Chapter Three

Confession Fallout

"Sir Pheles-sama I love you!" she said, as a silence swept over the pair as they stood outside the chocolate shop. Namiria stared up at him, her eyes searching his as he thought about what to do next. 'She just confessed to me? I know I should probably turn her down. I've done so multiple times in the past with other women. But...There is something different about her,' he thought, trying to rationalize the situation. When he didn't say anything back to her, she sadly looked away from him. Instinctually he shot out his right hand to cup her face, turning it to look back up to him but before he could say anything to her, a voice sounded behind them causing them to jump on the spot.

"My oh my! Such a beautiful love scene playing out right in front of my shop!" said a kindly, elderly woman as she walked out of the shop to greet the loving couple.

Namiria attempted to pull away from him but he instead snaked his right hand around her shoulders; resting on her while gently rubbing her all the same. "Ahh...Mrs. Kagasaki! May I introduce my girlfriend, Namiria Yoshihara! Namiria-chan! This is Mrs. Kagasaki, the owner of 'True Cross Chocolate Factory '!" he said motioning his free hand between the two women.

Namiria bowed graciously to the woman before her as she said, "Hello Mrs. Kagasaki! It's a pleasure to meet you! I've heard great things about your shop!"

"Oh you have? Well then we need to get you inside to try some of our famous chocolates! Which flavour is your favourite?" Mrs. Kagasaki asked, grabbing hold of both of Namiria's arms and pulled her inside the shop. Namiria looked back at Mephisto with a pleading look to him as he chuckled lightly to her; shrugging his shoulders sympathetically.

After spending nearly an hour inside the shop trying nearly every kind of chocolate there, Namiria and Mephisto walked out of the shop each with a large box of chocolates. "We'll make sure to have your order for the Festival ready and on it's way for the second day!" Mrs. Kagasaki said as the pair walked over to Mephisto's limousine preparing to leave.

"Thanks again Mrs. Kagasaki! I'm sorry for the short notice!" Namiria said apologetically.

"It's no problem at all! Oh and Johann! Make sure you take extra care of that girl! She's too sweet to lose!" Mrs. Kagasaki called out as Namiria looked to Mephisto quizically.

"Don't you worry about it, Mrs. Kagasaki! I plan on keeping Namiria-chan by my side for all eternity," Mephisto said, pulling Namiria close into a warm and loving hug. Namiria smiled weakly to the woman as she stayed pressed against Mephisto's chest. She heard his heart beat quicken before she pulled away from him. He took that moment to open the passenger door, motioning her to enter the limousine. She did just that, seating herself next to the opposite passenger door while Mephisto said a final good bye to Mrs. Kagasaki before following Namiria inside.

"Where to now, Namiria-chan?" Mephisto asked, as he sat next to her; smiling sweetly all the while.

"Oh...umm I wanted to go dress shopping...you know, so that I have something nice to wear for the final day of the Festival," she replied, straightening out her skirt while avoiding his gaze.

As the limousine drove on to their next destination, a reputable clothing store, another awkward silence fell around the couple for a moment. Mephisto decided to break the tention by asking, "Your confession before, was that an act? Or did you actually mean it?"

She took a moment to think of the best possible answer as he took off his top hat; placing it on the empty seat across from them. He then took her box of chocolates, stacked it on top of his and placed them both next to his hat. She kept her gaze averted from him all the while as she did not know what to say or do next.

"Ahem! Well IF you truly did mean it, I must tell you something too. Something that may force you to change your opinion of me," he said, clearing his throat while taking her right hand in both of his.

She looked to him wondering about what he had to say as she asked, "What is it, Sir Pheles-sama?"

"Well, in a way I can't believe that I am telling you this...but here it goes. On Assiah, while out in the public eye, my name is Johann Faust the Fifth. And at the Academy I am known as Sir Mephisto Pheles. But my true name and title is Samael, Demon Lord of Time and I am second in command of Gehenna, under my father Satan," he said as she hung onto his every word.

"If you are a Demon, then does that mean you have a tail?" she asked, completely throwing the seriousness of his statement out the window.

