Liz and I were talking about Mephisto and Shiro today and I suddenly remembered this fic. While I ushered her to give it a read, I came to reread it myself and just like before, I found myself ensnared by this masterpiece. Every single word here, every sentence, has been so perfectly put together-not surprisingly considering you wrote it. I am always impressed by how you manage to perfectly craft a story, every word and phrasing so carefully calculated and impacting.

Your opening paragraph is my favorite. The way you described Mephisto's way of thinking regarding humans couldn't be any more accurate. Humans are a lovely breed of vermin, toys that can be as frail as butterfly wings and firm as bedrock, and among the masses of grey pebbles, there are brilliant gems. (My summary butchers your perfect exposition, but yes, what I want to say here is that I remain impressed by how well you characterize Mephisto. or rather, I continue to grow more and more impressed. xD) Something I really enjoyed about this is how philosophical Mephisto gets over both humans and Shiro. I felt that through his monologue, he ends up putting Shiro at the core of humanity, the gem that proves his fascination in them is worthy.

Speaking of cores, Shiro continues to be a delight as well. I love how, no matter what incarnation of him exists, what life the cycle of reincarnation has give him, at the core he remains the same. A king... a street urchin... a whore... but no matter the background, that steadfast, unyieldingly defiant soul remains the same, and so Mephisto's attraction grows.

This fic in particular will forever be one of my favorites because the concept of them endlessly meeting like this. The idea of Mephisto's constantly hunting for this soul, for the need to sate his own greed while tempting Shiro's own, pleases me so much I can barely describe it. Will they remain in this standoff forever? What will it take for Shiro to give in or Mephisto to give up...? It's something that I often try to think about but at the same time I shy away from the answer. After all, there's nothing more delicious than this ever growing tension between them and the gravitation pull that continues to pull them together again and again.

Honestly, I don't think I will ever get bored of these two. The possibility of fics that can be made with these two in mind is endless. Both Mephisto and Shiro on their own are incredibly interesting, and their relationship and their interactions are even more so. It's addicting to read about them and you are a master at writing them. I'm really grateful for that. Thank you for this and keep up the great work!

Hey! I've read quite a few of your books and to say the least I'm impressed. Your writing is phenonemal- if you're not a professional writer already you should definitely become one. Your works captivate me, demanding my attention for the short stretch of an eternity I have with it. In call honesty, I aspire to write like you do: it's flawless and flows beautifully! Reading what you write makes me think you are an author, and for all I know you might be. I'm sorry if this comes off as odd, as I often leave that sort of impression upon people. But truly, I love the way you write, and your plots always come to a full loop. If you wrote about what happens inside the fat rolls of a sumo wrestler I'd read it. If you ever publish an actual book please alert me, I'd probably be your first buyer :)

This was beautifully written as usual. I think you really hammered home Mephisto's relationship with humanity with the swiss clock comparison. That is precisely what he does to the people he meets. And yes- the consummate collector of the rare, beautiful, and unique.

I had to laugh at his frustration with never being able to possess Shiro the way he wants to. Nice touch with the -Shiro has to be repeatedly taught how to talk to women. This story really does show how weird their relationship is with all of Mephisto's admiration-possessiveness-affection mixing into one big ball of emotion.

And I adored those little glimpses into Shiro's past lives and all those little meetings between the two of them. Branca is an awesome character- she is going to be in my head for days.

Love this ! Didn't know about the japanese word for white was shiro awesome xx

Ah, that prompt is one of my favorites and you've made it even more so.

Yes! You reposted it and it's AwEsOmE (this is the part where I'm jumping up and down like the Fangirl I am). :D I think got the messages or maybe just one of them.(Lol) And you kept Shiro having 4 lives which I thought that was cool. You just gotta love that Branca girl. :3 Why are you such a great writer?! :) you make me go all Fangirl mode and I'll always be your biggest FAN! *Q* Pleases tell me Shiro did not just say why girls can't be more like guys... ...Shiro...what am going to do with you?! Shiro do all of us a favor and Just go out with Mephisto already! And speaking of that handsome fellow. Mephisto just face it your never going to get that soul. (I know I should feel sorry for him; but, all I can do is laugh XD).

"Not quite enough to make it to Heaven." He smiled into his teacup as he drank. "But enough for another chance."

to repeat the same old mistakes

"Such a waste of time…"

so brief, a human life

"…but time I have plenty."

to repeat the same old mistakes

"I wonder what trick you will pull to escape me this time…?"

and complete yet another pointless cycle

of mistakes

and of failures."

Sammy I hope you realized that your daddy is the one that kills him in around 4 :O.

"Once was fine. Twice was unlikely. Thrice was a taunt. Four times…Four times made him a very unusual demon indeed."

And Shiro will always keep taunting you Mephisto. Can't wait to see your updates! ;3

You're patient reader ;)

How can you... write such awesome fanfiction... I'll be your fan forever and ever and ever and... yeah, you had it all coming upon yourself with those skillful use of words, those ensnaring sentences... and THAT pairing. QwQ And so beautiful and bittersweet and gosh, I just love how you portray Mephisto. It's so... Mephisto-esque (random word invention... xD)

Now this day is perfect, even though karma wanted to land a criticl hit at me. w I don't care about karma anymore (who's that anyway?), good fanfiction will always calm me down like a tamed pet and will soothe my fangirl soul.

Such a splendid challenge and such a worthy fill. :3

And I liked Branca. Indeed same soul. xD Different times, different ethics and values, but a very hot temptation for a soul-seeking demon. And it just slipped off the hook once again... with such gallantry. She may have been a whore, but a determined one. :3 Sadly she didn't find Paradise... she would have deserved it... on the other side... there wouldn't be Shiro if her soul went to heaven. And we don't wanna miss Shiro... Shiro, the good, poor soul with another bittersweet end to come... Q_Q Meh!

Keeps me wondering, will human souls always suffer the same tragic death if they always suffered a tragic death. Will they always be recognisable and distinctive like a fingerprint or retina scan? Like a very basical entered inner matrix that cannot be changed... ever...? Is this what makes a soul unique? One of a kind? Individual? Oh I love the way this keeps me musing... I actually dwell in those thoughts. w

An endless repitition
and so frail, a human life.

Indeed. That's a message. A message of philosophical character...

And the way you rub it in that there's a very interesting fact of Mephisto... the unusual demon who wouldn't harm humankind but rather admire their accomplishments, or rather some of them... the rare ones, the one he likes better then the ordinary ones, the ones that keeop him interested and entertained. Oh, a WHITE sheep indeed. xD Liked that comparison... of course he'd be the white sheep... explains his choice of clothing, too. ;D

And between all the epicness a statement that is more than just a Freudian slip:
"Why can't girls be more like guys...?" *facepalm* Oh Shiro... Shiro... will you never learn? x'D Come on... how can you still deny it? It's obvious... it's so obvious that one has to be utterly and completely blind, deaf and brainless (or just plain dead) to not recognise it as it is. x'D

Enjoyed this short but very inspiring Oneshot a lot. Loved how carefully you chose Shiro's former lives, too and liked the settings you picked as well... And your flow with words... you're a genius and I hope you know that. ôód

Adorable, plain adorable.

Agent Q, finished with babbling