"Cortisone, Medi-Gel, Penicillin… And the medications for the crew. Karin certainly doesn't disappoint," Datenshi muttered to himself as he did a thorough examination of the Normandy's medical bay. So far everything he wanted was there, and everything that was necessary was stored and organized elsewhere. The only things that they didn't have in spades were Alien-Specific medicine. To the demon's pleasant surprise Garrus Vakarian was joining them for this venture, and even more surprisingly Tali'Zorah was also joining them. Unfortunately the Normandy wasn't stocked for Dextro-based medicine as the idea of Turians on the Alliance's most secretive vessel was thought to be out of the question. The small supply they had belonged to the former SPECTRE Nihlus Kryik. It sat there, forgotten until he had happened upon it. And as the saying went, a dead Turian's former belongings was a Demon's new medicine… Or maybe that wasn't a common saying… Regardless, Datenshi had a limited supply of Dextro medicine that he would have to use sparingly until they could requisition more. But it was better than nothing, he supposed. Outside of the medicine and drugs there were also his… personal effects. Situated in a corner was a fairly large crate of human blood, O- to be precise, or the closest thing he could get to what used to be known as "Marechi" blood. Rh-null blood, or actual Marechi blood, was practically extinct and there wasn't any way he would be able to get his hands on it.
As it stood he had enough blood to last him for about a year, but that depended entirely on how much he would have to use for transfusions. That was once again the excuse for why he brought a container full of blood. He had used the same excuse when immigrating to the Citadel, and for why he had such a large supply of blood rather than trusting a blood bank. Being a small time clinic he was allowed to have a personal reserve as supposedly he wouldn't be able to afford continuous purchases from sources like Huerta Memorial or even the Sirta Foundation. That was completely ignoring the vast quantity of credits he had amassed the past few decades but that was neither here nor there. As much as he hated what he was, being a Demon came with a certain level of pride. He was not going to buy blood for consumption… As he finished his inventory and went about familiarizing himself with his terminal, as well as the crew complement, his mind wandered to his brief introduction with Commander Shepard. The woman was cordial and kind, and while confused and understandably hurt she understood why Karin didn't want to go on this new adventure. The two of them had exchanged greetings, and with a vote of confidence from the Normandy's previous physician Shepard told him that she would talk with him later. There were still things that she had to do on the Citadel, so she would talk to Datenshi when she had the time. That was perfectly fine by him, as he had nothing but time to kill. So far there weren't any patients to treat, so all he had to do was familiarize himself with his new home for the foreseeable future. In fact, the last thing he really needed to do was update the crew registry with their alien members and then contact Yushiro with instructions in case this venture went on for more than a year. Right as he was about to write an email to Yushiro he heard the door to the medical bay open.
Looking up he saw the signature red mane of hair belonging to Commander Jane Shepard. "Good day Commander," he greeted, deciding on whether or not to write and talk at the same time.
"Likewise Doctor," she smiled. Taking a seat on one of the medical beds she crossed her legs. "Just checking in with the crew. Lots of unexpected things are happening so I'm making sure everyone's doing alright. As of a few hours ago, that includes you."
His brows raised momentarily. "Actually thanks for reminding me, I need to contact Admiral Hackett about my old commission," making a note of that he turned back to Shepard. "Other than that though, how can I help you? I remember you saying you wanted to have a chat but you had some errands to run."
"That I did. Apparently SPECTRE's have to fund themselves so I've been purchasing licenses and seeing about other equipment we can requisition. Now, time for the interrogation," she said with an amused smirk.
"Break out the tongs, why don't you," he teased.
Shepard laughed. "Funny. Dr. Chakwas gave you a glowing recommendation but other than that I don't really know much about you. I tried looking you up but I couldn't really find much."
"Curious about my history then? And that doesn't surprise me, I honestly haven't done anything noteworthy in my career." He ignored that lie and continued, "Alright then, I graduated from Tokyo's University of Medicine a few decades ago and I've been practicing ever since then. I tend to stick to clinics, fame and fortune don't entice me much. I can do anything from giving someone a shot to performing a life-saving surgery. Obviously there are some things outside of my expertise, but I'm pretty well-rounded."
"You said something about an Alliance Commission?" Shepard asked curiously.
