Having placed every one of her plush sheep back to join the remaining flock among the blankets, Thea couldn't help but feel too excited to go back to bed. How could she sleep, after everything that happened? Mephisto has just departed via his incredibly handy teleportation spell, leaving Thea alone with both her heart and mind racing. It almost looked as if both organs had some crazy competition. Taming her heartbeat proved a little too difficult of a task, so the blonde tried to calm her thoughts instead, by giving the whole experience at least some sense of normality. "It's fine. Really. The guy I have a huge crush on just dropped by in the middle of the night, kissed me, wished me a good night, and left… That sounds normal enough, right? …Only, the 'guy' is actually my headmaster, who also just happens to be a ridiculously strong demon with the power to manipulate time! …Yeah, Thea, well done! There goes the normality… Gosh, no wonder I question my sanity so often…"

Thea shook her head, but the feeling of overwhelming happiness won over all doubts or uneasiness. A soft smile appeared on her lips and her heart started beating even faster - clearly winning its little race against the brain - as she remembered the unbelievably pleasant highlight of Mephisto's visit. "Yeah, that pretty much settles it, no sleep tonight. But what now?" the blonde briefly considered the option of working on her thesis, as she knew she was one step on the deadline… "Right, there is only one thing left to do, then." she nodded to herself in resolve and headed towards the kitchen - after all, it is not like she could focus on studies with an empty stomach, not to mention with her dorm being such a mess. And there was just so much to clean! When was the last time she scrubbed the floor? And if she worked fast enough, she was sure she could spare just enough time for some baking too...

OoO

"Theaaa, I am hooome!" the door to the small dormitory apartment slammed as Ayami walked in, totally beaming with great mood after her date with Toshiro. "And look what I brought! A tasty, and more importantly, nutritious lunch from the school cafeteria. That will boost your health - unlike the cookies you keep munching all the time…" she chirped, peeking into Thea's room. She expected to find her friend sitting at the borrowed laptop, trying to save her thesis despite the ridiculous deadline. "Thea, are you… oh dear…" Ayami covered her face with her hand, as she took in the scenery again - the little hall, Thea's room, bathroom and even the small kitchenette - everything sparkled with cleanness. The floors were scrubbed to perfection and a beautiful scent filled the whole apartment. "Thea sure puts the 'pro' in 'procrastination'… Sheesh, girl, you really are hopeless." shaking her head, the raven-haired student of medicine went to the kitchen to unload the shopping basket.

A small letter on a table caught Ayami's attention. It read: 'Gone camping. Lunch is in the fridge. I made your favorite one! ^^ Thea'. The girl closed her eyes and winced at the prospect of what exactly she would find in the fridge. "I really should tell her that my 'favorite' food is actually the only edible thing from her cooking experiments." As Ayami was putting the groceries into the fridge, she spotted the boxes of used ingredients, some eggshells and other cooking and baking leftovers. "Wow… exactly how much of that stuff did she cook?" she grimaced, a shiver running down her spine. Then her eyes widened in horror as she figured just where Thea might be headed to with her latest creation. "Oh snap! Dear friends from Thea's study group, stay strong. I will pray for you to survive this night without permanent damage." Having checked some other empty packages and boxes, Ayami breathed out in relief. "Well, at least she baked a cake as well. Good. She could never spoil anything sweet. Not too much, anyway… There is still hope guys, just go for the cakes!" a laugh echoed through the spotlessly polished apartment, then Ayami braced herself to face Thea's version of her 'favorite' vegetable curry. She could do this. After all, she had a backup plan - the lunch from the cafeteria would probably work wonders in case her stomach hurt again. "Now, the question is - What about Thea's thesis? It is almost impossible to finish as it is, and with her slacking off on some camping… Did she give up on it?"

OoO

The True Cross Academy was buzzing with activity. However, it was not the kind of activity one would credit to the usual business of the place. An almost tangible tension was lingering in the air as the Academy staff rushed to and fro, trying to maintain calm and composed appearance, while their watchful eyes were scanning the surroundings carefully. The security was tightened - not only did the Exorcists patrol in groups of two or three, the team at the Main Gate cast an illusion-dispelling charm on everyone who entered the Academy. Thea doubted that anyone apart from the 'cram school' students noticed the effects of the thoroughly enchanted entrance door, not to mention the one Exorcist who was silently reciting an incantation while the other was checking their ID cards. "It looks like they haven't caught the invader yet... Or maybe they expect some further disturbance? I wonder - was this a good time to come? Mephisto must be so busy…" the blonde pondered, but then shook her head to dismiss that thought. "Oh please, if he could drop by in the middle of the night, I can drop by today. At least I have enough decency to come at a reasonable hour…" she chuckled and rushed towards the headmaster's office, mindful of the small box she was holding in her hands carefully.

