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"Belial? Hold my appointments. I'm about to have a very troublesome guest."
Switching off his intercom, Mephisto clasped his hands together, resting them on his desk. He could already sense the distortion of space-time, even before the door to his office opened. For a moment, he didn't even pay attention to the person who stepped through- just his surroundings. Even half destroyed, he could recognize that familiar dorm room anywhere-
-which is why it didn't surprise him at all when the young man before him slammed the door shut behind him with enough force that it made the hinges rattle.
Mephisto smiled.
"My," he said, "-you certainly look as if you've seen better days, my precious youngest brother."
It wasn't a lie, nor an exaggeration- it was just the simple truth. The teenager that stood before him wasn't any older than sixteen, he knew- but the deep bags underneath his eyes made him look both older and far more haunted than when he'd seen him last. His eyes were a brilliant blue- but they were empty, devoid of life. His white-blue hair was grungy, enough so that it looked deceptively gray- something mirrored in his tail.
Only some of the blood on his dirty, torn clothes belonged to him.
"...why?"
"Hm?" Mephisto leaned forward. "I didn't quite hear you, little brother. Do speak up."
The tiniest spark of life returned to his eyes, as the boy made a frustrated noise- the barest hint of blue flame escaping his mouth.
"Why here!?"
"Don't ask me." Mephisto spread his arms out in a shrug. "The kamikakushi key takes the user wherever they desire. You should be asking yourself that question, Okumura-kun."
Okumura Rin grit his teeth, stomping towards his desk and slamming his hands against it. It creaked underneath the force of the blow, but he knew full well how to control his own strength. He wouldn't break it.
"You," he hissed, "-are the last person I want to see."
"Is that so?" Mephisto merely arched a brow. "I would have thought that my older brother would have taken that honor."
Rin glared at him, before clicking his tongue.
"...second last," he admitted.
Mephisto's lips twitched upwards. Ah, good. There was some spark left still.
"Now," Mephisto leaned back in his chair, "-I don't know what timeline you came from, but I believe your first order of business should be to clean yourself up. Belial!"
Mephisto snapped his fingers, transporting them all into his grand bathroom- and promptly plunging a freshly disrobed Rin into a tub. He squawked in surprise, something almost human flashing through his eyes as Belial stood over him in an admittedly rather menacing manner with a mop.
"Hey!" Rin spat. "I didn't come here to take a bath!"
"Oh?" Mephisto shooed Belial away. "Then what, pray tell, did you come here for?"
Rin clicked his tongue again, glaring at the floor. "Shouldn't you know?"
Ah, the ever popular question.
"Contrary to popular belief," Mephisto said, "-I am not actually omnipotent. You come from a time beyond even what I can see... though I can certainly make a few guesses. Things have gone horribly wrong for you, haven't they?"
Yes. That much was quite clear.
Rin didn't respond, but he didn't quite need to. With a sigh, Mephisto snapped his fingers. A bar of soap and a bottle of shampoo dropped in the tub next to Rin.
"First," he said, "-wash yourself up. We can talk when you're done."
Rin glared at him until he left.
Mephisto shut the door behind him, granting the young man a bit of privacy. He turned instead to examine his belongings, few as they were. He could tell without even unsheathing it that Kurikara was broken- that much was apparent by the presence of Rin's demon heart in his chest, as opposed to his sword. The kamikakushi key was also to be expected- he couldn't have reached here without it.
As for his other belongings...
He picked up the four leaf clover charm with great care. Fascinating. He could sense Shemihaza's power from within it, but it wasn't the one he knew. The person who had created it must be quite strong to have their blessing persist after crossing space and time...
...or perhaps they simply cared about the person they were making it for that much.
Mephisto set it down, and moved on to studying the most mundane item of the bunch. It was merely a simple silver hairclip- something mass produced. You could find it anywhere, but clearly it must have had some kind of importance to him, seeing as he'd brought it back with him. He set it aside, his fingers lightly brushing over the last item-
-a commemorative photograph, from Kyoto Tower.
Ah, all his future pawns, neatly gathered in one place. They seemed quite close.
