Now to start a long overdo project, based on Blue Exorcist. Please enjoy and let me know your thoughts.
Purple Exorcist
The Tale of Reiji Shiratori
Chapter One
The Cram School
A cloud rolled by the window, slowly drifting across the bright blue sky as Reiji watched it, his mind adrift with it as the man behind the desk in front of him stared.
"Mr. Shiratori, so glad to have you here. I was so sorry to hear about your accident before the start of term." Johann Faust V, the principal greeted him.
"Yeah, real sorry about that." Reiji muttered half-heartedly as his eye caught a small black sphere skittering past the window. His eyes widened as they traced the target, a small creature with green eyes, two small ears, or possibly horns and a pointed tail, but as it flew past the seat in front of him, his eyes met the principal's, who gave him a devious smile. Composing his face, Reiji frowned.
"Yes, tragic, but don't be alarmed. We're not some heartless institution that lets students suffer at the hands of misfortune. Provision has been made for you to attend the Cram School in order to bolster your existing classes. Ein, Zwei, Drei." Faust waved his hand and produced a simple looking key.
"You'll need this to access the Cram School." he explained, sliding the key across the desk. Reiji picked it up and examined it. It was an old fashioned style key, which was odd enough for a big high end school like True Cross Academy, but why he would even need a key in the first place was baffling.
"Right..." he shrugged. Slipping the key into his pocket, he felt a surge of heat from his stomach and a jolt of pain shot up his back.
"Tch!" he grimaced and Faust raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Something wrong, Mr. Shiratori?" he prodded, clearly more invested in the conversation than Reiji was.
"Nah, I mean no. Just some pain since the accident." Reiji fobbed it off, trying to ignore the pain as he stood up.
"If you'll excuse me, Sir, I wanna get to my dorm and settle in."
"Yes, certainly, but, if you'll indulge me, I'd like to ask you one last question." Reiji nodded quietly in reply.
"What do you remember about your accident?" Faust smiled like a shark about to snap up its prey, but as the words registered in Reiji's head, the pain from his back surged into his head. A swirl of images spun across his vision. A highway bridge, a road, a church. Reiji gripped his head as the painful bombardment of fragmented memories ebbed away into his subconscious once again.
"I, I don't remember anything." he staggered, gripping the back of his chair to steady himself.
"Hmm, very well. Sorry for keeping you. Although, don't forget now, you have a Cram School class this evening." Faust smiled as Reiji headed for the door.
Walking through the school, Reiji cursed under his breath. He hated playing the part of the good student in front of people like Faust. Eccentric high and mighty idiots who only looked at him because of who his parents were. If he hadn't been hit by that truck, he could've started with the rest of the class and avoided that stupid one to one meeting.
Settling into his dorm, Reiji threw his stuff on the bed. He didn't have a room mate, which suited him just fine. Looking out the window, he could see more and more of those small black creatures drifting through the air. Pain wound its way through his back once more as he looked at the tiny creatures. Pressing his hand to the glass, he could almost sense them in the air, flittering from place to place, filling the sky with a noxious sensation.
"Reiji Shiratori," a voice sounded behind him.
Reiji twitched at the sound. He had been so focused on the things in the air, he hadn't noticed anyone entering. Turning to look behind him, he found the room still empty.
"What?" he asked the empty room before turning back to the window to see his own horned reflection.
"LET ME OUT!" the image screamed and Reiji fell backwards. Scrambling back to the far wall, he could no longer see his reflection, but several of the little black creatures had appeared at the window, plinking feebly against the glass in an attempt to get in.
"Wh, what the hell is going on here?!" he screamed at the window. For a minute, there was no sound but the soft plink plink plink of the creatures against the glass. As his breathing levelled out, Reiji got to his feet. Crossing hesitantly to the window, he looked at his reflection. It seemed normal enough, pale purple hair, a couple of piercings, no horns. Shaking his head, Reiji composed himself. Heading for the door, he suddenly found himself wanting some fresh air.
Walking around the school, Reiji checked his phone. It was nearly time for his class. A thought clicked in his head. Shoving his hand in his pocket, he pulled out the small antiquated key. Only now did it occur to him, Faust had never told him where the damned Cram School was.
"Excuse me," several voices sounded behind him in unison and Reiji froze. The last time this happened, he'd seen some fun house nightmare version of himself. His hands shaking, Reiji turned slowly. There, standing behind him, were three girls, all smiling at him. Relief spread through him like a wave extinguishing the flames of anxiety in his chest.
"Are you Reiji Shiratori?" the bespectacled girl with dark hair asked him.
"Yeah, what about it?" he sneered.
"I'm Kashino." she introduced herself happily.
"I'm Nishiwaki." the tall girl with long, curly blond hair followed suit.
"I'm Omoto." the shortest girl with flower hair pins finished.
"You're not answering the question." Reiji groaned.