OoO

The Lord of Time shook his head in a poor attempt to focus his thoughts on the work at hand. So much has happened in the past few hours that they felt like days. Because of his demonic title, he sometimes had trouble grasping time the same way the others did, for the boundaries between time and space often vanished in his perception of reality. Well, those were the consequences of freezing time, speeding it up or slowing it down, not to mention all the teleportations through different time zones. No wonder he felt so exhausted - when re-calculating the hours properly, the last time he slept was almost three days ago. Mephisto massaged his temples, trying to suppress the surprising amount of exhaustion which managed to build up in him.

However, there were more pressing matters than his current state - for starters, the state of The True Cross Academy. The Academy someone had just succeeded in invading. His Academy. "To think that the intruder managed to invade and escape my barrier, avoid most of my wards and of course the security on the night duty…" he frowned as he went through the night's events in his head again. The burglar broke his protective seal on the Archive Room, took several folders with personal information of his students and retreated. To make the situation even worse, the selection of students whose folders were missing appeared to be random and his investigation team had yet to find a connection between them. If there was any to be found, that is. Nevertheless, the students whose files had been stolen would all need to be watched carefully until the investigation would bring some results.

The demon's expression darkened as he remembered that Thea's folder was among the missing ones, as well. However, he reined in his temper quickly - the last thing he needed was for him to disrupt the time in some pathetic uncontrolled fit. He could not afford any foolishness right now, no matter how annoyed or tired he was. "This was no accident, that is for certain. The timing was too perfect. Had I not come back to check on Thea, I might not have felt one of my wards waver, not on such a distance. The intruder must have known of my absence, and he or she knew exactly what to search for and where to find it… It is very well possible that a spy is hiding among our ranks - one I do not know about yet…" Mephisto's lips curled up into a dark grin at the prospect of yet another investigation action. Tired as he was, he would enjoy the challenge, nonetheless. Maybe even more, for he would at least give the poor individual an illusion of a chance. Besides, tiredness was a small price to pay for banishing the boredom of the everyday tasks of a headmaster.

Apart from the lamentable situation at the Academy, there was one more puzzle he had yet to figure out. It was the reason behind Thea's powers which suddenly seemed much stronger and more potent than before. "Usually when she gets surprised or scared, my gloves turn into ashes, but that is all the effect her powers ever had on me. So, how is it possible that she managed to burn me to the point where I was unable to heal myself? Not to mention that her binding circle was strong enough to trap me. Me - the second most powerful of the Demon Lords of Gehenna…" the Lord of Time frowned and ran his fingers through his hair in thought - he simply couldn't wrap his head around it. And if there was anything he couldn't stand; it was a problem he couldn't crack. "Well, one task at a time. First come the wards, and once I am done here, I might just pay that 'charming blonde lady' a visit and find out firsthand. I could certainly use another pleasant conversation." his lips curled up, remembering just how pleasant their latest meeting was, then resumed the work on the warding.

Suddenly, a soft knock on the huge door interrupted his attempt to finally concentrate. "Sir Pheles? It's me, Thea. May I come in?" the girl's melodious voice came from the hall. "Well, what do you know… I should voice my wishes more often." he chuckled and shook his head. "How did she even find this place? The entrance to the room should be enchanted, visible to the few individuals from teacher staff only…" Mephisto wondered, but he had long learned not to underestimate this girl and her peculiar abilities. Surprisingly, he eased almost instantly, the lingering irritation and annoyance finally leaving him, replaced by a very different combination of feelings - curiosity, anticipation, excitement. He was looking forward to meeting her more than he had thought, and that was something, considering he had seen her just a couple of hours ago. "But of course, come right in, dear."

