Chapter 1 - An Ally in the Alley
"Tsk, how troublesome…" the chairman of the True Cross Academy breathed out, annoyed. He leaned on the nearby wall, one hand massaging his temples. Instead of landing comfortably in his office, he ended up here, in some god-forsaken alley in the middle of the night. Had he really become so exhausted that he could not even teleport across half of the globe without the need to take a break? What a pitiful state indeed. Then again, holding eager growing demons in dozens of time barriers around the world while keeping the barrier around his Academy erected was no easy feat. Not to mention his weaker growing borrowed mortal body. He would need to do something about that very soon, as he did not plan to abandon this one just yet. At least he landed in Tokyo, of that he was sure. And not too far from the Academy, either. Something smelled quite nicely not far away… sweet and delicious, a confectionery perhaps? He also heard some water splashing nearby. A river? No, that was not it. A fountain. Yes, that would be it. The Wadakura Fountain Park then?
His musings were interrupted as blackness momentarily overcame his sight and he found himself slumped on the ground. "Oh, verdammt…, how pathetic." he cursed while wiping the blood running from his nose, his head ringing. Looks like he would actually need to sleep throughout the whole night, not just his usual one hour of mild slumber. He directed his gaze to the buildings to his right. It was already night and the streets were almost empty, save for a few people rushing home. Some of the passerby actually spared him a glance, but quickened their steps, probably trying to avoid a homeless or drunkard they thought him to be. Humans. Such fascinating creatures! So full of contradictions. No wonder he had been staying in Assiah. Their actions and reactions were simply too amusing to go unseen. Only these creatures could be raising money to support the homeless but would shy away when so much as actually seeing one.
Suddenly, his senses spiked up. Someone was closing in on him. It was faint, but a demon of his class would not miss that, even in his miserable state. Thanks to his demon eyes providing him with perfect night vision, he spotted a young woman rushing towards him. "Sir! Sir, are you all right?" she asked slightly out of breath, kneeling in front of him. "Well, what do you know? A human unknowingly rushing to help a demon." Mephisto grinned internally. "My, my. Thank you for your concern, Miss, but I was just a little dizzy and then slipped. I will be just fine." At least humans were fragile enough to faint when dizzy, and clumsy enough to slip on even walkway… She looked at him thoughtfully, obviously unconvinced. "If that is the case, you shouldn't stay here in the dark. What if it gets worse? I can take you to the nearby hospital, you might want to see a doctor. Can you stand? Here, let me help you on your f…" she suddenly trailed off halfway through the sentence, her chocolate-brown eyes wide, her outstretched hand resting on his.
There it was. The demon felt it now, more clearly. The sudden tension in the air, his hair standing slightly, all senses alerted. Her aura wasn't showing at the moment, but he could have sworn that she was using a barrier, much as himself. "Who is this girl? No ordinary human, that is for sure..." Mephisto concluded. "A fallen angel." she whispered, interrupting his thoughts. Mephisto's eyes suddenly widened in shock. For the first time in his very long life, he felt as if the time had stopped and it was not his doing. Old memories flashed through his head. Heavenly light. Strong, pure-white wings. Divine powers beyond comprehension for him to command. "Angel…" When was it the last time he had been addressed as one? That word sounded so foreign to him now. Nobody would call The Demon Lord of Time a fallen angel. "No, some people still call us fallen angels...No more thoughts about that topic. I have to focus!" the demon snapped out of it and returned to his usual self in a matter of seconds.
Mephisto realized that despite his barrier, this tiny golden-haired creature must have somehow sensed his demonic aura. Or was he so exhausted that he did not even manage to hold the barrier in the first place? Verdammt noch mal! But how much did she actually know? And more importantly, what should he do now? He certainly had no habit of killing people and it was not just because of the annoying Grigori watching his every step. No, the girl had not done anything threatening so far. And even if she somehow turned out to be a threat, he could handle her even in his weakened state. No, he would wait and enjoy the show – he concluded, eyes twinkling with both amusement and anticipation.