"Ah, that. Early in my career I did a few years in the Alliance but I found that it wasn't for me. That's where I met Karin actually." In reality only the Alliance Top Brass and very high members of Earth's Parliament knew of his true nature. His commission was their way of keeping tabs on him until they verified once again that he wasn't a threat. It was the same song and dance over and over again. The Demon Slayers pardoned him, then they became defunct. The League of Nations knew about and pardoned him, then disbanded. Eventually the United Nations found out about him and then became defunct. He had a relatively large period of peace and quiet before a new Unified Earth Government discovered him and then made sure he wouldn't go crazy. And now the Alliance. He wondered who the next group would be…
Shepard snapped her fingers at him, "I was wondering about that actually. How did you and Chakwas become friends, was it a commission?"
"Actually I taught her most of what she knows," he shrugged much to the redhead's shock.
"She's in her sixties!"
"I'll take that as a compliment then. Trust me when I say I'm older than I look," he understated. In reality he was somewhere close to six centuries old. A few more and he'd rival Asari Matriarchs, and another century after that and he'd be older than Muzan when he died.
"Do we need to worry about you getting tired of this," she asked hesitantly.
"I'll have you know that I'm in my prime, thank you very much," he said in amusement. Letting that slip was probably a mistake but such was life. At her look though he said more seriously, "My retirement's pretty far off. But compare Karin and I, I've been static more of my career. Clinics and small time practices. Karin has been across the galaxy a few times, with much more stressful situations. Not a surprise that she slowed down before I did, as unfortunate as it is. She deserves retirement, and I made a promise to her."
"Well, anything we should be a little concerned about then?" She asked, assuaged that he wouldn't up and die on them. Idly she crossed her other leg and tilted her tead.
"One thing actually. If you need me to come ashore I'll need a hardsuit. I have a skin condition, being in the sunlight for prolonged periods of time isn't… great for my health." That was probably the closest he would get to saying that sunlight would kill him without saying that sunlight would kill him. He was being very… particular about what he was revealing, but it was better to get some of this out in the open right away then later.
"Noted. I'm assuming that you don't have combat experience?" She asked. It was a valid concern even if she didn't voice it. From what he understood the Commander hated losing anyone under her command, and in a way that could be a detriment. Would she risk the success of a mission to save someone? The demon didn't think so, but only time would tell.
"No," he lied, "but I'm not a coward. If someone's about to die I'm not going to sit and wait. I may not have combat experience, but I've been in enough fights to figure out what fight or flight feels like." And that would have to be enough, because Shepard wouldn't believe him if he told her that he could kill a Krogan in hand to hand combat. "Speaking of combat though, I don't think it's an emergency now but I'm going to put in an order for Dextro-based plasma and medicine. Karin wasn't expecting a Quarian or a Turian besides Nihlus so we're dangerously low. I don't doubt the skills of anyone you've chosen but it's something to keep in mind."
"Thanks for letting me know," Shepard nodded. With a sigh she stood up, "I won't take anymore of your time, and I still have rounds to make. Talk later?"
"Sure, and don't worry about taking up my time," he waved a hand at his empty medical bay. "It's not like I have much work right now… Not a complaint by the way," he clarified. The Commander smirked before sending a wave his way as she left. He hummed before turning back to his terminal. Commander Shepard was a pleasant woman, if their first meeting was anything to go off of. Kind, cared about her crew, and a proficient fighter from what he understood. She reminded him of a few Demon Slayers he had befriended back then. How lucky he was that he had… seen the light by the time they met. If not, things may have been incredibly different… Looking at his reflection in the medical bay's window, for the briefest second he saw letters appear in his eyes. With an annoyed click of his tongue they disappeared. Every time he saw those damned letters it brought memories…
Japan, Late-16th Century
God truly worked in mysterious ways. Suffering was a facet of life, and through suffering his servants could grow closer to Him in ways that one could scarcely imagine. Perseverance was a virtue after all. His God was also a merciful one, shown by the fact that his youth of debauchery had been forgiven without a second glance. Gone were his nightly visits to brothels and taverns, now his time was put to spreading His Word and treating the sick and wounded. Truly, his God was merciful that he had been allowed to hone this gift…
So why…
"How could you let this happen…" the Jesuit doctor muttered hollowly. The sound of crackling fires surrounded him, every breath he took was full of smoke and the smell of death. Never in his life had the smell of burnt corpses been so prevalent. The town he had been visiting was small, and even though he was a foreigner the people had welcomed him with kindness and courtesy. For the town had been afflicted. Word had reached him of a nearby town suffering an unknown illness. Rashes, flu-like symptoms, blisters, and other very familiar symptoms all hinted towards smallpox. He had requested leave to treat it, because even if these people weren't of the Faithful they were still God's children. Pragmatically, it was also an opportunity to gain goodwill with the surrounding populace. Alexandre had treated this before, even in a faraway land it would be no different. So one, two, and three weeks later he had been well on the way to finishing everybody's treatment. He was on a name-to-name basis with just about everybody, and a surprising number of people showed interest in learning about the Faith.
