Ardent Exorcist

by Cvicel

Althea (a medicine student or perhaps a spy) enrolls into the True Cross Academy where she finds new friends and turns Mephisto's carefully-planned world upside down. ***Rated M because it contains some mature content, but the focus is on my own story - characters, relationships and fights. The story does have an ending and you have much to look forward to.***

20. To kiss a double, abysmal trouble

Chapter 20 - To kiss a double, abysmal trouble

"I… F-forgive me, my lord." the demon said, his gaze cast upon the ground, not daring to provoke his master any further by meeting his eyes. He was kneeling on the cold, marble floor, right before the little stairway leading to the throne chair of none other than the Duke of the Abyss himself. His voice was trembling with fear just as the rest of his body. Satan's Flames, he just stuttered! However, he had long since resigned on his efforts to keep his cool, to save some of his dignity at least in front of his underlings who were kneeling right behind his back, their eyes equally on the floor, undoubtedly wondering whether they would leave the place alive. They were all roughed up and bleeding, their regenerative abilities rendered completely useless - the holy weapons had that effect. However, he would gladly repeat the fight against the blasted Exorcists and the other demons, if only to go down by their hands rather than by the hands of Abaddon. How foolish of him to think that surviving the attack while also protecting the strange human girl would be met with his master's approval, perhaps even raise to higher ranks. No. He truly couldn't have been more wrong. For some inexplicable reason, Abaddon seemed absolutely furious about the turn of recent events in Assiah. Now, his life and the life of his companions was to be judged by a judge with no pity or tolerance.

"I don't need your excuses. I need answers!" the Duke of Abyss thundered from his throne. The kneeling leader of the group gulped and nodded. "Yes, my lord. We are the only ones who made it back, I am afraid…" The sound of Abaddon's gritting teeth resounded in the grave-quiet hall. "So, you are afraid, hmm?" the duke eyed him with his head tilted high, then snared at him. "You should be, for your incompetence put my plans… and perhaps even my domain at risk! Your incompetence will cost you." All color disappeared from the servant's face, but he had to try and fight for his life. And for the life of his underlings - they were a useful lot; it would be a shame to lose such competent assets. "But… My lord, we fulfilled our mission. The girl is safe, the members of that lowly vampire clan who dared attack her were all destroyed on the spot and…" "And so were men from your squad." Abaddon interrupted, displeased with the audacity of the servant to actually speak up. "Were they exorcised by the Grigori agents? Defeated by Samael's spies? Or was it the girl who annihilated them?" the lord questioned. "My lord, the girl did not join the fight at all. She simply… rushed away, yelling she had no time for… any of that. Peculiar behavior, indeed… Perhaps she already knew that she was being guarded… The whole situation was really an unexpected turn of events. As for the other task forces I… I don't know for certain, my lord…" the servant started explaining, but stopped in mid-sentence as Abaddon stood up in a swift motion, and the swarms of locusts took off the grounds and started buzzing wildly about the room. "You don't know? Satan's Flames is there anything you do know?!" he thundered, his crimson eyes burning. The demon gulped, then looked around the throne room in panic, subconsciously searching for ways to escape or for possible allies apart from the remnants of his squad. However, their escape routes were completely cut off by Abaddon's energy sucking vortexes, the so-called spheres of despair. They were everywhere around them and… were they getting closer? As for the allies - the only individual present was the strange dark-skinned demoness clad in a black cloak with a nightshade embroidery whom his lord had been keeping around lately. She stood at one of the nearby slopes, fiddling with her long jet-black hair with an expression of utmost indifference on her face.

Suddenly, the demon found himself lifted up by his throat. "Speak!" Abaddon demanded as he shook him. "My lord… I… ughn… I don't know what happened to them…exactly… There was a lot of commotion, we barely escaped… We came to report to you right away, my lord, I swear." he answered, gasping for air, silently wondering why it was of such importance to know exactly how his men died. "Did anyone recognize you?!" the lord shook the squad leader again, digging his claws in his neck - not enough to kill him, but surely enough to pierce the skin and draw some blood. "T-that is… unlikely, my lord. Ugh… W-we were… we had our disguise, masks on… as always." he somehow managed to articulate. "Did you bring your companions' dead bodies back to Gehenna?" a cold, grating voice demanded, and suddenly, the servant's eyes widened in understanding. He finally understood why his master asked seemingly unimportant questions. True, his group was not recognized. However, any opponent who survived the fight might be able to draw some clues by thoroughly checking his companions' dead bodies - everything from their specific race, skills, perhaps even allegiance. Had they been defeated by some holy weapons or specific demonic spells; their bodies would practically disintegrate on the spot. However, not all of his companions went down by those techniques, which meant their bodies could serve as leads and clues to uncover Abaddon's secret operation. The servant gulped, hanging loosely in Abaddon's grasp, not daring to even touch him. He was doomed. He knew it.

The Duke of the Abyss snorted; the lack of any response from his servant could only mean one thing - their secret operation was no longer secret. "Tsk… of course you didn't bring the bodies back… Imbecile!" Abaddon roared with rage, and, perhaps, a note of fear? He tossed the servant to the ground. The demon groaned, reaching for his throat. "A Cyclops would have been more inconspicuous! Satan's Flames!" the duke trembled with fury, pacing right and left, then stopped abruptly and held his hand high. The swarms of locusts changed their formation and started circling around their heads, then slowly descended down on the demons, their movements resembling a furious buzzing tornado spiraling down. "My lord, please, please have mercy!" one of the underlings pleaded, bowed so much that his forehead was touching the cold floor. Another one soon joined him. "We can still be of use to you! My lord, if I hadn't sworn my blood oath to Leraje, I would have pledged my servitude to you right away. By my Demon's Heart, I swear…" he trembled.

Abaddon motioned down with his outstretched hand, and the locusts spiraled down on his underlings. However, instead of delivering the final blow, they cascaded around them like a waterfall, positioning themselves on the floor. Silence fell. "I see…" the Duke of the Abyss said with severity and finality in his voice. "Well, I did give Leraje a second chance after that terrible failure at the True Cross Academy…" he rubbed his chin, and one of the underlings nodded eagerly. "Indeed, my lord! That was very generous of you." "Yes, yes, it was… I would normally require a blood oath from all of you, but since you are all already sworn to Leraje…" the duke said, then clasped his hands behind his back, facing the squad. "Very well, I shall show you mercy. This one time only." he lifted his finger importantly, then ordered. "Return to Marquis Leraje at once. You will follow his lead thoroughly, accompanying him at a new assignment I have in mind. You will not question the command and do as you are told. Now, leave." came a dismissive wave from Abaddon, and the swarms took off, clearing the way for his servants to leave, resuming their position on the walls around the throne room. The servants scurried off while still kneeling on the ground, bowing, uttering words of thanks until they were out, carefully avoiding the vortexes that made a path for them.

The Duke of the Abyss started pacing in pure panic and the locusts were buzzing softly, mirroring his mood. Zahar always found it most unnerving when the swarms resonated with Abaddon's mood swings. She exhaled softly, glad that she didn't have to witness another spectacular exemplary punishment - just as the last time with some of Abaddon's spies who had been in charge of securing a smooth passage through the True Cross Academy for Leraje's second wave of attack. The whole operation had failed because they had not informed anyone about the second barrier Samael had in place. And Abaddon… Well, he certainly did not answer incompetence with mercy. Many demons enjoyed brutal displays of their power, even torture. But The Duke of the Abyss had a very unnerving, sadistic way about his punishments. Anyone who believed in the second chance he often so 'generously' offered was a fool with brains of a Coal Tar. Abaddon's second chance was only a chance for Abaddon himself to use his pawns one more time before they grew unnecessary or outright dangerous to his plans and schemes. "He would make sure to dispose of them fast. As soon as their job is done…" Zahar grimaced.

"Khan! Ramil!" came a commanding below, causing Zahar to jolt. In a few moments filled with the sounds of Abaddon's impatient steps echoing through the hall, two demons appeared in front of the duke. Their hands moved to their chests with a swift motion in salute, then they went down to one knee. They were both tall and well-built - warriors, but no common soldiers. The armored uniforms with long red cloaks, and a wicked looking, slightly curved saber at the side only emphasized the air of command about them. They looked almost human. "So, more high-ranking servants? Only demons of a significant power can be summoned that way… Oh, now when I am looking at them… I know these two! His most capable captains, both sworn with blood oaths to Abaddon. Just how many of those does Abaddon have, anyway? Who in Gehenna would ever give up their freedom for that sadistic maniac? Tsk… I just hope he will not require the same obedience from me… I won't have it. I won't!" the poison-maker assured herself while Abaddon addressed his underlings. "He must know by now - we need to clean up. Prepare your men." he said simply, but the grating edge to his voice was undeniable. "Already, Sir?" one of the demon soldiers perked up. It was the one with a huge scar running from the forehead straight through the eye down to his chin. "Yes, already, Ramil! The spies failed; they were recognized. Samael will soon learn their identity and once he's arrived, everything has to be ready, understood?!" the duke bit off angrily and the two demons exchanged a sour look. "Sir, my men are currently fighting at the borders. It will take some time to pull them back." said Khan, the other dark-skinned demon with his tongue split in two like a snake. "I'm well aware of that. Your men cannot be here before Leraje, otherwise it would be too suspicious. But you must hurry. Use wyverns and teleportation circles if you must. We are playing for time… against none other than the Lord of Time himself…" the duke spat angrily, then noticed his servants still kneeling on the ground before him, nodding in understanding. "Well? Why are you still here?! Go! Make a haste, Satan's Flames!" came an order emphasized by Abaddon's urgent gestures, and the locusts started flying around in chaotic patterns again. The demons saluted, then left the throne hall.

Abaddon massaged his temples, then he finally turned towards Zahar. She tried to mask the shiver which ran down her spine, his very stare unnerving her. She straightened up and let go of the string of hair she had been playing with in order to remain calm and composed in case things turned ugly again during the reporting. "And what is it you wanted to discuss so urgently, poison-maker?" the duke inquired, motioning her to come closer. "My lord…" Zahar knelt as well, making sure to touch the ground with her forehead. She was usually less formal with the demon, but he seemed particularly on edge that day, so she hoped that adding a little more respectful gestures would appease him. And truly, once her eyes met his, she could see that twisted smile on his face. She hated that smile but could not help but be grateful for it at the moment. "... I came to report on the anomaly in your realm, the 'Peaks of Peril' if you will." she intoned importantly, hoping to get Abaddon's attention. "Ah, yes, what a surprise… another place in Gehenna where demons might perish. Spare me the lecture, Zahar." the duke rolled his eyes, unimpressed.

Demons did not 'die' the way humans did. Or rather, they did not die at all. They were merely defeated, their bodies and source of life destroyed. As if their very essence exploded, bursting into millions of tiny pieces all around Gehenna. With time, the little pieces would be slowly pulled back towards the spot where they were destroyed, forming back into their essence. The stronger the demon, the longer the process would take - unless one had the luxury of a resurrection ritual or, as the highest demon nobility, a number of worshippers whose offerings and prayers would speed the whole process up significantly. So, the problem with being annihilated was not really existential. The time was the problem. It could take decades, even hundreds of years until their essence would re-appear. A truly unpleasant experience. The situation in Gehenna, the power-play, the whole hierarchy - everything would change. And everything they worked for so hard would be of no consequence, of no significance in the new order they would be brought back to. The loss of power and position was what every demon tried to avoid with every fiber of their existence. Setbacks were unacceptable. But Abaddon was always calm when it came to the topic - his worshipers would take care of the little inconvenience, and in case he would need more for his soul to assemble, his blood-bound vassals would make sure to 'recruit' new worshippers and perform the necessary rituals. The oath they had sworn to him required it.

"My lord, as I've been researching the powers of the girl, a suspicion formed that she and the anomaly might be related. As I mentioned before, the energy pulses are becoming even less predictable than ever - less frequent, but much stronger. And the perimeter of the danger zone is …" she started but was soon interrupted by the duke's frown and dismissive wave of his hand. "Not now, Zahar. You will have plenty of time to research those powers when the girl has been kidnapped. There are far more pressing matters at hand at the moment, and I have no patience to listen to your research again." he said, then his hands clenched into fists. "Samael will be here soon, we need to be ready." "I… I understand, my lord." Zahar bowed reluctantly, her lips forming into a thin line. "But Sir, do you really think that we can divert Samael's suspicion? To blame the whole incident on Leraje and his people? I mean… what could possibly persuade him..." the demoness said nervously, only to find her chin being lifted roughly up - Abaddon was looming above her. "He will be persuaded. As long as everyone plays their role and does what they are told to do. Understood?!" his crimson eyes seemed to be piercing a hole right to her head. Zahar nodded quickly, then gulped as he grinned widely. "Good. Good." came a strange praise from the duke, which sounded completely mocking to her.

