Mephisto yawned as he walked along the abandoned streets of Florence, Italy. He had just ended a meeting with the Vatican and was looking to fill his boredom. It was past 2 am and the purple haired demon had nothing to do. His yawns were all from boredom, but there was nothing open. "The perks of being a demon are growing less and less." He muttered to himself, twirling his umbrella. He stopped on the bridge he was crossing and looked down at the rippling water beneath. The street lamps cast small flickering sparks on the water. The King of Time smiled, sometimes he found a moment that he could just stay in forever, and this was one of them. He leaned over the railing and saw his blurred reflection in the water, just a blotch of white on the black water, surrounded by yellow flickers of light.
He moved on, looking at the architecture around him. He had to admit he adored this city. His eyes traveled to the starry sky above him. There wasn't a cloud in the sky tonight and it lifted his spirits. The Demon stopped at a street corner and considered for a moment which way he should go. His hotel was to the left, but he so wanted to look at more sights. He decided on going right, taking a new route through the city. He had only walked two blocks before stopping, cocking his head to the side. There was a sound not far away, loud enough for his demonic hearing to pick up. It was running, and panting. The footfalls were loud, clicking, like those of women's shoes, and the panting was higher pitched.
He looked around, trying to decided where the sound was coming from before another made him jump. A human wouldn't have been able to pick up the 'pop', but he wasn't human. He began walking again, heading for the direction where he heard the muffled sound. It was a gun. The gun had a silencer, making its sound muffled, but Mephisto knew what he heard. He didn't hear the footfalls anymore and his walking sped up as he rounded a corner. At the end of the alley-way was a collapsed figure, clad in a heavy woolen cloak. Mephisto hurried forward, kneeling down by to figure. "Are you alright?" He asked, lifting the hood to reveal snow white hair. He blinked, watching the face turn up to him. It was a young woman, a teenager in fact. "Miss, are you hurt?" He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. The female looked at him with green eyes, wide with worry.
"Help…" She whispered. Mephisto took notice of the deep crimson stain spreading across her chest.
"You're hurt, please, just stay calm, help will be here soon." Mephisto ordered, pulling his phone out, only for the female to place a hand on it.
"Help…the child…" She whispered. Mephisto looked down at her in wonder and disbelief."
"Child? My dear, you are delirious, please, let me-"
"It is too late for me…the child…she is safe…for now…she…is at the canal…safe." The woman whispered, a small smile on her lips.
"Miss, please, we must-"
"No time…they'll find her…"
"Who? Who will find her?" Mephisto asked, eyes narrowing.
"The…Vatican…" She said, closing her eyes. "The Vatican must never find her…they'll kill her…please…..keep her safe…." Mephisto opened his mouth to speak but it was too late. The woman's eyes did not open, nor did her chest move as she breathed. Mephisto sighed and moved her snowy hair from her face before standing. He looked down the alleyway the woman had come from. He smelled the canal from here. What child was she talking about? Mephisto moved swiftly, looking back to the woman before he turned the corner, going to the water.
There was no one there. Not a soul moved here. Mephisto's eyes looked across at the boats that bobbed in the dark water, listening for any form of sound that would indicate there was a child here. He heard nothing and moved down to the dock, looking into some of the boats. He was about to give up when he heard the gurgled coo of a baby. He stopped and looked around, trying to pinpoint where it came from. It sounded again, two boats up. Mephisto pulled back the canvas cover and looked in, seeing a bundle of blankets under the wooden seats. His forest green eyes looked around, surveying the area before reaching in and pulling the bundle out.
"So you are the one I was asked to keep safe?" He asked aloud, moving the blankets from the babies face. What greeted him was the most beautiful baby girl he had ever seen. He paused staring down at her, a smile on his lips. The child had rosy pink cheeks and rose bud lips. Her eyes were closed but she had the thickest, longest eyelashes he had ever seen on a child. He smiled brighter at her hair; it was a shock of short, bright pink hair. "Such a lovely child, who would want to kill you?" He asked, turning to go back down the dock.
"HOLD IT!" A voice shouted. Mephisto stopped and looked up, his tired eyes catching sight of a dark clothed figure. "By order of the Vatican, I demand you hand over the child." The man yelled.
"Is that so? Now why would I do that?" Mephisto asked, smiling brightly.