...he was also quite certain they were all dead.
Not currently, of course! They were all quite alive in this time period- save for the two who had yet to be born, naturally.
"Put that down."
Mephisto merely smiled, setting down the photograph. There was certainly nothing intimidating about a dripping wet Okumura Rin, clad only in a bath towel. He looked a sight better, now cleaned of dried blood and an untold amount of grime.
"Pardon me," Mephisto said, "-I was merely investigating."
Rin just glared at him- it was getting a bit old, truth be told.
"Now," Mephisto said, "-let's see about getting you some new clothes."
With another snap of his fingers, he produced a True Cross Academy uniform. Rin glared at it- but then disappeared back into the bathroom with a grunt, only to reemerge wearing it a few moments later. The winter version of the uniform only served to make how pale he was even more pronounced, Mephisto idly thought.
He stomped past him, grabbing his few belongings and shoving them into his pockets, before he hung the kamikakushi key around his neck and looped Kurikara onto his belt.
"Wonderful!" Mephisto clapped. "You almost look presentable!"
Only almost, of course! With his tail thrashing behind him like that, he'd never pass as a true gentleman.
"Now then," Mephisto snapped his fingers, once more relocating them back to his office, "-I believe we have much to discuss. Am I correct to assume you have no intention of returning to whence you came?"
Rin didn't reply, but that in itself was reply enough.
"Hm," Mephisto stroked his beard, "-no, I suspected not."
"...there's nothing there anymore," Rin finally said, "-I don't care what you do with me. I just don't want to go back."
Mephisto hummed, leaning back in his chair in contemplation. He had experienced countless timelines, but he couldn't say with any honesty that he'd encountered an event quite like this before. He'd shown countless versions of his youngest brother the past, but he'd never met one that had displaced himself from his own time.
Usually, he was around to prevent that.
However... he had to admit, this presented him with quite the unexpected opportunity.
"Very well," Mephisto said, "-you can stay."
Rin looked up at him, as if he hadn't expected him to say yes.
"But," Mephisto quickly added, "-I fully expect you to do me a favor, little brother."
Rin's lips twisted into a tight frown. "...what kind of favor?"
"Why, one that you are uniquely suited for!" Mephisto said with a salesman's smile. "Do you perhaps know when in the timeline you are?"
"...no," Rin admitted, "-no idea."
"Yes, I thought not." Mephisto leaned back in his chair. "This afternoon, Fujimoto Shiro will arrive in my office, carrying you and your brother with him. Do you remember that?"
Rin frowned, but gave him a curt nod.
"Good!" Mephisto said. "That makes things simple."
Rin's brow furrowed. "What does?"
"Originally," Mephisto said, "-I was going to give you and your brother to Fujimoto-kun to raise, as I'm sure you're aware. But since it's quite clear that he failed miserably at the task-"
Rin jerked to his feet, blue flames lighting up his body. "He didn't fail!"
"Oh?" Mephisto arched his brows. "I believe you said there's nothing left where you came from. That sounds like a failure to me."
"That's my fault, not the old man's!" Rin protested. "I'm the one who fucked everything up! So take that back!"
Mephisto hummed, leaning his chin into his hand. The tip of Rin's tail had flared up, lashing angrily behind him. Blue flames curled around his fists, and it was clear that was just barely holding himself back. Not a loss of control, he thought- just anger, pure and simple.
"Fine," Mephisto said, "-I take it back."
Rin slowly exhaled, his flames dying back down to nothing. He slumped back in his chair, staring at his feet. If Mephisto was being honest, he rather preferred the anger- but he supposed anything was an improvement over him looking so utterly broken.
...but that just made him perfect, Mephisto thought.
"...so?" Rin asked. "If you're not giving us- them to the old man, who are you giving them to? Don't tell me you're planning to raise us- them yourself?"
"Hardly!" Mephisto said. "I'm not cut out to be a parent! I've tried it before, you see."
"...then who?" Rin asked.
"You," Mephisto smiled, "-I'm going to give them to you, Okumura-kun."
For a long moment, Rin just stared at him, uncomprehending. "...hah?"