"I want that girl, Zahar. If your theory is right, she might be the key to getting rid of Samael and taking my rightful place as one of the Kings of Gehenna in his stead." Abaddon whispered angrily. "My Apocalypse Riders have been searching all this time for their fallen comrades' essence, but months of searching have passed, and they have yet to locate it. It looks like what you said about her powers is true - that she can, somehow, completely destroy a demon. To obliterate demons, and to annihilate their essence, never to be reformed again…" he eyed the demoness, his body trembling. "But those fools have failed! And now, she will be watched and guarded even more tightly than before! And Samael found out about the girl before we did. He possesses the most terrifying weapon in all worlds… He already knows!" he thundered, smashing one of the ornate vases in his throne room in the process. It shattered loudly and the swarms took off again, flying in crazed, aggressive patterns. "We lost our moment of surprise. They must already know that someone is after her. Pulling off another attack like the last one… Aaargh, damnation!" the duke kept cursing viciously, his loud swears echoing through the hall, sending shivers down Zahar's spine. "Satan's Flames… This is just my luck! To be stuck with that lunatic during one of his crazed fits… But… I do understand his frustration." she pursed her lips, remembering her dead mate. The soul-tearing pang of regret about her loss was still there, even after all those years, but she chose to suppress that particular emotion. It was no good to her. And it was no good to dwell on the past, either. However, she did crave her rightful revenge! Just as much as Abaddon craved more power over Gehenna.

"My lord, perhaps there is no need for another large-scaled attack." she started carefully, gaining enough of the duke's attention that he stopped cursing around. "What do you mean by that?" he arched an eyebrow questioningly. "I mean that, perhaps, there is no need to involve so much force in order to capture the girl. Humans are… strange creatures… I'm sure you noticed this as well, my lord. They tend to bend when the lives of their comrades, no, 'friends', are at stake. Maybe if we focused on one of these 'friends', and took the individual hostage, she would just come to us… Completely on our terms, else the hostage would be killed on the spot." Zahar explained, holding Abaddon's gaze expectantly. He grew silent and thoughtful, and the buzzing of locusts ceased, so that Zahar could actually hear her own heartbeat. "I have had dealings with humans for centuries, I know, and it did occur to me…" Abaddon kept nodding his head and rubbing his chin in thought. "However, we are facing the same problem here. The Exwires spend most of their time at the Academy. They practically live protected by Samael's barrier. Also, Samael would need to be occupied again, pulled far enough so he would not meddle. Which is tricky enough with that teleportation of his, let alone with his command over time… And according to the reports, the girl seems to be the closest to none other than the Son of Satan." he threw his hands up in frustration. "The Son of Satan is watched as carefully as the girl is and kidnapping him would not be any easier. What's more, taking Rin hostage would practically be kidnapping one of the Royalty…" "My lord…" Zahar dared to interrupt his train of thoughts. "...there is one person we might use who is not an Exwire…" Crimson eyes flashed with anticipation and Abaddon's lips curled up, revealing his fangs. "I'm listening."

OoO

Mephisto shifted the big comfortable bed and exhaled with content, clutching the soft pillow next to him, then pulled it closer. A beautiful, sweet scent graced his nose - spicy cinnamon mixed with honey. Gin must have left some fresh tea and cinnamon rolls in his office. The prospect of yet another day he would need to spend at the desk sorting through piles of documents and reports was tedious at best, but a proper breakfast was a good start. The usual thirty minutes long nap would also be of great help and keep him up and about during the day. Not to mention that this time, he actually managed to fall asleep rather than just nap, and so he felt exquisitely well-rested. Abruptly, his eyes cracked open, and his body became stiff as his soft pillow moved! Before he could stop the time though, the 'pillow' cuddled closer to him, exhaling softly. "Thea…" the demon thought incredulously, completely taken aback. He soon remembered that he was not at the Academy, but on vacation at the Gora Kadan hot springs with Thea - the fresh Meister Doctor. They had arrived yesterday in the afternoon and had only managed to enjoy dinner with a tea ceremony before Thea fell asleep from all the exhaustion. However, she was apparently not the only one who had been tired enough to doze off. The demon lord was completely stunned. "Satan's Flames… I… I fell asleep… with her lying right next to me?! ...Incredible…" his mind raced, trying to process the fact. He swiftly checked the time. "Five hours? I slept for five hours?! Why, that's… unbelievable…" He never let his guard down around the others, never allowed himself to completely relax, save for some very specific occasions and individuals. And even though Thea had made it to the small circle of the most trusted individuals, he would never put himself in such a foolishly vulnerable position and allow himself to lower his guard to such extents as to fall asleep. The mere idea befuddled him. He had spent some nights with her before, but he had always remained awake, busying himself with some work or, on rare occasions, playing games or reading some manga while she had been sleeping. And yet, there he was, laying on a comfortable futon with his lady in his arms, feeling… surprisingly content and at peace. Serenity was the term he was looking for. Not to mention his fatigue was completely gone, too. He smiled and pulled the blonde closer, simply enjoying the moment.

A soft voice soon interrupted the silence, as the girl shifted, her hand trying to reach for one of the small pillows scattered around them. "Hnnn… M… i… sto… ly…" she mumbled, catching the demon's attention. "Sleep-talking again?" he raised his eyebrow. "Mmmm… isto…" the blonde murmured again and Mephisto's cheeks took on a soft pink shade. "Oh my… She is talking about me!" the demon thought with an inexplicable sense of achievement. "Mister… Wooly…" the blonde finally managed to articulate, completely destroying Mephisto's high spirits in the process. His right eye twitched while Thea kept moving her hand around the blankets, undoubtedly trying to locate her dear plush companion in the half-asleep state, her peaceful expression growing frustrated. "Honestly, now… She has a demon lord at her disposal to cuddle with, yet her first thoughts still wander to that sheep." Mephisto grimaced, trying to fight the wave of insane fit of laughter at the thought of 'a demon lord… to cuddle with'. For some reason, he wanted to be the one in the girl's thoughts, the one she would dream about, but apparently, it only took a fluffy ball of wool with a ridiculously cute smile to rob him of that privilege. No matter how high he stood in the social circles, demon ranks or even the food chain, Thea's subconsciousness had a ranking system of one's worthiness that seemed to work in completely different, mysterious ways he had yet to puzzle out.

The demon's musings were interrupted by a sudden jolt which shot up through his entire body - Thea's sleepy search for the missing toy ended up by her seizing Mephisto's tail. "H-hey… careful with that…" he stuttered through his whisper, but the blonde just clutched the tail tighter and pulled it towards her. Mephisto cringed, stifling the pain - he had already explained to Thea how sensitive a demon's tail was, so she was always extra cautious about it, but one could only be so careful while asleep. He pushed himself up on his hands and leaned over her, trying to untangle his tail from her grasp while she fought back, burying her face in its fluffy end with a look of utmost bliss on her face. "Oh, you little charming daredevil…" the demon shook his head, fighting the cuteness overload. "Mr. Wooly…" she exhaled pleasantly, which only managed to send a certain demon lord to new levels of inexplicable… whatever that emotion was… "It's Mephisto. Me-phis-to." the demon pouted, then finally managed to get one of her hands off his tail. "Mephisto?" came a soft question, and the demon nodded absent-mindedly, still working on the tail. "Yes, Mephisto. Finally! That wasn't so hard now, was it?" the demon said silently with a soft smirk, then froze as he noticed that Thea had just awoken. He carefully turned his gaze from his tail a little higher, where a set of wide, chocolate-brown eyes were looking at him in confusion.

"Guten Morgen, my dear." Mephisto cut a charming smile while Thea struggled to keep heart rate and her powers in check. "Morgen…" she answered automatically, then shook her head, trying to focus. "Uhm, Mephisto… What… What are you doing?" the blonde asked carefully, eying him suspiciously, her cheeks flushed due to the unexpected proximity. The demon's eyes played mischievously, and he leaned a little closer, looming over her. "I should be the one asking that question, my dear. Touching such sensitive parts… you sure are in a playful mood this early in the morning." he shook his head in a feigned disapproval, thoroughly enjoying the girl's expression journey from confusion to outright embarrassment as she noticed she had been holding his tail the whole time. She looked at it and her cheeks grew beetroot-red in an instant. The blonde let go of his tail swiftly, covering her face with her hands. "Gosh, I'm sorry!" "Oh, I do not mind, just… be gentle." the demon winked, his smirk growing even wider, his tail finally free to wag around. "Hey, stop teasing me…" Thea mumbled with an embarrassed smile on her face. "I can't help it, OK? I like to cuddle…" she finished almost inaudibly, but still perfectly clear for the demon's sensitive ears to pick up. "I noticed." Mephisto leaned his head on the palm of his hand and held her gaze with amusement playing in his eyes. "What's so funny?" the blonde pouted, then returned a knowing smile. "Oooh, I know what's going on… I am a twenty-five-year-old woman who likes to sleep with plush toys…" she repeated one of Ayami's disapproving comments on her strange habits. She was long past feeling embarrassed for that particular one, but the demon's growing smile was unsettling her. "Yeah, well, go ahead, laugh all you will, but it won't change anything. I like my little plush herd. They are small, fluffy, and cute, and…"

Before the blonde could finish the sentence, Mephisto just grinned widely, then disappeared in a pink smoke with glitters, and a small, white dog with a pink, polka-dotted ribbon was sitting next to her in his stead. "Mephisto? What…" she blinked in confusion at the demon's actions. During her time at the True Cross Academy, she had learnt about the headmaster's habit to stroll around the Academy grounds in his animal form of a white Maltese dog. There was actually a funny little story to it… However, why on Earth would he change into it now? Mephisto approached closer, then nuzzled Thea's cheek. "How about this, then?" he asked, remaining very close while the girl's heart just skipped a beat. "About what?" Thea asked, completely puzzled by the demon's actions. "Well, you said you like to cuddle with small, fluffy and cute things." he answered pointedly, somehow managing to raise his eyebrows suggestively despite his dog-form. Thea blinked, then burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. Finally, she reached for Mephisto and pulled him into a hug, placing him on top of her. "Ooooh, Mephisto… just…. come here!" she said through giggles, running her fingers through his soft, white fur, caressing him softly. From the way his tail started wagging and his ears were gently pulled back, Thea deduced that the demon was quite enjoying himself.

After a few more hugs and caresses, the blonde shot the little, white dog an amused smile. "You know, you really are an animal in bed." she chuckled, and Mephisto's eyes suddenly played with mischief. Before Thea could react, Mephisto started licking her face all over, just as dogs would do when happy. "Pfff… Hey… Oh, come oooon. Mephistooo!" the blonde protested but did not quite have the will to actually push him off her. How could she? She was enjoying the cuddles way too much. "Pfff, stooop, I can't breathe!" she said through another round of giggles. "Seriouslyyyy. Hey! Oh, fine, just watch the teeth, you demon." For a moment, the fluffy assault came to a halt. "No worries, dear. I do not bite. Unless you want me to…" the demon grinned, his canines flashing. "You dog!" Thea chuckled, but she was so embarrassed by his remark that she had to cover her bright-red cheeks. However, that did not stop the demon - he simply pried his way to her face and started licking it again. "Nooo, it tickles, it tickleees!" the blonde objected, unable to hide the wide smile from him, which only seemed to encourage his actions. Suddenly, the cute licks turned into a shower of kisses, and instead of fur, it was Mephisto's hair tickling her cheeks. His tail soon found his way to her waist and wrapped around it. He smiled at her, allowing her to catch some breath. "You are beautiful." he said, getting another blush from the blond, as she turned her head to the side and bit her lip, completely flattered. The demon used the opportunity to put a kiss on her neck. Then another. And one more. Just… more. He soon felt Thea's hands wrap around his neck, her heart beating like the one of a colibri. He claimed her lips gently, making sure to be extra thorough. Then, he ran his fingers down her waist and hips, mindful of his claws, enjoying the softness of her skin. He didn't understand. Did she have any idea how irresistible she was to him? How peaceful, yet exciting it was to him to be in her presence? What puzzled him even more was his own desire to make her happy. To let her know just how special she was to him. And while he was always superbly articulate, his words seemed just so sadly insufficient when it came to Thea. Not that it mattered too terribly. He would just show her. But shower first. Or maybe…

OoO

The plates and glasses fell to the ground, shattering, causing the guests who were enjoying their breakfast in the restaurant of the Gora Kadan hot springs to look around curiously. Bows and apologies soon came from the waiter who started picking up the scrap glass, and everything seemed to return to normal again. "Oh damn, sorry man!" said the tall, blue-eyed, well-built man in his mid-twenties who apparently caused the whole accident by not watching his step and running into one of the waiters. "It's nothing, don't sweat it, Kei." the young waiter said, then eyed his colleague from the wellness department with an annoyed, but concerned look. "But seriously, are you feeling OK? You've been acting so absent-mindedly since yesterday… Damn, Kei, you did not drink, did you?!" "Hell no! I'm not stupid." Kei protested, then waved his hand at the whole thing. "I'm fine. Just a… a little tired, that's all. Had to take Nagano's shift yesterday - five full-body massages on top of my own orders." Kei explained, scratching his head apologetically. The waiter shook his head disapprovingly, but he appreciated that Kei would jump in and back his colleague up. "Well, that's all nice and cool, but God, just look at yourself, man! You're a mess! Just take the afternoon off. Sleep a little…" he tried to talk some sense to Kei. It was quite bizarre seeing the strong-armed masseur in such a strange, disheveled state. "Oh, Gee, thanks mum, but no, thanks." Kei rolled his eyes. "Tsk, fine. But you're gonna creep the guests out with those blood-shot eyes. You're shaking like the piece of jelly you wanted to gulp down for your breakfast. As if we haven't cooked like twenty other dishes! Just come, I'll fetch you something to keep those big muscles alive." the waiter ordered.