"Thank you. I am sorry to barge in like that, I know you must be very busy, but I…" Thea trailed off, as she was welcomed by a very unusual scene. The room was dark, lit only by dim lamps which resembled small lanterns. Some of them seemed to be levitating in the air. The place was much bigger than it looked from the outside, with a narrow hall which ended with an oval-shaped room. Right there, on an elevated circular platform in the middle, stood the man she has been searching for. His back was turned towards Thea and she could see that he wasn't wearing his trademark white suit with a cloak. The demon usually wore so many pieces of fabric about his person that he looked a little strange wearing the white trousers and black shirt with rolled- up sleeves. "It does suit him, though…" Thea thought, grateful for the absence of light, which would reveal her slightly flushed cheeks. Instead, she put her box carefully on the table next to her and walked towards the platform, unable to tear her eyes off whatever he was doing. The demon was waving his hands strangely in the air, as if he were leading an orchestra. Dozens of play cards were moving in accordance with his measured, delicate gestures, flying around the room in a sync, only to land in the huge structure positioned in front of the demon. It looked like a house of cards, only this wasn't a mere house, but something akin to an elaborate cathedral. Some of the cards were shining dimly in various hues of purple, blackish or golden colors, producing a very interesting effect when flying through the scarcely lit room. Thea couldn't help, but stare - it was simply enchanting.

"Wow… what is this place?" Thea breathed out and gazed at the scenery in front of her with her eyes wide open, the reason for her visit completely forgotten. Mephisto smirked at the blonde from behind his shoulder, thoroughly amused by her reaction - the fact that she was always able to appreciate his work did not escape his attention. He turned on his heel to face her and poured a little of his energy just to the right places to create a more striking effect. "Behold! This is the Warding room." Mephisto spread his hands theatrically, the imposing structure vibrating with power and colors emphasizing the flamboyant gesture. "The Warding room? I have never heard of it… nor have I seen it in my map of the True Cross Academy." "That's because not many people know about it, dear. And we try to keep it that way." he winked mysteriously and started circling around her. "I have a suspicion that no one actually showed you the way here, but you found it by sensing my power, correct?" "Ah, yes... But only because you were not in your office and when I asked around, nobody really knew where you were. So, I just looked around and..." the blonde blurted out nervously.

The demon regarded her mischievously and leaned in closer. "So, Miss Thea. Who is the stalker now?" A wave of embarrassment washed over the blonde. "Gee Thea, you really are a hypocrite! Just yesterday you scolded him for not announcing himself like a normal person, yet here you are snooping around…" she berated herself, but could not quite feel guilty about it - just seeing the demon made her slip to their usual teasing exchange. "Hey now, I was definitely not stalking you. To stalk someone, you would first need to know where that person is, so you could follow him or her in secret…" she pointed out. "My dear, for someone who was 'definitely not stalking', you sure know a lot about the art of stalking." Mephisto grinned, throwing the girl of balance. "I… well, I wanted to see you, so I was just looking for you…" "Why, I am flattered!" the demon smirked as he saw the girl fidget, and he bent down slightly, so that their eyes were on the same level. "To think that you would want to see me that much…"

A blush of deep red color appeared on her face, but the blonde quickly collected herself. "Why, that teasing, pompous, self-assured… Let's see how you like your own medicine..." Thea clasped her hands behind her back, locked her eyes confidently with his and smiled in the same playful manner. "But of course. I had a very good reason to search you out. In fact, I needed to see you." she said a bit seductively - she was a big girl, after all, and she would show that annoying demon that he was not the only one who knew how to play the game. Mephisto's eyes widened at those words, a slight blush appearing on his face. He could suddenly feel the small hair on his neck rising, as the blonde stepped even closer and whispered to his ear secretively. "And if you tell me more about the Warding room, then I might just tell you why I couldn't wait to see you today." the chocolate-eyed girl giggled cutely, completely oblivious to the small heart-attack her headmaster just suffered.

As soon as the Lord of Time composed himself, he folded his hands and his lips curled up at the proposal, revealing his sharp fangs. "My, my, trying to strike a deal with a demon, Miss Thea? You must be feeling particularly lucky today." "Well, the last time I struck a deal with a demon, it actually saved my life. So yeah, so far, I have had a surprisingly good experience with that kind of deals. In fact, I have much better experience dealing with demons than with my mobile operator." Thea smiled mischievously, and Mephisto couldn't help but find her proposal enticing. After all, why not? "Very well, Miss Thea. Deal." he extended his hand towards the blonde and she shook it enthusiastically, a strange sense winning that round boosting her spirits. "Come. One look is better than a thousand words." Mephisto prompted, still holding her hand, helping her towards the platform he had been standing on before.