"That child is ordered to death." The man said, pulling out a gun.
"Execution? For an infant? Well that doesn't seem fair." Mephisto said slyly.
"You are being warned, sir, hand me the child."
"Alright." Mephisto smirked, "I'll do it on the count of three! Ready? Ein…zwei…drei!" Mephisto snapped his fingers, a pink poof of smoke blinding the man. When the breeze took it away, Mephisto was no longer on the dock. Instead he stood atop a nearby building, the baby cradled in his left arm. Why would the Vatican order the execution of a child? And she didn't appear to be more than a month old! "Well, I've gone this far, have I not? I suppose I must fulfill that woman's dying wish." He opened his umbrella and allowed it to carry him away through the night air.
The infant opened her eyes at last, looking up to his face, reached for him. Mephisto looked down and smiled kindly at the infant, noticing her eyes were lilac in color. The baby smiled, showing off her gummy mouth. "Now, what am I going to call you? Hmm?" The baby stuck a hand in its mouth and smiled up at him with those bright eyes of hers. "Ah! I've got it! Diana. Diana Azalea Pheles." He said, landing in front of the hotel and closing his umbrella.
"Shura, would come in here for a moment?" Mephisto asked, peaking his door open when he saw the fire haired woman walk by.
"Heh? What ya need now?" She asked, replayed her steps and going into Mephisto's room.
"So sorry to trouble you, but you're the only one I know who can help me." Mephisto explained, disappearing into the bedroom.
"Help ya wit wha?" Shura asked, plopping on the couch. Mephisto came back into the room, carrying a small bundle with him. "Da hell..?"
"I know this doesn't interest you, but I'm sure you can help somehow. How do you raise a baby?" He asked, moving the blankets so she could see the baby girls face.
"What?! Where in da hell did ya git a kid?" Shura asked, jumping to her feet.
"You won't believe me if I told you." He smirked, unraveling the baby from the blankets, showing the small, pudgy body clad in a simple white dress.
"Heh?"
"Apparently the Vatican ordered this child to be executed." Mephisto explained.
"A baby execut'd? Seriously?"
"Indeed. And she's not even a demon." Mephisto held the small babe to his chest, using a free hand to lift the back of her dress up to show no demonic tail. Shura stood and walked to where Mephisto sat, sitting next to him and holding her hands out in show that she wanted to hold the child. Mephisto gladly gave her the child, smiling at little Diana's curious eyes.
"What ya name her?"
"Diana Azalea Pheles." Mephisto said, beaming with pride. Shura sat the infant on her lap and smiled at her. "Diana is the Roman Goddess of the moon, and since I found her at night with such a lovely moon in the sky, it seemed only appropriate. Azalea, well, that's obvious."
"Who's a cutie? Who's a cutie?" Shura giggled, kissing the babies cheek, earning squeals of laughter. "I ain't hear nothin' about a baby to be killt, but then ag'n they don' tell me much." She said, lifting the baby to her tiny feet rested on her legs. "So you keeping her?"
"It was the dying words of her mother that I take care of her."
"Her ma?"
"Well, I assume it was her mother, she only told me to protect her, that the Vatican wanted her executed."
"What if she's like Rin? Her powers could jus' be sealed away somewhere."
"Unlikely. If that was the case then whatever weapon or vessel they are sealed in are to be kept near the child. If they were left behind who knows who could get a hold of it and destroy it." Mephisto explained. Shura pondered this for a moment before looking back into Diana's lilac eyes. Diana smiled at her, waving her arms around happily.
"Well, firs' things firs', little Diana here'll need some food. I'll run out an' get some." She said, handing the baby back to Mephisto and standing up.
"That's too kind of you, Miss. Kirugakure." Mephisto said, standing with her.
"It's da least I c'n do. I'll help as much as I can." She said, slipping around him and going to the door. "How old you think she is?"
"I'm not sure. But she can't be more than a month old, she's so small." Mephisto said, stroking Diana's soft hair.
"A'right. I'll git some form'la and some baby food. T'morrow I'll git some more stuff."
"Oh, that won't be necessary, Miss Shura, I return to Japan tomorrow morning."
"A'right, if ya say so." She said, leaving the room. Mephisto looked down at the small child and tickled under her chin.