Kei forced a chuckle and followed his co-worker almost obediently, inconspicuously wiping the saliva from the corner of his mouth, trying to stay as composed as possible. His body was shaking, but it was not due to the lack of sleep. No, it was sheer excitement. Impatience. Craving. Hunger. It was her. The girl with chocolate-brown eyes, curly golden hair and hour-glass figure. The girl with that tasty-looking, vibrant soul full of life. She simply looked absolutely delicious. He had to gulp again. To an incubus like him, she was like a little sun to a moth, drawing him crazy with hunger. Well, it has been some time since he had last eaten a soul. Too much time, actually. Abstinence in order to remain hidden, concealed from Lord Samael, was hard on him, but necessary, as he was what one would call an 'illegal immigrant' from Gehenna. Not to mention he had already broken a few of the demon lord's rules while residing in Assiah. Usually, he only took little bits of life energy from women that fell for his supernatural charms. The process would not harm the women, just make them tired for a day or two. But… it was like eating one or two spoonsful of food at a huge feast full of delicacies, and sometimes, the craving was simply too strong to resist taking the whole soul. But now? He was certain that a soul full of so much energy would keep him going for years without the need to hunt again. And he could not even remember the last time he was full - not starved, but really sated. There was just one little problem - the woman had not reacted to his incubi pheromones that usually leave every woman swooning over him. At all. That must mean she was already strongly attached to someone else. And indeed, he had soon learned that she had arrived at the hot springs in the company of an eccentric looking, middle-aged man with whom she also shared a room. That did not matter too terribly, though. Just a little inconvenience in the way, really. One that he was able to adapt his plans to quite effortlessly. "It's time for a real feast. I'll just have to keep that snobby-looking guy out of my way for a while… And even if the pheromones do not work, my demonic kiss will. One kiss is all it takes…"

OoO

"Hmmm… this is heaven…" Thea breathed out when she soaked herself in the warm waters of the hot spring. She couldn't wait any longer and decided to hit the springs right after a small breakfast. "Mephisto? Are you coming?" the blonde peeked from behind a rock which was arranged in the middle of the spring. "On my way, dear." came a swift response, but Thea could clearly see that her boyfriend was yet again on the phone, fully preoccupied. She pouted. "Honestly… this was supposed to be our vacation, yet he's still so caught up in work. His secretary is supposed to be backing him up, so why does everyone keep ringing and texting all the time?! Five times. Five times he had to excuse himself to make a short call or text someone back… And that was just our breakfast…" she shook her head, upset that he could not catch a break even on his holidays. His phone actually rang, beeped or vibrated many more times, but Mephisto only reacted to some of the tones. At least that was Thea's observation. After a few seconds, Mephisto finally emerged from the hall wearing just a towel around his hips and a broad smile on his face. Thea cringed inwardly - Mephisto was great at masking his emotions, but she did notice him hiding a concerned expression behind his nonchalant smile. And she did not like it a bit. "He really needs to learn to trust me and be more open around me… There is no need to hide things from me, is there?" she pondered, then addressed him. "Finally. I was starting to think that the water would cool down before you finished that call." she jested half-seriously, shooting the demon a pointed look. He paused for a moment, then grinned even wider. "Missed me that much?" "Of course. Now, come over here." Thea patted the rocks which built up the border of the springs. The demon nodded and sat down next to her, only soaking his feet. "No worries, I'm all yours now." he winked at her, earning himself a soft blush. "Say, how about we get us a nice chocolate balm mask after this?" he offered, but Thea shook her head vehemently, looking almost affronted. "A chocolate balm mask? No way! Why would anyone use chocolate for some beauty nonsense when you could eat it instead? What a waste…" A sonorous laugh filled the private hot spring section and Mephisto had to wipe a tear from one of his eyes. "Oh dear, I cannot argue with that logic." he grinned at the blonde, who looked more serious than amused. She really meant it. "Well, yeah…" the blonde adjusted a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Speaking of the program… I booked us a couple's mas…" A playful melody sounded suddenly, interrupting her - Mephisto's phone was ringing again. The demon's eye twitched in annoyance, then he looked at Thea sheepishly. Before he could say anything, the blonde just sighed. "I know, I know, you need to take that one." she emphasized, gaining Mephisto's confused expression in return. "What? You always pick the one with that cute Japanese song." she shrugged, and the demon's eyes widened in surprise, then his lips curled up. "Always so attentive." He caressed the blonde's cheek gently, then stood up in a swift motion, picking up the phone, and left again.

A minute later, Mephisto returned, and Thea felt something akin to a blizzard entering the room with him. Silently thankful for the pleasantly warm water, she regarded the demon with concern - he was wearing one of his official uniforms, and his expression was strange, composed as always, but dark and predatory at the same time. Yes, he was positively angry. Well, at least he was not hiding it from her. "Wow… What happened to upset you so much?" she tilted her head to the side and the demon's expression softened for a moment. "Thea…" he said shortly, then knelt next to the hot spring, facing the blonde. "I must leave for a while." he looked her in the eyes apologetically. "Has anything bad happened? Should I go with you? Do you need my help with…" Thea inquired, but Mephisto just shook his head, putting a stop to all the questions. "Nothing to worry about, dear. However, the matter is urgent and requires my personal and immediate attention. But do not let that spoil your well-earned vacation." he smiled encouragingly, lifting a finger. "I will not take long. You just relax and enjoy yourself." No matter how many times Thea opened her mouth to protest, Mephisto just went on, assuring her that everything had been taken care of and he would be back soon. Then, he put a kiss on her head and disappeared in a flash of white and pink smoke. "Oh maaan… He just doesn't get it, does he… That head-idiot-master-demon. The whole point of the vacation is that we both enjoy some time off. Preferably together, too…" the blonde moped, poking at the stone grumpily, feeling completely useless and left behind. "Now what… a couple's massage with just me there… Geez. If only he would take me with him. I could at least help and maybe even speed things up. Well, maybe. Just… stay safe, Mephisto." she exhaled and leaned on the stone, trying to calm her erratic thoughts and tensed muscles in the pleasant, hot water.

OoO

"My lord, thank you for coming on such short notice." Gin said, producing a short bow, then fell into the pace with his hasty master. They were walking down the long corridor of the Vatican branch's enormous historical building, heading right to the huge wooden door at its end. A short nod was the only answer he received before the demon lord became but a blur of white color, switching between the current time flow and his personal altered dimension. He was flipping through a bunch of papers and photos Gin had prepared for him in advance - all of it important reports and, simultaneously, evidence material to prove Mammon's innocence in the recent ritual slaughter. "I knew that the Grigori fools would try to keep me from attending Mammon's trial, but honestly… the timing could not be worse." he gritted through his teeth in annoyance, then smoothly slipped back to his own dimension to go through the notes he had apparently managed to take. "I couldn't agree more, Sire. I mean, this is the second time in a row you ditched your lady… You must be really confident in your make-up skills." Gin smirked, raising his eyebrows twice suggestively, causing his master to stop in his trails abruptly. Samael looked at him with an unreadable expression on his face, his mouth opening and closing again, then he pursed his lips. Gin had to stifle an outbreak of laughter. "Satan's Flames, he has only realized that now!" the spy figured out. "Gin, is Thea's cloak ready?" the lord asked seriously. And was that a hint of nervousness in his tone? No, he must have been imagining that. Unless… "Oh by my Demon's Heart! It's not a 'hint' of nervousness. He's freaking out! He knows that this time, she will be mad at him for ditching her during their vacation, and the gift he had planned all along could help him save the day…" Gin had to cover his mouth, but a soft chuckle still got through. "Honestly now, what are you, a hundred years? I asked you a question." Samael eyed him flatly and disapprovingly. "My apologies, master. The cloak is supposed to be ready in two days." Gin finally answered, but before Samael could say anything else, he quickly added. "But I will make sure you have it today, my lord. Just leave it to me." he bowed slightly, which seemed to put his master at relative ease for the moment. "Good. Now, are your men in position?" came another question from the impatient lord. "Yes, Sir. As per your orders - my men had checked the hot springs and then secured the outlined perimeter of the Gora Kadan hot springs. They will monitor the newly arriving individuals, too, and report on any suspicious behavior or situation." the spy confirmed. "Good. Just make sure they keep their auras hidden and stay out of the way. I do not want her to know she is being watched… Not yet. And remember, some privacy must be kept - so not one of you spies inside, unless they want to be re-assigned to the mission at the Siberian research center." he said, nodding more to himself than to Gin. "Of course, my lord. They will be discrete." the spy confirmed, suppressing the shivers at the thought of the frozen version of hell. "Very well, then let us be over with this." the Lord of Time said with an urgent tone to his voice, then he chanted a rather lengthy incantation and pushed the tall wooden door in front of them open with a loud crack. The sudden motion startled the assembly of priests, Exorcists and of course the Grigori. Perplexed, angry whispers soon filled the room. Right in the center of the oval room stood Angel, his sword drawn and pressed to the throat of kneeling, particularly roughed-up Mammon, who was thrashing around furiously, baring his teeth at his executioner. Having seen the scenery, Mephisto cracked a wicked grin, all of his emotions vanishing behind his trademark nonchalant mask. He raised a finger theatrically, voicing a loud, sonorous "Objection! ~"

OoO

After a few minutes in the hot water, Thea stretched, feeling that her muscles were finally soft and relaxed. She got out of the little pool before her skin could wrinkle all over, then put on her yukata, ready to head… well, ideally somewhere where she would not look too awkward without her partner. "So, what options do we have here…" the blonde thought aloud, going through the list of activities she meant to do during the vacation. "Let's see. I booked a couple's massage, a couple's chocolate and wine tasting in the restaurant, then I have two tickets to a kabuki this afternoon… Yeah…" she exhaled defeatedly, grimacing at the prospect of a series of couple activities she would need to do on her own. Unless Mephisto came back quickly… However, she swiftly shook her head, trying to talk some sense to herself. "Geez Thea, stop acting like a spoiled child! Here you are, staying in a little paradise of Japan, all pampered and well-rested, and you have the nerve to complain about it?! So, what if your significant other is a friggin' workaholic? So, what if he puts his work before vacation? And before you… Again… No. Stop right there! Lives depend on his work, too. I would not say 'no' to a call to a surgery either… This is your first vacation, your first holiday since you came to Japan. So, you will go there and make the best out of the place, even if you have to waste chocolate on some stupid beauty mask! Right!" she thought - maybe she would try to sneak a lick or two, too. She gave her cheeks a few claps, and with a look of sheer determination, she headed to their apartment to change to something nice.

Moments later, she was wearing the soft yukata provided to all guests and headed straight for the gardens. Apparently, there was an ikebana workshop taking place, and she figured she could get some inspiration as to how to tame that wild jungle of white flowers growing in her small dorm room before they could actually take over the place. She would also feel much more refined when talking to Shiemi about gardening and flowers. Before she could reach the garden, though, Mephisto's voice reached her from the promenade. "Thea, my dear!" the demon waved almost enthusiastically. "Mep-My dear Johann?" she stuttered awkwardly, almost forgetting to use his correct name when in public. It sounded really weird to call him 'dear', all right, but at least she did not yell to the world that the famous Mephisto / Samael / Lord of Time was there with her. He approached her, then reached for her hand. "I was looking all over for you, darling." he said and leaned closer to kiss her on the lips. "Whoa-whoa-whoa! What do you think you're doing?!" the blonde put the palm of her hand over his mouth, pushing him away with an affronted look on her face. The cold gesture was very confusing for him. "Thea, what's the matter?" he tilted his head to the side, slightly confused. "Uhm…" Thea took a few seconds to think about the answer, looking confused. "Humph, you have some nerve asking me that!" Thea crossed her hands in front of her chest, cheeks puffed up. "First you stand me up on our theater and dinner date, and when you finally make some time in your super-busy schedule and take me on vacation, you leave me again to take care of some 'important business'." she pouted, then lifted a finger. "Well, I've had enough of this. No kisses for you until you make it all up to me." the girl eyed him expectantly. He was looking at the blonde wide-eyed, completely taken aback by her fiery attitude. However, he soon cleared his throat and cut a perfect smile. "I see… Och, of course, sweetheart. Anything to make up for the unfortunate… uhm… turn of events." he said a little awkwardly, cupping her hands into his, looking her deeply in those chocolate-brown eyes. "Wow… 'sweetheart' you say? You never called me that…" she blinked twice just a tad nervously, and the demon cleared his throat. "Well, then you should get used to it, because I'm about to spoil you this vacation. So, how about we start with a make-up kiss?" he grinned sensually, lifting her chin, running his thumb along her soft, pink lips. "Nice try, genius. But I'll pass." Thea smirked, moving away from his reach. "The ikebana workshop I signed up for is about to begin. However, I might reconsider the offer if you manage to create an acceptable flower arrangement for me." she winked at him, then headed to the garden.