He looked at her completely flabbergasted by her question, and for a moment it was his turn to feel uncertain about what he should do or say next.

In that short amount of time, Namiria realized that what she said was the wrong thing to do that she clasped her hands over her mouth in shock. "I'm really sorry for what I just said! Even after you just told me something thats extremely important! I'm such an air head!" she said as he regained most of his composure.

He chuckled at her for a moment before leaning his face closer to hers. "You're not an air head. You're so much more than that, my dear", he said, their eyes locking for a moment. "And please, when we're alone like this, you may call me 'Mephisto-sama', ok?" he said as their lips were inches away from each other.

"So why are you telling me that you're a demon? Do you trust me?" she asked, shivering in her seat as she felt his warm, minty breath bearing down on her neck.

"I not only trust you but I seem to have fallen for you too. But I need to warn you that if you truly want to be with me, you will have to live with the fact that I will out live you one day," he said, lowering his mouth to her neck; nibbling lightly causing her to moan out loud.

"M...Mephisto...sama...I...mmmm...oh Mephisto-sama! I...don't care if...there is an age...difference between us...I...", she managed to say before his lips connected with hers. His tongue darted around inside her mouth, wrestling with hers while his left hand slipped underneath her skirt. "Wait! Mephisto-sama! This is wrong! We shouldn't be doing this!" she said, pushing him off of her regretfully so.

"Are you frightened of me? Is that why you don't want me?" he asked, trying to catch his breath.

"No! Of course not! I...It's just that what we're doing right now is the worst thing we should be doing...granted I did confess to you, but even that isn't right, " she said as the limousine came to a stop outside the clothing store. "T...thank you for the ride and the chocolates. Just...forget everything else that happened today!" she exclaimed as she grabbed the box of chocolates and darted out of the limousine.

'Why am I running away from him?! I should be with him, explaining myself better, but I'm not! Damn it! I'm so stupid! I told him how I felt and he did the same back!' she thought, running into the store nearly in tears. She found a dress on a nearby rack, which luckily was her size and ran off to a dressing room.

Meanwhile, back inside the limousine, Mephisto sat rooted to his spot as a sudden feeling ran through him. 'She rejected me? But I thought she wanted me? Yes, what she said is morally true, but she still rejected me. I always get my way, and if she thinks that running away from me will keep me from making her mine, she's got another thing coming,' he thought with a sly smirk on his face. "Eins, Zwei, Drei!" he exclaimed as he transformed into his dog persona to follow after her.

"I'm such an idiot! Why did I confess to him today?! I knew I should have waited until the final day of the Festival! Thats why I wanted to buy a dress! All of my plans to wear a nice, pretty dress and confess to him are now completely ruined!" she said as tears ran down her face. "It's all my fault!" she added as Mephisto, while still in his dog form, slipped underneath the change room door.

He hopped up onto the bench where Namiria sat crying her eyes out. He watched her cry for a moment before saying, "Nothing is ever your fault, Namiria-chan. It was my fault for tempting you, and I'm sorry."

Namiria stopped her crying as she stared at the dog sitting next to her. "Wait! Did you just talk?!" she exclaimed, sitting rigidly in her spot. "Hang on...that scarf around your neck...Me...Mephisto-sama?!" she asked, realizing the link between the man she attempted to run from and the dog sitting next to her regarding her reverently.

A puff of smoke engulfed the changing room for a moment but quickly dissipated revealing Mephisto sitting next to her. With a smirk on his face and a new, crisp suit on, he looked to her and said, "I did just tell you that I'm a demon, right?"

She jumped at his sudden appearance in the change room, while yelling out, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?! THIS IS A WOMAN'S CHANGING ROOM YOU KNOW!"

"First of all you should keep your voice down. I'm sure you don't want to draw attention to yourself. And secondly, this is not a woman's change room," he said, as she slowly sat down on the bench beside him once more.

"Don't tell me this is a...mens change...room?" she asked horrified at the mere thought.