"I'm serious!" Mephisto said. "After all, no one is more uniquely suited to raise the offspring of Satan than the very child who inherited his flames!"
"No way!" Rin said. "I can't raise myself! Besides, I'm only sixteen!"
"You would hardly be the first sixteen year old to raise a child." Mephisto remarked. "And who would know better what did and didn't work than you? I'm sure a few things that you wished you could have changed have already popped into your head."
Rin stared at him for a long moment, before clicking his tongue.
"...that's true," Rin admitted, "-but it's still an insane idea! In the first place, I don't have any money or a job. Heck, I don't even exist!"
"A simple trifle," Mephisto said, "-one that can easily be resolved."
Mephisto snapped his fingers, a small mountain of paperwork appearing before him. Ah, how he couldn't wait until he was truly in the digital age.
"Now then," he said, "-did you ever take the certification exam?"
"...no," Rin frowned, "-the world ended first."
"Hm yes," Mephisto frowned, "-that would be a hindrance. No matter! How does middle first class sound? I can easily arrange for another demon sword for you to use. Something inhabited by a fire demon, as you would be most familiar with that element. Did you ever study any area other than swordsmanship?"
Rin just stared at him like he'd grown a second head. It was an improvement from the glaring, if you asked him. Why, it even seemed as if there was some life in those eyes again!
"...I had a familiar," Rin said after a moment, "-a cat sidhe named Kuro."
"Excellent!" Mephisto smiled. "Knight and Tamer, then. Where did you pick up this familiar?"
"...I didn't," Rin admitted, "-the old man did."
"Fujimoto-kun did?" Mephisto asked. He certainly hadn't done it yet, otherwise he would have heard about it. "Ah, no matter! Finding them will be but a trifle."
"Are you really serious about this?" Rin asked. "Even if you make me an exorcist, I can't-"
"Now then," Mephisto cut him off, "-there's just the matter of your name and birthday."
Rin frowned, his brow furrowing. "What's wrong with my name?"
"There can't exactly be two Okumura Rins, now can there?" Mephisto asked. "No, you'll have to pick something different. Anything will do!"
Rin stared at him for a long moment, the tip of his tail twitching against the floor, "-then... Rinka."
"Unfortunately that one is out," Mephisto said, "-it would draw too much attention. Surely you must realize just how much you resemble Satan in your current state."
Rin bristled. "I do not!"
Mephisto merely arched a brow- and slowly, Rin's shoulders slumped.
"...okay, fine," he said, "-I guess I do. But wouldn't that be a problem?"
"Not at all!" Mephisto said. "We can simply say you are an Azazel clone. Every once in awhile, we'd get misfits with a bit too much demon blood in them. Of course, officially you'll just be an unfortunate first generation nephilim who was previously sheltered by Asylum before that institution's... untimely demise."
Rin's tail flicked in clear irritation, but he surprisingly didn't protest.
"Now," Mephisto said, "-back to the matter of your name. It really can be anything! Perhaps even the protagonist of a manga you think is cool."
Rin frowned, his brow furrowing in thought. "...Noctis."
"Noctis?" Mephisto repeated.
...had he really picked the name of a protagonist of a manga he liked? He'd only said that as a joke! Should he talk him out of it? He'd surely regret it a few years down the line...
...no, he thought. That would be funny, actually.
"Very well!" Mephisto said. "Okumura Noctis it is! Now, as for your birthday..."
Rin- no, Noctis drummed his fingers against the arm of his chair. He allowed him all the time he needed to mull it over, only mildly surprised he hadn't simply picked something random. He knew that was what he always did!
"March 24th," he finally said, "-make it March 24th."
"Certainly!" Mephisto said. "But if you don't mind me asking, why that date in particular?"
Noctis didn't meet his eyes. "...no reason."
Mephisto hummed. He'd certainly thought it over for far too long for that to be the case. Ah well. He wouldn't tease him too much, given what a delicate state he was in. At the very least he would soon be far too busy to dwell on it!