"Well, that didn't go as smoothly as I expected." Kei thought as he was struggling with the flowers while the elder female ikebana instructor was switching between mildly displeased to horrified expressions after each look at his work. "Satan's Flames, just my luck! Perfect timing, and I'm sure I transformed myself into the perfect likeness of that pompous guy, but I just had to catch that woman in a moment when they're fighting! Just great…" the hungry incubus pouted inwardly but willed himself to calm down. "It's cool. He left and will not be back anytime soon… I've got time till the evening, and I will get a kiss by then for sure! That's all I need to make her mine." he assured himself. The truth was that his luck was not really that bad. Admittedly, catching the girl alone proved impossible - and he had been trying since the moment she had arrived at the place. The rich guy never let her out of sight, and when he finally did, he was always very close by. However, after multiple futile attempts to snatch her away inconspicuously, he had just so happened to overhear the guy's phone call in the hall… Apparently, he had to leave urgently for some business, which would surely take hours to take care of. And just like that, his way was clear. That was plenty of time for him to act. He had taken the day off because he was 'not feeling well', then changed his appearance to match the guy. Succubi and incubi could look however they pleased in order to better lure their victims. Looking like an old, ugly, and skinny guy did not please him at all, but it was a necessary sacrifice… No, it was not just the basic treats such as height or the color of his hair. He mimicked everything flawlessly - everything from the nonchalant tone of his voice to the terrible dark circles under his eyes.

"Man, just what does she see in him, anyways?" he grimaced and regarded his sinewy arms with displeasure, as he was watching his reflection in the garden pond. "The guy's so spindly and pale like he never saw the sun. The dark circles under the eyes are just depressing… He looks like he hasn't slept for a week! And what's with that ridiculous goatee beard cut?! So old-fashioned! Not to mention his clothes… Honestly, who in their right mind dresses like that?! Luckily, we have to wear the provided clothes here most of the time… But his wardrobe… Just a bunch of plain black or white shirts right next to some crazy pink yukata with that anime chibi crap… Not a single piece of fine designer clothes or accessories!" he shook his head, remembering himself browsing through the wardrobe. It would take some time for him to completely crowd out the image of the pink boxer shorts with little white dog faces out of his head. The guy was so strangely contrasting and chaotic that Kei was certain he must have had some real personality disorder. Perhaps the woman had some, too, considering she was dating him. "Or maybe it's the exact opposite - she's the sly gold-digger, enjoying the attention of her precious sugar daddy. ...But then again, if she were a gold-digger, would she really risk all the luxuries and actually refuse a simple kiss? Maybe she's just playing hard to get or something… Or… Could she actually be his mistress?! Satan's Flames, I'm getting a headache just trying to figure those two out…" An audible exhale interrupted his trail of thoughts - the ikebana instructor passed him again, that annoying frown only deepening on her face. Kei regarded his arrangement cluelessly, shifted some of the plants to the opposite direction, then added some more of those he went to fetch just a moment ago. Finally, he decided it was time for some action, as he had just enough of fooling around with those stupid weeds.

The blonde was sitting right next to him, handling every flower with almost trained delicacy and a look of utmost concentration on her face. Performed by her, the whole creative process looked more like dismantling a bomb or perhaps a medical surgery, rather than a woman enjoying some free time activity. "Thea, dear." he put his hand on the girl's shoulder. She almost jumped up from the unexpected gesture, and he could feel a strange prickling sensation on the fingers of his hand. "Johann… What is it?" she blinked, then eyed the vase he moved in front of her. "The representation of my devotion to you, of course." he cut a charming smile, formulating some universal pseudo-romantic crap women were so fond of. For a moment there, Kei thought that the girl's eyes would pop out of her sockets at the sight of his bouquet. "Wow…" the blonde said in awe, shaking her head, and Kei grinned victoriously, catching the curious stares of other workshop participants, mainly the feminine ones. "Yes! Tsk, it doesn't matter if the instructor's not happy with my work. They are flowers - and women like flowers. As simple as that." The incubus mentally clapped himself on the shoulder - he really outdid himself big time considering he had never wasted his time with some stupid flowers. "Uhm, Johann… when you made this, for me… were you, you know, following the instructions of our ikebana teacher?" she asked, and Kei nodded carefully. "Well, that sure speaks a lot of your feelings for me…" the girl said with a far less excited tone than Kei had expected, then she stood up in a swift motion. "Tsk… and you wanted a kiss from me?! Well, now you can say goodbye to hand-holding, you slack loafer!" came a whispered shout from the flustered blonde, as she bowed to the ikebana teacher and stormed out of the garden. The incubus gulped - he had no idea what half of what the girl said meant, but she was positively angry. Kei looked around nervously, suddenly aware that the stares he was receiving were not the ones of admiration, but rather astonished scandal. "How disgraceful." the elderly ikebana teacher said, when she approached him. "To use petunias and yellow carnations for your arrangement, how rude to that nice young lady! Shame on you, young man!" the instructor kept shaking her hand disapprovingly, then left. One of the men in the workshop leaned closer, whispering. "Hey, psst… Listen, and I am only telling you because it looks like you really have no idea how screwed you are right now." the man said, and Kei gulped. "You literally used two of the 'big-no-flowers' to express your so-called 'devotion'. Weren't you paying any attention, man? Petunias stand for rejection, and the yellowish things represent disdain and resentment. You reaaally messed up…"

OoO

Mammon was kneeling safely in Samael's office at the True Cross Academy in Japan, where they all had been teleported by the Lord of Time after the trial. The Duke of Greed remained alive - much to the Grigori's dismay. "Say what you will about Samael's foolish decision to live among humans, but at least he really does hold his word. If it hadn't been for him, I would've been done for… Satan's Flames…" the demon thought with just a hint of admiration. "My lord, I'm in your debt." Mammon said as he went down to one knee, bowing, still quite shaken by the unexpected turn of events. The moment he had felt the cold steel monstrosity of a sword touch his throat; he had really thought that it had been his end. "And I will be there to collect it one day." The Lord of Time nodded courtly, voicing the proper response. Being a demon lord, it was in fact one of his responsibilities to look after his vassals, but the concept of 'responsibility' was quite foreign to the demonkind, leaving it very open to interpretation. And so, a much more straightforward and simple rule has been established. One that every demon would understand. The rule of trade, with many bounding phrases acting as what humans would call the law. "Now, I suggest you keep a low profile for a while. The Grigori agents will be watching you closely and I do not care for any further incidents. Understood?" the demon lord arched an eyebrow, waiting for a confirmation. "Of course, my lord, as you command." came another bow from the Duke of Greed. "And regarding the debt… you might partially pay it off with the information about the betrayal in my ranks you 'hinted you might have but only would give it to me if you survived the trial'" the demon lord quoted.

"Thank you, my lord. Sire, my men also ran an investigation regarding the unfortunate incident when a curse was placed upon you and blamed on me. Four of the demons who performed the ritual were from the Great Wastes of Abaddon's realm, currently governed by general Leraje." he finished with an unintentionally audible gulp. He couldn't help it though, betraying your own lord was a transgression of great foolishness, insanity even. And with Samael… well, that was a sheer suicide attempt. Samael's eyes widened for a brief moment, his expression growing sinisterly dark, and Mammon had to suppress the urge to rub his shoulders after the shiver which just ran down his spine. However, the lord was back to his usual nonchalant self in an instant. "So, Marquise Leraje?" Samael stroked his beard. "Ah, yes Sir. He was appointed a general by Abaddon only recently." came a nod from Mammon. "So, you are saying that it was Abaddon's men who were behind the ritual. That is a strong claim, Mammon." the Lord of Time pierced him with an intense look, as if he could tell a lie from the duke's every hesitant move or twitch of the eye. "I… I am well aware of that, my lord. But it was my duty to tell you." "Interesting… Do you have any evidence to support your claims, though?" he leaned closer over the huge wooden desk, entwining his fingers expectantly. "Yes, my lord. My investigation team will send over every piece of information they have." "Excellent. Be quick about it. Dismissed." Samael ordered again, leaving no room for any further discussions, and Mammon left with haste, bowing himself out of the office.

"My lord…" the secretary standing right next to him started, only to be interrupted by Samael's raised hand. "I know, Gin. I would be a fool if I couldn't see the connection." he eyed him flatly, then pondered further. "It would appear that your information was indeed correct, and it was really Leraje who led the attack on the Academy. So, Abaddon's people were involved in both the ritual and the assault…" he mused, a terrible grin appearing on his face. Gin knew that look in his master's eyes very well. Unfortunately, he also knew that the look would soon get much worse. Taking a deep breath, he braced himself for whatever was to come. "My lord, it is not just that…" the spy started carefully. "Oh?" "When the group of those lowly bloodsuckers attacked your lady, I mentioned that we crossed our paths with two other groups who had, apparently, been monitoring Miss Heilbrunn. The first group were the Grigori, of course. The second group… Well, three demons were recognized after examining their dead bodies. They too were from Abaddon's realm. One of them even blood-bound to Leraje." Gin cleared his throat, then picked up the sound of Samael's low chuckles. "My, oh, my… And I gave the fool of a duke a sample, too~" the lord mused playfully, a sinister grin creeping up on his face, replacing the previous terrible one, which was, in Gin's humble opinion, already disturbing enough. "I think it is about time I paid my power-hungry vassal a visit. Say, Gin, where…" Samael turned towards his secretary, but suddenly, the whole room, no, the whole Academy vibrated strongly with the headmaster's power, his own voice echoing in the office. "THEA WHAT?!" it thundered, sending waves of his demonic energy across the place, so that Gin actually had to hold on to the desk in order to maintain some dignity and not crumble under that terrible pressure. "Thea what?!" the angry bellow sounded again, followed by another, slightly weaker wave. Then, everything went ominously silent.

"Samael, that was another time-echo of the same event, wasn't it?" Gin breathed out, loosening his tie just a little. His master's power was simply overwhelming. To think he was the second in line of power in Gehenna… He dared not even imagine the extent of power Lucifer wielded, let alone Satan himself. "It was. Whatever it is that will throw me out of balance so much, it is getting closer…" Samael said silently, clenching his fists. He hated how much panic that befuddled, furious outburst carried. Gin cleared his throat, trying to slip back to his usual composed level-headedness. "Uhm, Samael… What do you think it means?" he tried to pry out, but his attempt was met by a firm shake of Samael's head. "Do not ponder about it, Gin. It will do no good." the demon lord said. "But Samael, this is the future, right? Why not use the information and…" "And what, Gin?" Samael raised his voice uncharacteristically, taking both himself and his secretary by surprise. He willed himself to calm down in an instant. "I know you want to prepare, my friend… But for what exactly? You cannot prepare for this future. The future is unclear, ungraspable. Every time I look at it, it changes. It is like a gigantic tree of if-causes growing its branches in millions of directions. When one variable, no matter how small and insignificant changes, the scenarios ripple through the time like a wave. While some of the branches disappear, new ones appear somewhere else, the reality taking a completely different turn than it seemed to have just moments ago. What we heard just now might not even be a part of our current problems." the demon lord started explaining while pacing around, running his fingers through his hair. "We cannot jump to conclusions. You tried to 'use the information' last time, suggesting that my voice was the voice of anger and rage directed towards Thea. That she might be a spy, an assassin. That she would betray me, and what I heard was my fury at her actions." the demon lord looked at Gin pointedly. "My lord, I…" the secretary was at a loss for words. "No, Gin. This was not meant as some kind of scolding." Samael massaged his temples, then clasped his hands in front of him. "What I am trying to say is - your suggestion was very reasonable, especially combined with the other information you had at hand. However, the image of the future might be deceiving. It is too open to interpretation and more probable to mislead you. Do not attempt to fit the facts or your actions to a time paradox unless it is absolutely necessary. Alright?" he looked at Gin, who nodded, finally looking more relaxed. Samael looked out of the tall windows of his office, a thoughtful expression on his face. He was the Lord of Time, so of course he would try to take a look at his future from time to time. However, time worked exactly as he described it to Gin. It took a tremendous amount of energy to actually take in all the possibilities of how the future could unfold, and he would still see close to nothing. "Come. We have matters to take care of back in Gehenna." Samael said finally, cracking his neck and fingers, winking at Gin in what he tried to sell as amusement, but the secretary knew the look in Samael's eyes. There will be no second chances this time. Blood was, however, not going to be spilled. It was going to flow.