"Oh, yeah, we're in the advanced class, we're all in the same Cram School class as you." Kashino explained, clearly the spokesperson for this bizarre trio. Reiji asked himself why three girls from the advanced class were stuck in a cram class with a guy that missed several weeks of school.
"Right... Hey, can you tell me where the Cram School is?" he broached, hoping they wouldn't answer in unison like that one movie with the creepy white haired kids.
"Oh, you can get in from anywhere." Omoto chimed in.
"What? What does that even mean?" This was getting tiresome.
"You can use the key to get into the Cram School from any door, watch." Nishiwaki answered him, pulling out her phone, a key like his dangling off it like a good luck charm. Heading for the nearest door leading into the school, she opened it it, revealing the corridor beyond. Closing it again, she inserted the key into the door and turned it. Opening the door again, a completely different corridor lay beyond.
"What the hell?" Reiji mouthed, walking up to the door. Sticking his head through, he looked either way. A dark, windowless hallway extended in either direction. Stepping back out, he looked at the multiple windows to either side of the door.
"Are you guys messin' with me? This is a trick, right?" he growled, marching into the corridor and pressing against the walls, as if they'd tear like a canvas background.
"Huh? Course not, this is the Cram School, did Principal Pheles not explain this?" Kashino asked as they filed in behind him.
"Principal who? I thought Faust was the principal?" Reiji's head was spinning. Between the girls, the doors and the names, he could no longer tell which way was up.
"Oh, they're the same person. Johann Faust the fifth is his public name, but to Exorcists, he's known as Mephisto Pheles." Omoto explained.
"Exorcists? What're you talkin' about?" Perhaps it was his body still recovering from the accident, but Reiji's energy had plummeted over the course of the conversation, his will to argue with the information being presented draining by the second.
"The Cram School is for Exorcists, didn't you know?"
"Why would I know that? Why is that even a thing, I thought it was so I could catch up on the classes I missed." Reiji's shoulders slumped. It was clear Faust, or Mephisto, or whatever his name was, hadn't given him the whole story.
"Come on, we'll show you the way." Kashino announced, leading the group towards one of the classrooms. Either these girls were a hive mind, or similar enough that it didn't matter which was which. Reiji accepted his fate and fell in step with the collective.
Entering the classroom, Reiji looked around. Aside from himself and the three girls, there were only two more people in the class. A pair of boys sat at a desk together, one with ginger hair and glasses smiled at them as they entered, but the one next to him was a black haired young man with a white fringe who leaned back on his chair, sleeping.
"Welcome, is this Shiratori?" the ginger haired boy asked.
"Yeah, we found him on the way here." Kashino answered, taking a seat with her friends.
"Who's askin'?" Reiji growled, growing frustrated.
"Oh, sorry about that, I'm Taira Futamura, this is Shuri Todo." the ginger boy introduced himself before indicating his friend, who snored.
"Great, how come everybody here was lookin' for me?" Reiji sighed to himself, taking a seat towards the back. After a few minutes, another figure stepped into the room. A man wearing a long black coat with thick blond hair and sunglasses stood at the head of the class.
"Hello, some of you might know me already, but for those that don't, I'm Susumu Yunokawa. I'll be your home room teacher. As it's the first day for your class, we're not going to do anything too strenuous, we'll start with the basic Masho rites. Has anyone here yet to receive a temptaint?" Yunokawa asked the class. Taira gave Shuri a nudge, causing the other boy to jump up, nearly falling out of his chair.
"What, what's going on?" Shuri stuttered.
"Temptaint, do you have one?" Yunokawa restated his question.
"Uh, no." Shuri answered while Reiji raised his hand.
"Yes, Shiratori, do you not have a temptaint?"
"I don't even know what one of those is." Reiji answered, exasperated.
"Oh, sorry, I heard the B class were all special circumstances, so I assumed you all had knowledge on the basics. A temptaint, or masho, is the mark left on the body by a demon. Once afflicted with it, a human can then perceive demons. Does that answer your question?"
"Are you kidding me?! Demons, Exorcists, what is this crap?!" Reiji barked, slamming his hands on his desk. Even the aching of his body couldn't quell the rage that flowed through him. No matter how it was phrased, it all seemed like nonsense, and even worse, it was now being parroted by a teacher. Along the ceiling, the vents that ran above the room rattled angrily, drawing everyone's attention. After a moment, Yunokawa addressed Reiji once more.
"I know this might be a lot to take in, Director Pheles told me you're having memory problems as a result of your injuries, but it wasn't a traffic accident, Shiratori. You were attacked by a demon." Reiji's back throbbed, lances of pain shooting up the nape of his neck and into his skull. He remembered a blue light, and a rotten smell, but every time his mind tried to grasp it, a new pain stabbed at his brain.
"That, that's bullshit!" he snarled, clutching his forehead in pain.
"Like I said, it's a lot to accept, so why don't you have a seat, and we'll go through the Masho rites with Todo, so you can see what it's all about." Yunokawa tried to calm Reiji, but the purple haired boy was losing control.