Thea's eyes widened in recognition. "Is that… is that the True Cross Academy?" she marveled when she saw the striking resemblance between the card structures and the academy grounds. "It is. The protective barrier erected around the Academy is just one of the necessary precautions. A set of wards is needed to fortify the security, as well." he explained. "Oh, I see! That's why I couldn't feel the auras gathered in this place until I was allowed to enter, right?" "Correct. It is easier to keep a place safe when the intruder cannot properly detect the presence and exact location of individuals with spiritual powers. Oh, they still do try… and sometimes, such as tonight, even manage to get through…" Mephisto's face took on a malicious gleam and Thea could only guess how irritated he must have been by the fact that his Academy was invaded.. "I see… but still, there are so many wards. How could the enemy possibly get past them?" "The wards are not impenetrable, Miss Thea. Keeping the enemy out is not such a simple concept as it might seem - after all, how do you define an enemy?"

Thea thought for a while, tapping a finger on her lips. "You are right, it is not just demons who might want to attack a place like this. Besides, some demons are quite… friendly." she smiled at Mephisto and continued in her theory. "Any being could try and attack… Hmm… a malevolent act then? An evil, harmful intention?" Mephisto nodded with a strange sense of satisfaction. "Correct. The wards are set in a way so that they can ward off forceful attacks - admittedly, especially the demonic ones. However, not all enemies are demons and not all demons are enemies of the Academy." he looked at her meaningfully, while her expression became one of a focus. "Of course. You, Rin, some of the security members…" "Precisely. Not to mention all the demon familiars your classmates or the Academy staff summon on a daily basis during classes and training sessions. Unfortunately, that does not prevent one demon from summoning another one during the ritual. Remember, summoned familiars are still demons, only following orders of the summoner who bound them to their will. Should the will waver… well, demons might get some ideas and leeway…" Thea's eyes widened at that notion and she turned her gaze away from the card structure towards Mephisto. "I see… And what if… Sir Pheles, could a demon possess someone and get inside? Or, could a demon be invited here by someone, too?" she asked carefully. "Yes, those are all possibilities which are quite challenging to cover. Thus the regular maintenance - I need to keep my wards at work, and if necessary, alter the effects from time to time. Mostly though, it is just enough to keep them above eighty percent energy." "So that's why he seems to be so on edge about this - it was not just an attack. He knows that this could have been an inside job, too. Gosh, this must be awful. No wonder the security is so tight. He really does care about this place…"

In that moment, something else from what the demon said caught her attention. "Wait… you are the one who keeps the barrier and wards in place?" "But of course, Miss Thea. It is my duty as the headmaster to take care of my Academy, wouldn't you say?" the demon inclined his head. "No, I meant… you are the only one?" "Just where is she going with this?" Mephisto's brows furrowed. "I am." he set for a straightforward answer, which earned him a most astonished look from the blonde. "But that must be so draining! The barrier is so huge! I thought that all of this… " she waved her hands as if trying to envelope the card replica of the True Cross Academy "... was maintained by the school staff too, or, I don't know, some special defense force or something… What if something were to happen to you? Would it all fall apart? Does it need your concentration to stay up or is it enough if you just set it up? And what if someone just fell the cards in this room? Would the wards be dispelled? Do you..." A low chuckle interrupted the chain of questions. "My, my, curious, are we?" the demon stroked his beard and then fixed Thea with an amused gaze, which caused another wave of embarrassment to wash over the enthusiastic girl. "Ah, I am sorry, I didn't intend to pry." she said, flustered. Mephisto shook his head - he certainly felt intrigued by Thea's questions and conclusions. Not to mention a little surprised by his own actions - he just shared the details about the Academy's defense system with a student, after all. Thea was a curious little thing, and for a second or two, he started being suspicious about her motives. However, he dismissed them immediately - no one was such a good actor. For some reason, the headmaster did not mind sharing these pieces of information with Thea at all. Quite on the contrary, something was telling him that it might come in handy if she knew more about it.

"That is quite all right, dear. After all, how is one to learn anything if he doesn't ask questions?" Mephisto winked. "Uhm… from mistakes? From observation? From an experiment?" she immediately counted out. "Ever so clever." the demon thought with delight, fully aware of how great her curiosity was. "Maybe I could use this opportunity…" he mused as an idea came to his mind, and he struck the palm of his hand with his fist. "Ah, yes. An experiment! Say, Miss Thea, would you like to conduct one?" "Of course!" the blonde blurted out before she could stop herself. "I mean, uhm… what kind of experiment?" she tried to ask in a more composed way, but it was too late to cover up her excitement. "Stupid! Stupid! Haven't you learnt anything? You just have to go and give him every opportunity on a silver platter… And you did so well when he teased you about stalking him. Gosh Thea, looks like you are at your daily limit of daredevil answers..." Thea scolded herself inwardly, trying to banish the far-fetched thoughts about what kind of experiments he might try to conduct.