OoO

The blonde was standing on the small bridge which led over a pond of koi fish leaning on the wooden fence, looking at her phone with a deep frown on her face. "Thea…" came Mephisto's voice from her right side. "Oh, hey…" she answered just a tad solemnly, leaning her head on the palm of her hand. The incubus braced himself - he had to get things back on track quickly or he would waste the chance to feast on her soul. "My dear, I am terribly sorry for what happened earlier." he said, looking her in the eyes. She looked sideways, obviously unconvinced. "The truth is, I really wasn't paying attention…" he admitted with just the right hint of apology. That seemed to get the woman's attention. "You see, you had my full attention, not some teacher. Watching you there, sitting so happily, working on your flower arrangement… You were so beautiful, the flowers could only envy you." came another of his well-practiced compliments, followed by brushing her hair away from her face slightly. "I swear I didn't mean to upset you, Thea. I love you; you know it…" he said softly, waiting. He might not be of much good when it came to flowers, but he was hundred percent sure of his skills when it came to sweet-talk, sugar-coating and all that romance nonsense. And bingo! The girl's eyes widened suddenly, her cheeks got all pink, her mouth opening and closing, she was completely flustered. "Oh my… I really wish to hear that one sometime…" she said in a silent whisper, then cleared her throat nervously. Kei's heartbeat quickened in an instant as his instincts kicked in - an opening! He would use the opportunity and kiss her right away while she was distracted! He reached forward to get hold of her, but the girl moved out of his reach. Then, she faced him again, a smug expression on her face. "Yeah, you know, you could have just run the flowers over with a lawn mower, then thrown them at me. We could have saved an hour of work and the effect would have been the same." she said, her eyes playing with amusement.

Now it was Kei's turn to be all puzzled. "Hold on… Is that a… Is she joking around?" A melodic voice cut through his musing. "Aaaaw, come now, I'm just teasing you a little. I couldn't stay mad at youuu. Especially not when you tried so hard to make a nice bouquet for me." she giggled, then reached up to pat him at his head. Kei arched an eyebrow at the peculiar gesture. One would think that there would be a much warmer response between two lovers. The girl seemed to notice his surprise, but then she finally hugged him softly, resting her head on his shoulder, but facing away. An intoxicating smell of honey and cinnamon hit his nose and he felt like he could just melt in that scent. Saliva filled his mouth again, as he found himself craving her soul even more. "Unbelievable… her soul is just so… striking… What the actual hell?! A small miracle that she's still around and alive - no incubus would let a chance like this slip!" he wondered, silently praising Satan for this one-of-a-lifetime opportunity. The girl pulled away as swiftly as she hugged him, then grinned. "Sooo… you said you would do anything to make up properly, right?" she eyed him almost mischievously. "Ah, sure, … as long as it is within my capabilities, that is." Kei cleared his throat - he had a feeling that he would really regret that stupid phrase, but it sounded like something the pampered fool would say. "Great! Let's go then, there's plenty of things I wanna do, starting with some shopping." she clasped her hands enthusiastically, then set off. "Oh, dear Lord! Why does it always have to be shopping with women?! Satan's Mercy be upon me…" Kei whined inwardly, then bit his tongue and suppressed the strong urge to roll his eyes. Deep breath. He would suffer through another pointless female adventure through the jungle called 'shopping malls', throw around some compliments of how great she looks in that absolutely ridiculous but undoubtedly fashionable dress or the high-heels she would wear for one friggin' occasion, then throw them away because they would be from the 'last season'. He would also pay and carry all the garments as she would expect from her fool of a 'gentlemen'. But then… Then he would finally take the woman! And maybe he would return the bought merchandise after she was but a soulless husk. Money did not grow on trees, after all…

OoO

The Lord of Time was trembling with anger and fury and about a dozen of other particularly terrible emotions he had to be keeping bottled up for the time being. He had had just enough of Abaddon's disobedience, and frankly, he was looking forward to blowing off some steam. Not only has the arrogant imbecile been plotting behind his back, he dared to cross his path and attacked and threatened what was his. And what was more - the fool's actions have already disrupted two of his dates with Thea! That was simply unacceptable! The only reason the demon lord was able to keep a smile on his face, be it a disturbing one, were all the beautifully creative ways of how exactly Abaddon would go down… time and time again! His mind spun the scenarios almost effortlessly, so he willed himself to concentrate and push his imagination a little - not because Abaddon deserved a spectacular death, but because Samael deserved some fun after all the trouble the excuse of a demon caused. And because the rest of the greedy demon aristocracy needed a reminder, an example. However, no clever strategies or schemes of his factored in what he now faced as he had teleported with Gin to Abaddon's lair in Gehenna. The whole palace was a turmoil of demons engaged in a bloody fight.

"Gin, I shall slow down time." Samael ordered and Gin gave him a careful look. "Are you sure, my lord? The amount of energy you will need…" "I will be fine. You have… three minutes, or about thirty seconds of their time." Samael paused slightly to check his watch and do the calculation. "Go and do what you do best." Samael said while scanning the environment. "Yes Sir!" Gin nodded and vanished instantly, hoping to get some better position to scan through the battle and gather some valuable input for his master. The Lord of Time took a deep breath. Hell was chaos itself, so even the time flowed in unpredictable patterns, and controlling it required much more energy and concentration than it would in Assiah, especially with so many demons in place. The real problem was the time difference between Gehenna and Assiah, though - the time flowed at a completely different and randomly changing pace. While on Earth only one hour passed, it could be anything from mere seconds to long days in Hell. And he certainly did not have that much time. Not when his lady was waiting for him. He was lucky, though, the current time flow equaled one hour for every minute on Earth - being the Lord of Time, he could approximately tell. No matter how much he hated the fool, he couldn't deny that he had an excellent taste when it came to presentation of one's power and wealth. Abaddon's realm was mostly just large plains and wastes with some large hills here and there, but he managed to turn his 'lair' into a hellish version of Taj Mahal. Minus the greenery, of course. Gehenna was not a place where beautiful plants would thrive, and most demons didn't even care for something so 'useless'. The plants were only of interest to poison-makers or traders. Nevertheless, seeing all that former beauty burning and collapsing under the blows and energy bursts made the demon lord's chest cringe. First, because he could always appreciate beauty. And second, because if anyone had the right to tear down Abaddon's House, it was Samael - just a little something he had in mind in return for the assault at his Academy.

The demon lord stood motionless, concentrating on the scenery in front of him. There were Abaddon's men, even his Apocalypse Riders, and swarms of locusts of various sizes in a violent flight. And they were up against troops of goblins and cyclops. He soon noticed the long, greenish arrows soaring through the sky in a slow motion. He knew those. The same arrows killed his own people back at the Academy. "Leraje's men?! But… Leraje was supposed to be Abaddon's henchman… What is the meaning of this?" Samael wondered. Two minutes and thirty seconds later, Gin returned from the inspection, breathing heavily - he had undoubtedly tried to cover as much area as possible during that short time. "My lord, two troops only, Abaddon's and Leraje's. My hypothesis - a coup led by Leraje." the spy said briefly, obviously just as befuddled by that fact as Samael. The demon lord nodded. "Cloak your presence, Gin. We are going in. I have some questions to ask my troublesome vassals." the time started to flow normally again with a snap of Samael's fingers, and both demons got on the move, right towards the throne room. They were zigzagging left and right, ignoring the warriors completely. Samael soon found the huge hall of hexagonal shape, with stairs leading to a pompous throne at the end. The floors and pillars of pristine white marble were splattered with demon blood and gore, screeches and bellows echoing all around. And right in the middle of it, the Duke of the Abyss loomed over the battered Marquise of Riots, who was kneeling in one of Abaddon's energy-draining vortexes, struggling to choke his opponent despite the terrible state he was in. Before Samael could stop time, Abaddon rammed a metasoma-shaped dagger through Leraje's heart with a swift motion, and he went down with a loud, enraged cry full of hatred.

"Your master is dead!" the duke thundered as loud as he could to make sure that at least the nearby soldiers would notice what happened. "Leraje is dead! Bow to me or you shall meet the same fate!" came another cry, and the violent movement in the throne room slowed down, until it came to a halt completely. One by one, Leraje's soldiers knelt, visibly reluctant, but they did obey. The silence was replaced by a victorious battle cry of Abaddon's warriors, some of them pounding their weapons on their shields or their staffs on the ground to enhance the triumphant sensation. Above their heads, the great swarms of locusts started circling around, buzzing loudly with their wings, actually managing to create a draft inside. "Abaddon…" Samael teleported right in front of the duke, pinning him with a firm look. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked in as controlled a voice as he could muster in the moment. Abaddon's eyes widened, then he went to one knee instantly. "My Lord! Thank Satan you are here!" he said, breathing heavily, sweat rolling down his temples. "Stand up and explain yourself." the Lord of Time ordered more firmly, then he suddenly felt a strange pull on his cloak. He turned to the side, only to see Leraje grabbing at the hem of the white fabric with a trembling hand. The dying Leraje was apparently trying to say something through the gurgles, as blood was filling his throat. "Ar-dent… all a-about… t-the girl…" he coughed out, looking absolutely delirious, then breathed out for the last time. Samael's eyes widened, his heartbeat quickening. He pinned Abaddon with a piercing gaze. "What does he know about Thea? Why did he speak of her?!" "A-about who?" the duke backed away a little, looking confused. "You heard him. He said 'ardent' and 'the girl'. 'The girl' undoubtedly refers to Thea!" Samael took a step forward, barely keeping his demonic energy in check. "M-my Lord, I don't… I mean, I have heard those words a few times… I think it's just a nickname… It's how some demons started calling the exorcist girl, the one who destroyed my vortexes…" he grimaced at the notion sourly. "It's from the time when she, uhm, when she destroyed some of my Apocalypse Riders at the hospital… my servants spoke of an ardent light, but I have no idea what Leraje meant…" the duke stuttered, completely taken aback, then tried to bring the topic to the more pressing matters. "My Lord, please… I am terribly sorry for the state of this place, but the fight was quite devastating. Leraje… betrayed me, my lord. Organized a coup, marched his armies straight to my House, that power-hungry lord-wannabe! My troops barely managed to return from the borders…" the duke gestured wildly, then ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head in bewilderment. "To think he would turn on me like this… I raised him to a general just recently, too… I had suspicions… I was hoping that he would cease the nonsense if given a higher rank and a small territory of his own to rule, but… I was wrong. He used the situation, gained more influence, and… as much as it shames me to admit this… some of my own men joined his foolish quest." he spat blood - it was indeed a great disgrace to plot behind a master's back, let alone join forces with his enemy. "They will be dealt with, I assure you, my lord. I misjudged Leraje terribly, and for that I humbly apologize, my lord, but I have the situation firmly in hands now." he explained, then went down to one knee again, his gaze cast to the ground, waiting. Would Samael believe his story? Would he doubt what played out right in front of his eyes?

The Lord of Time was racking his brain, trying to process the situation. "So, it would appear that Abaddon remained loyal for once. That is… almost hard to believe. Perhaps he truly took a lesson from the little sample of personal hell I put him through. Hmmm… his explanation does sound plausible, especially given what I have just witnessed. Even Gin mentioned before that Leraje was a troublemaker, usurping power everywhere he could, taking advantage of every opportunity. The evidence suggests that it was Leraje's people who stood behind the curse ritual, even behind the attack on the True Cross Academy, and last but not least, they also seemed to be monitoring Thea. Everything seems to be coming together. So why… What is this nagging feeling I have? Why do I not feel the calm which comes with a closure? Ah, Gin was right, I should probably stop overthinking everything and accept the situation for what it most probably is for once…" he exhaled, then nodded to the duke. "Abaddon, I expect a detailed report on the situation… once you are done celebrating." the lord added, and the duke's head shot up. "You protected your House and my territories today, proving your loyalty." "I'm honored, my Lord." Abaddon said as humbly as he could. Samael looked around the place, then nodded towards the duke. "I expect this place to be presentable when I come to visit next time." he said, then turned on his heel and headed back to Assiah.

OoO

"And for the lady?" the waitress asked, eying Thea expectantly. The blonde kept listing through the long list of desserts, then finally gave up and turned towards her boyfriend. "I just can't make up my mind. Johann, how about you pick one for me?" she smiled at him, and he returned smoothly. "Of course, Thea. Let's see… How about the strawberry ice cream with vanilla sprinkles and almonds?" he asked, getting a giggle from the blonde. "Ooooh, Johann, stop teasing me already! You know how much I hate that flavor, don't you?" she rolled her eyes, getting a nervous chuckle from the demon. "Oh, of course, of course… You know me, I couldn't help it, you're just so teasable, darling." he bumped her nose with his finger. "The lady will have…" the incubus ran his eyes over the menu - judging by her previous actions, she would definitely appreciate the most expensive, exotic thing the restaurant had to offer. "...your chef's special mix of dark chocolate and matcha ice cream, sprinkled with gold dust, and tapioca pearls on the side, of course." Kei said smoothly, silently dying inside at the thought of how much money the little vixen had already cost him. "Man, that was a close one… And I played it like a boss. Again! Man, I'm just too good at this… But boy, oh, boy, she's such a handful! The guy of hers must be insanely rich if he could allow keeping her around. I can't believe I have already spent three months of my wage on her nonsense! Damnation!" he cleared his throat, trying not to dwell too much on it. He looked at the girl in front of him. She smiled at him cutely, fiddling with the necklace he bought her, because she just 'loved it so much and couldn't wait to wear it together with her new white dress'. That's right. Apart from a pile of souvenirs for her friends, he also bought her a ton of other nonsense, including a dress. Admittedly, she looked like a goddess in it, but that wouldn't matter, she would be an empty shell before she could wear it. Kei almost felt a pity. Maybe he should let her wear it for the evening… But the feeling was gone the moment he remembered all the other things he had to buy for her - most of it was food. He shook his head. "I can't believe she's eating again… I thought humans only had one stomach… Unbelievable! The guy must be bankrupt just from having to feed that hungry little caterpillar." he kept shaking his head just thinking about it.