"Shut up, I'm not interested in that crap!" he yelled, the pain coursing through his head causing his vision to blur. The rattling of the vents grew more intense, the students getting up from their seats as plaster and debris started to come down from the ceiling.
"What the hell is his problem?" Shuri called over the noise, pulling a three sectioned staff from his jacket that he suddenly snapped into a Bo staff.
"Todo, put it away!" Yunokawa stepped forward, still trying to diffuse the situation.
"You wanna go, bring it on!" Reiji howled, his clawed hands balling into fists as he gnashed his fangs.
"That's quite enough of that I think." Popping into existence in a cloud of pink smoke, Mephisto Pheles stood in front of Reiji, drawing all of the young man's ire in an instant.
"You did this! You put me here, I'll kill you!" another voice, a deeper, more horrifying voice laced Reiji's own as he spoke to Mephisto, but before the situation could continue to devolve into chaos, the Director raised his hand and counted.
"Ein, Zwei, Drei, good night." clicking his fingers, a large wash tub fell out of nowhere, crashing onto Reiji's head with a resounding dung! The last thing Reiji's mind processed before he lost consciousness was the fast approaching ground before it all went black.
When Reiji opened his eyes, his whole body screamed in pain. All of his joints, his muscles, even his skin felt like it was on fire. Every time he blinked, it felt like someone had rubbed sand in his eyes, but he looked around all the same for some sign of where he was. A white sheet, white curtain, a high window showing a brightly lit moon outside. It appeared to be the infirmary, and he had slept right through class. No, not slept, something happened, had he blacked out? Muffled sounds came from the corridor as somebody approached. There was at least two of them, talking back and forth. A hand reached the doorknob and opened it a crack, allowing Reiji to make out what was being said.
"I do apologise Mr. Yunokawa, I thought the situation was more in hand than it was. I assure you, this glaring oversight will not occur again." Mephisto's voice rang out. Despite sounding suitably apologetic, there was always something in that man's tone that made him sound condescending in Reiji's opinion.
"That's not an ordinary temptaint, that kid is possessed." Yunokawa replied anxiously.
"I'm well aware, but he's been branded with the mark of Tetramorph, so it shouldn't present an issue." Mephisto said with his usual dismissive tone.
"The mark of Tetramorph? What made you think to use that? It's been outdated since the middle ages."
"Not my decision, I'm afraid. It was one of the final acts of Father Fujimoto, as such, I feel a personal responsibility to the lad, just as I do with the Okumura twins."
"Right, can you at least tell me what type of demon is possessing him?" Yunokawa asked, clearly concerned.
"It's a high level demon aligned with the King of Rot, it's why the Coal Tars in the vents acted up when he lost his temper. Beyond that, I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say." Mephisto explained nonchalantly.
"Right, well I'll talk to Barthes about it, he's done research on the mark, but if it gets out of hand again, it might be a good idea to hand Shiratori over to him for training."
"A grand idea Mr. Yunokawa, now then, if you'll excuse me, I'm just going to have a look in on our patient before calling it a night."
"Alright, Director, good night." Yunokawa's footsteps drifted into the distance as Mephisto opened the door wider.
"Did you hear all that?" He asked with a smile in his voice.
"So I'm possessed by some kind of demon, is that right?" Reiji seethed, not trying to move from his bed.
"Quite correct, Father Fujimoto attempted to expel the demon from your body, but his first attempt failed, so he took the precaution that, should his second attempt go the same way, you would at least have a chance at fighting back."
"What the hell does that mean?" Reiji asked, angry at how many times he had asked the same damn question.
"The mark of Tetramorph was a method used by Exorcists long ago. In the event that a person became possessed, they could use the mark to contain the demon within the victim's body, binding it to a corporeal form. This meant that the person was henceforth immune to possession by demons of lower rank in the same family and often possessed some form of ability after the fact. It's actually how many saintly relics today function, but that's besides the point. Sadly though, it meant that the poor soul would forever wander the earth, bound to a demon and should their spirit fail, the demon would once again take control of their body. So try to stay positive, yes?"
"So I have that mark thing on my body and a demon inside me? Why didn't anybody tell me?" Reiji's anger swelled in his chest, but he forced it back down, now painfully aware of the potential time bomb inside his body.
"Because your lack of memory was keeping you safe. So long as you were ignorant of the demon's presence, the less of a hold it would have on your heart. Shamefully though, I miscalculated. You see, an added hazard of your particular case is that the demon inside you is a rather powerful one, and the mark has never been used to contain one such as it before, so when you got angry in class earlier, the seal keeping it in place already began to buckle under the stress." Reiji couldn't see Mephisto's face past the curtain, but he could tell the director found this whole affair fascinating.
"So what sort of demon do I have in me anyway?" Reiji asked, turning his attention to stare at the panelled ceiling. The curtain parted a fraction and he met Mephisto's eye.
"Why, one of the Eight Demon Kings, of course. You're currently sharing your body with Astaroth, King of Rot." Mephisto smiled dementedly at him.