Fudge.

That has been the current rage of the season for the students of Shokushu Island, a lush, green paradise in the middle of a vast blue expanse. A few islands dot the horizon hither and to, but aside from that, nothing can be seen for miles around, and it gives you the feeling of being alone in the world.

The island is home to an impressive structure...a school, in fact...and also home to a large tech-savvy building, the pride and joy of the school itself and of everyone who worked on the island. No one really knew what happens here, but everyone's quite afraid...or more possibly, restricted to go near the supposed jewel of the crown that was Shokushu High School.

These days, the students are all gaga about one thing, and that was fudge. The latest rage after a cooking class in which fudge was the main topics, students made their various concoctions, each with her own variation of the foodstuff, trying to one-up the other by producing a more tasty variant. As a result the craze spread silently like wildfire, but this was not the subject.

This story begins on a dark night, with one student trying to make a particular batch of fudge which was quite different...this fudge, in fact, was made differently, somewhere dark, and secret...

As if they didn't heed what people said about the things that lurked in the dark...

It had been really late when Ishtar had snuck into the a storage room. The blue haired woman looked around to make sure that no else was here. The dark room had indicated to her that it was safe to enter on her own, but that she to make sure. The young woman could get into a lot of trouble if the school was to find out what she here and outside her dorm after hours. But this was going to be worth it.

The young woman wanted to make the absolutely the greatest fudge ever, it had been the only thing she wanted to do since she sample her fellow students work. They were so good and the girls that had made there were simply amazing. So the young woman had gone to library to find a book on fudge. What she had found was an old dusty book. She had found it in a forgot section of the library one that she was sure that few of the students had even been in that section of the library.

The old book was actually an old book that on the occult and how to lure creatures from beyond. However the young woman did read that part of the book. All she knew was she had a recipe that would be the envy of her fellow classmates.

The things that lurked in the dark, no one really paid attention to. As long as people can go on living their lives, safe and sound in their own cozy little spaces, they're fine. But of course, that didn't mean that the things that lurked in the dark turned a blind eye and did the same.

This one particular creature of the dark, an adept one at that (or maybe more than adept) was especially interested in this place in which he had been trapped on...or rather, summoned to unwillingly. He had his fill of his most favourite meal...meat. Female meat, in fact. And as for meal...well, it was a rather eccentric meal. No, he didn't eat them, not at all. He had his inhibitions, and being a cannibal was so barbaric, reserved for those who he deemed lower than him. It was an altogether different meal for him...one which involved carnal pleasures, dark fantasies, and mutual fulfillment...even if the latter did not even remember being pleasured the next moment she regained consciousness, or control of her own individuality.

Hiding in these rooms provided him with more than just a place to observe the 'meat' in their natural habitat. It gave him a little more in terms of suprise. He was, after all, a creature of the dark, and so he would use that monicker, or at least, the cover of the darkness associated with him to fulfill his deed.

It just so happened that he frequented the library, the forbidden section in fact, and it just so happened he fixed his eyes on someone who just so happened to have borrowed a book on the occult...to bake fudge.

Smacking his lips, he waited until night, and the telltale signs of magic...a summoning.

Ishtar began setting up her equipment and preparing the ingredients in the room. She looked around one more time to make sure that she was the only person in the room. The blue haired woman did not see anyone around and with that took a sigh of relief. She then began to follow the recipe. The first step was to put a large chalk circle around the spot where she was making fudge. She thought this step was weird and unnecessary, but did anyway just to be sure.

She then went through the other steps more conventional steps to make the fudge. As she did so she did follow the recipe's recommendations to recite each step in Latin...or as well as she can could. The young woman didn't realize that by the time the chocolate had been complete she will have summoned a creature. Still it was the thought of making the perfect fudge kept her going as she worked on the recipe.

And there it was, a summoning.

For starters, demons have tell-tale signs that someone is summoning them. For instance, it gets a little heavy in the area, permeated with magicks and particularly strong pressures on their part. Then, it gets even more interesting, picking up from those sensations.