"What is it, Johann? You seem so lost in thoughts… Is everything alright?" she took hold of his hand over the table. "Ah, perfectly, my dear… I was just thinking about you, and how beautiful you are, darling…" he caressed her cheek gently. She seemed relaxed and content enough, so he tried to use the opportunity and kiss her again. "Johann…" the girl pulled away, cheeks pink. "Not in public…" she looked around flustered. "It was your idea, remember?" she looked at him expectantly, and Kei could only cringe. "Satan's Flames, that old man must be a complete prick! Who cares about the PDA in this millennium?!" the incubus whined inside. "I know, my love… But I thought that it is about time we changed that rule. What do you say?" he offered, kissing her hand slightly. The girl looked quite surprised, but before she could respond, the waitress came back with their order, her hand moving just so that she blocked Kei's way. "Oh, for Satan's sake! Read the mood, woman!" Kei shot the waitress a mean stare, and she scrambled away. "I'll think about it." the blonde said, playing with a lock of her golden hair. "But I must admit that you really outdid yourself today, Johann. I am almost tempted to kiss you right now." she giggled, getting Kei's full attention in an instant. "But you know… there is still a thing or two I wanted to do today before, uhm, well, before 'bedtime'." Thea whispered the last word a little shyly, then tapped her finger on her lips. "Naturally, my dear. What is it that you desire?" the incubus asked, feeling as close to his goal as never before that day. "Well, you see… when you left me so suddenly, we missed our couple's massage… I was really looking forward to it, so I would like to go and have one nice, relaxing massage." "We won't make it, Thea. The massages are only performed until 5 PM, and it's already 7 PM, so…" Kei bit his tongue. He couldn't believe that he had just blown his opportunity like that! The woman didn't know about the opening hours! Only he did - he was one of the resort's masseurs, so naturally, he would know such a thing. If only his professional deformation hadn't kicked in! "Oh, such a pity… that kind of ruined the mood for me…" the girl said a little solemnly, but the incubus swiftly jumped in as a new plan formed in his head. "No worries, darling." he got a hold of her hands. "You know, I know a thing or two about massages. I could give you one personally, I am sure that it would be much more romantic and intimate that way." he looked her in the eyes expectantly. She looked a little reluctant, but in the end, she voiced a clear 'Sure, sounds fun.'

OoO

The demon lord appeared near the Gora Kadan hot springs with Gin at his side. He felt completely drained, so he walked a little aside, letting his secretary deal with the squad while he stood on the little hill overlooking the springs. After his unplanned visit in Gehenna, he went to fetch the cloak for Thea to the master seamstress, where he had to alter the time yet again, so the seamstress could finish all the little details on the embroidery which would adorn the front. Then, he also assigned some of his own people to investigate the incident in Abaddon's realm. Finally, he stopped at the Academy to double-check his wards and the barrier. "Gin, you are back!" one of the spies jumped down from a nearby tree. "About time you showed up at work, man." he patted him on the back. "Oh, just get off my back, Satoru. I was working myself off in Gehenna just now… There was a coup in Abaddon's realm." Gin shook his head lamentably. "Satan's Flames, you don't say! You must tell us all the…" the spy suddenly stopped mid-sentence, as he spotted Samael coming their way. He blinked twice, then swiftly reached for his field-glass. "Satoru? What's the matter?" came a confused question from Gin. Satoru looked into the field-glass, then back at Samael, then back to the field-glass again. His eyes widened in horror. "Good evening, gentlemen. I hope things have been going smoothly over here?" Samael asked once he reached the group of spies. Satoru gulped. "My lord… is that you?" he took a step back, getting into a fighting stance. "Satoru! What on Earth are you thinking?!" Gin hissed at his companion as if he had just gone crazy. "What kind of question is that?" the Lord of Time arched an eyebrow at the spy. "B-but my lord… if you are here, then… the man with Miss Heilbrunn is…" he stuttered, panic entering his voice. "What man?!" the demon lord thundered; his green eyes glowing predatory. Gin turned to Samael, trying to stop him. "Sire, wait! There are wards against…" before he could finish the sentence, his master disappeared. "... teleporting…" the spy sighed, then turned towards his squad. Suddenly, everyone gasped, and the squad looked towards the resort. Gin closed his eyes and face-palmed himself - Samael had just torn through the ward system as if it was paper. "Great… Just great… We worked for an hour on that warding system." The presence of the ward was cloaked, but as his team cast it in the first place, they felt it dissolve right away. "You three, come with me at once. The rest of you - perimeter." "Yes Sir!" they confirmed collectively, despite how shaken they were, each of them already getting in touch with the rest of the team stationed in the surrounding areas.

Mephisto rushed through the resort, doing his best to keep his speed at a human level, Gin at his heels with a few of his men. He motioned to the secretary to check and secure the place - just as the squad was supposed to be doing the whole time. He had had just enough of nonsense for today! What was going on?! Who was 'that man'?! What has the squad been doing?! He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in order to keep his fingers from extracting to claws. "Focus. Where could she be? Verdammt, why must there be so many scents?!" There was a little hurricane inside of him, just waiting to be unleashed on the place if he allowed it through the barrier. Suddenly, he caught a whiff of honey and cinnamon from the direction of a private pool. He remembered booking the exact one for the evening, for it had a bubble bath, a small bar, and a pair of very comfortable deckchairs right next to it. "Hmmmm… just like that…" came Thea's soft voice from the section. Well, it was more of a moan than her usual tone of voice. The demon stopped in his traces - was he hearing things? "A little harder… Oh yesss, that's the spot. Don't worry, go harder…" Mephisto felt as if his brain had just frozen after hearing those words. He flung the door to the private section open and upon seeing the scenery, his instincts kicked in, and the time came to a halt in the whole resort for everyone except him and Thea. The sight in front of him was… in so many ways not what he expected to see… Thea was lying on her stomach on one of the deckchairs with her eyes half-closed contently, lips curled up to a soft smile, and a look of utmost bliss on her face while a man who could have been Mephisto's mirror reflection was bent over her… massaging her back? "Thea…" the demon lord breathed out, then closed the distance between them in a blink of an eye. The blonde cracked her eyes open lazily and put a hand under her head to support herself and waved at him with the other one. "Oh, hi there." she said with a completely casual, unconcerned voice. "Thea, are you alright? What is going on?" the demon was staring at her expectantly, struggling to puzzle out the situation. The girl just sighed, then pulled up her yukata to cover her back and scrambled down from the provisory massage bed, stretching like a cat. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, I was just getting a massage." she waved her hand dismissively, adjusting her yukata, then looked back at the man. "He really knows how to go about it…" she kept nodding appreciatively.

Mephisto approached, still very confused, and regarded her more closely - she seemed unharmed, and he could not feel any other demonic presence apart from the small-fry incubus who stood motionless above the deckchair. The demon lord let go of the time-freeze absentmindedly, so as not to waste any more energy, directing his full focus at his lady. "Whoa… what the hell?" the incubus blinked, as the girl whom he was massaging just now stood further away all of a sudden, facing the old guy he had been imposing. "Oh crap! He's here?! But… H-how? When? Satan's Flames!" he started panicking, too stunned to actually speak. However, no one was really paying any attention to him at the moment. "Something is not right… Her reactions are very strange… So calm and…" Mephisto racked his brain, then his eyes widened in horror. "No… Could it be… Am I too late?!" He caught her head into his hands swiftly, looking her up and down. "H-hey, what are you doing?" she protested, taken aback by Mephisto's actions, but the demon completely ignored her, speaking to himself instead. "Tsk… Of course! Scent much more prominent, heart rate and breathing quickened, pupils widened, and that calm, dreamy expression…" he counted out as he kept examining her carefully. "Huh? What are you talking about?" the blonde struggled against his firm hold, but to no avail. The demon lord kept looking at her very intensively a little longer, then he closed his eyes and exhaled silently as he felt a huge weight fall of his heart - she might have been under the incubus' spell, but her soul was still there in its entirety, as beautiful and as vibrant as always, completely untouched, meaning that the incubus has not had the time to start consuming it yet. Mephisto shook his head, then grinned and squished her cheeks playfully. "Un-be-lievable… The freshly raised Meister Doctor Heilbrunn gets caught in a measly passion-charm cast by even more measly incubus… How very careless of you, my dear…" he lamented. "Wuat?! Awe yu sewious? Wuet go of meee…" the blonde objected, trying to formulate a coherent sentence while the demon kept squishing her cheeks - a small punishment for lowering her guard and letting herself get enchanted like that.

Then, the demon lord turned to his right, and his predatory eyes met the panicked eyes of the imposter. A wicked grin crept up on Mephisto's face. "So, you must be the lowlife who dared take advantage of MY lady, correct? ~" the demon mused through his teeth, letting go of Thea as he turned to face his very own image. He cracked his fingers and neck audibly, causing the imposter to back away. "W-Wait… I… I didn't touch her, I swear! Flames, I swear!" Kei lost his cool and started freaking out - not only did the old man somehow know that he was an incubus, there was something terribly unsettling about him, too. Something dark. Sinister. Doom-promising. "Wait! Hey, don't harm him!" Thea rushed between the two demons, putting her hands on Mephisto's chest to stop him from advancing. Mephisto's eye twitched and a frown appeared on his face. "Great… Of course she would be protecting you… I really hate those spells of your kind, you know that?" Mephisto said to the incubus while gently pushing Thea aside, briefly considering freezing her in time. When under a charm-spell, the individual would fight to death in order to protect the one who bestowed the said charm, and the demon lord really did not feel like fighting his lady. "Hey! Don't ignore me, you head-idiot-master-demon! I'm not enchanted!" the blonde put her hands to her hips. Mephisto's eyes bulged as he struggled to process the claim. "I'm perfectly fine, I told you…" she assured him. "You knew he was an incubus?" Mephisto finally managed to articulate. "Of course I knew!" Thea threw her hands up. "You did?!" Mephisto's voice sounded twice - apparently, the imposter was just as dumbstruck as him. "Well duh…" Thea intoned, rolling her eyes. "I knew from the very start, the whole day. I mean, even if I couldn't see his aura, do you really think I couldn't tell you and him apart?! He didn't even replicate your physique completely, for God's sake…" she facepalmed herself. "Huh? What? But… my image was flawless…" came a whispered, confused mutter from the incubus, who was talking more to himself than to the others. Thea eyed the incubus sideways and grinned at him, shaking her head sadly - the poor guy had no idea about Mephisto's tail or his fangs and claws, but even if he did, he missed the color of his eyes by a slight shade of green, and the shape of his pupils was all wrong, too. The blonde turned her attention back to Mephisto. "In any case. Even if he had managed to look exactly like you, I assure you that no one in the entire universe could possibly replicate that unparalleled personality of yours." she lifted her finger importantly, then poked him to the chest meaningfully.

"But then… Thea, why would you spend the day with him? You know what he wanted to do to you, don't you?" Mephisto pinned Thea with a firm, expectant stare, a nagging feeling of frustration rising in his chest. The blonde entwined her arms in front of her chest and fell silent. "Thea, talk to me." the demon lord insisted. "Tsk… Well, what do you think? Because I wanted to make the most of my vacation, that's why!" she exploded, her hands clenched into fists as she pouted. "This was supposed to be our make-up date… I mean, I get it, you're a super-busy, super-important person, and many people need you. But… well, I need you too!" she put her hand to her chest while the demon's mouth fell open. "You just left me alone in this lovers' paradise with a bunch of pre-booked couple's activities… You never even told me where you were going or how long you would be away… And you were gone for hours, practically the whole day! I was worried sick!" she pursed her lips, casting accusing looks at Mephisto, who seemed completely at loss of words. He couldn't quite understand - she was obviously angry at him, frustrated, and he had to admit that rightfully so. So why did her words make him feel so good, so important, so irreplaceable?