OoO
"A fallen angel." she whispered, her drumming heart almost stifling her own words. "I can't believe it! I actually ran into a demon! And not just any...it's a fallen angel. No, no, this is really bad. What is wrong with my senses?!" she thought, her mind racing. She had been on her way home when she had spotted a man slumped on the ground in the street next to her favourite candy shop. Blindly rushing to help was, unfortunately, one of her most idiotic habits. She had been trying her best to control herself, to think before acting, but obviously to no avail. Now, she would pay for her stupidity… Still, there was nothing wrong with her reflex! Helping others, being prepared to act quickly, and to perform CPR at any given time, those were qualities she had actually been training for. They would be helpful in her upcoming career. How was she supposed to know that she would run into a demon instead of some poor, hurt man?
There was one thing she was sure of, though. This was no ordinary demon. She would feel those soon enough to avoid them. This violet-haired man was probably using some kind of barrier to hide his powers instead of flaring it all around like those lesser cocky creatures. The stronger ones always did. And this one was strong. Immensely strong. As soon as she offered her hand to help him stand up, she instantly felt his aura – a dark violet mixing with black and hints of golden – crushing against her own. Actually, more like crushing her down. And the sight of his true form overflowing the human body he had chosen as a vessel! The man had an actual tail! A purple tail curled along his torso in a neat way. There was a pair of horns rushing from his head right above his elf-like ears. A strange violet-golden crown gently floated above his head. And were those hour-hands building up the crown? Man, she was so screwed… She would not be able to run from this demon, should he decide to replenish his strength by eating her soul. Nor would she be able to fight him. There was nothing she could do, unless… "I will help you" she gulped, both voice and body shaking slightly.
OoO
"I will help you." the woman said suddenly. His eyes widened for a second time that night. Of all the things Mephisto expected her to do or say, he did not see this one coming! A grin suddenly spread on his face, he started to chuckle and found himself laughing outright uncontrollably. This little girl wanted to help him? She was kneeling in front of him, trembling, obviously scared enough to even voice her offer. As soon as he started laughing though, her face became red all over, lips pressed. She looked almost...insulted! This whole situation was simply too hilarious. Humans were indeed an inexhaustible source of amusement. A sudden stab of pain in his head stopped his outburst, so he calmed down a little. He looked at the girl again, only to find her strangely composed, hands on her hips as if ready to scold him. He almost started to laugh all over…
"I mean it!" she said silently through her teeth, obviously affronted, and then pointed at him. "I can heal that vessel of yours. Or at least recover some of your energy that is. I can see that you are a very strong demon. You must be, your aura is quite overwhelming, despite that barrier of yours. It might be difficult, but I'll try." How curious. It looks like my barrier is still up, yet she is somehow able to see my aura and judge the state I am in with a certain precision too. Not to mention the ability to actually restore my energy, if that claim turns out to be true." Mephisto's mind was racing. Why would she even offer to do such a thing in the first place? "Oh, is that so?" he asked, making himself sound unconvinced. "I will do my best to restore your health, I promise. Just…could you please let me live after I am done? There are still many things I would like to do in my life and I just can't afford to die like this." she looked at him pleadingly. "Oh my. Now it all makes sense. She thinks that I am going to eat her soul! Well, that is not entirely a surprising assumption. Actually, it is quite reasonable. So now she is trying to strike a deal, isn't she? Dear Lord, what a night." Mephisto mused, thinking himself quite lucky to end up here tonight. He couldn't help, but to tease this human a little. His eyes took on a malicious look. "Be careful who you bargain with, young lady. I am a demon after all." he grinned, doing his best to show his fangs. "But…but I can help. I know I cannot run from you, nor fight you, so I can at least offer something in return for my life." she reasoned.
"And why would I need your help?" Mephisto pushed. "You said it yourself, I am strong. I can take care of myself even in this state. Why should I rely on your help?" he inquired further. "Well, to be safe from the other demons of course! The stronger devour the week. The endless fight for power... Isn't that how your world works? If you stay as you are now, they will come for you. That lot over there might be flies to you, but stronger demons will appear eventually. They always do." she pointed in the direction of the main street. There, in the shadows casted by surrounding buildings, lesser formless demons were already gathering, keeping their distance, surely weighing the situation between the possible gain and threat. "And what if I simply devour your soul? Or perhaps make you heal me and then kill you? You see, I do not need a bargain to make this work and I certainly have enough power to do just as I said." Mephisto smiled dangerously... "Now that was quite unnecessary." he internally berated himself for having gone so far. Oh, he loved stirring the waters, fooling around with humans and pushing their boundaries, but he usually avoided such direct threats and life-death dilemmas. His whole image as the director of the True Cross Academy depended on it. However, he couldn't help himself this time. The urge to test this little lady was simply irresistible.