A tugging on the back of their neck happens, a sensation strange enough and yet slightly exhilirating. Then they start to become transparent, slightly losing sense of self before they transmute...instanly out and into the place where they are summoned. Not entirely on their will, of course, and most demons would take badly on being summoned unceremoniously and suddenly, but not the kind of demons from Lilitu's place in the Shikima realm.

He felt all of this, and more, as he waited, with baited breath, deep in the darkness he loved so much. This student was intent on finishing her task, the task of getting her fudge done with a little extra help, but did not expect how much she would have to pay for it. Oh, he was willing to help, very willing to help...

But, as with everything else in this world, that comes at a price so steep she might not be able to pay for it...

In which case, Lilitu will extract that payment, whether she likes it or not...

---

As with the facts mentioned, Lilitu felt the sensations...the tugging on his back, the pressure...before he saw himself get transparent, as if being sucked into the darkness he loved so much...

A silent but audible -pop- signaled the transmutation of the demon, simulateneously disappearing and reappearing in a cloud of stereotypical smoke.

As Ishtar was about to finish the recipe, she realized that it felt like something was missing. Like a key ingredient was missing or something. The blue haired woman was about to turn back to see what step she missed in the book when suddenly there was a loud pop noise as the room was filled with smoke. The young woman coughed as she attempted to wave the smoke away. While she was swinging her hand around it was then that it hit someone's chest.

The young woman instantly backed up as she was stunned that anyone would be here. Still disoriented from the smoke she asked, "Who are you? What are you doing here? Jen, you better not being playing a trick on me.[/color]

Within the smoke, malevolent eyes watch the soft, supple body of the wannabe master chef. The figure was clearly expecting something of this caliber, something with which he would trick the girl into a false sense of security, and invite him into her world.

A world which, in his mind, would be very much to his enjoyment.

He stayed still, watching her wave through the smoke, and waiting for the time...waiting...when she would move her hands through the smoke. Waving it away, clearing it so that, finally, when the smoke lifted...

She would touch a solid body. Not to scare her, but she stood face to face with a be-spectacled old man, who looked every bit distinguished...like a chef.

" Whatever would you be doing, young lady?"

Ishtar was stunned when she hit a person chest, she was not expecting anyone here with her, much less someone who wasn't a student. As the smoke began to clear, the blue haired student realized that Jen had nothing to do with it all. Instead it was an old man, one so old that he had spectacles on to help with his vision. However, the man was wearing a chef outfit. When did he get here? How did her hiding place? He soon asked her what she was doing here, and the poor student felt obliged to answer. Ummm...well I am trying to create fudge.

" Fudge, huh..." the old man answered with a huff.

He looked around at the area which the student had summoned him to. It was perfect...perfectly cut-off from most areas of the school, he figured it would take at least a few hours for help to get here, if she wanted to scream for help. As for anything else that might arise, Lilitu was confident. He didn't become monarch of Shikima for nothing.

He looked around still, faking a superior air, before he turned around and spoke again.

" What is this fudge you're speaking of? May I see it?"

He decided to play around, after all, it only makes this all the more interesting, rather than boring.

Ishtar was still stunned that the cook was somehow here. She was absolutely sure was the only one here. She had checked all around and was absolutely positive that it was empty. So where did he come from? It was then that he asked her if he could look at the fudge she was making.

Oh, I am making fudge from an old recipe I found in the library. I was in the middle of making it when you startled me. However if you would like to look at what I have done so far, please take a look for yourself.

Lilitu made a mock look at the fudge.

She had tried making a batch in a cauldron-looking cookware, and it was bubbling malevolently. It looked as if she followed the occult book to a T and what resulted was an evil-looking, yet irresistable batch of the stuff. He sniffed, and he quickly became enthralled by the smell. A quick dip and a taste gave him a sampling of what it was...truly delectable to a demon, but somehow he thought of it to be poison for anything other than persons like him...a demon.