Soon, Thea's words tore through his train of thoughts again. "But then, this 'Doppelgänger' of yours showed up, and… well… I immediately knew he was not you. Far from you actually… but it was still better than doing all the activities alone." she shrugged, speaking more calmly. "I admit, he was super-boring and had no self-respect whatsoever, because he just went along with every crazy idea I blurted out, no matter how ridiculous it was… But at least he was here for me - my soul, whatever - and he tried… OK, maybe a little too much with all those over-candied pet names like 'darling' and 'sweetheart', and he might have gone a liiittle overboard with the shopping spree… Gosh I really thought he would buy me that yacht if I asked him persistently enough…" the blonde spoke more to herself than to the demon, shaking her head in silent disbelief, then came back to her scolding. "But at least I had some attention - he was there and didn't look at his phone once, nor did he run away to 'check on something' in the middle of some common activity, leaving me behind with a group of curious newlyweds…" Thea summarized, remembering the embarrassing moment from earlier in the morning, when she had to finish the set of yoga positions meant to be performed by two on her own. Despite her thorough explanation, the blonde just earned a displeased look from her boyfriend - actually from both, the real one and the fake one too. "OK, so I was bored and decided to take advantage of him, geez, sue me… But he was the one who tried to scam me out of my soul! So, I decided to scam him out of his money for fun, that would teach him, right?" the blonde defended her actions. Kei's eyes bulged at those words; he just couldn't believe the ridiculous claims the girl was sprouting. Letting the anger and demon pride win over shock and the ridiculous fear of that human male, he shouted at the cursed woman. "Hold on, you little witch! You took advantage of me?! I am the demon here! I was…" "SHUT UP!" two voices cut through Kei's protests, and the incubus fell to his knees as two insanely strong powers manifested themselves all of a sudden, pushing at his very being so much that his breath got caught in his throat. "Satan's Flames! Satan's Flames… The guy's a… He's a… He's a friggin' demon! And so powerful… And her… what kind of power is that?! Is she an exorcist? No… That doesn't make sense… If she were one, she would be fighting him. No, she must be a demon too! But with a soul like that? What is going on?! Satan's Flames! I'm so dead!" Kei started trembling all over, his life flashing before his eyes while the duo just continued in their squabble, completely unconcerned.

"That still does not answer my question." Mephisto said finally, as he approached his angry lady, so that he practically towered above her. "You exposed yourself completely unnecessarily, Thea. Why would you take such foolish risks?!" he questioned, not even trying to hide the scolding edge in his voice. "What risks? Are you serious? That guy's no threat to me, I can feel his 'power', his aura, his..." she pointed at the stunned incubus in demonstration, then suddenly noticed the demon's ashen white face. "Hey, Casanova…" she addressed him playfully, then snapped her fingers in front of his face a few times. "Your heartbeat is terribly slow. Don't forget to breathe, OK? Don't you faint on me right now, 'cause I'm not about to resuscitate you, for obvious reasons." she fixed him with an expectant look, and it took all Kei's willpower to actually nod in understanding. He had been so stunned by their powers; he had actually forgotten to draw breath… And she knew?! "S-she's crazy… They are both crazy! Crazy! I gotta get out of here! I gotta… By my Demon's Heart, I gotta…" he gulped. The duo was back to the heated argument, completely oblivious to the incubus' whereabouts. They were ignoring him. He was not even worth their attention or concern, he was an annoying fly to be fended off, a cockroach under their feet to be squashed if they felt like it. And for once in his life, he was actually thankful for that appalling insult, for he could at least try to disappear inconspicuously. Willing his legs to move somehow, he overcame the terrible paralysis and crawled away for the door.

"You have to be kidding me…" the demon lord ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, as he started pacing around. Then, he fixed Thea with an angry expression, displeased with how casually she treated an obvious threat. "You play around and risk your soul just because you think he is weak?!" "No. I 'played around' because I was alone. And he is weak. But it's not like I let my guard down, for God's sake! I know what I'm doing." the blonde insisted, getting a most skeptical raised eyebrow in return. "That oblivious little fool! She just doesn't get it, does she? Well, perhaps I should explain myself more straightforwardly, so she actually understands…" the demon mused, then regarded Thea with his head tilted high. "Oh, truly? Well then, Meister Doctor Heilbrunn, I am sure you know all it takes for an incubus to place you under his power is one kiss?" he asked with a devilish smirk but did not let the girl even time to think about an answer, for he teleported to her right side in a blink of an eye, launching at her immediately, aiming straight for her lips. After all, a proper demonstration was often the best way to prove one's point. However, his surprise kiss-stealing attack was thwarted, as his nose met an invisible wall… His hand went right to his nose to stifle the pain, just as Kei managed to open the door and fled the room at a deadly sprint. A set of golden runes was shining brightly on the ground, forming a perfect and effective binding circle. "Impossible! I moved in such a way that I would not be caught in that blasting thing again!" the demon's mind raced, then his eyes widened suddenly. "Ah, but she did not catch me, I am not at the center of the runes… I can move freely, too…" Mephisto thought, then immediately realized that it was Thea herself who was standing in the circle. His mouth fell open. "She cast it on herself! Like a defense wall." His eyes went up from the runes to meet a set of similarly golden eyes. "Oh, yes. I can see… Toootally easy. Thank you for the demonstration, Sir Head-Idiot-Master-Demon." the blonde grinned at him victoriously, absolutely delighted that her idea worked.

"Oh, by my Demon's Heart, when do I finally learn?!" the demon lord shook his head, still rubbing his bleeding nose. "Incredible… She can be so infuriatingly stubborn, oblivious and nerve-wracking, but Lord is she crafty! So resourceful, so unpredictable. So… absolutely irresistible…" Soon, low chuckles, followed by outright laughter filled the private room. "My sincerest apologies, Meister Doctor Heilbrunn. I have clearly underestimated your undeniable genius… again. I keep forgetting that you truly are not just a student but a full Meister, capable of more than defending herself." he bowed lavishly, flashing his white cloak. The blonde giggled. "I was trained at the best Academy." she winked at him playfully, but her expression soon grew serious again. "Now, what is it you are not telling me?" she put her hands to her hips. "Pardon?" Mephisto blinked, unsure of what she meant. "Don't 'pardon' me! You have been acting quite weird recently. And that is something considering your usual weirdness… Why are you so overprotective all of a sudden? The demons have been after me ever since I can remember. Usually, they would just jump on me out of nowhere! At least this time I knew that there was a threat, and I knew exactly what it was. My training in the special dimension you prepared was much worse than this. So why are you getting all worked up because of one lowly incubus?" she pinned the demon with a questioning look. "Thea, dear… I told you already - no matter how small or weak a demon appears to be, a demon is still a demon, and…" he started explaining, which the blonde cut off sternly. "Oh, please! Don't start with that nonsense again, that is clearly not the reason behind all of this." the blonde's temper rose again after hearing the same lame excuse over and over again. "I mean it, Thea. One kiss was all he needed…" Mephisto tried again, but the girl just threw her hands up. "Seriously?! Mephisto, I'm telling you - he was weak, and I was not underestimating him, I was fully on my guard. Even his pheromones didn't work on me. And even if he somehow miraculously did manage to kiss me, it would have no effect on somebody who is already in love! I told you I knew what I was doing!" she exclaimed.

"You are… in love?" Mephisto asked incredulously, and the woman in front of him blinked, her cheeks flushed red, as if she just realized the words which escaped her mouth. She did not say it directly, but it was close enough of a confession. "I… uhm…" she stuttered, then exhaled, letting the circle around her dissolve. "Yes. I love you, Mephisto." she looked him in the eyes with earnestness and determination Mephisto was not prepared for. The Lord of Time felt like he was trapped in his own time-freeze, as he was slowly processing the girl's words. An overwhelming, indescribable, soul-shaking feeling filled his chest, and his brain seemed to fail at finding a proper name for it. The blonde was looking at him curiously, expectantly, a little shyly too - and he just stood there, rendered speechless. "Mephisto?" she tilted her head to the side while the demon was still trying to process the implications. Normally, he would have been amused, he would have cracked a grin, would have shaken his head lamentably, would have answered sarcastically to that naive, deluded claim. But… not to her. Love… That irrational, unnecessary, pathetic feeling even demons were not spared from, no matter how hard they tried… The demon lord was certain that something strong and inexplicable formed between him and the girl standing in front of him. But love? What was 'love'? It was bothersome, restraining, mind-clouding. An illusion of attachment that kept individuals distracted from the real questions of life, from unraveling the mysteries of the universe. Just one of the reasons why humanity progressed to their 'better tomorrow' at a snail's pace. When he did not count their laziness, that is… But he - he was the Lord of Time, not some love-struck adolescent. "Hey… it's OK, Mephisto. Y-you don't have to say it back." Thea interrupted his train of thoughts again, rubbing her shoulder shyly, then she shot him the most beautiful, heart-warming smile he had ever seen on her lips. "I just wanted you to know how I feel about you. And that it's honest." she finished, and the demon was actually tempted to believe her. "Illusion of attachment, hmm… Well, what is time if not an illusion of reality? We are all living in an illusion one way or another. This particular one… seems worth exploring after all… She is worth it." Mephisto made his decision. Then, he reached for her cheek and lifted her head up a little. "You are probably the only being in the entire universe who can make me believe it, Thea." he said, then leaned in for a soft kiss. When he pulled away, the blonde practically beamed, then hugged him tightly burying her face into his chest. A fond smile appeared on Mephisto's lips as he pulled his lady closer and kissed her forehead. The beautiful, familiar scent of honey and cinnamon filled his nose, and the demon exhaled, content.

"I'm sorry." the blonde mumbled softly. "Thea, dear, you are making it a bad habit to apologize when it is I who is at fault." Mephisto shook his head - he already ditched his lady on the second date in a row, not to mention that both times she had to face an enemy who was after her life. Subconsciously, he pulled her even closer. "I didn't mean to yell at you like that… I just felt a little lonely. You must have had a very difficult day." Gentle strokes started circling on Mephisto's back and soon, a soothing, warm feeling started spreading through his whole body, washing away the fatigue and replenishing his energy. And fixing his broken nose. He smiled - he could really get used to this. "Not as difficult as a certain individual who picked the wrong lady to mess with." The demon grinned, getting chuckles from the blonde. "True that! I almost felt sorry for the guy, but every time he tried something funny, I just fended him off in the most spectacular way. You see, I played the hard-to-get, snobby gold digger." she gestured at him playfully threateningly with her fingers as if she had claws instead of nails. "I always asked something ridiculous of him or pushed him around, just to see how far he would go to pull off his little enchantment. I bet that if you turned up later, he really would have bought me that yacht." she started giggling just a tad devilishly, and the demon lord just loved it. "You little daredevil." "I knooow, I knooow, I'm a terrible person. Must be a certain demon's bad influence." she poked at him meaningfully. "Oh, I cannot possibly take all the credit." Mephisto threw his hands up in defense. "You can be quite a handful."

OoO

Kei was running at a break-neck speed, as far away from the resort as his demonic speed would allow it. He had to get away from those two, whoever and whatever they were, he had to… Suddenly, the incubus found himself surrounded by a group of what one would probably call 'men in black'. Before he could react, one of them appeared behind his back and pinned him to the ground with a set of precise, practiced moves, while another one cast a strange translucent cubicle around him. Kei's eyes widened in horror. "Demons! And not just any… It's the prosecutors, the Upholders of the Code! Satan's mercy be upon me… Could my luck be any worse today?! Today of all days - Samael's men found me?!" he gulped, now even more eager than before to escape and find refuge in one of his hideouts. However, from that restrained position, Kei couldn't move an inch, which left him with zero escape options - he couldn't kiss any of them to enchant them and win them over to his side, and pheromones were mostly effective when it came to the opposite sex. "Hey, get off me you dogs! Let go, ya' hear me?! What do you think you're doing, you scum?!" Kei kept thrashing around, trying to wriggle his way out of the man's firm grasp. "Damn you, let go!" he bellowed - he had to get out before the insanely strong demon caught up with him and dealt with him. A man in his middle-years approached him from the front, switching between sending searching looks to Kei and scrolling through his tablet. "Ah, there you are!" the man in black suit and neatly combed hair said, a satisfied look on his face. "Kei Tanabe, incubus, male, category… yellow. So, a fugitive, prosecuted for serial murder by soul-consumption of at least fifteen women. Well, looks like you picked the wrong young lady tonight." Gin stated, smirking sinisterly. "Don't be a fool! She's no damn 'lady'! She's a friggin' demon, that's who she is! And she's the one you should be after!" the incubus was yelling, only to get a series of chuckles in response. "Oh, the lady is no demon, alright. Believe me, we checked. Multiple times, actually." the spy lifted his finger with importance. "She is, in fact, just a human girl, although quite an extraordinary one. Additionally, she…" Gin trailed off and suddenly, a shiver ran down everyone's spine as the insanely strong powers of the two 'lovebirds' reverberated the whole resort.