"I have wondered what it would be like to raise a child." He said absentmindedly. "You'll grow up to be the perfect little lady, dear Diana." He said, raising her to his face and rubbing his nose against hers. Diana giggled and slapped a small hand against his cheek. "Ah-ah-ah, ladies do not hit gentleman." Mephisto said, taking her small hand between his thumb and index finger a, kissing the tiny little fingers. Diana stared at him with large eyes, as if understanding what he was saying. "Such a precious little princess you are."
Mephisto looked over the room her was planning on making Diana's bedroom in. It was located in one of the decorative towers around his mansion, this one being close to his office and having a private staircase to it. He never really used this room. It was mostly for storage, but there were only thirteen boxes. The room was round and thirty feet in diameter. He nodded to himself, going to one of the four large windows of the room, looking out at the ocean beyond. This room will be perfect for her! But first it had to be made fit for a princess.
The King of Time had called in the best decorators he knew and put them to work. The walls were painted to look like a rolling meadow with soft hills in the distance. He couldn't have imagined better as the artists added lifelike butterflies on the flowers of the field and soft, puffy clouds in the bright blue sky. "I want this room as adorable as possible! My little princess needs only the best!" Mephisto had already become used to the idea of being a father to this little orphan, and was prepared for everything the job brought.
"Would you like the ceiling done too, Mr. Faust?" One of the artists asked, stopping his work on a fluffy bunny.
Mephisto looked to the ceiling in question and nodded. The roof was plan wood with a few beams. "I was thinking, instead of just simple paint, why not make a sky theme?"
"I was thinking the same, sir." The foreman said, looking up from some papers. Mephisto raised a purple brown and turned to him in question. "Well, we have this clothe with LED lights added into them, we would hang the cloth from the center of the ceiling, letting the ends attached to the walls. At night you turn the LED lights on and it looks like the stars." Mephisto closed his eyes in thought and smiled brightly.
"Yes, that'll be perfect!" He agreed, nodding his agreement before leaving and going down to his office. Diana lay in her crib by his desk, Amaimon looking down at her. His poor younger brother had yet to turn back to his original form, so he was still stuck as a hamster. "How is she, brother?"
"Human infants are so strange." He said, turning his purple eyes to his brother. "Are you really going to keep her?"
"Yes, Amaimon, I am. It was the dying words of her mother for me to protect her." The green hamster jumped from his perch on the edge of the crib and next to the small child, scuttling up to her face.
"She's very small."
"Well, she's a baby, dear brother! She will grow bigger through the years." Mephisto explained, sitting at his desk. Diana was giggling at Amaimon, poking his tiny pudgy body. Amaimon wanted to bite her but knew his older brother would punish him dearly, instead he moved further away from her hand and sniffed her hair, moving around her head and looking at the other side of her.
"There's nothing special about her, big brother, I don't see how you could keep her." He said, jumping out of the crib and onto Mephisto's desk.
"Not now there isn't. but with me as her father she'll grow up the most glorious female this world has seen." He said, sounding proud of himself. Amaimon shook his head and picked up a candy corn in his tiny paws, nibbling happily.
"What do you think?" Mephisto asked, sweeping an arm in the air of the newly furbished room. Shura stood in the door, jaw open as she looked around. The walls were painted in a mural of rolling meadows with delicate flowers here and there with fluffy bunnies along with birds flying around.
"Oh geez." Shura said, slapping her palm on her face. Just by walking in it you could tell this child was going to grow up being like Mephisto. There was over stuffed teddy bear and bunny dolls piled at one half of the round room, building blocks and teething toys spread around and in the center of the room: the frilliest crib Shura had ever seen. The thing was bright pink (she thought she'd go blind from looking at it) and had what seemed to be forty pounds of lace on it. The crib was also round, three feet in diameter, half of it with a round cover over it.
"It must air out for a day or so to get that disgusting paint smell out but it should be perfect!" He said, smiling brightly, white teeth flashing in the sun. Diana was on the ground, sitting up against a teddy bear and looking around in wonder.
"Does it gotta be so…girly?" Shura asked, poking a bunny doll in its glass eye.
"Not at all! In fact: I held back."
"Dis is holdin' back?"
"For me, yes. Do you like your new room Diana?" Mephisto asked the baby, bending down to look into her eyes. Diana looked up at the purple haired man, mouth hanging open and she made small squeaking noises, slapping her legs happily. "She loves it!"