"Got you~" The demon grinned widely and picked a dozen non-shining cards from the set which was floating in a close circle around the platform. He spread them in his hand, with their backside on the top. "Pick one card, if you please." he looked in Thea's chocolate-eyes mischievously. "Seriously? Magic tricks? That's what you call an experiment?" "Oh, I would not judge so quickly if I were you." Giggling and shaking her head, she pulled one card out of the fan he spread in front of her. "Ah, Queen of Hearts - how very fitting." the demon smirked, picking a card for himself as well before Thea could even comment on that remark. "Now then, observe." Mephisto held his own card in front of him, and from what Thea could deduce from the growing purple glow enveloping the card, he was simply pouring his demonic energy right into it, so that the patterns and strange symbols started shining. Soon, the play card was pulsing with power - and for something so small, it sure could hold a lot of it. Actually, there was so much of it that her hair started standing up. "The play cards are enchanted, so you only need to provide enough energy for the spell to take effect. Simply imagine transferring your own energy into it. That should do the trick." Mephisto grinned and tapped at the card with his finger. "Would you care to give it a try, dear?"

Thea nodded and took the card, narrowing her eyes in concentration. A single symbol in the middle of the surface started glowing dimly in golden hues, then flickered and faded. The blonde inclined her head in confusion and tried again. A faint pulsing light emanating from the very same symbol was all she could muster. "I don't understand… am I doing it wrong?" she wondered, her brows furrowed. Mephisto tapped a finger on his lips, completely puzzled and strangely - disappointed, too. "Now, what is this supposed to mean? Tonight, she almost burnt me to a crisp, not to mention trapped me in a binding circle and now, … she cannot set a warding card to work… Is it possible that the little stunt she pulled on me actually depleted all of her energy? ...No, she did not even blink when she casted the circle, not a single hint of tiredness was visible on her… Just where did all that power disappear to?" The demon looked at Thea, who was panting slightly, drilling an imaginary hole into the stubborn, uncooperative play card with her eyes.

He cupped the hand where she was holding the card in a comforting gesture. "Miss Thea, no need to overexert yourself." "No, that's not it." she shook her head firmly, still completely absorbed by the task at hand. "I can feel it, I can do it, it just… oh seriously!" she pouted after yet another failure. "The energy might be there, but simply not enough to fill this vessel. Such a shame, I truly believed she could perform better than this. Even young Okumura managed to put one card to work. True, it completely depleted all of his strength, but still, she is..." Mephisto suddenly paused in his musings, as he regarded the girl more closely. "My ward! It's gone…" he looked at the girl in alarm, all senses suddenly alerted. The protective ward he had sealed by kissing her hand that night was nowhere to be found! Having run his eyes over her swiftly, he couldn't find any signs of injuries. "She seems to be unharmed… Then again, she could have healed herself. I'd better approach this carefully."

"Thea, dear, the warding card can only take so much abuse and it was quite time-consuming to prepare the enchantment, too…" Thea snapped out of her fruitless concentration and her cheeks flushed as she realized she was squeezing the poor card in the process. "Oh damn, I am so sorry, Sir Pheles! I was just trying to…" Mephisto took the card away from her hands and waved it off. "I know, dear. You can give it a try another time, I promise." "But I really don't understand. Why wasn't it working?" "Well, you used up a significant amount of energy tonight." he smirked meaningfully at her, trying to lighten the mood. Thea did not look too satisfied with that reasoning, but finally exhaled in resignation. "I guess…" "Speaking about this night - has anything strange happened to you since I left?" the demon asked, trying to maintain his usual nonchalant demeanor. The blonde in front of him inclined her head at the unexpected question. "Apart from the fact that no matter how long I counted all of my sheep-pillows, I couldn't fall asleep? Because that is quite strange..." she giggled and despite the gravity of the situation, Mephisto couldn't help himself but chuckle at that answer - she really did have a remarkably calming effect on him. "No, not really." Thea assured, shrugging.