The girl's face went ashen in a matter of seconds, but she quickly collected herself, her gaze strangely strong. Determinant. "Is that so… Very well." she stood up. "But mark my words! I will not go down without a fight." she threatened. Oh dear, she was actually preparing herself to fight him! "And…and when I am dead, I will postpone myself becoming a beautiful angel. I will stay as a ghost and haunt you instead! So, bring it on!" she was shouting now, fists clenched, tears on the brink of falling. What a face she was making! With no means to actually fight, staring in the eyes of a certain death, she even dared to make threats. Utterly ridiculous threats at it…
A deep sonorous sound echoed through the night, as Mephisto burst to laugh a second time. When was the last time he had laughed so cheerfully? He couldn't believe it. Here he was, trying to get some interesting reactions out of the poor girl, yet he found himself showing a variety of emotions he had not experienced in quite some time. "Oh my, I HAVE gone too far, indeed. I´d better fix this before it is too late." he mused while looking at her dumb-struck expression. "I humbly apologize, young lady. I was merely teasing. Can't help it, a demon's nature is a peculiar thing, I am afraid. Still, I do not mean any harm to you. I am one of the kind who simply wishes to live peacefully among humans and enjoy the time on Assiah." he declared nonchalantly, his right hand on his chest, his head inclining slightly, and then he flashed her one of his best smiles.
OoO
"Is this guy for real?!" the young woman thought. "What is going on? Why would he…that stupid, stupid demon! Oh, screw this! Looks like you will live, so who cares what games he's playing! The sooner you deal with him, the sooner you can return to your normal life. At least, if that is what you can call ´normal´." "I…I see. Well then…uhm…do you…do you still wish to be healed or was that a pretense too?" Mephisto chuckled – she was still willing to heal him, after all he had put her through. "I truly wish it was, dear. Unfortunately, you were right, my body is quite weakened." He admitted. "I see. Do not move then. I am not sure if this would work on a demon of your level, but as I promised, I will do my best." she assured, face determined. Having said that, she knelt in front of him again, breathed out, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration. She outstretched her hands slowly. "I will need to...uhm...touch you to do this." "Oh, am I so irresistible?" the demon lord teased further. "Hey… I didn't mean it like that! I…" the girl stuttered, cheeks red again. "Relax, do what you need to do. I am at your mercy." he winked at her. "Why you!" he heard her whispering. Somehow, she regained her composure though, and cupped the demon's head. Her aura flared, surrounding her form in golden-white light. Then it started flowing towards him, only to crash into his own barrier, causing his hair stand yet again and instinctively push his own energy to clash against hers. She jerked a little as the energies collided and then said, eyes still shut. "It would be easier if you let me through for a while, you know? I will be careful not to accidentally hurt you."
"Hurt me?" the demon thought curiously. How would she even do that? No matter, let the show continue. Allowing her through the barrier felt strange but her hands gently pressing on his cheeks felt even stranger. Usually, he would find such a position suggestive, so why not then? The only thing he felt was that peculiar energy of hers flowing gently into his chest and then enveloping his whole body. The feeling was soft and warm, his senses calmed down and his body actually began to regain some of its energy, exhaustion slowly leaving him. How was that even possible? Only some demons were able to heal their comrades, but that was not a common occurrence and she certainly wasn't a demon. Her aura was too pure for that. Humans were also capable of such a feat, but usually via a special bond or a pact with the said demon, providing their own energy to restore the health of the counterparty. She did not have any familiars bonded either, the energy of which he could borrow. How was she doing that? The energy felt similar to holy powers wielded by people such as Doctors from his academy, or monks and spiritually gifted people in general. And yet… It felt so different. There were no incantations on her side, no prayers, nothing that would usually trigger the effect. He could simply feel his energy being restored, the annoying ringing in the head disappearing.