Kei exploded. "See?! What did I tell you?! Like Hell she's a human! See?! They are the dangerous ones, so how about you go and deal with the real threat here?! Hey, are you listening?!" the incubus kept yelling, trying to redirect their attention. The spy just rubbed his clean-shaven chin. "Oh my, you must have really plucked a nerve there. But I guess that is what you get for trying to seduce Samael's lady…" Gin shook his head lamentably, taking some notes down while Kei's eyes almost popped out of his sockets. "WHAT?! T-that was Samael? Like… like the Lord of Time, the Ruler of Assiah, the second in line of the demon kings? That Samael?!" he exclaimed, unable to believe the ridiculous claim. "That Samael and none other." came a wink from the spy. "Don't give me that crap! That was not Samael… it couldn't be… Satan's Flames, like he would suffer such behavior from a human! Especially not that crazy, rude woman! She was acting like his equal! She was arguing with him, yelling at him! She broke his nose, for Satan's sake! There's no way you're gonna persuade me that…" "Ah, yes, she does that sometimes." the spy interrupted with an amused grin on his face, nodding to himself. "And usually rightfully so if you ask me. A small miracle, really, that he finally stumbled upon someone just as stubborn as himself. Well, you know what they say about karma… In any case…" Gin looked at the accused incubus with an air of importance. "...you violated the Code bestowed by the Lord of Time upon every demon residing in Assiah. There is no excuse to be considered and no objection you could raise in your defense." came an official accusation from Gin, then he summoned a big stamp to his right hand while something akin to a miniature Gehenna Gate started opening right under the incubus' feet. Soon, dark, shade-like hands started creeping out of the small portal, latching at Kei, pulling him down.

"NO! Please, don't send me back to Gehenna! Please, no! I hate that place with ancient traditions and stupid territory quarrels! Those backward idiots have no idea what an iPhone or manga is! The food tastes like ashes! Please, I just want…" Another, even more powerful surge of energy from the direction of the hot springs interrupted the demon's pleas. "Listen young man, I will explain it as straightforward as I can…" Gin leaned closer and lifted a finger importantly. "The crime of killing humans is serious transgression enough to win yourself a one-way-ticket back to Gehenna. However, you just hit on and attempted to consume the soul of none other than Samael's mate. You might not have succeeded, and the lady might have a kind enough heart to let you off the hook, but surely not Samael. The audacity itself won you a one-way-ticket to his personal piece of Hell. Trust me, you want to go back to Gehenna before Samael finishes whatever he is doing and remembers you exist." Gin winked with a smug grin while all blood drew away from Kei's face and he started shaking like a leaf. He was worse than dead. So. Much. Worse. "I… I… Uh, fine, dammit… OK, Satan's Flames, yes, please…" Kei squeezed out, nodding shakily, as he felt yet another surge of the woman's powers. "Good choice." the spy nodded happily, then cleared his throat and proclaimed loudly. "Kei Tanabe, for the crimes against the Code of Assiah, I hereby banish you to Gehenna." Gin sealed the sentence by pressing the stamp ceremoniously on the incubus' forehead, putting perhaps a little too much pressure on the gesture from all the excitement. "This is the best I can do for you. Remember, you owe me one!" he pointed a finger at Kei, then back at himself, casting the criminal meaningful glances. Kei just nodded his head nervously, voicing a soft, trembling 'sure' before Hell consumed him.

OoO

"A gift? But Mephisto, you already took me here as a gift for my graduation." Thea looked at the demon in surprise as he produced a pink box with a bow on top of it. The demon lord smiled - she acted just like from the memory of her grandmother he had witnessed what seemed to be ages ago, when Thea was about to receive Mr. Woolly. Yes, only she could believe that she had to somehow deserve a gift. Well, if it would help for her to accept his present, then so be it. "There is a lot to celebrate and what you did was quite special. This is my congratulations for your Meister title and your Doctor title." Thea eyed him suspiciously. "Mephisto, you get it - that I was only playing the gold digger, right? It's not diamonds again, right? You know I can't accept…" the blonde started panicking slightly, but Mephisto just grinned, then held up his hand to stop her and nudged her to open it. Thea pulled out a long piece of white fabric, then studied it curiously. "Is that your cloak? Oh… wait… A doctor's cloak!" she eyed the cloth, and her face lit up instantly. A cloak has always been a garment of pure practicality and it belonged to her occupation. However, she couldn't help but think of this particular one as beautiful, too. The fabric was very soft to touch, and it seemed whiter than snow. "Mephisto, it's beautiful! The fabric is the same as your cloak, isn't it?" she asked carefully, and the demon nodded, surprised yet again by her attention to detail. But why did she look so unsettled by that fact? "Yes, it is." he confirmed. "But that must have been so expensive! It certainly feels expensive! And well, all of your clothes kinda are, so… Oh God, I hope it was not worth its weight in gold, right?" the blonde exclaimed, looking the cloak up and down a little nervously. She knew that Mephisto had a particularly lavish taste when it came to things like these. After all, all of his suits and formal clothes were custom-made! If her cloak was custom-made too… "No, of course it was not worth its weight in gold. It was… not as expensive as you might think, dear." the demon voiced a perfectly true and diplomatic answer. If Thea knew its real price, she would probably perform a medical examination on him to check his sanity, then sell it right away to make some 'real' use of it, most probably she would use it to fund her own research or to build a hospital or two, and the rest to find a university. Mephisto was sure that it would be money spent wisely, but he had to make her keep it, so she could stay safe and protected as much as possible. The blonde was looking at the demon suspiciously for a moment, then she seemed to accept the present.

"Thank you. Wow… It has a cape, too. Is it some kind of a ceremonial cloak perhaps? I can't quite imagine wearing it for a regular workday…" she asked while silently admiring the skillfully done embroidery of the emblem of… was that… Mr. Woolly? "I assure you that it will do just fine for your regular workday, dear." the demon patted the cloak - he had to make sure she would put it on regularly, ideally on a daily basis. "I'm not sure, Mephisto… sometimes there's a lot of blood or dirt everywhere, especially when I work at the Emergency…" she said skeptically. "No need to worry about that - the cloak remains snow-white, no matter what you put it through. No contaminants will stick to it, neither dust nor blood. Perfect for a doctor. The fabric is also very flexible and durable. Sometimes, you would be surprised just how much." the demon explained, getting a surprised look from the blonde. "How?" "Oh, just a few little enchantments of mine here and there, dear. Wash at forty degrees and do not dry-clean." he winked at her playfully, and Thea giggled as the image of the demon lord doing the laundry appeared in her mind. She put the silky-soft cloak on swiftly, excited to see herself in it. "Thank you so much, Mephisto. It is absolutely perfect!" she exclaimed happily. "Do not worry about getting it ruined, Thea. It will not get ruined easily. Just… try to wear it as much as possible, alright?" he asked of her, taking her hands into his. "That is a strange request you have there, Mephisto. Listen… I wanted to ask you before, but… Is there something else you want to tell me?" a curious, expectant look appeared on her face. "The cloak can also absorb a considerable amount of damage and speeds up recovery from wounds… It will also repair itself if slightly damaged, but it is hard to damage it, it is a serious protection." the demon added, and the blonde tilted her head to the side in thought, then her eyes widened in understanding.

"Oh… oh! So, that would mean… It's no longer a suspicion, right? You got a confirmation! All the things we talked about the last time - the stolen personal documents, the attack on the Academy, the unknown prophecy you mentioned… is it really because of me?" she asked nervously, clutching the cloak, holding Mephisto's look expectantly. "I am afraid so, dear. The situation was partially resolved today, but unfortunately, I believe that you might need all the protection you can get." the demon admitted. She had the right to know what was happening around her, and she had to be as prepared and stay as safe as possible in case things got ugly. There were already too many people and demons after Thea's life, so it was crucial for her to take some extra safety measures. Thea bit her lip nervously, guilt written all over her face. "Mephisto… I… I'm so sorry for the trouble, the Academy, all the people… I have no idea why, I swear I never heard about any prophecy or…" the blonde started fidgeting, her fingers intertwined nervously, but before she could venture any further, the demon pinched her nose playfully. "That would be enough, dear, no more of this nonsense. We already had a conversation about this. Remember what we agreed on?" he raised his eyebrow questioningly. "Yes…" the blonde exhaled, then, seeing the demon's expectant look, she added. "We agreed that if your suspicion proves true, I will take some extra precautions, so I can be ready the next time it happens…" "Correct. The cloak is one of these precautions. Now to the next one… How would you feel about moving in with me?" the demon asked playfully, almost enthusiastically, and the girl's cheeks went red in an instant. "Move in? Like… with you… to your… uhm… flat?" she asked awkwardly. She had honestly no idea where or how the demon lived, for they spent most of the time at the Academy or in her dorm room. "Yes." he said simply. "But that's… all so sudden… I was thinking about finding and renting myself a small flat near the hospital, so I have it close to work, then…" she started counting out, completely taken by surprise by the demon's offer. A hand cupped her cheek softly. "Thea, I need you to stay as close as possible to me, preferably at the Academy grounds, in my own apartment section." he explained. "Mephisto, I really like you and I want to be with you… but moving in with you? That's a big step for me and it's all so sudden…" she tried to explain carefully. Besides, she did not want to start living together with her partner just because it would be best for her own safety. She wanted them both to simply want it, to look forward to staying together, and not out of necessity.

The demon lord would have usually pushed more, would have tried to persuade her to stay with him, as was his original plan. But when he saw how nervous it made her, he suddenly realized that this was not the way. Perhaps he was pushing too much. After all, his lady had already taken one big step that day by confessing her feelings for him. "I see. How about staying at the Academy dorms, then?" Mephisto offered, surprising the blonde yet again. Her face grew a little red and she scratched her head. "That is a kind offer, but I couldn't possibly afford those… And no, I will not let you pay the rent or anything!" she added quickly, lifting her finger with importance, before the demon could say anything. The demon lord gave himself a mental slap for even offering that - she was too proud to be sponsored like that. Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. "Not those dorms, dear. I am sure you are already aware, but there is a separate building where the Okumura brothers are staying. Definitely affordable, secluded, and with people you already know." he started and could already see the girl considering it. He had to keep that pace up! "Not to mention that the Hospital wing of the True Cross Academy is only a ten minutes' walk from there. I know you want to start working on your attestation right away, and I believe that the Academy Hospital would be very much looking forward to cooperating with someone as talented and skilled as you." he emphasized, noticing the girl nodding to herself as she was thinking about his words. "OK!" she smiled happily, practically beaming. "Now, that is strange… I was hoping she would accept the counter-offer, but she looks so enthusiastic all of a sudden…" the demon lord wondered. "The attestation at the Academy hospital sure sounds thrilling, I will definitely consider it. And as for the moving - if it's with Rin and Yukio, I'm perfectly fine with it. It's gonna be great!" she beamed and Mephisto's eyes bulged. "What?! What does she mean by that? So, let me get this straight… She feels uncomfortable about moving in with me, her own romantic partner, but she jumps at the opportunity to live with those two?! But… Why? I am the headmaster, the Lord of Time, the second in line of power in Gehenna… Surely that has to count for something! Verdammt, it feels like I have just made a big mistake in my calculations. I had better keep an eye on those two, especially our troublesome teacher…" The demon went from startlement and slight panic to his much more preferred state of careful planning, while the blonde seemed to be in seventh heaven. "Oh God, I can't wait! Attestation at Mephisto's prestigious hospital, what a dream! And the dorms… Yukio will drill me on Dragoon subjects, which is great, but the real win is that I could eat Rin's cooking every day! Yey! What a jackpot! Mephisto really is the best! So thoughtful with that offer!" she kept smiling from ear to ear, then took the demon by his hand and pulled him a little closer to give him a peck on the cheek. "Thanks, Mephisto! Now, let's go! We don't have much time and there's a ton of things I really want to do with you before our vacation ends." she set off, looking forward to all the activities ranging from the relaxing spa, chocolate and wine tasting to the game arcade she had discovered earlier that day with Mephisto's double. She knew how much the demon loved playing games, so she had been thrilled when she had learnt that the place had everything from a karaoke bar to the newest Beat Saber VR. She was very much looking forward to seeing Mephisto's face when he learned that the measly incubus had kindly taken care of their evening program by having booked the whole place just for the two of them. And they still had tomorrow to look forward to…

OoO

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

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Author's note: Hello to everyone who got this far in the story! The summer has begun and I am happy to share another chapter of my FF with you :) I really want to thank you all for your kind words and feedback, it is much appreciated and helps me improve. A word of thanks also goes to my husband who miraculously managed to unblock my "writing block", as I was stuck quite spectacularly on this chapter :D So, thank you all for the wait! I hope you will enjoy this one.

A little warning would be in place for all romance-oriented or perhaps soft-hearted readers who came here for the love story. Of course, I'm not giving up the romance part, but for some time, the story will get quite dark. So, if you feel like your kind souls simply cannot handle your heroes being tortured by the evil mind of the author (muhahaha 3:-D ), consider this chapter a small closure... as the life of our protagonists is about to become hell (oops, spoiler alert), but it will be worth it. And remember, it's always darkest before the dawn.

As always, I will be happy to hear your feedback - on my writing in general or if you liked or disliked a particular part of it, just let me know. I need to hear it to improve! ^^