But tonight…
He hadn't seen it, as he was in the middle of treating someone, but the town was approached by a lone man. He was tall, wearing an expensive purple and black kimono with a katana at his hip. The guards, thinking he was a Samurai, lowered their guards. That would be the last mistake they ever made. The only indication Alexandre had that something was wrong was the screaming, followed very quickly by the fire. Within minutes buildings were cut to ribbons by moon-shaped slashes, and not a single person was spared the man's wrath. Alexandre tried to help evacuate, tried to help people who were injured, but both gates had collapsed. What followed was a systematic slaughter of every man, woman, and child. He watched bodies split in two, children turned to meat, people set on fire. And the best part? No matter what happened the… demon… almost made sure that he lived. It was either on purpose or by sheer luck. But when he looked at the lifeless child who had died in his arms, he honestly wished it was neither.
Amidst the crackling of the fires surrounding him he heard soft footsteps closing in on him. Dragging his eyes away from the child in his arms he saw the thing responsible for all of this. Six red and yellow eyes stared dispassionately at him, completely uncaring for the carnage it had caused. It didn't look proud, it didn't look at him in hate or amusement, it just stared at him. There wasn't a speck of emotion anywhere in that deathly pale face, not even in the two fiery markings on his forehead and neck. Its long brackish red hair moved gently in a sudden gust of wind. For everything it had done, everyone it had killed, the demon wasn't stained in a single drop of blood. Alexandre didn't say a word, he had nothing to say to the monster. If it wanted to kill him there wasn't anything he could do to stop it, and he wasn't afraid of dying. Another pair of footsteps echoed from behind him, before eventually a pair of legs entered his vision.
Crouching down in front of him, Alexandre was met with a well-dressed man wearing an expensive black kimono with neatly combed hair. Blazing and wrong red eyes met his own, and whatever being that was crouched in front of him smiled. "Just the doctor I was hoping to see," he said in a rumbling baritone. Surprisingly, the monster spoke in perfect Spanish.
Blinking away his shock Alexandre swallowed heavily, wincing at the dryness of his throat. "Whatever you are… Nothing I can do, and nothing I have could be worth so many deaths…"
The demon, for what else could the monster be, chuckled. "On the contrary; the potential knowledge you have could prove invaluable to me… Do you—"
"I have nothing to say to you, creature…" The doctor said before spitting in his face. "Your foul countenance is a grievance added to the atrocity you've committed this night." Before he could say anything else, rage welling within him, a grip of iron closed around his throat. Almost immediately tears formed in his eyes and his ears rang from the lack of air.
The look of the demon was one of utter fury, red slitted eyes boring straight through him and veins ready to burst. "I've found that even the strongest of men will break when threatened with death. Seeing as you're not interested in talking I'll be concise. If you know anything about the Blue Spider Lily you will tell me. If you do, then your death will be quick and painless. If you don't, then you'll be begging for death before the end."
But rather than cower, beg, or even try to wait in silence, Alexandre smiled. "The least of us have been skinned, stoned, beheaded, and fed to lions. I have no fear of death," he laughed, "if I am able to join my Lord among his martyrs then I shall rejoice!" And he reveled as the anger rolled off of the demon, choked as the grip on his neck tightened. As his vision faded and everything started going quiet he was released with a growl and thrown to the side.
The demon turned away and sighed. "I've never understood how blind faith can give people like you such resolve. Your pitiful lives are measured in years and decades. You try to scrape every last minute out of them, and yet people like you are happy to throw it away because you 'believe' that you're saved…" Shakily getting to his feet Alexandre coughed blood.
"If you're going to kill me, then do so. I will tell you nothing, for I know that no matter the end I meet, my Lord in Heaven is waiting." The demon, still facing away from him, froze in realization. Muzan Kibutsuji smiled cruelly.
