn't this seem familiar?"
"How the hell did ya do that? " She looked angry, not the least bit frightened by the cold metal pressed against her skin. He frowned. Looks like that was all the reaction he would get out of her.
Slowly, he moved away, keeping the sword in his hands. "Think for a moment, Shura. You didn't see me take the sword, did you?"
"What are you getting at?" She hissed, torn between whispering out a mass of sutras or just leaving the room altogether. Her brain tried to process the series of events, piecing together the moments before her weapon had disappeared from her hands. I didn't' feel him take the sword at all. I didn't see it happen either. It was like time stopped for a moment. Wait—it couldn't be that he's—
"So, do you have an answer?" He interrupted her musings, pointing the sword at her just as she had done moments before.
"You are… the Demon King of Time and Space, Samael."
He gave a sly grin. "You are correct."
Mephisto tossed the blade towards her, watching in amusement as she caught it effortlessly, placing the weapon back in its sealed location.
"Do you now understand the position you are in, Shura?"
She gritted her teeth angrily, but nodded, casting her eyes away from the smirking demon. He laughed happily, disappearing into the shadows. "I'll see you later, Shura dear. Remember our little deal. I don't want to see you being a bad role model to my lovely students. Goodbye~!"
Shura cursed inwardly, returning to her bed. Why would a Gehenna prince (the second strongest at that) be a principal at an exorcist academy? As usual, her talks with Mephisto left her more confused than before. It seemed she wouldn't be getting much sleep after all, thoughts jumbled due to a certain purple-haired demon.
There was an attack. Blood pooled at her feet as the sound of cries echoed down the corridor.
"How did an upper-class demon break through the barrier?"
"The poor kid—he looks like a skeleton."
"What are we going to tell the regular students? It looks like he's been mauled by a bear."
The woman woke in a cold sweat, crimson hair tangled and messy from tossing and turning in her sleep. She brought a hand to her chest, feeling her heartbeat slowly decrease. What a weird dream. Why didn't that stupid demon stop it before it ended? Of course—this is probably part of my punishment too.
Raking a hand through her locks, the exorcist checked her phone. It was early morning. Begrudgingly, she got out of bed, deciding to go visit the violet-haired devil. He never slept anyway; slipping on her boots, she walked towards the door, the events of her dream replaying relentlessly in her mind.
She shook her head. I'm just overreacting. I'm just not used to nightmares anymore 'cause Mephisto usually stops them.
"Come in, come in~!" Mephisto ushered the woman into his office, smiling widely. Shura took her seat in the chair in front of his desk as the flamboyant man offered her a lollipop. She frowned, shaking her head. The exorcist pointed accusingly at him, voice laced with anger.
"Listen clown, I want to know why ya didn't mess with my nightmare."
"Well, that's because—"
The beeping of his phone interrupted him as he held up a hand, answering the pink cellphone.
"Hello?" He started, eyes immediately widening.
"Are you sure? I'll be right there." He spoke gravely, ending the call.
"Don't think you can just run away—"
"A student has died." He interrupted, cape billowing behind him as he procured an infinity key from his pocket.
"What? How?" She asked incredulously, following the man to the door.
"See for yourself." The purple-haired man pulled open the door, revealing a gruesome scene.
Shura couldn't help but let out a gasp, eyes widening in shock. It can't be…
"How did an upper-class demon break through the barrier?"
"The poor kid—he looks like a skeleton."
"What are we going to tell the regular students? It looks like he's been mauled by a bear."
Her dream had come true. The demon beside her remained silent, his own thoughts preoccupying him.
A few hours later, once the attack had been properly dealt with, Mephisto and Shura sat in his office, the demon sipping tea from a cup calmly. Shura growled, slamming her hands against the desk. The principal didn't seem the least bit worried, drinking tea from a cup as if someone hadn't just been killed. It was infuriating! Suddenly, an idea sparked in her head.
"Don't tell me you had something to do with this!?"
The emerald-eyed demon sighed, placing the teacup onto the table. "Why would I kill one of my students? If I did, wouldn't it have been better for me to erase your nightmare? I fear we have bigger problems on our hands than your frequent nightmares."
"What are ya talking bout, Mephy?"
"I'm saying someone's targeting the school. And you… you can sense it before it happens."
"More like I see it right as it happens. I'm just a spectator to this crap."
"...I have a proposition for you." He spoke suddenly, growing serious. His eyes bore into hers as he spoke again, sharp canines glinting in the overhead light.
"If we work together we can save the students. I can stop the time in Assiah during your dreams, so we can know when and where an incident occurs and act accordingly."
"Bullshit. It's not that simple. Yer a demon; aren't ya going to ask for something in return?" She questioned, already knowing the answer.
He chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "You are definitely a sharp one, aren't you? Yes, there is always a catch. It's a simple exchange, Shura... anything can be bought at the price of your soul."
The room lapsed into silence, both inhabitants staring at each other. Shura eventually sighed, standing up. "Yer an ass, but I can't let all this crap happen when I know I can stop it. It's a deal… Samael."
His green eyes flashed brilliantly. "Excellent. I look forward to working with you, Shura dear." He also stood up, snapping his fingers.
Immediately, they were transported into a dark dimension, the only light coming from a crimson pentagram on the ground.
"To seal this contract I require your blood." His voice echoed in the darkness, a smirk resting against his lips.
"This better not be some sort of trap. If I find out yer the one who started this in the first place—"
Worry not, Shura. I give you my word." He bowed, tipping his hat to her.
"Shut it…" She mumbled, bringing her sword from her chest. Drawing a gash through her hand, she winced slightly, letting the blood drip onto the ground. The pentagram glowed a threatening crimson before the two appeared again in Mephisto's office in a puff of white smoke.
It was done. A contract had been made. And it brought Mephisto no greater happiness. It had been nearly two-hundred years since his last contract, after all.
A/N: And the love-hate relationship begins, lol XD I hope they aren't OOC or anything; Mephy's such a difficult character to write ^^' And yes, I assume Mephisto keeps his real identity from most exorcists cause he doesn't want to be more of a target XD And I promise not all chapters will be this dialogue heavy—I just need to set up the story ^^
Review?
-Isis