Mephisto's mind started racing again, completely preoccupied by the implications of her answer. "If she was not attacked, but my ward is gone… On the same night as the Academy was invaded… And if her powers seem to be completely used up… Then this might be even worse than I thought. It seems that someone is playing around, sending me a message." Mephisto's eyes narrowed and he could feel the blood boiling in his veins. "If you want to play, then we shall play. But you are on my playground now…" the Lord of Time sent a silent threat to the bastard who was foolish enough to challenge him, not to mention by using Thea to do so. "Uhm, why do you ask?" the blonde inquired, interrupting his darker growing thoughts.

"Why, it is the duty of the headmaster to inquire about his students' wellbeing - especially considering the combination of tonight's disturbance and your delightful talent to attract trouble." he smirked broadly, revealing his fangs. "Oh, come on, it's not that bad!" Thea folded her hands in a stubborn denial. "Of course not… after all, it has almost been a whole week since you left my hospital wing." The blonde just rolled her eyes at his sarcastic remark and pinned him with a firm look. "Riiight, and at this pace, you will end up in that wing before this week ends. Good thing a future doctor is here to treat you." she smiled at the demon, but he outstretched the palm of his hand towards her in refusal. "Miss Thea, I really appreciate the gesture, but that won't be necessary." "Yeah, yeah, save it for the people who cannot tell your current condition from a touch." the blonde said, clasping the palm of her hand to his in demonstration, her expression challenging the demon to try and argue about that point. "'Won't be necessary' my butt! He feels so tired. No, more like exhausted. He probably didn't even sleep..." she concluded. Oh, his energy level still felt like an endless sea of power, it was just not so… endless anymore.

Mephisto's lips curled up and he used the opportunity to entwine his fingers with hers, clasping her hand firmly, pulling her a little closer. "Are you sure you are not just trying to lead the attention away from your part of today's deal?" the demon asked, looming almost dangerously above her. "Quite on the contrary, I am trying to get to that point." Thea smiled a little nervously due to the sudden tension. "Oh, then I am all ears. Tell me, Miss Thea, why is it you wanted to see me so badly?" he drew closer, his face mere inches from hers, his eyes assuming that unbelievably hypnotizing effect. The girl gulped at that proximity, trying to keep her mind working and her heartbeat at a non-life-threatening pace. "How about I show you instead?" she asked, pulled away giggling and led him by his hand towards one of the tables. To the demon's surprise, there was a small box left on the table and Thea nudged him to open it. Mephisto's curiosity peaked and he undid the box, revealing… an absolutely delicious-looking, creamy, cloud-shaped cake.

"Ta-daa! I told you I wanted to treat you… to a cake! Ha! You didn't see that one coming, did you?" Thea giggled at her little word play. "I made it myself!" she said proudly, looking at the demon expectantly. Mephisto inspected the cake curiously - on a second glance, it was actually a sheep-shaped cake! "She really does like those fluffy creatures, doesn't she?" The demon would have burst out with laughter at that ridiculously cute design, had he not felt so completely overwhelmed by a particularly foreign and puzzlingly warm feeling. "She made this herself? For me?" the demon found himself at loss of words, which was not something that usually happened to one as articulate as him. He remembered receiving a Christmas cake from Rin and the group of Exwires as a token of gratitude, but something felt very different and special about receiving it from her.

"But why?" Mephisto voiced the most burning question unknowingly. Thea bit her lip nervously. "I wanted… well, I wanted to thank you - for saving those people at the hospital. And for saving me from the vortexes that time." she rubbed her arm and continued in a more measured voice. "I also wanted to apologize for burning you yesterday. Actually, for burning you in general… But especially for yesterday. Looks like I have a knack for it, because I managed to burn the cake, too… But just a little, I swear." she smiled innocently. "And then… It must have been a long night for you. I figured you could use something… you know, to sweeten your day..." the blonde brushed the golden lock of hair behind her ear, waiting for the demon's reaction. However, none really came - Mephisto was standing in front of the cake, his mouth slightly open, his posture strangely tense.

"Is he alright? I thought he liked sweets. Does it look so bad? Or maybe I do not look like a person who can cook? Well, I can't blame him, students are usually masters of junk food and instant food, after all." the blonde wondered scratching her head and tried again. "Uhm, I know I might not look like it, but I can cook, you know? Well, maybe not cook, but I can bake just fine, and I do not want to brag, but sweets are my specialty. Even Ayami swears I could never spoil anything sweet…" she trailed off as Mephisto took down his right glove and scooped up a portion of the soft, fluffy, pinkish cream with his finger. His eyes widened at the unbelievably harmonic, absolutely heavenly taste that he would never have contributed to the slightly burnt creation in the box. "Delicious!" he exclaimed in delight. "It looks like Rin has finally found his equal."