"Thank you for letting me know, because now I know just how to break you." Before Alexandre could even blink the demon was next to him, arm lashing out in a flash. The doctor flinched, but all he felt was a prick against his neck. He blinked, momentarily confused, before he began shaking. Alexandre clutched at his neck, feeling like he was on fire. Seconds later he fell to his knees, screaming. It was agony, the worst he had ever experienced. "I wonder, will your God welcome a demon into his kingdom? What about after the first murder? The tenth? The hundredth?" He saw his life, but it wasn't flashing before his eyes. It was like it was being ripped apart, shredded and tossed into a fire. Some things remained, but the man he once was slowly disappeared piece by piece. He latched onto everything he could, desperately trying to claw it back, desperately trying to hold on if only to keep himself from falling further.
A man and a woman, both sharing some of his features. He helped the woman fold laundry, smiling and laughing as other smaller versions of him ran around them playing. He helped the man in his medicine shop, listening intently to a prognosis, helping to mix herbs and apply them. All of a sudden a lace of pain shot straight through him and the memories were entirely forgotten. A somewhat familiar woman died some years later, and the only thing he looked forward to was his next drink and the woman he would spend the night with in the nearby brothel. He got into a violent argument with a familiar man, they parted in hatred. He was thrown out of a tavern, piss drunk and rolling in the mud before stopping against someone's legs. It was a man in a white robe, looking down at him in equal measures pity and amusement. The present him moaned in pain as the memory was eviscerated and his body seized up. The man in the white robe became another father figure, a priest from a local church. Within a year his life had completely turned around, he made amends with a man running a medicine shop. Years later he was laying prostrated in a beautiful stone building, receiving a blessing. Everything was ripped away, faces turned into nobody before even they vanished completely. A single tear ran down his face as the pain slowly dissipated.
"Lord Muzan," the original demon asked, "did he have the information you wanted?"
Six eyes moved away from the new demon without a care, his usefulness had already expired.
Muzan stared down at the writhing doctor, watching boredly as the doctor turned pale, as his teeth sharpened and he grew fangs. "No," he hummed. "He knew nothing worthwhile… How unfortunate, I had such high hopes that a doctor from Europe would have the information I seek." The transformation was nearing its completion, eyes that were once a soft brown turned into a slitted yellow. "What a waste… Come, Upper One. Let us leave this wretched hovel."
The creature lied there in agony, the people from before had fully disappeared. But eventually he let out a sigh as the pain dulled into an incessant throb. He rolled to his hands and knees, fingers carving deep grooves into the dirt below him. A sudden jolt of pain wracked him, and after a very quick analysis he found out that it was his stomach that was hurting. Why though? When was the last time he ate? Another pain wracked his body and then a sweet and succulent smell met his nose. The newly made demon smiled as he beheld the corpse of a human child. More than that though, the entire town smelled of food! How lucky he was that all of this food was left completely to him~
The sound of the medbay door opening shook him awake. That one again, huh? Datenshi… somewhat knew what his life was like before becoming a demon, because after Muzan had been defeated he did a bit of research. It had been centuries even then, but he had gone back to Spain, tried to piece his old life back together bit by bit. There wasn't any going back, but it was… closure, in a way. The more information he found the more memories began 'unlocking,' but unfortunately they weren't really his. A good comparison would be watching a movie, because he wasn't Alexandre anymore. Brother Alexandre was a Spanish monk, missionary, and doctor who lived in the 16th century and died when a Japanese village burned to the ground. Datenshi was a powerful and near ancient demon who had claimed the lives of hundreds if not around a thousand humans, while helping to save the world later down the line. But that didn't lift the sin from his shoulders… That memory was one of the worst, but he had seen it so many times by now that it didn't bother him anymore. The worst of it was seeing Muzan again…
"Dr Datenshi?" A familiar timid voice asked, drawing his attention back to the presence. It was the Quarian that had started all of this, Tali. She wrung her hands together uncomfortably as she stood in the doorway, almost unsure of herself. "Do you have a minute? Or…"
"Please, come in," he gestured, turning in his chair to face her. "It's nice to see you, it was a pleasant surprise when I saw you on the roster but unfortunately I haven't really had the time to go about and introduce myself to the crew."
"I didn't know you were in the Alliance, I thought you just worked on the Citadel?" Tali asked, having regained some of her confidence. Slowly she entered the medbay before sitting on one of the beds.
