Leashed | • • • | Blue Exorcist

Paperwork

Shura's POV:

"Mephisto, may I have a word?" I stated flatly. I didn't give him a chance to answer as I sauntered into his office. The purple haired demon scowled, holding a finger up in my direction before turning away in his chair, resuming the phone conversation I'd clearly interrupted. I huffed and readjusted the bag on my shoulder. I wasn't much of a purse girl, and the unfamiliar feeling of a strap against my skin made me itch. The contents in my bag were light, but the weight they carried emotionally was bone breaking.

The purple-haired headmaster seemed to be in the middle of a heavily worded dispute, and had this been any other issue, I'd think to come back later. However, I needed to problem-solve the second he had a free moment. I took a deep breath and stationed myself in the royal blue armchair in front of his desk. Shrugging off my satchel, I positioned it on my lap, tapping the fabric to a nonexistent rhythm.

After several minutes, he bid the other party farewell and hung up the phone with an audible click. I pulled my gaze from the dozens of hand-painted portraits to rest on my colleague. Mephisto quirked an eyebrow and slung his feet atop his mahogany desk, tangling his fingers behind his head. "Ah, Ms. Kirigakure. What could possibly bring you into my office during business hours?" His tone clearly conveyed that I was unwelcome, but I didn't let it under my skin.

I straightened my back and leveled with him. "We need to transfer Rin out of Aiko Children's Hospital."

My statement caused both purple eyebrows to raise before furrowing. A few strained moments passed between us before he clicked his tongue. "And why would we go to such an extreme measure? It's my impression that Aiko was your choice." A bit of mirth played behind his green eyes. I had no doubt he wanted to cackle at my 'human antics.'

"It was," With my confirmation, I began shuffling through my bag, pulling out a paper and placing it on his desk. "But while you've been playing around up here, Rin's gone through a rough time. Aiko seems to be holding him, even though they are clearly in over their heads with his case."

His gaze lingered on the paper for several seconds before he straightened in his seat and pulled it into reading distance. I waited patiently for him to skim the page. It was the incident report of Rin's attempted suicide. When he raised his eyes again, I placed another paper on the desk. This sheet was part of the stack I'd signed when admitting the teen. On it we're the strict guidelines, one of which was the immediate termination of service if a prohibited item were smuggled onto the property.

About five minutes of silence occurred after, with Mephisto glazing back and forth between pages. I'd done the exact same, piecing together the mismatching information. Finally, he pushed the papers away and leveled with me. "So they're going against their own guidelines. That doesn't explain why you want to pull him from the program."

I buckled myself in for an argument. "After Rin's attempt, I had a long conversation with his psychologist and one of the members of the board. They fucked up, and while they admit it, their new course of action is no different than the old one." I rose a hand to my shoulder, scratching where the bag's strap had rubbed. "They briefly brought up a different facility, one that would be more beneficial for Rin. Yet, when I told them to transfer him, they refused."

"You're saying Aiko is not beneficial for Rin?"

I ground my teeth, "yes, that's exactly what I just said."

His lip twitched at the corner, "why isn't it?"

What is he, stupid? "Because he tried to kill himself while he was there?"

He clicked his tongue a few times before reverting back to his lounged position. When he kicked his feet back up onto the wood, the sole of his shoe rubbed against one of the papers, streaking it black. "From what I've been told, that boy has attempted multiple times before. Did you expect him to stop after a few weeks of therapy?" I felt my cheeks begin to heat up. And I wasn't quite sure if it was because of embarrassment or anger. "Unless you know he tried because of something they could've prevented, I'm going to refuse your request."