He looked at her again. It had been almost 15 minutes and she was now breathing heavily, cheeks flushed, small beds of sweat running down her temples. "She really is doing her best, huh. I ́d better stop her before she uses up all her energy." He slowly put his gloved hand on hers as if not to startle her and said quietly. "That would be enough, little Miss. No need to overexert yourself." She opened her eyes due to the sudden touch but remained calm and nodded. She let go, putting both hands on the ground to steady herself, panting. "Did it work?" she breathed out, looking from behind her short golden locks. "Splendidly, my dear." Mephisto flashed her a smile, feeling surprisingly refreshed. "I am glad then… Hope you will hold your word now." the girl said. Now she was looking as exhausted as he had felt a while ago. She then closed her eyes and started leaning to the side, looking just about to pass out. "Oh my." Mephisto quickly reached for her, his hands supporting her shoulders. "Careful there." he whispered. Abruptly, he felt a strange prickling. She jerked suddenly and shot up. Mephisto looked at her, confused. Then he spotted his slightly charred uniform and gloves. "I am sorry, are you burnt? I didn't mean to, I swear! I just…I cannot control it well sometimes." she said apologetically. "Burnt? It almost felt like being sprinkled with Holy Water. Not enough to cause me any harm, of course, but she might be able to purify some very low demons with that touch. "I am perfectly fine, my lady." "Well, that was it. I…uhm…I thank you for not killing me, Sir…Sir Demon. Now if you excuse me, I really need to be on my way." "Pfff...'Sir demon' she says." Mephisto chuckled. "It is Sir Pheles, dear. Pleasure to meet you." he bowed, his white cloak flashing. "I am in your debt. May I know the name of my savior?" She turned red all over the face, but replied "I am sorry, but I'd rather stay your mysterious savior. No offense, I am just really doing my best to avoid too much contact with demos…. Let us just thank each-other and preferably never meet again?" she smiled nervously.
Interesting. The more she was hiding the truth from him, the more he wanted to learn about this strange creature. What was she? Why was she hiding her identity? And what about her peculiar power? Well, he would not push her for details. For now. She had already saved him from an inconvenient situation. Besides, he could just search and learn all he needed by himself. He was Mephistopheles, the Lord of Time. He got all the time in the world. "Of course, I perfectly understand. May I?" he asked, hand reaching out to get hold of hers. She gulped and nodded nervously, obviously trying to get her powers in check. He calmed his demon energy effortlessly, willing it to subside and caught her hand. No burning followed this time, though the strange prickling remained. Well, he would not let her leave without showing his gratitude. He leaned in and put a gentle kiss on her hand, sealing the small protection ward he prepared. There! The demons should be smart enough to leave her cross unharmed tonight. "In that case, I do thank you for your help, Miss. However, my offer still stands. Should you require my assistance, simply say my name." he offered gentlemanly. "Riiight… t-that won't be necessary. You did not kill me, s-so it's OK, we are even. I will not bother you." she stuttered and bowed. Mephisto just grinned wider. "Farewell, my dear. I do hope that our paths will cross again sometime soon. Ein. Zwei. Drei!" he whispered, holding her gaze, and teleported.
OoO
"He disappeared into thin air! Ah, why does it still surprise me? He is a demon after all! And what was that gesture all about?! Looks like somebody has enough energy to fool around all of a sudden…" she thought. Well, she survived! It worked out! She simply couldn't believe it. It must have been a miracle. Now she just had to get back home and forget all about this encounter. From now on, she had to make sure her senses were even sharper. She had some very interesting weeks ahead! Weeks full of training and honing her powers in order to better protect herself and those around her against those demonic creatures, and their schemes and games…
OoO
"Oh, the look on her face when he teleported! Ah, why does it still surprise me? She is a human after all! But what was all that secrecy about? Looks like somebody had a particularly difficult night." he thought. Well, he was healed! It actually worked out. He simply couldn't believe it. It must have been the devil's own luck. Now he just had to teleport to his office and carefully go through tonight ́s events. From now on, he had to make sure his senses were even sharper. He had some very interesting weeks ahead. Weeks full of searching for that human girl and her strange powers…
Disclaimer: Blue Exorcists belongs to Kazue Katō. Please, do not re-post or publish my story without my consent.
Author's note: This is my first FF-writing attempt, so I will appreciate your thoughts and insights :) This story will have more chapters and I aim to add my work on a weekly basis, if possible.