"I know, right?" Thea laughed happily, the strange tension finally leaving her. "I was considering Sachertorte or Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte, but I kind of ended up improvising." "But you definitely used blueberries, right? As a secret ingredient?" Mephisto finally composed himself and looked at her mischievously. "Yes and no. I mean, I did use blueberries, but not as a secret ingredient. I told you already, I was improvising, so I just put in everything I thought you might like. To be honest, I don't remember most of the ingredients… So, all ingredients are kind of secret. So secret that even the baker doesn't know. Top secret." she smiled. Mephisto chuckled and shook his head, silently happy about the fondness for sweets they both apparently shared.

"Uhm… there is one more thing I would like to give to you." Thea said with flushed cheeks and before the demon could even start to guess what else she could have possibly prepared, the time stopped, and it was not his doing. No, it was completely due to the girl, who was now standing on her tiptoes, hugging him tightly with her head nestled on his chest. Her soothing aura was enveloping him gently while her healing powers were washing away the tiredness and restoring a portion of his energy. After the initial moment of surprise, Mephisto slowly relaxed, putting his hands around the blonde's shoulders and torso almost gingerly, as if not to break her. He certainly wasn't accustomed to such gestures, but his body just moved on its own and before he knew it, he pulled the girl closer, basking in that wonderful feeling, breathing in the tantalizing scent of honey and cinnamon, exploring the newfound sensation. He could get used to this…

In a short while, Thea gradually let go of the pleasant energy flow, then pulled Mephisto gently at his tie and put a soft kiss on his cheek. The Lord of Time stood in front of her with a dumbstruck expression on his face, completely speechless. "Was um alles in der Welt… A kiss… on the cheek? Does she even… does she have any idea how utterly adorable that was?" The demon simply couldn't help himself, but blush at that almost innocent gesture - the thoughts and feelings this little mortal girl managed to stir inside of him were just so foreign and new. Everything about her was unexpectedly sincere, kind and… pure. Everything from the surprise visit, to the cake and the unbelievably sweet kiss. Desire, passion, lust - those he knew, those he was very well accustomed to. But how could he possibly react to something so different?

"Well, I'll be on my way now. I still need to buy some things for today's camping… Please enjoy the cake and... see you around." Thea blurted, completely embarrassed, and surprised by her own actions, then rushed off the room. "Miss Thea, wait!" the demon caught her arm before she could make her escape. Mephisto slipped his hand down her arm towards her hand, then lifted it to his lips and closed his eyes, kissing it gently. He certainly could not trust himself with anything more at the moment - both with the simple kiss, and with the simple ward. "Thank you for coming today, Miss Thea. It has been lovely." the demon said with a fond, completely disarming smile. He felt like he should give her something in return. Like a castle, perhaps a realm… something she would appreciate. However, of the things he had at hand at the moment… "Here" he pulled a little sack of muffins from his travel bag. "For today's camping. I got these from one of my acquaintances when I was on my business trip in Europe. I would rather eat that delicious cake you made for me, but it would be a shame should these sweets spoil. They might not be handmade, but I hope you will enjoy them nonetheless." Thea's eyes shone and she took the package gratefully. "Danke, Sir Pheles." "Gerne geschehen, Miss Thea." After a swift 'Auf Wiedersehen', they parted and Mephisto resumed his work on the warding, feeling surprisingly refreshed with every piece of the delicious cake.

OoO

Disclaimer: Blue Exorcists belongs to Kazue Katō. Please, do not re-post or publish my story without my consent.

Author's note: Hello everyone! :) I hope you all enjoyed your summer holiday. It might not look like it (as I haven't published a single chapter for a few weeks), but I was actually quite productive. I have been working on this FF, planning & drafting the upcoming chapters and even 'books' ^^ And so, as a big "Thank you" for all the wait, but also for your kind words and encouragement, here is my holiday present to you - 3 chapters of my story at once. In this one, I went for some nice fluff, so I really hope you enjoy the magical and tender atmosphere I tried to create.

P.S. As always, your feedback would be much appreciated - I am always eager to learn more and make this story even better and the reading more enjoyable for you :)