"No, technically I was a while back but I retired. Fate is a funny and fickle thing, however, as the Normandy's previous medical officer and I are good friends. She called in a favor and well," he spread his arms open and shrugged. "Retirement's over. How can I help you tonight?" It wasn't technically night, but the Normandy had a "night" period where most of the crew went to sleep.
At his question however Tali lost some of that confidence, "it's honestly stupid, but… I can't fall asleep. Back home in the Flotilla the ships were so noisy, here it's just… quiet… There's probably not much you can do but I thought I'd ask just in case?"
Datenshi leaned back in his chair. "Doesn't sound so stupid to me. Sleep is incredibly important and Shepard wants you on the Away Team. Unfortunately you're right, since there's nothing I can really do medically that'll help out. I do have sleep medication but it's tailored to humans… The only thing you can do is get used to it, although I might have a solution." He brought up his omni-tool and sent a program to the young Quarian. "The problem you're having right now is the same problem that's plagued humanity for centuries. I just sent you a program that I want you to play when you try to fall asleep, it's a noise played at a frequency that "gets rid of negative energy" or so people say. Regardless of pseudoscience or actual science, it's proven to help people fall asleep." He shrugged, "it might not work but until we stop back at the Citadel this is your best bet."
"Thank you so much! I'm super grateful!" Tali exclaimed, beaming behind her faceplate.
"Thank me tomorrow if it works," Datenshi smiled.
"I will, but… don't you need to sleep too?"
"I'll be fine," the demon said. "I'll be finishing up here pretty soon, I fell asleep before I could finish everything… Now get some sleep, we're heading to Therum and you guys need to be ready for anything." Tali thanked him one last time before she disappeared back out of his medbay.
"Therum…" He muttered. He had done some research to see if there were any preventative measures he could take, but "don't step in the lava" was the best he could come up with. Shepard wanted to recruit an Asari scientist named Liara T'soni to help with her hunt against Saren. From what research he did the doctor was a prodigy, choosing to specialize in archaeology and specifically Prothean Anthropology. Her dissertation was interesting, though little of it actually made sense to him. They were both doctors, but their fields were wildly different. Unfortunately her mother happened to be Saren's biggest accomplice, and her loyalty was still up in the air. Datenshi trusted Shepard's judgment, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be wary. Ah, what was he truly worried about? It was a simple extraction mission, everything would be fine…
"The subject has left the Citadel, for reasons unknown he's joined with Shepard on the Normandy."
"Do we have any way of tracking their current whereabouts?"
"No… But we do have options… If Shepard's going after Saren then it's safe to assume that she'll be going after the Geth as well."
"Bring up a list of systems with recent Geth activity and send out probes, maybe we'll be able to extrapolate a course. Also send an operative to Noveria, while it's not certain it is extremely likely that Shepard will investigate due to recent Geth sightings…"
This took a bit longer than I would've liked, but I had a case of Writer's Block, College Finals, and family things. For now it's just a few interactions but there'll definitely be more where those came from, and while it may not be every chapter you can expect to see more of his backstory. On that note, as we approach the canon timeline of Demon Slayer I may end up doing chapters entirely dedicated to his backstory, because as you can probably guess having a noncombatant oc limits how much of Mass Effect 1 I can write about. I have plans, and there will definitely be some fun scenes, but for the most part he won't be going on missions. If you have an opinion lemme know, should I split chapters 50/50 sometimes, or should I have dedicated chapters in the past?
And trust me, I know that this is a very unconventional idea for a crossover, but I have plenty of ideas that'll make it work! Have some faith in me~ Now onto your reviews!
NightmareKnight1: Always good to see you, friend! Not an apprentice, but he does have a relationship with Tamayo that will be shown later down the line. And he is an Upper Moon, but I won't spoil which number~ Thanks for checking this out!
Orangerazor: I'm glad you're liking it so far even with one chapter! Like I said above, it's certainly… unconventional, but I can make this work!
Theboblinator: Funny, we're flip-flopped! I've played through every Mass Effect game but I've only seen the anime of Demon Slayer. It shouldn't be a problem, and I always do a ton of research for these stories. His big revelation won't be as you described, but I can confirm that it will be suitably gory, and very intense. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!
Next Story in the Rotation: The Nemean Lioness
Thank you all for reading and I'll see you soon!~