"Hahaha, no this isn't a mens change room. This is a unisex change room," he said, laughing at her as she jolted upright horrifiedly in her seat. He closed the gap between them, pulling her close to his body with his right arm. He held her so lovingly that she felt her body melt against his while she shifted herself properly to sit next to him. "Even though what you said about the nature of a possible relationship occurring between us is true, no matter how much you push me away, I will never stop thinking about you. Nor will I ever stop wanting you, my dear, sweet Namiria-chan," he said, planting a kiss on the side of her head. "Do you remember the first day we met?" he asked, while placing another sweet kiss on her face.

"Yes, my Hungarian foster parents and I met with you two years ago. You let me enroll at the Academy, allowing me to start in my second year instead of forcing me to start a full year behind everyone else my age," she said as she ran her hands across his well manicured suit.

"That was the day I also became smitten with you. But I kept my thoughts and feelings to myself, due to exactly what you mentioned earlier. But now, being alone with you today, I can't stop myself from sharing my feelings for you," he said, lowering his mouth to her neck again. Slowly and sensually his lips brushed against her skin, causing her to shiver.

"Mephisto-sama...I promise to be yours for all eternity," she said while grabbing his free hand in her right hand. She brought it up to her chest as he pulled away from her neck, panting and blushing as he was succumbing to his arousal. "My heart and soul are yours. Please, the only thing I want for my birthday today is to belong to you," she said, as he slipped his hand from hers to cup her face.

In a single, sweet moment their lips connected, his fingers wrapped around the loose strands of her hair while his other hand slipped down to rest on the small of her back. Her hands moved to the buttons on his coat, slowly unbuttoning them; slipping her hands inside to unbutton his shirt next. He groaned low in his throat as she moaned with him when his hands slipped under her shirt.

But before they could get any farther, a knock sounded on the change room stall. "Excuse me? Is everything alright in there?" asked the voice from the other side of the door. The pair inside the change room peeled away from each other instantly while they tried to regulate their breathing. "Excuse me? Miss?" came the voice again as Mephisto rebuttoned his shirt and coat before answering the voice."We are doing well, thank you," he said as the person on the other side of the door mumbled a quick apology before heading off.

Mephisto stood up from the bench, with Namiria following behind him; fixing her shirt in the process. "I'll wait for you out here. Oh and don't forget to model that cute dress for me too," he said, opening the stall door before nodding to the dress hanging on a hook nearby. He winked suggestively to her as he exited the stall; closing the door behind him.

A few minutes later Namiria walked out of the stall wearing the dress she picked out earlier. She looked up at Mephisto meekly as he regarded her with a faint blush on his face. She spun around slowly, showing off the white knee-length dress with baby blue trims around the skirts pleats. Her honey brown hair, even though tied up in a braided ponytail, danced around her as she finished showing off the dress. "S...so...what do you...think...Mephisto-sama?" she asked him while he considered his response.

"You look good but there are a few things missing that could complete your look," he said, looking her from top to bottom thoroughly. He walked around the shop, leaving Namiria standing by the changing stall. During the moment that he left her there, she instantly thought, 'He really doesn't like it. He's off trying to find something else for me to wear. What am I going to do if he wants me to wear a different dress? Or worse! What if he finds something REALLY sexy like what Ms. Kirigakure-sensei wears! Does he like that look? Am I gonna have to start dressing like her to get his attention? Damn it! What should I do?!'.

"NAMIRIA-CHANNNN! Here add these to your look!" Mephisto exclaimed happily, returning to her with a white straw hat with a baby blue sash tied around it and a blue scarf with small white snowflakes on it.

"Oh...o...ok...I'll...try them out then," she said, shakily taking the hat from him and placing it on her head sadly. Meanwhile, Mephisto wrapped the scarf around her neck, tying it together to the right side as he said, "I've always wanted to dress up such a cute girl. Now that I have you in my life, I can dress you however I want to!"

She turned her body away from him while asking, "So you're going to dress me up like Ms. Kirigakure-sensei?"

