Eternal Life ( Mephisto x Reader )

12. Entertaining life

   I shot Mephisto a side-long glance. Even though we had decided to – temporarily – make peace for the sake of the mission, I could not trust his efforts as sincere. I knew he was still after my secret. 

   A snowflake landed on my nose, and I sneezed. I looked up at the sky ; it was turning white. Soon, the whole of Fuyuki district would be covered. 

- Look... it's snowing.

    Mephisto turned his head to me. He looked amused by my remark. 

- Human reaction, I sighed and shook my head.

- You can't help it, do you ? He smirked.

   He let a snowflake land on his purple glove. It melted away. It's crazy how we fight and laugh about the same things, I silently observed. Should I laugh ? I was a small demon, caught in Samael's giant chess game. There was nothing to laugh about... was there ?

   But maybe today I could win, I thought as I looked down at my feet. 

   I crouched down and grabbed enough snow to make a ball. At least he was so reckless as to lean down to see what I was doing ; it would only have hurt more.

   I threw him a snowball. 

   Mephisto opened his eyes wide, but not in time to dodge it. The snow splattered on the clown's outfit. 

- Right... he sighed. If that's what you want.

   He fought back, but I dodged it. This was war ; I gathered more snow and threw it. I had just forgotten about one detail. He disappeared ; next thing I knew, my own weapon exploded on my back. 

- That's unfair ! I can't do that ! I protested.

- You started it, he stated while raising an eyebrow. 

- I really hate you, you know ?

- Everybody does, he winked. Do you give up ?

- Certainly not ! 

   Except that, catching all the snowballs I made, he never had to create one of his own. And I had to fight through frustration each time he used me against me. Who knew being King of Time and Space could be so trivial. 

    Half an hour, and I threw my arms up in surrender.

- Ok, I give up, you're cheating, I finally said.

- Cheating ? 

   He tried to look vexed, but he was too proud and exulting to hide it. Mephisto shook his head and pointed ahead. 

- Anyway, we're almost there.

- There ?

- Do you think I brought you here for a snowball fight ? He smirked. I found something much more interesting yesterday night, while you were dwelling on your life.

- I wasn't !

- I'll always remember those meditative eyes, staring at the ceiling...

- Are you stalking me ?

- Don't interrupt me when I feel poetic – look, here they are !  

   They ? I looked down to the ground, and flinched. A pile of corpses. Nothing poetic about that. 

- Mephisto, who are those people ? I calmly asked.

- I can see that you're done with human reactions, he smiled.

- Really ?

   Like panicking would have solved this. 

- They're the victims, he finally told me. Well, some of them. Nobody here is younger than twenty...

- But why here ? 

   I leaned down and observed the bodies. They couldn't have been more dead... They were already rotten. Two men, two women, one of whom I guessed to be the last victim. The one that disappeared in the fire. 

- Are you sure those are our victims ? I stood up. They died months ago.

- I'm positive. They've been dead two weeks, tops.

- Mephisto, this is impossible. 

   I thought for a long time. Why dump the bodies here after killing them ? An act of defiance ? Did the murderer know we were investigating ? And how could we explain the state of those bodies ?

- There is something illogical here, I stated the obvious. Demons look for entertainment, but they are not so keen of random murders. I don't understand why those people died.

- As a demon, I can assure you they weren't killed for fun, Mephisto retorted. There is absolutely nothing entertaining here. They just smell. 

   Very useful comment here, demon King.

   I moved closer to the bodies. There had to be something else. When I realised, I stopped dead in my tracks.

- Their hearts. Their hearts are gone.

- Precisely. Dead and heartless.

   I couldn't tell if it was a joke.

- You already knew, didn't you ? I asked Mephisto, raising an eyebrow.

- Of course. I found them here yesterday. They haven't moved an inch, he ironised. 

- But still, why ?

- Demons seek entertainment, but they also need something even more precious. 

    I did not dare interrupt him. For once, he looked serious.

- Life.