Core Pride and Innocent Sorrow

Chapter 4- The Curious Demon meets The Clown Saint Part 1

"YES! I knew it!" Mephisto yelled happily. "I knew she was alive!"

"Mephisto-san! That's for Rin!" Allen snatchers the manga book off the man dressed in white and pink. The pair was in a shop. Allen was buying some groceries with the money he had earned from his performances. Mephisto had decided to tag along with the younger man.

"Aw come on, ~Allen-kun~, just a peak." Mephisto pleaded.

"It's a gift for Rin so no." Allen said firmly. "Why did you bother coming anyway, I was just shopping?"

"We both know that trouble follows you like a shadow." Mephisto said. "I was wondering if I could catch a glimpse of an Akuma after so long."

"Sorry to disappoint you but there are none around." Allen said.

"Eh?" Mephisto froze. "Didn't you say since then that Akuma are everywhere and stuff?"

"That was a 120-140 odd years ago. I had killed thousands or even more to count by then." Allen explained. "But even so. I had searched this entire town and the school and not even sign. What is stranger is that straight after my first encounter with Satan they disappeared."

"Is it possible that you killed them all?" Mephisto asked.

"No, there were definitely more that I hadn't killed because of too many witnesses." Allen said. "It would also be impossible for any Exorcist of the Black Order to be still alive or a new accommodator without any strange occurrence."

"Hm... strange things are happening Mr Walker." Mephisto said. "I just wanted a re-match with an Akuma since the last time... I was..."

"Had your butt handed to them?" Allen said bluntly with a cheeky grin present.

"Tch." The Mephisto glared at Allen. "Is that a challenge? Clown Saint."

"No, no. I was just speaking the truth." Allen waved off. "If anything I'm grateful and so is Neah."

145 years ago (Germany, *Vogelsang): Mephisto had gone back to the human world again. He had always had a curiosity in human things. They'd make so many strange and wonderful things to play with. However one thing that'd annoyed Mephisto however was that humans were so fragile comparing to a demon like him. He'd wished he could find a human he could play with that didn't break.

Mephisto wore a purple 1800s styled suit that was white with purple trimmings and a white top hat with a purple and pink ribbon around it. He swung a white cane with a purple upside down pentacle. To any normal person this man would have looked like a clown.

"~Hello~." Mephisto said in a sing-a-song voice. "Huh?"

No one was around to greet him. The street was completely empty. Scratch that the town was empty. The setting sun almost made the town look red.

"How boring." He complained crossing his arms. "I come all the way out here and not even single soul around." He huffed. His stomach suddenly made a large growling noise.

"Urgh! I'm sooo hungry!" He sulked. A heavenly scent suddenly filled his nose. It smelled like freshly baked bread. His body acting on its own followed the scent leading him to a bakery. Mephisto could see fresh pasties behind the glass. Mephisto felt drool come out of his mouth while he unintentionally walked inside the warm bakery.

"Hello? Anyone home? Hello~?" He asked. He received no reply. "Oh well I guess no one will mind if I-"

Cl-Click

Mephisto had looked up a second too late. Bullets the size of a small soccer ball was shot at him. He was hit in the stomach, shoulder, his leg and chest. The force of the impact blew him out of the bakery and into the street outside. Blood dripped from his wounds.