"Well no I wouldn't make you dress like her. Are you alright? What brought this on?" he said, cupping her face in both of his hands. When she shrugged him away, he instead placed his hands on her shoulders. "Namiria-chan...look, I don't think I've ever truly said this in my long life time but, I love you Namiria-chan. I only want you, and I always want you to stay the way you are," he said, as a tear fell from her right eye.

"But why? Why do you love me? We barely know each other! I'm just a pathetic and lonely human! The only friend I've ever managed to keep by my side is Anju! And the only time I ever had a boyfriend, it turned out that he was seeing someone else at the same time! How am I supposed to trust another man, let alone a demon!" she exclaimed, showing him her face; tears streaming down like two rushing waterfalls.

Instead of saying anything to her, he pulled her face up while dipping his face to hers; their lips connecting again. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him. After a moment of sweet kissing, he pulled away from her first, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I will admit that even I am uncertain about my reason for falling in love with you. But no matter what, I want you to be mine. To belong to me forever and I promise to belong to you too. And if you decide to, just remember that I'm not going to force you to, but IF you want to wear sexy clothes for me, I prefer the sexy Geisha princess look," he said, feeling his face warm up at his admission of one of his fetishes.

She chuckled lightly against his chest as her own face warmed up to the thought of their possible bedroom play together. For a moment he thought about being indignant but instead joined her in chuckling which turned into full blown laughter between them. He stopped laughing first as he pulled them apart from each other, causing her to look up at him; smiling sweetly to him. "You truly look beautiful in that dress," he said but was cut off by the sounds of their stomachs growling in unison. "Why don't we pay for your dress and the accessories to go with it," he said as she turned back to the change room to retrieve her belongings.

"Would you like me to place your old attire into a shopping bag so you may wear our merchandise out of the store?" asked a nearby clerk happily as she straightened out a nearby clothing rack.

"Oh umm sure, if thats ok?" Namiria said, handing her pile of clothes to the clerk, while the clerk clipped the tags off of the dress, the hat and the scarf. "This way to the checkout, please," said the clerk, gesturing to the main counter area.

After a minor argument between the couple, regarding who should pay for Namiria's things, Mephisto managed to kiss his way back to her heart. They made an agreement that she would pay for the rest of the day's entertainment, which also included a Monjayaki lunch followed by a pair of strawberries and cream crepes topped with honey.

'Ring! Ring! Rinnnnng!'

Namiria checked her shopping bag for the source of the incessant ringing sound. When she found her phone tucked way inside her previous skirt's pocket she noticed that it was Anju calling her. Mephisto was at that very moment taking a bite out of his crêpe as she answered her phone. "Hey Anju! Whats going on?" she asked inquisitively.

"Hey Nami! I know I gave you today off and I know that you're out with Sir Pheles right now, Ms. Kirigakure told me, but anyway, can the two of you come back to the Academy? We've finished all of our preparations for the Festival and would like you two to do a sort of final inspection?" Anju asked jovially on her end of the conversation.

"Oh sure! I'll tell Sir Pheles the good news and we'll be there in twenty minutes, ok?" Namiria said, looking to Mephisto who nodded in agreement to the time.

"Ok! See you both soon!" Anju said before hanging up first.

"So Anju wants us to go back to the Academy to give the final-", she began to say but was cut short by Mephisto's pink limousine pulling up beside them.

Mephisto opened the passenger door, holding it open for her as he said, "After you, my princess."

Namiria blushed at his words as she walked up to the open door. But before she climbed in, she turned to face him, grabbed hold of his coat and cape while pulling him in for another kiss. He felt surprised at first but quickly scooped her up into his arms; craddling her close to him. She deepened the kiss before he could, making him chuckle inside her mouth. "Damn you beat me to it!" he said pulling away first, panting and chuckling all the while.

She smiled sweetly to him as she said, "I'm sorry Mephisto-sama. Would you like to take the lead this time?"

A sly, mischievous grin played across his face before he said, "Oh yes, I would like that very much." He wrapped his arms around her again, as he dipped his lips down to hers, connecting once again in a sweet, passionate kiss before heading back to the Academy.