" It does seem to serve it's purpose." he said," but I'd rather suggest that you don't serve it at parties, only at private engagements."

He looked her over, relishing her youth and beauty, and the vibrant energy he sensed within her...an energy which could be used for something else other than baking.

" I'd like to see how you'd finish this up." he said, taking a chair in the corner.

Ishtar watched as the chef took a moment to sniff of what she had cooked so far. Slowly the ancient man in the white outfit dip his finger into the fudge and then pull it out to taste it. She was kinda of disappointed with his opinion, at least what she thought it was. Why could she only serve it privately, did she screw something up? The young woman thought she had followed the recipe precisely. The chef asked her to continue, as he sat down in a chair.

W-well, I am almost done. All I have to do is poor the mix in to a pan and let it cool. The young woman moved over the cauldron and put some mitts on. There she was able to pick up the small cauldron and bring it over to a pan to pour the contents out on the pan. It was then she realized that the chef had stuck his finger into the bubbling contents and had not burned his self, that was very odd but she wasn't sure it was her place to ask.

For one who was supposed to be exceedingly smart, Lilitu moved in a stupid, alien way, and one of his many pitfalls was noticed by the naive student.

Disregarding that she would notice, he had nonchalantly dipped his hand into the concoction she was making...a concoction that, during the time he dipped his hand into, was furiously bubbling and toiling, so to speak, and he wasn't counting on her to notice...but she did, and THAT he did not notice. He did it again, this time not knowing if she saw it or not, before she could even pour the thing into the pan, and let it bake.

He caught wind of what she was saying, and how she felt, when he said that her batch was only for private parties, and she looked down in the pits hearing that. Lilitu smiled. He would capture her trust this way...sympathy was the best way to go.

" Don't be discouraged, dearie." He began. " When I said private, I did not mean that you were a bad cook. All I'm saying is that this kind of thing is not meant for many people...only the most special ones deserve this."

He then stood up once again, moved closer to her while she poured the batch into the pan, acting as if he was carefully observing the whole process of what she was doing...though clearly just smelling the girl's scent, trying to savor her even more.

Ishtar felt a bit relieved to hear the chef there is nothing wrong with her cooking after all. It was just that the recipe was meant for very special very private occasions. The young woman mind wandered a bit at thought at what he meant by private occasions. She blushed a bit as she began to think of a romantic encounter with one of the men in her romance novels. Slowly she began to poor out the batch into a pan even as the chef moved closer to watch. The young woman continued to be careful not burn herself as she poor out the batch, it was then that something disturbed her. Pardon me, I could not hope to notice that you were able to put your finger in the boiling fudge, how did you do that exactly? I would have burned my fingers if I had tried that.

Of course, it had to happen. She was not that stupid, after all, she managed to make something of this magnitude (even if she did not mean to make it with an incantation that summoned Lilitu here) and to do that is no small feat. It required a little bit...no, quite a lot of magic, and it seemed she was capable of making that, even if it was meant to make her fudge the belle of the ball.

And so when he was asked why his finger was not burned when he dipped it, he searched a few seconds for a suitable explanation, one that would put her doubts to sleep.

" Ah!" he said, clasping his hands together, " You noticed! Quite observant of you, young lady. That is one of the qualities of a good chef!"

He then proceeded to pretend and observe her pouring the batch. He actually knew the properties of this particular batch, and proof of this was that he was already feeling as springy as a spring chicken. Perhaps she had hit something right, and if he was also correct in his calculations, this batch would then serve as an elixir for him to gain extra strength.

" It takes years for one such as I not to be hurt when trying to sample a batch straight from a smoldering cauldron." he said, smiling. " It's nothing special really, we veteran chef just know the cooler spots from the hotter ones."

He hoped that explanation would be enough. It was getting harder and harder to corner her into a comfortable situation.