Finishing the paperwork, Mephisto made the papers vanish with a snap of his fingers. They were replaced by a variety of items, which Noctis had to scramble to catch. His attention was predictably drawn to the ID cards first. There were a pair of them- a basic government issued ID card, and an exorcist's license.
He stared at his face, and frowned.
"You're welcome," Mephisto said, "-I made sure to make your photos look nice."
"...thank you," Noctis said after a moment, "-what's this other stuff?"
"Your bank book and your seal!" Mephisto cheerfully informed him. "Belial can show you how to use the former later. Oh, that's right! You'll probably want a cellphone!"
He snapped his fingers again, and a bright pink cellphone popped into Noctis' hands. He grimaced at it- though Mephisto wasn't sure if it was due to the color, or if it was simply because it looked sixteen years out of date to him. Both, perhaps!
"Now then," Mephisto said, "-with that out of the way..."
Another snap of his fingers, and they had once again changed locations. They had returned to the Faust manor, standing in a colorful room that he'd styled as a nursery. Noctis made a face at his choice of decor.
"You three will live here!" Mephisto decreed. "Your room is next door."
"Hah?" Noctis looked at him. "I have to live with you?"
"Oh?" Mephisto asked. "Would you rather live by yourself? I suppose if you'd rather forgo Belial's assistance with your children..."
Noctis grimaced. "...fine. But they're not going to be my kids, got it?"
"Oh?" Mephisto arched his brows. "Then what will they be?"
"...my younger brothers or something?" Noctis frowned. "I'm way too young to be a dad."
Mephisto merely hummed. He'd never had the chance to try this particular scheme before, but he somehow got the feeling that wouldn't go quite the way Noctis hoped... but for the time being, he'd just keep that to himself. It would be much funnier to simply let it unfold, after all.
He allowed him to poke around the nursery for a bit, before he peered into the adjacent room- and let out a sigh of relief when the decor was more subdued. Mephisto motioned for him to follow him, and lead him out into the hall where there was a separate bath and a kitchen for his use.
At the sight of the kitchen, Noctis' stomach growled.
Mephisto let out a bark of laughter- and ah, there was that glare again.
"Please," he said, "-it's all yours. Help yourself!"
Noctis gave him a skeptical look, before cracking open the fridge and perusing the contents. Shutting the door, he poked around the kitchen, peering inside all of the cabinets. He'd made certain it was fully stocked, so he shouldn't be wanting for anything!
"Ugh," Noctis made a face, "-this is the shittiest knife block I've ever seen. Why are they all serrated? Don't you have any proper cooking knives?"
...well now, that was just plain rude.
"Hmph," Mephisto scoffed, "-I provide you with a roof over your head, and you complain about it? Don't forget your position here, Okumura-kun."
"Huh? Get some less crappy cookware then!" Noctis said, holding up a skillet. "Look at this! This pan's going to stick like crazy, I know it! And only one cutting board? What, do demons not care about cross contamination or something? Don't be so stingy!"
Mephisto's brow twitched.
"Just for that," Mephisto said, "-I'm assigning you homework."
With a snap of his fingers, a pile of parenting books landed on the kitchen table with a loud thud. Noctis turned even paler just looking at them.
"...couldn't I just Google this stuff?"
Mephisto let out a bark of laughter. "We're still a few years away from phones being that convenient, I'm afraid! No, you'll have to do this the old-fashioned way."
Noctis stared at the pile of books with dread.
"Now," Mephisto said, "-I believe I have an appointment to keep! Should you need anything, do call for Belial."
Lifting his hand to snap his fingers, Mephisto briefly paused, casting a considering glance towards Noctis. He was flipping through one of the books with a befuddled expression on his face- a much better look on him than the expression he'd been sporting earlier.
"Before I go," he said, "-I do have one question."
Noctis glanced up at him. "What?"
"Satan or Lucifer," Mephisto said, "-which one brought an end to your world?"
Noctis' fingers twitched.
"...Lucifer," he said after a long moment, "-it was him."
...ah, Mephisto thought as he stared at the young man. He refused to meet his eyes, his shoulders taut with tension. He understood now. That was why he was so desperate not to return to his own time.
His youngest brother had always been a horrible liar.